Karen Rogers tells us in a comment to yesterday’s post about Dr. Lovett and the New Orleans alumni that R.T. Wilbanks described this visit in an article he wrote for the Rice Historical Society’s magazine, the Cornerstone. Sure enough, I just found it. It’s in the very first issue, Volume 1, Number 1, from the summer of 1995. Here’s the link. This issue apparently came out before the discovery of page numbers, but if you browse through it you’ll find the article near the end.
Like the photographs themselves, this story is charming. Wilbanks was struck by exactly the same thing that I was struck by–that Lovett, who could seem so distant and formal at times, was warm, friendly and engaging when in a social setting. He even took the time to send a present later to Wilbanks’s little daughter, who turns out to be named Vera.
Here’s a little more information on R.T. Wilbanks. On-line genealogical materials indicate that he moved to Ft. Worth prior to the birth of his son in 1946:
Richard T. Wilbanks, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep 1995
Barbara Caramba-Coker (View posts) Posted: 28 Jan 1999 12:00PM GMT
Classification: Obituary
Surnames: WILBANKS
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Richard T. Wilbanks, a retired traffic manager for Montgomery Ward Mail Order House and later manager of his own transportation counseling service for 25 years, died Saturday at home.
Graveside service: Private in Hollywood Cemetery in Houston.
Visitation: Noon until 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Mr. Wilbanks was born July 3, 1903.
He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Fort Worth for 52 years.
His wife, Mildred Hanes Wilbanks, preceded him in death in 1979.
Survivors: Son, Thomas Charles Wilbanks of Virginia Beach; daughter, Vera Alice Wilbanks; two grandchildren, Tracy Kathleen Turner and Gwendolyn Lee Wilbanks; two great-granddaughters; and one greatgrandson, all of Tulsa, Okla.
Many thanks for this! And thanks for reading.
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