Millard R Terry

On 25 March 1917, I was born.  My Mother, Naomi Emoline Hobbs (Terry) and Father, John Edward Terry lived at Schaberg, Arkansas.  My Grandmother and Grandfather Hobbs (William Bradford Hobbs and Sabria Elizabeth) also lived in Schaberg, Arkansas at the time of my birth.  Grandma Hobbs was a midwife, and she asked my Mother to come to her house so Grandma could help deliver me.
            
            At the time of my birth, our Terry family was small.  Mom and Dad had only one other child, Lloyd Dale Terry.  I was the second one born in my family and would be followed by Wayne Edward Terry, Doyle Curtis Terry, Inza Faye Terry, and Uldine Elizabeth Terry.  My older brother Lloyd Dale Terry died when he was 12 years old on 24 May 1927 of a ruptured appendix.
            
            When I was a boy growing up with my family, we had to work very hard to make ends meet.  We had two mules, to help us with our field work.  Beck was black in color and Kate was reddish brown in color.  These two mules helped us plow our fields, haul fire wood, and handle cross ties.  My brothers and I would work all day from sun up to sun set cutting fire wood and splitting cross ties for .75 cents a day.  That was our only way to make spending money.
            
            I went to school at Schaberg, Arkansas in the beginning years and eventually graduated from high school at Greenland, Arkansas.  While in high school, I played basketball, and our small team from little Greenland, Arkansas, went to the State Championship Playoffs, my senior year in 1935.  We took second place, loosing the championship by one point. When I graduated from high school, I had a basketball letter sweater with four stripes and a star on the shoulder.  The star meant I had Captained our team.
            
            I moved from Arkansas on 25 March 1937 (my 20th Birthday) to Wichita, Kansas to find work, opportunity, my wife, and my future.  I found it all.  When I arrived in Wichita, I lived with my Uncle and Aunt, Vern and Inza Gilbert.  I started attending the West Side Baptist Church and met Wilma Fern Fletcher.
            
            Wilma and I were married on 23 January 1938, at the West Side Baptist Church.  My Best Man was Bud Smith, and Wilma's Maid of Honor was Betty May Jordan.
            
            When arriving in Wichita, I worked as a lineman, climbing telephone polls for the city.  I then did some security work for the city in their parks division.  In 1940 I was sent to the Wichita Airport and worked for the city, servicing aircraft that landed in the Wichita Airport.  As World War II  started I was asked to join the U.S. Government in a civilian capacity and continued working at the Wichita Municipal Airport, servicing aircraft.  I did this until I was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps on 28 May 1945.
            
            Wilma and I had our first born son, Millard Dan Terry, on 3 May 1940.  Dan was born at his Grandparents (Ben and Madge Fletcher) house at 455 N. Fern.  After Dan's birth, we moved in with my parents who had moved from Arkansas and purchased their house at 1427 S. Saint Clair.  Wilma, Dan, and I lived with the Terry's for about two years.  We then purchased our first house at 216 N. Vine.  We lived there until 1946 and then moved to 259 N. Martinson.  We lived in this house for 29 years.  We moved to 1325 McLean Blvd in 1970 and reside there now.
            
            After I entered the service in May 1945, our second son, Dale Russell Terry, was born on 13 October 1945.  The war effort was winding down and I was mustered out of the service in December 1945, to return to Wichita, Wilma, Dan and Dale.
            
            I went to work for the Kansas Air National Guard after getting out of the service.  I worked for them in a civilian capacity until 1947, and then joined them in a full time Guard capacity.  In 1950 our Guard unit was activated for the Korean War and we moved to Alexandria, LA.  I was in the Air Force for about one year, when I developed a back problem, and was given a medical discharge. We returned to Wichita, Kansas and after recovering from back surgery, I again started working in the aircraft industry, first for Boeing, and then with the Federal Government as a Quality Control Representative.  I retired from the Government with 34 years of service in 1974.

***This information was in a file given to me by Millard R. Terry's son Millard Dan Terry.****