Kenneth Baxter Ragsdale: His Legacy Preserved in Troup (b. Sept. 3, 1917, d. June 17, 2015)
by Deborah Burkett
Amazing how you can know someone but not really understand the depth of the person, never realizing the impact they've made on a larger stage. Such is the case with the late Kenneth Ragsdale. I first met him when he came to East Texas in the late 1990s to view a photo exhibit at the Cameron-J. Jarvis Troup Municipal Library. The town was buzzing with excitement. Kenneth was going to arrive by plane-one that he would pilot himself. Imagine that! At 80, he became one of only a handful of pilots in aviation history to have earned a license at that age.
Inside the library everything was ready. Carole Wilson, Dee Brock and I had covered the walls in the community room with photos from Troup's past. This event was part of on-going research by members of the Troup
Genealogical/Historical Society (TGHS) and the Friends of the Library which ultimately resulted in the book: A Century of the History of Troup, Texas 1850s to 1950s. Kenneth had the time of his life that day. As he walked through the exhibit with old friends, they recalled memories of their youth. Even though it was difficult, I managed to corral them for a group photo. (Back row L to R: C. A. Wilkinson Jr, Sam Holmes, Ken Ragsdale, Jetta Jarvis, and Bertram Wilson. Front row L to R: Wilson Haire, Marguerite Evans Traxler, M. K. Maris and Maudie Dickson Jones.)
In late 2014 while studying the Great Depression, Kenneth's name surfaced on Internet sites. I was looking for Dr. L. T. Cummins's writings about women and their contributions during the Texas Centennial. We had met and shared information but I didn't realize he and Kenneth had collaborated. That made me ponder, how was Kenneth doing? Most of his Troup classmates had passed away and I had lost touch. When I heard of his death I was saddened, and decided to commemorate his passing by writing something for local media outlets. I called editors Mary Anne Coney (TGHS) and Suzanne Loudamy (Tri-County Leader) right away. Also connected with Kenneth's friends, colleagues and family members, as time permitted.
I begin with a quote from L. T. Cummins, Ph. D. of Austin College, and former official Texas State Historian, "Ken Ragsdale was a gem of a person. He was a great scholar, an accomplished musician, and a warm human being. Ken was a tireless worker in advancing the cause of Texas history. His important books went great distance to expand our appreciation for the history of this state. Ken's book on the Texas Centennial will stand for many, many decades as the definitive work on the topic."
Two highlights of Kenneth's storied career stand out: In 1964, upon retiring from teaching in Austin he applied for the doctoral program in the History Department at the Univ. of Texas. He was rejected, told that at 48 years of age he was "too old". He was saved by William Goetzmann, a Pulitzer-prize winning historian and director of the newly-formed American Civilization department at the university. He invited Ragsdale to pursue a degree in his department and Kenneth's love of the Big Ben area began. Another career accomplishment illustrates Ragsdale's penchant for history. While working towards the degree in Goetzmann's department, he also began working part-time as a field director at the Texas State Historical Association located on campus in Battle Hall. In this capacity, Ragsdale was instrumental in creating a railroad-car museum commemorating the Chisholm Trail that traveled all over the U.S. and abroad.
Where did Kenneth get his love of history? It was in his blood. As work progressed on the history of Troup book led by TGHS President Mildred Steele, Kenneth shared details about his mother's writings with the book committee. In a March 2001 letter to Jim Carlyle, Kenneth wrote he had located his mother's manuscript on the history of Old Knoxville which included the Bell School. Kenneth wanted us to also credit his uncle, James Wilmer Norman, who had passed the information on to his mother. (Note accompanying photo of Kenneth as a young boy with his mother, Ruth Norman Ragsdale and her brother James Wilmer Norman)
As a member of the Troup book committee I also corresponded with Kenneth, via email. One dated September 26, 2002 stands out. He was excited about his next project-editing one of Smithers' manuscripts on early aviation and having access to over 8,000 photos in the collection. Kenneth wrote, "…Your great grandfather's sister was Lillie Bugg? Wow! That almost makes us kinfolks. Adolphus Bugg married my aunt, Jessie Norman, who was from the Bell community, south of Troup. I knew Lillie and her sons, Turner and Elray, In fact Turner's wife was my cousin…" Kenneth went on to explain the origin of his email address-frysgap, a whistle stop near Jacksonville. He closed the lengthy email with the following, "Say Hi to anyone in Troup who still remembers me. Troup is still home to me."
Kenneth then submitted the following memory for the Troup book, "I was born near a whistle stop called Frys Gap on I & O Railroad about four miles north of Jacksonville. The railroad of course is long gone. I remember my father taking me to the Gap, flagging the passenger train and riding to Jacksonville. Returning, we would buy a ticket to Frys Gap, tell the conductor our destination, and he would stop the train to let us off. What service! After dark, my father would either wave a lantern or burn newspapers to stop the train. Days gone by!"
Last week I contacted Troup resident Bonnie Mae Norris seeking information about Kenneth's life in Old Knoxville. She shared, "I was born August 26, 1917, in the Bell Community, south of Troup about three miles. Kenneth was younger than me, by almost 2 weeks; we started the first grade together. At the time, the Bell School house had just two rooms. Years later at one of our reunions, Kenneth said he remembered getting his mouth washed out with soap…but the ruckus was caused by another boy, not Kenneth of course." Bonnie Mae said with a smile. She continued, "After his father died, Kenneth and his mother Ruth, a much loved school teacher, moved in with Mrs. Mary Norman, Ruth's mother. The house was located right across from Bell School. Kenneth loved his grandma-we all did-she made the best cookies! Also living in the house were Ruth's brothers Arthur, Wilmer and Crockett…Grandma Mary (everybody called her that) had a big old trunk filled with long dresses from the 1800s. She let us girls dress up in them for school plays…"
Kenneth Ragsdale was also a noted musician and is remembered by Tyler resident, Eleanor Melton Cameron. It was the 1930s and the Troup High School band was just getting started. Eleanor describes those days, "I played tenor sax and B-flat clarinet. Jane Jarvis played alto sax and B-flat clarinet; Julietta Jarvis the same…Sam Holmes was on trombone and Kenneth played bass. Our band uniforms were white slacks, shirts and white cotton capes that our mothers made and a blue sailor cap. We were a sad looking group compared to the oil rich towns of Overton, Gaston and Kilgore-they were dressed in flashy uniforms and plumed hats. However we were proud of our marching band…we even formed a jazz group…"
When I asked Kenneth's son, Jeff, to discuss his father's love of Troup and Knoxville he shared," We all know the old story about a person never forgetting where he or she comes from but in my dad's case, it was particularly true. For him, it was a recognition of the fact that, how he was raised, the people he grew up with, the neighbors he grew to know, the doctors that helped to nurture him back to health, not to mention the fertile land itself, were all indispensable to creating the man he was to become. As a historian, he understood that one's personal story is never lived in isolation nor out of context but is, instead, inextricably tied to the environment which gives it foundation, and in my dad's life, he traces it all the way back to his hometown of Troup, in neighboring Jacksonville and the beloved Piney Woods he forever called home."
Historian, author and Big Band leader, Kenneth Baxter Ragsdale, passed away at his home in Austin on Wednesday, June 17, 2015, his contributions will long be felt.
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