Dennis Partridge
Chester Clinton Housh was a pioneering Virginia turkey producer, agricultural writer, educator, and association leader. Based in Elkton, he built a nationally recognized operation producing Beltsville White and Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys, including a 1948 presentation to President Harry S. Truman. This biography also traces his education, agricultural career, family, and contributions to Shenandoah Valley farming.
Rayburn Ralph Griffith (born 1895 in Marion Center, Pennsylvania) built a distinguished insurance career in Front Royal, taking over the S. G. Allen Insurance Agency in 1942 and operating R. R. Griffith Insurance. He served as Warren County Republican Committee secretary and county assessor, belonged to the Lions Club, and married Leona Allen, with whom he had one son.
Fitzhugh Elder, Jr. (1917–?) was a Staunton attorney who became Commonwealth Attorney in 1945, following his grandfather’s earlier service in the same role. A descendant of prominent Virginia families, he studied at the University of Virginia, practiced law in Staunton, and served Trinity Episcopal Church and local civic organizations. He and Genevieve Louise Benckenstein had two children.
Michael E. Kivlighan, born in Staunton in 1914, was a lawyer, photographer, and owner of the Camera Shop, which opened in 1946 and served clients throughout western Virginia. A Georgetown and University of Virginia graduate, he practiced law while building his photographic business. He married Kathryn Lineweaver in 1941 and instructed in the Naval Air Corps V-5 Program during World War II.
Eugene H. Holsinger founded the Holsinger Lumber Company in Staunton after purchasing the Montague Payne Lumber Company in 1926. The business expanded into building materials and cabinetmaking during World War II. A member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church and the Rotary Club, Holsinger died in 1947; his wife, Louise, continued leading the family company.
George Bowler Tullidge, born in 1901, moved to Staunton in 1925 after earning a pharmacy degree from Medical College of Virginia. He later led the Staunton Insurance Agency and became president of Farmers and Merchants Bank in 1949. The biography details his civic, fraternal, religious, and charitable service, marriage to Anne Archer Hogshead, and their four children.
Life fact Information Full name William David Hockman, Jr. Born July 17, 1915, in Fairfield, Virginia Parents William David Hockman, Sr., and Beatrice Ramsey Principal roles Automobile dealer; owner of Royal Bus Lines; farmer Religious affiliation Presbyterian Church Genealogy of William David Hockman, Jr. This genealogical account was constructed from the family information contained in the biography below. No relationships or life facts have been added from outside sources. William David Hockman, Jr., was born July 17, 1915, in Fairfield, Virginia, a son of William David Hockman, Sr., and Beatrice Ramsey Hockman. His father had been associated with the Skyline … Read more
W. C. Lauck (1873–1934) was a Luray lawyer, newspaper publisher, postmaster, mayor, and community leader. A Washington and Lee graduate, he founded the Page News and Courier, helped bring Lee Highway through Page County, and served local Democratic, Baptist, Rotary, and Masonic organizations. He and his wife, Annie Rhodes Grayson, had two sons.
Edward White Lauck, a Luray native and Virginia Military Institute and Cornell graduate, left a career with Republic Steel in 1936 to lead the Page News and Courier. He expanded the family newspaper’s editorial and commercial printing work while serving civic, business, and conservation organizations. Lauck was married to Lucy Berneice Lee and had one daughter, Sally Ann.
H. McKelden Smith was a prominent Staunton businessman involved in fuel supply, ice distribution, and banking. A University of Virginia alumnus and Augusta National Bank director, he also served on the city council and remained active in the Episcopal Church. This biography traces his family’s Valley roots from Captain John Smith and recounts his marriage and son.