Wilkerson, John and Ruth Collection, 1939-1952
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10605/361958
Creator: Wilkerson, Ruth
Collection #: S 1886.1
Language: English
Biographical Sketch
Ruth Wilkerson was born in Houston, Texas. She attended and graduated Lamar High School and Baylor University. She taught school for a year before focusing on raising her family and volunteering in various organizations.
John Wilkerson was born in Lubbock, TX on December 18, 1934. A lifelong Lubbock resident, John graduated from Lubbock High in 1953 and from Baylor University in 1957. John assumed leadership of Wilkerson Cold Storage Co. in 1956 and remained Chairman of the company until his death on August 28, 2021. John served as Chairman of the Board of City Development, the Lubbock County Appraisal District and the Civil Service Commission.
John and Ruth married on June 21, 1958. They spent the next 63 years together in Lubbock, where their family grew to include four children and they were actively involved in serving their church, schools and community.
Scope and Contents
The Collection consists of correspondence from and to various members of the Wilkerson family of Lubbock, Texas. Some of the authors include John Gordon Wilkerson, Sr., "Gordon"; Cleo Hankins Wilkerson; John Gordon Wilkerson, Jr., "John"; Howard Wilkerson; Mary Ruth Wilkerson Grady; and Jeanie Hankins. The letters contain information about the family and describe vacations, business, and daily events.
Restrictions
Open for Research
Related Material
For related materials in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, see the following collections:
++John Gordon Wilkerson, Jr., oral history interview [abstract, sound recording], December 15, 2020.
++John Gordon Wilkerson, Jr., oral history interview [abstract, sound recording], December 22, 2020.
++Ruth Wilkerson oral history interview [abstract, sound recording], June 14, 2022.
++Ruth Wilkerson oral history interview [abstract, sound recording], June 21, 2022.
++Lou Diekemper oral history interview [transcript, sound recording], October 7, 2015.
Preferred Citation
John and Ruth Wilkerson Collection, 1939-1952, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
Accession Information
Gift, 2022
Processing Information
Zachary R. Hernández, 2022
Collection Inventory
Box 1
Correspondence
- Folder 1, Mary Ruth Wilkerson Birth, January 2, 1939
- Folder 2, Envelope, February 26, 1940
- Folder 3, Eula Hankins to Cleo Wilkerson, December 16, 1941
- Folder 4, Jeanie Hankins to Family, December 1941
- Folder 5, Envelope, December 22, 1942
- Folder 6, Mary Ruth Wilkerson to Gordon (father), August 12, 1950
- Folder 7, Jeanie Hankins to Gordon and Cleo Wilkerson children August 14, 1950
- Folder 8, Jeanie Hankins to Cleo Wilkerson and Family, August 26, 1950
- Folder 9, Odis Petsick to Wilkerson Cold Storage Co., September 28, 1950
- Folder 10, Gordon Wilkerson to Odis Petsick, October 3, 1950
- Folder 11, Gordon Wilkerson to Cliff Hankins, October 10, 1950
- Folder 12, Gordon Wilkerson to Cliff and Jeanie Hankins, October 22, 1950
- Folder 13, Jeanie Hankins to Gordon and Cleo Wilkerson Family, October 26, 1950
- Folder 14, Hankins to Gordon and Cleo Wilkerson children, December 6, 1950
- Folder 15, Jeanie Hankins to Gordon and Cleo Wilkerson Family, May 24, 1951
- Folder 16, Jeanie Hankins to Cleo Wilkerson and Family, May 25, 1951
- Folder 17, Jeanie Hankins to Gordon Wilkerson, May 29, 1951
- Folder 18, Jeanie Hankins to Cleo Wilkerson and Family, September 11, 1951
- Folder 19, Jeanie Hankins to Cleo and Gordon Wilkerson Family, December 18, 1951
- Folder 20, Jeanie Hankins to Gordon and Cleo Wilkerson Family, January 1, 1952
- Folder 21, Jeanie Hankins to Gordon Wilkerson, January 1, 1952
- Folder 22, Jeanie Hankins to Cleo and Gordon Wilkerson, June 10, 1952
- Folder 23, Howard Wilkerson to Cleo and Gordon (parents), June 14, 1952
- Folder 24, Howard Wilkerson to Cleo and Gordon (parents), June 16, 1952
- Folder 25, Howard and John Wilkerson to Cleo Gordon (parents) Teddy, June 17, 1952
- Folder 26, Howard Wilkerson to Cleo and Gordon (parents), June 20, 1952
- Folder 27, Howard Wilkerson to Cleo and Gordon (parents), June 25, 1952
- Folder 28, Howard Wilkerson to Cleo and Gordon (parents), June 28, 1952
- Folder 29, Howard Wilkerson to Cleo and Gordon (parents), June 30, 1952
- Folder 30, Dora Lee Wilkerson to John and Howard Wilkerson, July 4, 1952
- Folder 31, John Wilkerson to Gordon, Cleo, and Mary Ruth (parents sister), July 11, 1952
- Folder 32, John Wilkerson to Gordon and Cleo (parents), July 15, 1952
- Folder 33, Howard Wilkerson to Cleo and Gordon (parents), July 16, 1952
- Folder 34, Cleo Wilkerson to Gordon Wilkerson, July 18, 1952
- Folder 35, Mary Ruth Wilkerson to Gordon (father), July 21, 1952
- Folder 36, Howard Wilkerson to Gordon (father), July 23, 1952
- Folder 37, Mary Ruth Wilkerson to Gordon (father), July 23, 1952
- Folder 38, Mary Ruth Wilkerson to Gordon (father), July 24, 1952
- Folder 39, Mary Ruth Wilkerson to Gordon (father), July 24, 1952
- Folder 40, Cleo and Mary Ruth Wilkerson to Gordon Wilkerson, July 25, 1952
- Folder 41, Mary Ruth Wilkerson to Gordon (father), July 29, 1952
- Folder 42, John Wilkerson to Gordon (father), July 31, 1952
- Folder 43, "Things we did and saw on the trip", July 1952
- Folder 44, "When we left home", July 1952
- Folder 45, Cleo Wilkerson to Gordon Wilkerson, August 1, 1952
- Folder 46, Howard Wilkerson to Gordon (father), August 2, 1952
- Folder 47, Jeanie Hankins to Cleo and Gordon Wilkerson, 1952
- Folder 48, Jeanie Hankins to Cleo Wilkerson, 1952
- Folder 49, Jeanie Hankins to Cleo and Gordon Wilkerson, July 3, 1953
- Folder 50, Kathryn Curtis (Camp Illahee) to Cleo Wilkerson, December 12, 1953
- Folder 51, Ethel Wilkerson (aunt) to John and Howard Wilkerson, undated
- Folder 52, Jeanie Hankins to Cleo and Gordon Wilkerson, undated
- Folder 53, Mary Wilkerson to Gordon, Cleo, and Ruth Wilkerson, undated
- Folder 54, Mary Ruth Wilkerson to Gordon and Cleo (parents), undated
- Folder 55, Jean Hankins to Mrs. John Hankins, undated