The Texas Gulf Historical and Biographical Record, Volume 20, Number 1, November 1984 Page: 99
116 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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. .. In Memoriam .. .
ELIZABETH PARK FUNCHESS
(1905-1984)
Friends received with sorrow the announcement of the death of Elizabeth
Park Funchess, wife of Henry Bascom Funchess, Jr., which occurred on
August 26, 1984, following several years of frail health. A founding member
of the Society and a native Beaumonter, Elizabeth chose to enjoy almost
a lifetime of residence here, where she and her family had lived their early
life. During the intervening years, which lavishly poured out upon her the
rare advantages of education, travel, and social activities in Europe, she
had enjoyed the opportunities but remained unspoiled. A person of quiet
strength and courage, she counted her family and friends as her greatest
treasure.
Born in Beaumont, Texas, on April 17, 1905, Elizabeth was the first
of the three children born to Mary Andrews Litner Park and Samuel Park.
The latter was a native of Bedford, Iowa, and Mrs. Park of Chicago, Illinois.
Before the turn of the twentieth century, Sam Park had organized the
Industrial Lumber Company, which had mills located at Silsbee, Texas, and
at Vinton, Oakdale, and Elizabeth, Louisiana. The largest mill, at Elizabeth,
Louisiana, was built in 1912. It was situated on the Santa Fe Railroad, on
a tract of some 500,000 acres that the company had bought or leased. The
mill operated for more than 35 years. The Missouri Pacific Railroad, not
to be outdone by the Santa Fe, proceeded to name a whistle stop just west
of Beaumont "Elizabeth."
During the early years, the Park family made their home successively
in Beaumont (at 1133 Calder Avenue), Elizabeth (Louisiana), and Houston
before moving on to France at the beginning of World War I. An outstand-
ing citizen, Mr. Park was held in high respect and appreciation in the Gulf
Coast region, where he had engaged in business and made valuable con-
tributions to civic activities. He was an organizer and the first president of
the Oil Exchange (later, the Chamber of Commerce); he also organized and
served as first president of the Beaumont Country Club. He was an avid
golfer all his life. He owned one of the first ten automobiles in Beaumont
and made some of the earliest trips by car from Beaumont to Houston,
spending the night (while en route) at Raywood. From such experiences he
became an advocate for better roads.
After Mr. Park's retirement in 1913, when Elizabeth was eight years
old, the family set out to tour Europe in two Packard cars. In August 1914,
while traveling in northern France, they heard the rumble of cannons and
observed that French military units were on the move. Becoming alarmed,
they drove south to Nice and away from Paris, ironically hoping as theyNov. 19841
99
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Texas Gulf Historical Society. The Texas Gulf Historical and Biographical Record, Volume 20, Number 1, November 1984, periodical, November 1984; Beaumont, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1433655/m1/101/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Gulf Historical Society.