Donation to City of Browning of Personal Items of Arthur and Lorraine (Glaze) Brassfield
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Written by Rick Thurlo
James Arthur and Paula Brassfield of the Washington,D.C,. metro area recent made a donation to City of Browning and our community of personal items of James’s parents Arthur and Lorraine (Glaze) Brassfield. Paula traveled to Browning and delivered the items on September 13 of this year. James was unable to be with her because of health problems. Both his parents were raised in our community. I will start by saying Lorraine was my mom’s (Patricia Gooch Thurlo 1923-1990) first grade teacher (before Lorraine was married). Also, my grandmother, Mabyn Best Gooch, (1892-1978) was Lorraine’s first grade teacher.
To start with Arthur was a U.S. Navy pilot and a great WWII hero especially at the well-known Battle of Midway. When he retired from the Navy, he was the commander of a ship. In his early life, he graduated from Browning High School in 1928 and before leaving for college in Oregon (he had an uncle living in Oregon). He taught one year at the North Hooker School and, I believe, my dad (Eugene Thurlo 1923-1961) was a student that year. Former local residents Keath Crooks and Jacob (Jake) Watson were also students.
I believe, before that he had attended the Smith School and my grandmother Geneveve Bundridge Thurlo (1898-1991) was his teacher one year. After college Arthur returned to Browning, married Lorraine, and taught and was also superintendent for a while at Browning High School before entering the navy in the late 1930’s (several years before WWII) where he became a pilot. Both my parents were in high school when he was employed there. Arthur ‘s parents were Parse and Sarah (Hoselton) Brassfield and both are buried in the Hoover Cemetery. I had the pleasure of showing Paula where the Brassfield family had lived (at least 2 places they had lived.) One place there are no buildings remaining and it was the last place they lived. It is located northwest of Browning on land now owned by Doug Cash (to the best of my knowledge). The other sight has always been occupied and all the buildings look great today. It is near Scottsville and is where Gilbert Hollon resides The Hollon family has been there since 1961. Arthur passed away in 1976. Lorraine was the daughter of Adrian and Jenny (Dickinson) Glaze and was a 1924 graduate of Browning High School. Her dad Adrian was once mayor of Browning and her brother DeVon (several years younger) graduated from Culver Stockton College with my mom after the 1943 summer session. I believe Lorraine passed away in 1962. Things I might note, Hank and Karen Thurlo traveled from Brookfield to see Paula and to the best of my knowledge Hank is the only living person (in our area) that can actually remember Arthur and has actually had conversations with him.
Arthur returned to the area several times to quail hunt before his passing in 1976. Hank’s mom the well-known and much-loved mother Pearle Hoselton Thurlo and her brothers Edgar and J.T. Hoselton were double cousins with Arthur as both sets of parents were siblings. Virgie Scharn traveled from Laplata, MO to see Paula but had to leave early. Virgie’s mom, Wilma Johnson Newman, was a cousin to Arthur and her uncle, the well-known Alson Johnson, and Arthur were the same age and grew up as close neighbors. They were very close while both were growing up and while Arthur was living in our area.
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