Gilmore, Chester:

An Inventory of His Collection, 1868-2003 and undated, at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library

Biographical Sketch

Chester "Pots" Gilmore was a farmer and lived in Idalou with his wife Cleta Belle Smallin Gilmore, a 1938 Home Economics graduate of Texas Technological College. Gilmore became a pilot in 1956 and he and Cleta were active in the International Convention of Flying Farmers and Ranchers and Texas Flying Farmers. Both Pots and Cleta Belle received recognition awards in these organizations. In addition to farming and flying Chester served as a Director of Idalou State Bank and actively supported many community projects. Cleta Belle served for many years as Superintendent of the Women's Division of the South Plains Fair. The couple's only child, Chester "Brownie" Brown Gilmore, Jr., died of polio in 1950.

Scope and Contents

The collection includes correspondence from family and friends, printed materials, newsletters and other material relating to the Gilmores' activities in the Flying Farmers organizations, scrapbook materials and memorabilia concerning the Gilmore's wedding and "Brownie". Of special interest is a file of genealogical material collected on the Gilmore, Smallin, Faulkner, Oxford, Baker, and Wood families.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open for research

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Chester Gilmore Collection, 1868-2003 and undated, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

Collection accession #(s):
2003-0126-B, 2003-0147-B

Gifts, 2003

Processed by

Karen Hicks, 2004

Collection Inventory