biography – Page 12 – Texas History Notebook

Margaret “Peggy” McCormick

Peggy McCormick was the owner of the land where the Battle of San Jacinto took place. Her husband was Arthur McCormick. Peggy’s maiden name is unknown. Arthur was born in Ireland in the late 1780s and Peggy is believed to have been about the same age, also born in Ireland. Arthur and his young family had first settled in Louisiana in 1818 before coming to Texas around 1822 as part of the Austin Colony’s “Old 300” group of settlers. Arthur had been trained as a lawyer, but tried to establish himself as a stock raiser after he received his land grant in 1824. He was the head of his family unit and his was one of three Old 300 family groups with the same last name, though the three families do not appear to be closely related. All three families were farmers. Arthur and Peggy had two sons, Michael (1818 -1874) and John (1820 – 1839).

David Lee “Tex” Hill

David Lee Hill was the youngest son of Pierre Bernard “P. B.” Hill (1877 – 1958) and Ellen Lee Thraves Hill (1875 – 1958). David Lee was born in Korea on July 13, 1915 while his parents were serving as Presbyterian missionaries there. His three older siblings were born in Virginia between 1906 and 1912.

Maxime Faget

Maxime A. “Max” Faget was a NASA engineer. He served as Director of Engineering and Development at the Houston facility then known as the Manned Spacecraft Center and was instrumental in the development of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo manned space flight systems.

Dr. Glenn Blodgett

Dr. Glenn Paul “Doc” Blodgett was the horse division manager of the 6666 Ranch for many years. He was born December 31, 1948 in Perryton, Texas and died November 20, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. His parents were Clarence Ralph Blodgett, Jr. and Helen Johanne Studer Blodgett. Dr. Blodgett grew up in Spearman where his father operated a grain elevator business called B & B Grain. The family also operated a farm and cattle operation for their own account. There they also raised wheat and leased their grassland. They lived in town but Dr. Blodgett grew up working on the farm and ranch. He was a third generation Texan. Both his father and paternal grandfather were not only born in Texas, but born in the Panhandle. Dr. Blodgett was the oldest of two children.

Jerry Grote – MLB Player

Gerald Wayne “Jerry” Grote was born in San Antonio, Texas on October 6, 1942 and died April 7, 2024 in a hospital in Austin, Texas. He played during sixteen season in Major League Baseball, mostly as a catcher, with four different teams that reached the World Series. His World Series appearances were two each with the New York Mets (1969 and 1973) and though he made one plate appearance, the Los Angeles Dodgers (1977 and 1978).