United States Army Air Corp World War II Veteran Robert Toland the son of Robert Maxwell Toland and Hattie (Carter) Toland, was born in Seagoville, Texas, June 6, 1919, spent his growing up years around Dallas. He graduated from Mesquite, went to college in Ames, Iowa, served in the Air Corps during the war, and did not come to live in West Texas for a long time.
As the eldest child of Robert and Loula (Martin) Butler, I was one of the first generation native to the Plains of Dickens County. Born on a snowy January day, my first visual imprint of the world rooted me there, a permanent West Texan.
Our family, Eugenia, born January 27, 1919 followed by Alcia and Robert Kyle, grew up with the young community of McAdoo. This spanned a period from the 1920's, when a trip to Roaring Springs was two days by wagon, to buy groceries, visit Dad's cousins, the Jack Meason family at the hotel there, stop by the Matador Ranch Headquarters for wood...through the 1940's, when Marshall McDonald landed his Piper Cub in our pasture, and we flew over Roaring Springs and back in an hours time.
Mother, a former teacher, taught us at home, and from then on, our lives were closely involved with school activities at McAdoo. I started in November, 1926, when they began the first bus route. Mary Esther McDonald was next of many teachers, who like Supt. W.O. Cherry, strongly influenced the choices that directed and enriched my life.
At home with our parents, sharing good and hard times with friends and neighbors, it was a good time and place for building strengths and standards as well as bonds of friendship to last a life-time.
It was with many of these same friends that I ventured out into the world by going to Texas Tech, and my degree in Home Economics, 1944, led to many fulfilling opportunities. In fact, it was so great coming back to teach that I did it three times, teaching with one of my former pupils, Elna Jean (Eldredge) Williams, and her daughter Debbi (Williams) Ball, was one of my several second-generation students.
Working as Home Demonstration Agent was also rewarding in unusual ways; while at Benjamin, I met Robert Toland, who had finally discovered West Texas. We married in 1950 and moved in 1953 to my father's farm. Thus, our two children, Annette and David started life on the land where I was born, and where now, six generations have left their footprints.
We have lived, this last 26 years, in Lubbock, where Tad established an Electrical Contracting business. Annette, with daughter Jennifer Diaz, works in Data-processing. David and his wife, D'Ann (Gibson) Toland and son Joel David, is an E.E. Major. Now, we really have a family business, with both David and Annette involved.
We always return again to feel the warmth of dear familiar faces and places, to see our land, and as I approach and the canyons rise and fall away from the wide sweep of the plains, it is good to know that I am coming home.
...Written by Eugenia Butler TolandSource: Dickens County History...its Land and People ©1986 by Dickens Historical Commission
Eugenia Butler daughter of H.A. and Loula (Martin) Butler was born in 1919. She grew up on the family farm west of McAdoo. Her mother taught her at home until there was a bus service to the McAdoo school. She did an excellent job as the teachers decided Eugenia was ready for the third grade. She graduated in 1935. At that time, in 1935, which was, so to speak the bottom of the dust bowl the prospects of going to college seemed remote, because the whole economics of living was such a struggle. She went back to school and took the vocational courses that were taught, which opened other doors for her. She took a part time job in the Farm Security Office at Spur which was the first step toward going to Texas Tech in 1940-44, and a degree in Vocational Home Economics. She did all her public school teaching at McAdoo. First, English in 1945-46, and in 1953. She worked six years under the Texas A&M System as County Home Demonstration Agent.
She met Robert Toland and they were married October 15, 1950. They moved to her grandfather's farm and became part of the McAdoo community again. They were the parents of two children, Annette Toland and David Butler Toland. Annette and David attended Lubbock Elementary schools, and both graduated from Cooper School District. Annette attended Texas State at San Marcos, and David attended Texas Tech.
Annette married Joe Diaz of San Antonio in 1978. They have a daughter Jennifer. David married De An Gibson and they have a son, Joel David. David works with his dad in the contracting business and Annette specializes in computer work and works for Sentry Property Management in Lubbock.
Robert and Eugenia moved to Lubbock in 1959. Eugenia confines her teaching to genealogy classes and speaks at different geological associations. Robert is still in the electrical business and Eugenia helps with the office work. She still visits the McAdoo community and as she puts it "never forgets or lets the grandchildren forget where their roots are." She had the rare privilege of teaching some of the students at McAdoo and later teaching with them as fellow teachers. Her family has been a part of the McAdoo community almost from its beginning until the present.
Source: "Top of the Cap" by Mildred Shirley Jackson, Catclaw Publishing, ©1985
Robert Toland, 77, of Lubbock were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, 1997, in First Baptist Church of McAdoo with the Rev. Jim Scott, pastor, officiating. Burial followed in McAdoo Cemetery under direction of Sanders Funeral Home.
Toland died Friday, April 11, 1997, in Presbyterian Hospital in Greenville. He was born June 6, 1919 in Seagoville. He moved to Lubbock from McAdoo in 1959. He married Eugenia Butler on Oct. 15, 1950, in Dallas. He graduated from Seagoville High School and attended Iowa State University. He was a U.S. Army veteran. He was a member of Melonie Park Baptist Church. He farmed in McAdoo 1953 to 1959. He worked for the Texas Employment Commission. He was an electrical contractor, and he owned West Texas Electric from 1974 to 1987.
Survivors: - Wife, 2 Sons - Jim, Oakland, CA; David , St. Petersburg, FL; 2 dau. - Jean Peterman of Grand Prairie and Annette Toland of Lubbock. Sister Maydell Pate of Dallas, 10 grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren.
©The Crosby County News & Chronicle, Friday, April 18, 1997
Services for Eugenia Butler Toland, 80, of Lubbock were held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2000, at First Baptist church of McAdoo with the Rev. Bud Kidwell officiating.Burial was in McAdoo Cemetery under the direction of Sanders Funeral Home.
She died Sunday, Jan 23, 2000, at her home.
She was born Jan. 27, 1919, in McAdoo. She graduated from McAdoo High School in 1936, and Texas Tech in 1944. She married Robert "Tad" Toland in Oct. 15, 1900, in Dallas. He died in April, 1997. they moved to Lubbock from McAdoo in 1959. she taught home economics in the McAdoo school and at Tech for several years.
She also was a home demonstration agent for several years and a member of the Lubbock Genealogy Society.
Survivors include a daughter, Annette of Lubbock; a sons, David of St. Petersburg, FL; a brother, Robert Kyle Butler, of Dallas; two grandchildren; and a great-grandson.
The family suggest memorials to the McAdoo Cemetery Association, Rt. 1, Box 127, McAdoo, TX 79243; or donate a book to the Lubbock County Library.
©The Crosby County News & Chronicle, Friday, Jan. 28, 2000 page 8
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