The Versatile Ragsdales

One letter, written by the youngest daughter of Dr. Lincoln Ragsdale and his wife Eleanor, is more eloquent and tells more about this Arizona family, than a thousand words of editorial. It was sent out as a Christmas greeting to the family friends of the Ragsdales in December, 1973.

Dear Friends: Being the youngest member of the Ragsdale clan (I turned seventeen in November), I'm finally getting my chance to extend our friendly regards for the Holiday Season.

Lincoln Jr. finished at Saguaro High School last January and started Phoenix College. I finished in June. In July, Lincoln and I enrolled at Cochise College, located at Douglas, Arizona, for a commercial aviation program. We hope to complete the requirements for the Associated Arts Degree.

Lincoln earned his private flying license on December 7th, (Pearl Harbor Day).

I hope to finish my flying requirements for private license in January. However, I did earn the dubious distinction of being the first student pilot atCochise College to successfully land an airplane in an emergency without damaging myself or the aircraft. I was doing my solo cross country to El Paso, Texas. I confused my check points and ended up in Texas near the Mexican border running out of gas before I realized my location. Tony, my flight instructor, had taught me that in an emergency to follow the "Three C" formula Climb, Confess and Call in. I climbed 8,000 feet, I Confessed to myself that I was lost and I Called in, "El Paso, this is American Trainer 9286 Lima . . . . . Come in, El Paso!" I didn't get any radio response and the airplane engine started cutting out and popping. I realized that this was no joke but an emergency. I changed gas tanks, checked mixture control, throttle, carburetor heat-cut everything off and looked for a place to land. I slipped the plane down to miss wires, saw a farmer plowing his field, glided in and landed on a dirt road. I had landed 100 miles east of El Paso near Dell City, Texas.

The kind and friendly Warren Family took me in for the night and gave me food and a safe place to stay.

Elizabeth, my eldest sister, after attending Arizona State University Law School for one year, was invited to live for a year in Brussels, Belgium, with family friends. She is taking some classes at Brussels University and doing some English tutoring. She is spending New Year's Holidays with friends in Stockholm, Sweden. Her tape recordings sound exciting and happy.

RAGSDALES

... a remarkable family who believes life can be great when greatly lived.

Gwendolyn, my second sister, is a Senior at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She will be practice teaching this second semester and will graduate in summer of 1974.

Mother and Dad are holding their own at the Universal Memorial Centers. (Funeral Homes) After two years, Mother is no longer manager at David's Flowers, Inc. However, she says she is a much more sensitive person for having lived and worked intimately with flowers and the beautiful people who buy them.

Lincoln Jr. gave the family a real Christmas surprise by getting checked out in Dad's Bonanza 36. He can now fly the family plane.

This completes the Family Letters by the children. I am the youngest and the last one. Happy 1974.

Emily Yvonne Ragsdale Our postscript: Lincoln Ragsdale was just nineteen years old when he arrived at Luke Air Force Base for gunnery training in December, 1945. A cadetcaptain, he was one of eleven young blacks chosen by the War Department for experimental integration into the United States Air Force. The program established successful communication between the men and ushered in a new era for the Armed Services.

His grandfather, William Ragsdale, operated a funeral home in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1895, and raised five sons who became funeral directors. When Lincoln Ragsdale decided to make Phoenix his home, after the war, it was no surprise that he went into the mortuary business. Ragsdale Funeral Home was incorporated into Universal Memorial Centers in 1965, and is now listed among the top third funeral homes in Arizona.

Lincoln and Eleanor also own an insurance and a real estate company.

A graduate of Arizona State University, Lincoln is President Elect of the A.S.U. Alumni Association (there are over 50,000 graduates); National President of the Flying Funeral Directors of America; a member of the Arizona State Commission of Arts and Humanities; and the Phoenix Airport Advisory Board. He received his Doctor of Laws degree (LL.D.) from Shorter College, A graduate of Arizona State University, Lincoln is President Elect of the A.S.U. Alumni Association (there are over 50,000 graduates); National President of the Flying Funeral Directors of America; a member of the Arizona State Commission of Arts and Humanities; and the Phoenix Airport Advisory Board. He received his Doctor of Laws degree (LL.D.) from Shorter College,in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1963.

Eleanor gave up her career as a teacher in order to work with Lincoln in all of their enterprises, and still finds time to keep active in Delta Sigma Theta (an educational sorority); Links, Inc. (a community service organization); and as a member of the Board of Directors for KAET TV-8.

Emily and Lincoln, Jr., received their Associated Arts Degree from Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona, and now attend Arizona State University.

Gwendolyn, married and lives in Hermosillo, Mexico, where she teaches at the intercultural school five nights a week.

Elizabeth finished her year of Law School, and after special studies in Brussels, Belgium, is now completing the course for her Master's Degree in Communications at the University of Northern Colorado. As for the future in Arizona, the Ragsdales believe that in fifty years the area between Phoenix and Tucson will be solid city. "Thank heavens we now live in an age where we are ecologyconscious! That will insure that our future cities will be well planned. People won't tolerate anything less than planned growth. At least we hope they won't!"