Pearl Murray
My Great-Grandmother
Where It All Began
Pearl Murray grew up in the plains of west Texas. It was very humid there. She was mixed race, German and Native American, so sometimes she would be looked down upon for being a "red skin". When she was younger, her two brothers left home to work on a railroad, so she was raised a bit like an only child. I don't think that she minded much though, because she is known for being very tough.
Adult Life
Not only was she one of the first women to graduate, but Pearl was the first Native American to graduate from the West Texas Teachers College, and I can imagine how hard she must've had to work for that. I aspire to one day have her drive and determination to achieve a goal like that. She taught at a one room school house, and always talked about how she loved her job. She kept on teaching until she was about 40 years of age.
West Texas Teachers College
This is where she graduated from.
One Room School House
She would've taught somewhere like this.
Later Adult Life
One day she met Hugh Lollar, and fell in love. He was a rodeo cowboy! She married him at the age of 40, and then moved to Oaklahoma. There, she had 5 children. 4 girls and 1 boy. Their names were Eidel, Norvelle, Moselle, Mary Kate, and James, my grandfather. She raised all of them during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, so that made things a lot tougher for Pearl. They all worked at a cotton farm, and also owned a general store and gas station. One day, she even met Pretty Boy Floyd and filled up his gas while he was on the run! I bet that was a crazy experience!
Rodeo Cowboy
This is what my great grandfather Hugh would've done for a living!
The Dust Bowl
This is what The Dust Bowl would've looked like.
Pretty Boy Floyd
The criminal Pearl encountered at her gas station.
Her Death
Pearl passed away at the age of 98. We don't know the exact date, but we do know that she will be missed. I really wish that i could have been able to meet her, because I think that she is a truly outstanding person. Her resolve to follow her dreams is truly inspiring, and I hope one day I can have that resolve too. I am sure everyone around her was not very supportive of her because she was a "red skin", which would've made it even more difficult for her to achieve her goal. The other hardships she faced, such as the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, I bet were even more difficult to survive through, especially with a bunch of young kids and a husband to feed. It is an honor to be related to this woman, and I want to have an exciting life full of adventure as she did.