Charles E. Maple
Encyclopedia
Charles Edward Maple, known as Charlie Maple (June 9, 1932–November 22, 2006), was a journalist
, chamber of commerce
official, and state parks executive during the second half of the 20th century in the four-state region of Oklahoma
, Arkansas
, Louisiana
, and Texas
.
to Clifford E. and Drusilla Maple. His family moved to Claude
in the Texas Panhandle
in 1948, and he graduated two years later from Claude High School
. He attended Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
from 1950–1954, when he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a commission in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. His Army service extended from 1954-1956 at Fort Lee
, Virginia, Fort Bragg
, North Carolina
, and Fort Jackson
, South Carolina
. He was promoted to first lieutenant
while on active duty as the battalion operations and training officer at Fort. Bragg. From 1956-1981, Maple was also a captain in the reserves until he resigned his commission.
to serve as the fire and police reporter for the Amarillo Globe-Times. He also worked for the Brownfield News in Brownfield
in Terry County, Texas, and was the editor and publisher in the late 1950s of the weekly Pike County News in Murfreesboro
, Arkansas. He left Murfreesboro in November 1960 to become the news editor of the Minden Press-Herald
in Minden
, Louisiana, under publisher Tom Colten
.The Press-Herald was launched in July 1966 as a daily from the previous weeklies, the Minden Press and the Minden Herald. During Maple's tenure, the separate Press and Herald weeklies won statewide awards in 1965. Maple had been political editor of both Minden weeklies. His last job in journalism was as the associate editor and the state editor, the individual in charge of regional reporting, of the now Gannett publication, Shreveport Times, but his obituary does not give his date of service in Shreveport.
, Louisiana. In that capacity he worked on the city capital improvement program, adopted by voters in a special election held in the spring of 1967. The program entailed a one-cent municipal sales tax increase. The Minden chamber under Maple was voted the first "accredited" body in Louisiana. He thereafter accepted the same position in Sapulpa
, near Tulsa
, Oklahoma.
Maples assumed the chamber position in Minden after nearly six years with The Press and The Herald. The position opened when Tom Colten, who had sold the newspaper in 1965 and became the chamber director, resigned in 1966 to run, successfully, for mayor of Minden. From August 1977 to September 1980, Maple was president of the chamber inn Jacksonville
, Texas.
In civic affairs, Maple was a long-time promoter of the Boy Scouts of America
. In his early years, he was active in the Jaycees. He was a member of the United Methodist denomination. He served on the Minden Beautification Council.
as the assistant superintendent of the Texas State Railroad
, a heritage railroad between Rusk
in Cherokee County
and Palestine
in Anderson County
. After twelve years, health issues compelled his retirement from the parks system. A year after Maple's death, the Texas State Railroad, which consistently failed to turn a profit, was leased for operation by American Heritage Railway.
, Texas. She met her husband at Texas Tech, where she also procured a degree in journalism and thereafter taught English and journalism at Mena High School in Mena
, Arkansas, prior to becoming a kindergarten teacher at both private Christian and public schools for two decades.
At the time of their deaths, he from a long illness, and she from a short fight with liver cancer
, the Maples were residing in Pearsall
, the seat of Frio County south of San Antonio
. They had one daughter, Carol Maple Chatfield and husband, David, then of Houston
; three sons, David Maple and wife, Darla, of Marble Falls
, Texas, Mark E. Maple (born 1962) and wife, Lisa, of Bullard
, Texas, and Ted Martin Maple (born 1965) and wife, Corina, of Pearsall, and ten grandchildren. Charles Maple also had a stepmother, the late Esther Giles Maple, and a surviving stepsister, Gail B. Deaton (born 1942) of Portales
, New Mexico
,
The couple is interred at Ebenezer Cemetery near Kosse
in Limestone County
in east Texas. Mrs. Maple had adopted the cemetery, recorded its history, and worked to procure a state historical marker
at the gate. Ebenezer, also known as Headsville Cemetery, dates to 1865.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
official, and state parks executive during the second half of the 20th century in the four-state region of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Early years, education, military
Maple was born in Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
to Clifford E. and Drusilla Maple. His family moved to Claude
Claude, Texas
Claude is a city in Armstrong County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,313 at the 2000 census. Located east of Amarillo, Claude is the county seat of Armstrong County in the south Texas Panhandle...
in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
in 1948, and he graduated two years later from Claude High School
Claude High School
Claude High School is a 1A high school located in Claude, Texas . It is part of the Claude Independent School District located in north central Armstrong County...
. He attended Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
from 1950–1954, when he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a commission in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. His Army service extended from 1954-1956 at Fort Lee
Fort Lee, Virginia
Fort Lee is a census-designated place in Prince George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 7,269 at the 2000 census.Fort Lee is a United States Army post and headquarters of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command / Sustainment Center of Excellence , the U.S. Army Quartermaster...
, Virginia, Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and Fort Jackson
Fort Jackson, South Carolina
Fort Jackson is a United States Army installation, which TRADOC operates on for Basic Combat Training , and is located in Columbia, South Carolina. This installation is named for Andrew Jackson, a United States Army General and 7th President of the United States.-Overview:Fort Jackson was created...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He was promoted to first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
while on active duty as the battalion operations and training officer at Fort. Bragg. From 1956-1981, Maple was also a captain in the reserves until he resigned his commission.
Journalism
After military duties, Maple returned to West TexasWest Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
to serve as the fire and police reporter for the Amarillo Globe-Times. He also worked for the Brownfield News in Brownfield
Brownfield, Texas
Brownfield is a city in Terry County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,940 at the 2009 census. It is the county seat of Terry County near Lubbock in West Texas.-Geography:...
in Terry County, Texas, and was the editor and publisher in the late 1950s of the weekly Pike County News in Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Arkansas
Murfreesboro is a city in Pike County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,764 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Pike County....
, Arkansas. He left Murfreesboro in November 1960 to become the news editor of the Minden Press-Herald
Minden Press-Herald
The Minden Press-Herald is a Monday-Friday daily newspaper published in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, by Specht Newspapers, Inc...
in Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, Louisiana, under publisher Tom Colten
Tom Colten
Arthur Thomas Colten, known as Tom Colten , was a Louisiana politician from the 1960s to the 1990s who rose from a small-town mayoralty position to head his state's Department of Transportation and Development under three governors from both parties...
.The Press-Herald was launched in July 1966 as a daily from the previous weeklies, the Minden Press and the Minden Herald. During Maple's tenure, the separate Press and Herald weeklies won statewide awards in 1965. Maple had been political editor of both Minden weeklies. His last job in journalism was as the associate editor and the state editor, the individual in charge of regional reporting, of the now Gannett publication, Shreveport Times, but his obituary does not give his date of service in Shreveport.
Chamber of commerce
From October 1, 1966, to August 9, 1971, Maple was the executive director of the chamber of commerce in MindenMinden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, Louisiana. In that capacity he worked on the city capital improvement program, adopted by voters in a special election held in the spring of 1967. The program entailed a one-cent municipal sales tax increase. The Minden chamber under Maple was voted the first "accredited" body in Louisiana. He thereafter accepted the same position in Sapulpa
Sapulpa, Oklahoma
Sapulpa is a city in Creek and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 20,544 at the 2010 United States census, compared to 19,166 at the 2000 census...
, near Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma.
Maples assumed the chamber position in Minden after nearly six years with The Press and The Herald. The position opened when Tom Colten, who had sold the newspaper in 1965 and became the chamber director, resigned in 1966 to run, successfully, for mayor of Minden. From August 1977 to September 1980, Maple was president of the chamber inn Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Texas
Jacksonville is located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,868 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and part of the larger Tyler-Jacksonville Combined Statistical...
, Texas.
In civic affairs, Maple was a long-time promoter of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. In his early years, he was active in the Jaycees. He was a member of the United Methodist denomination. He served on the Minden Beautification Council.
Texas State Railroad
In 1981, Maple joined the Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentTexas Parks and Wildlife Department
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas...
as the assistant superintendent of the Texas State Railroad
Texas State Railroad
The Texas State Railroad is a historic 25-mile railroad between Rusk and Palestine, Texas. The start of the railroad dates back to 1881. Its original purpose was to bring in raw materials for a prison iron foundry and to take the finished product out. The railroad grew and eventually expanded to...
, a heritage railroad between Rusk
Rusk, Texas
Rusk is a city in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,085 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherokee County.-Geography:Rusk is located at ....
in Cherokee County
Cherokee County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 46,659 people, 16,651 households, and 12,105 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 19,173 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
and Palestine
Palestine, Texas
Palestine is a city in Anderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,598, and 18,458 in the 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Anderson County and is situated in East Texas...
in Anderson County
Anderson County, Texas
Anderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 55,109. Its county seat is Palestine. Anderson county was organized in 1846, and is named in honor of Kenneth L. Anderson who had been Vice President of the Republic of Texas.-Geography:According to the...
. After twelve years, health issues compelled his retirement from the parks system. A year after Maple's death, the Texas State Railroad, which consistently failed to turn a profit, was leased for operation by American Heritage Railway.
Later years and family
Maple was married for fifty-one years to the former Claudia Lucille Martin (July 31, 1935–July 15, 2009), the daughter of Claude Mayall Martin and the former Lois Donaldson. A native Texan, she graduated in 1952 from Johnson City High School in Johnson CityJohnson City, Texas
Johnson City is a city in Blanco County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,191 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Blanco County. It was the hometown of President Lyndon Johnson and was founded by James Polk Johnson, nephew of Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr., cousin to President Johnson....
, Texas. She met her husband at Texas Tech, where she also procured a degree in journalism and thereafter taught English and journalism at Mena High School in Mena
Mena, Arkansas
Mena is a city in Polk County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the county seat of Polk County.It was founded by Arthur Edward Stilwell during the building of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad . It was Stilwell who decided Mena would be the name of this new town along the route to...
, Arkansas, prior to becoming a kindergarten teacher at both private Christian and public schools for two decades.
At the time of their deaths, he from a long illness, and she from a short fight with liver cancer
Liver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
, the Maples were residing in Pearsall
Pearsall, Texas
Pearsall is a city in and the county seat of Frio County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,001 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pearsall is located at ....
, the seat of Frio County south of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. They had one daughter, Carol Maple Chatfield and husband, David, then of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
; three sons, David Maple and wife, Darla, of Marble Falls
Marble Falls, Texas
Marble Falls is a city in Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,959 at the 2000 census.Marble Falls is about northwest of Austin and north of San Antonio...
, Texas, Mark E. Maple (born 1962) and wife, Lisa, of Bullard
Bullard, Texas
Bullard is a town in northern Cherokee and southern Smith Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 69 and Farm-to-Market Roads 2137, 2493, and 344, about 12 miles south of Tyler. The population was 1,150 at the 2000 census.The town lies in two counties...
, Texas, and Ted Martin Maple (born 1965) and wife, Corina, of Pearsall, and ten grandchildren. Charles Maple also had a stepmother, the late Esther Giles Maple, and a surviving stepsister, Gail B. Deaton (born 1942) of Portales
Portales, New Mexico
Portales is a city in and the county seat of Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 11,131 at the 2000 census. Portales is located near the larger city of Clovis as well as Cannon Air Force Base, a major contributor to the economy of the region.Eastern New Mexico...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
,
The couple is interred at Ebenezer Cemetery near Kosse
Kosse, Texas
There were 205 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone...
in Limestone County
Limestone County, Texas
Limestone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 22,051. Its county seat is Groesbeck.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
in east Texas. Mrs. Maple had adopted the cemetery, recorded its history, and worked to procure a state historical marker
Historical marker
A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or sign to commemorate an event or person of historic interest and to associate that point of interest with a specific locale one can visit.-Description:...
at the gate. Ebenezer, also known as Headsville Cemetery, dates to 1865.