The following is from the memorial service brochure for General Carroll A. “Curly” Lewis, Jr. held on January 20, 2010 at the San Jacinto Monument at 2:00 p.m.
GENERAL CARROLL "Curly" LEWIS, JR. left this world January 7, 2010. Born February 3, 1924 in Houston, Texas, he was known at an early age as the Poet Laureate of Poe Elementary School. This was not the end of his literary career for he late wrote numerous magazine and newspaper articles, a definitive history of Fort Anahuac (The Birthplace of the Texas Revolution), enjoyed the fifth printing of his popular book The Treasures of Galveston Bay and is included in the American Diaries of WWII
Also excelling in art, when attending Lanier Junior High School, he won a four year art scholarship at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. At Lamar Senior High School he formed his own twelve-piece dance band and was the founding president of the MAC (Make Action Count) Club – a quasi fraternity. While studying chemical engineering at Rice Institute, he continued his musical activities with the Rice Band and the Knight Owls dance orchestra.
When World War II interrupted, he flew twenty five missions as a B-17 bomber pilot in the Eighth Air force; being shot down twice over Nazi Germany
Returning to Rice he was founding president of the Rice Veteran’s Association, Student Council chairman, re-organized and led the Knight Owls dance orchestra, ansd was of the Rice Owl band where his outrageous innovations created a spirit that was thereafter adopted by the MOB (Marching Owl Band). There is a legend at Rice University, that one Friday afternoon, before a Rice / A & M football game, Lewis secretly flew an airplane from Houston to College Station and dropped a large stink bomb and one hundred pounds of rice on an Aggie pep rally. The 1947 Rice yearbook shows photos of the mission.
Before graduating from college he began investing in land; eventually developing the following subdivisions in the Houston Area of Memorial Estates, Shady Oaks, Karankawa Pines, Richmond Road Farms, Shamrock Estates, Battleground Vista, Belknap Acres, Braeburn Gardens, Pinegrove Valley, Lomax Gardens, Greendale, Richmond Road Estates, Skyview Farms, Captains Retreat, Pirate’s Grove and Battleground Estates.
A former Eagle Scout, he served as scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop l1 Airscouts and Girl Scout Troop 116 and as a council director of Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America. He was a Sunday School teacher, officer and choir member of First Presbyterian Church of Galveston, and the United Church of Idaho Springs, Colorado, and chairman of the Greater Houston Presbyterian Extension committee of the Brazos Presbytery. A 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, he played in the Arabia Temple Shrine Drum and Bugle Corps. Band. Early in his life, he served on the Board of Directors of the YMCA camps.
A business degree from the University of Houston guided him to other interests such as building and operating the Post Oak Twin Drive-in Theater, a Giant Slide, and Movie land Golf – a 36-hole miniature golf course where each hole represented a famous movie. He was president of the Southwestern Historical Exploration Society and in 1968 directed its recovery of many Civil War artifacts out of the Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston. Leading another exploration in 1968, he discovered Puritan Pilgrim fortifications on the Caribbean Islands of Santa Catalina that had been lost from history for over 300 years. He wrote many articles for True West, Treasure World, and Treasure magazines, and had a weekly shooting sports column for Citizen newspapers.
In1969, he convinced Governor Preston Smith to reactivate the Texas Army, which had been inactive since 1845, and was appointed Commanding General in which capacity he served for 40 years. He was well known for his impersonation of General Sam Houston on television, the news media and at public events. Curly was dedicated to perpetuating the memory of early Texas heroes; as one journalist put it, “The General keeps Texas’ past alive!” A consummate hunter, fisherman and sailor, his large Texas flag mainsail was frequently seen on Galveston Bay – Curly loved all things Texan. Since retirement, he enjoyed monthly meetings with his Lamar ’41 classmates and singing and playing drums every Wednesday night with the jazz group known as the Over The Hill Gang.
He is survived by his wife Candace Frazier, daughter Marsha Blake, grandchildren Jordan and Sawyer Ross.
The service will be at 2:00 p.m. on January 20, 2010 at the San Jacinto Monument (Auditorium) the General Staff of the Texas Army will conduct a public ceremony of remembrances and celebration of the General's life. Dressed in 1836 attire, the Texas Army will perform full military honors; firing a 21-gun salute using cannon and flintlock rifles. The United States Air Force Funeral Detail will also fire a salute and execute its flag presentation ceremony. Officiating will be Rev. Joe Hause and Rev. John W. Lancaster will close with the benediction. The family has requested donations to the Texas Army War Chest in lieu of flowers. For Information, please email Col. John Martin at Coljwm@gmail.com .
Photo of of Governor Preston Smith reactivating the Texas Army in 1969 (l. to r. unknown Texas Army soldier, Governor Preston Smith and General "Curly" Lewis). This photo is from the collection of K. K. Searle.
Mark your calenders for the inaugural Save Texas History Symposium in Austin, Texas on Saturday, November 6, 2010. The topic of the symposium will be "Discovering Spanish and Mexican Texas." The Save Texas History Symposium will be hosted by Commissioner Jerry Patterson and the Texas General Land Office. The symposium will be held at 1700 North Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Save Texas History Symposium is only $25 per person. To register, call 1-800-998-4GLO or email: archives@glo.state.tx.us .
