b. March 6, 1913bp. Rayville, Richland Co., Louisiana
d. January 28, 1997
Needham Watlington, oldest child of John Leonard and Velma W., was born at Rayville, in Richland Co., Louisiana while John L. was still employed by the Mingle Lumbering Company in that county. They were close by the Needhams, Velmas's parents, as they were involved in the labors of the same company which had brought them from Dyer Co., Tenn., to the forests of Louisiana. Within a year or so John L. was assigned to work on the river equipment of the Lumber Co. and based in their ``milltown'' village near Alexandria, La. It was there that he moved from the steam engines of the river and lumbering machinery to the steam railroad work of the Little Rock Railroad that came through Alexandria, alongside the Red River.
So it was in Pineville and Alexandria that Needham grew up and received his early schooling, among his Needham grandparents and relatives. His father continued as a crew member with the Railroad until the recession of 1929 at which time he took a leave of absence from the R.R. and secured a job with the State of Louisiana working in their maintenance shop and later in operating the boiler system for the State Penitentiary at Angola, near St. Francisville, La. The prison machine shop served as a training school for prisoners as well as a general repair and service shop for the sugar mill and other farming enterprises of the State Prison. Needham and Edwin grew up surrounded by machinery for lumbering, railroading and sugar manufacturing as they saw their father and grandfather Needham at their work.
Needham completed his High School studies at Bolton High in Alexandria, La. and in Dec. 1933 enlisted for a three year term in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which had expressed interest in his athletic abilities.
After completing his term of service in the Army he returned to live with his family which now lived at Angola, with the nearest high school and town at St. Francisville. It was there that he met Evelyn Taylor, daughter of the local telephone switchboard operator who was well known in the small town. In the Summer of 1937 they were married and he continued to work at Angola State Prison. A son, John Needham, was born to them July 26, 1938, and in 1940, when the family left Angola, Needham got a job with the Dupont Chemical Co. at Baton Rouge which produced additives for gasoline. With the war starting in Europe about this time, this company represented a growth industry and though the name of the company changed to Ethyl Corporation, Needham continued to work for it after his World War II military service for a total of thirty-six years and four months.
After a lengthy separation from Evelyn Taylor, which was extended by military service, they were divorced and on March 3rd, 1946 Needham was united in marriage to Iola May Mire, whose parents were J. A. Mire and Jane Canulette of Slidell, La. They continued to make their home in Baton Rouge, where Needham's work was based. On July 25, 1962 a son, Karl Mire, was born to them. Both John Needham and Karl have married and have children of their own.
John Needham, Sr. recently retired after working many years with the Gulf States Utilities Company near Baton Rouge all his life. He married Dana Paul DeWeese and they have a son John Needham, Jr. and identical twin daughters, Dana De Watlington and De Ann Watlington. While at Louisiana State University they were highly ranked tennis players in college competition. Dana De was married in Feb. 1992 to Randall Wayne Womack and they make their home in Baton Rouge, La.
Karl Mire Watlington was married in January 1989 to Marilyn Brooks of Lake Charles, La. They have a son, Jacob Needham (b. Oct. 28, 1993) and live in Baton Rouge.