b. October 20, 1919m. October 7, 1939, Victoria Eugenia Powers
(b. September 19, 1911, d. October 26, 1994)
Albert Edwin Watlington, was born October 20, 1919, in Pineville, La., six years after his brother Leonard Needham. By this time his father had been working for some years with the Little Rock and Northern R.R. out of Pineville and Alexandria, La. Edwin grew up in Pineville and attended public schools there. His Needham grandparents lived near them in Pineville and later the Needhams moved across the Arkansas River to nearby Alexandria, where Leonard Needham finished high school in 1933.
In the meantime John L. was layed off by the railroad and in 1929 took a leave of absence from them to accept work with the State of Louisiana Penal System at the State Prison at Angola, near St. Francisville, La. For this the family remained at Pineville near the Needham grandparents while John L. lived most of each month at Angola, where he worked with the machine repair shop for the prison and prison farm operation. From an early age Edwin spent much of the Summer with his father in Angola and learned many skills as he played and worked in the Machine Shop. As he matured he was employed for summer work in the shops while still in high school.
His Needham grandparents died in 1934 and 1935, while he was still in high school and then Velma Idell and the younger children moved to a residence on the prison grounds at Angola. Edwin and Velma Louise then attended high school at St. Francisville, La., traveling by a school bus about thirty miles each way. After graduation from high school in 1937 Edwin was employed for two years by the LA State Prison to continue working in the machine shop. During this time he met and courted V. Eugenia Powers (Genie) whom he married on October 7, 1939. During these years at the machine shop a part of his duties were to supervise the work of prisoners both inside and outside the shop in various daily tasks. This was quite a responsibility for a young man less than twenty years of age, and it helped him mature in relationship to workers and other people.
Shortly after his marriage he went to work in the Todd Johnson Shipyards in New Orleans where World War II demands for ships offered employment. His welding skills learned in the shop at Angola help prepare him for this work. He moved on to Delta Ship Building in New Orleans, then in 1942 worked some months for J. A. Jones Construction Company in Panama City, Fla. He was working there when called for army service in 1942.
While in basic training with the Army he injured a foot so severely that he was discharged after only three months and 9 days of active Army duty. Afterward in 1943 he worked three months with Ethyl Corporation in Baton Rouge where his brother Leonard had worked before entering the U.S. Army Air Corps. This job was less satisfying so he returned to welding work with Delta Tank Manufacturing Co. in Baton Rouge and for a time with Kansas City Bridge Co. in Plaquemine, La. Eugenia was expecting their first child in October 1943 so he returned to Delta Tank Manufacturing Company in late 1943 at Baton Rouge and continued with them until 1957.
Eugenia Louise was born Oct. 28, 1943 and Albert Edwin Jr. was born Dec. 5, 1944. With stable work Edwin accepted more and more responsibility on the job and rose from welder to General Superintendent in Delta Tank Manufacturing Co. Then in 1957 and '58 he worked as Assistant Manager with Plant City Steel Co. at Plant City, Florida. From 1959 to 1961 he worked as General Manager of Safety Craft, building pleasure boats at Morgan City, La.
With experience in finance and management in these recent projects,
Edwin and Genie launched the family into a private enterprise as they
bought the small Istrouma Foundry and Machine Works
where they specialized in building
and repairing valves and pump parts for the mining and dredging
industries. With this enterprise the selling and distribution of
parts for the dredging industry became a major task.
The Sixties and Seventies were kind to the Istrouma Foundry, though hard on the family. In June 1965, Albert Edwin Jr. was struck and killed in the vicinity of his home as he rode his motorcycle to visit his girlfriend nearby. At twenty years of age their only son was taken from them in what seemed to be a senseless automobile accident. But even so, three years before Eugenia Louise (Lou) had married Robert Jule Hutchinson on 11 June 1962. Already there were two young grandchildren, Vicki Louise and Cynthia Lynne. But the emptiness ever remains as they remember the loss of one who held so much promise.
The Istrouma Foundry prospered with the development of better valves and efficient service to emergency calls to help keep the pumps in service. After twenty five years of a good thing, time and health concerns demanded passing on the leadership to new owners. Genie's health began to fail and the need to ``slow down'' or retire was real. After difficult negotiations the Foundry sold in 1986, with some investment and consultation continuing into 1987.
Since then Genie and Edwin were able to travel some, care for their health better, and enjoy some years of relative ease. Failing eyesight on the part of Genie and other health problems increased and they invested more of their time with grandchildren and other relatives. Genie became less able to travel and entertain but continued as a great comfort and companion to Edwin, Lou and the grandchildren until her death in 1994. By that time she had seen all four of her Hutchinson grandchildren married and had known eight greatgrandchildren. Thus she was doubly blessed as she saw her child's grandchildren! (Psalms 128:6) At this writing Edwin and Genie have eleven great grandchildren and still counting.
-- June 18, 1996