Page 57 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2018- Online Magazine

The Kingsbery Legacy

While in high school, he met Mary
by Anna Driscoll Louise Breedlove, who was the
daughter of a real life barnstormer
and aviation pioneer, Clent
ew people in our city have Breedlove. Her father eventually
had the impact Bill and Mary built Breedlove Field, an airport at
FLouise Kingsbery have had. 50th and Quirt Ave. (now MLK).
Their generosity has covered broad Mary Louise was quite the spitfire
social scopes, from alleviating food herself, taking her first solo flight at Ave., admiring her in the sunset.
insecurity through the South Plains the age of 12! Her confidence was Overwhelmed with his feelings for
Food Bank, to providing housing matched only by her conviviality her, he thought, “If we don’t get
for the homeless through Family and hospitality. She was a married now, I may never have this
Promise, to furnishing immediate cheerleader at Lubbock High, and opportunity again!”
and tangible help for women in was voted “Miss Brenau” at Brenau
crisis at My Father’s House and College for Women in Gainsville, The love was grand, but their life
Women’s Protective Services. And Georgia. together was hardly a fairy tale.
that is just the tip of the iceberg. No After the war, Bill worked as a
matter where you look, from the Bill and Mary Louise dated briefly flight instructor for Breedlove
campuses of Texas Tech, to the Silent in high school, but it wasn’t until Flying Service, and Mary Louise
Wings Museum, to Lubbock County she was on Christmas break from was pregnant with the couple’s first
prison ministries… the evidences of Brenau that they really fell in love. son, Terry. On February 26, 1946,
their lavish altruism are too many to Bill has spoken of her beauty saying, Bill went for a ride in a friend’s
inventory here. “Mary Louise was so beautiful, glider, despite having promised
her whole life!” He had previously Mary Louise that he would never
Perhaps these causes were so decided that he would not propose, set foot in one. The glider crashed,
close to their hearts because they because he feared that the war might leaving both men critically injured.
themselves had walked through make her a widow, but during a Bill’s legs were crushed, and he
difficult times. Bill was born in ten-day leave after receiving his spent several months in the hospital
1924 to a single mother nicknamed pilot wings, he couldn’t resist. He recovering. Mary Louise was
“Rabbit” in his aunt’s home in sat with Mary in her convertible on admitted to the same hospital to
Childress, Texas. He was moved the corner of Broadway and College give birth, a few weeks after the
around to different family members accident.
between Oklahoma and Lubbock,
living with “whomever could Though he was
afford me”. By high school, Bill was transferred to a VA
splitting his time between school at hospital in Dallas and
Lubbock High, shifts at Mark Halsey underwent extensive
Drug, and weekends at Furr’s surgery, he eventually
Grocery. Shortly after graduation, lost his leg. It was a
and a short stint working in a rock bottom moment
shipyard in California, Bill enrolled for Bill. Prior to the
in Texas Technological College, accident, he had been
while he awaited his qualification strong and capable,
from San Antonio Service Cadet and now he had to
Training School. spend months away
from his wife and

Lubbock Senior Link 57