fe l l 1  
V E 6 KENTUCKY ALUMNUS  
l I largely responsible for the opportunities that made scale in Randall and Hutchinson counties, Texas.   -—-
it of him a success. This partnership was dissolved and Mr. Munson  
  r His first work after leaving the University was returned te Denisdn te liVe·  
    I as a laborer. He learned that the Rockford, Rock During this time Mr. Munson met and married Qi
 »   Island and St. Louis Railway was being construct- Miss Mary Ella Newton, of Texas, and to them   _
{ = ed through Illinois and he returned to his native were born six children, five of whom are still  
_   state and began work on the construction of the living. . ·
_   i road. Soon his keen mathematical mind was rec- In 1383 the partnership ef Gunter and Munson
I   egnized and he was Prerneted te the surveying was dissolved and Mr. Munson again actively en- hc
_   e°rPe as a transit rnan With the salary ef $l00 a gaged in his real estate business in Denison. At I m
r meath (fer that day munitleent)- Always alert this time he sent tor his brother, ]. T. Munson, to
i   fer °PP°rtunities» he realized that mere nieney who joined him and they formed the firm of Mun- . ot
¥& ‘   eeuld be made by fdrhlshlhgrillng and bridge son & Brother. The arm continued and in 1915 e
E   timbers to the railroad OH contract. He   his   was incorporated as the Munson Realty Cond- K
   {   i . job as transit man and entered the contracting bus- pany with Williarn ]3_ Munson as its president_ . m
i   iness then and there, realizing Sorne   success Soon after forrning the partnership   his _ W
    _ tram the Venture- brother, Mr. Munson became interested in the in
P     Z Fired again by his colossal ambition and the First National Bank of Denison. He became pres- at
j   blood of pioneers, he nrioved to Texas, the state ld€I’lt of that institution but SOOH tlI'€Cl of tl'1€ COD- Qi
_ ? he was destined to make his hOme_ In 187] he finement and disposed of his holdings in the in- sl
; i Went to Sherman, Texas, where   knowledge of Stlt\.ltl.OI1 and I`éSlgI'1€d as itS pl'€Sld€I`1t. Att€l` l€aV· it
  civil engineering again stood him in good stead. ing the banking business he engaged extensively pi
i . ’ He began in   new location   surveying and l1'1 railroad ll’lV€Stl’I’l€I`l.tS and lat€I` became pI`€Sl· {I']
i ’     . locating land by United States Certificates. Here dent of the Denison and Washitn Raiiread Cnnir if
{ t i   he again became obscessed by his iirst thirst for pany. and of the Sheri'nan· Shreveport and S°uth‘ dl
  ' knowledge and advancement and he took up the ern Railway Cernpany- Mining tellewed this and hi
‘ r study of l3w_ He studied in his spate time and by he organized and headed the Southwestern Coal m
? intensive work during the times when the survey- and llnPr0Venlent C0rnPany Whieh Owned and eP‘ rn
A ing business was slack he soon became familiar €I'at€(l coal l'l'lll‘1€S at COalgat€, Okla. Much of   t(
 _ ° i enough with the law to pass the bar examination life he spent obtaining railroads for Denison and vt
i i 1 and be admitted to the pi-aetiee in Texas_ franchises for the different roads. During this
, When the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad Petieti et his hte he Wtete extensively ter ti il
J . began to make arrangements to locate a terminal newspaper edited in Mississippi and else Wrete e¤
  ~ in Texas, he was employed to assist in locating etihsidetehie P°ettY· N
  the site for the terminal. Through his work for In 1905 Mr- Mtlnsdn Organized the Denisdn C0t· ‘
i , this company he became interested in Denison, tdn Mill Cdlnlddny Whieh is still operating sue‘ ti
  2 _ Texas, which was finally selected as the terminal cessfully, with him as its president. He also or- ti
_ i B i V for the railroad. Here he decided to locate and ganized the Sdllthwestern Snrety lnsuranee Cen?  
[ i l establish his home. To this day he has been ac- pany and became its president. At this stage in ti
. ‘ tively and extensively interested in Dneison, its his Career, eleetrie power began te be an irnP°rt‘ ti
 H l progress and welfare, ant factor in every town of any size. With his ti
3  He opened a law and real estate orrree in the ability te grasp aa evvertahlty lust as seen as it a
new town and later. entered into a partnership became, such, he entered the light and power bus- it
with one Jet Gunteie The partnership continued iness and soon became president of the Denison  
I for more than ten years, expanding its interests Light ehti Pewet C°mPahY· _ i
_Q i and holdings until it was one of the largest op- With his adoption of Denison, Texas, as his a
 i i erators in land and cattle in Texas, At the htst home, he became greatly interested in its welfare. I;
ji _ the young firm engaged in land locating for rail- His interest soon grew to devotion and he spent i t.
4 ways, other companies and individuals, holding considerable time and money in its advancement.  
L I United States Land Certificates. They also began He Was instrumental in having two bridges built D d
  to invest in these certificates insofar as they were aeress Red Riyer Whieh dpened uP the trade ter· tl
  ° _ able. In this work Mr. Munson had many inter- ritery from Oklahoma to Denison. Later he oi'-
  esting and unusual experiences with Indians and ganized the Eastland Pdwer and Light C0niPany·
i   the rough frontier characters in the Panhandle of Eastland. Texas, heeerning President of that en- S ii
1 region of Texas, Late; the htm of Gunter and terprise. He afterwards disposed of this holding. t
A  i Munson went into the cattle business on a large (Continued on Page Twenty-two) · C