HAMPTON, DON AND TERESA (EMMONS)

by Teresa Hampton

Entry F174 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Don and Teresa Hampton Wedding, 9-15-73. L to R: Glen and Ina Hodges
(Teresa's Grandparents), Don and Teresa, Glen and Vera Milander
(Don's Grandparents).

Don Hampton Family, 1987. Don, Teresa, Mindy (13), Travis (10),
Deon (9) and Dana (5).

Donald Wayne, son of Wayne and Betty
(Milander) Hampton was born 1954,
in Omaha, Nebr. Don attended Western,
Nebr. Technical College after graduating
from the Mullen High School in 1972. After
college he returned to Mullen and helped out
as an Auto Mechanic at his Grandparents
Glenn and Vera Milander garage, Milanders
Motors.

Don and Teresa were married Aug. 25,
1973. Teresa Kay a daughter of Emery and
Annette (Hodges) Emmons was born in
Mullen, Nebr. 1952. Teresa gradu-
ated from Mullen High in 1970. She then
worked at Dutton's Grocery Store until time
to go to Alliance Vocational School of
Practical Nursing. She received her license
and began practicing nursing as an L.P.N. in
May of 1972 at the Pioneer Memorial Hospi-
tal. She remembered many times the nine
bed hospital would be full to capacity and
several patients put in the halls behind
petitions.

Mindy Lynette was born 1974 in
North Platte, Nebr. On Nov. 2, 1974, Don
started a new job working for Meril and Jim
Lee at Brownlee, Nebr. It was wonderful year
of new experience and new friends. Don's
Granddad's health was getting bad so the
family bought some land two miles west of
Mullen, moved back in Sept. 1975.

December 1, 1976 Don's parents bought
the Gibson Agency and Teresa started work-
ing for the new Hampton Agency. On Dec. 23,
1978, in Mullen, Nebr. Don began working for
MoorMan's Feed in 1978. In 1982 a
daughter Dana Nicole was born in Valentine,
Nebr. and was soon rushed to Omaha by the
Flight for Life plane ambulance. A tumor was
found on her voice box and was successfully
removed, but Dana still had many spells of
not breathing and heartbeat, so an infant
monitor was sent home and a crash course on
C.P.R. was given to her parents. It was a
touch and go for nine months, a lot of
medication and a lot of close watching.

The Assembly of God Church had a benefit
pancake supper to help with the expense. The
community seemed to really `hurt' with us
through this. We had a lot of support. Dana
set her monitor off six times in one night
when she was eight months, but never set it
off again after that! We both aged a lot during
this trial.

During this time cattle prices seemed to go
down terribly, the feed business became a
real struggle and after seven years Don was
forced to give up his well-liked job. In
January 1984, Don started full time with the
Hampton's Agency and during that year Don
and Teresa became licensed Agents.

Don has a few milk cows, pigs, and calves
that keeps him busy when away from the
office. In the fall you'll find Don in front of
the Television watching College football,
both are avid Cornhuskers football fans.

Teresa is busy with her job and trying to
keep up with their four growing children.
Mindy is now 13 years old, Travis is 11, Don
is 9 and Dana is 5 years old. Teresa cared for
her 92 years old Grandma Ina Hodges in her
spare time. Loves her church and tries to stey
active in it. Her favorite relaxing past time
is to go walking with a friend.