PEARMAN, WOODROW (BINK) AND THELMA (BASSETT)

by Thelma Bassett Pearman

Entry F326 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Bink ande Thelma Pearman December 1943

Thelma was born in Kearney, Nebraska
October 16, 1922 to Frank and Maude
Bassett and grew up in southwest Hooker
County with her two sisters, Dorothy 1921
and Jean 1928 and a brother Ray 1918. They
lived in the same area until 1940 when they
moved a short distance east. Thelma attend-
ed school in the Eclipse School (near Ham-
monds) the first 2 years then to the Ballard
School to the east except for 2 years she
attended school in Mullen. The Bassett
children rode horseback to school, also to
pick up their mail three times a week at the
school. Thelma started to high school in 1937
but times were hard so she and Dorothy
dropped out in December staying out the
remainder of that year and all of the next.
They then started again in 1939 and Dorothy
graduated in 1941 with Thelma graduating in
1943 from Tryon where she transfered the
last few months of her senior year. She met
Bink in 1940 and they dated until he went to
the Army in March 1942. he came home on
furlough in November 1942 and they were
married in hyannis in a double ceremony with
Bud Edelman and Marjorie Davis. Bink
returned to the Army and Thelma went to
school and graduated. She spent the summer
in Gering, Nebraska with Arthur and Frances
Comstock, uncle and aunt and her cousin
Leola. She applied for a rural school in
southwest Scotts Bluff County and remained
there to teach.

Bink went overseas to Germany in the early
spring of 1944 and when school was out
Thelma returned to Mullen. She applied for
a school in Hooker County and taught the
McPherson School staying with Ray and
Myrtle Reigle in 1944-'45. When school was
out she went to Hastings where her mother
and sister Jean were working in a defense
plant. The war ended in August 1945 and
they returned to Mullen. Thelma taught the
Furrow School that fall and she and Jean
lived in a trailer near the school.

Bink returned home from Germany in
October and he joined them at the trailer.
Thelma resigned at Christmas time (by pre-
agreement with the school board) and they
moved to the A.J. Gragg place where they had
employment. Jean continued to stay with
them.

Wilson Ray was born in 1946 and
1949. Bink and Thelma moved from Graggs
and leased the Ireton land from Frank
Bassett. They lived there for 1 year and then
went back to Graggs in 1950. Franklin Don
was born in 1951. They bought the
E.B. Sexton property 3 1/2 miles south of
Mullen in 1952 and moved there in May 1953
to enable Ray to attend school. A school bus,
driven by Jack Maire, picked the boys up all
through their school years.

In 1960 or '61, Thelma began working as a
"domestic engineer" 3 to 5 days a week and
continued for about 15 years. When the
packing plant opened up south of Mullen, she
did their laundry for a time.

In 1960 Bink began working for the Cherry
County Road Department and continued
until 1985. During this time Thelma took care
of the cattle and most of the chores around
the place.

Ray graduated from high school in 1965
and went into the Navy for four years.

Don graduated from high school in 1970
and entered VocTech at Milford to study
Auto Mechanics in 1971. Ray also entered
just one school quarter after Don. Don
graduated in June 1972 and Ray in October
1972. Don returned to Mullen to work and
Ray went to Gothenburg to work in a garage.

Ray was married to Lana Olson in June
1972 and Don married Susan hansen in May
1975. Angela Dawn was born to Ray and Lana
1976, riley James 1980
and Traci Jo 1983. Ray and Lana
moved from Gothenburg to Arnold in 1979
and purchased a garage.

Don and Sue built a house near Bink and
Thelma's in 1976. Rae Ann was born to them
in 1981 and Melissa Sue,
1986.

Bink had open heart surgery in August
1986 and has enjoyed good health since. Bink
and Thelma buy a few calves each fall and sell
them as yearlings the following fall. In 1987
the steers weighed an average 1036 pounds
without any grain, a goal they have been
seeking for sometime. They keep busy raising
a garden and caring for their place now, but
most of all enjoying their grandchildren.