Lieutenant Frank Rather Bussey, Jr.
United States Marine Corps, World War II, Medical Corps
April 4, 2024 - Frank, Jr. was the oldest child of Maude Rockwell Willis and Frank Rather Bussey, Sr. He was born on Monday, November 11th, 1911, in the small east Texas town of Timpson, Shelby County, that had been founded 26 years earlier in 1885. He grew up with four siblings, John William (1913), Daniel “Dan” Rockwell (1918), Mary Catherine “Katie” (1921), and Joe Laverette (1925). A second sister, Margaret, tragically died at birth in July 1919. The family lived on Jacob Street in Timpson, and Frank, Sr. was a druggist at ‘Bussey Drug Store,’ which he also owned. The children attended the Timpson schools where Frank, Jr. excelled at speaking, winning a number of awards for extemporaneous speaking, and debating. He was the valedictorian of his 1929 graduating class of thirty-six students, which was, at that time, the largest class in the history of the school.
Two weeks after graduation, on May 31st, Frank boarded a train and left for Waco, Texas, where he entered Baylor University. The following year, in September 1930, he enrolled at the State University in Austin [University of Texas] and resided at 2510 Rio Grande Street. For the next five years, he taught school at Fluvanna, Odessa, Diboll, and Orange, Texas, while continuing to work on his degree from Baylor that he received in 1935. At that time, he returned to Austin and the university, where he was the vice president of his senior class at the College of Pharmacy. Here, he met a fellow student, Miss Margaret Burns of Yoakum, Texas, and they were married on June 12th, 1936. Unfortunately, the marriage would later end in divorce. On June 11th, 1937, Frank received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas School of Pharmacy and was elected to membership in the Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society. He then enrolled in the University of Texas Medical School at Galveston and worked there as a pharmacist.
On October 16th, 1940, Frank registered for the first peacetime military draft in the history of the United States. His registration card (DSS Form 1) noted he was 28 years old, attending the University of Texas as a medical student in Galveston, was white, stood five foot, eleven inches tall, weighed 175 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. Fourteen months later the United States would enter World War II following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor Hawaii on December 7th, 1941.
Frank then completed his medical degree at the university and graduated in March 1942. Two months later, he received a commission in the US Navy Medical Corps as a Lieutenant (JG) and was assigned to the Naval Air Base, Corpus Christi, Texas. The following year Frank was transferred to the Marine Corps medical department, where he served as an assistant surgeon and flight surgeon at Camp Elliott, San Diego, California, Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California. Miramar, San Diego, California, and Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 343, APO San Francisco, 12th Marine Air Group, FPO San Francisco. World War II ended on September 2nd, 1945, and Lieutenant Bussey continued to serve until his release from active duty on June 8th, 1947.
While on active duty in California, Frank met Russian-born Metropolitan Opera soprano and star of the Broadway production “Song of Norway,” Irra Petina. After what was called a “whirlwind courtship,” they were married on Sunday, September 3rd, 1944. Three days later, Frank shipped out to the Pacific with his Marine unit and returned the following September. They would later be blessed with a son, Frank III, on July 25th, 1949. Dr. Frank Bussey would continue his successful practice in New York City until April 1975, when he and the family moved back to his home state of Texas, where he opened an ophthalmology office at 8301 Balcones in Austin.
On December 30th, 1977, at the age of 66, Frank, Jr. died at his home, 3415 Monte Vista in Austin of accidental drowning when he fell into his swimming pool. Funeral services were held Monday, January 2, 1978, at the Cook-Walden Funeral Home. His body was then transported to Timpson, Shelby County, Texas, and he was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery. Survivors at the time were wife, Irra Petina Bussey of Austin, son, Frank R. Bussey III of Dallas; sister, Mrs. Mary Catherine Boice of Houston, brothers, Col. John W. Bussey of Arlington, VA, Dr. Dan R. Bussey of Mars Hill, N. C., Dr. Joe L. Bussey of Fort Worth, and one grandchild. Day is done, God is nigh.
SOURCES:
(1): Year: 1920; Census Place: Timpson, Shelby, Texas; Roll: T625_1846; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 198
(2): Molloy, T. J. Timpson Weekly Times (Timpson, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, April 16, 1926, newspaper, April 16, 1926; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth764935/: accessed April 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Timpson Public Library.
(3): Molloy, T. J. Timpson Weekly Times (Timpson, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, May 10, 1929, newspaper, May 10, 1929; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth764290/: accessed April 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Timpson Public Library.
(4): Molloy, T. J. Timpson Weekly Times (Timpson, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, May 31, 1929, newspaper, May 31, 1929; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth765268/: accessed April 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Timpson Public Library.
(5): Year: 1930; Census Place: Timpson, Shelby, Texas; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0019; FHL microfilm: 2342124
(6): Molloy, T. J. Timpson Weekly Times (Timpson, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 39, Ed. 1 Friday, September 26, 1930, newspaper, September 26, 1930; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth765743/: accessed April 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Timpson Public Library.
(7): Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
(8): Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
(9): “Jul 12, 1936, Page 15 - The Austin American at Newspapers.Com.” Newspapers.Com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/385828222/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
(10): Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
(11): Molloy, T. J. Timpson Daily Times (Timpson, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 66, Ed. 1 Friday, April 2, 1937, newspaper, April 2, 1937; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth768505/: accessed April 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Timpson Public Library.
(12): Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
(13): National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For Texas, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 210
(14): Ancestry.com. U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
(15): The National Archives at Washington, DC. USA; National Archives Publication: Navy Muster Rolls, 1939-1949; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; Record Group Number: 24
(16): The National Archives at Washington, DC. USA; National Archives Publication: Navy Muster Rolls, 1939-1949; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; Record Group Number: 24
(17): The National Archives at Washington, DC. USA; National Archives Publication: Navy Muster Rolls, 1939-1949; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; Record Group Number: 24
(18): “Sep 04, 1944, Page 3 - Wichita Falls Times at Newspapers.Com.” Newspapers.Com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/774168649/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
(19): The National Archives at Washington, DC. USA; National Archives Publication: Navy Muster Rolls, 1939-1949; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; Record Group Number: 24
(20): The National Archives at Washington, DC. USA; National Archives Publication: Navy Muster Rolls, 1939-1949; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; Record Group Number: 24
(21): The National Archives at Washington, DC. USA; National Archives Publication: Navy Muster Rolls, 1939-1949; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; Record Group Number: 24
(22): Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
(23): National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Bay Shore, Suffolk, New York; Roll: 5885; Page: 20; Enumeration District: 52-179
(24): Texas Department of State Health Services; Austin Texas, USA; Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982
