Eugene E. Closson

Date of Birth:     January 2, 1894

Place of Birth:    Marlboro, Maine   

Father:    Franklin Eugene Closson

Mother:   Almeda Jane (Bowden) Closson

Father's Occupation:    Captain of a Freight Schooner

Mother's Occupation:    Homemaker

Married to:    Julia Anna Travis

Married on:    August 3rd, 1927

Location:        Champion, Nebraska

Children:        Edward Eugene (1930), Mary Jane (1935), James Travis (1936).

Date of Death:    February 10, 1974

Place of Death:    Lamoni, Iowa

Academy and Associate Degree from Graceland College - 1926

Bachelor of Arts in History - University of Iowa - 1927

Masters Degree in Psychology (Minor in Philosophy) - University of Iowa - 1931

Enlisted in the Army in 1917.  Honorably Discharged in May of 1919.

Medic in an ambulance company in the 110 Sanitary Train Medical Corps.

Trained at Camp Donovan in Oklahoma for only a few weeks before being sent overseas.

Served as a medic in the trenches and battlefields of France including the Aragon Forest and Verdun.

Apprentice Machinist at the Kansas City Nut & Bolt machine shop: 1910 - 1924.

General Laborer and Janitor at Graceland College: 1920 - 1924.

Superintendent of the Department of Recreation and Expression - RLDS General Church appointment: 1927 - 1931.

College Professor - Psychology, Philosophy and History at Graceland College: 1931 - 1959.

Director of Student Activities & chairman of the Student Activity Committee at Graceland College: 1931 - 1946.

Member of the Administrative Committee (an executive steering committee) at Graceland College: 1931-1940.

Business Manager and Board Member of the Lamoni Coliseum movie theater: 1931 - 1948. 

Baptized into the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) in 1902 at the age of eight by Apostle Francis M. Sheehy and confirmed by Brother Sheehy, Brother Richard Bullard and Brother A. N. Ames.

Served as secretary for the Religio program, branch librarian and Sunday School secretary for several years around 1910.

Called to the priesthood in 1919 by the pastor of the Stone Church, Brother Walter W. Smith and ordained by the Presiding Patriarch, Frederick A. Smith.

Organized four different Boy Scout Troops and became scoutmaster of one troop.  Led the scouts to summer camps and other types of Scout activities throughout Independence.

Organized a Scout troop of college students and faculty during his first year at Graceland.  It was only the second troop of its kind in the United States at that time.

Superintendent of the Department of Recreation and Expression - RLDS General Church appointment: 1927 - 1931.

Ordained High Priest in the RLDS Church in 1931.  Member of the Lamoni Stake High Council for over 15 years. 

Date

Event

1949

First Travis Family Reunion – Percy’s

1950

Trip to Maine & East Coast Cities – Gene, Judy, Mary & Jim (Met up with Ed in Hartford, CT – Saw the Gleazers & the Goulds

1953

Gene went to the University of Houston; Jim went to Southern, CA – Orange Groves

1955

Trip to Victoria, Canada (Looking for Bill Glasier & met up with Jim at Silver Lake Reunion in Washington State.  Jim worked at Pea Cannery in Oregon.

1958

Trip to Mexico City

1959

Trip to Maine, Nova Scotia, etc.

1959-60

Trip to Calif. and Tucson

1961

Trip to Maine (Gene alone)

1963

Trip to Rocky Mts. W/Jim & Ellie (pregnant with Brad)

1964

Trip to Maine: Gene, Ed & Helen

1967

Family Reunion – Denver, CO

1967

Trip to Maine, Expo ’67 at Montreal (8/28 to 9/8)

1969

Trip abroad to England, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, Holland

1970

Trip abroad to England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Austria

Date

Event

1977

Travis Family Reunion at Graceland College

1980

Trip to Morocco, Greece & Turkey w/Mary & Chet (Graceland Sponsored)

1982

Travis Family Reunion at Graceland College

1985

Travis Family Reunion at Graceland College

1985-86

Judy and (her sister) Vera to Hawaii (Graceland Sponsored Winter Term)

1987

Judy and (her sister) Vera to New Zealand, Australia & Tahiti (Graceland Sponsored Winter Term)

1988

Travis Family Reunion at Winter Park, CO

1989

Judy’s trip to Tucson to visit (her sister) Vera

1991

Travis Family Reunion at The Nature Place in Colorado

1994

Travis Family Reunion at The Nature Place in Colorado

1997

Travis Family Reunion at The Nature Place in Colorado