DOUGLAS WILBURN HATHCOCK

Douglas Wilburn Hathcock, who died May 3, 1991, was born on December 1932, to Restus Hale Hathcock and Lorene Edgeworth Hathcock in Amory, Monroe County, Mississippi. He had a naturally inquisitive mind from a very early age and built his first radio as a result of his interest in electronics at the age of 10. This interest in electronics and gadgetry persisted throughout his adult life. He obtained an advanced license in amateur radio and maintained contacts with fellow Hams throughout the world.

In high school he was an active participant in R.O.T.C. and, upon completing high school, he enrolled at Mississippi State University where he received a B.S. degree in 1954. He received a commission in the U.S. Air Force in December 1954 and underwent training in electronics at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He served with the 5^th Air Force stationed in Japan from 1955 through 1957.

Upon his discharge from the service, Doug was employed as an Aerospace Engineer for Bendix Corporation, where he traveled worldwide. During these travels, he returned to Japan where we met and married in Tokyo in 1961. We have one daughter, Lori, who is married and the mother of two. Upon returning to the states, we made our home in Santa Clara, California, where he continued his education and received his M.B.A. degree from Santa Clara University in 1965.

In April 1966, he was employed by Stanford Research Institute (now called SRI – Internation) and moved to Huntsville, Alabama, which became our permanent home. Doug developed an interest in the legal field and returned to school in pursuit of a Juris Doctorate degree, which he received in 1980 from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing Michigan. He became a member of the Alabama Bar Association and the Masonic Lodge in Amory, Mississippi.

Shortly after we moved to Huntsville, Doug developed an intense interest in genealogy, an interest that would take us to numerous cemeteries and archives throughout the country in search of his ever expanding family tree. Many nights where spent compiling the material which his research uncovered. His research resulted in the private publication of several books on the Hathcock Family history which he bequeathed to the Family History Center, a branch of the Church of Christ of the Latter Day Saints.

Doug also had a passion for personal computers which he mastered and put to good use in his legal practice and in his study of genealogy. Life was always a wonderful adventure for him. He delighted in making preparations for each new challenge that the future might bring and was seemingly compelled to succeed at every endeavor, no matter what the obstacles might be.

Although the death of Douglas Hathcock leaves a void that can never be filled, both personally and professionally, we can rejoice in having experienced his zeal for life and his profession. Doug is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Amory, Mississippi.

I feel that Doug would want me to express to you how much he enjoyed his contacts with you as he gathered and passed on information about the Hathcock Family. He felt that without your invaluable help, his work would not have been possible.

Thank you so much for your support, care and concern.

Mariko Funabashi Hathcock

Huntsville, Alabama

December 1991