Mahlon Seymour Hunt

Mahlon Seymour Hunt was born Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois at Saint Mary's Hospital on 1 April, 1925, the son of Mahlon Charles (M.C.) Hunt and Lucille Adelaide Wehrenberg Hunt of Mound City, Pulaski County Illinois. His father was born 13, September 1896 in Noblesville, Hamilton County Indiana. His mother was born 28, July 1897 in Mound City. His father was the principal of Lowell School 1 thru 8 while Mahlon attended that school. People called him the professor but he was my dad. From my baby book entries, I was well loved, nurtured and spoiled as an only child. I called my mother "Mama Ceil".
During 1926, my mother became very ill with an enlarged spleen. The Mayo Clinic formed in about 1925 in Rochester, Minnesota, was recommended. Doctors treated her externally with radium salts. She died 14, June 1927 at Tamms, Alexander County, Illinois of leukemia and was buried in Spencer Heights Cemetery, Mounds, Illinois.
I lived with my grand uncle Roy and Adelaide (Addie Mertz) Parker at the Parker Hotel. They owned the railroad Hotel with arcade, grocery store, insurance business, etc in Tamms. My father visited Mound City as often as he could. I grew up bold and "brattish" like teasing railroad men sitting on the porch of the hotel after supper by riding my tricycle to the edge of the porch. A change was needed.
My father took me to Noblesville, Indiana to stay with his parents, Walter and Rosina (Mangold) Hunt. Walter was a schoolteacher and had served in the Indiana State Legislature. "Mama Hunt" took good care of me but I missed my Dad very much. "Buddy Dog", a black and tan terrier entered my life and we became close friends. I was 4 when we went to the Mangold family reunion in Forest Park in Noblesville, Indiana. There were lots of people, swings and ice cream.
Clarence Butler Hunt, my father's brother was born in Noblesville and he and his wife Nettie lived on a farm between Noblesville and Lapel, Indiana. We got to know each other when I was staying with grandfather and "Mama Hunt". Later, during the summers when my father attended Indiana State Teacher's College at Terre Haute, Indiana, I stayed with Clarence and Nettie. Aunt Nettie was a great cook. Uncle Clarence called me "Sonny Boy" and wanted me to be a senator. He showed me the world of the 30's farm life. He went all over the county doing farm business in his old blue Dodge Coupe. In 1933, my folks picked me up early. We went to the "Century of Progress" World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, then home to Mounds City before school started.
GRADE SCHOOL
I was 6 in April 1931 and started grade school in September. We lived at 403 High Street, Mound City, Illinois. My father was principal of Lowell School. There was no pre-school program in Kindergarten.
My 1st Grade teacher was Miss Rollins. I did fine until we began writing class. I was left-handed like my father. Miss Rollins made me write with my right like the rest of the pupils. It was a bad time for me. I couldn't do the work. At home my father sensed that something was wrong. I told him I was doing my best. The next day he visited our 1st grade class. He instructed how to write exercises; naturally left-handed without doing them right-handed. It seemed to help, though I had trouble reading and stuttered some. After Miss Rollins left, my second 1st grade teacher, Miss Norma Marie Hall took over our class. She helped me improve writing and reading skills. By the end of the school year I was having fun and was promoted to the 2nd grade though some pupils weren't.
My 2nd grade teacher was Mrs. Castor, an older lady, the grandmother of my childhood friend Lynn Edward Woodward, whose mother Doris was a single parent. We did a lot of coloring, pasting of Hectograph art work and Mrs. Castor assigned jobs. Mine was to keep the paste pots full and hand out the bristle brushes to the class. The gallon paste can was kept in the supply closet. I would go inside and fill the paste pots. The sweet smell of the soft white paste led me to discover its taste was as sweet as its smell. That was the best thing I remember about 2nd grade.
My 3rd grade teacher was Miss Reid. She was all business. We began doing numbers, arithmetic, etc. I found the work fun and did well. Others asked for my help. Miss Reid didn't object. Girls began to notice me. For the first time, I began to feel useful.
My 4th grade teacher was Miss Simpson. We learned fractions, long division, composition and 4th grade reading assignments. I remember most that Spring during Asparagus season. Kids had packets full of rubber bands used to make rubber chains for mock battles.
My 5th grade teacher was Miss Buchanan. She read great books to the class most every day. We took achievement tests to evaluate grade-level performance. Buddy Bode scored the highest in the class. Rosemary Beaver was highest score for girls. I was among the next highest, but no genius. The school had installed new playground equipment that year. The best was the high slide on the boy's side of the yard. It seemed to reach the sky with fast bump and dip where you landed in sand and work chips. We were instructed to take turns, no pushing or shoving. When my next turn came, a mean kid pushed in front of me, then we both went up the steps together. At the tope we jostled for position. The mean kid won and knocked me off the top of the slide. I landed on my feet and fell backward on my left hand and wrist. My arm felt numb. The outside bell rang ending recess. We lined up and marched back to class. My hand and wrist began to throb. My job was to sharpen pencils after class. I was so embarrassed I swallowed my pain and walked over to the pencil sharpener and just stood there. Mrs. Buchanan came over and asked what's wrong. I told her I fell. She seemed upset. I pulled my left arm up, pushed back my sleeve and showed the dislocated wrist pushing over the back of my hand. Miss Buchanan gasped and turned white as a ghost. She got my father who had to borrow Judge Crain's car to take me to Dr. Elkins at Mounds. He set my wrist and put a cast on my arm. The nearest X-ray was in Cairo so we went to Dr. Hutchinson at Saint Mary's Hospital; the same doctor that delivered me. The X-ray showed a good set but the cast was on for 6 weeks. I was a sort of hero for a while. The warm weather led to itching and the odor of dead skin. My happiest memory of 5th grade was Dr. Elkins cutting off that cast.
My 6th grade teacher was Miss McNeal. The school year ended with the 1937 flooded. I was 12. That winter was very severe; much ice and snow. By spring thaw the Ohio River was rising fast. The front levee was sandbagged and held. The lower back levee fell prey to rising backwater. Mound City was evacuated. The water never reached the second floor of Lowell School. My father remained on the 2nd floor to protect the school. My stepmother and I took the family Ford to East Saint Louis, Illinois and stayed with friends until my father was able to join us. Then we went to Mounds, Illinois and stayed Helen's parents until we could return to Mound City.
It was during the Great Depression Era, FDR was president. It was a time of great crisis and turmoil for our country. After the water receded, many residents returned to Mound City when the cleanup permitted.
Mahlon S. Hunt
Mahlon graduated from Mound City High school when he was 17 then joined the navy in 1943. He served for 3 years, leaving with an honorable discharge in 1946 in order to use the GI bill to obtain both a bachelors, and Masters Degree from Washington University in St. Louis, MO
On May 2 1953 Mahlon betrothed his wife and soul mate of nearly 57 years, Betty Aileen Schmidt. To this union were born 4 sons; Mahlon Craig, Dennis, Robert and James
1953-1959 Mahlon worked for the ACIC (Aeronautical Charts and Information Center) where he made charts and maps of the moon. While stationed in Washington DC, his projects included making a sophisticated moon atlas using established lunar photos and extreme mathematics.
1959-1976 Mahlon worked for the AFCRL (Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory) where he continued mapping the moon while using photos acquired from observatories in Paris, USSR, and the US.
1968-1972 While still with the AFCRL, he became the Director of the Air Force Lunar Laser observatory in Tucson, Az. that monitored reflectors placed on the moon's surface during the Apollo program. The program successfully shot a laser to the moon which returned to a specific calculated area in order to measure cartographic data.
Before he retired in 1976 Mahlon published several articles, chapters and papers regarding his work at the AFCRL.
After retiring, he enjoyed writing poetry, short stories, and a novel. He also enjoyed; gardening, ping pong, cards, and supported the SMSU women's basketball team.