Hinds Family
Thomas
'Tom" Mahoney Hinds was born October 18,
1893 in Texarkana, Texas, son
of William K. Hinds and Bridget Della Fox.
Tom married Eva
Hardeman July 3, 1922 in Grayson County,
Texas. Eva was born July
18, 1902 in Rusk County, Texas, daughter of
Samuel Hunter Hardeman and
Mary Julia Beck.
They
lived at 506 East Main Street in Denison,
Texas with Tom's parents for
several years until purchasing their own
home which would remain in the
family until 1995. The home was
located on 423 East Hull Street
and was purchased from T.E. and Bessie Steen
in June 1927 for $1,999.
Their only child, Florence, was born
July 3, 1923 and was a
toddler when they moved to their new home.

423 East Hull Street
LIGHTNING BOLT
DAMAGES HOME IN FREAKISH VISITATION
Stories
of dismay caused by unexpected leaky roofs,
lightning scares, and
numerous other evidences of discomfiture
caused by the recent downpour
in Denison have been heard in Denison as the
aftermath of the 6-1/2
inch rain and electrical storm which visited
Denison early this week.
One
instance which stopped barely short of
disaster occurred at the Tom M.
Hinds home, 423 East Hull Street. Tuesday
morning at 2 o'clock when a
thunderbolt struck the house, trailed a path
of fire not more than 10
inches over the heads of Mrs. Hinds and her
little daughter, Florence,
in their bedroom, and continuing into the
attic, doubtless by
electrical wiring, splintered the heavy
rafters and scorched the wood
in many places. The lights, telephone
and radio were put out of
commission, and the radio aerial was ground
to bits, it is stated.
Mrs.
Hinds and daughter state that a ball of fire
shot in a rear window,
apparently, and passed over their heads
about 10 inches. Mr.
Hinds, sleeping in an adjoining room, did
not see it but he felt the
vibration as did neighbors who say their
house was swayed by the bolt.
The
roof of the home was so completely
undermined that extensive repair
work was necessitated. Why the
scorched wood did not burst into
fire is another freak of elemental
occurrence.

Eva and Florence
ca1930
Lamar Elementary school is located
in the background on the left.
Florence
was Valedictorian of her high school class
at St. Xavier Academy.
She received a scholarship for music,
earning an associate degree
in education. Florence and Harry
Sullivan were married on
December 15, 1943 in Grayson County; Harry
was stationed at Perrin Air
Force Base, Denison, Texas.

Florence & Harry Sullivan
December 15, 1943
Florence
and Harry made their home in Cincinnati,
Ohio for 10 years; when his
employment changed, they relocated to
Whittier, California.
Tom
and Eva completed renovations on their home
on Hull Street, turning it
into a duplex. Throughout the 1940s
they rented out the east side
of the home to various young married couples
stationed at Perrin Air
Force Base. The east side of the home
was also rented out to
several nurses, who were employees of the
Madonna Hospital on the same block.
Tom
Hinds died in 1952 and was buried in Calvary
Cemetery in Denison,
Texas. Eva maintained the residence on
Hull Street and continued to
make improvements to the house with the help
of her daughter and
son-in-law, Florence and Harry.
Eva Hardeman
Hinds was aunt to Vera McClure Baker.
Vera was mother of Lt. General Royal
Newman "King" Baker,
born in Corsicana, Texas, November 27, 1918.
Royal Baker was a
United States Air Force Flying Ace in the
Korean War. Lt. General
Baker came to visit his aunt Eva and family
on East Hull Street in
Denison while in Grayson County for an event
at Perrin Air Force Base
on May 17, 1953.
Jan Heath, Harry
Sullivan, Jr., Col. Royal N. Baker, Eva
Hinds
May 1953
The Denison
Press
Friday, May 8,
1953
AIR HERO TO SPEAK
AT PERRIN
Colonel
Royal N. Baker, top jet ace of the Korean
conflict with 12 MIG "kills",
is to be the featured speaker at the Perrin
Armes Forces Day observance
May 17. Since returning to the U.S.
Col. Baker has been assigned
to the flight test center at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where he
is project officer for a new all-weather jet
in the experimental stage.
He was invited to participate in the
Perrin ceremonies by the
joint Sherman-Denison Armed Forces Day
committee.
COL.
ROYAL BAKER TO BE SPEAKER AT AIR FORCE DAY
ACTIVITIES
By M.O. Padilla
Colonel Royal N.
Baker, the world's leading jet
ace, will be the principal speaker at
the Armed Forces Day observance to be held
at Perrin Air Force Base, May 17.
Announcement
of the air hero's acceptance was made by
Col. Richard A. Barrett, Armed
Forces Day project officer. Baker was
invited to participate in
the Perrin ceremonies by the Denison-Sherman
Armes Forces Day Committee.
PROJECT OFFICER
FOR NEW JET
Col.
Baker is presently on a 30 day leave at his
home in McKinney. He
is assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base, Ohio, where he is to
take up duties as a project officer for a
new Air Force all-weather jet
interceptor in the experimental stage.
Col. Baker,
credited with 12
MIG-15's and one LA-9 propellor-driven
aircraft, was recently honored
with a "Baker Day" celebration in McKinney.
Personnel and jets
from Perrin played a major role in the
ceremonies.
Plans
for the Armed Forces Day observance at
Perrin include a Wing Review, a
fly-over of Sabre-jets and T-33's,
continuous movies, and static
displays.
PERRIN MEN TO
SPEAK
Besides
displays in store windows of military
equipment, both Sherman and
Denison Chambers of Commerce have arranged
for a series speeches before
organized groups by Perrin speakers during
the week, 12-17. The
open-house will climax the week's
observance.
GROUP HAD 390
VICTORIES
The
slight, dark-haired jet ace was commanding
officer of the 4th
Fighter-Interceptor Group in Korea. At
the time Col. Baker was in
command the group had to its credit 390 air
victories. The
Florida jet ace, Capt.
Manuel Fernandez, is running Col.
Baker a close second with 11 MIG "kills" to
his credit. Fernandez is also in the
4th.
When
interviewed at his McKinney home recently,
Col. Baker said that he had
just completed his third tour of combat
duty. His first tour was
in Europe in 1942 flying 160 missions in
British-made Spitfires with
the 31st Fighter Group. In 1944 he
returned to European air
action flying 112 missions in P-47's with
the 48th Fighter-Bomber
Group. He completed 126 history-making
missions in Korea before
being returned to the United States.
When queried on
what he thought
of the relative merits of the F-86 Sabrejet
and the Russian-built
MIG-15, Colonel Baker said, "The MIG-15 is a
very good aircraft... fast
rate of climb and extremely
maneuverable...the Communists have a fine
jet there. However, I feel that our
F-86 is better in air combat
comparison."
"I WANT TO SHOOT
HIM DOWN"
He was asked what
he
felt when looking for battle with a MIG.
Col. Baker said, "The
main thing you feel when you get into 'MIG
ALLEY', as they call the
50-mile square area right up against the
Yalu, is 'Am I going to see
the MIG?' and then when you do see him, 'I
don't want him to get
away...I want to shoot him down', and that's
just about how one feels."
Col.
Baker said that on flights near the Yalu
River it was possible to see
troop concentrations on the side forbidden
to UN airmen. He said,
"One can see them concentrated on the
'other' side, in fact, we've seem
parallel to the Yalu, maybe 3 of 4 miles to
one side... of course, we
couldn't go after them... the rules of the
war are that we stay in
North Korea, and we stay in North Korea."
"It was really
frustrating
to be on a MIG...to be shooting at
him...watching the smoke pour out of
him and know if you could follow the Red a
little further along you
could get a "kill" out of it. When you
come back and your gun
camera shows the MIG smoking and your
witness days he saw you hit him
all you can do then is give the pilot a
'damaaged' or a "probable."
If we could follow the MIGs across the
Yalu we'd have a lot more
kills."
"The Communist
pilots range all the way from very, very
weak
ones to some who are extremely good.
One runs into some really
sharp Red jet pilots, however, I believe
American pilots are better
because of their training."
AMERICA'S LEADING
ACE OF KOREA DIES AT 57
McKinney,
Texas (AP) - They called the place "MIG
Alley". But, apparently
no one bothered to tell Royal Baker.
Baker was a young fighter
pilot from Texas and MIG Alley was a tough
no-man's land where North
Korean pilots blow-torched their way across
the Yahu River with
impunity. Baker acted like he owned
it. American soldiers
and Marines stomped their frost-bitten feet
and fought a hard, dirty
war on the ground while Baker, upstairs,
conducted his own grim game.
He returned here, his home town, 23
years ago this month as
America's leading ace of the Korean War.
Baker had shot down a
dozen MIGs. Thousands across Texas
turned out to greet him.
Bands played, crowds cheered. U.S.
House Speaker Sam Rayburn
introduced him to a throng of 4,000 persons.
President Eisenhower
praised him for 20 minutes. Sen.
Lyndon Johnson posed with him
for photographers. About 100 persons
showed up for Baker's
funeral Tuesday. They included 7
generals and 8 other officers.
Baker, 57, was an Air Force lieutenant
general when he retired
last August. His friends called him
the picture of health.
He neither drank nor smoked. His
weight - 150 pounds -
never varied much. Baker and his wife
had played two sets of
tennis then decided to jog around the court.
He trotted 10 yards
and fell, dead of a heart attack.

Eva Hinds in front of her home, 423
East Hull Street
According
to the 1957 Denison City Directory she was
working as a nurse, most
likely at Madonna Hospital within walking
distance of her home.
She eventually moved to California to
live with her daughter and
son-in-law until her death on October 29,
1989. She was buried at
Calvary Cemetery in Denison alongside her
husband, Tom.
Florence
Sullivan became heir to the home on Hull
Street and after many
improvements, sold the home in October 1995.
She died January 9,
2014 and was buried next to her husband,
Harry, who died October 11,
1979 in Whittier, Los Angeles County,
California at Rose Hills Memorial
Park.

Biography Index
Susan Hawkins
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