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Dr. F. E. Dye was born in Grapevine, Texas on December 7, 1896. He spent his childhood there and in the Texas Valley and Fort Worth. He graduated from high school in Fort Worth. He attended TCU and got his B. A. degree the same night he graduated from Medical School. He attended UTMB in Galveston in 1920 and graduated in 1924. He spent a year as an intern at John Sealy Hospital then moved to Houston and worked at the Houston Clinic, Main at Pease, for ten years. He moved to Old Gulf in 1935 and worked with the Texas Gulf Sulphur Co. When the sulphur played out at Old Gulf the family moved to Bay City. This occurred in 1937. There was no general hospital in the city at that time and only five or six doctors. Dr. Dye began almost immediately to talk hospital on every occasion to any and everybody. Dr. Dye was a medical corpsman in WWI which may have accounted for his interest in becoming a doctor. He had six brothers and three step-sisters. The sisters were all nurses. He served in the U. S. Navy in the first World War and joined the Navy in 1942 during the second World War. He served overseas with the U. S. Marine Corps for 17 months. Two of his fingers were amputated because of radiation exposure during the war. His first office was in the First National Bank. While he was in the service Dr. B. E. Simons used his office for his practice. This office was built in 1941 and he must not have been very superstitious because his office was at 1313 6th Street for 13 years. Physicians practicing with him were Dr. Jack Simons, Dr. Robert Jackson and Dr. John Laughlin. His first two children, Fulton, Jr. and Gerry, were born in Houston. Dick was born in Old Gulf. Carole was born in Bay City.
(Gerry Parker and Carole
Weathered) [Matagorda County Museum files] |
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Dr. Fulton Eugene Dye, prominent Bay City physician, has been commissioned in the United States Naval Reserve, it was announced by the Eighth Naval District Headquarters, New Orleans. He is a Lieutenant-Commander. Dr. Dye left yesterday noon for Corpus Christi. The Herald, April 16, 1942 Dr. Dye In Thick Of Pacific War Lives In Midst Of Bombings Mrs. Fulton Dye of Bay City has received the following breath-taking letter from her husband who is with the armed forces in the great war arena of the Pacific. My dearest wife and kiddies, At last I have a few moments and will try and tell you all I can. Of course I must leave out all dates, locations and everything that might be of military information to the enemy. As you will recall I told you that I was going in the first echelon in taking over a new island. It was the most northerly island yet and had been under Jap domination for many months. It was quite a sight to see all the naval transports and destroyers convoying us. Just after daylight we headed for the beach and then the fireworks began. I was standing on the deck when I saw a formation of Jap Dive bombers coming out of the sun. I was too scared to move when I saw them start peeling off and diving at us. I followed with my eyes glued on one as he dived at a ship 150 years away. Just as he banked over the ships masts he dropped three bombs. All I could see was fire, smoke, water, a deafening blast and the smoke cleared and the ship was still intact. It all happened in a matter of a few seconds. I was so busy looking at that dive bomber and the tracers from the ships shooting at him that I forgot all about the other dive bombers. Hardly before the water at the other ship had settled down, I was struck in the face with salt water, fire, smoke and I thought the end of the world had come. Another dive bomber had straddled my ship with three bombs and barely missed us. Our anti-aircraft was roaring and I saw two of the bombers hit the sea a mile or so away and sink immediately. They were smoking and flaming and smoke continued to rise from the water for several minutes. Probably burning oil. Other ships were attacked but none hit at that particular time. Our anti-aircraft and own aerial coverage had by that time driven the others off. Some twenty five or more enemy planes had attacked us. The infantry had made the beach ahead of us and when I arrived I saw plenty of dead Japs along the beach. I headed a hundred and fifty yards inland and with other doctors in my outfit set up a first aid station. We were kept pretty busy treating casualties until about noon when I went back aboard ship to get my personal gear. Then it began again. They dive bombed all the ships and mine especially. I lay on the deck in the ward room and prayed. The blast was terrific. They dropped bombs and sprayed us with machine guns. I could hear the bullets hitting the decks above and the ship rock when we got another straddle. I hurried ashore with my gear and began treating all kinds of casualties. I found my first fatality in my organization in a man I had known many months. Others were found and brought in later. Well, by that time I began to believe that the war was getting a little bit too personal and between casualties I began to dig a fox hole. I had not eaten all day because of the excitement, fear, and a few other things. That night we did not have our guns set up and the ships had cleared out leaving us to the mercy of all night dive bombers. They would dive anywhere they wanted to and drop their eggs at random. I had to get up twice and give blood plasma to badly injured men. After midnight the sick bay got a straddle and dirt was blown all over me in my fox hole. A big chunk was cut out of a limb just six feet above me by flying shrapnel. A corpsman had a piece of shrapnel hit him in the neck. Another corpsman got hit in the leg. Several bombs fell within one hundred yards during the night. Next morning I got permission to move the sick bay a little farther inland and moved into another hot spot. I dug a fox hole near a little stream and a 500 pound nearly blew a corpsman and myself out of it about midnight. Our guns were shooting back the second night and that was a big help to our morale even though the bombs continued to rain on us. We had fourteen raids in the first 24 hours and sixty six the first ten days. Some of the raids had as many as fifty three bombers plus some fighter escorts. Our own aerial coverage kept a lot from getting to us but sixty six in 10 days is plenty for any one. Guadalcanal had only 96 in six months. And I guess the papers said all was quiet. After all our guns got set up we began to knock them out of the skies like ducks and our own planes wreaked vengeance in no uncertain terms. I have gone into detail only about the first two days. I have since had two very close calls and I don’t think any one ever [end of article missing]
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Dr. Fulton E. Dye, 78, of Bay City, died on Tuesday, February 19 at Matagorda General Hospital. He was a practicing Matagorda physician since 1935. He was a veteran of World War I and World War II where he attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and also was connected with the Marine Corps. He belonged to the First United Methodist Church in Bay City. He served as past president of the Bay City Country Club and member of the Rotary Club. He belonged to the American Medical Association, Southwestern Surgical Congress, Senior Fellow No. 1301, member of the staff at Matagorda General, and was instrumental in establishing and organizing a hospital for Matagorda County. Survivors include: wife, Mrs. Ida Mae Dye of Bay City; sons, Dr. Fulton Dye, Jr., of Arlington, Texas and Dick Paul Dye of Bay City; daughters, Mrs. Wade Parker of Beaumont and Mrs. P. A. Weathered, Ill, of San Antonio; brother, Leon Dye of Houston; 12 grandchildren and many other relatives. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a. m. Thursday, February 21 at the First United Methodist Church. Rev. Leslie La Grand of St. Matthews Methodist Church of Houston will officiate and interment will be held at Roselawn Memorial Cemetery with private gravesite services. Friends may call at the funeral home until 8:00 a. m. Thursday. Pallbearers include grandsons. Contributions may be made to the Cancer Society. Services under the direction of Dick Elkins, Bay City Funeral Home. The Daily Tribune, February 20, 1980
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Funeral services for Ida Mae Dye, 87, of Bay City were held 2 p. m. Sunday at Taylor Brothers Funeral Home chapel where the Rev. W. E. Dugger Jr. officiated. Burial was in Roselawn Memorial Park, Van Vleck. Mrs. Dye was born Feb. 1, 1902, in Mart, Texas, to Julian and Callie Mathews Phillips and died at _: 45 p. m. May 26, 1989, at Matagorda General Hospital, Bay City. A resident of Bay City since 1937, she was a member of First United Methodist Church of Bay City. Survivors include two daughters, Jerry Parker of Beaumont and Carole Weathered of Richmond, Texas; two sons, Fulton Dye Jr. of Carrollton and Richard Dye of Bay City; 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Arrangements were with Taylor Brothers Funeral Home, Bay City. The Daily Tribune
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Marker photos courtesy of Faye Cunningham |
