Richard Lynn Hunt
            February 13, 1935 - February 18, 2006

Richard Lynn Hunt passed away on February 18, 2006, in Austin,
Texas, after a courageous battle with cancer.  His family and
friends were by his side.

Richard was born in Hope, Arkansas, on February 13, 1935, to
Audra Williams Hunt and Dale Lynn Hunt.  He graduated from
Hope High School and the University of Arkansas.   While at HHS,
he participated in DeMolay, baseball, FFA, 4-H Club and
Chemistry Club.

He subsequently moved to Dallas and pursued a professional life
in business and real estate investment.  He married Shirley Stratton
and they had three daughters.

Richard was diagnosed with cancer in 2004.  Always a fighter, he
remained courageous, positive, optimistic, and maintained his good
sense of humor to the end.  Richard always held onto hope and was
determined not to let circumstances get the best of him.

Richard loved traveling, fishing, and sailing; but most of all,
spending time with his seven grandchildren.  Richard never missed
an opportunity to let those around him know how much he loved
them.

Richard is survived by three loving daughters, Jennifer Weggeland
of Riverside, California; Lynn Allinson of Crawford, Texas; Julie
Danehy of Austin, Texas; seven grandchildren; and his brother
Travis Hunt of Tyler, Texas.

Richard was a good and loving father, grandfather and friend who
will be deeply missed.

Richard's memorial service was held March 4, 2006, in Memory
Gardens, Hope, Arkansas.  Rev. Larry Silvey officiated.
              

My first memory of Richard Lynn Hunt was in our 10th grade English class when Mrs. W.
A. Williams (Anna, the mother of Jacque Pearl) was our teacher. Mrs. Williams called on
Richard to answer a question and, when he did not give her the correct answer, Anna
Williams let him know right away, that he needed to study harder. At the time I thought
this very strange since Richard was a new student at Hope High School. I later learned that
Mrs. Williams was a sister-in-law to Richard's mom, Audra Hunt, and this was her way to
let us all know that Richard was just another student in her English Class.

If I remember correctly, Richard Lynn lived in the Springhill, AR School District at the
time and had to "hitchhike" to and from HHS to school his sophomore year. (Later on the
family moved to Hope)  Because of this, Richard was not eligible to play on the Bobcat
football team his sophomore year.  Our junior year he was on the field every day and was
a two-year letterman as a guard on the defensive team. He was a good football player and
played baseball as well.

I have a very special memory of Richard when we would have wind sprints each day
during football practice. On this particular day his dad, Dale Lynn Hunt, was there as were
many of our fathers in those days. (They were very proud of their sons’ being on the
team)  Mr. Hunt was a big man and he would yell at the top of his voice, "Run Slew-foot;
run Slew-foot," urging his son, Richard, to run faster.  Of course, all of the players heard
the name "Slew-foot" coming from his pop's mouth and from then on his nickname was
"Slew-foot" because he ran a lot like a duck with the front of his feet pointing left and
right and out. Many of us had nicknames--especially those who were on the Bobcat
football team.  Others had nicknames that were not well taken by them and many spent a
lifetime trying to shed them. (My brother-in-law William J. Cox‘s nickname was "Cupid"
and he didn't like it at all but that was what
people called him at HHS.)

Anyway, Richard Lynn aka "Slew-foot" attended Southern State College, Magnolia, AR as
did about 25 boys and girls from the HHS classes.  Usually, a student would attend SSC
for a couple of years and then transfer elsewhere for the last two years because of the
type of major they were pursuing. Richard transferred to the University of AR where he
finished his education.

I remember one weekend while at SSC, a group of us decided to go coon hunting at Hope.
Someone said he had a good coon dog so a group of us got into one of the guys’ pickup
truck and off to the woods we went!  Richard was one of the four or so along on this
hunting venture. We followed the young dog for what seemed like hours to me.<s> This
coon dog stopped and had treed something we thought was a coon. Someone had an axe
with him, cut a hole in the log, and all of a sudden this smoke-like stuff started streaming
out of the hole.  It looked like a fire in the log!  "Slew-foot" got a stick and reached down
in the log and twisted the stick into the animal’s tail and held it up for someone to shoot
it.  "It is a skunk," we all yelled.

Needless to say the smell got all over "Slew-foot's" clothes and he smelled so bad we
made him ride home in the back of the truck on that very cold night! I told this story later
in my speech class at SSC,  got a lot of laughs, and an "A" for my effort.--thanks to
Richard Lynn and all the other guys who were there that night! Needless to say that was
not a good coon dog and never was after that.

That was about the 1954/55 period of time when the above occurred shortly before  Dee
Coffee and I went into the army. It was not until I married Benja, whom I had met at ETSU
at Commerce, TX (we married in Waco on 3-3-61) that the name Richard Hunt again
surfaced  My boss, Leslie Stratton at Stratton's Furniture Store on Austin Ave. where I
worked at the time, said that his son-in-law was Richard Lynn Hunt from Hope. He was
married to his daughter, Shirley Stratton, Waco High Class of 1953, as was my sister-in-
law, Charlotte Seale Miller. (Benja was in the class of ‘56 but they all knew each other)  I
kept up with Richard and Shirley Hunt for many years through Leslie, her Dad. The
Stratton’s were very proud of Richard, Shirley & their 3 daughters. One was named Lynn
also, as was my second daughter,
Amy Lynn, who was named after Richard Lynn and Lynn Russell Ellen.

I left Waco in 1969, moved to Chickasha, OK then to Shreveport, LA in  1972.  It was
during the 1973 reunion time while I was sick, had the flu and could not attend, that Donna
Russell Nafe also from Waco then told me by phone who all was attending the ‘73
reunion. Richard and Shirley Hunt were a couple of them. There is a photo on the web site
now showing the three of them together having a lot of fun.

It was not until the 1983 reunion that I ever saw Richard Hunt again. Dr. Bob Power was
the MC that year and several of our teachers attended. Richard was voted the one who
looked most like "Magnum P. I." I got the "lost-the-most-hair" award. I remember at the
dance later that night when many were in attendance that Dr. Bob Power had his new
bride, Arleta, with him. They danced to nearly ever song, which was supposed to be fifties
music. Richard went over to the band leader and advised him what fifties music really was
like.<g> We did start hearing some oldies soon, so I assume Richard made his point.

I was at the memorial service at Memory Gardens in Hope for Richard Lynn Hunt who
died of cancer in Austin, TX on Feb. 18, 2006. Tom Ed and Betty Jo Hays had a
reception for the Hunt family at their home after the service. (They were life-long friends)
Travis Hunt, a younger brother, the three daughters, their kids and others were all there.
Many of our ‘53 classmates paid their final "good bye’s"  to our beloved friend and
classmate, Richard "Slew-foot" Hunt.

Clyde Arnold aka Bloke
May 7, 2009