Fred Stovall
Encyclopedia
Fred Alonzo Stovall was the founder of an oil drilling company and the Negro League baseball
team the Monroe Monarchs
.
Born one of four brothers in Dallas, Texas
to J.H. Stovall and Frances (née Giard), he attended local public schools. At the age of 19, in 1901, he went to the oil fields of South Texas and joined a drilling outfit operating at Spindle Top near Beaumont
. For foue worked for Bob Allison of Shreveport, Louisiana
before setting up on his own account in Monroe, Louisiana
in 1917. With no capital, the Stovall Drilling Company was fragile at first, but he developed it into one of the largest drilling contractors in the Southwest USA. He owned and operated the J.M. Supply Company (a machine shop with extensive repair facilities), and the Tiger Factory and Machine Works of Monroe. He also co-founded Commercial Transportation, Inc. to operate a fleet of tugs and barges on the Ouachita River
. He was assisted in his businesses by two of his three brothers.
On October 21, 1907 he married Fay Wherry (March 10, 1885–June 19, 1966) of Rusk, Texas
with whom he had two sons, Earl and J C. Both sons joined their father in his business ventures.
In the late 1920s, Stovall built a recreation complex for the Monroe black people because he felt it appropriate to offer free facilities to the people who helped him earn his living. The complex included a basepall park, a swimming pool and a dance pavilion. He subsequently supported the formation of the Monroe Monarchs baseball team and in 1932 he organized the foundation of the Negro Southern League
of five professional black teams.
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
team the Monroe Monarchs
Monroe Monarchs
The Monroe Monarchs were a professional baseball team based in Monroe, Louisiana, which played in the Negro Leagues from the late 1920s to 1935. The team was created by Fred Stovall, a Texan oil drilling millionaire, who later financed the Negro Southern League. In the 1930s, a time of acute...
.
Born one of four brothers in Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to J.H. Stovall and Frances (née Giard), he attended local public schools. At the age of 19, in 1901, he went to the oil fields of South Texas and joined a drilling outfit operating at Spindle Top near Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
. For foue worked for Bob Allison of Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
before setting up on his own account in Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
in 1917. With no capital, the Stovall Drilling Company was fragile at first, but he developed it into one of the largest drilling contractors in the Southwest USA. He owned and operated the J.M. Supply Company (a machine shop with extensive repair facilities), and the Tiger Factory and Machine Works of Monroe. He also co-founded Commercial Transportation, Inc. to operate a fleet of tugs and barges on the Ouachita River
Ouachita River
The Ouachita River is a river that runs south and east through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana.-Course:...
. He was assisted in his businesses by two of his three brothers.
On October 21, 1907 he married Fay Wherry (March 10, 1885–June 19, 1966) of Rusk, Texas
Rusk, Texas
Rusk is a city in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,085 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherokee County.-Geography:Rusk is located at ....
with whom he had two sons, Earl and J C. Both sons joined their father in his business ventures.
In the late 1920s, Stovall built a recreation complex for the Monroe black people because he felt it appropriate to offer free facilities to the people who helped him earn his living. The complex included a basepall park, a swimming pool and a dance pavilion. He subsequently supported the formation of the Monroe Monarchs baseball team and in 1932 he organized the foundation of the Negro Southern League
Negro Southern League
The Negro Southern League was a Negro baseball league organized in 1920 that lasted into the 1940s. Negro leagues in Southern United States were far less organized and lucrative than those in the north due to Jim Crow laws. Tom Wilson organized the Negro Southern League in .For most of its...
of five professional black teams.