Rusk Blasengame becomes a centenarian

Centenarian Rusk Benjamin Blasingame has a century of wisdom behind those bright blue eyes. Sherry’s Shots Rusk Blasengame will turn 100 years old on January 22, joining the ever-growing ranks of centenarians in the U.S. Born in 1910 in Sweetwater, Texas, Blasengame’s parents were sharecroppers and worked in Oklahoma until he was eight years old, at which time the family moved back to Texas.

Oil had been discovered in west Texas by this time and Blasengame’s father started a business moving oil rig equipment with teams of horses. He began with one team of two large horses and a wagon with eight wheels and soon owned eight rigs used to transport everything but the derrick. Blasengame explained that derricks were built with wood at that time and they were simply torn down and another one built at the new site.

The Blasengame family followed the oil fields until 1923 when trucks began being used to transport the equipment. By this time Rusk was 13 and the family moved to Houston where his dad used his horse teams to move equipment for construction of buildings and bridges.

While in Houston Blasengame finished high school and met the woman, then a girl, who would share the major part of his life. He was introduced to Dorothy Allen at a barn dance, when she was 16 and he was eighteen and according to him, she was an outstanding dancer. Rusk classifies himself as good but she was really good. The couple dated for two years, dancing their way to the alter. The couple continued to dance long after they were married, Rusk saying it was one of their favorite pastimes.

The couple married in 1930 at the beginning of The Great Depression, one of the events, which Blasengame feels, most affected his life. During this time Rusk worked as an efficiency expert for textile mills in Houston, however, during the depression the mills began closing and when he was 28 found himself without a job. He tried his hand at selling life insurance for a while then sold bread and eventually settled into his life’s work.

Blasengame began with one gasoline station and tually owned twenty. He explained that he was a “cut throat” gasoline dealer, meaning he was independent and bought gasoline from small refineries which were not affiliated with the big gasoline companies.

Around the year of 1955, Blasengame and the company in which he was part owner, decided to get out of the gasoline business and sold their holdings. With the money they received the company purchased 11,000 acres of land in Leon County between Flo and Oakwood. Blasengame’s portion of the purchase was 3500 acres.

Shortly after the purchase Rusk and Dorothy built a home on FM 831 and became official residents of Leon County. The couple sold 1500 acres to Texas Parks and Wildlife and divided a substantial amount among their children and grandchildren. The Blasengame’s kept 600 acres on which they ran cattle until the cowboy quit.

The Blasengame’s had an exceptional life together until 2008 when Dorothy passed away. They were married 78 years and produced two children, five grandchildren, 5 great- grandchildren, 5 greatgreat grandchildren and two great-great-great grandchildren.

Rusk Blasengame said the two things which most impacted his life, other than his wife, were (1) The Great Depression and (2) getting into the gasoline business.

He said the hardest thing he ever did was to quit smoking. He advises “If you aren’t smoking, don’t start. If you are smoking quit as soon as you can.”

When asked for words of wisdom accumulated during his 100 years he simply said “Be willing to work and it doesn’t hurt to have some luck along the way.”

The family of Rusk Blasingame is giving a birthday party for him at the Lone Star Community Center on Saturday, January 23, 2010 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Do yourself a favor and drop by the Center on FM 831 and visit with this delightful man. You will be glad you did.

P.S. While doing the interview I was amazed at how quickly we talked our way through 100 years and it brought to mind a song made popular a few years ago called “Don’t Blink”. The song talks about a man who is a 102 and is being interviewed, similar to how I did Mr. Blasengame. The old man’s words of wisdom were “Don’t blink. Just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap and you wake up and you’re twentyfive and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife. Don’t blink. You just might miss your babies growing like mine did, turning into moms and dads, next thing you know your ‘better half’ of fifty years in there in bed and you’re praying God takes you instead. Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think. So don’t blink.