James Alvin DINWIDDIE

1912 - 2002  (89 years)

• Name	James Alvin DINWIDDIE
  Birth	25 Oct 1912	Whitehouse, Smith, Texas, USA
  Gender	Male
  Death	18 Feb 2002
  Burial	Austin Memorial Park, Austin, Travis, Texas, USA
  Person ID	I12751	von Rosenberg Family Tree
  Last Modified	4 Aug 2017

  
  

  Father	Robert Alvin DINWIDDIE,   b. 11 Jan 1887, Clarksville, Red River, Texas, USA d. 25 May 1966, Austin, Travis, Texas, USA (Age 79 years)
  Mother	Nellie May DICKSON,   b. 25 Aug 1887, Clarksville, Red River, Texas, USA d. 23 Mar 1967, Austin, Travis, Texas, USA (Age 79 years)
  Family ID	F8958	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Helene Elizabeth WUPPERMAN,   b. 2 Mar 1911, Austin, Travis, Texas, USA d. 18 Apr 2015, Boerne, Kendall, Texas, USA (Age 104 years)
  Marriage	6 Jun 1936	Austin, Travis, Texas, USA
  Children	+ 1. Living + 2. Living
  Family ID	F8930	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2014

  
  

• Notes

  James completed school in Clarksville, Texas, where he learned to play the clarinet and saxophone. He joined other musicians and played gigs all over the county. He thought he wanted to be a professional musician, and entered Hardin-Simmons College at Abilene, Texas, where he became a member of their Cowboy Band. The following summer James went with the band on a vaudeville tour of northeast Europe. They played at the Hippodrome in New York, on the steamship Leviathan, for the crossing and back, at the Palladium in London and other areas of northeast Europe. It was during this trip that James decided he did not want to a professional musician and entered the University of Texas that Fall intending to major in chemistry. He received a PhD in 1941 and was a part time instructor in chemistry from five years. His frequent use of the library led him to meet Helene and eventually the rest of the von Rosenberg family. His first introduction to the family was an invitation to a German style meal prepared by Helene’s mother. As the trips to Helene’s home became more frequent, family and friends would often join in an evening of chamber music. After finishing school, they moved to Baytown, Texas where James had a job as research chemist with Humble (Exxon) Oil & Refining Company, which he had for 33 years. Toward the end of James’ professional career, he became a registered member of the Piano Tuners Guild. He worked as a part-time tuner both before and after his official retirement.