College Station Cemetery

College Station Cemetery. . In 1946, more than 30 acres were purchased from a local farmer to establish a municipal cemetery for the City of College Station. The property surrounded two previously established cemeteries: Shiloh Cemetery (also known as Rector Chapel Cemetery) and Salem Cemetery (also known as Washington Chapel Cemetery). In 1975, the cemetery was decreased in size to create a nature preserve, later named the Anderson Arboretum., Before the new cemetery opened, the first burial was for a two-month-old baby, Linda Francis Varvel, on May 1, 1946. Shortly thereafter, on June 15, 1946, Luke Patranella (1899-1946) was buried here, a well-loved resident and owner of Luke's Grocery. Other burials include five of the six original city council members, all of whom were Texas A&M faculty members, four presidents of the university, highly decorated World War II hero General James Earl Rudder (1910-1970), 24-year mayor of College Station Ernest K. Lankford (1891-1981), and local surveyor Joseph A. “Joe” Orr (1900-1971). , Other notable burials are Texas A&M Athletic Department staff and National Square and Round Dance Hall of Famer Manning F. Smith (1912-1992), Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Dr. Eli Whiteley (1913-1986) and Gussie Wilborn (1905-1997), a humanitarian and descendant of early African American pioneers who won the “Outstanding Woman of Brazos County” award in 1985. , Tombstones reflect a variety of fraternal organizations including Woodman of the World, Eastern Star, and Masons, and represent many different cultures with languages such as Chinese, Spanish, Czech, and Arabic lined with trees and maintained by the city and loved ones, this historic cemetery is a testament to the rich Heritage of the community.