George Hullinger

Birth: He was born around 1872 in Pennsylvania.  

Family Information: Married to Annie Hullinger.

Father of Melvina (Hullinger) Alred.

Description:  

Pre-Colony History: Came to the colony with his family around 1930 from Pennsylvania.  

Home in Colony: In 1935 he was living in the Newllano Colony.  

Job in Colony: In October 1931 Comrades Webb and Carl Bradshaw finished digging a septic tank pit at the hospital which George Hullinger, Wesley Wright, Chas. Baughman, Fred Busick and Elliott Self would build up as soon as they finished with the septic tank at the hotel.

In 1932 he working as a brick mason, "busy as a beaver with the brick work in the big 150 horse power boiler, and as black as those who work in fire boxes usually get."

In April 1932 the bricklayers under Wes Wright were erecting the boiler wall at the east side of the power plant. George Hullinger and Henry Witt were laying the brick and Albert Wick and Mahler were keeping them supplied with mortar and brick.  

Other Info: On May Day, 1935, some dissatisfied colonists -- most of them younger members who had not yet earned their right to vote on colony decisions -- held a meeting while Pickett was out of town and elected a new Board of Directors that didn't include George Pickett. Doc Williams, an on-again / off-again colonist from the early years in California, was elected President; Eugene Carl, a new member who'd only been at the colony about three months -- he was still a probationer and consequently didn't even have voting rights in colony matters, was elected Executive Director; and Walter Robison, also a recent arrival, was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Pickett and his supporters fought the action in the Vernon Parish courts, but even though the courts ruled the new board was not legal, they also refused to name Pickett's board as the legal directors, so the disagreements within the colony only continued to escalate.

Read the Court Judgment dated September 6, 1935.

In order to claim that an official board had been properly elected after the court judgment had been handed down, the new board and leaders held another election. They advertised for former colonists to send in their proxies and adopted a rule permitting all resident members who had been at the colony more than sixty days to vote in the election, provided too few proxies were received to hold a regular stock holders' meeting.

In October 1935 he was nominated to be on the self-proclaimed "legal" Board of Directors, along with (in order of nomination), Robert K. Williams, E.D. Carl, Lester Caves, Crockett Campbell, John Szpila, Harold Emery, Charles Lawrence, Chester Peecher, E.O. Joynes, Chester Page, E.O. Joynes, Chester Page, Horace Cronk, Walter Robison, "Chauncey" DuProz, Mrs. Olive Lentz, Mrs. Mabel Busick, Lionel Crossland, Charles Derleth, J.H. "Dad" Ribbing and Cy Horney.

As expected, less than one fourth the required stock was represented at the Stockholders' meeting, so the colonists proceeded with the election of a new board of directors as planned. Those selected were: Robert K. Williams, E.C. Carl, Lester Caves, Crockett Campbell, Harold Emery, Chester Peecher, E.O. Joynes, Charles Lawrence, and Chester Page. Runners up were Mrs. Mabel Busick, Horace Cronk and John Szpila.

This new board tried to make improvements to colony life, but after the first year, finances were in such a state that the court appointed a receiver to help them straighten out their affairs. Two different receivers tried to calm the colonists and persuade them to work together, but this proved fruitless.

In 1936, he was keeping house and nursing his wife who was quite ill.

In March 1937 he returned from Shreveport where he had been in a hospital for several months.

In June, 1937, as disaster loomed, some control was returned to Pickett when he was asked to be, first the Farm Superintendent, then the Ice Plant Manager, and finally in control of all colony industries. Unfortunately, it was too late; within months the receiver petitioned the court for permission to sell the land and soon began to divide the property into smaller lots which were sold at auction for much less than their actual value.  

Post-Colony History: In 1940 he and Annie were living in a home in the unincorporated New Llano, Louisiana (site of the old colony).  

Death:  

Sources: "Llano Colonist": September 12, 1931, October 17, 1931, April 16, 1932, April 23, 1932, July 9, 1932, October 12, 1935, February 29, 1936 US Census: 1940