Memorials › James Everett "Pete" Briggs

James Everett "Pete" Briggs

17 Mar 1912 – 18 Sep 1969

Birth17 Mar 1912
Death18 Sep 1969
CemeteryWoodlawn Cemetery
Oelwein , Fayette County , Iowa , USA
Added byJ Kevin Kitzman on 07 Nov 2025
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66960570

Bio

James went by the name "Pete". He was born on March 17, 1912, in Oelwein, Fayette County, IA. Pete's parents were William Henry Briggs and Jennie Mae Chambers. Pete was a factory worker in Detroit, Michigan,for awhile. Pete married Eudella Hurt on Jan. 2, 1935, Royal Oak, Oakland Co, MI. Eudella's parents were listed as George Hurt and Florence Sparks. Pete married Helen M. Parker, in Angola, Steuben County, Indiana, on Nov. 19, 1938. His wedding record states that he was divorced on Nov. 18, 1938, prior to marrying Helen. The 1940 census lists Pete as a railroad fireman for the CGW railroad, and Helen and Pete are living in Jefferson Township, Fayette County, IA. On July 26, 1948, the city of Oelwein, IA, was celebrating its Diamond Jubilee. Pete had been asked to play the calliope in the Jubilee parade. When Pete got up from bed that morning, his eyesight was a bit blurred. He went downtown at 8:00 a.m. to practice playing the calliope. He then did some banking. As he left the bank and was stepping off the curb, everything went black and his eyes started to hurt. After a month of suffering from the pain his physician took him to Iowa City where he received surgery to relieve the pain. He was told that he'd developed glaucoma. He later went for a second surgery at the Mayo clinic, but saw no improvement. About 6 weeks prior to losing his eyesight he was knocked down while the engine was switching and stopped suddenly. As he fell, his eye struck an ejector handle of the steam engine. This resulted in a gash that required stitches. Pete was 13 months shy of having worked long enough to receive a pension. He had to rely on state blind assistance, and Helen sold items that she crocheted. The Oelwein Daily Register interviewed Pete on Dec. 10, 1949. A Christmas for Pete Briggs Fund was started and the citizens of Oelwein and Chicago Great Western employees contributed over $600 to help Pete and Helen out. Eventually Pete issued a lawsuit against his employer that was waged in court from Feb. 1951 to Feb. 1954. The Lions Club made arrangements to send Pete to Minnesota to be trained to use a guide dog. Unfortunately, the stress of dealing with the lawsuit became too much for Pete, and he was no longer emotionally able to continue with the training. The railroad argued that Pete developed glaucoma because he had diabetes, but Pete finally won a $94,000 settlement in the end. When Pete had his sight, he had a model train layout that consisted of 14 electric trains. He also repaired electric trains for others. When he could no longer see, Pete and his wife packed the train sets up. He donated some of the accesories to a toy drive. Pete also went to the grade school and shared his knowledge of trains with the school children. Pete continued to share his musical talent by playing the accordian and organ at many gatherings. Prior to his death in 1969 he gave his 120-bass accordian to an 11-year old blind Cresco youth, Bobby Kappler.

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