JOHN FRANKLIN "FRANK" CHAMPION, JR.,
was born in Ranger, TX in the early 1920's, the
son of Anna Belle Winks & John Franklin Champion.
He had an older brother, Donald F. Champion (RHS-
1929), and two sisters, Hortense Champion Thompson
& Vivian Champion Hughes (RHS-1937). Vivian was
also born in Ranger. The Champions came to Ranger
in 1917 and Frank, Sr., was the driller on the
McClesky #1 discovery well & several of the later
offset wells. The father became a superintendent
of the Prairie Oil & Gas Co. in 1920 and later was
with Hamon Oil Company. Frank, Sr. & Anna Belle
returned to Ranger in 1953 and lived there until
their deaths.
Frank Jr. graduated with the Ranger High School
Class of 1939 and was living in Freer, TX, in 1942
when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was
killed by enemy fire over Germany in 1943 and was
buried in Belgium after the war. At the time of
his death, he was co-pilot of a B-17 flying out of
England.