C. L. Hoskins: 2011-07-10

This morning I received a call from Judy with the news that C.L. was having a difficult time breathing. Gene and I jumped on the first plane to Midland, Texas with a short layover in Las Vegas. When arriving in Vegas, we called Judy to announce our arrival in Vegas. She said that C.L. had stopped breathing 10 minutes before our call. We didn't get there to hug him and tell him, "See ya later, Big Brother."
Our flight into Vegas was to have arrived at 2:45 PM Central time. We arrived at 2:35. As a powerful side note and one of meaningful and emotional touching for me, I will try to put into clumsy temporal terms an experience that I consider a tender blessing for me. At around 1:10 Mountain Standard Time, I prayer that not my will to hug my brother one last time, but His will in Heaven to allow C. L. to be released from his earthly pain would be my will, also. As I looked into the Heavens out the airplane's window, I knew that the time had come and I had an overwhelming feeling that C. L.'s spirit had left his body. The tears poured from my heart. Please ponder the power of inspiration.

Gene Shumway's note regarding my brother C. L. Hoskins

Today is Monday, June 11, 2011. My Brother-in-Law, Charles Leslie Hoskins' spirit departed from his mortal body two days ago. I would like to now share my feelings about C. L., who was more like a brother to me than a brother-in-law.

C. L. was the quintessential cowboy. Had he been portrayed as the hero in a classical Western movie, all the grand qualities that warm our hearts, draw our respect and generate our identification with the hero would apply. Those qualities are summarized in my thoughts about C. L. with words like courageous, principled, strong, tough and a highly disciplined hard worker. C. L. would also be the guy who would risk galloping into the very jaws of death in the service of the underdog and the abused.

In the traditional Western movie, the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys wore black hats. That works for C. L. In his mind, things are generally seen as being either good or bad, righteous or evil, clean or dirty. There is something very refreshing about that in today's world, where ambiguity so frequently reigns supreme; where good so often becomes colored as bad and bad becomes portrayed as good.

In short, I love C. L. Hoskins. I call him Mr. Haskins (that's not a typo) and he calls me Shumberg. We laughed together and we cried together (but very quietly.) I already miss the big guy terribly and look forward to a reunion with him right along with my other two brothers.

Charles Leslie was born: December 21, 1937
Deming, New Mexico


Charles Leslie passed: July 9, 2011 Hobbs, New Mexico

December 21, 1937
From Edna Lawson Hoskins' personal history:
My mother Effie Argie Fairly Lawson had come to stay with me and she called the doctor at 9:30 P.M. Dr. Culvert came right out. He went out and woke Al up and told him to get me to the hospital as soon as possible. Al wasn't in a hurry. He put the license plates on the car before he came in and ask me if I was ready. I arrived at Ladies Hospital at 10:20 P.M. on a Tuesday, a bouncing baby boy arrived. He was such a beautiful baby. We named him Charles Leslie Hoskins after both of his grandparents, Charles William Hoskins and Leslie Joe Lawson. Mrs. Thorne stayed with me at the hospital.

We kept C.L. in the room with us. We went home from the hospital the 5th day with the promise that I would stay in bed for 5 days, however on the 7th day I decided to bath baby C.L. Who should walk in but Dr. Culvert. He wanted to know if I wanted to go to El Paso to the Sun Carnival Parade. I told him I sure did but I stayed home like I should.

C. L. at home in Deming, New Mexico

C. L. Hoskins at the Lawson grandparent's home in El Paso, Texas

Aunt Boo(Beulah) Lawson Scott with Argie, C. L. Hoskins and W. D. Scott.

Grandma Effie Argie Fairly Lawson with Argie and C. L Hoskins at Lawson home in El Paso, Texas.

C. L. Hoskins at Lawson home in El Paso, Texas.

I remember this day as if it were yesterday. Mother Edna made clothes for her children from crib to college. Yes, shirts, skirts, coats, bow ties, dresses, and all kinds of baby clothes. C. L. and Argie pleased the photographer with our hair styled and our clothes made with love and detail.

As he created the photo, the photographer said, "Always take care of your little brother." God bless him.

Mother Edna Fay Lawson Hoskins with

her son Charles Leslie Hoskins. Not only

          did she make clothes for her children, but
        lovely patterned dresses for herself and
          shirts for Daddy.

Mother Edna with Argie and C. L.

C. L. was indeed a beautiful baby. Look at his eyes and his large hands. Mother made the quilt to cuddle around him.

Family photo at home in Deming, New Mexico with Daddy Allen Eugene and Edna Fay Lawson Hoskins and daughter Argie Ella and son Charles Leslie or better known as C. L.

Daddy Allen or Al worked on cars and was a motorcycle cop while Mother stayed home; cooking sewing.

We made trip after trip from Deming to El Paso to see Grandpa and Grandma Lawson, and Aunt Boo and Uncle Bill Scott. After we moved to Santa Rita, we did the same. At this time we had one cousin in El Paso, W. D. We would sit on Grandma's porch and smell the honeysuckle and suck the center sweetness. I remember C. L. and I sitting on Grandpa Leslie Joe Lawson's lap and playing with his pocket watch. Grandpa was a happy, cheerful, and good man.

Mother Edna, Argie and C. L.

Les, Effie with grandchildren C. L. and Argie


Look at this "Little Man" C. L. I remember the day.

Argie Ella and C. L. Hoskins are very good friends.

1939
From Edna Lawson Hoskins' personal history:
We moved to Santa Rita, New Mexico in April 1939. Al worked as a machinist for Kennecott Copper Mines. Santa Rita is an open pit copper mine. Al was also a special deputy sheriff.

The first remembrance that C. L. had of life was when he was eleven months old, while he was lying in a dynamite box watching his parents and sister move into a house on Booth Hill in Santa Rita. He remembers the blue writing on the side of the box.

We lived on Booth Hill. C.L. was 16 months old. We had not been there long when he decided to explore. About a block and a half from the house was the rim of one of the pits. He was walking as near the edge as he could. A lady I had not met, saw him and coaxed him to come and talk to her. By then I had missed him. He had crawled over the fence. I got a switch off the tree. I coaxed him back over the fence with the switch. He said, "I can't Mommy, I can't." I said, "You crawled out so you must crawl back." That was the last of his exploring until he was older.

Kennecott Copper Mine with the Kneeling Nun Mountain

The children's Uncle Earl and Aunt Ethel Hoskins were visiting from California. We were getting ready to go to Silver City after large weenies. Charles Leslie locked himself in his Uncle Earl's car and couldn't get out. He kept calling, "Someone, someone." So finally his uncle let him out and asked him what he wanted. He said, "Want out, want out." So Uncle Earl let him out. And then we all got into the car and went to Silver City. We all went into the meat market. There was a big buffalo head mounted. C.L. looked up at it and said, "Uncle Earl look at the sassy cow." He was about three years old at this time.

Argie and C. L. lived on Booth Hill in Santa Rita.

Our dog was a fuzzy little thing. Mother Edna dressed us up every day.

In spite of our living situation, we were clean, well mannered, and had a well balanced diet. Grandmother Effie Argie Fairly Lawson came from El Paso, Texas to visit.


Back row: Uncle Bill Scott and Daddy "Al" Hoskins Next row: Aunt "Boo" Beulah Scott, Mother Edna Hoskins, and Aunt Nona Lawson Next row: Grandpa "Les" Lawson and Uncle Lloyd Lawson Next row: W. D. Scott, Grandma Effie Argie Lawson, and C. L. Hoskins Front row: Argie Ella Hoskins

We had Christmas evening with Grandpa and Grandma Lawson, and before we went to bed we would drive around to see the lights. I hope the star is still on Mt. Franklin After taking a ride in Grandpa's car, up the valley, we would sit on the lawn watching the stars.