By: Barrett Ervin

Kathleen Bogle was born in Baxterville, Miss. in 1926. She grew up there until she was in the 8th grade and her family moved to Texas. It wasn’t until years later, when her family decided to move back to Baxterville. Her dad ran a store in Baxterville and that is how she met her husband, Bill Bogle. Bill came to Mississippi because he worked for oil rigs in Baxterville. He later worked on gas pipelines for Gaylord Chemical Corporation and Crown Zellerbach. She met her husband Bill Bogle in 1945 and they were married for almost 61 years. They had two children together, David and Dolores. David is 64 years old and is a nurse at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, Miss. Her daughter, Dolores, is 67 years old and she lives in Nashville, Tenn. Dolores was a teacher at Hinds Community College in Jackson, Miss. before moving to Nashville. Bogle was a teacher for 30 years until her retirement in 1990. She taught math at high schools such as Lumberton High and finished off her career at Pearl River community college in Poplarville, Miss.   

Bogle is currently a columnist for the Hattiesburg American newspaper. She writes columns about news and events happening Lumberton. Some of her recent columns include, “Veterans Day Programs held in Lumberton”, “Lumberton Elementary honors students for good behavior”, “Lumberton High School gearing up for homecoming” and many more.

She is an active resident in the Lumberton community and also wrote a column on a family dollar store that was built in Baxterville.

“I heard the rumors that a dollar store was being constructed at Baxterville. As you know, I was born there and it is still in my heart, so I decided to drive out there and see for myself,” Bogle said in her article on the Family Dollar being built in Baxterville.

Bogle was living in Lumberton when the nuclear bomb test, Project Salmon, was detonated in Baxterville on October 22, 1964. She was teaching at Lumberton High when the blast occurred. Bogle described the explosion as ‘terrifying’ and remembers grabbing onto a desk when the school started to shake.  

“I remember the walls of the building shaking when it happened,” Bogle said. “Everyone was frightened when it went off because we had no idea or warning of when it would go off it just did.”  

Her husband, Bill, was in Baxterville when the bomb was detonated. He and his crew were working for Gaylord Chemical Company on a gas pipeline that went from Baxterville Oil Field to Bogalusa, La.

“They were worried that the pipeline would explode and cause damages,” Bogle said.  

The blast caused major damages to the plumbing in the bathrooms at her house in Lumberton.

“The government did pay for damages to the plumbing in my bathrooms,” said Bogle. She is unsure of the exact cost, but said the government paid a substantial amount for the damages to her house.

Bogle said there has been a difference between what the U.S Department of Defense and the residents of Baxterville think about what happened the day of the blast. The U.S Department of Defense thinks there were limited effects on health after the blast but some residents feel differently, she said.

“My husband who died 8 years ago was one of the people who got cancer after the blast,” Bogle said. She is unsure if the blast was the cause of his cancer but said that it could have contributed to her husband’s health problems.

Despite her husband’s previous health issues, Bogle remains in good health and is active at 89 years old.