World War II veteran returns to his roots
Grows loblolly pine tree farm in Miss.
Hugh McMurphy was born in Forest, Mississippi, 90 years ago to a family that grew cotton, corn, hay and other row crops.
He grew up in Scott County and spent most of his life there. World War II changed many things for the McMurphy family. In those days, farm laborers were needed to tend and harvest the crops, as this was before later day farm equipment automated much of that type of work. As with other farmers that relied on farm hands to hoe cotton and pick it in the fall, the McMurphy family found a great shortage of workers for the farm.
The family decided to convert their row crop fields into tree farms, with loblolly pine trees, which are not so labor intensive.
In the meantime, Hugh was growing up during the war and went to Mississippi State, until he was drafted and served in the Thirteenth Armored Division in Europe. By this time, the war was nearing its end. In 1950, he returned home to get his degree in agriculture and work on the tree farm. It takes 25-30 years for a pine tree to mature to a size suited for logging, so Hugh also had a job as a veteran service officer in Scott County.
He married Jonnie Jo, and they raised their own family in Forest, daughter Lea Ann, and son, Patrick Hugh. Hugh and Jonnie Jo recently moved to Olive Branch to be near their son and his family.
Hugh still visits the tree farm when he gets a chance, but other family members have taken on the job of being tree farmers now.