(This article was originally printed in the Leader News, Littlefield, Texas, Sunday, July 4, 1976.)

" William D. T. Storey, an always-affable man who wore always a wide Texas smile and hat, served the longest period in its history as postmaster of the Littlefield post office.

"Mr. Storey was postmaster from 1934 until his retirement in 1954. In this period he was widely known in postal circles and, in West Texas, as a dedicated and leading Democrat. He often was introduced as ‘the Number One Democrat of the 19^th Congressional District’.

"Most of his busy career was spent in public service. He first came to Littlefield in 1920 to buy a farm north of town, returned in 1921 to teach and later became superintendent of schools. Mrs. Storey, a bride then, taught in the schools here.

"Mr. Storey was a native of Red River County. He graduated first from North Texas State College, and went from Littlefield to Oklahoma A. and M. College where he qualified as a county agent. He served as county agent in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas.

"During World War I he served overseas in France, and for a time attended the University of Lyons, France.

"Mr. Storey was appointed postmaster in 1934, from a field of 43 applicants, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

As a postmaster, he had a range of public activities, many of them in the Democratic party. He and Mrs. Storey attended most national postmaster conventions, and all state conventions, except two, during his tenure as postmaster.

"The two state conventions he missed were in 1945, when Storey’s only son, David, was killed in action in Germany, again in 1948, when David’s body was brought home for re-burial here.

"The Storeys attended conventions in Los Angeles, in New York several times, in Havana, Cuba, in St. Paul, Miami, and Chicago over a period of years.

"Their son, David, 21 years old when he was killed as an infantryman in Europe, was a graduate of Littlefield High School and of Texas Tech College, receiving his degree after entering service.

"He graduated from LHS at 16 years, at that time the youngest student ever to graduate from LHS. He was an outstanding student and, in athletics, a varsity competitor in tennis in both high school and college.

"When Mr. Storey became postmaster in 1934, the office was located in the back part of the First National Bank building. His efforts were credited in great part with obtaining the new federal building in Littlefield in 1940, one of the finest public buildings in the area at that time.

"Mayor Homer Hall turned the first spade of dirt for the building on May 6, 1940, and the building was dedicated on December 5, 1940.

"Mr. Storey proudly received the keys to the new building from a federal official, in a program that dominated the week in Littlefield.

"He died in Dallas on March 31, 1962, at 70 years of age."