Wayne Keith Riggins was born in North Platte, Nebraska on September 17, 1927. His parents were John William Riggins (Mar. 28, 1898 – Jun. 7, 1933) and Viola Ruby (Riggins) Benedict (Nov. 15, 1910 – Apr. 10, 1998). His father was 28 years old at the time, and his mother was 15. His father grew up in Riverton, Nebraska, and his family would stay there until my father, John Joseph Riggins, Wayne’s grandson, moved away to attend college.
Viola was born in Island, Washington. Her father was 25 at the time, and her mother was 15. Her sister was born when she was three, and her brother was born when she was four years old.
John William Riggins and his wife Viola were married on May 3, 1926, in Tyron, Nebraska. They made their home in Riverton and had one child (Wayne) during their marriage.
Dorothy May (Greening-Riggins) Nichols was born on May 26, 1926, in Franklin, Nebraska. She worked as a secretary with the Franklin County schools. On the March 1, 1946, she was married to Lester Marvin Greening at Smith Center, Kansas. Through this marriage they had one child, Wayne, while living in Yakima Washington. They returned to Nebraska, making a home at Bloomington. Here, her husband preceded her in death on June 23, 1948. She married Wayne Keith Riggins on December 5, 1950, in her hometown. Dorothy May died on May 8, 2011, also in Franklin, at the age of 84.
The extent of Wayne’s education was four years of high school. His father John William passed away at the age of thirty-five, on June 7, 1933. This made Wayne six years old at the time. As for employment, he worked for the Railroad.
Upon enlisting, Wayne was living in Franklin, Nebraska, and was employed in unskilled construction work. He was unmarried at the time.
Wayne and Dorothy were both 24 years of age when they were married. They had two children, Cindy Lou Riggins and Connie Lee Riggins. Cindy was born August 23, 1955, in Red Cloud, Nebraska. She grew up in Riverton and died there on October 22, 1996, at the age of 41.
Connie, born July 26, 1952, also had four years of high school education. She had one son, John Joseph Riggins, on January 25, 1978. The identity of the father is unknown. Connie had many pets growing up, including the raccoon that her father is with in the picture above. They lived in a small, isolated town in the Midwest, so there was plenty of room for any animal they wanted.
John J. Riggins went to the local school in Riverton, doing his best to make good grades, and playing many different sports, including football and basketball. He grew up with just about any pet you could imagine. He had cats, dogs, horses, bunnies, and more. He once found an injured deer and nursed it back to health. Once it regained its strength, they released it back into the wild.
Regarding his future, it had always been his dream to walk-on at Nebraska State University to play football, but he pushed this aside and attended college there to get a degree. He was the first in his family to attend college. Here he received a master’s degree in biology and moved on to earn a PhD in Entomology at the University of Arkansas. He now works at Mississippi State University, where he is a full professor and teaches in the Entomology department.
Viola was born in Island, Washington. Her father was 25 at the time, and her mother was 15. Her sister was born when she was three, and her brother was born when she was four years old.
John William Riggins and his wife Viola were married on May 3, 1926, in Tyron, Nebraska. They made their home in Riverton and had one child (Wayne) during their marriage.
Dorothy May (Greening-Riggins) Nichols was born on May 26, 1926, in Franklin, Nebraska. She worked as a secretary with the Franklin County schools. On the March 1, 1946, she was married to Lester Marvin Greening at Smith Center, Kansas. Through this marriage they had one child, Wayne, while living in Yakima Washington. They returned to Nebraska, making a home at Bloomington. Here, her husband preceded her in death on June 23, 1948. She married Wayne Keith Riggins on December 5, 1950, in her hometown. Dorothy May died on May 8, 2011, also in Franklin, at the age of 84.
The extent of Wayne’s education was four years of high school. His father John William passed away at the age of thirty-five, on June 7, 1933. This made Wayne six years old at the time. As for employment, he worked for the Railroad.
Upon enlisting, Wayne was living in Franklin, Nebraska, and was employed in unskilled construction work. He was unmarried at the time.
Wayne and Dorothy were both 24 years of age when they were married. They had two children, Cindy Lou Riggins and Connie Lee Riggins. Cindy was born August 23, 1955, in Red Cloud, Nebraska. She grew up in Riverton and died there on October 22, 1996, at the age of 41.
Connie, born July 26, 1952, also had four years of high school education. She had one son, John Joseph Riggins, on January 25, 1978. The identity of the father is unknown. Connie had many pets growing up, including the raccoon that her father is with in the picture above. They lived in a small, isolated town in the Midwest, so there was plenty of room for any animal they wanted.
John J. Riggins went to the local school in Riverton, doing his best to make good grades, and playing many different sports, including football and basketball. He grew up with just about any pet you could imagine. He had cats, dogs, horses, bunnies, and more. He once found an injured deer and nursed it back to health. Once it regained its strength, they released it back into the wild.
Regarding his future, it had always been his dream to walk-on at Nebraska State University to play football, but he pushed this aside and attended college there to get a degree. He was the first in his family to attend college. Here he received a master’s degree in biology and moved on to earn a PhD in Entomology at the University of Arkansas. He now works at Mississippi State University, where he is a full professor and teaches in the Entomology department.