The Allgood Family
Carl and Etta Allgood
The Allgood Family is one of Oxford’s prominent families, active in the community for several generations. Carl Allgood (1886 - 1964), served as a rural mail carrier in Newton County for 35 years. He was married to Etta (1890 – 1967).
Their eldest son, Wiley Allgood (1911 – 1975), and his wife, Roberta operated a general store, coin-operated laundry, hardware business and a gas station in Oxford for nearly three decades. They opened their general store in 1946 on the corner of Clark and Emory Streets and provided a delivery service using a truck or bicycle. They allowed their customers to charge their purchases and pay on account as they were able. Wiley served as mayor of Oxford from 1972 to 1975.
Wiley’s brother, Cary Allgood (1923 - 2010), took over the rural mail carrier route that his father held for 35 years, Cary then held the position for 17 years before becoming postmaster in 1971. He retired in the mid-1980s after 40 years of service. He was a pilot in the Army Air Force during WWII at the rank of lieutenant. He was a member of the Oxford Lions Club and the American Legion. He and his wife, Gloria, belonged to the Allen Memorial Church and, at the time of his death, held the distinction of being the longest serving members of the church.
Their eldest son, Wiley Allgood (1911 – 1975), and his wife, Roberta operated a general store, coin-operated laundry, hardware business and a gas station in Oxford for nearly three decades. They opened their general store in 1946 on the corner of Clark and Emory Streets and provided a delivery service using a truck or bicycle. They allowed their customers to charge their purchases and pay on account as they were able. Wiley served as mayor of Oxford from 1972 to 1975.
Wiley’s brother, Cary Allgood (1923 - 2010), took over the rural mail carrier route that his father held for 35 years, Cary then held the position for 17 years before becoming postmaster in 1971. He retired in the mid-1980s after 40 years of service. He was a pilot in the Army Air Force during WWII at the rank of lieutenant. He was a member of the Oxford Lions Club and the American Legion. He and his wife, Gloria, belonged to the Allen Memorial Church and, at the time of his death, held the distinction of being the longest serving members of the church.
Luke Allgood
Luke Allgood (1926 - 2009), the youngest son of Carl and Etta Allgood, was born and raised in Oxford. He attended Palmer Stone Elementary School and graduated from Covington High School. He then joined the United States Army and, after two months of training, was deployed to the Pacific Theatre during World War II. His unit joined the 96th Division and was sent to several islands before being deployed to Okinawa. His unit received the Presidential Unit Citation for Extraordinary Heroism for the mission. Of the 230 men in his unit, only 36 survived. After his military service, he resumed his education at Oxford College and Piedmont College and married his childhood sweetheart, Ruth Ellis. He accepted a job at Southern Bell Telephone Company in Covington in 1950 where he supervised the switch of the last manual exchange in Georgia to automated service. He worked at Southern Bell until his retirement in 1982.