Enid Justin - Nocona Cemetery - Nocona, TX - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

The locals knew her as "Miss Enid," and she was one of six children born to H.J. Justin, famous in his own right as the founder of H.J. Justin and Sons Boot Company, today's Justin Boots. She and the other children did work around their father's shop when they were young, and when she was twelve, a brush with authority at school prompted her to drop out and go to work for him full-time.

In 1915, she married Julius Stelzer, and together, they had a child, Anna Jo. Unfortunately, Anna Jo died just a bit over a year after she was born, and the Stelzers moved to Oklahoma in the hopes that it would help Miss Enid's recovery.

Then Mr. Justin died, and after things settled, the sons were wooed to Fort Worth in 1925, relocating the family business but creating a rift: Miss Enid didn't believe that her father would have wanted the business to relocate, so using her own money and taking on odd jobs, she opened Nocona Boots in the old factory, with help from six employees who didn't move to Fort Worth.

Diligence and hard work paid off, especially in a male-dominated industry such as this, although in 1934, the Stelzers's marriage failed. Despite the Great Depression, the company continued, with Miss Enid doing what she could to make ends meet while helping her own employees to do so.

In 1940, Miss Enid married Harry Whitman, but initial concerns by her family were correct, in that he was after money, and the marriage didn't last but five years before Mr. Whitman was sent packing without a cent. By 1947, the Nocona Boot Company had outgrown its home, and ground was broken on the plant that still stands today, east of town along US 82.

Over time, Miss Enid became known as a strict but fair employer who took care of her workers, and she gave back to the community on many occasions. Among her many honors was election to the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1978.

Even when she was past retirement age, Miss Enid kept busy, expanding the Nocona factory and adding operations in Vernon and Gainesville. Weakened by a stroke, though, her workload diminished, and in order to keep the business in the family, she sold her company to her brothers at Justin Industries in 1981. She retired in 1982, trying to remain as active as she could, and she died in 1990 at the age of 96.

Description: In 2004, Miss Enid was honored with a star in the Fort Worth Stockyards on the Texas Trail of Fame.   It provides a short overview of her career: Enid Justin was born into the famous Justin boot making family and founded the Nocona Boot Company, herself, in 1925. While establishing the company, she turned her home into a boarding house and worked as a sales clerk, shipping clerk, stenographer and credit manager. In 1939 she helped assure her company’s national reputation when she sponsored a pony express race from Nocona to San Francisco. She was known for her charitable work throughout Texas and in 1981 her company merged with Justin Industries. She continued to serve as honorary chairwoman of the board until her death. Nocona's operations have since been shifted to Fort Worth, leaving the old factory vacant. Date of birth: 04/08/1894 Date of death: 10/14/1990 Area of notoriety: Other Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daylight hours Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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