Oral memoirs of Jessie Merrifield: An interview conducted on November 1, 2021

Jessie Merrifield was born in Stella, Arkansas on July 9th, 1933 but his family moved to Ballinger a year later. After his graduation from Ballinger High School in 1952, Merrifield went to work as an accountant and a parts manager at a Lincoln Mercury dealership. After being selected by the draft, Merrifield enlisted in the Marine Corps on January 5th of 1953. After completing boot camp in Oceanside California, Merrifield was transferred to work in an office. He became the head of the battalion office at Camp Delmar as a sergeant and discussed compensation. Merrifield was married for 61 and a half years before his wife passed away. They had eight daughters and one son. After his military career, Merrifield returned to Texas and worked as a carpenter and contractor.