Pop (Weldon) always praised his big brother, Roland, to the skies. He seemed to be the perfect person who always stood up for and was kind to his little brother, no matter what. Apparently he was very good at football and got a scholarship to Stephen F. Austin college. The way I heard it Roland was very dedicated and played in the cold rain even though he was ill. He came down with pneumonia and died at the young age of 20 or 21 in 1931. Later I realized that there must be more to it than that because Tompa and Granny had taken him to Arizona to a sanatorium for awhile. It didn't help and they brought him back to Weslaco where he died. I may be wrong, but it sounds like he probably had tuberculosis and not just pneumonia. Anyway, it must have been a terrible blow to his entire family. I know it was to Pop, especially since he looked up to Roland as the perfect big brother.
I may not be totally accurate on my dates, ages, and the name of the college. If you know differently please correct me.
My dad also praised and admired Roland. He was the big brother they all looked up to.
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