TOMBSTONE TUESDAY - RAYBURN HAYNIE (1945-2023)

Laid back, quaint, peaceful, safe, friendly, and even mundane, are words that people often use in describing their hometown, especially if it is small. Those words are exactly why many people choose to make a life there. Our little county on the Texas Coast is made up of small towns and communities that certainly fits those descriptions, and it is easy to believe that nothing much ever happens, to cause much attention beyond our border lines. While researching the history of Calhoun County, I have found just the opposite. Our county history is full of people and events, both good and bad, that have garnished attention across the State of Texas, and more than a few times across the entire nation. I also have discovered citizens who have actively worked to keep it a wonderful place to call home. Rayburn Alan Haynie was one of those people.

On July 5,1945, in the City of Victoria, Rayburn Alan Haynie was born to Joseph Daniel “Joe” and Iva Mae Cunningham Haynie. His father worked in the machine shop marine service, and Rayburn grew up around the marine boat business. He had a brother, Joseph Daniel, and a sister Sandra Haynie Spells. “Haynie” as his friends called him, graduated from Calhoun high School in 1963 and attended Victoria College. On July 5, 1975, he celebrated his 30th birthday by marrying the love of his life, Alene J. Frels Haynie, at the Salem Lutheran Church in Port Lavaca, TX, and they settled in Seadrift where they made their home. The couple had one son Craig Alan Haynie, who was born the next year. 

Even as a boy, Haynie loved to duck hunt, fish, shrimp, water-ski, and do anything had to do with the water, and so it was no surprise that he ended up making the water a big part of his business. He owned and operated Haynie Seafood in Seadrift dealing in shrimp and oysters, at the same time he began building steel hull shrimp boats, gulf shrimp boats, and oyster boats. It was not long before his love and knowledge of the water proved to be profitable and respected. 

By the early 1980’s Haynie started building Haynie’s Fishing Boats. The boats were shallow draft fishing boats that were perfect for navigating the shallow bays of the Texas Gulf Coast. It wasn’t long before Haynie’s Boats were in demand and the business grew into a large-scale production that was manufactured entirely in Seadrift. There were several different models of Haynie’s Boats, and they were unique in that they could handle the often windy and choppy waves found in bays like those in Baffin Bay. Haynie partnered with Chris’s Marine in Aransas Pass, and they continued to grow in popularity. One boat, Haynie Magnum 25ft Aluminum Hull was a 1,600-pound boat that could carry a maximum weight of 2,250 pounds. It was durable and had power enough to be chosen by the Coastal Conservation Association CCA, of Texas as a donation to HRI Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi in 2024 as the first dedicated research boat for the HRI’s Bringing Baffin Bay Back Initiative, that supports the continuous water quality monitoring and conservation efforts in Baffin Bay. The CCA approved an $80,000 proposal to fund the custom boat to improve safety and accessibility to the bay for the HRI field researchers. Haynie sold his business long ago, but his boats are still manufactured and in demand. 

Besides building boats, Haynie enjoyed spending time hunting, fishing, camping, and making trips to Matagorda Island, and rice canals with his friends. He also enjoyed having breakfast with his buddies, and afternoon coffee round tables with friends to discuss the latest happenings around town and the county. He fished in many tournaments and brought home his share of prizes. He and Alene were also known to support many different fishing festivals and children’s events like The Annual David Heard Memorial Hard Head Derby. Rayburn was a council member of the First United Methodist Church in Seadrift, and later a member of the First United Methodist Church in Victoria. He also served several terms on the Seadrift City Council.

Life in Seadrift is typical of small-town life, friendly, tight-knit, and family oriented where everyone worked hard, helped their neighbors, and celebrates special occasions together. Generations of families planted their roots in Seadrift and Calhoun County, and there are many businesses that are family operation, whether it be in the farming, ranching, or fishing industry. Haynie was elected Mayor of Seadrift in 1978 and served in the office until 1982. During the years between 1975 and 1980 the Vietnam War ended with the United States pulling out of the war. The war was unpopular to begin with, and America was erupting with change and unrest on many fronts, including anti-war protests, and all the unrest had turned into violence. It was decided that the U.S. would pull out of the war and this left the communist regime of the North Vietnamese in control of the nation. When the U.S. military pulled out of the country, they brought with them as many of the south Vietnamese refugees as they could. The government resettled the refugees in places across the country where they could find jobs and assimilate. Coastal geography was perfect for doing just that, and the Texas Coast became the new home for many of them. In Seadrift about 150 Vietnamese refugees arrived at the invitation of Bo-Brooks Crab Co., a crab processing company that had opened in January of 1978, to work at jobs of painstakingly picking meat out of crab shells. It was a job that they were finding it difficult to fill with local job seekers. The county and town welcomed them in, and everything was fine for awhile, but as time went on the Vietnamese saved their money and bought their own fishing boat. They slowly built their way up to about 3-4 boats that they used to crab for themselves. The problem was that they did not know the local customs and unwritten rules of the local fishermen and it caused escalating tensions between the two, the result was a local man dead and two Vietnamese brothers in jail for murder. The incident quickly became national news and almost overnight the city of Seadrift was a powder keg of fear on both sides. The refugees fled, the KKK Grand Dragon Louis Beam Jr., came to town and Mayor Haynie found himself on the line in the middle. The incident garnished enough attention that the U.S. Justice Department sent in investigators. Some of the refugees slowly came back as all that they had and knew was in Seadrift. The Klan patrolled the bay, burned the Vietnamese boats, and did their best to urge the townspeople to hate the refugees and “take back our country.” Haynie understood both sides of the conflict and was able to keep the Klan at a distance, put a curfew in place, keep other incidents of violence from taking place keeping the residents of Seadrift safe until things settled down. 

Rayburn Haynie was a man who was known for many things and was highly regarded by many people in the City of Seadrift and Calhoun County. He has left a legacy on the water he loved so much in Haynie Boats. Still popular with fisherman and with those organizations that care for the very bays he loved so much. Rayburn Alan Haney passed away on January 29, 2023, and is buried in Seadrift Cemetery surrounded by his family, friends, and past residents of the city he loved. 

Researched and written by: Sheryl Cuellar

Austin American Statesman Wed., August 8, 1979

Wichita Falls Times Sun., November 4, 1979

The Monitor Tues., August 7, 1979

The Houston Post Sat., October 6, 1979

The Beaumont Enterprise Fri., August 10, 1979

Corpus Christi Caller-Times Fri., August 10, 1979

 www.haynieboats.com