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Corporal Lezell Hiawatha Hart

An older African American man wearing a plaid jacket.
  • Unit: Marine Air Base Squadron 12, Marine Aircraft Group 12
  • Date of Birth: March 6, 1933
  • Entered the Military: March 28, 1950
  • Date of Death: May 21, 2024
  • Hometown: Big Springs, Texas
  • Place of Death: Houston, Texas
  • Award(s): United Nations Medal, Korean Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Section Y, Site 972. Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas
Contributed by Zara Qureshi and Jermoni Taylor
Mentored by Mrs. Jan Martinez
Odyssey Academy-Webster (Webster, Texas)
2024/2025

Early Life

Lezell Hart was born in Big Springs, Texas, on March 6, 1933. He was raised by his parents, J.D. and Virgil Virginia McWright Hart. He was also surrounded by ten siblings. The family moved to the Fifth Ward in Houston, where Hart spent most of his formative years. 

While attending Phyllis Wheatley High School, he played varsity baseball for a year and was a swimmer. In his early teens, he worked in the Warwick Hotel, Rice Hotel, and Christie’s Seafood, all located in Houston, Texas. When he enlisted, he was working at Kaplans Fine Seafood and would take orders from memory. 

Lezell Hart and his siblings attended Phyllis Wheatley High School in Houston’s 5th Ward. Historical Marker Database.

Homefront

In the 1950s, following the return of the World War II Veterans, there was a surge of births, named the “Baby Boom.” The need for housing led communities to grow and cities to expand into suburban areas. 

Around that time, the nation was still segregated, meaning the neighborhoods reflected the division of races. Houston’s 5th Ward was predominantly a Black community. The population of Houston grew 55% from 1940 to 1950.  

During the Korean War,  companies in the United States helped the military by supplying needed materials. Cameron Iron Works in Houston was one of them, and it provided armaments and airplane parts.

Billboards and advertisements for KOCH, Houston’s first Black radio station, c. 1960. The station began broadcasting in 1953. International Center of Photography (DA.1DC1.1).
Houston’s Cameron Iron Works supplied armaments and airplane parts during the Korean War. Texas State Historical Association.

Military Experience

Hart enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps with his parents’ permission on November 28, 1950, in Houston, Texas. 

Lezell Hart completed basic training for the 1st Recruit Training Battalion in San Diego, California. From there, he received food service training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was assigned to the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, North Carolina. Hart was promoted to private first class on February 3, 1951. He spent a month in Puerto Rico from September 29, 1951, to October 23, 1951.

Later, Hart was transferred to the Marine Corps Air Station in Miami, Florida. In Miami, Hart found himself in some minor trouble when he requested special leave to attend night classes that he did not attend. He pleaded guilty and received 20 days’ confinement as his penalty. 

While stationed in Florida, he married Dorothy M. Forsyth. Together, they had four daughters: Cynthia, Debra, Dessie, and Rosalind, but they divorced within a few years.

Hart worked as a steward attendant in the Marine Corps. This role, filled almost exclusively by young men of color, involved serving officers meals and cleaning and stocking their assigned areas. Hart’s age and experience working in a restaurant likely led him to this role. He received a temporary promotion to corporal on December 1, 1952. 

In February 1953, Hart sailed aboard the USS William Weigel from Oakland, California, arriving in Yokohama, Japan, on March 5, 1953. He transferred to Korea and served at the K-6 Airfield, Pyeongtaek, Korea. He departed Japan for the U.S. on October 17, 1953, aboard the USS General Mann and sailed to San Francisco, California. 

Hart received a discharge under honorable conditions from the U.S Marine Corps on November 20, 1953.

J.D. and Virginia Hart signed Lezell Hart’s enlistment papers because he was a minor, November 27, 1950. Portions have been redacted for privacy. Official Military Personnel File.
Hart joined the Marine Corps on December 21, 1950. Portions have been redacted for privacy. Official Military Personnel File.
Lezell Hart’s record of primary duties in the military. Portions have been redacted for privacy. Official Military Personnel File.
Lezell Hart’s record of service in the Marine Corps. Portions have been redacted for privacy. Official Military Personnel File.
Lezell Hart’s DD-214 detailing his service in the U.S. Marine Corps, November 20, 1953. Portions have been redacted for privacy. Official Military Personnel File.

Veteran Experience

After returning to the United States, Hart married Mary Lee Moten on November 28, 1960. Together, they had a daughter, Elizabeth. This marriage was also short-lived.

Afterward, Hart moved to California to work as a machinist. He became a journeyman and worked for more than 30 years, working at Grove Valve & Regulator Company and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

In 1964, he married Estell Jewel Long. They remained married for 56 years.

When he retired, he moved back to Houston as an ordained Baptist minister. In Houston, he became part of the Church Without Walls. He co-founded a senior adult Bible study called SALT (Senior Adults Living Triumphantly), which is a major part of the church today.

The Texas marriage license of Lezell Hiawatha Hart and Estelle Jewel Long, April 22, 1964. Ancestry.
The Church Without Walls in Sugar Land, Texas. E.E. Reed Construction, L.P.
Lezell Hart as a Veteran. Dignity Memorial.

Commemoration

Hart’s wife, Estelle, died on January 30, 2021, at the age of 102. 

Lezell Hart died three years later, on May 21, 2024. He is buried at Houston National Cemetery in Houston, Texas. 

His devotion to his country, family, and faith was evidence of a life and legacy.  His absence, but also his presence, was felt greatly by all in many ways.  He served throughout his life in many capacities.

Lezell Hiawatha Hart’s grave at Houston National Cemetery in Houston, Texas. Find a Grave.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Celebrating the Life of Lezell H. Hart. Video Livestream. The Church Without Walls. June 1, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwM-KZOuy5Q.

Lezell H. Hart. Florida, U.S., Marriage Indexes, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001. Digital images. http://ancestryclasroom.com.

Lezell Hiawatha Hart. DD-214. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

“Lezell Hiawatha Hart.” Dignity Memorial. Accessed December 13, 2024. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/houston-tx/lezell-hart-11835657.   

Lezell Hiawatha Hart. Official Military Personnel File. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Lezell Hiawatha Hart. Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1837-1965. Digital images. http://ancestryclasroom.com.

Number of Inhabitants: Texas. U.S. Census Bureau. Accessed April 29, 2025. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-1/vol-01-46.pdf. 

The Pitrie Goodie House. Houston Archaeological & Historical Commission and Planning and Development Department Report. 2020. https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Commissions/docs_pdfs/C_3347%20Reeves%20St_LM_01_28_2021.pdf. 

Phillis Wheatley High School Yearbook. Houston Public Schools, 1949.

Texas. Harris County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. http://ancestryclasroom.com.

Secondary Sources

“The 1950s.” HISTORY. Updated June 18, 2024. Accessed December 13, 2024. https://www.history.com/articles/1950s. 

George, Christopher. “KCOH.” Fans in a Flashbulb Blog. May 11, 2018. https://fansinaflashbulb.wordpress.com/2018/05/12/kcoh/. 

Henson, Margaret S. “Harris County.” Texas State Historical Association. Last modified November 9, 2020. Accessed December 13, 2024. www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/harris-county.

Kleiner, Diana J. “Cameron Iron Works, Houston.” Texas State Historical Association. Last modified May 24, 2021. Accessed December 13, 2024. www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cameron-iron-works-houston.

“Lezell Hiawatha Hart.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/LEZELLHIAWATHAHART/a6b443.

“Lezell Hiawatha ‘Zell’ Hart.” Find a Grave. Updated May 29, 2024. Accessed December 13, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/270812332/lezell-hiawatha-hart. 

“Phillis Wheatley High School.” Historical Marker Database. Updated February 1, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2025. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=171054. 

Shaw, Jr., and Ralph W. Donnelly. Blacks in the Marine Corps. U.S. Marine Corps, 2002. https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/Blacks%20in%20the%20Marine%20Corps%20%20PCN%2019000306200_1.pdf. 

“Welcome to The Church Without Walls.” The Church Without Walls. Accessed April 29, 2025. https://tcww.org/. 

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.