A.Q. Plummer

A. Q. Plummer, age 88, passed away on Thursday, October 22, 2009.

He was born in the small West Texas town of Moran, near Amarillo, on December 23, 1921, the son of John W. Plummer and Mittie Gill.

A. Q. attended the University of Texas; however, his education was interrupted due to WWII. During the war, he trained bomber pilots, rising to the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corp. After the war, he returned to the University of Texas to complete his degree, graduating in 1947.

After graduation, life led him to Houston, where he earned his CPA certificate in 1954, and rose to the level of Chief Accountant for several oil and gas companies, becoming eventually the CFO of the company which was, at the time, the largest independent oil exploration company in the United States.

During his tenure at these companies, he earned listings in “Who’s Who in the South and Southwest”, “Who’s Who in Finance and Industry”, and “Who’s Who in America”. Another important and historical event that occurred in this period was that one of these companies drilled one of the first oil wells in Saudi Arabia.

He was married on June 4, 1949, to Betty Francis Cantrell. After having three children, they decided to leave Houston to raise their family in the less urban environment of Brenham, Texas, and so that he could pursue his dream of working for himself.
Shortly after arriving in Brenham in June of 1964, he opened up his own accounting practice, becoming at that point the second CPA to provide such services in Washington County. He became active in many nonprofit and civic organizations. He and his wife assisted in the creation of the Brenham Historical Society and were charter members of that organization. Both he and his wife were listed in “Who’s Who among Notable Texans”.

In 2004 he was honored by the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the State Board of Accountancy as being, at that time, one of only about 23 people who had maintained an active Texas CPA license for 50 years.
By the time of his passing, he had been a member of the First United Methodist Church in Brenham and the Lion’s Club for over 40 years.

He was preceeded in death by his parents, six sisters, and his wife.

He is survived by his sons: John Cantrell Plummer and his wife Grace, of Austin, Jim Plummer of Brenham; and daughter Betsy Plante and her husband Bruce Plante of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and grandsons Jonathan Plante and Benjamin Plante.

Visitation with family and friends will be on Tuesday, October 27 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at Brenham Memorial Chapel.

The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, October 28 at 12:00 noon at First United Methodist Church in Brenham with Rev. Dale Chance officiating. Burial will be at Prarie Lea Cemetery.

Designated honorary pallbearers are Otto Grisham, a high school classmate, and Mr. Plummer’s grandsons, Johathan Plante and Benjamin Plante.

Memorials may be given to the A.Q. and Betty Plummer Endowment Scholarship at Blinn College.

Services are in the care of Brenham Memorial Chapel, 2300 Stringer St., Brenham, TX. 979.836.3611 www.brenham-memorial-chapel.com