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It’s 6:30 PM on a beautiful May evening in Henryetta, Oklahoma. May 12, 1959 and thirty one students have arrived early to get their group photo taken and prepare for an evening performance; their last at Roosevelt Grade School.
Prominently
scrawled in a large arc of glittering characters on the wall behind them is
“Class of 1959”. All are dressed and groomed for the talent
show and graduation program. Almost half
of the students are seated on white oak classroom chairs, arranged in an arc
across the stage, while the remainder of the 31 students stand posed behind
them. Some appear relaxed and
smiling. Others seem solemn and possibly
tense.
The floor of
the multi-function stage, situated on the south end of the auditorium, is
stained dark, its varnish freshly polished and shining in the photographer’s
flash. Two wooden steps lead up from the
auditorium floor to the front center stage where, momentarily, the program will
begin. Long time janitor Opal Lynch
stands proudly in a far corner of the hall remembering when most of them were
first graders, not so long ago.
Parents,
siblings, teachers, and neighbors begin arriving through the main entrance at
the opposite end of the auditorium. The
sounds of their voices and the clatter of shoes on the hardwood floor add to an
air of excitement and anticipation as they greet one another and search for the
best available seat. Mothers and fathers
look proudly toward the stage in search of their own 6th
grader. How did those first six years
pass so quickly?
Marie
Schurch, 6th Grade teacher and producer of the program, rushes into
the classroom after conferring with the photographer and admonishing the
students on posture, making last minute preparations to ensure that props and
instruments are in place and nothing has been overlooked.
Helena
Cameron, the petite silver haired principal, is busy greeting parents and
thanking the PTA mothers who have provided cookies, punch, and coffee for the
occasion. The aroma of the refreshments
mingles with the perfumes and aftershaves of the crowd wafting on the gentle
evening breeze carried from large open windows of adjoining classrooms. Tonight
will be a special night.
Finally it
is 7:00 PM. All thirty one students have
taken their seats on stage. Miss Schurch
crosses the floor from the sixth grade classroom, her heavy shoes giving an
authoritative note to match her stern expression, and takes a seat on the front
row with the audience. With an
affirmative nod, she signals toward the stage.
Let the program begin.
WELCOME:
Marilyn
Bissett, the lively little leader of the class, rises from her seat among the
students and steps forward confidently to present opening remarks, welcoming
everyone to the program. She invites the
audience to join in singing the invocational hymn, Fairest Lord Jesus,
accompanied on the piano by Mrs. Mable Black, another Roosevelt teacher.
OUR POETS:
Next on the
program, the following students present readings of their original poetry:
Jewel Kirby
|
Jane Bryan
|
Gail Hamilton
|
Beverly Bevan
|
David Black
|
Joyce Dudley
|
Barbara Kaler
|
Linda Johnson
|
Jimmie Shepherd
|
Linda Youngblood
|
Marilyn Bissett
|
FOUR
GIRLS PERFORM PIANO SOLOS:
Linda Johnson………………….Drifting
Jane Bryan………………….…….Pioneer’s Band March
Gail Hamilton……………….…..Waltz
Bette Linda Davis………..…..Vaya Con Dios
CLASS
HISTORY:
Helen Fisher
presents a reading of the class history
The Bagpipers
Go On, Train
OUR
AUTHORS:
Gary
Merryman highlights our class authors by reading excerpts from stories they
have written:
Marilyn Bissett
|
Joyce Dudley
|
Linda Johnson
|
THE
FRIENDLY FREAKS – PUPPET SHOW
Featuring
the Chipmunk Song with Alvin’s Harmonica
By: Linda
Johnson
Marilyn Bissett
Joyce Dudley
Darlene Childress
OUR
DANCER:
Frances
Crunk presents a lively tap dance routine
The
Roosevelt Band:
-
Our
Boys Will Shine Tonight
-
Faith
of Our Fathers
-
Down
In The Valley
Band Members:
Cornet: Jimmie Alston
Gary
Merryman
Trombone: Tommy Langwell
Drum: Robert Ruth
Flute: Darlene Childress
Clarinet: Jane Bryan
Marilyn
Bissett
Joyce
Dudley
Bette
Linda Davis
A LOOK
INTO THE FUTURE:
Presented By: Linda Youngblood
THE NINE
OF US:
Skits with songs: Tea For Two
The
Alphabet Song
Frances
Crunk
Linda Youngblood
Joyce
Dudley
Darlene
Childress
Jane
Bryan
Marilyn
Bissett
Bette
Linda Davis
Linda
Johnson
FAREWELL:
Presented By: Linda Johnson
CLOSING
SONG BY ENTIRE CLASS:
Oklahoma!
CLASS MEMBERS:
| |
Jimmie
|
Alston
|
Beverly
|
Bevan
|
Marilyn
|
Bissett
|
David
|
Black
|
Jane
|
Bryan
|
Darlene
|
Childress
|
Frances
|
Crunk
|
Bette
Linda
|
Davis
|
Joyce
|
Dudley
|
James
|
Duty
|
Helen
|
Fisher
|
Donald
|
Gaither
|
Gail
|
Hamilton
|
Kay
|
Harjo
|
Lenda
|
Johnson
|
Donald
|
Jones
|
Barbara
|
Kaler
|
Jewel
|
Kirby
|
Tommy
|
Langwell
|
Roy
|
Maghe
|
Gary
|
Merryman
|
James
|
Middleton
|
Alfred
|
Moore
|
Sandy
|
Odom
|
Kenny
|
Powders
|
Catherine
|
Rounsaville
|
Robert
|
Ruth
|
Jimmie
|
Shepherd
|
Jimmy
|
Tarwater
|
Jimmy
|
Wesson
|
Linda
|
Youngblood
|
“James,
where are you? I thought we were going for a walk!”
Startled, I
jerked abruptly hitting my head on a rafter.
It was my wife, Judy, calling from downstairs. I had been in the attic looking for some old
bank statements when I noticed the dusty faded box. I brought it back from Kansas several years before,
not long after Dad passed away. The box
contained papers and photos covering my childhood, mostly school related; things
my mom had saved for me. There were
report cards, awards, etc. And there
among those things was a photo of my sixth grade class at Roosevelt School
along with the accompanying program for the talent show and graduation
event. For the past hour I had been there
in the attic traveling back in time. For
a short while I was in Henryetta revisiting the sights, sounds, and people that
were once a very important part of my life.
The high
quality black and white 10 x 10 glossy showed each of us thirty one students in
clear detail. Gazing into each face, I
could hear their voices, sense their unique personalities, and recall specific
occasions and incidents when I had been directly engaged with or observing them
during those formative years.
I brought
the box down and put it in my office, intending to go through all the contents
at a more convenient time. This was around
April, 2005. It was several weeks before
I once again opened the box and gave the contents a more careful going
over. My reaction to looking through
the stuff was mostly disappointment in my poor academic performance and the
underlying behavioral issues presented in the report cards and notes to my
parents. Not much has changed in the
area of behavior. But I did find the
opportunity to atone somewhat for my poor academic past during my time in the
military and later when I returned to college thanks to the G.I. Bill.
Throughout
my life, I have been fascinated with my past and the people who were a part of
that history. Like the daydreamer at
Roosevelt School, staring out the big classroom windows at the neatly
landscaped houses along the south side of Clegern Street, much of my adult life
has been spent thinking, reflecting, and remembering people, places, and things
of the past.
Fortunately,
I have found many opportunities to put my reflective nature to good use by
expressing myself in writing, singing, and carousing/socializing. The gift of gab is enhanced by the use of
memories and stories of events from the past.
I am not unique in this way. Many
people share a great interest in not only reflecting on important moments in
their lives but in actually remaining connected with old friends or
reconnecting through reunions and get-togethers with former classmates and
co-workers. Surprisingly, there are also
many folks who have little interest in such things.
Around the
“turn of the century”, the early social media systems were coming into common
use. Classmates.com and MySpace gave me
the first opportunity to find that people I had known years before but whom I
hadn’t heard from in years were now only a few keystrokes away from contact. The digital technology allowed me to bring
back reunion videos and post them online and to share my musical interests with
others. The rapid advancement of Google
and Facebook eventually provided tools I could use to connect with most of the
thirty one students from my sixth grade class at Roosevelt School.
I moved away
from Henryetta in 1960 following seven years in the schools there. Eventually, I lost all contact with people
from those days. There was little news
from Henryetta other than letters exchanged between my mom and her sister and
friends back home. My visits to
Henryetta involved a few family reunions at Nichols Park and funerals for
aunts, uncles, and parents.
And so it
was, through social media, several years ago, that I made my first connection with
someone from Henryetta. I think it was
through Classmates.com that I communicated with D’Ann Marshall Simons. She was not one of those thirty one students
from Roosevelt but had been one of my fellow students during 7th
Grade at Henryetta Junior High School.
It was D’Ann who put me in touch with Lenda Johnson Peters by sharing
Lenda’s email address.
Lenda and I
go back a long way. We were born and
grew up in the Roosevelt District along Jefferson Street. From a young age, we were in Sunday school together
at the First Church of God on Barclay Street.
Our families were acquainted. A
photo taken on Lenda’s 5th birthday shows me and three of my sisters
with Lenda and other party goers posing in her front yard on West Jefferson
Street.
Lenda shares
my passion for singing and writing. We
were soon exchanging memories of those younger days along Jefferson
Street. She shared with me a very
interesting series of stories she had written describing those days on the
south side of town along the little creek that was a tributary of Coal Creek, and
which played an important role in the lives of neighborhood kids of the 1950s. Lenda also related stories of her close
friend and our classmate, Jane Bryan. Jane’s
family lived a couple of miles east of Roosevelt School on the New Lake Road
but Jane’s grandmother lived nearby on Jefferson Street allowing many fun times
for the two of them to share when Jane visited her grandmother. And sadly, Lenda told me of Jane’s illness
and death in the prime of life.
Through
Lenda’s references and Facebook, I soon found myself in touch with another
Roosevelt student, Roberta Benson, and several of the members of the Henryetta
High School Class of 1965.
Roberta was
two grades ahead of us at Roosevelt but several of us in the Class of 1959 were
introduced to her when she moved to Henryetta from Indiana during our 3rd
grade school year. Because our 3rd
grade class size was large and the 5th grade not so much, the
decision was made to take some of us 3rd graders into Miss Schurch’s
5th grade class where she would teach both groups in one room. As fate would have it, Roberta and Marilyn
eventually married a couple of Benton brothers, Eddie and Garland. Because of that family relationship, Roberta
and Marilyn were very close and shared many Holiday seasons and happy moments
of laughter and shopping while raising their children together. Roberta has been generous in sharing precious
memories of Marilyn with me the past several years via email.
Although I
was not part of the HHS Class of 1965, they welcomed my sharing in Facebook photos
and stories of school days in Henryetta.
Through those contacts, I became a member of the Facebook page “Class of
65” and by way of that connection, got in the loop and aware of plans for the
50th Reunion of the HHS Class of 1965.
After deciding
to attend the reunion, I, once again, turned my attention to that Roosevelt
graduation photo. I had already learned
about the untimely deaths of several. I
had contact with some class members online, mainly via Facebook. But what about the others? My interest and curiosity led me to begin a
search to contact as many as possible.
My hope was to organize a mini Roosevelt reunion in conjunction with the
HHS reunion.
Eventually, I
was able to contact most of the Class of 1959 directly or indirectly. As of this writing, there remain four whom I
have been unable to contact. Of these
four, it is likely that three still reside in Oklahoma. However, they are all women and more
difficult to locate because of name changes due to marriage. Here are the four individuals with whom I
have no contact along with possible clues and information on attempts made to
contact them:
No
Successful Contact:
Helen
|
Fisher
|
Barbara
|
Kaler
|
Catherine
|
Rounsaville
|
*Linda
|
Youngblood
|
*(Months later I found Linda
Youngblood Donahue online. Lives in
Florida after career as international educator.
Is champion chess player who enjoys cruises and is now a friend on FB
with me and others from the Roosevelt class.)
Based on the
obituary of a relative, Barbara may be Barbara Fogle and possibly living in
Hanna, OK. Although I had no mailing
address, I mailed a letter to Barbara Fogle at General Delivery, Hanna. No results yet.
I found a
brother of Catherine in Okmulgee and mailed a letter to him asking for
information. No reply at this time.
Helen Fisher
lived on Louise Street a little east of 6th. Her house sat up on a rise above the
creek. I think she had a brother and perhaps her dad drove a big truck. On the Facebook page, Class of 65, I saw a reference of her last
name being Baker. Both names, Helen and
Baker are fairly common. I did find a
Helen Baker about our age in Muskogee. I
left a voice message at the listed number and mailed a letter. So far no success.
When I was
born, my family lived on Louise Street between 6th and 7th. Behind our house on Wayne Street lived Walter
and Myrtle Youngblood whose son was in the U.S. Air Force. The son was married and had a daughter born
at about the same time that I was born.
Being friends and neighbors, the two families shared the joy of the
newborns together. Being a career
military family, the younger Youngbloods moved often. However, there were assignments where the
family could not join the father. During
those two or so school years, Linda would be a part of the Roosevelt Class of
1959. Through the years, into the 1980s,
my mom kept in touch with Myrtle through occasional letters and cards. One day in 1980 something, I stopped by the folk’s
house in Independence, Kansas where we both lived. It was a day when mom had received a letter
from Myrtle. In the letter, Myrtle wrote
that Linda was living in California and had recently divorced. Unfortunately, it did not occur to me at the
time to get some basic information about Linda’s last name and address. It would have been helpful this year.
Here is
additional information on Roosevelt Class of 1959:
Deceased:
Marilyn
|
Bissett
|
Jane
|
Bryan
|
Bette Linda
|
Davis
|
Joyce
|
Dudley
|
Roy
|
Maghe
|
Alfred
|
Moore
|
Robert
|
Ruth
|
Unfortunately, Marilyn’s death and the circumstances surrounding it were publicized and the subject of much discussion, even now among old friends. She was dearly loved by many. Her charm and infectious laughter were among the traits that touched the lives of all who knew her.
Marilyn’s
close Roosevelt friendship with Joyce made the two of them inseparable at times
along Jefferson Street. Some personal
memories of those days are noted in an article available here: http://a-chelsea-guys-life.blogspot.com/2015/07/four-friends-and-elvis-in-oklahoma.html
Bette Linda
also lived along Jefferson Street as did Darlene Childress, David Black, Jewel
Kirby, Beverly Bevan, Lenda, and I. A
special memory of Bette Linda is a birthday party she had at her house at the
end of 7th grade. From her
house at Jefferson and Lake Road, a good sized group took a hayride on a wagon
towed by a tractor out to Nichols Park.
After a party at the park, the hayride traveled west to the Dustin Road
then north to Corporation Street and on to her house again. It was a memorable occasion for me and others
I am sure.
Roy was a
strong, tough, athletic kid who had a great singing voice that was featured in
school programs through the years. On
the football field and at the annual track meet at Cameron Field, Roy was
always a standout.
Alfred lived
a block north of me on West Madison Street.
His family kept a cow and other farm animals for a few years after the
rest of our families in that area of town had abandoned the practice. He often joined me and others on our walks to
and from school. The walks were a fun
adventure through the woods and across the creek. Alfred was my long time neighborhood friend.
Robert Ruth
was not with us at Roosevelt for all six years.
But he obviously was with us in sixth grade. I don’t recall much about Robert or exactly
where he lived. My search for him was
helped greatly by information I received from Roberta Benson Clinton. Through local relatives she learned that
Robert had passed away in Arkansas last year.
With that bit of information, I was able to locate his obituary and
learn that he had had a career as a carpenter.
Attended
Our Mini Reunion on 9/5/2015:
Jimmie
|
Alston
|
James
|
Duty
|
Gail
|
Hamilton
|
Lenda
|
Johnson
|
Tommy
|
Langwell
|
Gary
|
Merryman
|
James
|
Middleton
|
Sandy
|
Odom
|
Kenny
|
Powders
|
Oklahoma Residents-Expressed
Interest in Attending/Were Unable to Be There:
David
|
Black
|
Donald
|
Gaither
|
Kay
|
Harjo
|
Jewel
|
Kirby
|
Jimmie
|
Shepherd
|
Jimmy
|
Tarwater
|
Jimmy
|
Wesson
|
Live Out
of State- Likely Reason For Not Attending:
Beverly
|
Bevan
|
Darlene
|
Childress
|
Frances
|
Crunk
|
Donald
|
Jones
|
My search
for Roosevelt classmates yielded some happy surprises. Jimmy Tarwater and I were good friends at
Roosevelt but I had not seen him or spoken with him since 1964. Finally, I was able to talk to him on the
phone around the middle of August. He had
returned my call telling me he was in an air-conditioned tractor moving hay
bales around for his cattle operation near Eufaula. We enjoyed a good talk and he promised to
attend our Roosevelt gathering. I am
sure he had a good excuse for being a no-show!
Through
Google, I found that Jimmie Alston was listed as living in Henryetta in the
Turkey Pen Hollow area. Unable to find a
phone number for him, I wrote a letter and mailed it to the address on Hedge
Road. A few days later, I got a call
from Jimmie. We talked for three hours
until his phone died. Then he called me
back on his wife’s phone and we talked for another hour. What a great feeling to be able to refer to
and discuss all things associated with our days at Roosevelt. And he was a great resource for learning
about other classmates. For example, his
wife Pat is a relative of Sandy Odom’s husband.
They gave me Sandy’s home phone number.
Johnny
Klimek answered the phone when I called Sandy’s number. Soon I was talking to Sandy and sharing our
memories of the neighborhood along south 7th Street. Sandy had lived at 7th and
Dixie. My house was a couple blocks
north of there. We talked about walking
to school and about the path along Clegern and the foot bridge crossing the
creek there. Sometimes there was
flooding, forcing her to walk around to Madison Street in order to cross the
creek. The most heartwarming part of my
conversation with Sandy came when she related a story about getting lost in the
neighborhood as a little girl. She had
begun to cry, afraid she would not be able to find her way home. Soon a car stopped. It was my mom who comforted her and took her
home. Mom knew where she lived.
As the Labor
Day Weekend grew closer, I exchanged emails and Facebook messages with Gary
Merryman, Tom Langwell, James Duty, Lenda Peters, and Jimmie Wesson. Also sent messages to Darlene Childress Delaney and
Frances Crunk Lorz.
Gary was
happy to hear about the idea for a Roosevelt reunion and took the lead in
arranging for a place to meet and to encourage others to join us. Gary had hoped that David Black could be with
us. However, David was recovering from
knee surgery and was unable to attend.
Lenda
Johnson Peters made several attempts to contact her old friend Kay Harjo,
knowing that she is Kay Massey and lives in Okemah. Through a message to her husband, Lenda got
the information to Kay about the gathering at Cowboy Corner. However, Kay was not able to attend.
Lenda told
me she thought Gail Hamilton’s married name was Pilgram. Through Google searches, I found references
to Gail and husband Mitch along with a phone number. A morning phone call the week of the reunion
found me talking to a very surprised Gail who wondered how I was able to find
her. The timing was good. Mitch and Gail would be passing through
Henryetta September 5th on their way to the OU football game in
Norman. So she thought it would be great
to stop by Cowboy Corner and visit with the group.
Through
Facebook and the Class of 65 group, I saw a reference to Joyce Gaither and
inquired if she was the wife of our Donald Gaither. She was and agreed to let him know about the
reunion plan. He was happy to know we
were thinking of him but was not able to attend.
Several
years ago, I became Facebook friends with my old school buddy, Jimmie
Shepherd. We exchanged emails and brief
notes on Facebook. However, recent
attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
On Facebook, I noted that he had a Facebook friend/relative living in
the Houston area. I communicated with
her about Jimmie. She agreed to get the
message about our reunion plan to Jimmie who I believe lives in Oklahoma near
Jay. Unfortunately, I have had no
response from him.
Of special
significance to many of us from the Roosevelt Class of 1959, were our thoughts
of Jewel Kirby. Early on in my exchanges
with Gary, Lenda, and Tommy, several years ago, Jewel’s name was quickly
mentioned. Seems we each carry a sense
of guilt and shame for how we treated Jewel.
Through our eyes today, we know that we participated in acts of bullying
which we deeply regret. Over several
years, I used Google and Classmates to look for Jewel. Eventually, I learned she was a member of the
Holdenville Class of 1965. Later, I
located her on Classmates.com and sent her an email through that system. It was some time later that I received a
reply. Was so good to learn that Jewel
had a rewarding career and is now retired and living in the Tulsa area. We have exchanged a few emails, the last one
in January, 2015. More recent emails
informing her of the gathering at Cowboy Corner resulted in no reply. I will continue efforts to maintain contact.
Beverly
Bevan had moved away after sixth grade.
Through Google and a family obituary, I learned she lived in Florida and
was able to find a business phone number.
After speaking to her daughter, I got a home phone number. On the phone I enjoyed a nice talk with
Beverly’s husband who told me Beverly was out to take her granddaughters to
some kind of lesson. He gave me her cell
phone number saying he was sure she would enjoy hearing from me. I left her a voice message. Although I didn’t get a return call, Beverly
did reply to my Facebook message a couple of weeks later as follows:
Hello,
Sorry I missed getting to talk with you, sounds like you
had a good time. I can't believe after
all the years this would happen. I remember your name even. I lived next to
Darlene Childress and Betty Davis. We were best friends all those years. Betty
I know passed away several years ago and Darlene, I saw her last when her son
was around 7. She lived in Tulsa. No contact since then. I had just come back from KC about the time
you called. A family member had passed
away. I married a guy and he joined Air Force 20 years and then moved to Florida
and he worked at Lockheed Martin for 20 years. We got to travel and enjoyed the
military life. We had 2 girls. They both
married and live in Florida. We also have adopted 2 girls. We are foster
parents and have done this for some time. I love children and we try to do the best we
can for them. We've had over 200
children in our home. We only have 1 family member left in the Henryetta area. Others have passed away. Seems like we do have family still in Tulsa. We were in that area 4 years ago. Also family in Texas and we’ve been there a
few times. I have a sister in Decatur, Il.
Of course she was older. My
brother, dad, and mom are all gone now. Now
at our age we live on memories and they are so special. It was good to think
about school that many years ago. Thank you for calling and enjoyed seeing the
e-mail.
Beverly Seitz
While
visiting with Kenny Powders at the Cowboy Corner gathering, I brought up the
names of Roy Maghe and Donald Jones.
Kenny was pretty sure that Roy was deceased. About Donald, Kenny told me that after 7th
grade Donald had moved to Carlsbad, NM.
Upon returning home to Texas, I used Google to find a Donald Jones in
Carlsbad. I phoned the listed number and
left a message. Within a few minutes, I
got a call back from THE Donald Jones of the Class of 1959. He described the shirt he is wearing in the
class photo. We enjoyed a nice talk,
sharing life stories and discovered we had both done some private pilot
flying. In fact Don once owned his own
plane and would fly back and forth between his Los Angles home and Carlsbad
over the years.
On Friday,
September 4, 2015, my wife Judy and I arrived in Henryetta and checked in at
the Days Inn where the official HHS Class of 1965 reunion would be held. Soon I saw a note on Facebook posted by
Kathie Moore Blackmon saying she was in the hotel bar. Kathie had been one of the most active
members of the Class of 65 on Facebook and had been important in encouraging my
participation. So Judy and I joined
Kathie and had a great time visiting at Baby Ruth’s before heading back to our
rooms. Along the way we encountered some
guys from the Class of 1965 who invited us up to their room to visit. In a short time I felt like a true part of
the reunion as Kathie, Richard, Charlie, George, and I shared stories of our
lives during and after those days in Henryetta.
When they learned about the Roosevelt reunion to be held at Cowboy
Corner the next day, they were all determined to crash it. I thought that was a great idea and would add
to the enjoyment of all involved.
Saturday
nine of the Roosevelt Class of 1959 gathered at Cowboy Corner in
Henryetta. Those attending were:
Jimmie
Alston of Henryetta….Retired from U.S. Postal Service
James Duty,
Mayor of Eufaula and all knowing historian of Roosevelt and HHS
Gail
Hamilton Pilgram of Bixby….retired nurse and OU Sooner Football fan
Lenda
Johnson Peters of Antlers….Owner of a jewelry business and MMA fan
Tommy
Langwell of Broken Arrow….Tennis Tom, an active tennis team member
Gary
Merryman of Broken Arrow….Retired AT&T, a godly dedicated volunteer
James
Middleton of The Woodlands, TX….Retired pipeline office boy
Sandy Odom
of Henryetta…..devoted wife, mother, and grandmother
Kenny
Powders of Okmulgee…Retired pipeliner, union rep, and volunteer
In addition,
the following guests/fans of the Roosevelt Class of 1959 were there:
Kathie Moore Blackmon
Bruce Jones (Henryettan)
Charlie Blackmon
George Lawrence
Michelle Broome
Judy DeMoss Middleton
Sky Thomas Merryman
Patricia Alston
Mitch Pilgram
Johnny Klimek and grandson Levy
The moment Bruce Jones entered our meeting
room at Cowboy Corner was a unique experience in my life. Bruce started out first grade with our class
at Roosevelt but was so much smarter than the rest of us that they promptly moved
him up to second grade. And I had
totally forgotten about Bruce. Yet, as
soon as I saw his face at the door I felt an instant recognition. It was like, “Hey, I have no idea who this
guy is but I know him. In fact I know
him from a long time ago.” It was
fascinating to learn about his education and career in journalism and to meet
the person behind The Henryettan. Like
many boys of Henryetta, Bruce got his start in the workforce at the Henryetta
Daily Freelance. My cousin Robert
delivered the Freelance as did my Roosevelt buddy, Jimmy Tarwater.
Some of us weren’t as fortunate, and so
delivered the Tulsa World, Tulsa Tribune, or Okmulgee Daily Times. Jimmie Alston delivered the World in our
Roosevelt district. Following the Class
of 1959 graduation program, I took over a Tribune route from Kent Santee, who
was moving to Oklahoma City. That afternoon
route was in the northwest area of town around St. Michaels and out toward the
future site of the “new” high school.
Recalling Kent Santee brings to mind the day he rode on his bicycle up
to me on the sidewalk near the southwest corner of 5th and
Main. Kent was very excited as he pulled
up the pant leg of his jeans and exclaimed, “Look, I’ve got hair on my
legs!”
Those Tulsa papers were heavy and had to be
rolled rather than folded in the old tradition of small town papers. Before long, I got an Okmulgee Daily Times
route. But it was a morning route. Mom would wake me up each morning around 4:00
AM. She would have a snack ready for me
before I rode off on my bicycle toward town in the darkness. My Times route covered most of the east side
of town. It started around the former
John Taylor Hospital, where many of us were born under the watchful eye of
Doctor Kilpatrick, and north past the high school then west to about 5th
Street. By that time the hospital had
been converted into a nursing home. I
delivered a paper there. The route
included Main Street from 4th Street down to the tracks where there
were old hotels and boarding houses in the vicinity. Downtown on Main, one of my customers was a
bar. I think it might have been the
Olympic or Olympia Bar. It was on the
north side of Main between 4th and 3rd, a little west of
the former Morgan Theater. What an
experience as a twelve year-old to be authorized, for business purposes, to go
into a smoky old bar. I recall some
interesting pin-up photos hanging above the bar but most of all I remember
the dank smell and darkness of the place.
From the lower end of Main along the tracks to Broadway and to the area in
the neighborhood around the present location of the Territorial Museum, my
Okmulgee Daily Times route continued over to 6th Street.
Over Labor Day Weekend I drove my old paper route
in a rental car and observed with sadness how the homes of my former customers,
which once were nicely kept, have deteriorated.
But similar conditions are found in older communities around the
country. Still it is nice to recall the
nice homes and landscaping that once prevailed.
The sight of Cushman Eagle motor scooters parked on front lawns, the
songs of the Everly Brothers and Elvis running through my mind as I rode along
the sidewalks and across the lawns throwing papers in the early dawn, remain as
pleasant and wholly nostalgic memories for me.
Sammy Wren was a year older than me. Our dads worked together as auto mechanics at
Progressive Chevrolet. Sammy had the
Okmulgee Daily Times route next to mine to the west. Sometimes, after we finished delivering the papers, we would meet at the Henryetta
Bakery just west of the Patty Ann restaurant to enjoy hot fresh donuts, the sugar still dripping from them, before
going home to get ready for a day at the junior high school.
Another wonderful surprise from Cowboy Corner
was the opportunity to meet Gary’s wife Sky.
A big surprise because she grew up in my neighborhood at 7th
and Clegern, about half way between mine and Sandy’s houses. But because of a slight age difference, I was
not aware of Sky during my Roosevelt days.
However, she knew my younger cousin, Paula Middleton. Sky told me that my cousin
Robert used to drive her and Paula to school during junior high. That was after I had moved away.
For a couple
of fun hours the group at Cowboy Corner chatted it up, sharing common memories
and photos. Miss Schurch had been our
teacher for three of the six years most of us spent at Roosevelt. Although she was a stern and demanding teacher,
we remember her fondly and with the deepest respect. So I was proud to share with the group, something
about Marie Schurch that my sister Geraldine Middleton Williams, HHS Class of
1959, had shared with me several years ago.
It was part of an account written by Marie’s niece, Karen Strom. Here is a link to that story:
The story of Marie’s life is a stark account of how some have sacrificed
and endured much for the benefit of family and the greater good. We were right to hold Miss Schurch in such high
regard.
For some of us the memory of Miss Schurch’s story time after recess is
among the best. In particular, a book by
the title “The Little Grey Men” was a favorite for many, not only in our grade
but for others who came before and after us.
The book is a fantasy adventure story of gnomes who lived in the forest unseen
by the giant human inhabitants of the land.
Here is a link to the book on Amazon:
A summary of the book on Amazon goes like this:
The last four gnomes in Britain live on the
banks of the bubbling Folly brook. They are perfectly happy with their quiet
life, except, that is, for one ...Cloudberry. Restless and longing for
adventure, Cloudberry sets off to follow his dream. But when he doesn't return,
the remaining gnomes must set off on their own adventure to find him. This is
the story of the brothers' epic journey in search of Cloudberry and is set
against the background of the English countryside, beginning in spring,
continuing through summer, and concluding in autumn, when the first frosts
start to arrive. This enchanting tale was the winner of the prestigious
Carnegie Medal and features the author's own beautiful illustrations
throughout.
For our 4th grade year at Roosevelt, we were fortunate to have
a very lovely young woman as our teacher.
In every conversation I’ve had with my fellow Roosevelt classmates, the
name of Mrs. Rampey is soon mentioned along with comments about how pretty she
was and how much she was liked as a teacher.
A Google search revealed that Laura Jane Rampey passed away in Lawton
earlier this year. Here is a link to her
obituary:
Our memories of Roosevelt would not be complete without mentioning some
friends who shared those days at Roosevelt but for whatever reasons were not
there at our graduation program.
Richard Elias was my classmate in 3rd grade but soon moved
away. Our friendship was happy and easy. I hated when he had to move. He was a very well behaved kid who lived up 2rd
Street near the south side of Coal Creek in a fairly nice house just north of
where the big concrete drainage ditch cuts across from Scott Street to the large culvert under 2nd Street. And though he was well behaved, one day my
silliness got the both of us in trouble.
We were gathered in a small group around Miss Schurch taking turns
reading from our reader books. The story
was about a cobbler in a European village.
His name was Pierre. In our
Oklahoma way of pronunciation, the name to Richard and me was Pee Air. Of course it didn’t take much to make me
laugh and before long Richard caught the giggles from me. Soon, we found ourselves in the cloak room at
the end of Miss Schurch’s paddle.
Phil Hayes joined us at Roosevelt
for a year of two and was a very smart and well liked kid. He was the first person I recall wearing
sport safe glasses for football. He was
a great kid. I was unable to track him
down recently. Someone said he came from
Mississippi or Louisiana and the family later returned there.
Bobby Louchery
lived on the corner of 2nd and Dixie Streets and attended school with
us at Roosevelt a couple of years. Apparently both he
and Phil Hayes moved away during our 6th grade school year since
both of them appear in our Roosevelt Rockets football photo from the fall of
1958 but are not included in our graduation photo. Until recently, I was not aware that Bobby
had returned to Henryetta to live after I moved away. I was sad to learn that he passed away a few
years ago.
Kamora Martin Sains joined us at Roosevelt for the 4th grade
year. We sat next to each other in class
in alphabetical order. It was
interesting to see her on Facebook a few years ago and know that she had
remained in the area. At the reunion, I
got the opportunity to visit with Kamora.
She told me of the circumstances that brought her to Roosevelt that
year. I had forgotten that during 4th
grade she lived on Wayne Street sort of behind Helen Fisher’s house and the block
east of the Youngblood place.
Earl Gordon is another who was part of our Roosevelt class until his
family moved up in the Washington School district. Not sure what grades Earl attended with us
but was likely through 3rd or 4th grade.
Following our small but happy Roosevelt reunion at Cowboy Corner, it was
nice to be a guest at the official Class of 65 reunion on Saturday and Sunday. It was good
to be remembered by many and to meet folks who had been such good
Facebook friends for a few years.
On Saturday night, I was happy to visit with an old friend, Kathy Farrill
Lingenfelter. Kathy moved from Henryetta
to Claremore in 1964 before her senior year.
She met my friend Larry Delozier on Labor Day Weekend 1964 when he and I
drove from Chelsea to Henryetta to enjoy the festivities. During that visit I got together with several
old Roosevelt and other future HHS Class of 1965 people at the new roller rink
that was built in the former Morgan Theater building. Kathy, Larry, and I became good friends. Claremore is not far from Chelsea where Larry
and I were part of the Chelsea Class of 1965.
After graduation, Larry, Kathy, and I attended Northeastern State
College in Tahlequah along with friends from Henryetta, Claremore, and
Chelsea. It was a fun day in September,
1965 when Kathy, Larry, and I ran into Gary Merryman, Alfred Moore, Marilyn
Bissett and likely others from Henryetta on the campus at Northeastern. We all piled into a car and happily cruised
down the main drag of Tahlequah. That
was the last social time I recall with those folks from Henryetta.
The Saturday night reunion program was a good one. Rev. Tom Shaw made a very inspirational talk
remembering those class members who have passed on. Afterward, Charlie Blackmon honored Clifford
Pinkston’s outstanding military service and heroism in Vietnam and had all the
Vietnam Veterans in attendance to stand and be recognized. This set up the perfect opportunity for Spike
Board to embellish the time in 1968 when we saw each other at DaNang Airbase.
For me it was an awesome experience to see someone in Vietnam that I had
gone to school with in junior high. And
I am sure it was the same for Spike. But
although Spike remembered having met a Henryetta boy in Vietnam, he could never
recall, during the intervening years, just who it was he had seen there. And so it was on Saturday night just moments
before Rev. Tom gave his inspiring talk, that I visited with Spike and told him
how great it had been to see him in Vietnam.
He was floored, and recounted to me how all through the years he had
wanted to remember who that guy was he had seen in Vietnam.
And Spike really laid it on thick as he stood up to address the crowd, telling a fantastic story
of enemy sniper fire and rockets landing as he and I met for a few moments in the chow hall. He did a great job of tying it all in with the story of Julius
Lavendusky making his way through DaNang on his way to an R&R in
Australia. I really appreciate Spike’s
gift for storytelling. And it truly was
great to have seen him at DaNang even though my actual time there was not
quite as harrowing as Spike’s.
And speaking of Julius Lavendusky, although I did not run into him in
Vietnam, I did happen to see him at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on
March 30, 1967. I know it was that date
because it was the day my first son was born in the base hospital at
Vandenberg. I had gone to a base
exchange store to get something related to the birth of my son when someone
called out my name. It was Julius. It is hard to match the warm feeling of
seeing an old friend when sojourning far from home. And sad to know that Julius passed away at a
young age.
Another highlight of my participation in the reunion was the opportunity
to visit with Linda Radebaugh Atkins, my 7th grade prom date. Attending that prom was my one and only time
at Teen Town.
Thanks for running through the years with me. These brief references barely scratch the
surface of all that we recall from those days at Roosevelt and life in my
original hometown, Henryetta. Proud to have been part of the party.
CLASS PHOTO:
| Row | L-R | Last | First |
| 1 | 1 | Kirby | Jewel |
| 1 | 2 | Crunk | Frances |
| 1 | 3 | Powders | Kenny |
| 1 | 4 | Shepperd | Jimmie |
| 1 | 5 | Tarwater | Jimmy |
| 1 | 6 | Hamilton | Gail |
| 1 | 7 | Youngblood | Linda |
| 1 | 8 | Fisher | Helen |
| 1 | 9 | Bryan | Jane |
| 1 | 10 | Bissett | Marilyn |
| 1 | 11 | Merryman | Gary |
| 1 | 12 | Moore | Alfred |
| 1 | 13 | Duty | James |
| 1 | 14 | Jones | Donald |
| 2 | 1 | Alston | Jimmie |
| 2 | 2 | Ruth | Robert |
| 2 | 3 | Odom | Sandy |
| 2 | 4 | Gaither | Donald |
| 2 | 5 | Black | David |
| 2 | 6 | Maghe | Roy |
| 2 | 7 | Wesson | Jimmy |
| 2 | 8 | Childress | Darlene |
| 2 | 9 | Johnson | Lenda |
| 2 | 10 | Davis | Bette Linda |
| 2 | 11 | Harjo | Kay |
| 2 | 12 | Kaler | Barbara |
| 2 | 13 | Bevan | Beverly |
| 2 | 14 | Langwell | Tommy |
| 2 | 15 | Dudley | Joyce |
| 2 | 16 | Middleton | James |
| 2 | 17 | Rounsaville | Catherine |
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