The Okie Legacy

Vol. II, Issue 82 ----- 28 October 2000

When It Rains It Pours... Memories

The hands on the clock change each hour, minute as a new day, week or month brings new memories of tomorrow's yesterdays. "Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness, And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream..... But if in your thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons, And let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing." -- by Kahlil Gibran, 'The Prophet'

This week in Oklahoma it has been pouring down rain since last weekend (October 20) and tomorrow's yesterdays have been leaving memories behind.

They say Woodward, in NW Oklahoma, received a down-pour leaving them with over 7 inches of rain after last Tuesday evening. Chickasha in central Oklahoma was one of those that really got hit by the October flood of rains, memories and devastations. Someone said they heard that Freedom & Alva received around 4.5 inches of that wet stuff. They have always said, "If you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a few days or 5 minutes... It will change."

Is this the Global warming they are warning us about? I guess we are always complaining some how about the weather here in the Heartland. It is either too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry, too windy, too dusty, too etc...

AND... When it rains it pours memories for the sport spectators and baseball fans that have been making the subway scene between the NY stadiums and supporting their teams with painted faces, baseball caps, shirts, etc. One reader exclaimed, "Just another week in the New York area. Go METS!" The Yankees did finally win the series thursday night with a 4-1 victory. According to an article, "New York's, and World's, Finest," written by Buster Olney, from Friday's NY Times, "The Yankees maintained their pre-eminence in New York with a ninth-inning rally that beat the Mets, 4-2. It was their third consecutive World Series title and 26th in franchise history." http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/27/sports/27SERI.html

While baseball fans were celebrating in NY and creating more memories, football fans in Oklahoma and Nebraska have been gearing up for the annual college football rivalry taking place down in Norman, Oklahoma this year. The OU Sooners and Nebraska Huskers will square off at 11:00a.m., in Norman, Oklahoma, October 28th, to a sold out crowd and possible raindrops later in the afternoon. So... Take your rain gear if you travel to Norman for the Sooner vs. Huskers Football game. Or... better yet! Gather your friends & family around your living room and have a Boomer Sooner party in the comfort of your home.

When it rains it pours... It brings us memories of the history of the 1943's via the "Alva Review-Courier," 50th anniversary edition, published September 12, 1943. One of those memories is a pioneer teacher of Northwestern, Miss Minnie Shockley (whom Shockley Hall was named after). For many years she was dean of women and during September, 1943, she was Dean of Women Emeritus and acting head of the department of English. Miss Shockley held her bachelor of arts degree from Northwestern and had done additional graduate study at the University of Chicago and the University of Missouri. Did you realize that Shockley Hall was a pre-war girls dormitory and named for Miss Shockley? When I was going to Northwestern in the late '60s Shockley Hall was a boys dormitory. Anyway, Miss Shockley had begun her tenure at Northwestern in 1910. In addition to work in various other fields, she helped find and was a charter member of the local chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha social sorority and of the Alva Business and Professional Women's club (BPW).

Even with all the rain, present day memories are in the process of being made as Northwestern's Homecoming celebrations have been under way since October 26th, 27th and culminating October 28th, Saturday with a parade, football, dance, etc. NWOSU alumni will be pouring into Alva, crowding the streets, campus and downtown square with their presence this weekend as thirty-one (31) high school beauty contestants vie for Miss Cinderella 2000, October 26 & 27, during NWOSU's homecoming celebration. I will See some of you there! Maybe in the rain! Maybe NOT!

The homecoming's full day of activities begin at dawn, Saturday and continue into the afternoon football, evening dance, etc. This years parade marshall is Dr. Dan Shorter. Shorter is distinguished as a long-time professor of biology at Northwestern. He also served as the campus coordinator from 1965-71, general chairman from 1972-75, and as special events co-chair from 1976-94. Don't forget about the sixteen bands that will be marching to the beat of their own drummers and climax with a concert on the town square.

Does anyone from NW Oklahoma out there remember when there were over 40 bands & floats and the parade began up at Northwestern campus and marched north down College Avenue and around the downtown square? It was such a big, elaborate festivities of bands, floats, old cars & horses that it took two (2) hours from 10:00a.m. to high noon from beginning to end.

I remember when Dad would get us all up early Saturday mornings. He would park the car in front of the Dr. Pepper plant in the 600 block of College Avenue (where Radio Shack is now). The adults would be seated in the car while the kids would position themselves for a curbside view of the colorful, elaborate floats and marching bands. AND... The community organizations would set up food booths with such things as sloppy joes, hot dogs, cotton candy, etc. I also remember meeting up with the Kelseys' who would drive all the way from Waynoka and the kids would walk up and down College Avenue and around the square the morning of the parade with wide eyes and the excitement of the coming events.

I'm still unsure when NWOSU's first homecoming began. I did write to the Public Relations office at Northwestern, but haven't heard back from them yet. I did stop in at Floridinos this Friday evening for coffee with friends and visited with Amos Blue. Amos remembers when the football team marched down College Avenue during the parade in the 1930s. So... I have it narrowed down to that far back. If someone out there in the vicinity of NW Oklahoma can help me, please drop me a line.

Some of you NW Oklahomans might remember Harriet Hellman Delaney. I ran across a picture of her in the September 12, 1943, 50th Anniversary Edition of the Alva Review-Courier. She was working for the paper back then. Oh! What memories those yesterdays do make!

The memories of the Rangers last year NAIA National Championship role have them defending their title this year against Peru State (Nebraska). The No. 1-ranked Northwestern Rangers will battle Peru State College (Neb., ranked No. 7) on Ranger Field, 2:00p.m.

Got to run for now, BUT... Do NOT forget to set your clocks back early Sunday morning. This is the time of year for spooks, goblins, trick-treaters, homecomings and to Fall back an hour as we move from Daylight Savings to Standard Time. Stay tuned for more 1943 Oklahoma Territory history waiting for you in next week's newsletter.

o OAKIE'S MAILBAG/LINKS

"Hello Linda, We found your website and the pages about Scott Cummins, the Pilgrim Bard. Maybe I should introduce myself -- Jan Cummins. My husband, Frank Cummins, is a great-grandson of the Pilgrim Bard. We have been trying to get copies of any articles, writings, plus genealogy information of Scott. My husband is from Freedom, OK and we subscribe to the Freedom Call. So we read your articles in it and enjoy very much learning more about it's history from your column." Jan Cummins mailto:jsc99@southwind.net

"Hi! I have a picture from an NWOSU Homecoming: Brooks Bicknell, Roy Clark, Mel Torme, and Tony Paxton. The latter three autographed the picture personally and commented on how good the food was! Does anyone know who Tony Paxton that is pictured in the following photo and had his picture taken with Roy Clark, Mel Torme, Brooks Bicknell at the '63 Northwestern Homecoming?" Please email Oakie).

"These are names of the Washington Elementary School, 6th Grade basketball, '53-'54 school year with Coach Lee Haley standing in the background. They are... Front row - Munson, Phil Ware, Bill Coury, Dan Venosdel; Back row - Jerry Sneary, Ed Stewart, Johnny Kessinger, Bill Dunn, Norman Smith, Gerald King."

I found the following article entitled "Pilgrim Bard Tells Story of Famous Run." The September 12, 1943, 50th Anniversary Edition of the "Alva Review-Courier", Volume XLIV, Section C, pg. 1 & continued on pg. 6. 1943pilgrimbard1.jpg || 1943pilgrimbard2.jpg || 1943pilgrimbard3.jpg

Excerpts from the article in the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Alva Review-Courier, dated September 12, 1943, concerning "The Pilgrim Bard," entitled, "Strip History Preserved In Bard's Verse" ----

The Pilgrim Bard was the ballad-maker of the Cherokee Strip. He died in 1928, and left hundreds of poems devoted to the people, the history, the opportunities of the land he helped to build. His books of poetry include: "Musings of the Pilgrim Bard" (1903) & "Twightlight Reveries" (1923). His fame was not confined to the Cherokee Strip. He was known throughout Oklahoma & Kansas. Cummins was a homey poet, but his works reveal a polish not usually associated with the rough-and tumble pioneer days. His subjects were events that struck close to his own life and the lives of his neighbors. One poem was written at the death of his wife; another commemorated the death of a Woods County boy killed in the Philippines during the Spanish-American war; and many sing the praises of the sturdy, ambitious pioneers. Among the descendants of the Pilgrim Bard still living (during September, 1943) was his daughter, Mrs. T. J. Dyer, Alva. 1943pilgrimbard4.jpg

"College History Dates Back to Pre-Statehood Days" -- (September 12, 1943, "The Alva Review-Courier", Vol. XLIV, Sec. B, 50th Anniversary Edition). The opening of the Cherokee Strip in 1893 brought a hardy group of pioneers to Alva who soon conceived the idea of locating a Normal school in this littlerural, NW community. The group advertised for land and applied pressure on the legislature to secure a Normal School in Alva. They also organized a standing "Push" committee to go to the territorial capital at Guthrie and lobby for the school. Read more of the Northwestern Normal history... ntn1897.html || ntn1943.html

Jesse Dunn Hall & Old Castle on the Hill (1943 Picture View) - Jesse Dunn Hall replaced the "Old Castle on the Hill" after the 1 March 1935 early morning fire. Jesse Dunn at that time was one of the best equipped physics laboratories in the state. All the recent Northwestern students will remember the many hours spent in NSC's well stocked library located in Jesse Dunne Hall and later turned into the Ranger Inn Student Center.

"It was necessary to bring the school up to a par with other state institutions in 1923, after several years of effort, the state legislature appropriated $100,000 for building Herod Hall and making other improvements. Herod Hall was designed after the main building at Oklahoma City University. The institution, known after 1919 as Northwestern State Teachers' college, prospered until 1935, when the Administration building burned. Herod Hall, in the center of the campus, housed the auditorium and music classrooms in 1943."

This is a great old story of the 'History of the Run' into the Cherokee Strip written by Mrs. Fred King as it appeared in the 50th Anniversary Edition, September 12, 1943, Alva Review-Courier, Section B, pg. 6. Mrs. King was the former Clara Louise Renfrew -- granddaughter of the late J. P. Renfrew of Renfrew's Record & publisher of the Alva Review -- Clara was the daughter of Mayor John Renfrew -- She was also married to the County Judge Fred King and lived in Guymon, Oklahoma at the time.

"Howdy from Downunder -- Your ParisTimes genealogy pages are a wealth of info -- many thanks for taking the time to put all that data up there -- I sure hope you get some feedback that helps add to your trees! My cousins, Marie Reedy and Kathryn Mereness, and I are up to our ears in trying to push the boundaries of info on our Conover ancestors, and your info has given us food for thought. We've made real headwat in two years of searching, both on-line and thru real-life archives and cemeteries. Not unexpectedly, we're still facing a stone wall in trying to identify the parents of our several-greats grandfathers who left NJ to move to the Midwest -- brothers Ralph R.Conover (b. 1811) and William Conover (b. 1816). One feature I'm pursuing is looking for Conover and allied families with twins, as both Ralph and William had twins -- with Ralph and his wife Elnor Snedeker having at least two sets among their kids, and another set among their granchildren. In just a quick look thru the many Conover trees on-line I've already spotted more, so I thought I'd ask around to see if other genealogy buffs have noticed this too. If you've seen this in your Conover kin, I'd love to hear about it! Many thanks" -- Kath Conover in Australia, (Kath & Gina)

o OAKIE'S QUOTES/POEMS

"Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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