The Okie Legacy

Vol. II, Issue 83 --- 4 November 2000

September 1943 Tidbits

What were you/your ancestors doing around the 12th of September 1943? Me... I wasn't born yet and wasn't even a twinkle in my parents eye, but my older sister (Dorthy) was 12 days old! WWII had been unraveling for a few years and my Uncle Bob (McGill) was off being trained at Kentucky University & military camps across the USA before he was finally shipped out, November or December, 1944. Bob's Timeline of WWII can be seen Here

I promised you last week that I would bring you some more history and tidbits from around September 1943 that were in the 1943 edition of our local NW newspaper. My grandmother stored lots of treasures in boxes & trunks. I call them my treasures & memories of yesteryear. They do keep me enthralled on these wet, cold dreary evenings. I am missing Section A of that 50th anniversary edition of the "Alva Review-Courier." If someone out there reading this has any other memories or treasures to interject here, please send them along for us all to share. It doesn't have to be about Oklahoma, either! Thanks!

I'm going to jump through some of the pages and start with pg. 1, section C, Vol. XLIV, "1943 Alva Review-Courier". There was a short paragraph concerning the first school taught in the Cherokee Strip and it reads as follows, "J. W. Buckles, a young man from Harper, Kans., began a subscription school October 6, 1903, in a little building on a residential corner in Alva. This was believed to be the first school taught in the Cherokee Strip." Does anyone out there know where this building in the residential corner of Alva stood?

Going to section B, frontpage, of that same newspaper, as you scroll down the page you run across an article about the first election of 1894, "The first election to vote bonds for waterworks in Alva was called June 14, 1894, was held on July 6, and for the sum of $13,000. However, the bonds were cancelled before any work was done."

On that same page, at the lower righthand corner, the small headlines reads, "Hollywood's Best Brought to Alva By Three Theaters." Homer Jones was the manager of the Jones Amusement company and a native of Texas. He entered the show business at Atoka, Okla., in 1919. In 1923 he sold his interests at Atoka and entered the theater field at Kingfisher, coming to Alva in 1929. After a short time Mr. Jones bought the interest of the Momand Enterprises, co-owners of the theater businesses here at that time. In July, 1923, Mr Jones built and constructed the Ritz theater which opened November 19, 1933. In the spring of 1936 he built and constructed the Ranger theater which opened December 6, 1936. The Ranger was named after the football and basketball teams at Northwestern State College." Today (October, 2000) Homer's son, Johnny Jones, still operates the Rialto Theater on the northside of the square. The Ritz and the Ranger Theater no longer exist. They have seen many changes since they closed their doors. Alva is down to one theater with multiple screens today (2000).

Continuing on in the 1943 newspaper and on the same section is an article about Essie Nall that my grandmother (Constance Warwick McGill) went to Northwestern Normal School with and continued their friendship as long as they lived. The article headlines read, "Mrs. Nall long active in NW Alumni Group." It goes on to say, "A long-time member of the Northwestern Alumni association and one of its most enthusiastic workers is Mrs. Essie Nall. Mrs. Nall enrolled at the college on the day it opened, in 1898, and attended her first classes in the Congregational church before any college buildings were erected. Twice president of the Alumni association -- In 1933 and 1934 -- she is its secretary at the present time (1943). Mrs. Nall plans some day to write a history of the college." Did Essie Nall ever write a history of the College? Has anyone out there run across this history? I would love to know more. Meanwhile, here is a picture of Essie Nall that appeared 12 September 1943 newspaper with the article. Also, I found a group picture of Essie Nall (left), Grace Brooks (center), & Constance Warwick McGill (right) that was taken around 1900. Notice the hats the three ladies are wearing.

As we briefly scan through section D, frontpage of the newspaper, you can't help but read about the McClure Insurance & Loan Agency and how it started in 1919 at Capron, Oklahoma. It catches my eye, because Uncle Alvin Paris is mentioned a few lines into the article. The article tells that George McClure (graduate of Northwestern State College, 1917) moved to Alva from Capron in 1937. The McClure Loans and Insurance Agency got its start in Capron in 1919, after which Mr. McClure moved to Alva and located in the Bell Hotel building. The Bell Hotel still stands today (2000) at 5th & Barnes in downtown Alva, but the only residents are the pigeons that occupy the upper floors.

Anyway, McClure took Alvin Paris (My uncle, my mother's older brother) as a partner in the company. Alvin Paris now lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with his wife Naomi Warren Paris. During 1943 the McClure Insurance company was located at 509 College Avenue. Mr. McClure was well known in Alva, having played basketball at the college, playing in all of the states west of the Mississippi and five east of the Mississippi. He had been a representative for the Hartford Fire Insurance Company for twenty-four years. During 1943, Miss Betty Ratzlaff was the stenographer for the company, coming to Alva from Ringwood, Oklahoma, in May of 1943. At the present time McClure Insurance is still in business and operated by the McClure descendants. It is located up on the southside of hwy. 64 (Oklahoma Blvd), just west of Logan street and east of Noble Street.

Let us flip the pages back to section B, pg. 4, for a few minutes and read about the first elections & sheriff of the County. The first election was held 13 years before statehood (1894). H. Clay McGrath was one of the first to reach Alva on September 16, 1893, and in 1894 was elected the first sheriff of this county. Two years later he was elected to his second term in that county office. McGrath was one to the first Alvans to offer land to be used by the Normal School.

During that first election some of the elected officials were: James P. Renfrew, treasurer 1894; Fred Hardy, registrar of deeds; J. P. Gandy, first territorial councilman, 1894 and 1898; Joseph Porter, county attorney; James Walker, probate judge; W. S. Ross, county clerk; W. E. Oxley, county superintendent; J. H. Gilmore, county surveyor; A. E. Frazier, coroner; and J. W. Lappin, J. J. Bishop and A W. Stone, county commissioners; L. D. Williams was the 1st trustee of Alva township, appointed in 1894 by the county commissioners and at the first election of town trustees on May 7, 1894, he was also chairman and first mayor of Alva and re-elected in 1895; J. D. Scott, John C. Roberts, S. B. Share and William Whitworth, trustees; L. H. Bougham, Jr., clerk; E. Rall, treasurer; J. D. Carwile, justice of peace; W. H. Dunkin, assessor; and Fred B. Jones, marshal.

Back to the present... This week we have survived the goblins & spirits that moved through the first part of the week. I received as a gift from one of my readers. Its a very interesting hardback book (Musings of the Pilgrim Bard) from the great-grandson of Orange Scott Cummins. Jan & Frank Cummins emailed me the other day and sent me a signed copy autographed by the Pilgrim's great-grandson, Frank. You receive so many rewards when you least expect them. Thanks to Jan & Frank for such a great present. I will cherish it always.

We've set our clocks back and gained another hour that we are still trying to get accustom to around here. OU (Oklahoma) showed Nebraska Huskers who the #1 football team really is. NWOSU remains on top of the NAIA Football standings, beating Peru State College (Nebraska) 63-0 October 28th, Saturday. NWOSU Homecoming and the streets of Alva, Oklahoma swelled with alumni last Saturday (Oct. 28th) without mishap of rain to dampen the spirits. Dan Shorter and his wife were the parade marshalls for this years NWOSU homecoming festivities.

Miss Cinderella || Mayor Stan Kline & Wife
Homecoming chairman, Mike Knedler

It has been a sunny, partly cloudy, seventy-something degrees in most parts of Oklahoma until today (Friday). Everything is soaked and the grass started regaining its green spring color this Fall after the burnt summer weather dried out everything. Friday morning as I write this newsletter, I can hear the raindrops falling and soaking the ground outside. They say that SW Colorado ski areas are getting snow as another storm blankets the San Juan mountains and the areas around Pagosa Springs. The Opening Day of the ski areas in Colorado is November 23rd! Colorado Mountain Cam || Durango Mountain Cam

o OAKIE'S MAILBAG/LINKS

"Hi Linda! I found your information on the Alva, Oklahoma POW Camp, and thought I'd add a tidbit. My great grandparents lived in Blackwell (Kay County) OK--which is not too far from Tonkawa, OK. There was a POW camp in Tonkawa. The camp commander was a good friend of my great-grandfather. When the war ended, and the camp was disassembled, my great-grandfather went over there with his friend, and cut out a section of wall. That section of wall is now framed and hanging in my family room (I live in Illinois). A German artist, Hans Jaenisch, was a prisoner in the Tonkawa camp. While incarcerated, he was given paints and brushes, and he decorated the walls of the officer's quarters. The section I have is of a famous scene that Jaenisch drew from memory of Rothenberg, Germany. I know there are other paintings like this scattered about. (I read about the murals found from the Alva site). I wonder how many other sections of these painted walls are still in existence?" Diana Kenney,
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"At Wilson, Oklahoma they have a small TV station which is located on the Wilson Public Schools campus - I think it is what's called a UHF station. Corenna Wilson has a program entitled 'Oklahoma Moments' where she interviews people that have something of interest to discuss. I was on that program with her and she leads off in a "This is your life" format. I enjoyed it very much and you will be interested to know that her theme song is the Hank Thompson song 'Way down yonder in the Indian Nation where a cowboys life is my occupation in those Oklahoma Hills where I was born' - maybe, the real title is 'Oklahoma Hills'"
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"We went to the OU/Nebraska football game, and before leaving home, I set both of my recorder so that I could make a more in-depth analysis of the game when I got home. Guess what I set the recorder and all the good stuff, but forgot to rewind the VCR tape first... consequently, therefore, however, notwithstanding, nevertheless I had NO tape recording of the game to review. Well anyway OU introduced Nebraska to the team that was truly #1 all along. (OU 31 / Nebraska 14)"
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NEW addition to "Oklahoma History Ring," is the "The Family Forum" - Surnames: Honnold, Jackson, Johnson, Kinnamon, Logan, Mott, Perez, Pilcher, and Tucker.
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1943 article, entitled "Young in Years, Percefull Has Long Record at Northwestern" - Sabin C. Percefull is counted one of the old-timers around Northwestern State College, having been connected with the college since before the outbreak of WWI. In 1915 he cam to Northwestern to teach physics and chemistry, spending two years as a faculty member before the US entry into the war. He entered the army and served in the chemical warfare division for two years. After the war he returned to Alva and taught economics before succeeding to the deanship. In 1923 he became dean of faculty, and in the summer of 1928 served as acting president, a position he held again from April, 1935 to February, 1936. In 1938-39 he took a leave of absence for study at Iowa state university and at the end of the leave was appointed president of Northwestern Oklahoma Junior college at Miami. On January 1, 1943, Percefull returned to Northwestern as president, succeeding Chester O. Newlun, who became president of the Wisconsin State Teachers college at Platteville, Wis.
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"Musings of the Pilgrim Bard", dedicated Winchester, Oklahoma, May 12, 1903, written by O. Scott Cummins. -- On page 39, the Pilgrim Bard had this poem about Northwestern Normal School, "The Western Normal College" Look ye! once that hill was bare, Sunset rested on a prairie; Short the space since buffalo O'er the spot grazed to and fro; Has Alladin's lamp and fairy Caused the change so wondrous there? Look ye! once upon that hill Stood the roving red man's tepee; There at pow-wow and at dance Roasted dog was served perchance; Squaws and bucks, in blankets creepy, Sought repose when all was still. Gone, the shaggy bison wild -- Gone poor "Lo," his business busted; Far away the gray wolf's yell Of the past the funeral knell; Farmers, with the east disgusted, Claim the place of nature's child. Look ye! towering o'er yon slope Stands a monument of knowledge; Thing of beauty, massive, grand, Builded by skilled workman's hand -- Alva's Western Normal College, Nucleus of our country's hope.
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Wanted: Books, articles, items, anything written by Orange Scott Cummins. Contact Janet Cummins, 3118 S. McLean, Wichita, KS 67217, (316) 522-4357
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This is a picture of the 1903 Northwestern Normal School baseball team. Bill McGill is seated left-front. Does anyone know who any of the other baseball players are in this photo?

o OAKIE'S QUOTES/POEMS

"When I can't handle events, I let them handle themselves." - Henry Ford
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Make sure you remember to vote, Tuesday, November 7, 2000, because your vote CAN make a difference. Do NOT let a few elite others make that choice for you! As to the rumors roaming the web out there that Republicans will be voting on Tuesday... and Democrats on Wednesday... That is only a rumor allegedly started by an elite republican group to get their candidates elected. EVERYBODY (Democrats, Republicans, etc...) VOTE, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2000! You CAN make a Difference! VOTE! You CAN make a difference! VOTE! Tuesday!

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