The Okie Legacy

Oakie's NW Corner...

It was another windy, Spring week here in Oklahoma, except for this Friday when the temperatures dipped down into the 40s and 50s. The end of March brings a possible chance of frost, freezes this weekend... but no snow.

I have been spending my time this week finishing up the NW OK Marriages of 1943-44. I have also been reading some more early 1900 history from the Alva Pioneer Souvenir Edition dated January 1904. There was an article entitled The Scramble for Land and a couple of Letters to the Editor (from George Rollins and John Culver) that I thought you might like to read for yourselves.

As to the 1909 Colorado vacation photo album of our grandmother's, I have run across a couple of pictures that show a Glidden Auto Tour of 1909 gathering at the Antler's Hotel in Colorado Springs. The photos were taken around July 27, 1909. This automobile company started from Buffalo, New York and went west as far as Denver before their return trip back to New York.

The Antlers Hotel was a majestic looking hotel located at the west-end of Pike's Peak Ave., in Colorado Springs, Colo. This writer is not quite sure when the Antlers Hotel was demolished but ran across a website showing the building being demolished around 1964. I understand that in 1895 there was a fire and there have been three different Antlers Hotel at that spot over the years. This photo of 1909 shows the second Antlers Hotel. If some of you readers from out around that area could fill us in, that would be great.

Did you know... that the Legion Heights sub-division south of Alva, Oklahoma was once a veteran housing addition during the WWII days? One of our readers of the OkieLegacy.org was reminiscing and dropped me a line and mentioned that bit of info. Diana's email is listed in the Mailbag Corner below.

What is our destiny? This quote by William Jennings Bryan might say it all, "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it's a thing to be achieved."

Here is to our troops fighting over in Iraq. May our support and prayers be with them all. See you all next weekend. If you have any Okie Legacies or thoughts to share, send them along.

~~ Linda "oaKie" ~~

NW OK Marriage 1943-44...

Hackett-Jones - Sunday, 5 September 1943, Fort Worth, Texas - Miss Hazel Jane Hackett To Wed Mr. William E. Jones September 5 - Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Hacket, 224 College, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Miss Hazel Jane Hackett, to William E. Jones, son of Mrs. Henry Jones of Tulia, Tex., on Sunday, September 5 at the Hemphill Presbyterian church, Fort Worth, Tex. The Rev. J. Hoytt Boles will perform the ceremony.

Estle-Hurt -- Sunday, 1944 - Miss Maydine Estle, Rev. Lloyd Hurt Married in Friends Church Sunday - In an evening ceremony Sunday in the Friends church, Miss Maydine Estle, daughter of Charles Estle and Mrs. Carrie Estle, became the bride of the Rev. Lloyd Hurt, son of Mrs. Bertha Hurt, Enid. The Rev. Lela Gordon read the double ring ceremony at 9 p.m. in the presence of a large group of friends and relatives.

Whitsett-Cappell - Monday, 1944, Alva, Okla. - Helen Whitsett, Joy Cappell Wed in Enid - Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Whitsett of Enid, announce the marriage of their daughter, Miss Helen Louise Whitsett to PFC Joy Cappell, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Linton of Alva. The marriage took place at the home of the bride, 709 N. Seventh St., Monday evening at 6 p.m. with the Rev. D. Lonigan, pastor of the Westminister Presbyterian church in Enid, reading the single-ring ceremony.

Hoch-Overocker - 1944, Columbus, Ohio - Miss Mary Evelyn Hoch, Ensign D. J. Overocker Wed - Ceremony at Groom's Station, Columbus, O. - Mrs. Evelyn Hoch announces the marriage of her daughter, Miss Mary Evelyn Hoch, to Ensign Donald Jay Overocker, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. D. J. Overocker, Coldwater, Kans. The wedding took place in Columbus, Ohio, where the bridegroom is stationed with the ferry command of the Navy air corps.

Racey-Peters - Thursday, 11 May 1944, Phoenix, Arizona - Dorothy Jean Racey Weds Army Sergeant - Announcement has been received of the marriage of Miss Dorothy Jean Racey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Racey of Santa Ana, Calif., to Staff Sergeant James Earl Peters. The wedding was an event of Thursday, May 11, in Phoenix, Arizona. The Raceys are former residents of Alva. Mrs. Peters attended elementary and high school her.

Hughes-Hiatt - Saturday, 25 May 1945, Norman, Okla. - Lieut. (jg) Mack Hiatt Weds Norman Girl Saturday Evening - Lieut. (jg) Mack Hiatt, Jr., USNR, son of MR. and Mrs. Mack Hiatt, Lubbock, Tex., and Miss Mary Hughes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roland F. Hughes, Norman, were married Saturday evening in the First Baptist church in Norman.

Keys-Anderson - 9 June 1944, Oklahoma City, Okla. - Last of Keys Quads to Wed - Oklahoma City, May 25 AP - Mary Keys, the last unmarried member of Oklahoma's beautiful celebrated quadruplet sisters, will march to the altar June 9 to climax a romance that began a year ago at Camp Hood, Tex., shortly after she became an army hostess. She will be married to Sergt. Jack P. Anderson of Plano, Tex., former Baylor University and New York Giants football player. Announcement of their engagement was made here by Miss Keys' parents, Mr. and Mrs. Flake M. Keys.

Ney-Isenbart - Thursday, 10 August 1944, Hanston, Kans. - Marie Ney, Fredrick Isenbart Married Thursday at Hanston - Miss Marie Ney of Hanston, Kans., and Frederick Joseph Isenbart, of Alva, were united in marriage at the St. Anthon's Catholic church, Hanston, Kans., on August 10, at 9 a.m. The nuptial high mass was officiated by Rev. Anthony Isenbart, brother of the groom, and served by Bernard and Larry Isenbart, nephews of the groom.

Nickell-Barkley - Saturday, 26 August 1944, Alva, Okla. - Nuptials of Olive Nickell and bill Barkley Read Saturday Night - In the First Methodist church Saturday evening, Rev. G. R. Vaughn, pastor of the First Christian church, performed the wedding ceremony which united Miss Olive Nickell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Nickell, 727 Maple St., and Bill Barkley, son of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Barkley, College Campus.

Simms-Ogletree - Sunday, 5, September 1944, Deming, New Mexico - Miss Lucille Simms-Cadet Vincent Ogeltree Wed In New Mexico - Mr. and Mrs. O. O. Simms, 1027 Maple Street, announce the marriage of their daughter, Lucille, to a/c Vincent Ogletree, son of Mrs. Hazel Willaman, Oregon. The wedding took place Sunday, September 5, o'clock at Deming, New Mexico, in the First Baptist church with the Rev. Colson reading the double ring ceremony.

Shirey-Glover - Saturday, 25 December 1944 - Church Ceremony Unites Miss Shirey, Ensign Glover - Miss Faith Ann Shirey, and Ensign George Edward Glover, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. F. Glover, Dallas, were married Saturday in the First Methodist church. The Rev. Grady N. Ross officiated, using the double-ring ceremony.

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Linda K McGill Wagner
c/o WWW Publishing Co
PO Box 619, Bayfield, CO 81122

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 Alva POW Camp Artist... "Dear Folks, I'm not sure who will read this, but here goes. My name is Diana Glasgow and all my great-grandparents pioneered in Woods County. I happen to be teaching this year at Novosibirsk State University, in Novosibirsk, Russia. Being homesick (and it's been a long winter here in Siberia) I sometimes sit and surf the internet. Today I typed in 'Dacoma, Oklahoma' and came up with your website and information about the POW Camp south of Alva. I was interested because I lived in Legion Heights, a veterans housing addition south of Alva, as a little girl (after WWII) and played with the sight of the old guard tower always in view.
      A few years ago I was coming home to visit my mother (Dana Glasgow, daughter of Earl and Gladys, granddaughter of Orville and Matie Belle Glasgow) in Arkansas City, Kansas and was picked up at the Wichita Airport by Lawrence Kinney. My own father was actually Clenard McArthur Tate of Capron and Alva, but he was killed in combat in WWII just a month before I was born. I have many of his letters home and have visited his battlefield sites with a group of his 'brothers-in-arms' from the 99th Infantry Division. I had just come back from this European trip and was talking to Lawrence Kinney about it on the drive home. I had known Lawrence since childhood as he was the Allis Chalmers blockman for Alva.
      Anyway, Lawrence started telling me about his own experiences in WWII. He fought in the same area as my dad (the Belgian Ardennes) and was taken prisoner early in the Battle of the Bulge. So he was in a Nazi POW camp until the summer of 1945, when he was sent home to Alva, still on active duty. He was placed as a guard at the Alva POW camp! And now we're getting down to the solution of the mystery.
      Lawrence took me home and showed me his own collection of WWII memorabilia, including letters home and... you guessed it, paintings done by a German POW at the Alva Camp! Only these paintings had a signature on them, and Lawrence had managed to locate the living man, now living in Germany and a renowned artist and sculptor! I don't believe they ever actually met, but they exchanged letters and phone calls. Their mutual experiences as POW's had created the possibility for a kind of bond. Lawrence had pulled the paintings from a pile of debris that was about to be burned during the cleanup of the POW camp at Alva after it was closed.
      I know for sure that Lawrence's widow, Lois, still has some of the paintings, the German artist's name and address in Germany, etc. I think it would be very interesting to contact him, if he is still alive, as he speaks English and could contribute his own stories to your website and talk to the owners of the house who want to create a beer garden. Oh, wonders of the internet." -- Diana Glasgow - Email: DianaGlasgow@aol.com

Editor's Note: Diana gave me Lois Kinney's address. If you are truly interested in contacting her concerning the paintings done by German POW at the Alva Camp, please Email me and I will see about forwarding the address to those truly interested. Thanks! -- LK Wagner