AHS Class of '61 Swarms Alva, OK

Hey & Hello to all those Alva High Goldbugs, Class of '61, gathering and swarming in Woods County, NW Oklahoma this Labor Day weekend. IF... there are any Class of '61 readers out there attending this 2006 Goldbug Reunion of '61 alumni (Bob, Norman, Lana, etc...), get some great group photos, stories and send them our way to share in "The OkieLegacy Ezine."

Thanks for letting this NW Okie (class of '66) help you all network and find your classmates for your 1949-1961 reunion. We loved being a part of it and helping! Here's the first bloom from our Hibiscus that bloomed here in southwest Colorado, August 31, 2006, on our sister Dorthy's Birthday. Thanks from NW Okie, Duchess Rose, Maggie, Doquoti and Nugget here in Southwest Colorado.
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Weather - Graupel & Ernesto

Back here in southwest Colorado we have been having beautiful Fall-like temps around here. We hear that the San Juan Mountains near Vallecito were feeling the pounding of graupel on their roof tops, trees and tender plants left outdoors this week (August 26, 2006). The graupel reached a variety of sizes upto about an 1/8-inch of that frozen snow pellets. From a distance in photos it looked like a thin covering of snow, BUT... it was only the frozen snow pellets deleafing the tender plants and covering the driveways and roadways with a thin white color of Fall. It did cool things down a bit, though, to Fall-like temps around here. You can view some of those Graupel photos at our Vallecito Webshots - 2006 Aug. 26 Graupel.

While hurricane "Ernesto" was creating havoc and making itself known along the mid-Atlantic coast this week, the last part of August 2006 has been feeling some much need Fall temperatures, rain to parts of Oklahoma. AND... we hear that they have been witnessing a dip in gasoline prices around the state of Oklahoma.
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Other Tidbits

Thanks, Bob, for that book suggestion (The Worst Hard Times - by Timothy Egan) about the Depression, Dust Bowls of the early years in Oklahoma. Great reading about those who came, lived, worked and stayed during the hard times of the Depression and Dust Bowl eras. We received our copy of the book from Barnes & Noble and have been reading it in between the other things going on in our life. It's a book hard to put down and has lots of history and facts about what it was like for those pioneers who ventured here and stuck it out during "The Worst Hard Times."

As to the Joseph Tyler Fash story last weekend, we used some of the information that we found in the "Pioneer Footprints Across Woods County" history book. If anyone out there has an ancestor and family in this history book and no book to retrieve it out of, we would like to share the information in "The OkieLegacy Ezine." Just send us your family names that lived around northwest Oklahoma in the early years. We hear tell that the "Pioneer Footprints" book is now selling for around $300 now... if you can find a copy available for sale!
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Unidentified School Class - 1910 Alva, OK

Try Ancestorarchive.com and click on the logo at the top right corner that says "Ancestor genealogy photo archive"; then click on "Special Collections"; then click on this school class photo - Unidentified photo.

Here are the names (students & teachers) that were on the backside of the unidentified School photo: Names on Back: Elizabeth Lander, Eva Beningfield, Georgia France, Viola Muchy, Berniece Welch, Mate Updgraph, Hazel Netchana, Delwin McBright, Floyd Evans, Thomas Lane, Sam Shepler, Mona Martin, Frank Nippey, Clara Rotkenbach, Hazel Winters, Grace Fulkner, Ruth Talkington, Darcy Williams, Pearl Shepler, Dora Curl, Dale Nix, Edna Austin, Blanch Miller, Astor Creech. Teachers: Gladys Riley, Carl Rockenback, Miss Earnest, Opal McMurtrey, John Teagle, Mr. Lisk, Lola Metcalf, James Martin, Earl Shelly (or Shelby), Gussie Schnitzer, Leland Kepford, Bobie Lasley, Russel Kifer, Cora Davis, Vernie People (or Peoplis), Ella Atkinson, Clarence Peden, Anita Martin.

Some of the Surnames sound like those we have heard about in northwest Oklahoma. They have been traced back to Alva in 1910. If anyone has relatives going to school in Alva in 1910, go to ancestorarchive.com. There is a photo there with all the names of the students and their teachers. It is FREE to copy. The photo is currently listed as unidentifed school photo. Hope someone can use this information.
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Anadarko, OK Story

We are in the process of taking down Kenneth Updike's stories and ramblings of "Growing Up In Oklahoma" because Kenneth asked us, "To remove all of my previous writings to you about my Ramblins. Personal stories that I told you and your readers. My Son has had all of my writings, and notes copyrighted so that we can put them in a book or booklet. His idea. I really have no objections to this, but he insists we can be viewed by more people. I leave it up to him. Thanks for your help in the past, and I still read your Okie Legacy nearly every week."

If you find some of Kenneth's Ramblings that I have missed, Please email me the link with Vol. and Iss. numbers so that this NW Okie can remove them. Thanks for your help!
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For The Record: OkieLegacy Ezine Format

"I still like the original version of your newsletter because I don't have to keep clicking to read the week's news." -- Roy

"My vote is still for the original format... the tab format took 16 clicks to record the entire issue for the BalmerCollections archives! For wrists with arthritis, that is a lot of extra painful "clicking"!! Just thought you'd like to know." -- Rosalea

OkieLegacy Encouragement.. "Dear Ms. Wagner: You want to know something? I don't know you personally; but many others and I included think you are the best. I can't wait to see what is in the next issue. Sincerely." -- Rocky Harris
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Augsberger (Asperger) Syndrome

"Asperger syndrome (sometimes called Asperger's syndrome, AS, or the more common shorthand Asperger's), is characterized as one of the five pervasive developmental disorders, and is commonly referred to as a form of high-functioning autism. In very broad terms, individuals with Asperger's have normal or above average intellectual capacity, and atypical or less well developed social skills, often with emotional/social development or integration happening later than usual as a result. The term "Asperger's syndrome" was coined by Lorna Wing in a 1981 medical paper. She named the syndrome after Hans Asperger, an Austrian psychiatrist and pediatrician who himself had used the term autistic psychopathy." -- Source(s): Wikipedia.com. We also used Google for more info on Asperger's syndrome. Checkout more Asperger Syndrome links on OkieLegacy - The Dogs Blog.

Let us ALL HELP educate ourselves, Others and our children (especially those in Meade, Kansas) to have respect for those different than yourself! We don't need to harass and use "Hate Crimes." Let us ALL foster in ourselves and our children Education, Understanding and Respect for those different than us. Just Say NO To Hate Crimes!
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Historic Lakeway Hotel - Meade, Kansas

Editor's Note: There is a historic Lakeway Hotel, in Meade, Kansas that you need to stop, see and support! The couple that are running it have a young boy with Asperger Syndrome. They had to send their son back to California to live with his grandparents, because life on the Kansas prairie wasn't turning out to be the stressless life they wanted for their son. All the parents wanted for their son was a stress-FREE life on the heartland prairies of southwest Kansas. So they uprooted themselves from their jobs, life in California -- sunk all their savings into this historic hotel in Meade, Kansas.

If you are ever driving through Meade, Kansas (southwest Kansas) and need a great place to eat and rest, give them your support, stop by the Historic Lakeway Hotel that sits on the main highway. You can't miss it! The dining room is on the side and cannot be missed. They are going to turn that front location into a Coffee Shop to attract highway visitors, as that is their only hope. They will use the back as their formal night dining rooms, bake morning breads back there, etc. We hear that their food is really outstanding! Hope you can patronize them and give the Knights your support! For more information on Asperger's Syndrome - CLICK The Dogs Blog.
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History Exam

Everyone over 40 should have a pretty easy time at this exam. If you are under 40 you can claim a handicap. This is a History Exam for those who don't mind seeing how much they really remember about what went on in their life. Get paper and pencil and number from 1 to 20. Write the letter of each answer and score at the end. We will put the answers in the Comments later on. Don't peek! Leave your results! NW Okie took this little history quiz (scoring 18, missing #2 and #8) and found out: She is "older than dirt, but obviously gifted with great mental abilities. Now if you could only find where you left your glasses!"

1. In the 1940's, where were automobile headlight dimmer switches located?
a. On the floor shift knob
b. On the floor board, to the left of the clutch
c. Next to the horn

2. The bottle top of a Royal Crown Cola bottle had holes in it. For what was it used?
a. Capture lightning bugs
b. To sprinkle clothes before ironing
c. Large salt shaker

3. Why was having milk delivered a problem in northern winters?
a. Cows got cold and wouldn't produce milk
b. Ice on highways forced delivery by dog sled
c. Milkmen left deliveries outside of front doors and milk would freeze, expanding and pushing up the cardboard bottle top.

4. What was the popular chewing gum named for a game of chance?
a. Blackjack
b. Gin
c. Craps!

5 What method did women use to look as if they were wearing stockings when none were available due to rationing during W.W.II
a. Suntan
b. Leg painting
c. Wearing slacks

6. What postwar car turned automotive design on its ear when you couldn't tell whether it was coming or going?
a. Studebaker
b. Nash Metro
c. Tucker

7. Which was a popular candy when you were a kid?
a. Strips of dried peanut butter
b. Chocolate licorice bars
c. Wax coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside

8. How was Butch wax used?
a. To stiffen a flat-top haircut so it stood up
b. To make floors shiny and prevent scuffing
c. On the wheels of roller skates to prevent rust

9. Before inline skates, how did you keep your roller skates attached to your shoes?
a With clamps, tightened by a skate key
b. Woven straps that crossed the foot
c. Long pieces of twine

10. As a kid, what was considered the best way to reach a decision?
a. Consider all the facts
b. Ask Mom
c. Eeny-meeny-miney-mo

11. What was the most dreaded disease in the 1940's?
a. Smallpox
b. AIDS
c. Polio

12. "I'll be down to get you in a ________, Honey"
a. SUV
b. Taxi
c. Streetcar

13. What was the name of Caroline Kennedy's pet pony?
a. Old Blue
b. Paint
c. Macaroni

14. What was a Duck-and-Cover Drill?
a. Part of the game of hide and seek
b. What you did when your Mom called you in to do chores
c. Hiding under your desk, and covering your head with your arms in an A-bomb drill.

15. What was the name of the Indian Princess on the Howdy Doody show?
a. Princess Summerfallwinterspring
b. Princess Sacajawea
c. Princess Moonshadow

16. What did all the really savvy students do when mimeographed tests were handed out in school?
a. Immediately sniffed the purple ink, as this was believed to get you high
b. Made paper airplanes to see who could sail theirs out the window
c. Wrote another pupil's name on the top, to avoid their failure

17. Why did your Mom shop in stores that gave GreenStamps with purchases?
a. To keep you out of mischief by licking the backs, which tasted like bubble gum
b. They could be put in special books and redeemed for various household items
c. They were given to the kids to be used as stick-on tattoos

18. Praise the Lord, and pass the _________?
a Meatballs
b. Dames
c. Ammunition

19. What was the name of the singing group that made the song "Cabdriver" a hit?
a. The Ink Spots
b. The Supremes
c. The Esquiresv

20. Who left his heart in San Francisco?
a. Tony Bennett
b. Xavier Cugat
c. George Gershwin
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The Rest of the Story

Star House & Eagle Park Ghost Town (Cache, OK)... Ed Adams says, "Sherry, Contact Herb Westner or Kathy Gibson at the Cache Trading Post in Cache. They can give you all the information on the old buildings. Star House was originally located about 3 miles north of Eagle Park. It was moved to Cache when the Army took over the Parker land. Most of the buildings in the town around the house are either original or replicas of buildings in the Cache, Lawton, Fort Sill area.

Carl Coale - Dacoma, OK... Rich Coale says, "To Rod Murrow: Hello, Glad to hear that. I will pass that on to Uncle Joe, I'm sure he knows you and your family. Carl had a daughter Carlene who visited with my family once when I was a teenager. She also goes by Charlene or Cheryl, I think. Carl was member of Army Air Core and also had RAF wings because he was stationed in England and taught English pilots. He flew P38. Cecil and Euncice moved down to the street from us in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL."

Perry (Oklahoma) Gas Prices... Roy Kendrick says, "Later in the day Saturday (about 4:45 PM), Perry and surrounding area got the winds. Some roofs were lost and I had a 'free standing' 3-ft.x5-ft. heavy sign blown over and damaged. Then the rain began and at home I got 9/10 of an inch while at my shop just a few blocks away, I received 1.3-inch. Friends just south of town were pleased to get more than 2-inches. I heard that one town further south got more than 4-inches. That's really great for August. Monday morning the gas prices dropped another 2-cents to $2.57.9 and that surprised me too."

Perry (Oklahoma) Gas Prices... Floyd Thompson says, "Ya' got some great prices out there in my old homeland. Out here in North Carolina, my regular station is pricing gas at $2.77 a gallon. Stations here withing a mile or two of each other are just not paying attention to the competition. Last week, when the prices began to come down, two stations kept the price at $2.98 while just down the street, it was selling for $2.83. I guess unless you have a company fuel credit car, you aren't even going to come close to those two stations."
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OkieLegacy Guestbook Entries

8/31/2006-Penny Postcards - Brenda S. Franklin - EMAIL: brendaf@atlasok.com says, "I collect postcards just to put on line to share with others. Glad to see your collection. Nice to see other people like to share images of the past."

8/29/2006-Coyote Verminator - Dr. Ron Killingsworth EMAIL: rephidim@wfbiz.rr.com says,"I became aware of Slapout (Oklahoma) while looking for a place to hunt Pararie Dogs. I have become acquainted with Mrs. Milton Messner. I am interested in hunting coyotes and bobcats if anyone knows of a place that I might do that. I am a minister and the pastor of the same church for 36 years in Wichita Falls, Texas. My son is a police detective. We know how to behave ourselves and how to treat other peoples property. I was raised on a farm in Beckham County, OK, where my father farmed and ranched for 47 years. So, if anyone knows of where I might whack a coyote or two, please contact me. I am glad to know about and read the history Slapout. My secretary and I got a real chuckle out of the story."

8/27/2006-1910 Supply Hospital - Doris - EMAIL: pee-ela@prodigy.net says, "My great-grandfather, Harvey Ernest Green, was listed on the 1910 census for Woodward, Oklahoma as a patient at the Oklahoma Hospital Insane, Supply, Oklahoma. Would like to find more info on why he was sent there. He was fatally shot in 1913 on his farm in Old Mannford, Oklahoma."
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MAJOR GENERAL ALBERT T. WILSON JR.

"LK, I was perusing the Air Force Database & found this - an Alvanite that went pretty far in the force- MAJOR GENERAL ALBERT T. WILSON JR., Retired Nov. 1, 1965. Died March 1, 1970. Albert Theodore Willson Jr., was born in Alva, Okla., in 1911. He attended Lafayette College in Pennsylvania for a year, and then entered the U.S. Military Academy, from which he graduated and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry June 12, 1934. He entered Primary Flying School at Randolph Field, Texas, in September 1934, and graduated from the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas, and was rated a pilot in September 1935.

General Wilson transferred to the Air Corps on Jan. 29, 1936 and was assigned to March Field, Calif., where he served successively with the 30th and 32d bomb squadrons. General Wilson entered the Communications course of the Air Corps Technical School at Chanute Field, Ill., in September 1938, graduated in June 1939, and became assistant base operations officer. In October 1940 he was named supervisor of the Radio Operators Division of the Air Corps Technical School, which had been moved to Scott Field, Ill. From November 1941 to May 1942 he served with the U.S. Military Mission to North Africa and then returned to Scott Field and assumed the position of director of training for the Air Corps Technical School.

In June 1944, General Wilson was appointed communications officer for the XXI Bomber Command at Peterson Field, Colo., and the following October moved to Guam in that capacity. He was designated communications officer for the U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces on Guam in September 1945.

General Wilson was assigned in February 1946 to the 15th Air Force, Air Defense Command, Colorado Springs, Colo., as assistant chief of staff. He entered the Air War College at Maxwell Field, Ala., in August 1946, graduated in June 1947, and was appointed chief of Electronics Division, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force.

He assumed command of the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Strategic Air Command, at Rapid City Air Force Base, S.D., in August 1948. Going overseas in 1951, General Wilson was named chief of the Operations and Training Division, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces Europe.

Still in Wiesbaden, General Wilson was transferred to the Military Air Transport Service, and named commander of the 1807th Airways and Air Communications Service Wing. Returning to the states in July 1954, he was designated deputy chief of staff, operations, at MATS Headquarters, Andrews Air Force Base, Md., remaining in this capacity when MATS moved to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., on Jan. 20, 1958. Going overseas, on April 23, 1958 General Wilson was assigned to Headquarters Pacific Air Force, with duty station at Yongsan, Korea with assignment as senior member United Nations Military Armistice Commission (United Nations Command Component).

In November 1958, General Wilson was assigned duty as assistant Air Force comptroller, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., where he remained until July 1961 when he was appointed deputy commandant, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort McNair, Md. He was assigned as vice commander, Continental Air Command, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., in August 1963.

Albert Wilson's Timeline:
* June 1934 - Graduated U.S. Military Academy
September 1934 - Entered Flying School, Randolph Field, Texas
* September 1935 - Graduated Flying School, Kelly School, Texas
* January 1936 - Squadron duties, 30th and 32nd bomb squadrons, March Field, Calif.
September 1938 - Entered Air Corps Technical School, Chanute Field, Ill.
* June 1939 - Graduated Air Corps Technical School, assigned squadron duties, Chanute Field, Ill.
* October 1940 to October 1941 - supervisor Radio Division and director of training Air Corps Technical School, Scott Field, Ill.
November 1941 to May 1942. - duties with U.S. Military Mission to North Africa
* June 1942 to May 1944 - director of training, Air Corps Technical School, Scott Field, Ill.
* June 1944 to September 1944 - communications officer, XXI Bomber Command, Peterson Field, Colo.
* October 1944 to September 1945 - communications officer, XXI Bomber Command, Guam (Current as of October 1964)." -- Jan Carver
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Old Boys - Kemper Military School

"Hello to all my fellow Old Boys. I have recently assumed the running, and maintenance of the Alumni Website (Kemper Military School). First I want to thank Mark Farrell KMS 81-83, He has ran this site for several years, and as I learned to become "Computer Literate" the hard way. Mark Thanks. I have spent the last week up dating, and up grading the site. It is now easier to access all Kemper related sites. We have a section on how to access and retrieve school and ROTC transcripts. Pictures, ETC... Also over the period of several years I have provided a newsletter. Due mainly to the volume, and the eventual size. It became impossible to send it via the internet, but need not fear. ECHO Company now has a downloadable newsletter. It is a very professionally done paper, and contains allot more information then I could have put out from my home. Their site can also be access from the Alumni Site.Please check out this site. It is for your free use, and contains, and will contain important information in the coming years. I hope that all will enjoy, and contribute to this site. Thank You." -- Ray Kendeigh, KMS 77-80 & KMS Webmaster (Cool Title)
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Joseph T. Fash Article

"Linda: Thanks so much for the article about my great-grandparents, Joseph and Anna Fash. They were wonderful people of whom I have fond and loving memories. Grandpa Fash and I were born on the same day, February 4, and until he died he and I would celebrate our birthdays together -- mine beginning in 1943 and his the year after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated." -- Bob

Joseph Tyler Fash Story... Barbara W. Hodges says, "Joseph and Anna MacGregor Fash were my grandparents."
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Binger, Oklahoma Story

"Good Morning, Ms Wagner! Writing in "My Ramblins" this morning, I ran across a short story that I had written sometime back concerning Binger, Okla. If I have not sent it to you, would like to do so sometime nearer the Christmas Holidays as it concerns that time of year. Regards." -- Kenneth Updike
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