Where Has August Gone

2008 Presidential Poll - USA


The weather here in SW Colorado is wet, cool and comfortable as we turn the corner of August 2008 on this Labor Day weekend. I can't believe August has gone by so fast. It really has been feeling like Fall up around these parts.

Durango and Ignacio, Colorado have been invaded by Harleys and other bikers assembling from across the USA in their annual biker ritual.

I hope ALL you Louisiana and Gulf Coast residents have taken precautions and are finding transportation to safer, higher ground to get out of "Gustav's" raging storms blowing your way.

We hear that Freedom's Rodeo this year drew crowds of 14,000 (Aug. 14-16). Sounds like a great turnout. Congratulations To Freedom, Oklahoma!

Before I finally wind up here on this late Sunday evening, I would like to leave you with something very important to think about. The following are exerpts from Barack Obama's acceptance speech this week:

* "The change we need doesn't come FROM Washington. Change comes TO Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it — because they rise up and insist on NEW ideas and NEW leadership, a NEW politics for a NEW time. America, this is one of those moments." — Barack Obama in his acceptance speech, Aug. 28, 2008

* "....That through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well."

* ".....each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect."

* "Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work."

* "We must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength."
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Happy Birthday To DoRight (Aug. 31st)

After watching the Democratic National Convention on C-Span this last week, it brought to mind -- took me back to a specific NW Oklahoma campaign in 1988 when my sister, Dorthy (a.k.a. DoRight) ran for the office of State Representative, Dist. 58, against Elmer Maddox.

Listening to ALL the speeches reminded of some of the messages that Dorthy DoRight (a.k.a. Dorthy McGill) was using in 1988 & 1990 when she ran on the Democratic ticket for State Representative, Dist. 58, in NW Oklahoma. One of those messages was Together We Can Make A Ddifference.

I have always believed that my sister, Dorthy, was a women of extreme intelligence -- ahead of her time in many ways. NOW... twenty years later, the American Voters are professing what Dorthy started twenty years earlier in her 1988 and 1990 campaigns -- AND... that was only State level!

On this rainy Sunday, the last day of August 2008, Dorthy is celebrating her birthday! Happy Birthday, DoRight! Thanks for being my favorite sister!
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Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie

Shall I let sleeping dogs lie? As we wind down this last week of August 2008, we find this Duchess Pug and her sidekick, Sadie, snoozing in a cozy spot, on the back of the sofa on this rainy Sunday morning.

Boy! Was I a worried Pug mother the middle of this week, though. Duchess gave us a scare during mid-week (Wednesday) when all of a sudden she starts vomiting towards the evening hours and no interest in foods.

She seemed fine during Wednesday morning, but towards evening she was completely not herself -- No interest in eating. AND... Duchess loves to eat!

let me tell you, I didn't get much sleep Wednesday night and was a worried Pug mother. Duchess was throwing up, not interested in eating. She would drink water, but that would come up shortly afterwards.

Finally, as the dawn arrives we rush Duchess to the veterinary's emergency room to find what had crept upon her so suddenly. Duchess was diagnosed with Canine Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE) which is a disorder of dogs which is fairly abrupt in onset. It is most common in small breeds and the blood count of affecterd dogs is frequently characterized by an elevated red blood cell count in the 60% range. The exact cause is unknown.

Duchess was lucky! After a day stay at the Vet Hospital being hooked up to an IV and undergoing intravenous fluid therapy and antibiotics and other medicines and tests, Duchess was again beginning to wag her tail by the end of the day. We got to bring her home the next day, and she is her perky, playful, friendly, loveable self on this rainy, Sunday evening.

I can't begin to tell you how much that I loveable little Pug has become a very important part of this NW Okie's life. I don't know what I would do without this intelligent Pug.
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Wisconsin Bird (Bear) Feeder

Ever worry about squirrels getting into your bird feeder? Well, look at this. Good grief, what is that line made of?" -- Stephen N.
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Leonhardt's of Alfalfa County, OK

"Recently, I was in Cherokee/Alva to search for information on my great grandparents - Philip John Leonhardt and his wife Christina Ahlbrandt Leonhardt.

Fortunately, I was able to locate their grave in the Short Springs Cemetery - it's just to the right after passing through the gate. I also obtained copies of their wills from the courthouse in Cherokee.

Now I'm wondering if there is further information available about their lives in the area. I think they lived in Ingersoll and I took photos of the tile elevator. In my g grandmother's will there is mention of grain harvested by my grandfather, Alexander S. Leonhardt, being stored in an elevator.

I also noticed (and didn't have time to check it out) a one-room schoolhouse building with a sign "Short Springs Cemetery Assn."

Does the association have records of families in the area? Any information you could provide to me would be greatly appreciated." -- Loreva Joyce Leonhardt Norton - Email: sunjoyce74@msn.com
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Warwick, Oklahoma

"On your OkieLegacy site for Warwick, Oklahoma, you list one of the first businesses as McCall's Blacksmith. Could you please tell me the source of this information? According to probate records, I believe my ggg-grandfather was the first blacksmith there ... Thomas Maciol ... which is often mistaken for McCall or mispelled Macoil. I would like to find and look at the documentation. Thank you!" -- Ginger McCall - Email: gmcall4@suddenlink.net

[Editor's: I believe the information concerning Warwick, Oklahoma came from a pamphlet I picked up at the Lincoln Historical Society.]
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Britton, Oklahoma Connection

"Carrie (Email: carriec1@cox.net) wrote and says, "Hello... I saw a website called okielegacy.org ... and that is how I get your email address. I saw that you were talking about the old Britton area of OKC. I am actually doing some family research in that area. My dad's mother died when she was 24 years old in the year 1948, in Britton. Do you know if Britton streets have been renamed? She lived on a street called W. Broadway but when I try to Mapquest the address it doesn't show it. Also, do you know where I could find some old city maps of Britton ... from the 1940's? And do you know what the Cotton Exchange Bldg was? Was it in Britton? I'm trying to find someone who knew my grandmother ... her name was Mary Ellen Baker, married name Mary Ellen Lewis. If you could be of any help, I would appreciate it! Thanks! -- Carrie"

"Wow! It is indeed a small world being made smaller by the Internet.

Yes the streets of Britton were renamed about the time that Britton became a part of Oklahoma City. Also, I was still going to Britton High school in 1948 and am sending this message (and my reply) to others who were attending the school at that time, and even to some others who have an interest in the stories of Britton as it was before it became a part of OKC.

My family had a grocery store (Kendrick Grocery) there but I do not remember where Broadway was at that time. The Broadway that I remember was the one that paralleled that old interurban streetcar (railway) tracks. However, I think that perhaps Fran Morris or Hugh Goodall (perhaps others) might have the answer. As to early city maps, I have no idea where to find one. I do remember (because you 'jogged' my memory) that at one time there was a city directory that listed folks and their addresses, and whether they had a phone (and its number) but also don't know whether there are any still in existence. My folks grocery store was next door to the Howard Johnston's residence, and Howard Johnston was the person who had created the old Britton telephone exchange and later merged it into Southwestern Bell (and became a line chief for them). In our neighborhood, the youngsters had the old crank-type telephones that had been used in earlier days, and the switchboard was in Stan and Steve's bedroom (which was just across our driveway from the dining room in our house which was located at the rear of the grocery store).

I do not remember the Cotton Exchange Building but suspect that it was in the south part of 'Downtown' OKC. I do remember some Baker's but don't remember a Mary Ellen. My mom was the daughter of William Orville Lewis and his wife Mary E. (Mamie) but there were other Lewis families in Britton and I don't remember a Mary Ellen Lewis.

Therefor, I have not YET been any help to you, but I'm hoping that one of the folks who receive a copy of this email can provide some answers. Please let me know how this turns out. I too am a family history buff and always searching for more information about the town where I spent my youth, and the people who lived there." -- Roy Kendrick
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Growing Up In Oklahoma & Buyin' Diamonds

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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Greenbrier College for Women

"My grandmother attended the Greenbriar Institute in 1903-1905. She later went on to become a nurse before marrying my grandfather, in 1912. Her name was Katherine Ingles, and she married William Palmer Hill, of Richmond. I have a stash of the letters she received between 1899 and 1906, and they include several letters from her first cousin, Margaret Trollinger, who started at Hollins Institute at the same time. Kit, as she was called, was a descendant of Mary Draper Ingles, and her family home was on the New River in what is now Pulaski County. Does anyone else out there have any letters from that time period? If so, I'd be delighted to see them." -- Ellen A. Brown - Email: elbrown@vt.edu - Greenbrier College for Women Comment
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Thanks, Ken! Great Story!

"Thank you, Ken, for another great story. I laughed all the way through your ordeals and then sat and wondered why your nearly getting swamped, almost burning down the house AND losing a mess of crabs struck me as funny. . . Maybe it was because you lived to tell about another day of adventures." -- SBW - OKIELEGACY COMMENT
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Freedom Rodeo

"Linda: I have an extra copy of the Rodeo Program...will mail to you today. The Rodeo turned out great. The weather, of course, played in a big part ... it was perfect. I heard that the little town of Freedom swelled to about 14,000 throughout the three nights. The only clich was that the town lost electricity Thursday evening ... after the rodeo." -- Donna
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Learning K-K-Katy Song

"Singing songs in the car, traveling from Kansas to Oklahoma, we sang K-K-K-Katy... so I learned this in the late 60's & early 70's. Thanks for the memory!!" -- Christy Henry - Email: ccoulton@cox.net
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Fort Supply Sanitarium - NW OK

"I have been waiting for someone to be looking at the Sanatorium for a long time. So excited to talk to Phoebe. I have an Aldridge family member buried there." -- Vonnie Wright - Email: vnwright1977@yahoo.com

SBW says, "I'd also like to know how to get records of former patients at Fort Supply. Our great uncle, a WWI veteran, was there for some years." - OkieLegacy
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Perry's Weather & Gas Prices

"Our gas prices have crept up about a dime (to $3.54.9) at Conoco. I suspect they'll jump up some more because of this BIG storm (Gustav) that's in the Gulf Coast. Oklahoma Air Guard has sent huge aircraft (a flying hospital) to help bring patients from nursing homes and hospitals in the New Orleans evacuations. I understand that Louisville, Kentucky (I talked to a friend there late last night) is expecting at least 5,000 New Orleans refugees to arrive this weekend. They say that it'll be worse than Katrina.

We had a strange storm here Friday afternoon. This time the strong winds were from the east (instead of southwest) here in Perry and I had water almost curb to curb on the crowned street in front of my shop, but the rain gauge only showed an inch of water (perhaps a little less). Lots of cloud to ground lightning with it too. We're expecting more rain by Wednesday." -- Roy K
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Jack "Stit" Davidson

B Barker says, "What Mr. Davidson was saying was 'stit' but what was was a shortened form of 'still yet'. If you listened closely it came out 'styet'."

F. Thompson says, "Oh yeah, I remember Mr. Davidson. Was my history teacher one year. I always thought the "stit" was short for "still yet". Thanks for the memories."
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88 Years Ago... Women's Right To Vote

One of the things this week has been remembered for besides the Democratic National Convention is: 88 years ago, August 26, 1920 ... It was on this day in 1920 that the 19th Amendment was formally incorporated into the U.S. Constitution. It proclaimed, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." It ended more than 70 years of struggle by the suffragist movement.

It had passed through the House and Senate. At first, it looked like the amendment was not going to make it. And then, a 24-year-old legislator from Tennessee, Harry Burn, decided to vote for the amendment at the last minute because his mother wanted him to. And Tennessee became the 36th state to approve suffrage for women.

They sent the certified record of the Tennessee vote to Washington, D.C., and it arrived on August 26, 1920. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the proclamation that morning at 8 a.m. at his home. There was no ceremony of any kind, and no photographers were there to capture the moment. And none of the leaders of the woman suffrage movement were present to see him do it. Colby just finished his cup of coffee and signed the document with a regular, steel pen. Then he said, "I turn to the women of America and say: 'You may now fire when you are ready. You have been enfranchised." -- NW Okie
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45 Years Ago - Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have A Dream

I Have A Dream ... "I Have A Dream" is the popular name given to the historic public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites among others would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement....."
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