Sunday, February 28, 2010
Cigarettes, whiskey,and not so wild women!
I started smoking when I was thirteen or fourteen (It was the coolest back then)!. It lasted until I was nearly 70. I can't undo the effects or the consequences, but that doesn't keep me from wishing I had never started. I liked scotch on the rocks of all things, a drink I still enjoy at least twice a year! Linda and I have been married for thirty six years(I Think?) so the not so "wild women" faded a long time ago, if they ever existed..
Saturday, February 27, 2010
It was just a date
Carol Butler was the only friend of my sisters I ever dated and then only once. Depending on who and when they commented on the affair , it was perfect or a perfect disaster. As I recall it was a disaster. We had dinner downtown at the Hotel Black, then danced the evening away. It must have been well after "10" before I brought her home (she insisted). She did kiss me on the cheek before politely saying good night! I never dated another "friend" of my sister! By then a date was always on a Friday night and lasted until a least midnight if not later.
Ft Worth
Ft Worth, Texas was very good to me for a very long time. After renting for less than 6 months, we bought a three bedroom brick house on Wales. Where Wales ended at Trail Lake, we had a shopping center anchored by a Kroger Super Market. From then until the end of an era, we shopped in that center. Everything you needed could be found somewhere in that center. 7-11, a meat market, a cleaners, a dry goods store, a bar, a restaurant, a drug store, a Good Year Store, and of course Bernie's Burgers.(short for Bernstein).
Before some guy named McDonald came along, Texas was king of the burger franchise. There were at least three guys who worked in that business who lived within a mile. Blood (the type you give) was my only bond with Bernie. I gave blood when Bernie was in the hospital and never paid for a burger after that without a fight. I remember trying to dance at his daughters wedding (Jewish). I can only say that Bernie had to have liked me because I never could dance.
I became a member of the Jewish Community Center, bought a 17 foot boat, coached flag football, basket ball, swam every weekend during the summer, played racket ball, won the state championship in paddle ball while partnered with an agent from the FBI, and met Charlie Hillard a Ford Dealer. My second job by then was in advertising. After one of many ads, he became King Charlie Hillard. I bought one or two company cars from Charlie, but nothing personal.. The only other advertising clients I remember were Tandy Corp.and an FM radio station. For a while, I raced outboard boats on Lake Dallas then later on a lake near Denton. I also drove my very first hydroplane.
.
I taught all three of our children how to swim, then to water ski on Benbrook Lake and we camped by the lake almost every weekend during the summer. Someone who worked for Sinclair Oil gave us a canoe so both boats went with us to the lake. I learned to sail on Lake Worth and in the process met Buddy Champlain who owned Champlain Oil & Refining Co in Enid, Okla. I can't recall the person who actually taught me to sail but he worked for Buddy.
The Leonard Brothers owned a Department Store in downtown Ft Worth. They also started Shady Oaks Country Club because the "establishment" wouldn't let Jews belong to a "traditional" country club. As you might guess, Ben Hogan was the pro. I joined Colonial Golf & Country Club (a traditional club) and followed Arnold Palmer around the golf course every spring from then on as a part of Arnie's Army. Don Leonard became a judge and Lon Evans was elected Tarrant County Sheriff with my help. Unlike today, both men remembered who brought them to the dance. My favorite steak house was "The Farmer's Daughter" my favorite Tex-Mex Restaurant was called El Chico's. My children went almost every place I did. They were well behaved so it was a pleasure to take them anywhere. They also managed to go to the Zoo which I think was in Forest Park and ride the trains.
Before some guy named McDonald came along, Texas was king of the burger franchise. There were at least three guys who worked in that business who lived within a mile. Blood (the type you give) was my only bond with Bernie. I gave blood when Bernie was in the hospital and never paid for a burger after that without a fight. I remember trying to dance at his daughters wedding (Jewish). I can only say that Bernie had to have liked me because I never could dance.
I became a member of the Jewish Community Center, bought a 17 foot boat, coached flag football, basket ball, swam every weekend during the summer, played racket ball, won the state championship in paddle ball while partnered with an agent from the FBI, and met Charlie Hillard a Ford Dealer. My second job by then was in advertising. After one of many ads, he became King Charlie Hillard. I bought one or two company cars from Charlie, but nothing personal.. The only other advertising clients I remember were Tandy Corp.and an FM radio station. For a while, I raced outboard boats on Lake Dallas then later on a lake near Denton. I also drove my very first hydroplane.
.
I taught all three of our children how to swim, then to water ski on Benbrook Lake and we camped by the lake almost every weekend during the summer. Someone who worked for Sinclair Oil gave us a canoe so both boats went with us to the lake. I learned to sail on Lake Worth and in the process met Buddy Champlain who owned Champlain Oil & Refining Co in Enid, Okla. I can't recall the person who actually taught me to sail but he worked for Buddy.
The Leonard Brothers owned a Department Store in downtown Ft Worth. They also started Shady Oaks Country Club because the "establishment" wouldn't let Jews belong to a "traditional" country club. As you might guess, Ben Hogan was the pro. I joined Colonial Golf & Country Club (a traditional club) and followed Arnold Palmer around the golf course every spring from then on as a part of Arnie's Army. Don Leonard became a judge and Lon Evans was elected Tarrant County Sheriff with my help. Unlike today, both men remembered who brought them to the dance. My favorite steak house was "The Farmer's Daughter" my favorite Tex-Mex Restaurant was called El Chico's. My children went almost every place I did. They were well behaved so it was a pleasure to take them anywhere. They also managed to go to the Zoo which I think was in Forest Park and ride the trains.
Friday, February 26, 2010
School.
Although I never archived the elusive 4.0 I did graduate high school with a 3.9 and I did it with very little effort ( think what would have happened with a little effort!) I hated going to school except for my shop class, and the FFA, even when they rewarded me by making me a member of the National Honor Society. I much preferred to pass the time by fighting with anyone who would drop the gloves. (I have always had a very difficult time managing my temper). As you can guess, I spent a lot of my time in the counselors office or principals office
I started collage on my dads nickel and after two semesters flunked out of the University of Oklahoma. Jim McLemore was my room mate and a guy named Jim Mann lived across the hall in Cross Center. Had I bothered to attend just a few classes, things might have been different.(they call that 20/20 hind site). I came home that summer and went to work for John A. Brown Co installing appliances. The guy who drove the truck was a drunk. To my knowledge, he never drew a sober breath..He started drinking when we left the store and never stopped until we returned. I quit when a water heater blew up in my face. (he laughed, I quit) After I healed, Katherine Mann (no relation to Jim) hired me in the Layaway Department to keep me from reporting the appliance manager who happened to be a friend. (?) She managed the sales audit department at John A. Brown 20 some years later and worked for me
I decided that I 'd better go back to school after my experiences with Tom White and company or spend the rest of my life digging ditches . It took awhile but I managed to graduate from Central State College in December of 1961. My degree is a BS in Accounting with Minors in Economics and Industrial Arts. It took both minors to house the courses that I managed to pass at OU (where do you get computers from that?).
We promptly moved to Ft Worth, Tex and I never looked back.
I started collage on my dads nickel and after two semesters flunked out of the University of Oklahoma. Jim McLemore was my room mate and a guy named Jim Mann lived across the hall in Cross Center. Had I bothered to attend just a few classes, things might have been different.(they call that 20/20 hind site). I came home that summer and went to work for John A. Brown Co installing appliances. The guy who drove the truck was a drunk. To my knowledge, he never drew a sober breath..He started drinking when we left the store and never stopped until we returned. I quit when a water heater blew up in my face. (he laughed, I quit) After I healed, Katherine Mann (no relation to Jim) hired me in the Layaway Department to keep me from reporting the appliance manager who happened to be a friend. (?) She managed the sales audit department at John A. Brown 20 some years later and worked for me
I decided that I 'd better go back to school after my experiences with Tom White and company or spend the rest of my life digging ditches . It took awhile but I managed to graduate from Central State College in December of 1961. My degree is a BS in Accounting with Minors in Economics and Industrial Arts. It took both minors to house the courses that I managed to pass at OU (where do you get computers from that?).
We promptly moved to Ft Worth, Tex and I never looked back.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Jobs.
Unlike my dad who began and ended his career with the same co., I have held more jobs than I can possibly remember. Something I learned very early in life. Take care of your boss and never piss him off.. If he looks good, you look good. The first job I can recall was as an usher in the Ritz Theater working for Pug Hawkins. They have also included sweeping out the drug store, working behind the soda fountain, and selling a few over the counter Rexall products. I have never drawn unemployment (not that I wouldn't if I were eligible) and had never been fired until August of 1993. I took a sales job in the computer industry (on straight commission) in order to move from Oklahoma City(anything please!). I can't say that it bothered me because by then I already had another job with Man Power in the same industry. That job turned into the job I used to finish my career. It was an IBM contract with Boeing and "yes" it was negotiated by a woman!
In the years that had gone before I worked at everything from package boy for a super market to a VP of sales for several companies. I may have been good at sales but it never came easy. I've worked in that capacity for Monroe, Bristol Labs, French's, Continental Life (sold charter policies), Andrews Tower Co., American Bakeries (regional Manager), Stokley Vancamp, American Impacts Corp (VP of sales)., Management Recruiters (Office Manager OKC and Plano, Tex), John A Brown Co (VP Info Systems, member board of directors)., First National Bank of OKC, and Microage (just a salesman thank god!),. to name a few. Many of the jobs came my way because they came after me, a few came because I started the conversation.
I traveled a lot in some jobs (46 out of 48 states), very little in others. Starting with the Monroe-bot 11, most of my jobs were related to computers. I remember making two big mistakes, 1) I lost everything in a divorce, and 2) thought I could make more money being in business for myself. Both were disasters I cannot forget.
In the years that had gone before I worked at everything from package boy for a super market to a VP of sales for several companies. I may have been good at sales but it never came easy. I've worked in that capacity for Monroe, Bristol Labs, French's, Continental Life (sold charter policies), Andrews Tower Co., American Bakeries (regional Manager), Stokley Vancamp, American Impacts Corp (VP of sales)., Management Recruiters (Office Manager OKC and Plano, Tex), John A Brown Co (VP Info Systems, member board of directors)., First National Bank of OKC, and Microage (just a salesman thank god!),. to name a few. Many of the jobs came my way because they came after me, a few came because I started the conversation.
I traveled a lot in some jobs (46 out of 48 states), very little in others. Starting with the Monroe-bot 11, most of my jobs were related to computers. I remember making two big mistakes, 1) I lost everything in a divorce, and 2) thought I could make more money being in business for myself. Both were disasters I cannot forget.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Virginia Beatle .
Yes, I knew a Beatle! Virginia that is. She managed the cafeteria in Building 3001 of Tinker Air Force Base. She taught me to eat my vegetables and like it. Until she came along I ate nothing but meat and potatoes . My mother thought a vegetable wasn't done until it was mush, so I just ate the potatoes. I can't remember who else worked at the base restaurant, but no one ever forgot Virginia Beatle all 250lbs of her.
It was my first job after I got married. The job consisted of counting and depositing the daily cash from the base restaurants( all three). I also supervised the Vending Machine Company that serviced the base. Ron Wolfe owned (mafia front man) Interstate Vending Machine Co. and Tom White was their local interface (cash cow). I mistakenly thought Tom White offered a better deal. It took me less than a year to learn that it payed better if you worked with your brain not your brawn.
It was my first job after I got married. The job consisted of counting and depositing the daily cash from the base restaurants( all three). I also supervised the Vending Machine Company that serviced the base. Ron Wolfe owned (mafia front man) Interstate Vending Machine Co. and Tom White was their local interface (cash cow). I mistakenly thought Tom White offered a better deal. It took me less than a year to learn that it payed better if you worked with your brain not your brawn.
Liver & Onions
Yes, I hate liver & onions but it's not what you think! It's hard to believe now, but I was very frail for most of my first 8 or 9 years. The only way to combat the problem then was a regime that included daily doses of liver & iron tonic and cooked liver at least three times a week. My last dose of tonic came when I was 10 and the last time I ate liver of any kind was when I turned 11. For years after that no one dared to cook it when I was around.
My Father
It could take a long time to finally understand my father. (maybe never!). I'll start with State Fuel Supply Co. They either drilled for or bought natural gas. I believe that dad started with them after attending a two year business school in Oklahoma City. My brother was born in Rush Springs so he must have been transfered. My sister and I were born in Wewoka so that must have been another transfer. Two wild caters that I met while we lived in Wewoka were both in the Wewoka oil field at the time. A man whose name was Getty and another named Kerr. One later owned Getty Oil, the other owned Kerr-McGee Oil Co. (to bad it didn't rub off). The Wewoka field never produced much oil, but natural gas was plentiful (and cheap!) so the pipe yard behind Dad's building was a very busy place.
My father belonged to the First Presbyterian Church in Wewoka. He may have also been a member in Oklahoma City and in Rush Springs. I know that mother began attending meetings in the Rebecka lodge when they were in Rush Springs. That continued from then until they moved to Anadarko when State Fuel Supply Co was sold to ONG.
When we moved to Britton, he changed his membership to the First Baptist Church of Britton, Okla and didn't move it again until they moved to Anadarko with ONG. From then on his children attended his church. when ever the doors were open and he was in town. To my knowledge mother never attended anything but family weddings and funerals, Then only because she was forced.
Until we moved to 1410 Downing, we all walked to my dads church. Usher, Deacon, Sunday School Teacher, and Sunday School Superintendent were just a few of the tasks he performed. One chore I can remember far to vividly involved sobering up the preacher after a Saturday night at Fitzgerald's so that he could preach about hell fire and damnation on Sunday Morning (not what you'd call meaningful!)
My father belonged to the First Presbyterian Church in Wewoka. He may have also been a member in Oklahoma City and in Rush Springs. I know that mother began attending meetings in the Rebecka lodge when they were in Rush Springs. That continued from then until they moved to Anadarko when State Fuel Supply Co was sold to ONG.
When we moved to Britton, he changed his membership to the First Baptist Church of Britton, Okla and didn't move it again until they moved to Anadarko with ONG. From then on his children attended his church. when ever the doors were open and he was in town. To my knowledge mother never attended anything but family weddings and funerals, Then only because she was forced.
Until we moved to 1410 Downing, we all walked to my dads church. Usher, Deacon, Sunday School Teacher, and Sunday School Superintendent were just a few of the tasks he performed. One chore I can remember far to vividly involved sobering up the preacher after a Saturday night at Fitzgerald's so that he could preach about hell fire and damnation on Sunday Morning (not what you'd call meaningful!)
Names I can remember.
Ross Wildman was president of the First National Bank of Britton, Okla. Never borrowed a dime from him but he was my first banker. The bank was across the street from the Long Bell Lumber Co. Dr. Johnson was married to Jim McLemore's older sister. When they moved to Portland,Ore he sold his practice to Marcus Cox MD who became the doctor that both of my parents used for the rest of their lives. Dr. Cox's first office was on Main Street (Britton Rd.) next door to the Britton Theater. Can't remember her last name, but she owned Ethel's Cafe on Main Street next to McLemore's Drug. My sister and I had breakfast there for three or four mornings the only time I can remember my mother traveling with my dad. Just for the heck of it the next store front was a bakery, the next shop was a Western Auto Store and the corner housed a Sinclair Service Station.
Across the street and on the corner was Campbell's Drug. I went to High School with Bob Campbell. Behind Campbell's Drug was the post office. Next to Campbell's Drug to the east was a dry goods store, another cafe, the Ritz Theater, a T.G.& Y. store, and finally a plumbing shop before you crossed the street to the bank..
Paul Anderson lived in a corner house on Britton Rd, that was eventually sold to Joe Jones.(Sani-Sheen). His son Harold Anderson went to high school with me. The Carpenter Twins, Barbara and ? lived with their mother and grandfather on the same side of Britton Rd and across the street.
Doris Puckett (my sister's best friend for while) lived down the street from the grade school. The only person I can remember from grade school is G.W. English(big ears!) I can only guess, but he must have moved away before we went to Jr. High along with Tommy Glidwell.
Jerry Duncan, Ted Duncan, and Walter Bowers, (beat me up once), lived across the street from John Marshall. By the time I started the eighth grade no one ever messed with me again (could be because I bailed hay all summer long for my Uncle). One of the few Friday Night adventures during the winter was to win a fight in the parking lot, then go inside Split-T to celebrate. Can't remember a Friday Night when we didn't celebrate. Johnnie ? was a cook at Split-T before he started his own burger stands The first was on Britton Rd.
Across the street and on the corner was Campbell's Drug. I went to High School with Bob Campbell. Behind Campbell's Drug was the post office. Next to Campbell's Drug to the east was a dry goods store, another cafe, the Ritz Theater, a T.G.& Y. store, and finally a plumbing shop before you crossed the street to the bank..
Paul Anderson lived in a corner house on Britton Rd, that was eventually sold to Joe Jones.(Sani-Sheen). His son Harold Anderson went to high school with me. The Carpenter Twins, Barbara and ? lived with their mother and grandfather on the same side of Britton Rd and across the street.
Doris Puckett (my sister's best friend for while) lived down the street from the grade school. The only person I can remember from grade school is G.W. English(big ears!) I can only guess, but he must have moved away before we went to Jr. High along with Tommy Glidwell.
Jerry Duncan, Ted Duncan, and Walter Bowers, (beat me up once), lived across the street from John Marshall. By the time I started the eighth grade no one ever messed with me again (could be because I bailed hay all summer long for my Uncle). One of the few Friday Night adventures during the winter was to win a fight in the parking lot, then go inside Split-T to celebrate. Can't remember a Friday Night when we didn't celebrate. Johnnie ? was a cook at Split-T before he started his own burger stands The first was on Britton Rd.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
My Dad and his cars.
The first car I remember was a dark green Model A Ford Tudor. Back then a Ford came in any color you wanted as long as it was black so I can only guess, but it must have been painted. He drove that Ford as long as we lived in Wewoka. The next car I remember was his one and only Hudson. After that they were always 2-door green Oldsmobile 88s. He traded every 2 years for yet another one after that. The first Air Conditioned Car came in 1953. I started driving ( legally!) while he still owned a dark green 1951. Both my brother and I took his car when ever possible. The 1951 was fast, but after my brother hopped it up , it was screaming. On one of his many weekend trips back from Dallas, my brother wrecked it. Before my dad got the car back on Monday it had a completely new front end. According to legion, my dad never knew. (Ha!).
By the time I could drive, the Fair Grounds in Okla.City had installed a Drag Strip that was sponsored by the NHRA. We were there every Friday and Saturday night until my brother went into the Air Force. Our first car actually belonged to dad. My brother built, re-built and re-built the two dragsters. Both were in-line Mercury V-8 flat heads that ran on an alcohol mix. The second car was a rail job with wide slicks and a parachute to help stop it. I drove the cars (no fear?) and my brother built them. He had better sense when it came to driving. That last summer we won ever race we ran until we reached the regional finals in Kansas City.. During the regionals my ride caught on fire and blew up. Several fire extinguishers later it was the end of a not so promising career for both of us. It took several weeks for me to heal so we could no longer hide it from our folks. (They always knew, but until then they could play dumb).
By the time I could drive, the Fair Grounds in Okla.City had installed a Drag Strip that was sponsored by the NHRA. We were there every Friday and Saturday night until my brother went into the Air Force. Our first car actually belonged to dad. My brother built, re-built and re-built the two dragsters. Both were in-line Mercury V-8 flat heads that ran on an alcohol mix. The second car was a rail job with wide slicks and a parachute to help stop it. I drove the cars (no fear?) and my brother built them. He had better sense when it came to driving. That last summer we won ever race we ran until we reached the regional finals in Kansas City.. During the regionals my ride caught on fire and blew up. Several fire extinguishers later it was the end of a not so promising career for both of us. It took several weeks for me to heal so we could no longer hide it from our folks. (They always knew, but until then they could play dumb).
My Brother
My brother was born in Rush Springs, Okla. on March 19, 1932. he died on August 7, 1998. For no reason other than what I was told, I have always thought he was 6 years older. There are a lot of reasons why, none of which make any since. More likely than any other is the fact that I started the seventh grade the same year he graduated from high school. As long as he was at home we shared the same room. Of course my sister had her own room. Even today I am still finding out new things about Paul Edward Ferguson. I intend to be very careful what I say because he is no longer here to defend himself.
Sometime after we moved to Britton and before he left to go into the Air Force, (he was the only member of our family in three generations who served in the military). I remember taking a hammer and stopping him from ever bulling me again. It must have worked because two things happened that day. My dad took away the hammer before I could hit him more than once, and from then on he never came close to me again.
When he graduated from high school, he was already working at the service station where dad bought his gas, tires etc.. (a Mobil station in Britton, the first of many operated by Ralph Thein ). Sometime shortly after he graduated he started to work for O.G. & E. as a lineman. Nothing lasted very long and eventually he went into the Air Force. After boot camp, the Air Force stationed him in Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the rest of the time he served. Once a year, he would grace us for a day or so. He rode a motor cycle once and drove a car on another of his journeys.
His first marriage was to Jessie Marie Pierce. I don't have any record of when they were married or divorced. but after 4 children, they were divorced. I can only guess why (something to do with keeping your privates in your pants). His ex-wife and their youngest child came to live with us in the upstairs bedroom for a short time when we lived at 1504 Oxford Way. Some of my irrational anger with Jessie may have started then. We took her in and provided for both her and Stephanie for as long as they needed us.and my parents took in the three older kids. I think that I not only suggested that she was more than just capable I tried to teach her how.
Sometime after they separated Paul moved to Omaha, Neb where my sister was already living. At one time he drove a cab. Sometime later he moved to Denver, Col.
Sometime after we moved to Britton and before he left to go into the Air Force, (he was the only member of our family in three generations who served in the military). I remember taking a hammer and stopping him from ever bulling me again. It must have worked because two things happened that day. My dad took away the hammer before I could hit him more than once, and from then on he never came close to me again.
When he graduated from high school, he was already working at the service station where dad bought his gas, tires etc.. (a Mobil station in Britton, the first of many operated by Ralph Thein ). Sometime shortly after he graduated he started to work for O.G. & E. as a lineman. Nothing lasted very long and eventually he went into the Air Force. After boot camp, the Air Force stationed him in Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the rest of the time he served. Once a year, he would grace us for a day or so. He rode a motor cycle once and drove a car on another of his journeys.
His first marriage was to Jessie Marie Pierce. I don't have any record of when they were married or divorced. but after 4 children, they were divorced. I can only guess why (something to do with keeping your privates in your pants). His ex-wife and their youngest child came to live with us in the upstairs bedroom for a short time when we lived at 1504 Oxford Way. Some of my irrational anger with Jessie may have started then. We took her in and provided for both her and Stephanie for as long as they needed us.and my parents took in the three older kids. I think that I not only suggested that she was more than just capable I tried to teach her how.
Sometime after they separated Paul moved to Omaha, Neb where my sister was already living. At one time he drove a cab. Sometime later he moved to Denver, Col.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Cars
I learned to drive in a Ford that belonged to John Marshall. Dale Sallee taught the driving class which , if you passed the course, meant you could get get a drivers license when you were 15 1/2 years old. My brother owned a cream colored 49 Ford Tudor and an old Indian Motorcycle when he came back from the Air Force. I learned to drive both long before I could drive either one legally.
The very first car that I can remember owning was a brand new 1953 Chevy, Tudor, Hardtop, Convertible. It was jet black with a cream top, had every feature offered on a Chevy and cost all of 1200 dollars including tax from a new car dealer in Edmond, Okla. Gas was 16.9 for full service, I could do math in my head, and I could use a slide rule. A truck that belonged to the post office crashed into my car while it was parked(thank god I wasn't driving)!
I traded what was left of one Chevy for another Chevy from the same dealer. This time it was an all black 1957 Belair, Tudor, Hardtop, Convertible.. It had a black and silver interior and was my first V-8.
The worst car I ever owned was a Nash Rambler American station wagon. It was the only car we ever bought after reading all the test results from consumer reports. It died less than three months later when my wife crashed into the back of a '55 Ford. The Ford required a rear bumper and an alignment for good measure, the Rambler was a total wreck and had to be towed to the dealer.
We purchased a white Chevy II station wagon from a downtown dealer which we finally traded for a white 1965 Dodge Polara Convertible. It came with a red interior and was top of the line.
By then I was driving a blue Oldsmobile F85 and my wife always drove the Dodge. To say that she loved that car is an understatement, that is until she totaled it with our two sons in the back seat. We never owned another convertible after the wreck. Of course the wreck had to happen in Ada, Okla. That's when we purchased a white 1967 Pontiac Bonneville, Hardtop, Convertible. Nothing before or since has been that big!
The last time I saw that car was in 1969.
There were other cars, not the least of which was a 1967 chocolate brown Oldsmobile 442 Cutlass hardtop coupe. I bought it at Meador Oldsmobile in Ft Worth,.Tex. The only concession I made was an automatic transmission instead of a Hurst 4 speed. I can also say it was the last car that I fell in love with before I bought it. I guess when you've had the very best, everything else is just another car.
The very first car that I can remember owning was a brand new 1953 Chevy, Tudor, Hardtop, Convertible. It was jet black with a cream top, had every feature offered on a Chevy and cost all of 1200 dollars including tax from a new car dealer in Edmond, Okla. Gas was 16.9 for full service, I could do math in my head, and I could use a slide rule. A truck that belonged to the post office crashed into my car while it was parked(thank god I wasn't driving)!
I traded what was left of one Chevy for another Chevy from the same dealer. This time it was an all black 1957 Belair, Tudor, Hardtop, Convertible.. It had a black and silver interior and was my first V-8.
The worst car I ever owned was a Nash Rambler American station wagon. It was the only car we ever bought after reading all the test results from consumer reports. It died less than three months later when my wife crashed into the back of a '55 Ford. The Ford required a rear bumper and an alignment for good measure, the Rambler was a total wreck and had to be towed to the dealer.
We purchased a white Chevy II station wagon from a downtown dealer which we finally traded for a white 1965 Dodge Polara Convertible. It came with a red interior and was top of the line.
By then I was driving a blue Oldsmobile F85 and my wife always drove the Dodge. To say that she loved that car is an understatement, that is until she totaled it with our two sons in the back seat. We never owned another convertible after the wreck. Of course the wreck had to happen in Ada, Okla. That's when we purchased a white 1967 Pontiac Bonneville, Hardtop, Convertible. Nothing before or since has been that big!
The last time I saw that car was in 1969.
There were other cars, not the least of which was a 1967 chocolate brown Oldsmobile 442 Cutlass hardtop coupe. I bought it at Meador Oldsmobile in Ft Worth,.Tex. The only concession I made was an automatic transmission instead of a Hurst 4 speed. I can also say it was the last car that I fell in love with before I bought it. I guess when you've had the very best, everything else is just another car.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Cigars
Lester Steele and Don Bell are just two of many employees who worked for State Fuel Supply Co. Lester Steele smoked El Verso cigars. Those are the black ones in case you didn't know. My dad chewed King Edwards. I never saw him light one and never saw him without one in his mouth except in church. I met both men on one of the few trips I made with my dad. I remember a pipeline running through a broom corn field near Rush Springs, Okla and a meter yard in Anadarko, Okla. Funny how little you actually remember when you know nothing about what's going on.
Enchiladas and scrambled Eggs.
Enchiladas, scrambled Eggs, and cheese are still my very favorite Tex-Mex dish. Over the years I can say that I've tried them all. I judge each restaurant by first asking for my favorite. If they don't panic at the thought, I move on to phase two which is to try them. If I'm still standing when I'm finished it's been a good day!
My Mothers Parents
I'd like nothing better than to say that I understood my parents but that's not the case. My mother and my aunt were left behind when my grandfather and grandmother followed their only son to California. I can only assume that it was either furniture or kids and they choose furniture. Both of mothers parents settled across the street from their son and my grandfather never left California again. My grandmother did return once for just a few days. Later that year we received a large wooden box from my grandmother which contained toys for each of us among other things. I can only guess that it must have been an exceptional year because it never happened again.
In 1961, I drove Margret Hale's 1960 4 door Buick to California to see my grandparents and to take Nellie Stewart to see her sisters and cousins. When we finally reached Hamilton City, the first words out of my grandmother's mouth were about buying her a new dress. They lived in an Air Stream Trailer permanently parked across the street from their son Wallace and his wife Betty. Both of my grandparents were still on welfare and never thought a minute about changing anything. The same model A Ford Pickup that brought them to California was parked in the driveway. I bought the dress, filled the cabinets, slept with slugs, and left the next morning without ever looking back. The only words my grandfather ever spoke came after I came back from the grocery. He muttered something about more strawberries and cream, then went back to his TV. My wife never forgave me for not staying longer and for not understanding. Both of my mothers parents died without me ever seeing them again. I'd like to say that I regret not having seen them again but that wouldn't be true.
In 1961, I drove Margret Hale's 1960 4 door Buick to California to see my grandparents and to take Nellie Stewart to see her sisters and cousins. When we finally reached Hamilton City, the first words out of my grandmother's mouth were about buying her a new dress. They lived in an Air Stream Trailer permanently parked across the street from their son Wallace and his wife Betty. Both of my grandparents were still on welfare and never thought a minute about changing anything. The same model A Ford Pickup that brought them to California was parked in the driveway. I bought the dress, filled the cabinets, slept with slugs, and left the next morning without ever looking back. The only words my grandfather ever spoke came after I came back from the grocery. He muttered something about more strawberries and cream, then went back to his TV. My wife never forgave me for not staying longer and for not understanding. Both of my mothers parents died without me ever seeing them again. I'd like to say that I regret not having seen them again but that wouldn't be true.
Houses
I was born on December 10, 1936 (a Thursday) at 1:25am in Wewoka, Oklahoma during the height of the great depression. M.M Van Zandt MD delivered me according to my birth certificate. My mothers maiden name was shown incorrectly on my birth certificate as "Sybil Sue Myers". It should have read "Sybil Jewel Myers". We still lived at 1318 South Okfuskee when I started to school. It was a white 3 bedroom frame house with a rolled green asphalt roof.
My father worked for State Fuel Supply Co. (It was sold to Oklahoma Natural Gas in the 60's)which serviced natural gas to about twenty communities around the state of Oklahoma. The office for State Fuel Supply (were he retired after 44 years) was located on the alley around the corner from the hospital and across the street. There was a huge pipe yard behind a small brick building.
The Presbyterian Church where we spent the whole day every Sunday was on the square, We would picnic after church in the park. Everybody brought a dish and we shared. We played and once in a while I'd make the whole day without getting switched.
We walked everywhere. The grocery, the movie theater, church, the barber shop, and to the soda counter at the drug store. We had an old green Model A Ford sedan with a tar covered top. During the hot Oklahoma summers, it would get very soft. I remember getting in trouble for leaving my foot prints in the tar.
There are only a few things I remember about going to school for the first time. It was only three blocks from the house, I had to wear knickers, and I got paddled when I was in the Easter play. The teacher knocked the tail off my bunny rabbit costume when she hit me with a paddle. One other memory comes to mind that first year. I took a dump in my knickers when the teacher won't let me go to the restroom!
We moved from Wewoka to Bethany, Okla. during the summer of 1941. The house we rented was near the Nazarene College. (I think in was on East Bradley) It had a separate garage building with a dirt floor. By then my father started riding the bus so the car stayed in the garage most of the time. I do remember falling off the garage so maybe I was a terror on wheels!
Within a short time my parents purchased a 3 bedroom frame house located at 915 NW 94th Britton, Okla. The house was located a block north of downtown Britton, two blocks west of the Oklahoma City to Edmond trolley line which ran down the middle of Classen Blvd and less than a block east of the Santa Fe Railroad tracks. The lot was large and there was a chicken house located at the alley. It was a white frame house with a green rolled tar paper roof. We raised chickens in the back yard and I collected the eggs every morning before I went to school and burned trash in the alley behind our house. Tommie Glidwell lived across the alley and west in a house that looked like our except it was green. Karen and Ramona Edwards Lived across the street and to the east.
I started the second grade at Britton Elementary and raced the steam engines that pulled passenger trains to and from Chicago every morning. We walked to and from school and had to cross three sets of tracks to get there. Went to sleep every night to the sound of steam whistles and trains rushing by. Woke up every morning to the sound of switch engines pushing cars onto the siding. In 1947 my father brought home a brand new two tone green Hudson business coupe. We put chairs from my sisters tea set where the back seat would have been so that we could ride in the car.
That summer we had a wind storm and it took the old tar paper roofing off the house. My Brother, my grandfather Ferguson, Dad and I put on a new roof and my grandfather closed in the screen porch. I got a brand new red Schwin bike that same summer and the Palmer's moved into the little house that had been converted from a garage at the back of the lot next door.
Gertie Palmer, her son Billy, her daughter, and her mother (Mrs. Procter), shared three rooms until her brother built a 3 bedroom house for them on the front of the lot. Her brother (Charlie Procter) worked for Mohawk Drilling Co. as a tool pusher. I can't remember anything about her ex-husband. She worked for D.F. McLemore Drug along with my mother and long after mother quit working.
Jim McLemore was D. F. McLemore's oldest son and my best friend for 20 years. Jim had a younger brother named Jeff. Jim married and moved to Dallas when he graduated from college and we lost touch. We were roommates in college and spent time together everyday from Christmas of 1941 until we came home after our freshman year at Oklahoma University.
My last year in high school, dad bought the house at 1410 Downing which he still owned when he died. He rented it or my sister lived there after they moved to Anadarko, Okla. In the early 60's, Dad converted what had been my bedroom into a dining room. About 1980 my Dad and I converted the one car garage into a Den.
My father worked for State Fuel Supply Co. (It was sold to Oklahoma Natural Gas in the 60's)which serviced natural gas to about twenty communities around the state of Oklahoma. The office for State Fuel Supply (were he retired after 44 years) was located on the alley around the corner from the hospital and across the street. There was a huge pipe yard behind a small brick building.
The Presbyterian Church where we spent the whole day every Sunday was on the square, We would picnic after church in the park. Everybody brought a dish and we shared. We played and once in a while I'd make the whole day without getting switched.
We walked everywhere. The grocery, the movie theater, church, the barber shop, and to the soda counter at the drug store. We had an old green Model A Ford sedan with a tar covered top. During the hot Oklahoma summers, it would get very soft. I remember getting in trouble for leaving my foot prints in the tar.
There are only a few things I remember about going to school for the first time. It was only three blocks from the house, I had to wear knickers, and I got paddled when I was in the Easter play. The teacher knocked the tail off my bunny rabbit costume when she hit me with a paddle. One other memory comes to mind that first year. I took a dump in my knickers when the teacher won't let me go to the restroom!
We moved from Wewoka to Bethany, Okla. during the summer of 1941. The house we rented was near the Nazarene College. (I think in was on East Bradley) It had a separate garage building with a dirt floor. By then my father started riding the bus so the car stayed in the garage most of the time. I do remember falling off the garage so maybe I was a terror on wheels!
Within a short time my parents purchased a 3 bedroom frame house located at 915 NW 94th Britton, Okla. The house was located a block north of downtown Britton, two blocks west of the Oklahoma City to Edmond trolley line which ran down the middle of Classen Blvd and less than a block east of the Santa Fe Railroad tracks. The lot was large and there was a chicken house located at the alley. It was a white frame house with a green rolled tar paper roof. We raised chickens in the back yard and I collected the eggs every morning before I went to school and burned trash in the alley behind our house. Tommie Glidwell lived across the alley and west in a house that looked like our except it was green. Karen and Ramona Edwards Lived across the street and to the east.
I started the second grade at Britton Elementary and raced the steam engines that pulled passenger trains to and from Chicago every morning. We walked to and from school and had to cross three sets of tracks to get there. Went to sleep every night to the sound of steam whistles and trains rushing by. Woke up every morning to the sound of switch engines pushing cars onto the siding. In 1947 my father brought home a brand new two tone green Hudson business coupe. We put chairs from my sisters tea set where the back seat would have been so that we could ride in the car.
That summer we had a wind storm and it took the old tar paper roofing off the house. My Brother, my grandfather Ferguson, Dad and I put on a new roof and my grandfather closed in the screen porch. I got a brand new red Schwin bike that same summer and the Palmer's moved into the little house that had been converted from a garage at the back of the lot next door.
Gertie Palmer, her son Billy, her daughter, and her mother (Mrs. Procter), shared three rooms until her brother built a 3 bedroom house for them on the front of the lot. Her brother (Charlie Procter) worked for Mohawk Drilling Co. as a tool pusher. I can't remember anything about her ex-husband. She worked for D.F. McLemore Drug along with my mother and long after mother quit working.
Jim McLemore was D. F. McLemore's oldest son and my best friend for 20 years. Jim had a younger brother named Jeff. Jim married and moved to Dallas when he graduated from college and we lost touch. We were roommates in college and spent time together everyday from Christmas of 1941 until we came home after our freshman year at Oklahoma University.
My last year in high school, dad bought the house at 1410 Downing which he still owned when he died. He rented it or my sister lived there after they moved to Anadarko, Okla. In the early 60's, Dad converted what had been my bedroom into a dining room. About 1980 my Dad and I converted the one car garage into a Den.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Wewoka
I was born on December 10, 1936 in Wewoka, Okla. a Seminole word meaning "barking water". It was the location of the Seminole national capital after the Seminole slaves were removed from Florida. The hospital where my sister and I were born and had our tonsils removed was called McCloud general hospital. It was down town above the movie theater. I'm a middle child so I was pretty much left alone. My older brother and my younger sister were alternately loved or hated depending on the mode of my parents. We walked everywhere, but then so did almost everyone else. My father was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and seemed to be there anytime the door opened. We lived at 1318 South Okfuskee near the grade school I attended. I remember my father had a dark green Model A Ford which I don't recall riding in except when he drove out to a well head for drip gas. I'm not sure drip gas was all that good for a Ford but his seemed none the worse.
Teachers.
I remember many of my high school teachers. They made an impression which has lasted far longer than I would have ever dreamed. Those I remember run the gamut from Leonard Hanstein who taught math, Dale Sallee who taught Drivers Education among other things, Marion Dierdorf who taught Spanish, to Fern Collier who taught history, and Harry West who was the Principal. Unlike today, each one was respected for the job they did. I was part of the first class that went all six years to John Marshall Jr Sr High School and graduated. I moved from Britton Jr Sr High School when it was replaced by John Marshall. It was about mid-term during my seventh grade year. Britton High was later torn down and replaced by William Henry Harrison Elementary. Britton High was a multiple story building with a swimming pool in the basement and a practice field behind it. Harrison Elementary was a single story building that covered the same space.
Math and American History were my strong suits, Spanish not so much. Back then the school required two years of a foreign language before you could graduate. I never got to first base with Spanish so it had to be German or not make my own graduation.
My first plane ride was in an open cockpit biplane (yellow!) owned by Leonard Hanstein. It lasted about 15 minutes but seemed like forever. The Airport where we took off and landed was called Wiley Post Airport. It was located parallel to lake Hefner and at the crossroads of Britton Road and May Avenue. The year was1952.
I started getting paid to work when I was about 12. My first job was working for Pug Hawkins at the two Movie theaters he owned (The Ritz and The Britton Theater) (he also owned the Orchid Cleaners ). I started out working in the concession stands and ushering, later I graduated to running the projectors.
The first job that comes to mind after we moved to the village was with Humpty-Dumpty Super Markets as a package boy. Roy Beard hired me, mainly because he and my father went to the same church. Bill Ulrich was the manager of the store. I was just 14 and the store was brand new so we grew up together. I worked in the meat market and eventually became the produce manager in that store. Summers were spent working full time for their managers while they took vacations.
Math and American History were my strong suits, Spanish not so much. Back then the school required two years of a foreign language before you could graduate. I never got to first base with Spanish so it had to be German or not make my own graduation.
My first plane ride was in an open cockpit biplane (yellow!) owned by Leonard Hanstein. It lasted about 15 minutes but seemed like forever. The Airport where we took off and landed was called Wiley Post Airport. It was located parallel to lake Hefner and at the crossroads of Britton Road and May Avenue. The year was1952.
I started getting paid to work when I was about 12. My first job was working for Pug Hawkins at the two Movie theaters he owned (The Ritz and The Britton Theater) (he also owned the Orchid Cleaners ). I started out working in the concession stands and ushering, later I graduated to running the projectors.
The first job that comes to mind after we moved to the village was with Humpty-Dumpty Super Markets as a package boy. Roy Beard hired me, mainly because he and my father went to the same church. Bill Ulrich was the manager of the store. I was just 14 and the store was brand new so we grew up together. I worked in the meat market and eventually became the produce manager in that store. Summers were spent working full time for their managers while they took vacations.
Flat Top Haircuts
When I was growing up, flat tops were all the rage. My first coincided with our move to Britton, Okla.in 1944 or 45. It took a couple of years to perfect, but by 1947 it was nothing if not perfect. Part of every Saturday included a trip to Johnnie's barbershop (owned and operated by none other than Johnnie Sorrels). Pride came in small doses then and my haircut was known as the best for miles around (well maybe it was just blocks).
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