-- East Coast Edition –
-- Printed in Loving Memory of Wanda J.
Jackson 1934 - 2011 –
Read old/current issues online at:
http://www.234enterprises.com/RooseveltNews/newscenter.htm
Editors:
E-mail: mmay@234enterprises.com
Carolyn Niebruegge May Michael L. May 
Vol. 3, Is. 24 Dec.
27, 2013
From the
Editor
It’s the day after Christmas
and plans called for us to have been on the road for almost an hour headed to
Nana has every right to be
tired. Her pre-Christmas week consisted
of at least 4 batches of fudge (with Karen’s help), 2 batches of Crock Pot
Peanut Clusters, and at least 40 dozen cookies.
She brought so much joy to so many during this Christmas season because
she has totally subscribed to the philosophy of “it is more blessed to give
than receive.” Even through the
tiredness I can see the exuberance she displays by giving and sharing with
others. My biggest concern is that she
has “raised the bar” so high that she may have difficulty in keeping it there
as the next Christmas season approaches.
I should say that it is no coincidence that her volume of “goodie
production” increased this year. We’ve
found in retirement that the most we miss about work is the crossover with
coworkers who had become friends.
Outside of that environment there is always a quest for new
friendships. We have had a “banner year”
in that respect, hence the need for more “giving” to show our appreciation for
the newly acquired friends.
One of the things I notice
in retirement and in “older age” is the attention and respect shown to those of
us “older in tooth.” No, you don’t see
it from everybody. Some prefer to
pretend that we of the older set are invisible and not worthy of the time of
day, but the vast majority--who were raised by caring and responsible parents
“pay that training forward” and exemplify their upbringing. I have always said that the most important
advice my Dad gave to me from the time I was a little boy was, “Son, always pay
attention to old folks because so many don’t.
It means so much to them and will do so much for you to see their
reaction to your kindness.” Such good
advice--advice that I suspect many other parents passed on to their children.
We trust that each of you
have enjoyed a very joyous Christmas season with family and friends and through
your experience have made memories not only for you, but for the little ones in
your family that they will remember and fondly reflect upon as they too grow
older.
Happy New Year!
mlm
Editor’
Note: Since we are traveling to visit
our
Content
Contributors for the Week
Marilyn
(Morgan) Lester, Class of 1964
Derl
Williams
All
those who sent messages to the Email “Bag”
Thank
you all!
Remembering…
Another story
by Derl Williams
A Time of Change
1944 was a time of change
for both the Williams and
The folks made the obvious
choice and on November 18, 1944, the Miller's signed the Deed of Sale
transferring ownership of the farm—that they homesteaded some forty years
earlier—to my parents. Shortly
thereafter I celebrated my 13th birthday.
In this same time frame, Sherrill Jennings purchased the Otter Creek
Farm and early that fall a construction crew began digging a partial basement,
which were a rarity in the area, underneath the Jennings new house; a few yards
in front of the old house where we lived.
After school each afternoon
we kids could hardly wait to get home and see changes made by the workmen that
day. While digging the small basement,
the excavators encountered a huge granite boulder near the back side of the
hole. Upon arrival from school one
afternoon us kids were told they were going to set off
a charge of dynamite and blast the bolder out.
We didn’t have a clue to
what that all meant, except we were told it would be noisy and noticed roofing
sheet-iron now covered the front windows of our house. So to watch these goings-on, Jack and I
positioned ourselves on the far side of dad’s four wheel grain trailer, parked
just north of the house; with our hands resting gently on the sideboard while
peeking over its top. We watched as
workmen scurried about making final preparations and then all gathered around a
small wooden box, set some distance away in the driveway.
All at once the dynamite
exploded—with the loudest noise I had ever heard in my life; the ground
literally vibrated—and instinct took over.
Jack and I both dropped to the ground like we had been shot and lay in
stunned silence while looking out from underneath the trailer, as the dust and
debris drifted slowly back to earth.
Thoughts from
the Squirrel Lair
Editor’s Note:
Yes, it is the day after Christmas but this is too good not to include
and we did not receive it until after last week’s issue.
He Is All Around Us
CHRISTMAS AT A GAS STATION
The old man sat in his
gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years
since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He
didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. He was
sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and
wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped
through.
Instead of throwing the
man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and
sit by the heater and warm up. "Thank you, but I don't mean to
intrude," said the stranger.
"I see you're busy, I'll just go."
"Not without something
hot in your belly." George said. He turned and opened a wide
mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but
it's hot and tasty. Stew ... Made it myself.
When you're done, there's coffee and it's fresh."
Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell.
"Excuse me, be right back," George said. There in the driveway
was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish
accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken."
George opened the hood. It was bad.
The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead.
"You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned
away.
"But Mister, please help." The door of the office closed behind
George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to
his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building,
opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple
was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She
ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."
George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into
the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad
I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That
'ol truck has brand new ones." George thought he was talking
to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk,
empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got
something in his belly," George thought.
George went back outside to
see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck
had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do.
Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered that the block hadn't
cracked; it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot,
I can fix this," he said to himself. So he put a new one on.
"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter
either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old
George helped the
officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a
medic. He knew the wound needed
attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought.
The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop
towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey,
they say duct tape can fix anything'," he said, trying to make the
policeman feel at ease.
"Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills
he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some
water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You hang in there;
I'm going to get you an ambulance."
The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on
that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that
a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way
radio. He went back in to find the policeman sitting up.
"Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me
there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."
George sat down beside
him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna
leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding.
"Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through
'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with
time you’re gonna be right as rain."
George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?"
he asked. "None for me," said the officer. "Oh, yer
gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too
bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer
laughed and winced at the same time.
The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a
gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man
yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done
anything like this before.
"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.
"Son, why are you doing
this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt.” The
young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you,
too. Now give me the cash!” The cop reached for his gun.
"Put that thing away," George said to him, "we got one too many
in here now."
He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's
Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here.
It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pea shooter away."
George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching
for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his
grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm not very
good at this am I? All I wanted was to
buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week."
George handed the gun to the
cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it
through the best we can."
He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the
cop. "Sometimes we do stupid
things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that
makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit
there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."
The young man stopped crying, and looked at the cop "Sorry I shot
you. It just went off. I'm sorry
officer." he said. "Shut up and drink your coffee," the
cop said.
George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an
ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns
drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded
officer.
"Not bad for a guy who
took a bullet. How did you find me?"
"GPS
locator in the car. Best
thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he
approached the young man. Chuck answered him, "I don't know.
The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and
ran." George and the young man both looked puzzled at each
other. "That guy work here?" the wounded cop continued.
"Yep," George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost
his job."
The paramedics came in and
loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded
cop and whispered, "Why?"
Chuck just said, "Merry
Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything."
"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That
ought to solve some of your problems."
George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a
ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think
Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."
The young man looked inside
to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take
this," said the young man. "It means something to
you."
"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I
got my memories. That's all I need."
George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck
appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to
sell. "Here's something for that little man of
yours." The young man began to cry again as he handed back the
$150 that the old man had handed him earlier.
"And what are you
supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George
said. "Now get home to your family."
The young man turned with
tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for
work, if that job offer is still good." "Nope.
I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day
after."
George turned around and
found the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I
thought you'd left?"
"I have been here. I have always been here," said the
stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas.
Why?"
"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother
was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree.
Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."
The stranger put his hand on
George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George.
You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he
will become a great doctor.
The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by
terrorists. The young man who tried to
rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself.
"That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any
man."
George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do
you know all this?" asked the old man.
"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing.
And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."
The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George,
I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration
planned."
George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger
was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the
room.
"You see, George ... it's My
birthday. Merry Christmas."
George fell to his knees and
replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus"
This story is better than any greeting card.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD
BLESS!
Now clear the lump from your
throat, blow your nose, and send this along to a friend of yours or someone who
may need a reminder as to why we celebrate Christmas.
Tomorrow is not promised, - Cherish
today!
Alumni Website
We have renewed the account that Wanda
Jackson had set up at the photo sharing website, picturetrail.com for the
Roosevelt Alumni: http://www.picturetrail.com/rooseveltalumni. She had posted many pictures from past
reunions, class panels, and old schools buildings along with write ups about
them. We thought you might find these
interesting if you haven’t visited this site in the past.
Cooperton Valley Picture Trail
The “
Interesting
Tidbits
Farmland, the Movie
This movie will tell the
story of young farmers of today.
http://www.farmlandfilm.com/#trailer
********
Aerial Tree Trimming
This was filmed in
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=HE0HEtHFemQ
News
The
Roosevelt Senior Citizens has reopened from the summer break. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00
p.m. Lunch for Seniors
is $4 and for the younger generation is $5.
The
menu for next week is as follows:
Tuesday,
Dec 31: Closed
Thursday,
Jan. 2: Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce, Green
Beans, garlic Rolls, Salad Bar, Dessert
********
Annual New
Year’s Eve Dance
The
Annual New Year’s Eve Dance will be held on Tuesday, December 31, at the
There
will be black-eyed pea potluck dinner so please bring a covered dish. The Wichita Valley Boys will provide the
entertainment. This is a family friendly
event as there is no smoking or alcohol allowed.
Come
enjoy the evening and ring in the New Year.
********
Cooperton
Community Dinner
The Cooperton Community Dinner will be
Friday, January 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cooperton Community Dinner. Food will be beans and chili. Everyone is asked to bring either beans or chili
or a covered dish that compliments the meal.
Birthdays and
Anniversaries
We
have compiled all of the birthday and anniversary information we could from
Wanda’s files. We are sure we are
missing some. Please send us the
birthdays and anniversaries for your family and friends so that we can have as
complete as list as possible. We are
going to start with what we have from Wanda’s files so if we miss you, please
send us the information so we have it for the news next year. In addition, should any of the birthdays we
list be wrong, also please let us know.
Happy Birthday
To:
December 27 – Haylee
Hopkins
December 27 – Randy Jackson, Class of 1964
December 27 – Shawn Dickinson
December 28 – Alice (
January 2 – Michael
Muldowney, Class of 1967
Humor
With the holidays upon us I
would like to share a personal experience with you about drinking and driving
after a "social session" with friends. Well, this past Wednesday, I
was out on a pre-Thanksgiving evening with friends. I had a few cocktails,
followed by a handful of glasses of vintage red wine. Despite the jolliness, I
still had the sense to know that I was over the limit. That's when I decided to
do what I have never done before: I took a cab home. Sure enough, there was a
police road block on the freeway but, since it was a cab, they waved it past. I
arrived home safely without incident. This was both a great relief and surprise
because I had never driven a cab before. I don't even know where I got it from
and, now that it is in my garage, I don't know what to do with it.
From the Email
“Bag”
December
19, 2013
Your Christmas delivery made an old
women happy as you know this year is different without John so I needed
some happy things to happen. They were
all good but the little boys were great, the officer and all the others. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Paula Block, Class of 1961
********
December
19, 2013
Hey Mike and Carolyn,
Thanks for all your good
effort to keep us informed about
Have a blessed Christmas
celebration with your family.
Peace,
Jim and Val Harvey
Food for
Thought
Many say this cartoon rings
true in today’s political and economic climate.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-pod-1934-cartoon-pic,0,7114709.photo
Obituaries
Useful
Links:
Becker
Funeral Home of Snyder, OK
http://www.beckerfuneral.com/?page=snyder
Peoples
Cooperative Funeral
http://www.peoplescooperativefuneralhome.com/who-we-are/history
Ray
and Martha’s Funeral Home of Hobart,
http://www.234enterprises.com/Roosevelt%20Cemetery%20Layout.htm
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/listing/user/rooseveltcemetery
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2176228
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?=cr&CRid=99577&CScn=Springhill+Cemetery&CScntry=4&CSst=38&
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=98525
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99399&CScn=Hobart+Rose&CScntry=4&CSst=38
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2246374&CScn=Resurrection&CScntry=4&CSst=38
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99042&CScn=Mountain+Park&CScntry=4&CSst=38
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99397&CScn=roosevelt&CScntry=4&CSst=38
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99439
_
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