Roosevelt News

-- East Coast Edition –

 

-- Printed in Loving Memory of Wanda J. Jackson 1934 - 2011 –

 

News Center

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. 37                                                                                      Mar. 28, 2014

 

 

From the Editor

 

Well, our lives have been a bit complicated this week and thus we are running a little late in getting this issue out.

 

We left home very early last Thursday heading to Marietta, GA, to spend the weekend with our children and to help Parker celebrate his second birthday (that’s why last week’s issue was late—we were on the road on Thursday when we normally would have put it out and I didn’t get it finished until the late hours of Wednesday night.)  The grandchildren were so happy to see us and that always makes us very happy.  We looked forward to resting a little on Friday while the kids were at work and daycare so we would be ready for a big weekend with them.  Well, on Friday morning we were greeted with the news that Parker had been sick several times during the night and Mom and Dad had been up with him giving him another bath and changing his bed.  So Nana and PaPa kept Parker while the others headed off for their day.  Other than sleeping a little more than usual, Parker was fine during the day on Friday and by Saturday you would never have known anything was wrong with him. 

 

Saturday in Georgia was a beautiful day and we enjoyed spending much of it on the newly constructed screened in porch—a big change to the snow and cold we have had in Virginia.  Kevin and I enjoyed watching as many of the NCAA basketball tournament games as we possibly could—often switching from channel to channel to be sure we were seeing the best one—that is unless UVA was playing and we were glued to that game from start to finish.  Kevin and I have spent many hours over the years enjoying college basketball together.   In fact, Brenda had been so thoughtful as to suggest that maybe Kevin should meet us in Raleigh, NC, so we could go to the UVA game in person on our way to Atlanta.  Kevin decided against that when he found out the game was at 9:50 p.m. on Thursday night.  It’s a good 8 hours to Atlanta from there so it would have taken most of our weekend away from the grandkids.

 

Sunday morning found both Mike and I sick with the “bug” that Parker had during Thursday night.  I guess even though he seemed to be okay on Friday, he was still carrying the “bug” and willingly (or maybe not) shared it with us.  Unfortunately, Nana and PaPa didn’t recover as quickly as Parker did.  So all plans for Sunday which included breakfast at a restaurant Brenda wanted to take us to and shopping for Parker’s birthday present had to be cancelled.  Brenda did go out and shop for us. 

 

Monday morning we found that Parker didn’t think sharing his “bug” with Nana and PaPa was sufficient.  He had also shared it with his Mom.  At that point Brenda decided that the cake she baked for him on Sunday night might be contaminated so it went in the trash.  And even though Monday was his actual birthday, we didn’t celebrate until Tuesday night.  By then Brenda was better as were Nana and PaPa.  When the kids arrived home from daycare on Tuesday, they helped Mom quickly mix another cake which baked while we ate dinner.  Then after quickly icing it, Parker got to have his cake and open his presents.

Don’t think he had any idea that we were a day late.  He was just so happy to have cake and new toys.

 

Unfortunately, at our age we don’t overcome the “bug” as quickly as a two year old.  We delayed our departure until Wednesday to give us an extra day to recover.  We were definitely better but that 635 mile trip was really hard on us.  And as always happens, traffic was much worse than normal when leaving Atlanta and we made more stops than normal so the usual 10 ½ to 11 hour trip took over 12.  We are glad to be home and most of the way back to normal.

 

Having said that, we did enjoy the time we had with the kids and the little ones.  They grow so fast and change so much that every minute we get with them is treasured.  We are so thankful that we have IPads in Georgia and Virginia so that we can Facetime with them on a weekly basis.  When I told Raegan it had been too long since I last saw her, she replied, “I saw you and talked to you on the IPad.”  These little ones don’t even know what a house phone is as Kevin and Brenda only have cell phones.  What a change!!  I still remember the crank phones that hung on the wall, party lines, operators placing the call for you, etc.  Maybe we should do a “Remembering” on phones—that would be interesting so see what each of you remember about that.

 

cnm

 

 

 

Content Contributors for the Week

 

Clyde & Mabel Blackwood, Classes of 1943 and 1946

Bill Hancock

 

All those who sent messages to the Email “Bag”

 

Thank you all!

 

 

 

Remembering…

 

Babbs Switch Fire

 

Editor’s Note:  Bill Hancock has done some memories on the Babbs Switch Fire recently.  The following link is to a documentary that Andrew Barker of Hobart put together for a class project in 2010.  Most of us have heard stories of the Babbs Switch fire over the years and you will find this interesting.  The Kiowa County Historical Museum also has an interesting display on the fire.

 

 

 

Thoughts from the Squirrel Lair

 

SIX BOYS AND 13 HANDS

 

Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI, where I grew up, to videotape their trip.  I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me.  This fall's trip was especially memorable. 

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial.  This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II. 

Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial.  I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, 'Where are you guys from?' 

I told him that we were from Wisconsin.  'Hey, I'm a cheese head, too!  Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story.' 

(It was James Bradley who just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day.  He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who had passed away.  He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up.  I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape.  It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, DC, but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.) 

 

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak.  (Here are his words that night.) 


'My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin.  My dad is on that statue, and I wrote a book called 'Flags of Our Fathers.'  It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. 


'Six boys raised the flag.  The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block.  Harlon was an all-state football player.  He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team.  They were off to play another type of game.  A game called 'War.'  But it didn't turn out to be a game.  Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands.  I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war.  You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even would talk to their families about it. 


(He pointed to the statue.) 'You see this next guy?  That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire.  If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph--a photograph of his girlfriend Rene put in there for protection because he was scared.  He was 18 years old.  It was just boys who won the battle of Iwo Jima.  Boys.  Not old men. 

'The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank.  Mike is my hero.  He was the hero of all these guys.  They called him the 'old man' because he was so old.  He was already 24.  When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.'  He knew he was talking to little boys.  Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.' 

'The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona.  Ira Hayes was one of them who lived to walk off Iwo Jima.  He went into the White House with my dad.  President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.'  He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?'

 

So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together.  Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive.  That was Ira Hayes.  He had images of horror in his mind.  Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down, drowned in a very shallow puddle, at the age of 32 (ten years after this picture was taken). 

'The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky.    A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy.  His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down.  Then we fed them Epsom salts.  Those cows crapped all night.'  Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy.  Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19.  When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store.  A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm.  The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning.  Those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away. 

'The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised.  My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews.  When Walter Cronkite's producers or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here.  He is in Canada fishing.  No, there is no phone there, sir.  No, we don't know when he is coming back.'  My dad never fished or even went to Canada.   Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup.  But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing.  He didn't want to talk to the press. 

'You see, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero.  Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument.  My dad knew better.  He was a medic.  John Bradley from Wisconsin was a combat caregiver.  On Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died.  And when boys died on Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed, without any medication or help with the pain. 

'When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero.   When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back.  Did NOT come back.' 

 

'So that's the story about six nice young boys.  Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes.  Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps.  My voice is giving out, so I will end here.  Thank you for your time.' 

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top.  It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero.  Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless. 

Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom...please pray for our troops.

 

Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also...please pray for our troops still in murderous places around the world. 

 

REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day. 

 

One thing I learned while on tour with my 8th grade students in DC that is not mentioned here is--that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of 'hands' raising the flag, there are 13.  When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God. 

 

Great story - worth your time - worth every American's time. 

 

 

 

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 “Cooperton Valley” Picture Trail site has been renewed for all to enjoy.  Thanks to Karen (Johnson) Mason for funding this site for the coming year.  This site has many pictures from past Cooperton School reunions.  We hope that you will find these photos interesting if you haven’t visited this site in the past (or if you have and wondered where it went).  Go to http://www.picturetrail.com/coopertonvalley to visit the site.

 

 

 

Interesting Tidbits

 

The Lioness and Her Cubs

 

The Lioness so completely trusts this man with her newborn cubs.  The mutual trust and affection is just unbelievable.  The last scene is so beautiful.

 

http://videos2view.net/lioness.htm

 

 

 

News

 

Roosevelt Senior Citizens

 

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, Apr. 1:  Ravioli, Green Beans, Rolls, Salad Bar, Dessert

 

Thursday, Apr. 3:  Soft Tacos, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, Salad Bar, Dessert

 

********

 

Dolese Mining Corp. to Meet with Roosevelt Residents

 

Representatives of Dolese Mining Corp. will hold an informal meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, at the Roosevelt Senior Citizens Center to address concerns and answer questions of citizens regarding a granite mining operation one and one-fourth miles south of Roosevelt.  Anyone concerned with this operation is encouraged to attend.  Sandwiches will be served.

 

********

 

Kiowa County Historical Museum Pig Drawing

 

The Kiowa County Historical Museum is now selling tickets for a pig drawing. Win one of two processed pigs to be given away. Tickets are $1.00 each or 6 tickets for $5.00. Tickets may be purchased at the County Museum at 518 S. Main Street in Hobart or from any member of the Board of Directors. Tickets may also be purchased at the Hobart Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Office.

 

The drawing will be held Saturday, April 19 during the Museum's annual Easter Bake Sale in front of the Museum.

 

You do not have to be present to win. Your support of the Museum is greatly appreciated!

 

The Kiowa County Historical Museum is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

 

********

 

It’s A Spring Thing

 

The Southern Kiowa Chamber will hold its 2014 It’s A Spring Thing at the Roosevelt Senior Citizen Center in Roosevelt on April 14.  There will be events throughout the day.

 

Vendor Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The following vendors have signed up and there are only 2 inside spaces available at this time.

 

“Jmminee,” the clown – face painting and balloon artiste

 

All That Sass – baby/toddler accessories

 

Jean Rasnec – ladies denim shirts with appliqués – Lauren Wilson

 

Thirty-One – Penny Ray

 

Scares, baby quilts, quilted place mats, sale & pepper collectible sets, and t-shirt quilts – Carolyn Gibson

 

Needle Work – Wilhelmina Ensing

 

Mary Kay – Destiney Binghom

 

Scentsy – April Lake

 

Hair flowers, bling blankets, scares, homemade items – Destinee Bryer

 

Accessories – Mallorie Tixico & Patience McKinney

 

Jewelry in Candles – Sherry McFarland

 

Jypsy Road

 

Fashion Accessories

 

Tracy’s Custom Treasures – wreaths and home décor – Tracy Lopes

 

Decorated Bike Parade at 11 a.m.  1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes will be awarded to those 12 and younger.

 

Dog Parade at noon.  Sponsored by Mars with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes.

 

Easter Egg Hunt at 2:30 p.m. The Easter Bunny will be there for pictures.  Bring your camera.

 

Concessions are available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

There will be picture opps available with various cartoon characters, moon bounces, live entertainment, and bingo.  All day wristbands will be for sale for $4 the day of the event for the moon bounces.

 

Mark your calendar and plan to attend.

 

 

 

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:

 

March 29 – Brandon Saville

March 29 – Judy (Nash) Williams
March 30 – Darla (Kimmel) Vanderpol

March 31 – Joell (VanDerPol) Miller, Class of 1984
April 1 – Cheryl Ashcraft

April 3 – Keith Aldridge

 

 

 

Humor

 

Snow Plow

  

On a bitterly cold winter morning a husband and his wife in Sioux Falls were
listening to the radio during breakfast.  They heard the announcer say, "We are
going to have 8 to 10 inches of snow today.  You must park your car on the
even-numbered side of the street, so the snow plows can get through."  So the
good wife went out and moved her car.

A week later while they are eating breakfast again, the radio announcer said,
"We are expecting 10 to 12 inches of snow today.  You must park your car on the
odd-numbered side of the street, so the snow plows can get through."  The good
wife went out and moved her car again.

The next week they are again having breakfast, when the radio announcer says,
"We are expecting 12 to 14 inches of snow today.  You must park...."  Then the
electric power went out.  The good wife was very upset, and with a worried look
on her face she said, "I don't know what to do.  Which side of the street do I
need to park on so the snow plows can get through?"

Then with the love and understanding in his voice that all men who are married
to blondes exhibit, the husband replied, "Why don't you just leave the car in the garage this time."

 

 

 

From the Email “Bag”

 

March 23, 2014

 

I received this from Phil this past Wednesday.

I’ve fallen a few times since last week so I bought me a cane yesterday. Don’t know if that helps or not. This morning I had hold of it and just pivoted around it as I fell; kind of like a barber’s pole - lol. I’m also having trouble putting my thoughts into written words so I asked one of the ladies in the church to do the service tonight and I told her I’d explain to the church when we got started.  I’ve been wanting out of the preaching duties but, Lord, this is not exactly what I had in mind.

Pop


What he explained was what was going on and he resigned from pastoring the church.  I know that was tough for him, but he had told me months ago a sermon that use to take him maybe an hour to prepare was taking two days.  Kathy says she can still hear some speech issues when she talks to him on the phone.  I don't, but between his talking low and my bad hearing, maybe I just miss it.  My concern now is will he still ride his motorcycle with the balance issue.  Guess we will see soon.  Kathy called and talked to him a good bit on Thursday and all else seems well, just plugging along one day at a time.  I know he took his pastoring seriously and he put a lot of stress on himself about the duties, maybe this will help him with less stress.  Overall, he continues to seem to do well for a 79 year old who has been through all the trauma his body has been though over the decades.  Reckon God is not finished using him yet, but we know that time will come as it will for us all.

I apologize for not getting this out Wed/Thurs so Southside Baptist in Snyder would have known for today's services.  Southside has and will always have a special place in Phil's heart.

Thanks for continued prayers for ol' Phil.  He (and we) are believers in the power of prayer and have personally seen it work too many times to question whether or not it works.

Geary McDowell, Phil's favorite son-in-law.

 

********

 

March 26, 2014

 

Kathy had a call this morning that her sister who lives with their dad, Phil, was taking him to the ER.  Legs and arms were working okay, but he was slurring words and trying to drink his coffee from a jelly jar, etc.  Karen is thinking he may have had a stroke.  All test so far have come back good, they are waiting on the brain MRI.


More later.
Geary

 

Wednesday night update.  The latest on Kathy's dad is NO STROKE!  That is good.  The doctor's changed up some meds and completed all but two tests which they will do on Thursday to check his heart further and the neck arteries.  He was better tonight, but of course concerned he was having the spells like he was.  Thanks for the prayers, he keeps plugging along.


Geary

 

 

 

Obituaries

 

Useful Links:

 

Becker Funeral Home of Snyder, OK

http://www.beckerfuneral.com/?page=snyder

 

Peoples Cooperative Funeral Home of Lone Wolf, OK

http://www.peoplescooperativefuneralhome.com/who-we-are/history

 

Ray and Martha’s Funeral Home of Hobart, Mt. View, and Carnegie, OK

http://rayandmarthas.com/

 

Roosevelt Cemetery Layout

http://www.234enterprises.com/Roosevelt%20Cemetery%20Layout.htm

 

Roosevelt Cemetery Markers (Picture Trail)

http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/listing/user/rooseveltcemetery

 

Centerville Cemetery (west of Mt. Park) on Find A Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2176228

 

Cooperton Green Valley Cemetery on Find A Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=98552&CScn=Green+Valley+Cemetery&CScntry=4&CSst=38&CScnty=2165&

 

Cooperton Spring Hill Cemetery on Find A Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?=cr&CRid=99577&CScn=Springhill+Cemetery&CScntry=4&CSst=38&

 

Gotebo Cemetery on Find A Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=98525

 

Hobart Rose Cemetery on Find A Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99399&CScn=Hobart+Rose&CScntry=4&CSst=38

 

Hobart Resurrection (Catholic) Cemetery on Find A Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2246374&CScn=Resurrection&CScntry=4&CSst=38

 

Mountain Park Cemetery on Find A Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99042&CScn=Mountain+Park&CScntry=4&CSst=38

 

Roosevelt Cemetery on Find A Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99397&CScn=roosevelt&CScntry=4&CSst=38

 

Saddle Mountain KCA Intertribal Cemetery on Find A Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=99439

 

Snyder Fairlawn Cemetery on Find A Grave

 

_

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