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. 4 Is. 2                                                                             Sept. 1, 2014

 

 

From the Editor

 

As I told you last month, this newsletter is definitely going out late.  We have been very busy since we issued the August newsletter.  And, yes, we have had lots of fun doing things we don’t often do.  The Alaska trip was above and beyond expectations.  Mike wasn’t so sure about making the trip but he knew how much I wanted to go so that I could say I had visited all 50 states so he went along with the plans that Kevin and Brenda so wonderfully made.  Well, needless to say, he was more than impressed with what we saw and how much fun we had even though we were very tired when we returned to the “lower 48” as they say in Alaska.

 

We trekked to Marietta, GA, a day early so we could at least partially recover from that 11 hour road trip before starting the 8 day Alaska vacation.  And of course, we are always glad to get to see our Georgia grandkids and kids.  Raegan and Parker are growing so fast and changing just as fast so we don’t like to wait too long before going to see them in person even though we “facetime” almost weekly with them.  Thank you Apple for that wonderful tool to keep up with family a distance away.

 

Now about our Alaska trip.  We were to fly nonstop from Atlanta to Anchorage.  As we were sitting at the gate in Atlanta waiting to board, Mike got an email from Delta Airlines thanking him for flying “first class.”  Now we certainly had made no plans to fly first class reservations.  However, since Kevin made all the reservations we didn’t know that he and Brenda thought Mom should fly first class on this “bucket list” trip so they had upgraded our tickets to first class.  What a pleasant surprise!  That accounted for the free baggage check and meals that I had asked Kevin about and he had made up a little story telling me “it’s a long distance flight so you get those things.”  Just for your information, don’t believe a word of that story as it isn’t true.  He just wanted Mom and Dad to be surprised when we boarded and he almost pulled it off except for that one email.  The first class seats did make that 7 hour trip very pleasant and now Mike says he doesn’t think he will be flying often enough in the future not to fly first class.  Will have to see about that when the time to fly comes up again.

 

We left Atlanta Friday, August 15 at 3:50 p.m. and arrived in Anchorage at 7:00 p.m. Anchorage time which is 4 hours earlier than East Coast time so that was 11:00 p.m. on our body clocks.  By the time we arrived at the hotel and checked in it was after 8:00 p.m.  Mike still thought we needed dinner so we caught a cab to downtown Anchorage for a very late night dinner.  We spent Saturday in Anchorage resting a little, adjusting to the time change, and shopping at the Anchorage Market and Festival and several gift shops.  We found some great souvenirs including Alaskan Ulu knives and bowls, fire starters, t-shirts, etc.  We tried the local restaurants having lunch at Ginger, an Asian-fusion restaurant, and dinner at Simon & Seaforts, one of Anchorage’s premier seafood restaurants. 

 

On Sunday morning we checked out of our hotel and went to the train station to board our train for Denali.  Our train to Denali left the station in Anchorage at 8:15 a.m.  It is only 237 miles from Anchorage to Denali but it takes eight hours on the train (6 hours by car on the George Parks highway).  We saw a lot of the Alaskan countryside as we made the trip to Denali.  We met some nice people that we would later cross paths with during our trip.  We upgraded our seats to the Goldstar service where the train car was a second story high and had dome windows for a near panoramic view of the sites.  The Goldstar cars also have a very good dining room on the first floor.  The food was some of the best we had and at much more reasonable prices than in the local restaurants.  We saw small glimpses of Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in Northern America.  In addition, we also saw a 7 story "Dr. Suess" house someone built to view Mt. McKinley.  Along the railroad track are homes that the only way in and out is by the train or dogsled in the winter.  The Alaska Railroad runs a “flag” stop train along the tracks from Anchorage to Fairbanks so that residents can go to the track and wave the train down.  Of course, they do know about what time the train will come through.  These residents have to store up supplies for the long winter.  Most residents live off the land growing vegetables, hunting caribou and moose, and fishing.

 

After arriving to Denali, we had a little time to rest before we headed out to the dinner theater.  The play was about Fannie Quigley and the Gold Rush tale of adventure in the early 1900s in Alaska.  After dinner, we headed back to the Denali Bluffs Hotel on Sugarloaf Mountain and called it a night.

 

On Monday we took the Denali Backcountry Adventure tour.  This was a 12 to 13 hour bus tour through the Denali National Park.  We headed out before 6:30 a.m. a souped up school bus and traveled 92.5 miles into the park; the farthest the road would go.  At this point it is only 400 miles to the Bering Sea and only one other road in Alaska goes any further west and it only goes 15 miles further west.  The guide told us that 250,000 visitors come to Denali each year and only 1% go to the “end of the road.”  Only the first 15 miles of the road in the park were paved and the rest of the time we rode on gravel roads.  We stopped to see and take pictures of lots of wildlife along the way.  Of the big 5 animals to see in Denali, we saw 4 (bear, moose, caribou, and Dall sheep).  The only one we missed seeing in the park was the wolf.  Our guide told us there were only 51 wolves in over 6.2 million sq. miles, so we knew the chances of seeing one were pretty slim.  We made fast friends with the people around us on the bus and decided it would be neat to tally all of the sightings of animals we saw. The results were as follows:  6 grizzly bears, 12 moose, 47 caribou, 22 Dall sheep, 2 Artic ground squirrels (named Bear Burritos by the Alaskans), and several Ptarmigan, the Alaskan state bird. 

 

Other fun facts:

A bear eats 250,000 berries a day.  

A moose eats 70 lbs of leaves per day.

            A caribou can lose up to 1 pint of blood a day to mosquitoes.

            Caribou can run 45 miles per hour.

 

The weather in the park was completely unpredictable.  One minute it was raining and cold and the next minute it was sunny and warm.  The conditions changed so frequently that every time we stopped for a stretch/potty break we had to clean the windows from the mud that accumulated on them.  I don’t think I have ever seen a dirtier bus than that one was when we got back to the hotel.  They must wash the outside and clean the inside of the bus each night to be ready for the next day’s trip.

 

At the end of the road (literally), we stopped for lunch at the Denali Backcountry Lodge that was built right next to a raging river in a valley far away from all civilization.  Tourists had an opportunity to pan for gold or take a tour of Fannie Quigley's home.  We chose to stay near the river and enjoy the sights and peaceful sounds of the water rushing over the rocks.

 

When we got back to the hotel in the town of Denali, we went for dinner at a local restaurant called Salmon Bake.  Brenda had the biggest and best tasting Alaskan King Crab legs that any of us had ever seen or tasted.  They were amazing.  

 

On Tuesday before leaving for Anchorage, we headed about 11 miles out of town to take part in a 3.5 hour Jeep Backcountry Safari, an off-road journey into Denali's backcountry (Healy).  Our bus on the way to the tour included two other families that we'd spent time with during other parts of our trip.

 

Our destination for the tour was Stampede Road.  Once called the Stampede Trail, this road was carved out of the wilderness by early miners working at the area's Kantishna gold fields and antimony mine.  Stampede Road was where Christopher McCandless took off from on his adventures into the Alaska background which the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is based on.  Later the book was the basis for a movie by the same name. 

 

Each family got their own 4 seat Jeep Wrangler to drive.  Kevin started the trek driving and we soon found out that there was a problem with the 4 wheel drive.  On more than one occasion, our vehicle began "crab-walking" where the back wheels went one way while the front wheels went another.  After a few times of resetting the 4x4 function, the Jeep was manageable, at least until we reached our destination.

 

Each Jeep was equipped with a radio for all the cars to communicate with one another.  During our journey through the back country, our guide told us about life in Alaska around Healy.  There is no running water in the cabins because it costs too much to drill a well through the permafrost.  The members of the local churches have gone together and shared the cost of drilling a well at the church.  They have shower, laundry, and kitchen facilities at the church.  The members go to the church to do laundry and bathe and cook their meal while waiting on the laundry to be done.  Along the way we stopped to take a very short walk on the Tundra.  The Tundra has a very spongy feel and we only went a few feet on it because if you went further you would bog down in knee deep water.

 

At the end of the 12 mile trail, we arrived to a remote campsite where a young man by the name of Nate had fixed us a pot of beef stew and prepared fry bread for us to eat.  We stayed for a short time listening to stories from the summer-time experiences Nate and his peers had while living out in the wilderness.  While spending time with Nate, our tour guide (George) checked out our vehicle and learned that our brakes were no longer working (something that Kevin already learned while driving, but didn't mention to the rest of us because he didn't want to worry us.)

 

We traded vehicles with our tour guide on the way back and changed drivers as well; it was now time for Brenda to drive.  Brenda turned out to be an adventurous driver and had a lot of fun splashing through the mud on the way back to the starting point. 

 

Our tour guide dropped us off at the train station and we headed back to Anchorage for the evening. 

 

Well, you have heard enough about Alaska for this newsletter.  I will save the best part for the next newsletter as I can assure you each day was better than the one before.  That was true all the way including the flight home as each plane we were on was newer and better than the last one.  So if you are interested, stay tuned for more.  If not, just skip the next editorial.

 

Oh, by the way we had a great time on the RV trip with Karen and her family.  We did get a little rest from the long days we had in Alaska.  Now we are back home in Virginia and getting back into our routine.  I don’t think we have any trips planned for our immediate future.

 

cnm

 

 

 

Content Contributors for the Week

 

Charles Curtis, Class of 1965

Lloyd Newton, Class of 1945

Kate (Roberts) Stafford, Class of 1955

 

All those who sent messages to the Email “Bag”

 

Thank you all!

 

 

 

Thoughts from the Squirrel Lair

 

Roads and Paths

 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/candle-light/as-you-journey-through-life-its-roads-and-paths-contributed-by-krishna-rao-gurla/431756013546904

 

********

 

What A Flag Pole!

 

This is quite a construction project.

 

Would that there were a thousand of these across the country and maybe the politico's would pay attention to "We the People."

 

God bless America!

 

http://mortenson.wistia.com/medias/tejnwpitig

 

 

 

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

 

Project America Run

 

The link below is to a very interesting article about Mike Ehredt’s tribute to 6550 fallen U.S. service men and women.  Be sure to click on the YouTube videos on the right hand side and enjoy the videos as well.

 

http://www.projectamericarun.com/

 

*******

 

Documentary on Texas

 

Even though most of us are not from Texas, I think you will enjoy this video about Texas.  It is a very good documentary on Texas.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQjsUvy3sXU&feature=youtu.be

 

 

 

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 the month of August is as follows:

 

Tuesday, Sept. 9:  Chicken Salad Sandwich, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Buns, Salad Bar, Dessert

 

Thursday, Sept. 11:  Bar-B-Q Brisket, Fried Potatoes, Baked Beans, Buns, Salad Bar, Dessert

 

Tuesday, Sept. 16:  Ham and Pinto Beans, Fried Potatoes, Corn Bread, Salad Bar, Dessert

 

Thursday, Sept. 18:  Beef Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Mexican Corn, Rolls, Salad Bar, Dessert

 

Tuesday, Sept. 23:  Pork Loin Roast, Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy, Corn, Rolls, Salad Bar, Dessert

 

Thursday, Sept. 25:  Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy, Sweet Peas, Rolls, Salad Bar, Dessert

 

Tuesday, Sept. 30:  Beef Tips and Noodles, Green Beans, Rolls, Salad Bar, Dessert

 

********

 

Cooperton Potluck Supper

 

The Cooperton Community Potluck dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, September 5 at the Cooperton Community Building.  Bring a dish.  Everyone is welcome.

 

********

 

Kiowa County Genealogical Society

 

The Kiowa County Genealogical Society will meet at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 9, 2014 in the Jake Slaner Room at the Hobart Public Library in Hobart.  Karen Hoover is in charge of the program.  Refreshments will be served.  Everyone is welcome to join us!

 

 

 

 

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:

 

September 1 – George Farrar, Class of 1969

September 1 – Tonya Burton

September 3 – Jennifer Moore, Class of 1968

September 4 – Billie (Pollard) Boren, Class of 1967

September 6 – Reid Davis, Class of 1973

September 8 – Carolyn (Hester) Martin
September 8 – Alice Law
September 9 – Tristan Howard
September 9 – Carie Stroud
September 9 – Lynn Davis
September 9 – Stormy (Jackson) Vanzant

September 10 – Karla Armstrong  
September 10 – Eddie Gibbons
September 10 – Ryvers Simmons, Class of 1989
September 10 – Kent Walker
September 10 – Jerry Downen
September 11 – Shawn Moore
September 11 – David Everett
September 11 – Glen Brazil, Class of 1971
September 12 – Garrett Copeland
September 12 – Ralph Jesse Dickson

September 12 – Jimmy Neuwirth
September 13 – Cat Coffman
September 13 – Pat Miller
September 13 – Norris Lee Dickson

September 14 – Eric Jackson, Class of 1962

September 14 – Penny (Martin) McCuiston

September 14 – Louise Smith, 90 years young

September 15 – Keith Morgan, Class of 1972

September 15 – Debbie (Farris) Bryant, Class of 1972

September 15 – Marsha (Cooper) Hill, Class of 1972

September 20 – Medina Swiggart

September 21 – Glenda (Brazil) Jenkins, Class of 1991

September 21 – Gereldene Durham
September 21 – Michael Saville
September 21 – Cindy Garrison
September 21 – Ramona Cline
September 21 – Will Funkhouser
September 21 – Julie Funkhouser
September 22 – Brooke Chapman
September 22 – Rich Ainslee
September 23 – Matthew Ragsdale
September 23 – Steve Boyd
September 23 – Chris Martin, Class of 1991
September 24 – Ramona Cline
September 24 – Tom Alford, Class of 1953
September 25 – Julie Funkhouser
September 26 – Cindy Garrison
September 26 – Karey (Phillips) Kirkendoll
September 27 – Lindsey McCuiston

September 28 – Mary Jan (Jackson) Swanson, Class of 1967
September 28 – Carson Lane Jackson
September 29 – Chris Ankney, Class of 1985
September 30 – Louann Cook, Class of 1958
September 30 – Dolly Beck

Anniversaries

 

September 8 – Cat & Madoline Coffman

September 23 – Ray & Virginia (Simmons) Walker, Class of 1954

September 24 – Kate & Wayne Stafford, Class of 1955
September 26 – Odie Lee & Debbie Hopkins

 

 

 

Humor

 

Out for Dessert

 

This will give you a chuckle.

 

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/tHvExOg4NI0?rel=0

 

 

 

 

From the Email “Bag”

 

August 2, 2014

 

First and foremost, thanks for what you do with the newspaper!  I hope you have as much fun in Alaska as we did last year for our 25th anniversary.  We took the cruise and then went inland for a week.  Best trip of our lifetime for the two of us.  I enjoy traveling more than Jim. 

 

Once a month is great.  Mike please relax and take care of yourself.  My mother, Peggy Johnson, always told me, "Don't worry about things until they happen and then take care of it!"  I was a worry wart.  She said a person could worry their life away!

 

Have an AWESOME trip and good luck with the new computer glasses!

 

Carolyn and Mike, I think you make a great team!

 

Karen Mason

 

********

 

August 3, 2014

 

Loved the "Lost in the 50s" in your latest Newsletter.  Made me a bit homesick!  I look forward to each issue.  Just keep up the good work, as time allows of course.  Enjoy your trips this month.

 

Derl Williams

 

 

 

 

Food for Thought

 

The Land of the Free and The Home of the Brave – Francis Scott Key

 

We have heard our national anthem all of our lives but now it will take on a whole new meaning.  It is now time for each of us to step up to the plate and make sure our flag, and all it stands for, continues to stand tall and wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave, especially now when what it represents is under attack by internal political forces, bent on fundamental transformation.

 

http://stg.do/video/?v=kkPf

 

 

 

Obituaries

 

Nancy Calvary, 67, Hobart

http://www.rayandmarthas.com/CurrentObituary.aspx?did=1ed29339-f8f7-45a7-bfd0-752cff269a8a

 

Linda June Files, 64, Roosevelt

http://www.rayandmarthas.com/CurrentObituary.aspx?did=295ed581-24d8-47c5-871b-6604e073aac4

 

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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