B&O Cash Store 1944

This photo came from the son of Billy Joe Largent (third from left on front row). Largent passed away in 1975 at the age of 49. He graduated from Temple high school in 1945.

Here's how we identified the B&O Cash Store employees in the photo:
(Standing L-R) Janelle Lovelace, Cecil Keeter, Ed Hutchen, Mr. Murnell, Orvel Grimsley, Opal Hayse, Hi Watkins, Lucille Morman, Dorothy Wampler, Bill Glasgow, S. B. Keeter, Carl Reed, Mildred Murnell, Emma Grimes, Mamie Rodolph, Anabelle Coover, Ermal Dawson, Kattie _____, ________. (front) Eddie Thompson, Puck Morman, Billy Joe Largent, Doyle Watkins, Bully Sanders, Bobby Thompson, Clarence Glasgow, Charles Sparks, Mason Stogner, Elise Bills, Elmer Smith.

If you get this by email, you can go to the blog and click on the photo to see a larger version. www.templetribune.blogspot.com.

--Harold Powell

A Letter From 1907

Researching my family geneaology, we learned the Powell family came to Oklahoma from Giles County, Tenneseee. My cousin, Kathy Brown Frusher (THS Class of '67) is a member of the Giles County Historical Society. She sent this letter from the society's files, which indicates several Temple families have roots in Tennessee, particularly Giles County.

The letter to The Pulaski (Tenn.) Citizen, was originally published Sept. 12, 1907, and signed by a Mrs. A.B. Henderson, Whitt, Texas. The inside address is Temple, Okla., Aug. 20, 1907, Mr. J.H. Burrow, Lynnville, Tenn.

Kind Sir:

You once knew me. I was then living near Campbell Station where my husband, J.H.F. Henderson died in the year 1884. I have your write up of his sickness and death, also a very comforting personal letter from you telling of the fast friendship and similarity between yourselves. Among other things you spoke of the probability of you, as well as he, having pulmonary trouble. I am glad to see you have withstood it.

My daughter and myself are visiting M.L.Henderson of Temple, Oklahoma.
You know something of his hospitable home, how good cheer and freedom reign. On Sunday, Aug. 18, at this home, some one sprung this question, "How many first saw the light of day in old Giles county?" Not one in the circle numbering eight but claimed it as their native county. It seems a little unusual that not another person was seated among us but the ones mentioned. Below I will give the names:

Mr. and Mrs M.L. Henderson former of Lynnville, Mr. and Mrs. Luther
Woodard of Buford, James Cameron of Lynnville, Mrs. Tom Caruthers of
Campbellsville, (the names of the ones above now live at Temple, Oklahoma), Holland Thompson of Lynnville, now of Whitesboro, Texas, Mrs. A.B. Henderson of Fountain Creek, but now of Mutt, Texas.

If none of your readers have ever left their own native land, they cannot realize how pleasant this meeting was. So they all voted we should write you of the pleasant occasion, and how our minds ran back to you all, and to many dear ones who rest in the city of the dead.

In mentioning the incident you would probably interest many who knew us there. We will thank both you and the "Citizen" for the printing of the article.

Joe Knox of Lynnville also lives near Temple, as well as many other Tennesseans.

Yours,
Mrs. A.B. Henderson
Whitt, Texas

Temple Cemetery Maintenance

Jerry Fetters requested information about the status of care of Temple Cemetery.

The Temple Cemetery Association was formed in 1944 by Kenneth Beasley, Dan McCoy and Alton Moore for the purpose of improving the care and assuring future care of the cemetery.

Current Association Directors are Jack Jackson (President), Buddy Hooper, Dian Smith (Secy-Treas), Chris Lipscomb and Lori Hedges. George Kindred, President for several years now serves as manager of the Veterans Memorial which was promoted by Clyde McClenny and erected in 1998 to highlight veterans buried in the cemetery. No charge for adding names to the memorial.

A caretaker is employed to maintain the cemetery at a monthly salary of $1200. The past year total expense was $15,535. Total income for the year was $18,883. The association has $222,000 maintenance fund in certificates of deposits ($200,000 of this was recently donated by the estate of Audrey Wilkinson). Plus $3506 in a checking account and $22,951 in interest bearing HIFI account. The association also has $117,400 perpetual care fund in certificates of deposit (donor restrictions allow that only the interest may be spent). Declining interest rates and a recent decline in contributions will necessitate taking from the maintenance fund principal.

Jack Jackson says that new chat was recently added to the streets and plans are to install street signs. The cemetery is well groomed. Current funds may allow for several years of continued high care. However contributions are needed to guarantee perpetual care.
--Harold Powell

Bob Mooney House Burns

Another fire in Temple. Fire severely damaged the grand old Bob Mooney house in Temple last week. Owner Gloria Mooney says she was awakened by fire and smoke alarms about 2 a.m. on Tuesday, December 16. She opened her bedroom door and was hit by a wall of smoke. She immediately called the Temple Volunteer Fire Department, which arrived promptly and took control of the fire, which had started on the second floor. It seems the fire started from an electrical problem. Gloria says that many antiques were ruined by the fire and smoke. She plans to restore the house to as much of the original style as possible.
Gloria is staying with her daughter Lori and says that everytime she goes to the old house she finds something else ruined. This is the second catstrophe of property from an electrical source in Temple recently. The other was the Sands Motel.

More Musical Memories from Temple High School

Here's an exchange between Annette Waller Keeter and her brother, Bob Waller, continuing memories of days in the Temple band:

Annette:
I have been trying to remember who all played in that band you had when you were in high school. Dean Miller played the tuba. I THINK you and Jimmy Harper played guitars. Was there someone else? I know Reeda Jean Monroe sang some.
You were called something like the four sharps and a flat.

Bob’s reply:
It was Keith Michael, Reeda Jean Monroe, Coach Dean Miller and me. It was called 3 Sharps and a Flat. We used to practice at Carl Harpers house. That's where Jimmy and Chester lived. Since we didn't drink, we didn't sound better the longer we played so we went home early lots of nights. Dean Miller was a "hoot" at those practices. Keith was always trying to get us more serious. I guess he thought we were going to be good. Jimmy and Chester were getting pretty good. Our careers were cut short by graduating and going on the harvest.

Anette also reminded me about the men's quartet:
The quartet was me (Harold Powell), Joe Knox, Vonden Richardson and Raymond Nail. It had a short life – one performance. I can’t recall if it was at the last assembly or graduation. We sang, “Want No Silver Threads Among the Gold, Be My Life’s Companion and We’ll Never Grow Old”, and “Rag Time Cowboy Joe”.

New Offices Downtown Temple

Pat McIntyre demolished the Crows Cafe, Dan Allen's barber shop, Howell's Bakery and Dolmon Grocery (1940s) and replaced them with his insurance offices.

October 2008 Temple's Sands Motel burned

Sleepy Sands Motel Burns; Demolition Makes Way for New Offices

About 5 a.m. Thursday, October 9, Temple firemen rushed to the Sleepy Sands Motel to put out a fire. They were too late to save the cement block structure. The state fire inspector said the fire was started by an electrical short in the attic above the restaurant. It traveled quickly through the entire attic which then fell into the rooms.

It is a sad loss to owners Tim and Tish Covalis and to the town, which has no other overnight accommodation and which realized some tax from the business.

Other changes in town include the demolition of the lodge building (recently known as the electric building).

Pat McIntyre razed the buildings that once were Crow’s Café, Dan Allen’s Barber Shop, Majestic Theatre, Howell’s Bakery and Dolman’s grocery. Pat has filled the space with an attractive office building for his insurance business. Lots to the south that once housed Rodolph Chevrolet and Worsham Brothers’ Station also have been razed, but remain vacant of buildings.

Is Labor Important to Our Country's Wealth

Economics 101 taught that the earth, capital and labor are the sources of all wealth.  I’d like for a recognized economist to explain what would be the result for a prosperous country that gives up labor to other countries.

Much of the goods we purchase were produced in China, Indian, Indonesia and other countries.

Temple, Oklahoma, once had a clothing factory that employed 300 laborers.  The factory moved to Mexico and later to South East Asia.  The same has happened in thousands of USA communities.

Where are the workers who once produced our goods now?  How many hours of labor have been outsourced during the past 20 years? I have a feeling that the loss of wealth from labor will impair USA wealth for a larger time than can be imagined now.

 

What's Up At Temple City Hall?

Temple now has business-minded trustees.  Mayor Joe Keaton owns and operates K-Star Feeds; Valerie Hale works at accounting; Janice Cole’s family owns and operates Cole’s Greenhouses; Herb Adrian operates a home repair and electric business, and Stephanie Holden is a manager at Sam’s.

The trustees are starting a campaign to rid the town of rundown houses and lots. Will be a big boost for the town if they succeed. An attractive town could help get a tenant for the B&O/Haggar building.

Temple has calmed down much since the police department was eliminated. Those opposed to eliminating the police department feared the town would be overrun by criminals.  They didn’t take into account that the county sheriff and the state troopers would be sufficient policing and that the policemen we’ve had were young and without professional supervision. They were not in town 24 hours a day. The town could no longer afford a full-time policeman. 

Many feel now that Temple is a much more pleasant place without an underemployed police officer.

 

Temple Museum Update

Below is a letter we sent to Temple Museum Association members and to past Temple Tribune subscribers.

We’ve made headway towards repairing and improving the building to serve as an archive. I believe it will be a facility to preserve the story of the community’s people from the pioneer to the present. We welcome donations and new memberships. --Harold

 

TEMPLE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION

P. O. Box 234, Temple, OK 73568

September 2008

Dear Friend,

The purpose of this letter is to ask you to renew or take a membership in the Temple Museum Association.  Plans for the Museum have moved ahead with Jay Driskill’s gift of the old cleaners building.  We are repairing and improving it to become an archive for storage and display of written and photographic community history.  Funds for this are about depleted.  We need your membership and donations.  Annual memberships remain $25 for individual and $35 for family.  Contributions are tax deductible.

The archive will consist of a timeline of photographs, files of family histories, genealogy and communications.  When funding permits we will have a microfilm reader and microfilms of all issues of the Temple Tribune and Walters Herald available from Oklahoma Historical Society. 

I have shown the old blacksmith shop to the administrator of Lawton’s Great Plains Museum.  He said, “I wish I had that at Lawton.”  He has offered advice and assistance from himself and his staff.  Restoring the shop will require a much larger investment than the archive building.  We think that the archive will give the Association credibility for a grant.

Temple Tribune, Inc. stockholders (Bob Hale, Bobby Waller, Bill & Merlene Bean, Harold & Lois Powell, Max Edwards, Edward & Claudine Northcutt, Roger Norman, Jerry & Sylvia Fetters) donated their Tribune stock to the Temple Museum Association. Computer equipment, knowledge and contacts are available at a bargain price to anyone wishing to restart the Tribune. Could be a retirement job for a couple wishing to return to their roots.  Housing is economical in Temple.

We have started a blog to share information with residents and former residents. It also includes occasional updates on the museum. Visit the blog at www.templetribune.blogspot.com

Harold Powell, President

 

 

 

Bad Decisions Remembered From the Class of '52?

Jerry Bowles, THS class of 1952 writes from his home on Lake Martin, Eclectic, Alabama. He was my neighbor and buddy about from birth on. --Harold Powell

Every thing is going well here. I stay busy doing flowers, yard, and working on things. I have pretty much finished remodeling the inside and out side of my lake house. I am taking some time off to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I have had several groups here for parties this summer and that helps to keep me motivated. Otherwise being that I am 75 years young now, it is much easier to put things off. I was sorry to hear that Alfred Poemoceah died. I remember his playing basketball so well. He was quick as a cat and was always stealing basketballs from the other teams. When he was a senior, in the state playoffs, we lost to Mangum by 2 points and they won the state championship.

I remember Sue Wilson being in the band. The things that I remember about being in the band go way past the things that she told about.

The highlight of my band experience was as senior and finally having the seniority to sit on the back two rows of the band bus. A lot of stuff went on back there. We took a lot of teasing from the football studs about being sissies and being in the band. I told them that while they were on the football bus holding their helmets, we were on the band bus holding their girls.

My strongest memory and lesson well learned was when we were in the band room waiting to go out and play for a football game. Norma Jean Reece played the snare drums. She was standing with her back to me and I poked her in the butt. Bad decision. I didn't know that she had a drum stick in her hand. I soon found out as she turned and whacked me on top of the head.

The two band directors that I remember are Mr. Neaderhiser and Mr. Powell. Mr. Neaderhiser was tough on us and would carry a clipboard around and scream, holler, and shout 4 letter words at us. We did end up having a pretty good band. Mr. Neaderhiser went to Midwest City and the School hired Mr. Powell.

Mr. Powell was sort of a wimp and we took advantage of him. Our senior year he was having us play some slow arrangement. Vonden Richardson played the bass tuba and I played the trombone. We decided to liven things up and started playing Bartlesville Boogie underneath the rest of the band. Yes, Mr. Powell did get upset and said if you can't play right go to study hall. Vonden got up and put his horn in the storage room and I did also. We didn't go to study hall; we went to the drug store down town. Bad decision. We both got our butts chew out and whipped. That was the only whipping that I ever got in school.

Being in the band was a good experience and a lot of fun. We went to a many band festivals and got to march at Norman and see OU play football, MSU at Wichita Falls, and Cameron in Lawton. Later on in life, I became involved in ballroom dancing. Being in the band and knowing the basic of music and how to count music really made learning to dance much easier. I'm still dancing today because “my song is not sung, my bell is not rung and my dancing is not done”. I'll have to admit that my fling is pretty much done.

-Jerry Bowles, THS Class 1952

Groundbreaking for First Baptist Church Building

The First Baptist Church education building and the old parsonage, built in 1921, met the wrecking ball a few weeks ago. Pastor Jay Driskill says an education building will cover the site soon. A fire from a lightening storm June 13, 2007, rendered the old building unusable. Insurance proceeds will cover the cost of the new building. A groundbreaking ceremony was held August 31.

Football Queen of 1956

Vickie's memories of Temple High School band brought back fond memories for another Temple alum, Vera Sue Wilson Golden.

Thanks, Sue for sharing your fascinating story of the life of a high school band member and football queen. I bet that D.T. Stogner and Clinton Hart were thrilled to escort and crown you – the lovely football queen. I'm sharing your comment below:

The piece about “The Secret Life of Temple Bank Member brought back some memories. I too was a Temple Tiger Marching Bank member. I started very early and stayed with it until I graduated in 1956. My instrument was the flute. I enjoyed playing but I never did achieve ‘greatness’ on that instrument. The flute could be twirled, lake a baton, and I spent as much time doing that as I did playing the thing. My Mom and Dad gave up hard earned money for that instrument and I should have put my heart and soul into learning how to play as well as possible. I don’t have many regrets, but that is one of them.

We had several directors through those years and I cannot recall all their names. One left in the middle of the year to join the army I believe. I guess we were a challenge that he didn’t want to deal with.

Vickie mentioned football queens in her article. In 1956 I was the Temple Tiger football queen. It was an honor that I didn’t expect but certainly enjoyed receiving. Usually the queen is escorted by one guy. For some reason that year two escorts were chosen. D.T. Stogner and Clinton Hart were my escorts and we didn’t ride in a convertible. We went in an enclosed car.
In those days football players were the escorts for the queen and her court. If the field happened to be muddy that night the buys would be covered in mud, grass and sometimes a bit of blood. Getting a kiss from your escort was a thrill, even if he had mud on his mouth.

When I was growing up I thought Temple, Oklahoma was probably the only place on earth that really mattered. Time took care of that particular feeling but I still have fond memories of those years spent living in that “Quiaint Town in Southern Oklahoma”
--Vera Sue Wilson Golden

Glen Norman Turns 90

Many Normans and others of the Temple community celebrated Glen Norman's 90th birthday Saturday, August 30. Brother Floyd came down from Muskogee to help celebrate. Floyd graduated Temple High in 1936 and Glen in 1937.

Universal Band Experience

I wasn't surprised Vickie Nowlin received strong response to her memories of Temple High School band and cheerleading. Here's a message from Nowlin's friend, Sherri, Martinez Logan, who went to school in Carnegie, Oklahoma, and now teaches music in Norman schools. It seems these are universal experiences:

Wow! Vickie that was just great! I think most schools in S.W. Oklahoma must have had a similar routine and protocol of "game night" and "the pep rally". We did. As I read it, I could visualize our Carnegie High School Wildcat band and our game format exactly as you wrote. The only difference for me was that I was one of those drummers and we KNEW we had the power to turn the air electric with our cadences and throbbing beat. Doesn't it make perfect sense that I was a percussionist?

And we in the drum core marched with a smug confidence that the rim cadence was only a foreshadow of what we were going to unleash when we went into full drum cadence. Also, remember "the round off"? That was the drum cadence introduction that followed the Drum Major's whistle for "horns up" and set the tempo to almost every march we played. (As I remember it now I still get chills.) lol And.....I can still play it and our marching cadences. lol What a silly but important memory.

Memoir of a Tiger Cheerleader

Here's the rest of the message I recieved from Vickie Nowlin and her picture from the 1970 Temple High School yearbook:

I can't end the walk down memory lane, without talking about the 2 years (9th Grade-1967 & 12th Grade-1970) I was a cheerleader. At the end of 8th grade, Gail Cobb approached me to try out for high school cheerleader for the next school year (1967).

She taught me two cheers and coached me along. I was so scared, I can't tell you. Stage fright and all, I went out in front of the pep club, the cheerleaders (the graduating senior left a place to be filled) and Mrs. Virginia Bone (pep club sponsor) to do my cheers.

The auditions were held in the gym. I thought I would faint before getting through the whole thing. And to my utter astonishment, I was chosen!!! Needless to say, I didn't return to band! That summer, I ordered my cheerleading sweater for the winter uniform, a letter ("T") with my name on it and had the red wool skirt made. For the hotter months, we had a sleeveless white top with a red peter-pan collar and a white skirt with wide pleats made. We wore short white socks and red tennis shoes (Keds). I loved the whole experience. We were not gymnasts back then. We did kicks and pom-pom routines and the like, but we were not into the tumbling the cheerleaders are into now.

I also was cheerleader my senior year. We were sent that summer to Wichita Falls, Texas. To a cheerleading camp to learn new cheers to bring back to perform.

The pep rally was so much fun. We made the dummy to burn and walked in front of the band with the team from the school to the center of downtown on Thursday nights. We had a school pep rally on Friday afternoons before the game as well in the stadium.

But the most fun was game night. We were part of the opening performance and had a pom-pom routine to the National Anthem. Then the most exciting part of the game was running the team on the field from the north side of the stadium. They would come out of the lockers from the gym and run on the concrete with those cleats on their shoes. The sound was like a herd of buffalo running towards you. I ran like a gazelle out of sheer fright leading them onto the football field. It was very scary! And, of course, during the game, we lead the pep club and crowd in cheers and did pom-pom routines to the band music.

There were cold winter games that we nearly froze to death, too, but there we were out there cheering and then running back to our stadium seats to get under a blanket together. I made some close friendships with Carol Beth Bentley, Oveta Mullins, Kathy Graham, Gail Cobb, LaDonna Parkey, Linda Knox, Gail James and Joyce McIntyre. Great girls! Great memories!!

GO TIGERS!
-- Vickie Keck Nowlin, Class of 1970

Secret Life of Temple Band Member

Vickie Keck Nowlin wrote to me about her days as a member of the Temple band and cheerleader. Thank you Vickie for sharing your story. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm sure it is a universal story that many people will cherish.

Here is Part I of Vickie's story about the band:

I was in high school band in the 7th and 8th grades (1965 & 1966). I played clarinet and was not so great as to ever achieve 1st chair, but I couldn't "NOT" be a part of things, so I persevered on for a couple of years.

The August before my 7th grade, Mr. Robertson, who was the band director at the time, brought us all out on the football field to start band practice. We gathered at 7:30 AM before it got too hot and began what I remember as more of a boot camp than band practice. We all learned how to keep a straight line and how to do precision marching. I realized right away that I couldn't march AND count yard lines AND play music at the same time. I was probably the best "lip sync-ing" clarinet player in the whole band.

Besides, I don't think anyone would have wanted to hear my "squeaking" rendition of "Sound and Fury" anyway. Now, if we were sitting or standing still, I could play pretty good without squeaking the instrument. But marching, counting and playing all at the same time was not my thing! All I remember about that summer was that I lost weight and got taller.

I walked into the Temple Jr. High School building looking nothing like the chubby 6th grader that walked out of the Temple Elementary School that past spring.
I will have to say that I learned discipline and more self-confidence by the 8th grade though. I can still remember “THE LONG RED LINE” that marched from the band room to the stadium for home games. It was an event, an awaited treat for the crowd. Our uniforms were new (red and white) and our hats had white plumes on them. Our white shoes had taps on the toes and when we exited the band room (across from the cafeteria) the drum major's whistle signaled us to attention. We were taught to carry our instrument a certain way, and we wore white gloves (with holes cut out of the tips to be able to play our instruments).

The drums began the marching cadence on the rims and we slid our taps against concrete sidewalk in rhythm to that cadence. As we marched out of those double doors, we found our younger fans waiting for us with bright, excited eyes and they followed us around the sidewalk as we passed the home-ec cottage, then the gym and the south entrance to the school building.

And just as we started up the ramp into the stadium, the drums switched from the rims to the drum skins echoing off the concrete walls and buildings. The fans started applauding and seemed to be just waiting for the band to make its entrance. We tried to stay in step and all moving as one. After getting settled into our reserved area in the stadium, we continued to march in place until the drum major took his baton and held it above his head and then whistled 3 times and the drums stopped and we all stood still at attention.

Then after the next signal, we played, "ONWARD TIGERS" and the crowd all stood up and clapped and sang. Only then were we allowed to sit down (in unison). The twirlers were wonderful and wore those short skirts and boots with huge pom-poms on them.

Don Smallwood was the drum major when I was in the 7th Grade and Jackie Rodolph was in my 8th grade. The twirlers were Marilyn and Carolyn Graham (TWINS--another novelty), Jackie Rodolph, and the next year Renee Gower, Anne Davis and Kathy Hale were added. We had strict rules about how and where we placed our hats and our instruments while sitting with the pep club in our area. When it came time to march out on the field for the opening program (the national anthem and the fight song again) and for half time performances, we always stayed in a formal line.

Only after the 3rd quarter of the game were we allowed to take a break and go to the concession stand for a drink or a snack and to the bathroom. All thru the game, we entertained the crowd with different marches and the fight song after a touch down. The twirlers did routines and the cheerleaders did pom-pom kicks to it all. Then we marched back to the band room in a LONG RED LINE just as we came in. Only then were we excused to leave on our own.

Out of town games were tiring but fun. There were 2 buses (a high school bus and a jr. high bus) to drive us to and from games (band trips on the buses were a whole other experience as well).

And we were expected to march and play at the Thursday night pep rally downtown. We marched from the school down Commercial to the middle of town where a huge bon fire was burning. The football team walked down with us lead by the cheerleaders carrying the dummy of the opposing team that would be burned in the fire.

Cheers, songs, twirlers doing routines, coaches speaking... the whole thing was something the school and the town looked forward to every week of football season. And can you forget the homecoming parade and special half time performances? The football queen and princesses walking with the football captains?

And the embarrassing "KISS"???? (I had the honor of being a football princess my junior year and walked with Jerry Norman at the half time performance.)
Finally, during the winter months, we had concert band on stage and there was a jazz ensemble, too. And can any of us forget marching in the Xmas Parade in Okla. City? We nearly froze to death. I couldn't feel my nose, my feet or my fingers. It was sheer torture.

1930 Temple High School Football Team

The 1930 Temple High School South Central Conference Championship football team:

Front – Arthur Dolman (mascot)

Sitting – Ralph Collins, Charles “Speedy” Sparks, G.L. Edwards, Ardeene Sanders, Leroy Bowen, Leonard Tarkington, Jimmy Hoar, Artis Tarkington, Albert Rodolph, Clarence Norman, Paul Smith, Fred Parkey, Joe Parkey, Cecil McGee

Standing Coach Chester Alvin, Carl Dolman, Jack Grimsley, Fred Jemison, Miller Price, Mack Smith, Fred Knight, R.C. Mobley, John Thomas Schupe, Jerry Trammell, Aaron Mooney, Millard Hayes, Elmo Taylor, Ray McWater and Oris Taylor.

1930 Temple Championship

Max Edwards, the younger brother of G.L. Edwards, gave this trophy to Opal Harper Allen, who passed it on to the Temple Museum Association. The engraving says “Temple High School Champions, South Central Conference, 1930.” G.L. Edwards was on the football squad and graduated with the class of 1932.

Corkey Hooper Kickin', Plowin' & Blastin'

I ran into Corkey Hooper and Harold Parkey at the post office yesterday. Corkey said he’s lost 100 pounds and his overalls are too loose now. Corkey is pushing 80. He drove the tractor plowing the day before.  Harold says he can’t see well enough to do that.

Back in high school, Corkey was strong as a mule and agile. He could stand in a doorway and kick and hit the top of the door frame with his foot.

One time Corkey decided he’d clean out the muddy pond by his house. He put together a bomb of fertilizer and oil and rigged it up to a detonator. He got behind something and set it off. It blew out several windows in his house and left a small hole in the mud in the pond.

--Harold Powell

 

A letter to the editor of The Daily Oklahoman caught my attention this week. Donald W. Rominger Jr., of Tecumseh, wrote in response to an article about a hiring freeze at the University of Oklahoma.

Rominger said the article discusses problems with Oklahoma higher education that a hiring freeze won’t help. "State higher education isn’t in existence to 'save jobs' but to achieve efficiently and effectively the mission it’s given," Rominger wrote. "OU’s professed employment of 17,000 people amounts to fewer than two students for each employee. As a 46-year educator with 23 years in administrative budgeting experience, I find these figures reckless and irresponsible.

"Reading that OU President David Boren attributes his budget problems to a 'recession' relates more to Democratic campaign rhetoric than reality. The country is not in recession by any reasonable economic calculation; certainly Oklahoma isn’t.

"When you raise tuition by nearly 10 percent, it’s not the time to be arguing for saving jobs. Rather, it’s time to go down to doing your job."

This letter got me wondering: How is it that OU has brought in new professors and facilities and increased tuition with reckless abandon for many years? Is there consideration for efficiency in conveying knowledge? Maybe Boren instead of protecting jobs for the already employed should be ferreting out the non essential for student education and reducing expense even when there is no shortage of funds. -- Harold Powell

The Loss of a Newspaper

Terry Clark wrote about the The Temple Tribune this summer in The Oklahoma Publisher, the monthly publication of the Oklahoma Press Association. Terry cares a lot about the future of newspapers. In fact he is quoted in an article on the topic in the Oklahoma Gazette. He recognizes the important role newspapers play in people's lives and in maintaining freedom.

I wrote to Terry a while back about The Tribune in hopes he could help us find an editor/publisher to keep the paper going. He was familiar with Temple and the old Temple Tribune. Terry used to live in Waurika and occasionally preached at the Temple Church of Christ. He even remembered when the original The Tribune died in the 1970s.

In his recent column, Terry told his readers the story of our attempt to revive The Tribune. Our newspaper lasted 36 issues. We quit publishing it May 1 of this year. I hear from a lot of people who enjoyed and miss getting the newspaper every week.

An update on The Temple Tribune: stockholders donated controlling stock to the Temple Museum Association. Tribune hardware, software, mailing list and all the information about what we’ve done are available for someone willing to try to publish the newspaper again. It could be a rewarding project for a retired couple wanting a challenging job and to escape city traffic. And I would sell them a fine 1906 Victorian house in Temple, a quaint country town in southwest Oklahoma.

Terry also provided a lesson on diagramming sentences as we continued our written dialogue about writing. I once thought of forming an organization for ending and eliminating repetition and redundancy in writing and literature, but never began nor started the project or the work. (I became sidelined and put off an idea to run for President of the United States on the platform to make all highways between cities and town run downhill. Think of the fuel that would save.)

Harold Powell

Football Rivalries

As football season draws near, I thought it would be nice to share this note from J.T. Wyatt on Temple football that I printed in my column in 2005:

I grew up in Walters and graduated in the class of 1944. Most folks of the younger generation are not aware of the intense rivalry between Walters and Temple in those years, especially in sports. The annual football game was played on Thanksgiving afternoon, and more often than not a fight would break out among the fans.

When I was asked to move to Temple because of my employment in 1949, I had mixed emotions. However, I was in for a pleasant surprise. The people of Temple accepted me with open arms and before long I was converted and became a fervent Tiger supporter. I became a member of the Board of Education when Mr. Adams was Superintendent, and some may remember we went through some trying times during his tenure.

I found the town of Temple to be made up of friendly folks and a good place to raise a family. It has been said that communities have distinct characteristics as individuals do, and I believe that to be true. Temple is not the thriving business community that it once was and to me that is sad. I remember when it was difficult to find a place to park even with center street parking. We had a late Saturday night preview at the theatre and the Hob-Nob Café didn't close until after midnight. While Temple has gone the way of many small town-farming communities it still holds many fond memories to me.

But I go back a long way.

I can even remember when Bobby Green was dating your wife. Of course that's before she became Mrs. Powell. Again, let me say, I like your weekly column. 

--J.T. Wyatt, Pharr, Texas “

 

When J.T. moved to Temple I was a high school sophomore.  J.T. was Temple funeral director.  He often attended our football practice and was on the sidelines at games. He was an encourager to would be athletes.  He is correct about Bobby Green and Lois Lewis.  In fact they were once engaged.  That’s another story. 

Bobby Green was an outstanding Temple High athlete in football, basketball, and baseball.  He was a senior starting quarterback for Oklahoma A&M (now OSU) the fall of 1953.  I was sophomore fullback linebacker at OU.  The highlight of my college football career at OU was when I tackled Bobby Green in the middle of Owen Field. The next play he completed a pass in my zone.  The final score was OU 47, A&M 7 (OU was on the way to a 47 game winning streak).  Bobby ran 65 yards for A & M’s only touchdown.  Lois, my bride of three months was there.  I think it was a big day for Temple football fans gathered around their radios. Maybe J.T. and Bobby will expand on these remembrances.

More Memories of James Deen

Charles Elkins, a former coach and teacher at Temple High School, sent me his own memory of frog hunting with music teacher James Deen:
JD (Lynch) went frog hunting on the many farm ponds around Temple and gave a big "banquet" each fall together with the FFA teachers who supplied the "mountain oysters". A great get-together for all the boys and the rest of us who liked "delicacies." James Deen often went with us on these night expeditions. If you remember James, he was not what you'd call "athletic". In fact, he was a little on the fat side. This description is to set up this story.
One night James was with several of us who were out frog hunting when we approached a large dam with small streams of water running around the dam and spilling down the sides, making it necessary to jump the six or seven foot wide streams in order to reach the pond..Most of us had lights and had no problem leaping across the mud and water. For James, however, the jump was another story. He recognized the difficulty and called for all of us to shine our lights on the place where his great leap would take place, consequently, all spotlights were on the somewhat nonathletic band director as his takeoff foot slipped as he attempted the jump and he accidentally dived into the slime! As sympathetic as we all were for James, all of us nearly died laughing. James was such a good sport, but threatened to kill any us who reported the "great leap of faith". As I remember this, I still can't keep from laughing out loud.

B&O Cash Store Merchandise... Memories

It turns out the photos supplied by Harley Gene Salsman were from the Cotton County Museum in Walters. Here’s the museum’s Web address if you want to see more historic photos from Cotton County: http://www.sirinet.net/~lgarris/cottoncountymuseum/

These pictures are his own. These are items purchased at the B&O Cash store and given to Harley by relatives. The pitcher and plate have the B&O logo on the bottom/back.

In a comments on an earlier post, Carroll Newberry shared some interesting memories triggered by thoughts of the B&O, including Temple's first swimming pool, which was at the home of the Mooneys who owned the store. Be sure and read Carroll's comments if you haven't seen them.

Historic Temple

Here's another picture from a visitor to this blog.

I was pleased to receive a copy of this picture and the drawing from the B&O Cash Store from Harley Salsman. I had never seen either of these before.

We are collecting pictures, other artifacts and information about Temple's history for a museum. We are renovating the old cleaners building just north of City Hall to be an archive – to collect and display documents of Temple Community history. We would be happy to see anything readers might contribute including family stories.

B&O Cash Store

A visitor to this blog e-mailed me some interesting pictures of Temple from many years ago. Harley Gene Salsman, who has relatives who lived in Temple, sent this drawing of the B&O Cash Store, which once brought visitors to Temple from miles around.

Thank you, Harley.

The B&O was opened in 1906 by brothers Bob and Otho Mooney, who began with $1,300 and 200 square feet of floor space. By 1923, the store took up an entire block with 40,000 square feet. It grossed $1.5 million that year.
Billed "the biggest country store in the world" the B&O employed a preacher, an undertaker, a doctor, a pharmacist and a milliner among 100 regular employees. The store hired another 100 people during turkey and pecan season.

I remember going through the store on Saturday and going to the drug store. They had a soda fountain in the drug store. I remember looking at all the saddles and bridles. I bought a bridle there for $5 to go with my horse I had bought for $13. That was a lot of money I had to mow five lawns to earn that much money.

To learn more, visit the Temple Museum Association website.

Laura Weber Folk Guitar

I wasn't alone in learning to play the guitar by watching Laura Weber on her television program on PBS. Folk/country singer Nanci Griffith; the folksinging trio of sisters Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche; and jazz guitarist Jane Miller all credit Weber with teaching them and inspiring them to play guitar with the television program "Folk Guitar." Many other less-known musicians say they learned from Weber.

Temple High School Band Memories

Carroll Newberry responded to my last entry (see the comments) with memories of Temple High School band director James Dean in the late 1950s. Carroll was just a few years behind me. I graduated in 1952.

It sounds like Mr. Dean made a great impression as did a handful of my teachers over the years. George Neaderhiser was “music man” during my time at THS. Students who came to the high school in later years enjoyed the improvements in the band room and the uniforms that Mr. Dean and your class brought to Temple High School.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I would enjoy hearing about other experiences and memories of former and current Temple students.

Kernels from Temple... on Music

Music has always been an important part of my life. Growing up I attended the Majestic Theater where I was in awe of the singing cowboys: Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Jimmy Wakely and Sons of the Pioneers. I sat through their movies twice to hear them sing. The songs still pop into my mind.

Daughter, Beth, has told about bringing her college girlfriends home and warning them not be surprised if her Daddy burst out singing at any time.

A word or a situation often brings to my mind a song. Granddaughter Kelly was a little girl when she said to me, “Granddaddy sing that song you sang when we were herding cows in the Suzuki.” I said “What song was that?” She said, “Don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys.”

The first movie I recall seeing was “Wizard of Oz”. “Somewhere over the Rainbow” brought tears. It’s a sweet song not to be belted out, which I’ve heard done recently.

Anna Maria Alberghetti’s musical movies came to the Majestic when I was about sixteen. She was about my age. I was spellbound by her singing. Sat through her movies multiple times.

From where did my lust for music come? I think it’s genetic. My Grandmother Powell played piano by ear. My Dad whistled while he worked.

Seventh grade at Hillsboro, Texas, school singing class, the other kids told the teacher to hear me sing. I did, in a falsetto voice. Afterward the teacher told me I would soon outgrow the falsetto. I never sang falsetto again.

At 16, I was a farm hand. Spent many long days driving a noisy tractor. I sang over the noise.

About eleventh grade I was the only boy in the Glee Club. At an assembly, I sang the solo in “Battle Hymn of the Republic."

My first Army job was at Brooke General Hospital. Among other jobs I was officer in charge of patient entertainment. Once I escorted Gene Autry around the hospital and introduced him at a show he put on for the patients.

At age 35, I saw Laura Weber on TV offering folk guitar lessons on TV. I sent for her book, bought a folk guitar and sat in front of the TV once a week for the lessons. She said that I should sing while I played. I learned about 15 folk songs. Rarely practice since starting farming. At 74 I can play only a few of the songs I knew before.

I sometimes say I know some of the words of every song and all of the words to no song.

Music jokes: A lady came over to the piano player and whispered in his ear, “Do you know your fly is open?” Piano player said, “No mam, but if you hum it I will play along with you.” OR “When I was a kid back on the farm we had a flood and Dad floated down the creek on the chicken coop. I accompanied him on the piano.”

In the ninth grade Mrs. Blackburn had us learn a poem which had a line that said, “The greatest race hasn’t been run and the greatest song hasn’t been sung.” I feel sure that the greatest song was sung several years ago. To me music is a matter of rhythm, melody and harmony. Melody and harmony seem missing from what many of the younger set call music these days.

A few years back I sang, “Good Night Irene” at a friend’s birthday party. I introduced the song by saying it had been on top of the Hit Parade three times. My friend called out joking me, “What’s the Hit Parade?” Everyone from our time knew what the Hit Parade was – it was an early day TV program featuring the countries top ten tunes of the week.

Temple Museum Seeks Grant

The Temple Museum Association is seeking a grant to help fix up its building and future home. The Cotton Electric Cooperative offers grants to start museums in the communities it serves.

Cotton Electric Cooperative provides electric service to over 20,000 meters in eight counties of Southwest Oklahoma. Cotton Electric was organized in 1938 to provide electric services to rural areas at a time when other utilities did not consider it economically feasible. The cooperative gets involved in communities it serves by contributing money and volunteers to youth activities like 4-H and with programs like the museum grant.

The Temple Museum Association owns the old blacksmith shop as well as the stone building next to City Hall. We’ve been working hard to fix up the building for museum operations, and this grant would provide a big boost.

The Museum will feature the history of Temple, Oklahoma, and surrounding communities. Temple's history includes the B&O Cash Story, which put temple on the map in the early 1900s. People came from 80 miles around by wagon and horse and buggy to shap at the "world's largest country store" started by Temple brothers Bob and Otho Mooney. The museum will include photographs, catalogs and artifacts to bring to life the booming times that the store brought to Cotton County.

Interest in the Temple Tribune

Below is a letter that I sent recently to an editor at the Oklahoma Press Association. He is featuring Temple and our attempt to establish a newspaper. We hope his article will attract a new operator.

Terry,

Read your critique in the February Publisher about teaching journalism. You hit the nail. Also I read that you will write about Temple next issue.

I was never a journalism student. My Temple school teachers would be surprised that I could later write my name.

Tenth grade, Mrs. Kennedy, made us diagram sentences day after day.

In San Antonio journalist Grace Vincent agreed to help me with writing for my master's degree. I dropped my draft on her desk and the next day she said, “Harold, what did you mean by this?” I told her what I meant. She said, “Why didn’t you write that?” She was too kind and smart to say, “Why did you write this stilted, cold, drawn out bullshit? " She stressed many of the writing terms you’ve mentioned: active verbs and short sentences.

Upon Army retirement I moved back to Temple, Oklahoma, to farm. About three years ago I was visiting with the Walters Herald editor. I said that I could write a column for the Herald from Temple. She said Okay. I did that for two years and received many thanks and compliments. Then the new editor sent me a letter saying my column no longer met the Herald’s needs. I had submitted a well-documented story about Temple police. I think she caught a lot of flak from her readers for terminating my column.

A few months later a prominent Temple citizen said to me, “Temple needs a newspaper.” He asked if I’d look into it. I did. We started from scratch. We incorporated, sold stock, bought equipment, hired an editor. We put out 36 weeklies and attracted 350 subscribers and 100 put outs. We never developed successful marketing of advertising. I still believe it is out there to be had. We were short of expertise.

Our last issue was No. 36, May 1st.

We had trimmed our cost of publishing down to $812 per eight page issue, including a $350/ week editor’s salary. Our equipment and office remain in place. The job is perfect for a mature couple who would like to be a part of a quaint country town with little traffic, a nice country school and good citizens. They would receive the following assets:

• Temple Tribune, Inc.
• Cost of Incorporating
• Computer with programs and printer
• 350 subscribers
• 
  
• Periodical mailing rate
• Eager columnist
• A unique country town publication

They would need to make some monetary investment. Computer savvy and ability to market advertising are needed. Temple has very economical housing and a unique history.

Sincerely,

Harold Powell

Another Birthday

Our baby daughter turned 48 today. She doesn’t like to think about it, but she’s getting close to 50. I remember when I turned 50 I went around in a daze all day. Then at the end of the day I concluded, “I can’t believe a person my age is 50 years old.” When my children have birthdays, I always remember the day they were born. Forty-eight years ago, I couldn't imagined that I would ever have a 48-year-old child. I’m not sure it even occurred to me at that time that I would ever be 48.

Historic Pickup Tour

My cousin Elmarie and her daughter Tamela came to visit a couple of weeks ago. I took them on the standard family tour of Cotton County. I showed them the farm where Tamela’s grandmother Frances and my father Schular lived when our granddaddy died in a tractor accident. I showed them where the family lived when they retired from farming in 1923. We also visited the cemetery. Elmarie is my first cousin, but we were brought up like she was a sister sometimes. All the family and the cousins got together regularly. This is how the place looked in 1973.

Babe the Dog

We adopted a new dog named Babe.

Wisdom

J.R. Glasgow sent the following, which gave me a laugh:

After being married for 40 years, I took a careful look at my wife one day and said, “Honey, 40 years ago we had a cheap apartment, a cheap car, slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10-inch black and white TV, but I got to sleep every night with a hot 18-year-old gal.

“Now I have a $500,000 home two $45,000 cars, a nice big bed and plasma screen TV, but I’m sleeping with a 58-year-old woman. It seems to me that you’re not holding up your side of things.”

My wife is a very reasonable woman. She told me to go out and find a hot 18-year-old gal, and she would make sure that I would once again be living in a cheap apartment, driving a cheap car, sleeping on a sofa bed and watching a 10-inch black and white TV."

Aren't older women great? They know how to solve mid-life crises.

Letter Home from War

Kenneth Driskill recently gave me the following V-Mail microfilm letter written by my dad, Joseph Schular Powell, to Kenneth's parents 63 years ago. Dad was on a a ship with several hundred other troops headed for Japan when WWII ended. The troops thought the ship would turn around and return home. Instead they became the first occupation forces in Japan. Shular was stationed at Mesawa in Northern Japan. Coincidently my son, Joseph, was an Airman stationed at MEsawa for three years (1994-1997).

To: Mr. and Mrs. V. J. Driskill, Temple, Okla.
From: P.F.C. Joseph Powell 38692769, Co. A 302nd Engrs. BN. c/o PM San Francisco, Calif. 8 December 1945

Dear Friends,

Will drop you a few lines to wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Hope this finds you folks all well. I am doing pretty well, but can't say I like this place. I am not doing much of anything but loafing. Am running a road maintainer pushing snow part of the time and running a dozer part time, and have three men on both rigs and don't work every day so you can see I am not being over worked.

The worst part of this place is the grub. We have been here two months but still get nothing but C rations. Had a good dinner Thankgsgiving and that is all.

The weather here is something similar to Okla. , maybe a little more snow so far, but they say the snow gets about 6 feet deep about Christmas and stays on until April.

I didn't think there was a people in the world as crude as these are here. They are at least 50 years behind the U.S. There is no machinery at all. They do everything by hand, cradle their rice and thrash it with frail poles and let the wind chafe it. I don't see how they lasted so long in the war with the equipment their Army had here when we took over.

I don't know so much to write. Sure will be glad when I can start home. The ones in this company with three children signed for their discharges tonight. Here is until I get to see you.

Your Friend,
Shular

Temple Board Split on Dissolving Police Dept.

The Temple Board of Trustees was evenly split on a motion by Joe Keaton to dissolve the Temple Police Department. Joe Keaton and Bob Mason voted yes, Troy Sellers and Debria Schuler voted no. The vote came in a special meeting on April 3. This means the police department lives on in Temple.

The board also approved selling bricks from demolished lodge-electric building and depositing receipts into the Financial Assurance account.

News from the Temple Class of '55

Gari Nelson Kyle, Temple High School Class of 1955 writes:

I have two daughters, both grown of course. One has two sons and works as a first grade teacher at Crossings Church School. Her husband works for an airline. The other son lived in Dallas serveral years but is back "home" now, lives in Edmond and works at an insurance company. They and my grandsons are truly treasures."