Ardmore, Oklahoma Email: [email protected] Phone: 580-490-6823
Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team
Around the year of 1948 there was a group of Oklahoma Indians that got together to put on some Masonic Degree work. It was very well received by those who witnessed the effort. In 1950 , part of the 1948 group decided to form the Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team. Every year since, the Team has traveled all over the U.S. and Europe to put on the Maser Mason Degree. In the past, until now, there has been comparatively little change in Team. The Directors have been Fred Hays, Bunny Manly, Bob Archiquette, Ron Chambers, Terry Adams and currently Donald R. (Butch) McIntosh. Raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason and added to the Team in 1959, Bob Archiquette who has been with us at almost every one of the Team’s Degrees and is still participating with the Team. The Team also consist of 13 Past Masters and the other are in line at the present time. The Team has never charged for their work and will not do mock Degrees. One of our largest degrees put on previously, was a count of approximately 4,500 brethren present and that was in Delaware, some times we have done the Degree when the Team has outnumbered the people in the lodge.. Regardless we still put on the same degree.
The Team is not made up of members from any one Lodge, but from several. All the Brothers must live in the State of Oklahoma and be willing to travel two and occasionally three weekends a month, if the Team can travel from Tulsa to a Lodge in an hour, we will work week nights. This amount of travel time during a year can be stressful on home life, but we have a very supportive “home team”. On occasion, the “home team” gets to “go on the road”; that is to say the wives of the Team get invited to visit when the ladies of the Lodge members for whom the Team is doing the Degree work. It is through this fellowship that many long-standing friendship, for both the members and the wives, have been built.. Team members genuinely enjoy getting to know their Brethren from other states and finding kindred spirits in Masonry.
Since the early 60’s the Team has had picture postcards available as a memento of their degree work. The donations received through these help to pay for their travels. Lately, they have added lapel pins, ballcaps, and coins as another souvenir. When the Team travels out of state, they ask the requesting Lodge pay for travel, food and lodging. In recent years , members of the Team have put on a traditional Indian dance programs and Story telling of legends and tales to help some of the Lodges defray part of the cost of their travel. This has been a favorite, not only of the Lodge members, but also their ladies and family members. This is the only time that the ladies and children can see the Team members in their authentic tribal regalia or dance clothes. The Team often visits the Shrine hospitals located near the Degree work. They enjoy their talks with the kids and staff, and perform their dance programs for them.
The Native American Nations represented on the team are Apache, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek, Keetoowah, Oneida, Ottawa, Quapaw, Shawnee. In the past members have been Delaware, Kaw, Kiowa, Pawnee and Ponca.
This is “The oldest Degree Team” in existence today, and mostly that is because as a Team the group has never stopped or had a break since inception – over fifty year ago. The OMIDT has raised over 900 to the Master Mason Degree. THEY ARE the only known Indian Degree Team.
http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/oklahoma_masonic_indian_degree_team.htm
We in southern Oklahoma have had a lot of good rain these past few days, much needed rain to fill the lakes and farm ponds. Bryan Pullen in Davis, Oklahoma shared a photo this week of Turner Falls after all the rain that lasted a couple days straight. Now that’s a lot of falling water!
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I noticed this week the old Groomer Photography business on West Main was torn down. It was located on the west side of Central Park in the SW corner of Main and F Street. Here is a before and after.
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A couple of weeks ago we talked about the facelift going on at the old Bankers Exchange bank on Main Street. This week they are working on the 3rd floor.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/DunlapBuilding030212.jpg
We have heard so many good things about Okie Dirt the past few years, we decided to try it this year in the garden, and flower beds, plus some grassy places I want to see more grass growing. Last Friday I went out to the Ardmore Waste Treatment Plant at the NE edge of Ardmore and picked up a trailer load. Before making the trip to the treatment plant I had some questions, and employee Carol Anderson answered all my questions fully. Carol even called me back when the Okie Dirt was available for pickup. I could not have asked for better service! And the best part about Okie Dirt is it’s free!
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Everyone who comes by the plant to pick up Okie Dirt is given an informational sheet with all the details that makes up Okie Dirt. If you just take a pickup, you have to load it yourself by hand in the back of your pickup. If you have a trailer, they will load it with the front end loader. But you will have to have a tarp to cover the Okie Dirt before driving away. It will blow out if you don’t cover the trailer.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/OkieDirtInfoSheet.jpg
Timi Rich ran across any unusual commemorative cup this week. Its evidently about a golf tournament sponsored by Ardmore oilmen back in 1965. What’s so unusual is the word Oklahoma is misspelled on the logo. lol
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/OklahomaOilmen1965.jpg
The past couple of months a crew of two has been putting a new paint job on the SOWC water tower a little over a mile south of Highway 70 and Meridian Road here in Lone Grove. It was really needing a facelift.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/SOWCTower031812.jpg
You can see a little of how badly it needed painting by this photo I took last year of the overflow from the top of the tower. The overflow subsided a lot during the winter months, but it pretty much back to several times a week, water flowing from the pipe.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos11a/SOWC_overflow.jpgMrs. Elizabeth Goodnight and her husband sold vegetables and fruits at their vegetable stand on Springdale road for many years.
You know, I was thinking this week, ounce for ounce, dollar for dollar, the Oklahoma Braum’s burger is a pretty good burger. Now to find out if they mix that pink slime in their hamburger meat.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos12a/BraumsBurger030112.jpg
From This and That newsletter archives of March 20, 1999:
Last Saturday a friend and I went to the Hardy Murphy Coliseum to attend the National Wild Turkey Federation banquet. Een though we did not win the rifle, we had a good evening and everyone had fun!
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Here’s a 1914 pic of the Radium Well and four bathhouses at Claremore, Oklahoma
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On September 13, 1933 Pauls Valley, Oklahoma police were investigating the poison death of that city’s resident, Jim Taylor, age 55. The investigation would reveal a sickening set of events that led up to the death of Taylor. Taylor and Taylor’s neighbor, T.J. Halsell, age 67, by mutual agreement, traded their daughters, 11 and 15, to become the child brides of each man. Social workers of that time were shocked, hardly believing such a happening had taken place in this small Oklahoma town.
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“Do not throw away your VCR in the year 2000. Set it on 1972 because the days will be the same. Thought u can use the info. Pass it on because u know the manufacturer will not share this info, they want u to buy a new one!!! Let’s fool them and correct it ourselves.”
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“I noticed the one about Bee’s Grocery in Marietta. Can you tell me what year this was taken? The reason is that my Dad, Victor Thompson worked in the store for 17 years for B. Presley. Starting in (I think) 1968 or 69”
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“I enjoyed seeing the picture of the old Convention Hall which as you mentioned was located where the Civic Center Auditorium is now. Next time you travel west on Bdwy you will see the wall of the old Hall is still in existence because with certain modifications it serves as the east outside wall of the Civic Center. This is true of the south wall also. The old Convention Hall was a much used building in its time but apparently its balcony and other structures were wearing out. I recall on one occasion, when I was a boy, that the building became overcrowded — our worthy Fire Chief of that day, quickly had the building evacuated down to the level of audience that he declared to be safe….”
Sept 23, 1917. The Daily Ardmoreite: The completion of Ardmore’s new convention hall and its opening to the public in a concert by the Chamber of Commerce Band on Wednesday night of this week are events of importance in the development of Ardmore. This city has come to be one of recognized consequence and as such many conventions are being voted for here the coming year, the last one being the State Federation of Labor, which met at Oklahoma City the past week. The United Commercial Travelers is another convention of importance which has been secured. This hall will be used for the series of concerts by the operatic stars which will be given this season, beginning with Paul Althouse, tenor, on October 15.
Ardmore’s convention hall has a seating capacity of nearly 2,500, is well arranged, has a commodious stage, dressing rooms and anterooms. In the basement there is provision for a kitchen and dining room to be used on special occasions. The general plan and design of the building has been most happily conceived and fits it for the use of the community in many fields of activity.
The general contractor for the building was R.J. Redpath and Co. The sheet metal work was done by A.C. Holman and the plumbing was the work of Hoffman and Co.
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Q. What actor was born in Duncan, Oklahoma and played Opie in The Andy Griffith Show?
A. Ron Howard
Q. Who was the Oklahoma born “voice actor” of Donald Duck?
A. (answer in next week’s T&T)
Gas prices today in the Ardmore area……
https://oklahomahistory.net/gasprices.html
Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..I’m looking for someone who might help me find the value of some arrowheads in my collection. I have a couple of really nice (and very tiny) bird points. Perhaps one of your readers could point me in the right direction. If so, email me at [email protected]
“Butch, I was working at the courthouse when Carter County Deputy Dean Plank shot that guy in the leg who was trying to escape. They were remodeling the courthouse at the time. I had started to TG&Y to buy something for our office. I heard a loud noise and thought it was the workers throwing a board out of the second story window. About that time I heard Dean say, “I told you to stop.” I looked around and the guy was on the ground and Dean was standing over him with his gun on him. Dean’s wife worked at TG&Y. When I checked out I told her that I had just seen her husband shoot a man. I thought she was going to faint it scared her so. Hey, that was a long time ago. Back in the 70s?” -Frances Long Anthony Dunlap
“I have an old original civil war photo that I found in Ardmore years ago. Don’t remember where. I looks like two civil war soldiers sitting on camp chairs outside their tent. I would like to find out something about it. I so enjoy your Oklahoma History and everyone’s input. I never miss reading every word.” -Ann Kerr
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“Butch, In the Marietta Monitor, March 2, 2012, under “Recollections”, 25 years ago. My Aunt. “Mrs. Willie (Eutha) Johnson has been named Love County’s Extension Homemaker of the Year for 1987. Mrs. Jonson became a member of Love County’s Extension Homemakers shortly after her marriage in 1934, when she joined the Bomar Home Demonstration Club. The club later became the Shady Dale Club, and Mrs. Johnson then became a charter member of the Busy Bees Extension Group.” -Gene Womack
“Your roundhouse article last week – down memory lane again. About 1935 about 5th grade at Franklin School, father of a classmate, Charles Guinn, took us on a tour of the roundhouse. We walked around on it and, no locomotive available, the operator demonstrated it by turning it some. It was located a little West of where Grand meets Commerce. The railroad ran where Grand is today. Commerce didn’t exist between 12th Ave NW and West Broadway till after WW2. I checked the Ardmore directory for 1935 and found Albert Guinn listed as telegraph operator for StL & SF, giving residence a block North of Franklin school.” – Bob McCrory
“A roundhouse and a turntable are two different things, although they are quite often found together. Steam locomotives were very maintenance intensive and that’s what the roundhouse was for. A turntable is for turning engines. But at smaller places where maintenance was not usually performed, there may not be either a roundhouse or a turntable. In those cases, if locomotives need to be turned there, the railroad usually built a wye.” -Wes Leatherock
“I found Jonas & family in the 1910 Census in Berwyn, but could not find them in the 1920 Census in the same town. Since I know they were buried there off Indian Hill Road, I am wonder what would be some of the names of any of the communities in that area? Does anyone have a scan of a Carter County map from 1920 that might show all of the small communities, town, unincorporated settlements, etc.?? I could not think of very many in order to search the Census records for that year. Anyway, would appreciate any help.”
“Butch, The picture of the two cheerleaders on the back of the car is the annual homecoming parade. The girl on the right is Teresa (Harris) Waters. The other girl is possibly Jean Pendegraf. I think it’s around 1979.”
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“I know this is an Ardmore High Homecoming parade photo from the mid 70’s. I swear it’s from 1975 (my senior year there) or 1976. The girl on the right looks a whole lot like Toni Remondino. And one of the names on the poster, Teresa Harris, was in some of my classes, but she was a year behind me, I think. Not 100% positive. Garth Hoard might remember better than I.”
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“Hey Butch, I was going through some old “This and That” articles and came across the one of the old Greenberg Jewelry/Alsup Drug (117 E Main) with the pictures I seen something that caught my attention. I highlighted it and marked what appears to be a woman’s head.”
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“Butch, we went to Medicine Park and Meers and had a few good meals. The one in the metal pan is from the caf? at Meers and was delicious and the cobbler and ice cream was out of this world. The basket burger is from the Plantation at Medicine Park and was great also.” -Doug Williams
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http://winterfamily.smugmug.com/Other/Lawton-trip/22030681_DzJzng#!i=1757921993&k=7QDZ7Ff
“This is some old 8mm video I shot of my Dad, Carl W. Stevens, and friend, Corky Bolles, back in 1965 when they both operated several oil field central powerhouses near Rexroat, Oklahoma.” -C. Dwane Stevens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGV124nryGI
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
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Ardmore High School Criterions Online
http://www.ardmorecriterion.com/
Oklahoma Bells: https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
American Flyers Memorial Fund – Administration Webpage
https://oklahomahistory.net/crash66.html
Official American Flyers Memorial Website
http://www.brightok.net/~wwwafm
Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base Website
http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons
Mirror Site of the Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Website
https://oklahomahistory.net/airbase/
Carter county schools, past and present
http://community.webshots.com/user/oklahomahistory
Carter County Government Website
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/
Ardmore School Criterions
http://www.ArdmoreCriterion.com
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