PO Box 2, Ardmore, Oklahoma 73402
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 580-490-6823
I heard through the grapevine this week the Sonic on Grand Avenue as well as the old Radio Shack building next door will soon go the way of the wrecking ball. Well maybe not the wrecking ball but a bulldozer. I remember when I turned 16 and just started driving, the first place a couple of neighbor friends and I went was to the Sonic. I guess we sat there in the stall about an hour and when we left, instead of backing out, I drove forward driving between the two speaker poles on the other side. I didn’t notice there was a 3 inch slab of concrete between one side and the other. Boy the crazy things we do when we first start to drive. But I did make it through without hitting either speaker on the other side. I hate to see this piece of Ardmore history come down.
By the way, it seems the consensus is the Sonic Drive-In on Grand Avenue opened in 1962.
October 1931
W.E. Guess and Cecil Crosby, formerly deputy sheriffs of this county, will face trail in district court before Judge Asa Walden, and before a jury of Carter County citizens as a result of their killing of two Mexican men. The shootings of the two men, both related to the Mexican President, caused much national interest and the case was widely publicized in Mexico as well as in this land.
I have several free utilities I use to keep my computer running clean and mean. I try different ones from time to time, and some load my computer down with so much malware and spyware and cookies, my computer ran slower than it did before I tried their wonder working program. But there is one I have used for years by the name Periform CCleaner (Crap Cleaner). When my computer gets to slowing down, I run Crap Cleaner and amazingly my computer works like brand new, well, maybe not brand new, but a lot faster. I use two of Crap Cleaner’s features, CLEAN and REGISTRY. I run CLEAN first, then the REGISTRY utility, next I reboot the computer. Amazing what the free version of this utility can do to improve computer performance.
Some pavers I sandblasted the past week.
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/EsmeNevaehPaver.jpg
https://oklahomahistory.net/bricks/TopangaMarlenePaver.jpg
You can find gas prices for a particular Oklahoma town by entering the name or zip code in the GasBuddy search box.
http://www.oklahomagasprices.com/
I have not taken TruVision for weight lose in nearly 3 months. But I have been taking a probiotic and I’m seeing my stomach fat fading away. It takes at least a month to really see the pounds start dropping, but they do drop among other health benefits. If you really want to get rid of that belly fat I truly believe probiotics is a “must have”.
https://oklahomahistory.net/probiotics.html
Someone mentioned to me their electric bill is larger in the winter than in the summer because they have an all-electric home. Electricity is their only way of heating the house in the dead of winter. That’s all the more reason to own an Okie Power Saver. And OG&E continues to report each week I am in the “Efficient group”. I have only been placed in this group since I installed my Okie Power Saver. My Okie Power Savers are also a FULL house surge protector.
Below is an email I received this week from a friend who has one of my Power Savers.
“The other morning we had a power surge during a storm on one leg of the 220v power line. One side of the house went dark but the 50” TV, the kitchen lights plus the coffee maker just continued to work perfect. About 5 to 10 seconds the dead side of the house flickered on and off then returned to normal. No problems at all due to the Power Saver unit we installed.
Without the Power Saver the damage would have been a lot more than the cost of the Power Saver. Thanks again for the unit. Don’t know what I would have done with no coffee during the storm at 5 am.” -Okeefenokie Okie in Georgia
Q. Which Oklahoma legend was born on October 3rd, 1939 in Seiling, Oklahoma?
A. Gary England. Gary is former chief meteorologist for KWTV (Channel 9), in Oklahoma City.
Q. Oklahoma became the state song in what year?
A. (answer in next week’s T&T)
From This and That newsletter archives of November 10, 2001:
Last Saturday morning my neighbor, Bill Landrum, along with Tony McCall, and I rode out to Sherry Lake in that 1930 Dodge Brothers sedan of Bill’s. Sherry Lake is about 12 miles east of Ardmore on Highway 199. It was a great ride too, at 45 miles an hour! We traveled to the end of Bynum Road next to Sherry Lake (just over in Johnston County) to Tommy Johnson’s place. Tommy Johnson is carrying on a tradition, a craftsman of the highest caliber. He’s got a shop all set up to re-do wood spokes in antique car wheels. He and his son started the trade 9 years ago when they needed to repair the wood spokes in a Model A Ford they were restoring. One thing led to another, and soon they were making new hickory spokes for other people who were restoring old cars. I emphasize hickory, because anyone in the know, knows that’s the only hardwood to use in making spokes, according to Tommy. Here’s some photos we took of his shop and tools used in making spokes.
https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/tjohn5.jpg
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https://oklahomahistory.net/ttphotos/tjohn15.jpghttp://www.woodwheels.com/
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This is a pic I snapped this week of a 1951 “Henry J” auto on south Mary Niblack Road (just south of Springdale Rd) here in Ardmore. The Henry J was made by the Kaiser-Frazer auto manufacture. It’s owner, Larry King, passed away in September 2001. This old car is just sitting in the yard right now.
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“Hi Friend Butch, Have you ever ridden in a 1928 Durant? I bet you have not even seen one. Here is a picture of one my Father-in-law rebuilt. It was all original. It took about 29 years and many dollars to restore it. He passed away before it was completed. All it needed was the dash panel put in, windshield installed, and bumpers installed. It runs perfect but it only has 40 miles on it now. Someday I will get the pictures of it when he brought it home back in 1964 or 65. He did drive it though and it was sweet. There is supposed to be only 5 restored in the United States the last I had heard. He had a 32 Buick, 1915 granny car, and a 1915 touring car. I put them in order. Sorry, I do not have a picture of the 32 Buick. It was always in the garage. I drove it and it ran nice. 70 down the freeway but we had metal spoke tires, not wood. They are all in Ashland, Oregon. (Now you know why I love to go to Oregon) Hahaha).” -Grampes in Alaska
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“Good Morning Butch, I enjoy your emails and the website of your photos. I was thinking do you ever get over into Payne County, Oklahoma. I was born in Yale, and went to a country school named Vassar Dist # 32 that is no longer there. It was set on fire in 1990 after the bell had been stolen. I live in Pueblo, Colorado now and every time I traveled to Oklahoma I stopped at our school and looked around bringing back memories and then went on to my Aunts place. I attended Mulhall High School and I guess that is shut down or demolished after the tornado they had. If you should have any photos of these schools I would appreciate looking at them.” -Jean M (Dobson) Sellers, Pueblo, Colorado
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“Dear Butch, Loved the pictures you took of Walter Drew, feel like you honored his Mother whom I loved dearly. I remember so many evenings well when the children in our neighborhood gathered around her as she told us many stories of her childhood. The most interesting were her experiences with Indian raids that they endured. We especially were enthralled with her telling us how her mother managed to hide her during those raids. I would visit with Mrs. Drew quite often when she was ill. I especially remember her night cap, it was white and adorned with lace and little satin ribbons. She was such a gracious and kind person, a very close friend of my mother, Frances Maude Tweed Stonum. Mrs. Drew for my graduation gift gave me a beautiful white dress to graduate from Ardmore High School, class of 1935. Keep up the great job you are doing.” -Tweed Stonum Machock
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“GREETINGS BUTCH! IT WAS INTERESTING TO VIEW THE PHOTOS OF PRICE’S FALLS………. IT WAS KNOWN IN THE PAST AS THE ODD FELLOW CAMP, COMPLETE WITH WATER WHEEL AND CABINS, PLUS LARGE BUILDING WHERE REUNIONS, ETC., COULD MEET AND HAVE LOTS OF FUN. MY HUSBAND, CARL, WAS AN AVID FAN OF PRICE’S FALLS AND WE SPENT SEVERAL WEEK-ENDS ANNUALLY THERE TO HELP OTHER ODD FELLOWS AND REBEKAHS TO CLEAN UP………..A.C. WALKER FROM HEALDTON, PLUS THE BUCK WEST’S WERE SOME OF THE OTHER MEMBERS FROM THIS AREA TO GO AND CAMP OUT, AND WORK IN FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE TO HAVE A SAFE AND CLEAN PLACE FOR OTHERS TO ENJOY. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.” -CORRENA F. WILSON
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Some mail from this week’s MAILBAG…..“Hi Butch, Has anyone ever mentioned the Hart Grocery that was on the corner of Third Avenue and P Street N.E.? When I was in school – oh so long ago – I rode the bus after school. My mother and her sister stayed with their mother who lived on 3rd and I would ride the bus to the Hart Grocery and go in and visit with Mrs. Hart every other day then walk to my grandmother’s house about a block from there. Mr. & Mrs. Hart seemed old to me but I don’t know if they were or not, when you are young, people look old to you! LOL But they were a sweet little couple and had a neat store, they lived in the back of the store. Sometimes she would have cookies made and would send a few home with me. Had not thought about the store in years. After my grandmother died I didn’t keep up with them.” -Pat
“Butch Have I ever told you just how much I enjoy This, and That Newsletter??? I have to always look, but sometimes I get lazy, and do not say thank you… Reading those comments from folks this week made me appreciate your efforts that much more… Most letters you receive from followers I do not even know but those letters bring back so many memories of folks I know … This week included those like Earnest Martin, and Gary Simmons.. Legends of the county, that I am blessed to live in… Thanks friend for what you do to preserve our heritage… My grandchildren will have treasures that they can hang on too as well.” -Frank
Springer, Oklahoma Christmas Parade ? Saturday ? December 12, 2015
Open to antique cars, bikes, ATV, floats, bands, walkers and horse groups. Entry fee is one new unwrapped toy.
If you want to participate in the parade, please meet in the Springer School parking lot on the South side at 12:30 PM. The parade will start at 1:00 PM.
Volunteers are welcome and greatly appreciated.Come and enjoy the parade and join everyone at the Community Center for refreshments after the parade.
“Butch, Just read the recent issue of T&T newsletter and noticed the 1971 Reporter?s Notebook article from the Daily Ardmoreite about Highway Workers gathering artifacts. The State Archeologist, Dr. Don Wyckoff in 1971 was mentioned in the article in connection with the Primrose Archeology Site near Davis, Oklahoma which produced a quantity of ?preforms?. Ironically, Wyckoff is now retired from the museum at OU and is preparing a major study of the 7,000 year old Calf Creek culture which was represented at the Primrose Site. Although sites such as Primrose have been recognized for decades, not much is known about the Calf Creek Culture so a collaborative effort of Oklahoma and Texas archeologists is underway to focus on it. Wyckoff is presently examining collections and sites primarily from the Red River valley and beyond that will greatly enhance our knowledge of these big game hunters with their distinctive long eared projectile points. I have been assisting him by providing artifacts from the Lake Texoma vicinity and elsewhere on Red River while chasing down other sites and sources for his examination. We have been in the field as far west as the upper Canadian River valley of the Texas panhandle in search of related items. The resulting publication will be highly illustrated with lots of color plates and provide much new data for scientists and others to learn from.” -Towana Spivey
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. -Ronald Reagan
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
PO Box 2
Lone Grove, Oklahoma 73443
Follow me on the TruVision lose weight program
https://oklahomahistory.net/truvision.html
Vicious Dog Attacks in Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/viciousdogs.html
Bells of Oklahoma
https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
Carter County Courthouse Paver Project
http://www.brightok.net/cartercounty/pavers
Ardmore High School Criterions Online
http://www.ArdmoreCriterion.com/
Oklahoma Bells: https://oklahomahistory.net/bellpage.html
Bill Hamm’s Cemetery Database
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/carter/cartercm.htm
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 Government Website
http://cartercountyOK.us/
All previous issues of This & That can be found on my Website.
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