CALLIE FERGUSON’S IN HUGO, OKLAHOMA – A WONDERFUL PLACE TO EAT:
By James A. Clark
When I was 12, working as a DJ at KXII-AM 1340 in Hugo, I heard about a widow named Callie Ferguson, who had opened an eatery for lunch in her home. Her husband had died 3-4 years before and left her with only a meager sum of savings. So, desperate to earn a living, the 50-year old Callie realized that she had only one attribute: She could cook and was a great chef.

She opened an eatery in her home called Callie Ferguson’s. It was open only for lunch and one could eat all you wanted for $1.50. The menu was the same every day, 6 days a week: Fried chicken, pork cutlets, homemade biscuits with butter and honey, fresh green beans, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and cream gravy. For dessert: Home baked chocolate cake and cherry or peach cobbler. It was an amazing success and when Callie raised her lunch price to $2.50, the line of those waiting to eat stretched across the lawn. Callie operated her eatery for 10 years and she suddenly died of a heart attack.

The eatery closed because no one could compete with the widow who knew how to cook with aplomb. I saved a photo of Callie’s eatery. It’s attached to this true story. Fond memories for a 12-year old. I still miss those wonderful lunches at Callie Ferguson’s.
-James A. Clark, Ardmore, Oklahoma