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Trooper Terry Dickson
TERRY DICKSON – OHP:In 1987, OHP Trooper Terry Dickson made a routine traffic stop of a Texas-registered vehicle in front of McCoy’s Lumber Company in Ardmore. A young Black man, later identified as Michael Whitmill, was in the driver’s seat of the stopped car from Texas. Whitmill, the subject of an arrest warrant from Texas,…
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No More Employee Benefit
AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT THAT ONLY ONE PERSON TOOK ADVANTAGE OF: When I was CEO of IMTEC Corporation in Ardmore we had over 300 employees. We paid top wages and lots of benefits, but I wanted to offer something no other employer did: A fully paid college education. So, I designed the plan and explained it…
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My First Time in Court
Hugo, Choctaw County, Oklahoma:Even as early as 9 years old, I was interested in the law. So, I decided to attend a court session in Choctaw County District Court. I went to the courthouse and searched around until I saw some people in a courtroom. I went to the door, knocked and a big guy…
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A Murder Case I Didn’t Want
A MURDER CASE I DIDN’T WANT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES: A true story. After I left the District Attorney’s office I was sought out by many persons that I had prosecuted. A man came to my office once asking me to defend his son who was in the County jail charged with a homicide. From the…
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The $2 Bill Saga
I first started practicing law decades ago, I started a little program that had some marketing overtones. I had my secretary keep a list of children of my clients, their names, addresses and ages. On December 1 or so, I’d go to the bank and secure a pile of $2 bills and Yuletide envelopes. I’d…
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Mr Hughes and the Dixie Theater
MR HUGHES AND THE DIXIE THEATER:When I was 9 years old, I looked forward to Saturday nights. All the kids had a weekly appointment with Mr. Hughes, the owner of a grocery store in my hometown.Each Saturday, at 5 pm, he’d come out of his store and head for his pickup truck. In the bed,…
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Burying a bull next to the property line
When I was District Attorney, I handled a lot of different cases.I was aware that two farmers who lived east of Ardmore, were bitter enemies but since they each lived on 20-acre spreads, I didn’t worry about it.I started worrying when one of the farmers burst into my office one day demanding to file charges…
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Changing a tire with no jack – a true story
My late father, Joseph Marion Clark, was an unbelievably powerful man. He died when I was a young man, leaving my mom as his widow.With her death only months away, I tried to visit her often. I delighted in hearing how difficult it was rearing five children with virtually no income.I asked her one day…
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James A. Clark 1941-2023
James A. Clark – Author, Historian, Storyteller & Recollections 1. Callie Ferguson’s eatery in Hugo, Oklahoma 2. Escape from poverty 3. Manson like murder in Davis, Oklahoma 4. Unsolved homicide in SW Ardmore 5. Courthouse shoeshine man 6. Changing a tire with no jack 7. Burying a bull next to the property line 8. Mr.…
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Escape from poverty
AN ESCAPE FROM GRINDING POVERTY:My best friend Jerry Holmes lived about 1/4 mile from my old section house that was located about 50’ from the Frisco Railroad tracks south of Grant, Choctaw County, Oklahoma. Jerry and I would agree and would meet near an old oak tree located halfway between our houses. We’d come equipped…
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