When I was a wee teen my cousin, Jerry Carmon, worked at Big Chief Roofing next to the refinery in northeast Ardmore (now Atlas Roofing). He worked at the plant in 1961, 1962 and part of 1963. In the early 1970s when I worked for the ambulance service we had to make calls to Big Chief Roofing, most heat related emergencies. That place would weed out the weak, very hot working in the plant. And if you were the one who had to crawl under the hot roller conveyer belt when the rolling felt paper had a break, you never did go in that smal crawl space underneath alone. Someone had to be there watching to pull you out by the legs in a few minutes if you passed out from the heat.
You will see in the photo below a man standing in front of a pallet of 3-tab asphalt shingles, called bundles. A bundle of 3-Tab roofing weighs about 75 lbs. The plant manager told me one time during a conversation that a lot of people applied for work there but handling those bundles of roofing, many did not make it to the end of their first day at work. It was hard, very hot work.
Ida (Isabel) Walters Carmon and my cousin, Jerry, live at DFW.
By the way, I handled many a bundles of roofing at my grandfather’s Carmon lumber yard at 3rd and H northeast when I was young. Today I probably could not even pick up one bundle. But like I tell people, I’m in pretty good shape for the shape I’m in. LOL
I’ve been staying busy the past two weeks working at my hobby, finding Oklahomans with unclaimed property (insurance only) at the State Treasurers Office in OKC. When I started this hobby in October 2020 I never dreamed it would lead me to where it is today. Below are people I’ve searched for since June 1st.
LaDonna Pollard in Lone Grove, over $1,400 (contact made)
Jimmie Pollard in Ardmore, $17,123.62
James E Ewing, Hennipin, $4,866.22
Kathy Hammonds in Haworth, $25,000 (contact made)
Nichols Agency in Ringwood, $33,107
Carol Tiatano in Edmond, $46,193.44
C Bar C Transport in Kingfisher, $24,902
Baker Family at Rt 1 Wilson, $2,697.16 (contact made)
H.C. McGee in Grandfield, $12,248.42
Janet Henning in Frederick, $11,484.15
Tammie McDevitt in Comanche, $11,484.15
Brent and Monica Cuttrell in Walters, $10,197.38
Felicitas Ramon in Anadarko, $58,125.53
Daniel & Laurette Schneeberg in Tulsa, $121,162.22
Clayton & Lavelle Tinney in Altus, $43,743.46 (contact made)
By the way, this is a hobby of mine, I get no money from it. You can find out if you have unclaimed property at the State’s website:
https://apps.ok.gov/unclaimed/
Questions? Give me a call 580-490-6823 or message me via my Facebook or email ( butchbridges@oklahomahistory.net ).
HAM Talk by KC5JVT via Echolink
Field Day is scheduled this weekend at the Red Cross office, 1006 Northwest Blvd., in Ardmore. In our Sunday evening checkin last weekend Vance KE5BAL said he plans on beiing there during the daytime.
From this week’s Mailbag
It got down to 29 last night and it is already up to 39 at 10 this morning so hopefully this is our last shot of winter. -Monroe Cameron
Below is from my newsletter dated
June 16, 2001 – Issue 217
I got to thinking the other day how my grandfather Stanley Carmon shaved every morning using a razor and soap. He’d boil his water on the gas stove until it was piping hot and then pour a little in his coffee cup shaving mug which in the bottom had a cake of soap. If the water wasn’t boiling, it wasn’t hot enough.
When I was a teen and also in my early 20s, I tried using an electric shaver. But I soon came to the conclusion that the closest shave, came from a razor blade. For the past 25 or more years, I’ve used a razor blade and shaving mug, just like my grandfather did. When I used an electric shaver, I had to shave twice a day. I will admit, a year or so ago, I gave up the shaving mug with the cake soap in it, and started using the instant shaving cream in an aerosol can.
The reason for telling all this is a few years ago a friend gave me a razor blade that had a built-in electric motor which ran on a AA battery, that made it vibrate. I looked at it, turned it on, and thought how silly this contraption seemed to me. So I never used it. Well, about two weeks ago I decided to get it out again and try it. Boy, I have never had a closer shave, be it an electric shaver or blade and soap. And for some strange reason, I’ve never got a nick either!
I sent email to the Remington company who made the LekTro Blade VB1, and guess what? They discontinued making the Lektro Blade. Now wouldn’t you know a good, reasonably priced razor like that, would be discontinued! Here’s a pic of that Lektro Blade. I guess this model is a collectors item now.
Does anyone remember the old washboard? Here is a pic of one that belonged to a distant relative of mine in Jefferson, Texas. She passed away in 1973. I remember rushing down there that year, and I got a ticket from the Texas Highway Patrol for speeding. Speed limit had just been lower that month from 70 to 55. This particular wash board was made in St Louis, Missouri by a company named Shapleigh’s. Shapleigh’s was established in 1843. Since I got a ticket going down there in ’73, I feel like I have $30 invested in this washboard!
Here’s a brief history of Shalpleigh’s Hardware Store in St Louis.
http://www.thckk.org/history/shapleigh-history.pdf
The Carter County Treasurer’s Office received a much needed piece of office equipment this week from Citizens National Bank here in Ardmore. The Treasurer’s office prints tax statements from computer fed form paper. Before, employees had to manually tear each form/statement at the perforation, so they could place them in envelopes. Now, thanks to Citizens Bank’s donation, they have a “paper burster” that does that arduous work! As the fan-fold paper is pulled into the machine from the front, it comes out the back, separated and torn at the perforation and ready to be placed in envelopes. Here’s a pic of Robert “Bob” Sperry with Citizens Bank showing the girls how it works. It’s sure going to make their work a lot easier at statement time!
The Carter County Assessor’s Website this week passed the 9,000 mark for available online photos of Carter County properties (plus 9,000 thumbnails). More are being added daily. A lot of the work in gathering those photos his being done by the Assessor’s two Field Appraisers, Jim Rozzell and Eric Dellinger. Here is a photo of them in front of their pickup truck, just before they head out to take more photos with their digital cameras. They are presently working the eastern part of Carter county.
“Here is the picture I was telling you about that I had, of the Dew Drop Inn at Caddo and Main street, as you can tell it is quite old.”
“Hi my Aunt forwards me your articles and reading them this time made me sad, I commissioned that mural on North Washington and 2nd. I didn’t know it was gone, I had the antique shop there at the time and part of the deal was to be a landlord, the part I wasn’t to good at. I had a artist from Lone Grove in the bottom apt and since artist are poor he couldn’t pay his rent his name was Keith, I gave him a old magazine with that Fisher picture in it and told him to get to work, I also thought there was something magical in her eyes, glad to finally know someone else saw it too, it went up in 1989 so it lasted over 10 years a record in the neighborhood! keep up the articles more people see them than you know.”
“History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside.” -John Fitzgerald Kennedy
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore, Oklahoma
580-490-6823
