I hope everyone is enjoying the Reason for the Season. Here in Oklahoma its a beautiful day. Its hard to believe another year is almost gone. This newsletter will be a short version. And as I mentioned a couple times the past few weeks, starting in 2026 I may not publish a newsletter EVERY Thursday. But I will be sharing one fairly often. Who knows, I may send one out twice in one week from time to time. lol
The main thing in today’s issue is to Remember the Reason for the Season.
I stopped by the Carter county courthouse this week and I saw a beautiful Christmas tree on the first floor rotunda. It was donated to the courthouse by a lady. My mind flashed back to about 1997 when Don Waters was sheriff. That Christmas he bought a tree for his office using county money. A few months later when state auditors were down from OKC and found the expenditure they said you can’t use county tax dollars on Christmas decorations. Don Waters had to write a personal check to the County Treasurers office for the amount he spent for the tree.
I love playing around with AI. A friend sent me the picture below to see if I could improve on it. I am amazed what AI can do with old, worn and faded photos.
The past few weeks I’ve re-done with AI dozens of Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial officers killed decades ago in the line of duty. The photos were in terrible condition. Below is just one example the dramatic change AI can make.
John Nelson Ernst – Deputy Sheriff
Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office December 24, 1910
John N. Ernst was born July 27, 1871, in Shelbyville, Shelby County, Illinois to John George and Nancy Jane (Tripp) Ernst. John N. Ernest married Dora Catherine Witt in 1893 in Oklahoma.
The evening of Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24, 1910, Deputy Sheriff John Ernst was summoned from his home in the small town of Fisher, near Sapulpa, Oklahoma to a dance to quell a disturbance resulting from a game of craps. Upon his appearance at the dance the crowd turned on Deputy Sheriff Ernst. During the melee which followed, Deputy Sheriff John Ernst was shot in the heart and died twenty minutes later. Though three men were arrested and charged with Deputy Sheriff John Ernst’s murder all three were released after their trials due to lack of evidence proving whom had actually shot Deputy Sheriff John N. Ernst.
Deputy Sheriff John N. Ernst had been a Tulsa County Deputy Sheriff for three years and was survived by his wife Dora and their seven children, Douglas Edward, 16, James Edgar, 15, Theodore R, 8, Oscar Ellsworth, 6, Ellen, 4, Iva Bell, 2, and Della, just a few months old.
John Nelson Ernst is buried in the Old Sapulpa Cemetery, Sapulpa, Creek County, Oklahoma.
HAM Radio Talk By Butch Bridges KC5JVT
Allstar node # 58735 – Echolink # 101960 – HamsOverIP # 103010
Yesterday (the 24th) there was a record number of HAMs checking in to the Boredom Breaker Net (Claremore, OK) from all over the world between noon and 2pm CST. I monitor the check-ins using a free app called Netlogger.net At a little past 2pm when Nancy Hohler KI5OZZ and Net Control Officer closed the Net there were 98 check-ins. Wow!
“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” -Clarence in It’s A Wonderful Life 1946 (said to George Bailey after showing him a world without him).
See everyone next week!
Butch and Jill Bridges
Ardmore Oklahoma
580-490-6823
https://oklahomahistory.net