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August 2023

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1415 SE Washington Blvd., Bartlesville, OK 74006 918-333-0380

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We are welcoming all our students

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WHAT’S INSIDE

what’s inside...

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Upfront

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Healthcare: Marissa Bernabe

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Profile: Dr. Tammie Strobel

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Sports: A Solid Foundation

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Feature Story: A History Lesson on Our

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Funny You Should Ask: Acrobat

High Schools

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From The Heart: Show Up As Yourself

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Feature Sponsor Story: Around Town With

Edgar Weston

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On The Road: Calling to the Good Despite All the Bad, Rural America is Still Good

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Kids Calendar

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Arts & Entertainment: BiB! New Season Set

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Chick-fil-A Events Calendar

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Unsung Heroes: Joel Holmstrom

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Now You Know: Fish Creek School Early School Was a Rural Washington County Icon

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Impacting Education: A Look at the

BPS Foundation

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Looking Back: Oklahoma!

How We Got Our State Song

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Stars In Our Back Yard: Mitsuey Conover’s Story

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A Fresh Perspective: Friday Night Lights

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Local Legends: Eugenia Barbee Jackson’s Family

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Out & About: Photos From Around Town

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Education: State of the Schools

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Making a Difference: Measured by Character Equipping Students with Vision and Legacy

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Helping Hands: Spectacular Sports Fun!

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A Good Word: A Walking Sermon

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Let Freedon Ring: High School Rivalry Rivalry: Competition for the Same Objective

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upfront

Welcome to August friends and the start of school for students, teachers, and parents from pre-K to our seniors, who are going to bring a close to one of the biggest chapters of their lives. These seniors, like our daughter, Grace, will walk on stage to receive their diploma.

They will leave behind memories of the last 12 years of dances, proms, sporting events, and first loves. They will continue to figure out what they want to do the rest of their lives. The friendships that were built all through school most likely will continue on for a lifetime.

This also includes, of course, the love stories that were built in classrooms, sporting events, and hallways that will last a lifetime...like Christy and I, who have known each other for 38 years as friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, then years later husband and wife.

In the process of picking out the cover picture, I looked for over a week at more than 400 pictures which were provided

by Debbie Neece of the Bartlesville Area History Museum. Before 1899 there was not a public school in Bartlesville. Most schools were in churches and private homes, and parents paid the teachers directly. This all changed in 1899, when the City Council voted to levy taxes to create the first high school. In 1903, Bartlesville had its first high school, with 18 students. The construction of Garfield School started in 1904 and was completed in 1905 at a cost of over $17,000. The first exclusive high school was built in 1910, which is the building that graces the cover. This building was abandoned in 1926 and sat empty for many years until Gorman Construction bought it. They demolished it and built the Ritz Apartments, which are still standing today.

UPFRONT

The school district decided to build a new high school on the East side of the city and named it Sooner High. It opened its doors in 1966 with 10th and 11th grades. In 1967 the school expanded to 10th through 12th grades until 1982, when both schools combined and became Bartlesville High School. Go Bruins! Class of 1987!

I mentioned earlier that our Gracie girl is a rising senior and the last of our seven kids to graduate from Bartlesville High School. Our oldest son, Tyler, did not graduate because he passed away his junior year. As we look back, we have had a child in the Bartlesville school district for over 25 years.

I want to end this Upfront to talk about Grace for a moment. I’m writing this on July 17th at 12:58 a.m. This morning we are driving her to Fayetteville for surgery on her ACL, which she tore playing her AAU ball in Oklahoma City five weeks ago. After visits with some of the best orthopedic surgeons and getting an MRI, we decided to have surgery. I taught her the game of basketball and coached her for over four years. I have known, coached, refereed, and played against some of the best players in the state. I have never known anyone who works as hard as she does. If the gym is open you will see her in it. I hate this for her, and I would take a broken leg if she could not have this injury! GOD is NOT surprised, and we will trust him through this journey.

We know that Grace will be the hardest worker on the court. It is her goal to play college basketball, and she really doesn’t care where, as long as she is playing the sport she loves the most…basketball…

God Bless, Keith

Bartlesville Monthly Magazine is published by

ENGEL PUBLISHING

Offices located in Downtown Bartlesville in the historic Price Tower 510 Dewey Ave, Suite 400, Bartlesville, OK 74003 P.O. Box 603, Bartlesville, OK 74005

www.bartlesvillemonthly.com facebook.com/bartlesvillemonthly

Publisher Brian Engel brian@bartlesvillemonthly.com Graphics Copper Cup Images design@coppercupimages.com Director of Sales & Marketing Keith McPhail keith@bartlesvillemonthly.com Community Liaison Christy McPhail christy@bartlesvillemonthly.com Project Manager Andrea Whitchurch andrea@bartlesvillemonthly.com Administration Shelley Greene Stewart Delivery and Distribution Tim Hudson Calendar/Social Media calendar@bartlesvillemonthly.com Contributing Writers

Debbie Neece, Kay Little, Kelly Hurd, Lori Kroh, Jay Hastings, Sarah Leslie Gagan, Brent Taylor, Keith McPhail, Jay Webster, Lori Just, Maria Gus, Joe Todd

Contributing Photographers

Bartlesville Area History Musuem, Prairie Girl Photography, Becky Burch

Kids Calendar Jessica Smith

We also write about Douglas School, which was founded in 1907 as the only school in Bartlesville for African American children, which abided by the law of segregation. The first graduating class was in 1927 with one student, Miss Bessie Love. The largest graduating class was in 1949, with 24 students.

What makes Bartlesville unique in comparison to most cities in Oklahoma is that at one time we had two High Schools in a city with a population under 30,000 people. Col-High opened in 1950 and was open until 1982. Bartlesville was booming because of the oil industry. Phillips 66 was bringing in new families at a record pace.

Volume XIV Issue VIII

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or otherwise, without prior permission of Bartlesville Monthly, Inc. Publisher & Editor of Bartlesville Monthly Magazine reserves the right to reject any content or advertisement in this publication.

ABOUT THE COVER A look at the history of high schools here in Bartlesville.

Creative concept by Keith and Christy McPhail Design by Copper Cup Images

Managing Editors Keith & Christy McPhail.

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PROFILE

Dr. Tammie Strobel

Outstanding Superintendent, CEO, and Lifelong Educator

by Sarah Leslie Gagan

Dr. Tammie Strobel vividly remembers the moment as if it were yesterday, the moment when time stood still, as she knew with distinct clarity what her purpose was in this life. She was working in marketing and business when, at her mother’s encouragement, she met with Dr. Jim Baker, a marketing educator at Jenks High School. Tammie was so drawn to his work, that she knew she was to take her marketing experience to the next level and become a marketing educator. She followed this dream with tremendous passion, quit her job and enrolled to further her education by earning her Master’s degree in Education.

This determination was a way of life for Tammie, who was born in the small farming community of Leon, Iowa. She moved several times with her parents and brother Tim, finally landing in Jenks, Oklahoma where she would graduate high school. After high school, Tammie attended Oklahoma State University and received her bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Tammie loved marketing and was truly happy running her own store. Becoming an educator wasn’t on her mind at that time, but her mother saw something more in her. Her mother was working at Jenks Public Schools and encouraged Tammie to speak to the teacher there who taught marketing. She didn’t go right away, but at her mom’s encouragement, she finally arranged to meet with marketing instructor, Dr. Jim Baker. It was during that visit that Tammie saw her life taking a different direction, stepping into the world of education.

She recalls, “It was one of those, what I call, a God moment, where time stood still. And it was in the spring, right after spring break. I remember exactly what I was wearing. I remember everything about that moment. I knew this is where I’m supposed to be, I’m 8

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supposed to be a marketing teacher. So, I quit my job. I went to school.

Right then. That was in May. I started school in June, to get my master’s degree to become a teacher. And I did. And so, I think things work out exactly how they’re supposed to.”

Tammie has now been an educator for 37 years. After her years at OSU, she attended the University of Central Oklahoma, graduating with a Master’s in Education, then received a Doctorate Degree in Education Administration and Leadership from the University of Oklahoma. She reflects upon her life, “Pretty much my whole life I have either been going to school, teaching school or been an administrator of the school.” Her heart is full as she views education as her personal act of service to others, and she thrives at all she does.

Her career was inspired by the loving encouragement of her mother, who herself worked in education for 40 years. Both of her parents have been huge supporters of Tammie’s gifts and talents. They continue to support her dreams today as proud parents who encourage Tammie to always chase her dreams. Her father has always been a real “go-getter” who worked for several years as a CPA with the Army Corps. of Engineers, retiring from that position, and eventually embarking upon a second career as an auditor for the state of Oklahoma. While he has retired for the second time in his life, Tammie’s mother continues to work at a local Tulsa hospital. Tammie has definitely inherited her parent’s ambitious nature, and they both continue to play a very important part of Tammie’s life.

PROFILE Tammie’s biggest supporter and cheerleader is her husband Brad. They have a wonderful love story of becoming high school sweethearts, meeting while working at the same grocery store, although they attended different schools. They were also college sweethearts at OSU but would eventually go their separate ways and marry other people. But as fate would have it, they met again later after both were divorced and they married, knowing they were meant for each other. They have a daughter, Chrissy, who works as an oncology nurse at the same Tulsa hospital with Tammie’s mother.

Tammie gives Brad much credit for being her biggest cheerleader and supporter of her dreams. He provides the courage and understanding to overcome obstacles and she considers herself very, very blessed to share her life with him. Being empty nesters, Tammie and Brad love to travel and enjoying spending time planning their next adventure together. They also enjoy spending time with family and hosting gatherings during holidays and special occasions.

Tammie has always been a very caring, considerate person who cares about others intensely. Her mother still cherishes the first grade report card Tammie brought home that said, “Tammie seems to care more about the success of other kids and helping them do their work than her own, and she is a great asset to the class.” Tammie is quick to give credit to countless others who have mentored and coached her and invested themselves into her life and career. She holds fast to the quote by Sir Isaac Newton, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Many people have been placed in her life along the way to help develop her into who she is today.

Tammie has been with Tri County Technology Center since 2000. She began as Director of Instruction, advancing through the positions of Assistant Superintendent, Chief Quality Officer, Deputy Superintendent and now is in her third year as Superintendent of Tri County Tech, starting her 24th year at Tri County. She knows it is where she is meant to be and loves “the Tri County Way” that she has been a part of influencing. She loves the rewarding opportunity to use her strengths every day to make a difference in people’s lives. She gives much credit to the approximately 100 educators she works with and is amazed at their dedication to serving the needs of each student.

within our community in addition to all of her duties.

In 2022, Tammie was secretly nominated by her coworkers for the OSU Cowboy 100 list and was humbly honored to be ranked #51 out of 100 OSU alumni CEO’s who have had an impact upon economic growth. It was an honor she never saw coming and was very surprised to be notified she placed in the Cowboy 100 for 2022, placing with other CEOs from across the world. It was definitely a landmark moment in her life that she is very proud of.

Tammie loves Bartlesville and the culture of community here. She especially loves the people and their willingness to help others in need. It’s a small town with a true big-town feel and big-town amenities. She sees a true generous spirit demonstrated in the community to care for people that they may not even know, or understand their plight, they simply act because they see a need. She loves celebrating other businesses’ success, and celebrating their accomplishments together. Bartlesville is more than a place to live and work, it is a place to make a life.

Tammie is looking forward to the future and all the exciting things Tri County Tech has planned. They are currently in the process of totally remodeling and expanding their nursing classroom facilities to accommodate more students. Tammie stresses the need for Healthcare workers in Oklahoma and notes that many of the TCT nursing graduates stay in the community to work and meet the area healthcare needs.

The Tri County area is so blessed to have such an ambitious and caring leader in Tammie. She is a true gem, and her care and concern for bettering the lives of others fills our community with life. Tammie, we honor you for your vision for our community and your loyal heart for education, we believe you are right where you are meant to be, and we are so thankful to have you lead us into the future of education!

Tammie is on the board of The Executive Committee of the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce as well as the Cherokee Area Boy Scouts of America Council. She also serves on the board of Ascension St. John Jane Phillips Hospital. She remains active AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

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SUTTERFIELD FINANCIAL FEATURE

A History Lesson on Our High Schools

By Sarah Leslie Gagan

The high school years of our youth are some of the most memorable. We grow and learn, develop our own ideas and identity and maybe even fall in love. These are years of expanding our minds and our lives as we plan out our future, connecting with educators who often leave a lasting impression on our character and career. Not everyone has a completely positive high school experience, but often if you search hard enough, pleasant memories will come forward for us to revel in.

Atmosphere plays an important role in learning, and throughout the years, our area has placed priority on building facilities conducive to providing each student the greatest opportunity to become all they can be as they prepare to go out into the world. Before 1899, there were no “free” or public schools in Bartlesville. The operating schools were a variety of small church or “subscription” schools where the parents paid the teachers directly.

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SUTTERFIELD FINANCIAL FEATURE

Bartlesville High School

Construction was completed on Bartlesville High School, located on Dewey Ave. between 10th and 11th Streets, in the spring of 1910.

Graduation exercises were held for 13 graduates in the building, although they had attended Garfield School their senior year. The last graduating class before the building was vacated was the class of 1926. The building stood empty for several years before being sold to Arthur Gorman, who tore the building down and built the Ritz Apartments.

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Bartlesville’s First School The Beginning of a New District On May 29, 1899 the Bartlesville City Council passed Ordinance 36, levying taxes for public schools. On July 31, 1899 a city election creating the Bartlesville Public School District was held, with 38 yes votes and none opposed. On August 3, 1899, the school board organized and met for the first time, with the U.S. Court for the Northern District of the Indian Territory certifying the annexation on August 8, 1899. The first free publicschool session began in October of 1899, following approval of a 1.5% ad valorem tax on October 2nd, 1899.

The first high school classes began in 1903 as a twoyear offering for 18 students. The high school met in a tworoom wood frame building at Sixth and Cherokee. In 1904, the high school grew to a four-year course with 43 students enrolled. Construction of Garfield School, located at 611 S. Cherokee, began in 1904 and was completed in 1905. The $17,230 facility housed all grade levels. On May 5, 1907, two young ladies, Eva Mae Kreep and Lillian Emma Evans, became the first graduating seniors from Garfield.

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By 1912, the school employed 10 teachers and a principal, offering classes in Physics, Latin, English, Math, German, Commercial Studies, Music, Art, Expression, History and Economics.

In 1924, the high school designed to serve 250 students was bursting at the seams with 373 students. By 1926, the building was abandoned, and sat empty for many years with futile attempts to sell it. Sitting idle, the building became dilapidated and was demolished in 1939 and replaced by The Ritz Apartments, which still stands today.

Central High School

The Original Bartlesville Public High School As the student census grew from 469 to 800 students, it became necessary to build a stand-alone secondary school.

Bonds were passed in 1907 and 1908 to build a new high school building on Dewey Avenue, spanning from 10th Street to 11th.

The district’s first facility exclusively for high school classes was opened in April 1910 on Dewey Avenue between 10th and 11th streets. Architect C.W. Squires of Emporia, Kansas designed the impressive brick building with four floors, plus a basement and clock tower. The first graduation was held in the building in the spring of 1910, consisting of 13 students, although all the learning had taken place within the Garfield School. Students in grades 9-12 began classes in the fall of 1910 at the new high school.

Early Garfield Students

In 1926, the solution to the overcrowding at the high school was remedied by the completion of a new addition to Central Junior High School, located on the corner of 9th and Cherokee.

The original junior high was built in 1917 and was the first junior high school in Oklahoma. The

SUTTERFIELD FINANCIAL FEATURE

Garfield School new high school addition was completed in 1926, expanding the facility to house grades 7-12. The Bartlesville public school mascot at this time was the Yellowjackets.

The new addition built for the high school featured an impressive auditorium that could seat over one thousand students and was noted for its acoustics. The English and music rooms featured small stages, and bookkeeping students were taught their skills in a new “imitation bank”. The basement housed the manual training and auto mechanics rooms.

A year of junior college was added in 1927. For decades, class sizes of 30-40 students were common, with students often divided into sections based on performance. The school had an open hour for lunch, and old movie serials played in the auditorium for students to enjoy.

During this time Cecil “Lefty” Custer became the junior high football coach and later coached the high school team for many years, from a time when they were the Yellowjackets to when

they became the Wildcats. He also coached basketball, softball, track, swimming, and managed the town’s Sanipool. Custer Field and Custer Stadium at College High were renamed in his honor after he passed away in 1953.

Enrollment increased at a steady pace, and new facilities were again necessary as Central’s green and gray halls were packed with 1700 students in grades 9 to 12.

Bartlesville Senior High and Junior College Bartlesville Senior High and Junior College was built in 1939, and grades 11 and 12 along with the junior college moved south down Cherokee to the new streamlined art deco building at 1700 Hillcrest Drive. The new building, designed by Tulsa architect John Duncan Forsyth, was regarded by many as the “Southwest’s most modern school.” The school had its first graduating class in the spring of 1940.

The school also served as a junior college where eighteen courses made it possible to acquire a full two years of college studies. 1940-1950, juniors, seniors, and junior college students attended the school. In 1950 the junior college closed and sophomores moved from Central to Senior High and the portion of the name, “Junior College,” was removed. The school officially became known as College High School.

Douglass School

Douglass School High Steppers

Douglass School was founded in 1907 as the only school in Bartlesville for African American children to attend and abide by the law of segregation. It covered all grades as it grew through the years, with its first graduate in 1927, Miss Bessie Love. At this time the school was located at 5th and Virginia Avenue, after experiencing several expansions. The entire school’s enrollment reached 189 in 1935. Renaissance Club helped provide the largest source of financial funding for the school.

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SUTTERFIELD FINANCIAL FEATURE

Douglass School as construction was finishing up.

A 1938 bond provided an additional .55 acres and a gymnasium/auditorium and classroom addition. The first lunchroom began in 1940 under the W.P.A., which the P.T.A. continued. Vocational education units were added in 1949.

That same year brought a graduating class of 24, the largest in the school’s history. The school gained a cafeteria in 1952 and Phillips Petroleum donated 3.84 acres to the site in 1953 with athletic dressing rooms added.

The Douglass marching band, the High Steppers, led its annual homecoming parade through downtown Bartlesville. The school’s basketball, football, and track teams were the Douglass Dragons, and there also was the Douglassaires Glee Club. The school colors were purple and white, and its song was “The Eyes of Douglass.” In addition to vocational programs, the school had

speech and debate classes, a student council, and a journalism class. The laboratory science curriculum was limited, however, and Douglass did not offer any foreign language courses.

The sports teams always scored well in athletic activities.

Coach Charles “Cool City” Smith put together a winning football team. The Bartlesville Board of Education declined to fund the trip for the playoffs in Fredrick, Oklahoma although Douglass had the chance to play for the state championship. The two competing teams had to settle for sharing the championship title. In 1955 Bartlesville Douglass Dragons and the Boyd High School of Fredrick were both crowned as the O.I.A.A. Class B State Co-Champions. The Douglass Alumni donated the Douglass trophy associated with this honor to the Bartlesville Area History Museum in 2009.

In 1956, Bartlesville schools began integrating black children starting with the high school, reducing Douglass to eight grades, later to six grades and closing in 1971 with just Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third grades the final year.

A former Douglass student has been quoted as saying: We were proud of our marching band, and the Douglassaires Glee Club was one of the best in the state. Our basketball, football and track teams, namely the Douglass Dragons, always scored well in athletic activities. The smallest class ever to graduate was our first graduating class with one member, Bessie Love in 1927. The largest class to graduate was the class of forty-nine with twenty-four members. Our colors were purple and white, our symbol the dragon, our song was “The Eyes of Douglass.”

Douglass School Band 16

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The former Douglass School is no longer standing, although the gymnasium stood for many years after its closing and served as home to ARC, now known as Employability.

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Bartlesville Senior High School and Junior College College High School From 1950 to 1982 the high school at 1700 Hillcrest Drive became known as College High School, even though the junior college that previously shared the senior high campus had closed.

The Col-Hi Wildcats, named after the oil industries “wildcatters,” wore black and gold to represent the “black gold” impact oil had on the evolution of Bartlesville and Washington County. The original Yellowjacket mascot, from the students Central High School days was replaced about 1925 by Willie Wildcat, a prominent part of school spirit.

In 1950, the campus was packed with 1,042 students and bonds were voted to build a stadium and classroom addition.

Sophomores began attending classes at the building now officially named “College High” in the fall of 1950. John C. Haley moved up to principal in 1954, a position he would hold until 1973.

He had formerly served as teacher, counselor, and vice-principal.

In 1956 black students were finally welcomed to Col-Hi from segregation’s Douglass High School. Jane Morrison was the first black student to attend Col-Hi, with Principal Haley noting that Bartlesville was a leader in the state in integration, with what he termed a smooth transition. But Jane Morrison recalls racial taunts and how she was excluded from the prom, the YWCA, and some restaurants during band trips. It would take time for the most overt racism to be extinguished.

The community was growing, and several additions were built to serve the 1,000+ students on campus. The fifties brought such clubs as the Future Teachers of America, Fashion Board, Future Nurses of America, Key Club, Boys and Girls State, and various Science Clubs. Bartlesville hosted the state Student Council convention in the early 1950s, an honor that would not be repeated for forty years.

Col-Hi Wildcats in a parade.

In 1954, the stadium was under construction and the threefloor 10-classroom stadium was dedicated on September 17, 1954 even though it wasn’t yet fully completed. The stadium also contained a metal shop, band room, and locker rooms running north to south on the basement level. Before the stadium band room was built, the original field house had a stage that doubled as a band room - that area later became a concession stand.

Tiny rooms on various levels around that area were once music practice rooms, then coaches’ offices and lounges.

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SUTTERFIELD FINANCIAL FEATURE

Sooner High School The football field and stadium were dedicated in memory of Coach Cecil “Lefty” Custer, who came to Bartlesville in 1924 and greatly impacted the sports education of Bartlesville. He passed away in 1953.

Prior to 1954, football games were held on the baseball field at the Bartlesville Municipal Stadium (now Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium).

Further expansion was added in 1958.

The expansion known as “the annex” was designed by Charles Woodruff and brought about the confusing “3rd, 4th, and 5th floors”, with the “3rd” floor below-ground!

The home economics classes, which were on the first floor across from the office, moved to a customized 3rd floor. The 4th floor included a skybridge connecting the main building to the stadium. The 5th floor had a rooftop greenhouse which was used by environmental science and business classes (which grew homecoming mums) until the late 1970s. The annex originally had 11 classrooms and several hundred lockers.

The student population continued to escalate in the 1960s with 1,985 students on campus by 1964-65. Accommodating so many students required the use of four portable buildings, and three different schedules starting at 7:30, 8:30, and 9:30 am. In order to provide relief from the crowded hallways and congested classrooms, Sooner High School was constructed in 1966 on the ever-expanding eastside, which would become College High’s great rival over the next 16 years.

College High School continued to grow and expand throughout the 1970’s, up until the school system merged the 18

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two rival high schools. The last College High graduating class was in 1982.

Sooner High School Overcrowding at College High in the mid-1960s led to the building of Sooner High across town in the east side school complex south of Sooner Park and about a half-mile east of Madison Boulevard. The new high school teams were the Spartans, with Kelly Green and Old Gold the official colors.

The new 134,660 square foot red brick school at 5900 S.E. Baylor Drive included a 1,019-seat auditorium. The school opened in the fall of 1966 with grades 10 and 11, going to grades 10-12 the next year.

The expanding school saw the first of many portable buildings in 1972 when Driver’s Education was added to the curriculum. In 1980 six classrooms were added at the end of the school’s southeast wing.

The cross-town rivalry between the Sooner Spartans and the College High Wildcats was intense. Each side would burn the other’s mascot before their big football game and engage in various hijinks against the other team. The friendly rivalry between the two high schools lasted for nearly two decades and is still reveled by former alumni, with many a story regaled even today. The bedlam football games brought even armchair football fans to the stadium – competition and bragging rights were on the line.

Sooner was known for innovative instructional methods and outstanding music and drama departments, with school musicals and other productions becoming much-anticipated community events.

For many Bartians, these rival years were known as the golden days of high school in our community. It was a special time in our history of high schools that will live on for years to come.

Enrollment began declining at both the high schools in the early 1980s, and a bond issue passed to consolidate the two high schools into one. Reconsolidation of the two high schools occurred in the fall of 1982, ending the golden days of bedlam

SUTTERFIELD FINANCIAL FEATURE

Central School rivalry in Bartlesville. The last graduating class of Sooner High School was in the spring of 1982.

Reconsolidation and the Birth of the Bruins With reconsolidation plans finalized, the two high schools were combined into one district once again, losing their individual identity. To squelch the rivalry a poll was taken, and the pride of the Bartlesville High School became the Bartlesville Bruins, a ferocious blue Bruin bear – to be feared by all that challenged the Bartlesville High School sports programs.

Freshmen and sophomores began attending classes at the former Sooner school, which was renamed Bartlesville Mid-High. Juniors and seniors attended former College High.

That arrangement would last for 33 years until the Mid-High and Senior High combined, expanding to serve grades 9-12 at the College High site, and the Mid-High was repurposed as a replacement for Madison Middle School.

Bartlesville Mid-High School With the inception of the Bartlesville Mid-High came the need for upgrades and expansion. A 1993 bond issue allocated $120,902 for thermostat and sprinkler upgrades, renovation of the auditorium and stage, and a new telephone system. A 1998 bond issue funded the expansion of the library by 40% and the construction of a $1.1 million addition to the northeast wing of the building, adding four science labs, six classrooms, and two restrooms. The 14,400 square foot new addition was designed by Ambler Architects and McAnaw Construction was the general contractor. The new space was dedicated on January 14, 2000.

The 1998 bond also provided for repairs to the closed-loop piping system at the school, and $123,644 of interest from that bond was used in 2001 to install air conditioning in the gymnasiums and locker rooms.

In May, 2007 a bond issue was approved that included a one-story addition on the east connecting the northeast and southeast wings to enclose the courtyard space, adding seven classrooms with the option of a second story addition in the future.

In September 2007 the Bartlesville School Board approved a contract with Ambler Architects to provide architectural services to the district for the future Mid-High Addition. In December 2007 Boldt Construction, Inc. was contracted to provide construction management services for the project, with a completion date of Feb. 25, 2009. In 2008 the courtyard was improved with concrete walks and tables with benches for an outdoor learning environment. The parking lot was resurfaced in the summer of 2013. As the atmosphere of the learning environment improved, the students thrived and new programs were added.

Bartlesville High School

Sooner High School Auditorium

When the board of education voted to consolidate the two high schools and re-establish Bartlesville High School. The rivalry between the Col-Hi Wildcats and Sooner Spartans ended with the establishment of the unified Bartlesville Bruins in the fall of 1982. Juniors and seniors attended former College High, which was once again renamed Bartlesville High School also known as Bartlesville Senior High. Improvements to the facility continued with a setback occurring when Bartlesville endured a 500-year flood in 1986. Water came up through the drains into the lower AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

19

SUTTERFIELD FINANCIAL FEATURE

The ROTC at Bartlesville High School level of Custer Stadium, forcing the evacuation of typewriters and other furnishings and equipment and later repairs.

Dennis Pannell’s successor as principal was Ben West. The eighties brought a short-lived Greenway environmental club; another Environmental Club would begin in the 1990s. The Sadie Hawkins tradition, where girls asked the boys to a dance, was revived in 1983 with the first Snowball dance. The shift to Bruins led the Wild Bunch to become the Bru/Brew Crew, with many loud years of packed basketball games in the old field house. The Bartlesville High School would remain for juniors and Seniors only for 33 years, until the Mid-High and SeniorHigh were combined in 2015.

Bartlesville High School and Freshman Academy 2015 saw change once again in the structure of Bartlesville Public Schools. The MidHigh School became Madison Middle School, after the well used Madison building was razed. Bartlesville High School built a special area, known as the Freshman Academy, to help make the transition easier for incoming freshman.

Grades 9 – 12 were once again under one roof at Bartlesville High School.

A large addition at the southeast corner of the 20

bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

1910 Bartlesville Football Team

campus would wrap around the Bruin Field House, replacing the connecting link built in 2008 and providing a large cafeteria/ commons, additional classrooms to help accommodate sophomores, and a designated Freshman Academy area with its own classrooms, library, and office.

The 10th-12th grade classes were reorganized by department, resulting in almost all senior high teachers changing classrooms plus all of the staff from the Mid-High moving across town to BHS. Since the science wing was on the north end, a smaller addition to it added four more science labs on the north end of the campus to serve sophomores along with four new science labs in the Freshman Academy area. The Freshman Academy opened and the school began serving students in grades 9-12 in August 2015. It has been a time of growth for the high school in technology as well.

Chromebook computers were issued to 10th-12th grade English classrooms in 2016-17, and in 2017-18 a take-home Chromebook was issued to every freshman. In 2018-19, the school began issuing takehome Chromebooks to all high school students, and that program expanded to include all middle and high school students in 201920.

The 2020s began with

SUTTERFIELD FINANCIAL FEATURE

The 1939 Groundbreaking at Central the construction of an agriculture classroom, currently under construction, and shop building on the south end of the campus and a new press box atop Custer Stadium.

The challenging COVID-19 pandemic brought about a speedy response by high school administrators. In-person classes were not resumed after Spring Break 2020, with teachers working from home and students having the option of online instruction in April and May, thanks to the 1:1 Chromebook program that began for all high school students a couple of years earlier.

The school has managed to bounce back from time lost during the pandemic days and has returned to a regular schedule.

Future-Focused Education

Throughout the history of Bartlesville high schools, striving to provide the best and most advanced opportunities for our young citizens remains true today. Quality and opportunity and technology are all driving forces in learning at today’s high school level. Bartlesville and their many instructors are to be deeply commended for carrying on the dream of the early In-person classes resumed in August 2020, although about settlers of providing excellent education without compromise.

15% of students opted to be full-time virtual students. Those on It takes many campus had to wear people working face coverings until together with this after Spring Break vision to achieve 2021, with efforts to greatness, and maximize physical Bartlesville High distancing and School certainly ongoing isolations provides superior and quarantines education to its of classroom students just as contacts to contain they did in the past, the spread of in the current and the coronavirus. will continue in the Pandemic extremely bright protocols were future that lies eased for the ahead. We thank 2022-2023 school all our educators year to focus only that make our high on isolations for school thrive in Aerial View of Bartlesville High School positive persons. today’s world.

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

21

FEATURE SPONSOR STORY

Around Town with Edgar Weston

by Debbie Neece, Bartlesville Area History Museum Jump in your car, rent a Lime or Bird scooter, or take a leisurely stroll down the streets of Bartlesville with your Tour Director, Edgar Weston.

Today we are starting at the Old Santa Fe/Union Depot, which is now the Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce building at 201 SW Keeler.

When Bartlesville’s railroad depot was constructed in 1899, the first depot was of wooden construction and located south of Third Street/Frank Phillips Blvd. The first train to stop at Bartlesville was December, 1899; and, January 18, 1903, the first Katy (MK&T) passenger train stopped at Bartlesville.

Bartlesville was the end of the line for some trains. The Santa Fe built the “Y” southwest of the depot, (currently within the Phillips parking lot area), so engines/passenger trains which terminated their runs at Bartlesville could be turned around for the return trip north and east. In 1909, a red-brick mission-style depot was built, one block north, to serve the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, (M-K-T or Katy). Bartlesville’s brick depot was remodeled April 1946, with a painted stucco exterior. The last passenger train left the depot in 1971. The building was donated to become the Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce in 1998.

Our next stop is the Frank Phillips Park. The northwest corner of Frank Phillips Blvd. and Keeler Ave. was the location of an early saloon and the site of Bartlesville’s Statehood Day shootout on November 16, 1907. Oklahoma entered the Union as a dry state. Ernest Lewis was selling whisky and bootlegging and he had been warned by Fred Keeler, a Deputy United

22

bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

States Marshall, that it had to be stopped. Deputies George Williams and Fred Keeler entered Lewis’ joint and a shoot-out broke out, resulting in Ernest Lewis being killed. Lewis’ wife, Julia Johnson, had been previously married to (1) Albert Whiteturkey and (2) Bob Gilstrap, who was killed at Bartles store by Frank Lenno, before her marriage to (3) Ernest Lewis, who was killed at this site. She next married (4) Emmett Dalton of the famous Dalton raid at Coffeyville. They lived in Bartlesville for a short time after their marriage, then moved to California. This was also the location where tremendous crowds gathered to send off soldiers to World War I, and later the location of Tom Sas’ Phillips 66 gas station.

Greek emigrants knew train passengers, stopping in Bartlesville, would be looking for food, drinks and lodging.

Therefore, across the street to the east, at the northeast corner of Keeler Avenue and Frank Phillips Blvd. was the Blatz Bar operated by the Galanis family. Currently, the home of Matt Spence, State Farm Insurance at 124 SW Frank Phillips Blvd.

Across the street to the south, the Hilton Garden Inn was once the location of the Piazza Hotel, a prime viewing point for the Statehood Day Shooting. The Nye Family Movers later moved the Piazza Hotel to behind the original Delaware Avenue Washington County Courthouse where it was used as a rooming house. This made room for the Landers Grocery, which operated at this corner from 1932 to 1988. In 2010, the Hilton Garden Inn was built at 205 S.W. Frank Phillips Blvd.

To Be Continued…

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316 SE Shawnee Bartlesville, OK 74003 (918) 336-5460 or (918) 333-5151 AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

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AUGUST

CALENDAR

SPONSORED BY 1

Bartlesville Softball vs.

Collinsville (scrimmage)

10

8 AM; Bruin Softball Fields

2 4

Bruin Camp for Incoming Freshmen

7 PM; BHS

17

6 PM; Custer Stadium

Dewey Alumni Softball Game vs. Caney Valley 6 PM; Dewey Softball Field

8

Bruin Volleyball vs. Enid & Sand Springs 9 AM; Bruin Fieldhouse

9

Tri County First Day of School

Pearls on the Prairie

4 PM;Cooper & Mill Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma is pleased to announce this 2023 fundraiser. Enjoy a delicious Girl Scout cookie and beer pairing, dinner, raffle prizes, and live music! Your support will deepen their local impact and help them provide truly unique opportunities for all Girl Scouts.

5:30 PM; BHS

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bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

Bruin Varsity Volleyball vs. Bixby

Summer of Fun: Outdoor Free Music

BHS Back to School Night

Times Vary; TCTC

24

6 PM PM; Custer Stadium

6:30 PM; Bruin Fieldhouse

7 PM; Unity Square Free music on the Green at Unity Square. Open mic, karaoke, and live music under the stars.

Sizzlin’ Summer Series: Beat the Heat

5

Bruin 9th Grade Football

4:30 PM; Bruin Fieldhouse

14

Bruin Football vs. Ponca City (scrimmage) 6 PM; Custer Stadium

Bruin JV Volleyball vs.

Bixby 5:30 PM; Bruin Fieldhouse

Bruin Volleyball vs. NOAH

2:30 PM; BHS

Lady Bruin Soccer Cornhole Fundraiser

22

Times Vary; Districtwide

Cub Camp

8:3 0AM; Central Middle School

First Day of School for BPS

August Events BAHM Exhibit

27

(A Century of Education) 8:30 AM - 4 PM; Every Monday through Friday at Bartlesville Area History Museum

Animal Barn & Mountain Man Camp Open 10 AM - 4:30 PM; During normal working hours at Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve

Bartlesville Farmers Market

8 AM - 12 PM; Saturdays at Frank Phillips Park

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

25

AUGUST EVENTS CALENDAR

Know of an upcoming event you would like to see on our calendar? Visit us at bartlesvillemonthly.com for a free listing!

WED, Aug 2

THU, Aug 3

9 AM

Times Vary

8 AM

Tai Chi w/ Bee

Wee-Cycle Fall/Winter Sale

Bartlesville Farmers Market

Tai Chi w/ Bee is held at Unity Square on Wednesdays at 9 am. Tai Chi will help improve your balance and wellness. This class is FREE and open to the public.

Come shop AMAZING deals for infantbaby-big kids! Shop over 150 families under ONE ROOF!! At our August Sale, we will have Fall/Winter clothing, Fall/ Winter holiday outfits, costumes, shoes/ boots, coats,vests,hats, etc! The sale runs through August 5.

The farmers market is held at 8 a.m. every Saturday through October 14.

Unity Square 300 SE Adams Blvd.

SAT, Aug 5

Washington County Fairgrounds 1109 N Delaware St., Dewey

5:30 PM

Wednesday Citizenship Class Bartlesville Public Library 600 S Johnstone Ave.

Frank Phillips Park 222 SW Frank Phillips Blvd.

FRI, Aug 4

6 PM

2nd Annual Cornhole Tournament

6 PM

Custer Stadium 1700 Hillcrest Dr.

Dance ’N Define w/ Tarah Unity Square 300 SE Adams Blvd.

5 PM Palace Rooms Lounge 309 S Dewey Ave. Join us for Wine Wednesdays at Palace Rooms! Every Wednesday from 5pm to 7pm, we’re offering free wine tastings for our guests who are over 21. Our team of wine experts will also be on hand to demonstrate and discuss our select wines. But that’s not all! We’re also offering specials on wines throughout the night, so be sure to ask your server for more information.

Dance ‘N Define w/ Tarah is held outside on the Stage at Unity Square on Wednesdays at 6 pm. It is free and open to the public.

6 PM

Johnstone Irregulars Book Club Bartlesville Public Library 600 S Johnstone Ave.

7 PM

5 PM

Beginning Spanish Class

Let’s round off summer by trying to “Beat the Heat” with the Sizzlin’ Summer Series! This free outdoor event, from 7pm to 9pm, will have food trucks parked at Unity Square, Price Tower will be open for food and beverages, and Weston Horn & the Hush will be playing a concert. We’ll have a set of horseshoes, cornhole, and volleyball with beach balls. A bounce house and inflatable slide will be set up for kids.

Activities are subject to change based on availability and weather. Due to the ongoing drought the dunk tank has been cancelled.

William Davito, DO

Daniel Holdman, MD Elizabeth Sherrock, MD M. Ryan Vaclaw, MD Amanda Gutierrez, LPC

Saturday 9:00am - Noon

Free Beginning Spanish Class every Monday evening at 5 pm in Meeting Room B on the first floor of the Bartlesville Public Library.

Mark Erhardt, DO

Friday 8:00am - Noon

Bartlesville Public Library 600 S Johnstone Ave.

"Building a Healthy Community One Individual at a Time."

8:00am - 5:00pm

bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

MON, Aug 7

Sizzling’ Summer Series: Beat the Heat

Still Open for You

26

Come join us for the 2nd Annual BHS Lady Bruins Soccer Cornhole Tournament! Family fun for all ages and prizes for the winners!

Unity Square 300 SE Adams Blvd.

Monday - Thursday

Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve 1925 Woolaroc Ranch Rd. The Mountain Man Camp and Animal Barn are open during normal business hours all July.

Citizenship classes are held on Tuesdays at 6 pm, Wednesdays at 5:30 pm, and Thursdays at 11 am on the second floor of the Bartlesville Public Library.

Wine Wednesday

10 AM

Mountain Man Camp and Animal Barn Open

Ellen L. Conn, APN, APRN-CMP

Se Habla Español

918-331-9979

THE MOST-READ MAGAZINE IN BARTLESVILLE Advertising Opportunities: 918-214-4968 • keith@bartlesvillemonthly.com

5:15 PM

Rev + Flow w/ Rosa Unity Square 300 SE Adams Blvd.

Rev + Flow w/ Rosa is held on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:15 pm outside at Unity Square. This class is free and open to the public.

6 PM

Pound w/ Tarah

Unity Square 300 SE Adams Blvd.

SAT, Aug 12

SAT, Aug 19

Dewey Flea Market Bartlesville & Beyond Boutique Marketplace Washington County Fairgrounds 1109 N Delaware St., Dewey 10 AM

Rolling Toy/Pickup Truck Lowes Home Improvement 2205 SE Adams Blvd.

6 PM

Pound w/ Tarah is held on Mondays at 6 pm at Unity Square. Pound is a fullbody workout that combines cardio, conditioning, and strength training with yoga and Pilates-inspired movements.

Jesus Burger

Get Real Ministries 411 W 14th St.

6 PM

Big Event: Viva Las Vegas Hillcrest Country Club 1901 Price Rd. 6 PM

Intermediate Spanish Class Bartlesville Public Library 600 S Johnstone Ave.

Free Intermediate Spanish Class every Monday evening at 6 pm in Meeting Room B on the first floor of the Bartlesville Public Library.

FRI, Aug 11 8 PM

Live Music with Yacht Club Cherokee Casino Ramona 31501 US 75, Ramona

SAT, Aug 26

10 AM

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma in Bartlesville and chairs, Christina and Craig Tate, invite you to our annual BIG Event fundraising gala on Saturday, August 12 at Hillcrest Country Club.

Proceeds benefit our one-to-one mentoring program, which is offered at no cost to families, thanks to the generosity of local donors, businesses, and foundations.

Get Real Ministries is having Jesus Burger every 3rd Saturday of the month.

Come be fed spirituality and physically with others that have recovered from all kinds of addictions and life struggles that have been healed or are being healed. We will fight the fight with you! Come witness the “Miracles on 14th Street.” It’s a Holy Spirit revival!

Baptisms, free food, free clothes, and free love — all paid for by Jesus. You will leave changed!

10 PM

History And Haunts At The Dewey Hotel Dewey Hotel Museum 801 N Delaware St., Dewey

We are pleased to Introduce our new History and Hunts tours. For booking email us at ghost@wchs-ok.org. The tours will be for 5 hours at 200.00 and that will include learning about the history and how to conduct paranormal research. Equipment will be available to use during the tour but you are welcome to bring your own. The time will be from 10pm-3am and if you want more information please email us.

6 PM

17th Annual Samaritan Sports Spectacular Hilton Garden Inn 205 SW Frank Phillips Blvd

Sports Spectacular is a kickoff to fall and winter sports in our community.

It is a tailgate party that serves as the largest fundraiser to generate funds that support the work of the Samaritan Counseling and Growth Center. The dress is casual, and we encourage you to wear the colors of your favorite sports teams. The 17th annual Samaritan Sports Spectacular is scheduled for Saturday, August 26th at the Hilton Garden Inn. The festivities will begin at 6:00pm and will include a dinner from Dink’s BBQ, a “candy bar” and DJ services by DJ Brandon. A cash bar will be available and fun sports themed games to play. A special guest speaker will highlight the event. A large silent auction will feature numerous quality items, as well as a small live auction, led by auctioneer Roger Skelly, with some outstanding items

“Friendly dealers, great showroom and vehicles, very accommodating. Really appreciate being called by name.” — Matt from Wichita, KS

Hwy 75 in Bartlesville • (918)333-8010 • gopatriotauto.com

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

27

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AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

29

NOW YOU KNOW

Fish Creek School

Early School Was a Rural Washington County Icon

by Debbie Neece, Bartlesville Area History Museum

The early beginnings of the rural Fish Creek School were of a part-time subscription school, with students attending classes a few months a year when farm chores could spare their labor. By 1898, Susie Allen held full-time classes which were compensated at $1 per month or in-kind payments per white student, while the Cherokee government paid the tuition for Indian students.

Following Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907, the Curtis Act directed the development of schools and Fish Creek had too many students for one school or one teacher. Therefore, Mildred Payne and Reece Magill were hired and the school district was divided into the Fish Creek and Rice Creek Schools.

the area who passed away March 1906, survived by his widow and five children. The third Fish Creek School, a wooden replacement, was built on the Halfmoon allotment.

In 1929, the one-room Fish Creek School was the first rural school in Washington County to enroll in the American Junior Red Cross, awarding each student an official Red Cross pin and the school received the Red Cross magazine each month.

During the bleakest days of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration (1939-1943), which hired roughly 8.5 million unemployed Americans to build schools, hospitals, roads, bridges and other public benefits. By 1938, Fish Creek attendance grew to 48 students and a larger school was needed. In 1939, residents approved a $4,900 bond to build a one-story, two-room school of buff colored native stone with an auditorium/gymnasium and kitchenette/lunchroom. Their construction funds were supplemented by $14,060 in WPA dollars and labor.

Fish Creek School had four locations, the first being just north of the C.B. Holland home with Miss Mabel Nourse as the schoolmarm. This school building burned April 20, 1902, but was promptly rebuilt southeast of Holland’s property on Frenchman land with classes resuming on May 3. Jesse Skidmore taught at the school 1904-1905 and Agnes Ritchie from 1905-1907.

The new school was surrounded by a large playground Reportedly, the second school building received extensive with modern swings, slides, merry-go-round, teeter totters storm damage in 1909 and was razed. and other recreational For added financial support, the school often held pie socials and box equipment. Basketball Fielding Halfmoon suppers where the most popular your lady might win a Thanksgiving and volleyball were was well known Turkey and a rooster for the homeliest young man. competitive sports Delaware Indian of 30

bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

NOW YOU KNOW for the gymnasium.

The building was located four-miles south of the Highway 75 and Highway 60 intersection and the wooden Fish Creek School on the Halfmoon property was moved to accompany the stone school location, used as a Community Club House.

The Fish Creek School had a community involvement atmosphere with holiday parties and programs, county fairs raffling a calf or quilt, and the opportunity to join 4-H from which many honors were awarded. With Mrs. Ruby Cranor as the 4-H leader, the club was awarded first places for its educational booth and “share-the-fun” contest.

Creek School in favor of annexation.

The proposal stated: Shall Fish Creek School District, Washington County, Oklahoma, be disorganized and that portion lying east of the center line of new Highway 75 be annexed to Oglesby School District and that portion lying west of the center line of the new Highway 75 be annexed to Ochelata. The voice of the people was a resounding no, 56 to 32.

However, the rejected annexation was just a temporary band-aid.

During the summer of 1959, the Fish Creek School received much needed renovations before welcoming the students for the final school year. On December 29, 1959, the band-aid was ripped off. Due to declining enrollment, fifty-four Fish Creek area In 1943, the regional spelling bee was held at the Washington residents voted 47 to 7 County Courthouse Washington County was a township government from Statehood in in favor of annexation to with 12-year-old Mima 1907 to 1919 with Copan Township; Dewey Township; Jackson Township, the Limestone School Lou Stout, Fish Creek Bartlesville; Jefferson Township, Caney, Kansas; Lincoln Township, District. On January 18, sixth grader, taking first Ochelata; Madison Township, Ramona; Vera Township. a school bus traveled place; John D. Topping, south to gather all Oglesby eighth grader, Fish Creek students taking second place; and Grace Pulliam, Pleasant Valley – grades one through six were transported to the Limestone eighth grader, taking third place. Miss Stout then represented School, while seventh, eighth and ninth went to Madison Jr. the district in the annual spelling bee sponsored by the Tulsa High School, and upper grades went to College High School.

Tribune.

The student’s comforting grace was their beloved teacher, Mrs. Most directions south of Bartlesville referenced the Fish Lavinna Pruitt, became a member of the Limestone Elementary Creek School. James Kerlin wrecked his Ford truck by the Fish School faculty.

Creek School. The Barnes Nursery was two-miles south of Fish The Limestone School Superintendent, Paul Caton, called for Creek School. The Roy Sarcoxie farm was southeast of the Fish bid and sold the Fish Creek School building, all physical assets Creek School. It’s like everyone in Washington County knew and acreage to the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge #1322 in 1960. where Fish Creek School was located even after there were four The building was destroyed by fire on January 7, 1996. However, schoolhouses. a new building was built and occupied until the Moose Lodge In 1958, with 27 students in attendance, Fish Creek School disbanded in 2002. That November, the American Christian voters were tasked with the decision of eliminating the Fish School moved into the newly renovated building through 2013, when No Limit Powersports was established at the corner of 2400 Road and Highway 75.

Although many Bartians don’t remember the iconic Fish Creek School, they will forever recall Moose Lodge Road and Limestone School (also a WPA building).

Did You Know?

Jack Shepperd established the House of Yamaha and Sheps Yamaha Kawasaki (1965-1993). Then Clyde Shepperd took over 1994-2014. In 2014, Clyde moved Sheps from Frank Phillips Blvd. to Moose Lodge Road where he established No Limit Powersports, now owned

by Andy and Tara Meek.

Now You Know * AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

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Oklahoma!

LOOKING BACK

How We Got Our State Song

by Kay Little, Little History Adventures

Oklahoma has not always been our state song. In 1904, Harriet Camden, a teacher from Kingfisher, wrote the song, Oklahoma-A Toast for her soon to be new state.

The song described a land full of promise and opportunity with a beautiful landscape. The song was sung in the territory public schools.

In 1935, Representative John Hankla of Geary wanted the “Toast” song to be the state song, but Representative Dave Roberts of Rush Springs wanted Oklahoma, Sweet Land of My Dreams.

Roberts did not like the fact that the toast song inferred alcohol. After all, Oklahoma came in as a dry state.

Hankla won and “Toast” became the official state song March 26, 1935.

The country was introduced to the Rodgers and Hammerstein play, Oklahoma! in 1943. The play was based on the 1930 play Green Grow the Lilacs, written by Lynn Riggs from Claremore. As Hammerstein told the press, “Mr. Riggs’ play is a wellspring of almost all that is good in Oklahoma! I kept many of the lines of the original play without making any changes in them at all, for the simple reason that they could not be improved on-at any rate, not by me.”

Later that year, a teen in McAlester was listening to the radio and was so excited to hear the song Oklahoma! being played on the radio; a song about his state that he was proud of. In 1953, that teen went on to become a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. George Nigh introduced a bill to make Oklahoma! the state song. He thought the “Toast” song was too somber.

Nigh was in for a fight, though. He had an opponent who he called Old Man Huff, who was against the state song being written by a non-Oklahoman. Huff became very emotional and started singing “Oklahoma-A Toast.” The chamber was very moved. Nigh saw the handwriting on the wall and asked for a delay so he could do something to save his bill.

He asked the Oklahoma College for Women chorus, who had just been in a production of the musical Oklahoma, to sing some songs in the legislature the next day. Nigh also had Ridge

Bond, who had played Curly on Broadway and just happened to be from McAlester, to sing with the women’s chorus.

The day arrived with a packed chamber. As the women’s chorus started singing O What a Beautiful Morning, Bond barreled through the door singing Oklahoma! Needless to say, the chamber came alive and passed Nigh’s bill. Governor Murray approved the state song bill on September 5, 1953.

Harriet Camden agreed that the new state song better represented Oklahoma than even her “Toast” song. Wouldn’t you love to have been there to see that?!

George Nigh became the 17th and 22nd governor of our great state of Oklahoma. I recently met Governor Nigh at an event at the Oklahoma History Center. He was gracious as always and fondly remembered Bartlesville when he came here as the former governor to help dedicate the 4 lane Highway 75. Harvey, the boys and I were able to attend as Harvey was the mayor at the time. The one thing I remember is we all stood in the middle of the highway on a hot summer day as the highway was dedicated.

I am proud to say I have met George Nigh and am also from the same hometown, McAlester.

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A FRESH PERSPECTIVE

Friday Night Lights

by Brent Taylor

When my son was still small enough to sit on my lap we read bedtime stories next to his window looking out at an ancient oak tree. Beyond the oak tree to the west, there was a row of houses which backed up to Silver Lake Road, and then a flood plain and timber where the Caney River flowed indifferently south. We could see the tops of the trees that enveloped the river and they were glowing like a theater marquee. It was the yellow-white glow of the high school stadium’s lights across the river.

to me that year with a cast on my hand.

I had to catch them because they were thrown so perfectly.”

David Burns hauls in a 49 yard touchdown pass from David Cole with his right hand in a cast. 1965 Collinsville game

I played football for the College High Wildcats back in the day. The sounds of rousing Sousa-like notes from the marching band on a Friday night made you want to run through a wall. Or do an otter drill. One frigid rainy friday night during my senior year, word circulated through the locker room that when we ran out onto the field the entire team was to sprint along the sideline in front of the home bleachers and dive headlong into the pile of water and mud. The entire team instantly transformed from gleaming warriors to muddy cold otters, running, screaming, and diving into the abyss of pregame primal gamesmanship. I miss that feeling that is difficult to replicate as an adult. When I was young, I felt it but could never describe it. Now that I have the words, the experiences are missing, evaporated from a pool of bygone hustle mingled with dirt, sweat, and blood.

My earliest memories of friday night football came while watching the Dewey Bulldoggers play.

David Burns was a gritty halfback and one particular Bulldogger I remember well from watching him play at the old football field next to Highway 75 which allowed those driving past to catch a glimpse of play without buying a ticket.

David played for Noel Due for three years including the 19631965 seasons. Coach Due coached the Dewey football team for 12 seasons. He was a World War II veteran cut from the mold of Lombardi and Ditka and as tough as the Lucky Strikes he smoked.

According to David, “Coach Due’s teams never ran more than a half dozen plays, crossbuck, roll out pass, dive, sweep…but we practiced them over and over and over. He told us if we got these plays right, we can beat just about anyone. My sophomore year in a sleet storm, Jenks beat Dewey 12-8 in the state playoffs.

(Jenks was a much smaller school then!) Several of those Jenks players went on to play at OU.” Although those Dewey teams ran the ball on most plays, they did throw some passes. The quarterback from that era, David Cole, threw nine passes to Burns his senior year. He was a very accurate passer. Mr. Burns said, “I caught all nine passes thrown

I remember reading the local newspaper when I was a kid and seeing David Burns catching a touchdown pass thrown by Cole. He had a cast on his hand in the picture Mr. Burns goes on to talk about the joy of playing for those coaches and with his teammates, describing those moments before the game and the smells of friday night.

“Growing up in a house where smoking was frowned upon, I had determined to not smoke. But to this day, I love the aroma of cigar smoke.

Why? When I catch a waft of that smell, I am immediately transported back to my most “hallowed of memories”...climbing the steps up to the coaches’ room to be taped or wrapped for Friday night games. There was the distinct aromatic blending of sweaty jocks and socks, “Tuff Skin” spray, Cramer-gesic Balm and a blue cloud of smoke hanging a foot down from the ceiling. That smell of tobacco smoke blended it all together in the most pleasant, most special of my memories. In that blending of smells are the pain, bleeding, and sweat of laborious practice, and of combat, and the “butterflies” of anticipation.

There was nothing pleasant in the pain, bleeding or sweating... but somehow, when it all combines, it is most special of all my memories. I think it’s because my respect and admiration for those coaches - WW II vets and heroes to me - and my love and respect for my teammates which somehow became inseparable from the aroma, or at least so closely associated, I can’t parse them out. I limp and wince today from injuries received in those days. Yet...I would not change a thing...and would give anything to do it again.”

You can’t go home again. But sometimes you can return to those memories when the band plays and the football team runs onto the field. You inhale the aroma and remember when you were teammates, yes, but also brothers. The blood and sweat mingles together with the balm and smoke, an elixir that calms your aching knees. You are 17 and ageless with nothing left in reserve, it’s all out on the field, heart, body, and soul. Within the crucible of victory and defeat there was no other place on earth that you would rather be but on this cleat trampled sod as you walked off the field holding a helmet scarred with the colors of the opponent. You hand your chin strap to some nameless eight-yearold kid who would write about it half a century later. Some of us are lucky, I guess. Moments like that live on in our hearts forever.

On June 20, David Burns told me that he was being admitted to the hospital. He passed from this life July 2, 2023, sure of his calling and destination. He was a man admired and loved by many and I will miss him.

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

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OUT & ABOUT

CROSSFIT BARTLESVILLE DRYATHLON

WINGET BASEBALL

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OUT & ABOUT

SENIORS DANCE

RODEO

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41

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Measured by Character Equipping Students with Vision and Legacy

by Sarah Leslie Gagan “I was going to kill myself after school today,” she told Wade White after his presentation.

“But after hearing you talk, I realized that my life DOES have meaning and I DO have a purpose, so I’ve decided not to kill myself.”

This is just one example of a changed life that has been positively impacted by Wade White, founder of the non-profit organization Measured by Character. Measured by Character was not even on Wade’s radar 12 years ago, it was a mission borne out of extreme tragedy and loss, of the greatest caliber.

Wade and his wife Laura were living in Texas in April 2012 with their two sons Ryan and Cooper when they experienced a parents greatest nightmare come true. Their oldest son Ryan was killed instantly in a car wreck just weeks before his high school graduation. Early on the morning of April 6th, 2012, Ryan fell asleep at the wheel after taking his younger brother to school.

His white pick-up exploded upon impact, and in the blink of an eye, Ryan was with Jesus.

RYAN WHITE

Ryan, 18, was beloved in his community, known for his welcoming smile, contagious laughter, and enduring faith in Christ. In their community of 2300, 1300 people attended Ryan’s funeral. The entire community was heartbroken and shattered, but no one more than Wade, Laura and Cooper.

During the memorial service, 63 people came forward and gave their life to Jesus Christ around Ryan’s casket. 63 was the number on Ryan’s football jersey. There are no coincidences with God. “To create does not always mean to build, but rather to chip away from ourselves.”

- Ryan Blakely White Wade, a businessman and entrepreneur, struggled with what to do next, and how to live life without Ryan in it. He received many words of sympathy, care and concern after Ryan’s death, but the words that most haunted his mind day and night were the examples people shared of Ryan’s character. He saw his son through the eyes of others for the first time and was humbly grateful to God for allowing him to catch a glimpse of the legacy Ryan left behind in the hearts and lives of others. Ryan’s short life mattered to so many and somehow, in his 18 years on this earth, he managed to leave an everlasting impact.

As Wade grieved, he wrestled with God on how he could continue Ryan’s legacy of character, and the realization came over him that every life would leave a legacy. It will either be positive or negative, but it would be a legacy, regardless. The true story behind Measure of Character is Wade’s story, driven to save and change lives as he became a man inspired by the life of his son, Ryan. Upon Ryan’s death, the mantle of continuing Ryan’s legacy of character fell upon Wade’s shoulders. As he carefully listened to the Holy Spirit, all the pieces and parts began to fall into place.

Wade knew how to proceed, and Measure of Character was born.

The organization’s name came from a conversation Wade had with his son where he told him that a man is measured by

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE his character. This is true for all of us. Wade has spent the last 11 years developing and delivering his presentation to nearly 130 schools with the message that we all have an impact upon the earth and we all will leave a legacy of our own choosing. His talk goes deep into the heart of the struggles young people face today, bullying, cutting, suicide, death, school shootings, racial tension, discrimination, and related topics. It’s his mission to show middle school and high school aged youth that they make the choice how their character will affect others’ lives, positive or negative, and to understand that our legacy is 360 degrees around us wherever we go, and each person has the ability to control the outcome of their legacy.

“I’m on top of the world when there is nobody in the world left to love.”

– Ryan Blakely White Every middle school and high school in our nation faces the serious topics that Wade addresses with the captivated students. His cutting-edge presentation holds their attention for nearly two hours as the students relate to the stories told. Wade has a gift for breaking down the difficult topics, and humbly connecting to the students through their own pain. After every presentation, without fail, a line of students forms, waiting to talk to Wade. And he stays until each and every one has been heard and counseled by him personally. This is the real magic of Measured by Character, watching the transformation of lives from darkness to light.

Wade felt impressed by God that the program’s logo was to be a butterfly, with Ryan’s initials RBW incorporated. He worked with a graphic designer until it was exactly right. With the butterfly representing the transformation of each life, it breathes life into the legacy of RBW, Ryan Blakely White, and continues to spread his loving character years beyond his earthly life.

The Measured by Character event will truly throw you off guard. It isn’t a program that offers neat thoughts about positive thinking and encouragement. Measured

by Character comes to town with a state of the art sound stage, lighting system, and a massive video screen that makes you feel like you are at a 5 star concert with a national artist, but you soon realize something much greater is taking place. The spark and aura in the atmosphere is captivating and holds the attention of every student present. Wade is real, raw and no holds barred as he presents his message. The spoken words resonate in the hearts of the youth, igniting lifelong change.

One aspect of Measured by Character is that although they rely upon donations to function, they never require a school pay for their presentation. It is available to all schools, nationwide, upon invitation. If you would like this life changing program to come to your school, please contact them at info@measuredbycharacter. com, or call 1(844)MBC-0406. You may visit their Facebook page Measured by Character or website MeasuredbyCharacter.com to learn more.

Wade has yet to present his program in Bartlesville, although it has been recommended to school leaders. Bartlesville, while excelling academically, also has bullying, student suicide and attempts, death of classmates, and even graduates that go on to become murderers. These outcomes do not have to happen in our community.

The upcoming book, Measured by Character, will be available for pre-order in the spring of 2024 through Amazon and all major book sellers.

Let’s not wait for another suicide to occur, or another dropout due to bullying, or God-forbid a deadly school shooting to happen in our district. We need to use every arrow in our quiver to fight the darkness that today’s generation faces. If you would like Wade to bring his presentation to change lives in the Bartlesville, Dewey, Pawhuska, Nowata or Caney Valley area middle schools and high schools, public or private schools, please contact your school’s administrators and school boards and tell them you would like to see Measured by Character presented in your school. Each student needs to know they matter, and they have a great legacy ahead of them.

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A GOOD WORD

A Walking Sermon

Let People See What You Preach by How You Live Your Life

by Joe Colaw

Have you ever heard of a “walking sermon”? Frankly, we need more of them. The following story illustrates this idea: “Reporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A few minutes after the train came to a stop, a giant of a man, six feet four inches with bushy hair and a large mustache, stepped from the train.

Cameras flashed. City officials approached him with hands outstretched. Various people began telling him how honored they were to meet him.

The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their heads, asked if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked through the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black woman who was struggling with two large suitcases. He picked up the bags and with a smile, escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. As he returned to the greeting party he apologized, “Sorry to have kept you waiting.”*

to have a ride to take care of some personal business and he wanted to have a ride to go visit the grave of his grandmother.

It is easy to say, “Good idea, we need to help those who are in need around us!” But when the need is in front of us, are we willing to take the time to be a “sermon walking”? That day, with a friend of mine, we helped this man with his errand and helped him find the grave of his grandmother. Interestingly, while at the cemetery, we asked, “What else can we do for you now?” and his answer was simple. “Nothing now but thank you for helping me!”

Will you be a “sermon walking”? *Borrowed from A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Barry Spilchuk

The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who had spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to Schweitzer’s action, one member of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next to him, “That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking.”

It is easy to talk about kindness, showing love to others, being gracious, serving others, having a friendly discussion with someone who sees life from a different vantage point, but frankly, talk is cheap and easy. Too often, we will talk about things we will never do. Too often, we will ask others to do things that we have never done.

This “sermon walking” idea needs to begin in the home with how we treat one another, husband and wife, parents and children need to live out the sacrificial love to one another. That is a great place for it to be taught. Thereafter, it needs to move into our community, our place of work, our schools, and our interaction with one another is the marketplace of life.

Jesus taught us to “love your neighbor” and gave an example of two people groups that historically hated each other (Luke 10:25-37) and how they ought to treat each other.

It was an example of being a “sermon walking”. It is most likely that each of us could stretch our soul to demonstrate the loving kindness of God to others. Recently, I encountered a man in our community who was homeless and in a very difficult circumstance. He wanted

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

45

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bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

HEALTHCARE

Marissa Bernabe A Homecoming of Care and Compassion

by Maria Gus

Born in Fayetteville, Arkansas and raised in Nowata County, Marissa Bernabe, DNP, APRN, FNP-CA has been on her nursing path since 2015. With a bachelors of science in nursing from OKWU and a doctor of nursing practice from Pittsburg State University, Bernabe completed her residency program under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Holdman at Primary Care Associates. Bernabe has worked in many different areas of nursing such as long-term care, emergency services, and acute care which has helped her gain a plethora of different skills.

About 10 years ago, Marissa Bernabe, as a driven and compassionate medical assistant, found her work home at Primary Care Associates (PCA). Her tenure at PCA left an indelible mark on her, and years later, armed with her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree, she has eagerly returned to the place where her passion for healthcare blossomed.

Bernabe’s journey to become a nurse practitioner is driven by her desire to make a difference in the lives of patients. She looks forward to developing lasting relationships and providing comprehensive care beyond just addressing physical ailments.

PCA has been a place that emphasizes holistic patient care, and Bernabe is eager to contribute to that legacy with caring and humor.

Today, Bernabe is enthusiastic about building connections with patients, as well as nurturing the existing relationships she formed during her clinicals and residency under the guidance of Dr. Holdman.

Bernabe says she wants to work with patients as they face their challenges. “There’s so much that healthcare providers can bring to their patient populations,” said Bernabe, “I feel

one challenge is the awareness of preventative care or options available to the patient through their insurances.” Bernabe says many patients are unaware that their insurance will allow certain screenings to be performed without cost to the patient, which allows for a thorough care collaboration between the patient and provider. “Dr. Holdman was always conscientious of the possible financial needs of the patient and worked with them to find the best price available,” says Bernabe, “I plan to continue this practice as I care for patients to ensure adherence to treatments are achieved.”

Bernabe says there are many great things about the team she’ll be working with. “I have known many of them for over ten years and I feel we will work effectively as a team. I hope to bring some new insights to treatments and developments in healthcare that I have learned through my experience as a nurse and APRN.” Bernabe’s wellness philosophy is that every person deserves to be looked at as more than just a person. “An individual is made up of spiritual, emotional, and psychological needs that have to be addressed to ensure the patients most optimal level of care is achieved,” said Bernabe. “No two people are the same and as healthcare providers, we need to take the time to get to know the patient to ensure we can anticipate their needs and ensure we are providing care to the ‘whole’ patient.”

Marissa has four children with her husband Joseph and many “fur babies.” Although she lives in Coffeyville, Kansas, she looks forward to meeting everyone whether patients or neighbors from the community as well as becoming involved in different community organizations.

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SPORTS

A Solid Foundation

OKWU Women’s Hoops Excited About Upcoming Season

by Maria Gus The women’s basketball team at OKWU has drive, determination, and a program full of passion. The 2022-2023 season introduced the new coaching team of Heidi Messer, head coach and Taneisha Aeschleman, assistant coach. The Lady Eagles ended the year 8-20 overall and 7-15 in conference play; one spot away from a conference tournament spot.

Among their successes, two Lady Eagles received KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) Allconference recognitions and were named to the All-KCAC Honorable Mention team. The Lady Eagles also had seven athletes named All-KCAC Scholar Athletes.

With that, the coaching staff is ready to move forward into the next season with a solid foundation and look forward to seeing growth in the program and the team. “Our returning team members did a great job buying in and stepping up for us,” said Coach Messer. “Now we look forward to adding our new recruits to the picture to elevate our skill, depth, and style of play.”

Asst. Coach Aeschleman, “Coach A” as she is sometimes referred to, agrees with Messer’s assessment.

“I am looking forward to seeing the seeds we planted last season begin to blossom into beautiful flowers with the heart, passion, and the fire to go out each week and compete,” said Coach Aeschleman.

Coach Messer places a lot of credit on the people and supportive community surrounding OKWU. With so many people consistently showing up for the young women in the program, Messer feels that the next year will be even more successful for the entire team. “It has meant a lot, feeling the support of the campus community.”

Messer knows that support and success in basketball is about much more than winning games. Basketball has served as a rock in her life, and she hopes to share that with her players. “It has given me great relationships, life experience, opportunities to travel, move and live in different places. Now as a coach, I’m privileged to use it as a platform for impacting and empowering young women to develop.” Messer says she hopes that her players will leave OKWU to influence the world

around them. “Basketball is such a beautiful game that gives us a space for talking about life, faith, growth and leadership.

We are intentional about using it to watch our players grow and pursue their passions.”

Asst. Coach Aeschleman agrees, and credits the game of basketball with saving her. “It brought me some great coaches and mentors along the way to help guide me in times where I was lost.” Aeschleman says the greatest tool that helps students find success is having the right coach and coaching staff. “One who isn’t afraid to dig in the trenches with their players during the good and bad times, one who leads with love and kindness,” adds Aeschleman, “At the end of their collegiate basketball career, and when that basketball stops bouncing, we want each player under our leadership to be well equipped for society and to walk into it with all the confidence.”

With Coach Messer and Coach Aeschleman, OKWU Women’s Basketball program is creating more than a strong team, but a strong group of successful women, ready to lead in the world.

“The best part of my job is building relationships with our players and watching them grow,” says Messer, “seeing them find themselves, their confidence and watching that turn into success on and off the court. Building a team is like putting together a puzzle, finding the right pieces, getting them to fit together, it’s fun! My desire is that we continue to bring in players who want to chase excellence in all aspects of their life; personal, academic, relational, in their faith, and athletically. When you get the right people around you good things happen, and as we do that I hope to see us grow into a threatening KCAC team that becomes a consistent contender for conference titles.”

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FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK

by Jay Webster

There is a popular axiom among authors that says, “Write what you know”.

So here’s what I know.

On any given day, I am capable of doing good at a level that surpasses my own innate abilities. A good that inspires me with hope. Maybe this is who I really am. Maybe this is the expression of the best “me”. In these moments, I feel the closest to my true self, the self I want to be.

I like this me.

This me is insightfully spiritual and undeniably human in a vibrantly harmonious way.

This me is charming, with no ulterior motives. This me 50

bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

expresses a sincere concern for the well-being of others.

This me is not anxious.

This me is not in a hurry.

This me loves the other humans and has a supernatural ability to see the good through the everyday ugly.

This me will pay for someone’s cigarettes when they are hopelessly counting their change a third time at the QuickTrip.

This me will find anonymous ways to buy the homeless a meal.

You should get to know this me. He’s pretty great.

This me also happens to cohabitate with another me in my own body.

FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK This other me is capable of untold selfishness. It’s not above harboring embarrassingly dark thoughts. This me will let those thoughts in and listen to “their side of the story” over drinks. This me will also deny that I’ve ever met those thoughts if you ask me.

This me would leave my family in open traffic if the right ego stroke cames around. This me holds the teeter-totter down at depths so low, it strands the good me helplessly overhead.

This me holds excruciatingly unflattering judgments and criticisms of people that are far too deplorable to even reach my lips (usually).

This me wants to avoid the poor, sick, outcast, and needy because I’m afraid their “condition” may be contagious and at the very least - inconvenient.

undo your life’s work - well, that might keep someone on the straight and narrow (while protecting others).

There are many transgressions and evils I simply can’t get past and it overshadows the works of an individual. In most cases, it comes from people who felt justified or entitled to do harm because of their abilities, resources, or talents.

So where’s the line? When do we cancel and when do we forgive?

I don’t know.

But I have some thoughts. (No surprise.)

•

There is a Micro and Macro to all this. There is a personal life (Micro) and then a public life (Macro) we all share with celebrities, politicians, and whoever else lives in the greater society. I’ve kind of mingled those two worlds in this conversation, but the truth is the Macro doesn’t exist without the Micro. Every public scandal starts with a personal decision. And so in my own life, I can heed a warning while also offering a level of empathy - there but for the grace of God go I.

•

I live with a level of fear that my potential good will be undone by my potential bad. That all at once I could fail, hurt those I love, add to cynicism, and ultimately leave people and places worse off than when I started. That fear sometimes acts like a bully standing behind someone you’re talking to, mocking you, and making faces behind their back to distract you. That fear (left unchecked) can distract, intimidate and worse yet - get in the way of my doing the good I am capable of doing… for fear of the bad, I might do.

•

There is a vast difference between human failure and serial abuse that comes from entitlement. Taking advantage of a person or group because you believe it’s your right as a superior talent, income provider, or power holder isn’t the same as falling off the wagon. Those actions will result in people as a collective no longer wanting what you have to offer.

•

We’re still early in the pendulum swing of corrective public consciousness about the abuse of prerogative in our country. Will the so-called “Cancel Movement” sometimes go too far in making corrections? Absolutely. But that comes after centuries of the pendulum being held in the other direction. Far more have been hurt in the abuse of entitlement and subjection than the correction at this point.

Still want to be friends?

This duality, this “acrobat” as Bono calls him (to talk like this and act like that), is what I know.

This humanity is what I know and what I can write about.

That in a single day - in a single moment - I am capable of and even act on the highest teeter-totter of good, and then slide down to the lowest bottom of the teeter-totter with my butt in the dirt.

Maybe I’m not alone here.

But what do we do with this?

The pop-culture highway is littered with the carnage of career-ending teeter-totter swings, isn’t it? People who at one moment lifted our spirits revealed the divine, and opened our hearts with such good; only to break those very hearts with depravity and personal failure and undeniable bad.

In the past, we often gave highly talented, powerful, celebrated, influential people a pass on their bad, because we so valued their good. A musician, architect, preacher, or spouse was appropriated an amount of harm they could do, as long as they kept also delivering what we valued more: entertainment, inspiration, profit…. It was like a balance sheet. I will overlook these transgressions (withdrawals) as long as you produce what we want (income). Success, it appears, atones for a great many sins.

That’s where Me Too and the Cancel Movement entered.

Someone(s) said, “Your good does not give you a license for bad, especially when that bad means sacrificing another’s wellbeing”. In other words, your talents or abilities, or resources are not more important than another human’s life.

And in my opinion (and without going anywhere near politics), that alarm had to be sounded.

But it has also left us in a very tenuous place. A place where human failure is allowed to undo all previous good in a person’s life.

As an example, if you work in recovery helping others discover and live in sobriety, and then you fall off the wagon; does that negate the help you gave others? Should those other people now return to their addictions because your failure has somehow invalidated the help you brought?

I don’t know.

On one hand, to err is human…it is going to happen. On the other hand, saying these mistakes or bad behaviors just might

So again I have to ask myself, what do I do with this?

I guess, in my transparency, I’m hoping that we will not allow our failures (or fear of failure) to stop us from doing the good we can do. I hope we can also offer some temperance to the judgment-pendulum swing where it fits. To paint with a two-inch brush, instead of a roller. Maybe instead of knee-jerking a response, the key is to consider the victims and the perpetrators because we can see ourselves in both. It’s worth a shot.

Cheers, my friends.

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

51

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bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

FROM THE HEART

Show Up As Yourself

Don’t Try to be Who Others Think You Are

by Lori Kroh

There is something about seeing familiar faces and realizing that we have changed completely and yet, not at all. This month I have the High School Reunion for my class of 1987. I am looking forward to seeing old friends, hugging them and laughing over the antics of our day. This begs the question of showing up as my old self or my best self.

There is a part of me that wants to be remembered for who I was and yet, the other part is knowing the truth.

The years have passed and I have learned that I am really neither…I will show up as my true self.

Too often we show up as who we think others believe us to be. There may have been labels, nicknames or even anecdotes we were given or grabbed. I think most of us struggle or suffer from some degree of questioning our self worth. At times we feel we have earned it and it shows. Other times, we are in a hole and hope no one sees us.

The justification of am I worthy presents itself in conversations, attire and our attributes.

We will always have something to prove or something to show because that is us. Satisfaction will not be had and we strive for more and then more. It’s never enough until we say it is and then we look around to see who is watching.

Along the way, we learn our skills and learn lessons and life happens. We realize we were truly made for more and it’s meant to be outside of ourselves. Some of us look around and wonder and ask the questions of how to serve another. You can see some have pain to release and some have love to acquire.

You may have been in a dark place and now you have the light.

You can look back and see you have made it. You struggle with worthiness and will anyone even care. What can be done? Who am I to make a difference? We climbed the ladder and got to the top only to look around and say, “Now what?” If we are not in a state of survival, then we are in a state of wonder.

How do I become a real influence for my business, my friends, my spouse? How can I truly serve my family, my faith, the needs of humanity? How do I contribute to my friends, my community, my neighborhood?

Perhaps, the realization for more is really the admission of worth. We have a hard time admitting we have something to share.

We go to the movies to see a hero’s journey yet, we could just stay home and look in the mirror. If we peer into our own soul, we realize that with courage and conviction we really do have worth and something to share with the world. The beautiful thing of a story is there is a beginning, a middle and an end. It’s up to us to decide if we share only one part or all.

So we ask ourselves, what do I have to share?

You can share your story.

Sharing your journey with others is a way to shine light on someone’s path.

If you can help ONE person figure their way out of a dark hole…you may save their life and never know it. You may save their life and they come and tell you. I truly believe there is nothing better than the moments of connection and someone tells me that what I shared, helped them. It’s a validation of what really matters and that for some reason my life gave meaning to yours. I have many friends who have experienced this phenomenon. What better way to learn that you are not alone and your pain was for a purpose. Then, the other side is that your ability to show love and make someone laugh gives them a reason to have hope.

I want to offer that vulnerability isn’t just about your baggage and backstory. It is an art. It exposes who you are and gives someone else permission to be themselves. We give each other permission to grow and have conviction on what we believe is important. Being open is the key that unlocks the connection.

There is a sacred moment when two or more connect and realize we are the same. We are different. We are enduring.

Mix up the letters in sacred and you will find the word scared.

It takes courage to share and once you do…you become empowered to share more. You are worth your story and it needs to be shared. I decided I will show up from now on as my true self. We really don’t need a reunion to remind us of how far we have come. All we need is the courage to tell others and the conviction that we are worth the price of our story to show up and share.

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

53

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bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

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ON THE ROAD

Calling to the Good

Despite All the Bad in the World, Rural America is Still Good

by Kelly Hurd

So, I’m thinking – brought on by watching the national news this morning about cocaine in the White House, crime in San Francisco, pop stars being accosted while performing on stage, and Russia bombing residences in the Ukraine…

While Elon and Zuckerberg are battling over social media platforms, I just might start my own news network & call it, “Calling to the Good,” and report on all the good things happening in rural America, where folks still know right from wrong and have a little common sense.

This morning’s news would go a little something like this and might just be a “Thread” you’d want to follow “*Osage County, Oklahoma is thankful this morning as drenching rains begin to create a little running water that may hopefully alleviate the worries and concerns of local ranchers, as well as city officials worried about lake and pond water levels for communities and livestock. *In Pawhuska over the weekend, the Pioneer Woman danced on stage for a moment during a free outdoor Fourth of July concert downtown, as tourists and locals alike danced in the streets and sat in lawn chairs enjoying a cowboy fireworks show put on and paid for by the goodness of a local family’s heart.

one and attend a service or two on any given Sunday. *In other good news, many Chambers of Commerce and City Councils across rural America and Osage County freely and unashamedly still begin their meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance and with prayer. *In our Community Difference Maker segment, the Wynona Assembly of God church in Wynona, Oklahoma recently hosted a Freedom Fest event for their community, feeding over 400 locals, providing a free community fireworks show, as well as free snow cones to everyone. In addition, the church also provides free backpacks every year, stuffed with school supplies for all children signed up online – regardless of church affiliation or school location.

If you know of a child in need of school supplies, the Wynona Assembly of God is a great go-to place for assistance. *Another item of note - Osage County pastors are uniting and holding a community prayer service at The Constantine Theater in Pawhuska at 6pm on August 6th specifically focused on starting a cowboy church in the area.

*Cattle prices have been at record highs and grass has been hip-high following a tough winter, so we have a rare window of a win-win situation for cattle ranchers at present.

*And last but not least, America is still the place where a man can sit down and write his own book! We’re pleased to announce that Bartlesville’s own, Mr. Bob Fraser, has just published his first of what we hope will be many – Frankly Speaking – telling the stories of Frank Phillips, Woolaroc, and early Oklahoma history!

*On to weather - the temps may not climb out of the 70’s today in northeastern Osage County, and that’s a gift in any language during the month of July or August in the central plains.

We hope you have a great day out there and want to encourage you that when life gets tough, instead of shouting at the bad, look around and take a moment to just call to the good.

*In other news, the crappie and bass have been biting in the ponds just west of Pawhuska/east of Ponca City/somewhere in the Burbank area - and seem to be in abundant supply. (Never give specific directions to your fishing hole.)

For Calling to the Good, this is Dally Sally, reporting live from rural America where #TheSmilesAreAlwaysFree.

*If you’re planning a last-minute vacation or weekend getaway, good news! Fuel prices may not be what they were a few years back, but they’re holding under the $5 mark in Oklahoma. *Also, last we checked, churches were all having services on Sundays across this part of the country – with no government intervention or restrictions, so feel free to pick

Sidenote: No, we aren’t Newsmax, CNN, or FOX News – we’re the network that points out the positive, puts no twist on the negative, and lets you think for yourself. We believe in our neighbors, take care of our families, respect a good work ethic, and appreciate a good cup of coffee. We’re Calling to the Good, one uplifting story at a time - from our front porch to yours.”

Thanks for going On the Road with me this month!

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

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Season Subscriptions on Sale Now!

son

Sea 4 2 0 -2

2023

Jesus Christ Superstar

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Recommended for 10+

Mean Girls

Thursday, Februar y 1, 2024 Recommended for 13+

Hairspray

Tuesday, Februar y 20, 2024

Recommended for 10+

The Cher Show Tuesday, April 9, 2024 Recommended for 10+

Come From Away

TBD

Recommended for 13+

(918) 337-2787 | bartlesvillecenter.com All shows begin at 7:30 pm. Shows, dates, and times subject to change. Shows may contain adult language and situations.

56

bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

BiB! New Season Set

New Season Looks Exciting; Rental Opportunities Available The Center for arts, events, and community is set to present an exciting 21st season of Broadway in Bartlesville! lineup this year. Season subscriptions are currently on sale and includes all five national touring Broadway productions. Single tickets go on sale eight weeks prior to each show date.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR hits The Center on November 5, 2023. It is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary score includes, I Don’t Know How to Love Him, Gethsemane and Superstar.

MEAN GIRLS comes to town on February 1, 2024. Direct from Broadway, this hilarious hit musical from book writer Tina Fey is the story of a naïve newbie who falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies. MEAN GIRLS “delivers with immense energy, a wicked sense of humor and joyful inside-jokery.” USA Today says, “We’ll let you in on a little secret, because we’re such good friends: GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!” HAIRSPRAY will hit the stage in Spring 2024. Broadway’s Tony Award® winning musical comedy phenomenon is back!

It’s 1962 Baltimore and 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad is out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show, to change the world, and win the hearts of America once again. This megahit musical is piled bouffant-high with laughter and romance — and all of the deliriously tuneful songs you love. You don’t want to miss this party! Welcome back to the ‘60s — You can’t stop the beat!

THE CHER SHOW makes a stop in Bartlesville on April 9, 2024. Superstars come and go. Cher is forever. For six straight decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture—breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries, and letting nothing and no one stand in her way.

THE CHER SHOW is the Tony Award-winning musical of her

story, and it’s packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star, and the icon.

COME FROM AWAY has been rescheduled for a still to be determined date in 2024. This award-winning musical tells the true story of the small town that welcomed the world.

Broadway’s COME FROM AWAY has won Best Musical all across North America! The story takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. Don’t miss this breathtaking new musical. On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all. The show is rated PG-13.

Special thanks goes to The National Endowment for the Arts, the Oklahoma Arts Council, and many local sponsors who make the 2023-2024 Broadway in Bartlesville! series possible.

Val Callaghan, Managing Director for The Center, also wants to remind everyone that The Center is not just a stage for amazing Broadway productions. It is also a fabulous venue for business and personal events. The facility has five versatile spaces available to rent. The Performing Arts Hall, Balcony, Lyon Gallery, Studio Theater, or Community Hall.

The Balcony, as well as the Studio Theater, accommodate up to 120 people with tables and chairs set up in the room. The Lyon Gallery seats 80 people and the Community Hall can house up to 380 people.

For tickets, rates, or for more information, visit bartlesvillecenter.com or call 918-337-2787 and use the rent a space tab for information and rental rates on all five spaces available for rent.

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

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bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

Joel Holmstrom

UNSUNG HEROES

Soldier Witnesses the Berlin Wall Come Down

by Joe Todd

Joel Holmstrom was born October 29, 1969 in Tacoma, Washington.

He graduated high school in Kashmiro, Washington 1988. Right after high school, he joined the Army and sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for Basic Training.

His father, uncle, and grandfather were all in the military and he knew he would have to join to keep the family tradition.

He knew what to expect from talking to his family and said Basic was fun. He said the drill sergeants were mean but he respected them for what they were doing.

After Basic, he was sent to Advanced Individual Training and said it was just a continuation of Basic. He was told he was going to be a Cavalry Scout. He said the Cavalry Scouts are forward observers and are out front looking for the enemy and checking out the terrain. As a Cavalry Scout, they carry more firepower and are more of a better fighting unit.

After his training, he was sent to Gelnhausen, Germany and assigned to 3rd of the 8th Cavalry in the 3rd Armored Division.

He was assigned to a Bradley, which had a crew of four; commander, driver, gunner and loader and said you can carry seven fully-armed infantry. He said the crew trained together and they were in Germany when the Berlin Wall came down and they knew they were watching history.

They watched the people come flooding from East Germany into West Germany, seeing families meet that had not seen each other since World War II, and the emotion of the entire country going from two countries into one country was overwhelming.

His unit remained in Germany and when Saddam invaded Kuwait he was worried because we had armed Saddam during the Iran-Iraq War when Iran took our embassy. His whole unit flew from Germany to Dharan, Saudi Arabia.

They had very little notice and no training for the desert until they arrived in Arabia. Their vehicles were all green and had to paint them brown for the desert. After they received all their equipment, they headed out on a highway northeast toward Iraq. They arrived at the Iraqi Border and set up camp and waited. They waited and waited and were in a constant state of readiness, waiting for the ground war to begin. They watched the Allied airplanes flying to Iraq when the air war started and he knew it was only a matter of time.

When the ground war began, they crossed into Iraq and no Army in history had done this because there were no landmarks, but they had the GPS and could maneuver.

They crossed the berm, Saddam had built on the border and the first people they came in contact with were civilians that had

been pressed into military service by Saddam and they had abandoned their positions and were waving anything white to surrender. He said they had no desire to fight, they wanted to go back to their families.

Soon after, they made contact with the Iraqi Republican Guard and the Iraqis were firing RPGs, rocket propelled grenades. They had several close hits then everything opened up on the Iraqis and it was over fairly fast. The next day, two A-10 US Air Force planes flew in front of them firing at anything to clear the way in the desert for his unit. As the they moved, they saw Iraqi vehicles and tanks that had been blown to bits and he said it was all direct hits, no misses. They were approaching the burning oilfields and they turned south toward Kuwait City.

They went to the International Airport in Kuwait City and it was completely destroyed. On the way, he saw the T-55 WWII Russian Tanks the Iraqis were using. The Iraqis were using WWII equipment and we had our new M-1 tanks that could fire three times as far and the Russian tanks.

He said they never saw the Army that Saddam was supposed to have had. His unit was sent back to Germany, then to the United States and was discharged in 1992 and moved to Bartlesville.

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

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We’re here for our...

Bartlesville Public Schools

The Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation is dedicated to enhancing and enriching the educational experience for all students in Bartlesville Public Schools.

With your generous donations, the Foundation is able to bridge the gap between available resources and the diverse needs of our students.

We’re here for our Bartlesville Public Schools.

BUILDING BRIGHTER FUTURES TOGETHER • Innovative Teacher Grants • Bruin Vision • Bruins on the Run • Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library • District Initiatives 62

bmonthly | AUGUST 2023

For more information about BPS Foundation programs visit: bpsfoundation.org or call: 918-336-8600 ext. 3523

HELPING HANDS

A Look at the BPS Foundation

by Lori Just

The Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation was formed in 1985 by a group of community leaders who understood that the quality of life in a community is directly related to the quality of its education system.

Founding members included pillars of our community like Walter Allison, Don Donaldson, William Carter, Carolyn Gorman, Nancy Grigsby, Betty Kane, Robert Kane, Gary Moore, R.E. Lyons, Joseph O’Toole, Paul Parker, Kay Schneider, Theo Silas, Verna Trepka, Sigrid Williams and Gary Winters.

“Those leaders had a vision of giving our Bartlesville students not just quality education, but exceptional educational opportunities,” said Foundation Executive Director, Blair Ellis.

Throughout the years, the Foundation has occasionally funded school-specific grants like the “Ram FamFitness Trail” at Hoover Elementary and a dinner for parents and students at Jane Phillips. One significant expense was donating $1million to the schools to fund a large portion of the construction of the Fine Arts Center in the early 2000s.

“In all that we do, we have stayed connected to our rich history, including those founding and past board members,” said Ellis. “Because of that close tie to our past, we have maintained our focus on empowering teachers, engaging students, and enriching educational experiences within Bartlesville Public Schools.”

Over the past seven years, its impact has grown from about $50,000 a year to $250,000. During that time, the Foundation has added new programs and additional teacher grant categories under its umbrella.

“Teachers can apply to the Foundation and receive funding for innovative classroom programs and equipment, professional development opportunities, and visits from experts to interact with our students,” explained Ellis. “All teachers and schools are eligible for our grants. We support all components of education from math and reading to STEM, agriculture, and the fine arts.”

The Foundation also funds and coordinates a district-wide afterschool program, Bruins on the Run, where teachers mentor

and run with 5th grade students after school. The program is available to all 5th graders, but is targeted to benefit students not otherwise involved in afterschool activities or sports. Over 325 kids have completed an 8K race since the program’s inception in 2018.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is funded locally by the Foundation to mail age appropriate, quality books to children’s doorsteps across Bartlesville at no cost to the families.

Children receive books to their homes from birth to their fifth birthday once enrolled in the program.

“Over 13,200 books will be delivered in the program’s first year, with approximately 1,200 children enrolled in Bartlesville,” said Ellis.

The Foundation started Bruin Vision program last year with the purchase of a vision screening camera for Bartlesville Public School nurses. It has grown throughout the year so that the Foundation now covers the cost of eyecare and glasses for students in need, referred to the program by school nurses.

The Foundation also provides educator recognition through annual events like the District’s Teacher of the Year Celebration and the annual State of the Schools Luncheon.

“The Foundation wants to continue the momentum we have gained over the past few years and expand and improve our existing programs that add significant value to the teachers, students, schools, and community,” said Ellis. “We have a highly effective and engaged board of directors and we are positioned to make this our best year yet.”

AUGUST 2023 | bmonthly

63

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STARS IN OUR BACK YARD

Mitsuye Conover’s Story Popular BPS Teacher Retires After 58 Years

by Kay Little, Little History Adventures On June 13, 1942, a baby girl was born in a Japanese American relocation camp in California where she lived for three years.

She then lived in a trailer community with other Japanese Americans until she was six years old.

From there her family moved to a government housing project in Long Beach, California.

While living at the relocation camp, she fondly remembered some missionaries who brought toys for the children in the camp.

This little girl grew up to be an Oklahoma State Teacher of the Year and a finalist for Mitsuye Conover with her niece, the National Teacher of the Year. Her name is above, and her as a child with the gift from missionaries.

Mitsuye Conover.

When she was in the first grade, she only spoke Japanese and struggled in school. But, she had a teacher who was willing to invest time in helping her after school. The teacher helped her read The Little Red Hen and said, “When you read this book perfectly, it will be yours to keep.” This motivated young Mitsuye because she had no books at home. She was so excited when she was able to take the book home. This teacher sent her a new book every Christmas for many years.

While Mitsuye was student teaching in California, she fell in love with a fellow teacher, Neal Conover. They married in 1970 and later moved to Oklahoma. Mrs. Conover has taught history at Madison, Mid-High, Central and Bartlesville High School.

She retired this past May at the age of 81, after 58 years of teaching.

The Conover’s only child, Sean, died in a 1996 vehicle accident caused by a drunk driver. She asked the court to require the driver to visit her son’s gravesite on Sean’s birthday, when friends and family were there commemorating Sean’s birthday.

Mitsuye and Neal used Sean’s life insurance money to establish a scholarship fund in his memory. They also started housing kids and young adults, on a temporary basis, who were struggling and needed some help.

They maintain contact with these kids as they become adults. They also help abused or abandoned pets.

Mitsuye does not yet have many plans for retirement. She believes she has met most of her goals. “BUT, my love of tennis is always there. I would love to go to more tennis tournaments as well as to do a European river cruise. I’m going to live a life that brings me enjoyment.”

Mitsuye’s niece, Sara McKinnis, also one of her students, said of her, “My Aunt Mitsuye’s embodiment of American historical significance has been abundantly apparent from my earliest memories.”

Sara’s daughter has given history presentations to Mrs. Conover’s classes.

Mitsuye’s legacy has been handed down to the next couple of generations through her family and former students. I found such a great quote about Mitsuye in an August 31, 2002 E-E article, “Her positive impact will echo in her students’ hearts and on to following generations.”

In Mitsuye’s own words: “I believe that my greatest contribution was that I helped produce many individuals who know how to be good citizens, appreciate the contributions of those who have gone before them, are motivated to perpetuate and strengthen the uniqueness of our nation, and consider themselves fortunate to be an American.”

I tend to agree!

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LOCAL LEGENDS

Eugenia Barbee Jackson’s Family

by Debbie Neece, Bartlesville Area History Museum There is something to be said about counting life by fractions. For Eugenia Barbee Jackson her goal was 100, but the Lord called her home at 99½ years after living an inspirational life of education, her own and that of others.

Both parents of Missouri born Barbee Jackson were educators so it was an easy career path for her. She began teaching in 1901 at a Sweet Springs, Missouri one-room school before making Bartlesville her home in 1912. At Washington Elementary School, she became a sixth-grade and seventhgrade teacher; then, in 1918, she accepted a position at Central High School as an eighth-grade English Literature teacher, where she directed many plays and holiday programs, and formed the Belles-Lettres Club.

Insert: Belles-lettres is a French phrase meaning ‘beautiful’ or ‘fine’ writing. The Belles-Lettres Club was organized in 1888 with the purpose of studying literature and fostering the appreciation of the fine arts.

A student spends hours each school day with a dedicated teacher and Miss Jackson left heart prints on every student who graced her classroom. During each summer break, Miss Jackson’s summer plans revolved around continuing education classes at the University of Colorado as she worked towards her precious degree, which she achieved in 1940. And, her students recognized her dedication and many spoke her praises...

In 1944, Miss Jackson received a treasured letter from Corporal John Morris during his WWII service in France. His words were to let Miss Jackson know his thoughts of her while he was a world away from home.

And Bob Finney said, “I was president of her Belles-Lettres Club, where I learned to enjoy literature.

She helped me compete in the ‘Gettysburg Address’ oratorical contest, which I almost won. She was my favorite and most memorable teacher.”

Miss Jackson required all students to keep a Literary Notebook which received a grade at the end of the school year. Mike May saw his brother receive an A+ on his notebook and sought to exceed the grade so he wrote on his notebook, “To literature, the inspiration of the ages, and Miss Jackson, the inspiration of the Eighth Grade English Literature Class.”

When she returned his work, she had written, “Your work is

extremely well done and your comment was a nice surprise.”

Grade: A++ Mrs. Ernestine “Ernie” McAnaw recalled striving diligently to achieve her best and impress Miss Jackson. At the end of the school year, Ernie felt she had fallen short of her goal.

However, the last day of class, Miss Jackson called Ernie aside and handed her a simply wrapped porcelain bud vase in the shape of a graceful hand with a note that read, “I have always admired your beautiful hands.” Ernie cherished the vase the rest of her God given days.

We have all had teachers like Miss Jackson. Long after she retired from teaching in 1960, her students remembered her emphasis on correct word usage, such as “I” before “E” except after “C” and diagraming sentences.

Barbee Jackson was carried to her childhood home of Sweet Springs after she passed away August 31, 1979 at 99½.

Her final words were, “The classroom has been my home and my students my family.”

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Forrest Manor is excited about contracting with Grace Hospice to empower our residents with even more choices in their individual

ForrestManor Nursing Center “Caring is our Tradition”

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Forrest Manor has a long track record of providing premier, skilled care for its residents. Trusted by individuals and their families to continue recovery when leaving the hospital and to enhance residents’ lives by promoting independence and safety. Forrest Manor provides rehabilitation services by caring, licensed therapists. Forrest Manor offers: • Physical Therapy

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(918) 534-3355 • ForrestManorDewey.com 70

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EDUCATION

State of the Schools Superintendent Chuck McCauley Talks About BPS Enrollment is growing at Bartlesville Public Schools. We have the largest enrollment in over 20 years with most of the growth spanning from Kindergarten to 9th grade. The bond issue approved in February allowed for funds to renovate existing spaces and add additional square footage at our two largest elementary schools. A project at Wayside Elementary is scheduled to be complete for the 2024-25 school year and one at Ranch Heights Elementary the following year.

The district will begin the 2023-24 school year with a full time School Resource Officer (SRO) at every school. We are also working with the City of Bartlesville to add a second SRO at Bartlesville High School. The safety of Bartlesville Public Schools has long been a priority in the district. The district’s Director of Health and Safety, Kerry Ickleberry, works around the clock to ensure the district and its response teams are prepared and organized for any event. The district’s Comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan is updated and reviewed annually by a committee made up of staff, community members, and first responders. Parents are also included on every school’s Safe School Committee.

The district has multiple preventative safety measures in place in every building such as secure entryways, a monitored visitor check-in system, visitor background checks, always-locked exterior doors, security cameras and alarm systems, emergency call buttons, safety radios with direct communication to first responders, and an anonymous tip app called P3 Tips.

The Bartlesville Public School District has again been recognized as a Project Lead The Way Distinguished District for its outstanding STEM program at every district school, providing pathways in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. All six of the district’s elementary schools, both of its middle schools, and its high school individually earned Distinguished School status for 202223. Bartlesville is one of just 17 districts across the U.S. to receive this honor and the only district with that status in Oklahoma. This will be the second year of including Aviation as part of our STEM curriculum alongside Computer Science and Pre-Engineering.

Our Agriculture Education program has experienced significant growth, requiring the addition of a third teacher to the team. With almost 300 students enrolled in Agriculture classes

spanning grades 8 to 12, it has become imperative to expand our faculty. We are excited to announce that the construction of our new Agriculture Center at Bartlesville High School is progressing smoothly and is expected to be completed around Spring Break 2024. It will enhance the existing classrooms and shop with a nearby small show arena, animal and plant sciences support, greenhouses, and additional classroom space.

We continue to provide comprehensive opportunities for students such as our Advanced Placement Program, Fine Arts, and Athletics. We are proud to offer choices for parents like full and part-time virtual options for all grade levels. Our elementary virtual program is housed at Richard Kane Elementary along with Central Middle School and Bartlesville High School for secondary students.

It is a great time to be a Bruin!

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6101 Nowata Road, Bartlesville, OK 74006 | 918.331.3333 | EnrichingLives@TriCountyTech.edu There will be no discrimination in the technology center because of race, color, sex, pregnancy, gender, gender expression or identity, national origin, religion, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, age, or genetic information in its programs, services, activities and employment. The following individual is designated to handle inquiries regarding the technology center’s non-discrimination policies, including Title IX: Tara Stevens, Director of HR & Compliance Officer | 6101 Nowata Road, Bartlesville, OK 74006 | 918-331-3248 | Tara.Stevens@TriCountyTech.edu. According to the State of Oklahoma Sex Offenders Registration Act, registered sex offenders must self-disclose their status before admissions. View our privacy policy: TriCountyTech.edu/Privacy-Policy.

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HELPING HANDS

Spectacular Sports Fun!

Samaritan Sports Spectacular Kicks Off Sports Season

by Lori Just Kick off the sports season at the 17th Annual Samaritan Sports Spectacular on Saturday, August 26th at the Hilton Garden Inn. This sell-out fundraiser for Samaritan Counseling& Growth Center kicks off fall and winter sports in our community with a fun, sportsthemed event. This year’s keynote speakers are Ryan Folmar, ORU Head Baseball Coach, and Tim Johnson, ORU Athletic Director.

FOLMAR

JOHNSON at the event this year.”

“This fundraiser is one of the most anticipated of the year and is always a sell-out event. The BHS Pom and Cheer attend, which adds a fun touch to the event, like a pep rally. The keynote speakers always bring a connection between the world of sports and the importance of mental health. I am thrilled to have Coach Folmar and Athletic Director Johnson as our speakers this year. It has been such a successful year in sports for ORU, specifically with the baseball team making it to the 2023 College World Series.

Looking forward to having them

Samaritan has served the mental and spiritual health needs of the individuals, couples and families within the Bartlesville area since 1974. Experienced, licensed therapists offer counseling services, play therapy, neurofeedback, eagala therapy and telehealth services in various areas including depression, anxiety, PTSD, grief, abuse, ADHD and more.

“Funds from the Sports Spectacular assist with subsidizing costs for client counseling sessions, as well as operating costs for the center,” said Kristin Curd, interim executive director.

“We aim to never turn people away that need assistance.”

Samaritan served approximately 750 individuals in 2022, with almost 5,000 counseling hours. Fees for clients are based on the client’s income and ability to pay.

Dress is casual and guests are encouraged to wear athletic gear from their favorite sports teams or team colors. The festivities kick off at 6:00 p.m. and includes dinner catered by Dink’s BBQ, a cash bar and “candy bar” dessert table, a raffle and DJ services by DJ Brandon.

A large silent auction will feature numerous quality items, as

well as a small live auction, led by auctioneer Roger Skelly, with some outstanding items.

“Some of the items up for grabs this year include a Grand Bahama getaway, a North Carolina Resort Vacation, tickets to sporting events, paintings, a cooking class, a Super Bowl party for a group of friends and much more,” added Curd.

Keynote, Coach Folmar, has guided the ORU Golden Eagles to six Summit League Regular Season/Tournament championships, six NCAA Regional appearances, one NCAA Super Regional appearance and one NCAA College World Series appearance. Against ranked foes in 2023, Folmar guided ORU to a 7-3 record. The Golden Eagles entered the Top 25 (Collegiate Baseball) for the first time since 2011 on May 1 and finished the season ranked in the Top 10 for the first time since 1983. Coach Johnson joined the ORU staff prior to the 2015-16 school year. In his time at ORU, the Golden Eagle Club has increased its membership by over 500% percent, achieved its highest fundraising totals, highest annual levels, and premium seating sales across all sports. He has directed the design, build, and funding of a new 50,000 square-foot athletic center on campus and renovated Mabee Center as well as other sports fields and spaces. Johnson negotiated a department-wide Nike contract that more than quadrupled the value received by the department and led the charge to update ORU’s athletic logo and brand.

Individual seats are $75 or sponsorships start at $250. For more information, visit supportsamaritan.org.

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LET FREEDOM RING

High School Rivalry

Rivalry: Competition for the Same Objective or Superiority

by Jay Hastings

College High was constructed in 1939. Its official name was Bartlesville Senior High School and Junior College, and it originally served 585 students. The Col-Hi Wildcats were named after the oil industry’s “wildcatters” and wore black and gold for the “black gold” coming out of the ground. The black gold that helped build Bartlesville into what it is today. The high school mascot, Willie Wildcat, played a prominent role in school spirit.

The baby boom made for cramped conditions, with 1,985 students on the College High campus by 1964-65. The increase in attendance led to the building of a second high school, Sooner High, and prompted what would become an intense cross-town rivalry between the Col-Hi Wildcats and Sooner Spartans.

The new Sooner High Spartans wore kelly green and old gold as their official colors. That first year, the Spartans played other area schools but did not face off with the Wildcats in any athletic competitions. In fact, the 1967 Sooner High year book actually listed stats in all sports for both the Spartans and Wildcats.

1968 saw the first graduating senior class from Sooner High. Also a first, Sooner High and College High faced off in several sporting events that year. Suddenly, the cross-town rivalry was born.

In the years that followed, there were many traditions carried out by each side leading up to the annual football game.

One such tradition was to build a large wildcat and a spartan figure, both of which would eventually be burned before the big game in an effort to bring each team luck. On several occasions, old junk cars were brought onto the school grounds, spray painted, and destroyed. Other activities took place in the community where students from one school traveled across town into the other’s territory to throw eggs or “TP” opponents’ houses and cars. Often times, fights broke out but, of course, those were not always sports related but instead just rival schools or personal issues between students. Heaven forbid a boy go out with a girl from the high school across town!

Most of the time, Col-Hi beat Sooner in football, but not always. I was a junior at Sooner in 1980 when Sooner beat ColHi, 18 - 7. At the end of that game, we rushed the field and tore down the north goal post at Custard Stadium.

Controversial talk about consolidating College and Sooner High Schools began as early as 1970 and a plan was discussed in 1973-74, but no action was taken at that time. Decreasing enrollments led to consolidation proposals being revived in 1977 with committees formed on the issue in 1978. A 74

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September 1980 bond issue for renovations and additions failed, and shortly thereafter the Board of Education voted to consolidate the two high schools and re-establish Bartlesville High School.

The rivalry between the Col-Hi Wildcats and Sooner Spartans ended with the establishment of the unified Bartlesville Bruins in the fall of 1982. At the time, many thought the trouble the cross-town rivalry caused was the driving force behind the Board’s decision to consolidate the schools.

The truth, however, was the student enrollment in Bartlesville had declined from 9,200 students in 1968 to 6,700 in 1981, and combining the two schools just made sense.

Both of my brothers and I all attended Sooner High School.

My oldest brother, Danny, was in the first class to go all the way through and graduate in 1969, and I was the last class to graduate in 1982. In retrospect, the short 15-year span of the two schools was just a brief moment in time and, in the end, both the Wildcats and Spartans ceased to exist. Even so, ask any of us who graduated from either school, and the pride is still evident.

10

YEARS ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

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