FOCUS
M A G A Z I N E VOL. 41 • NO. 1
SPRING • 2022
The Magazine for the Top O’ Texas!
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Editors Note
Thank you!
We want to say thank you for the positive words and encouraging response to “our” first issue of Focus Magazine. We appreciate your vote of confidence and love your feedback! We have another packed issue, with a great collection of interesting feature articles that reflect where we have been, celebrate who we are, and illuminate what is on the horizon.
Just let us say, the Top O’ Texas is full of talented people! Our eyes and ears have been opened as suggestions for articles have made their way to us! Just keep them coming! Local artist, Grant Johnson, is a perfect example of this... on so many levels! Kerri’s father John Carlson (talented in his own right) made a suggestion to us shortly after hearing that we were taking on Focus Magazine... “interview Grant Johnson!” We couldn’t think of a better person than John to give us an introduction to Grant’s talent. Needless to say, he did not disappoint! Another exciting story comes to us, thanks to the White Deer Land Museum Foundation. The Foundation has taken the lead in documenting and presenting, through film, the story of two young girls who were re-captured from Cheyenne Indians in 1874. A “docudrama” is being produced in partnership with Fall River Productions, called The Contested Plains.
Robert & Kerri Forester Owners forester5@me.com
Our goal with Focus Magazine is to inform, educate and entertain readers by recognizing and celebrating the interesting people and places and the colorful history of the Texas Panhandle!
About the Cover This oil painting, titled “SELF PORTRAIT” (U.S. Cavalry Scout), was painted by local artist Grant Johnson, who portrays himself as an 1870’s U. S. Cavalry Scout. This painting is part of a series of his works on the 1870’s Texas Panhandle Red River Wars. This, and other completed works by Johnson, are on display at the White Deer Land Museum in Pampa, Texas. (see article, page 26)
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FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
FOCUS
M A G A Z I N E
Schedule a complimentary portfolio review.
The Magazine for the Top O’ Texas!
Keith Demetriades, CFP® Financial Advisor
317 North Ballard Street • Pampa, Texas 79065-6541
806-669-1170 Edited and Published by Robert and Kerri Forester Content Contributors John H. Carlson F. Lee Cornelison Della Moyer Mike Sinks Brenda Tucker Sharon Wampler Charla Schults Jeanette Carlson Hawkins
Member SIPC
Focus Magazine P.O. Box 459 • Pampa, Texas 79066-0459 806-662-0234
www.gofocusmag.com FOCUS MAGAZINE, The Magazine For the Top O’ Texas P.O. Box 459 • Pampa, Texas 79066-0459 Phone: 806-662-0234 Copyright 2022 by Robert Forester, dba FOCUS MAGAZINE, and the contributors, writers and photographers of FOCUS MAGAZINE. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any story, article, photo, design, art or editorial comment, whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission of the publisher. Letters sent to FOCUS MAGAZINE will be treated as intended for publication. Articles and stories may be submitted for consideration and are subject to editorial review. FOCUS MAGAZINE does not accept responsibility for unsolicited materials. (ISSN #0746-7974) If you would like to receive Focus Magazine by mail, subscriptions may be purchased. 4 issues - $20.00 Send a check to: FOCUS Magazine P.O. Box 459 Pampa, Texas 79066 ‘Golden Nail’ Award Winner 2007 ‘Golden Nail Award Winner 1989
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Spring 2022
10 Alibates Flint Quarries A National Monument... Just right down the road!
10 15 CASA’s Derby Days
Better than Churchhill Downs. Enjoy the Kentucky Derby in style at this CASA of the High Plains fundraising event!
16 Spring Sports
Check out the Pampa Harvester Basketball & Soccer Team Photos. Go Harvesters!
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CHARLA SHULTS
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18 Looking Back!
Reflections on a recent trip to the Holy Land made by Lee Cornelison and others from Pampa.
19 26 Meet Grant Johnson
Get the low down on one of our local artists in this debut article by John H. Carlson! Many of Johnson’s works are on display at the White Deer Land Museum and one is featured on the front cover of this Focus Magazine issue.
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FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
30 The Contested Plains
Two young girls were kidnapped, carried across the plains and eventually rescued in Gray County. Get ready for history to come alive, as the White Deer Land Museum Foundation is about to re-tell the story in an exciting, for television docudrama!
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38 The German Sisters
Read the story of the 1874 Red River War event that inspired The Contested Plains docudrama!
43 Museum Spotlight
The focus is Andy Epps, Director of Pampa’s Freedom Museum USA!
46 The Well
46
43 _
In THOSE
The Well STEAM and Literacy Center is fueling students to love science, math and so much more!
_
Oklahoma
51 In Those Oklahoma Hills
Hills
Stories of Woody Guthrie’s early years in Oklahoma. Learn what shaped the life of the legendary singer/song writer in part one of a two part series by Mike Sinks.
51 Questions • Comments • Story Ideas Are you a writer?
Let us hear from you! forester5@me.com or Focus Magazine P. O. Box 459 Pampa, Texas 79066-0459
25 Pampa Chamber of Commerce Events 56 Remembering the Stories
All correspondences are subject to publication. www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
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Letters to the Editors To the Editors: As with many others who were saddened and grieving at the ill health and loss of Bobbye and Joel Combs, I was so happy to hear that the Focus Magazine would not leave also. I am not a socializer, and as such, I don’t get to meet many of my fellow citizens of Pampa. That does not mean I did not want to know them. Focus Magazine gave me that opportunity to get to know many people I would not have known otherwise. Thank you very much for your work and dedication purchasing the Focus Magazine and becoming the editors. I know your lives must be busy so I have to tell you how very much I appreciate you taking on this new responsibility. Love and Light, Phillis Garner Pampa, Texas Ms. Garner, Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. We moved to Pampa in 2012 and quickly discovered Focus Magazine & recognized its significance to the Panhandle community. We are honored to be the new caretakers of Focus Magazine! -R&K
Robert & Kerri, Just finished reading Focus Magazine with my morning coffee! I absolutely love everything about it! The new look, the quality paper and printing, but especially the special stories and tributes to my mom and dad. The new columns and contributions as well as the new look for the advertising are really wonderful! Great job you guys! I know mom and dad are looking down on the new Focus and are very pleased with how it is continuing. So proud that God brought you both into our lives and what an honor it is to know you both. Bill and Pam Combs Bill and Pam, it was an honor to work on the special issue for your parents... and are excited to usher in the next chapter of Focus Magazine. Your vote of confidence is treasured! -R&K 8
Hi Robert & Kerri, Your Mom and Dad came through here just a week ago and brought us a copy of your Focus Magazine and I love, love, love it!! You both have done a fantastic job on it & I want to order 2 subscriptions. One is for myself and the other one is for a friend, please. This is going to be a great way to keep up with what’s happening in my good ol’ hometown. Thank you! Linda and Charlie McCain Trophy Club, Texas Linda and Charlie, Thank you so very much! Thanks to our faithful advertisers, Focus has been, and will continue to be, a great way for folks to keep up with what is happening up here. We really do have excellent contributors, not to mention the endless good news to share! We have placed you and your f riend on our list of subscribers! However, since you are probably reading this, I guess already know! -R&K
To the Editors: I enjoyed your first issue! I especially liked the article about former Pampa resident, Woody Guthrie and his song based on the sunken ship the Rueben James and how a life preserver from it was found in a shop in Florida! I love history, and there is so much interesting history in the Panhandle! Elinor Seeley Dallas, Texas Elinor, We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed the magazine. Mike Sinks has another article in this issue as well. We think you will like it too, as it gives an account of Woody’s life in Tulsa, Oklahoma, prior to the Guthries moving to Pampa, Texas! -R&K
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion, send a letter to the editors! Contact us at: forester5@me.com or mail to: Focus Magazine P. O. Box 459 Pampa, Texas 79066
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Alibates Flint Quarries The
Story by Robert Forester • Photos by Della Moyer
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FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
Professional archaeologists regard the Alibates Flint Quarries as an outstanding remaining example of the prehistoric cultures of North America.
H
aving spent most of my life in the Piney Woods of deep East Texas, I am enjoying discovering and learning about the many hidden gems and outstanding places to visit in the Texas Panhandle. This very different area of the state holds many secrets... and The Alibates Flint Quarries was no exception. The first time I recall seeing a piece of Alibates flint, was when we moved to Pampa in 2012. There was an existing “rock garden” of sorts in our side yard that contained several nice specimens of the flint. One large example is currently in our front flower bed. It’s a very pretty boulder with red, blue and white shades of agatized dolomite. Along with its beauty, another characteristic I have observed is its weight! The last time it was moved, three strong guys gave great effort to roll the 24” rock just a few feet! The Alibates Flint Quarries is a series of ancient hand dug pits, from which natural flint was harvested. On August 31st 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill into law, designated the site as a National Monument. It is the Texas Panhandle’s only national monument, being the first, and one of only three in Texas. It is located just a few miles south of Fritch, on Hwy 136, in Potter County. Alibates Flint has been used by humans throughout the 13,000 years
Above: The Alibates Visitor Center houses Museum Exhibits including a partial replica of an Antelope Creek Culture quarry site. Right: During a walking tour, a monument ranger demonstrates the use of an “atlatl”, or throwing stick, used by prehistoric Native Americans.
www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
of North American history. The early Clovis Mammoth Hunters (9500 BC to 9000 BC) used flint arrowheads and spearheads to hunt for big game, such as the mammoth, mastodon, and straight horned bison that roamed the area near the end of the ice age. Sharpened flint was an excellent projectile point, when attached to a hunting dart or spear. It, coupled with an atlatl, or spear-throwing leaver, made for a very effective weapon. The atlatl would help launch a long arrow or dart at a much higher velocity than could be thrown, giving prehistoric Indians a huge advantage while hunting massive game. In addition to spear heads, Alibates flint was used to make knives and scrapers for processing game, as well as many other kinds of tools. Since the Clovis Hunters, and for thousands of years, people have found flint to be vital to their existence, and have harvested the superior quality, rainbow-colored flint from these quarries. The Archaic Indians (6000 BC to 750 AD), early Prehistoric Indians (750 AD to 1000 AD), the Antelope Creek Culture (1150 AD to 1450 AD), the Apaches (1450 AD to 1700 AD) and the Comanches (1700 AD to 1874 AD) all quarried, used, and traded the flint until the natives were moved to reservations in Oklahoma. Throughout these times Alibates Flint was a highly traded commodity, as examples of the uniquely colored arrows and spearheads have been found at sites as far north as Minnesota and Wisconsin, as far west as the Pacific coast, and as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. Professional archaeologists regard the quarries as one continued
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are available by reservation, between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm, when open. Focus Magazine photo contributor, Della Moyer, and her husband Jim, recently made a visit to the quarries. “We found the Visitor Center filled with information, exhibits, books, a great park movie and a great deal of other displays.” Della stated. She added, “tours through the area can be self-guided, but we opted for a Ranger-guided tour... and we were certainly impressed.” At each stop along the trail, the rangers explained life in the area, spanning from the Ice Age to the point that it become a national park. He started with the mammoth hunters, the challenges they faced, and the tools they used. At each additional stop, the story continued... throughout the centuries.” of the outstanding remaining examples of prehistoric cultures of North America.
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Della said that the walking tour took approximately an hour and a half, making note that it got a bit challenging, at times. “We did fine and the trail is well maintained; however, it is a dirt trail with steps, with a significant climb to the top of the quar-
ry area. This area has so much history and information to offer. There are several special events throughout the year. A visit is well worth the time.” Della concluded. The site is also home to several petroglyphs. These rock carvings are thought to have been made by the Antelope Creek People who called the place home from 1100 AD to 1500 AD. These can be seen, and are part of the ranger-guided tour! The main office for the monument is located at 419 E. Broadway, Fritch, Texas 79036. There are no entrance fees associated with Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument. For more information call 806-8576680 or visit https://www.nps.gov/alfl It is always exciting to discover evidence left behind by earlier people, but in order to preserve our history, it is vital that all cultural and historic artifacts on the site remain undisturbed. Please help preserve these special items. It is illegal to collect or deface artifacts. Information source: https://www.nps.gov/alfl
In 1877, after the point that the Native American Indians were removed from the Texas Panhandle, the site became part of the LX Ranch. Established by W.H. Bates and David T. Beals, this 187,141 acre ranch stretched all the way from Dumas to the Palo Duro Canyon. In 1884, the LX Ranch was sold to the American Pastoral Company of London, along with 45,000 cattle and 1,000 horses. In 1906, Charles Gould, a geologist, came to the ranch searching for oil and gas. A local cowboy, Allen “Allie” Bates, showed Gould around the area. Allie Bates was living in an unnamed ravine in a dugout, so Gould named the ravine and nearby features after him, shortening the name to “Alibates.” While exploring the area, Gould noted a “dipping rock ledge, finding it to be white dolomite.” Gould also saw the agatized dolostone, Alibates flint. The ranch was sold again in 1910 and divided. Current-day Alibates Flint Quarries land was sold to a rancher named Lee Bivins, who eventually was said to own the most land west of the Mississippi in the 1920s. At the monument site, the Alibates Visitor Center is open Saturday through Wednesday, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. It houses museum exhibits about the rock formations and the Native American cultures that quarried the area. Ranger-guided tours www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
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Dennis & Donna Roark, owners of B & B Pharmacy, invite you to come in and see why more and more people are switching to a “home-owned” pharmacy, one that cares about their customers and their families. You will appreciate their “old-fashioned” and friendly service, as well as the other benefits that can’t be found in large chain stores. Stop by!
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Harry is in the know!
He has discovered that Focus Magazine is the best way to keep up with what’s going on in the Top O’ Texas! Focus Magazine makes a great gift. $20.00 covers first class postage for a year to anywhere in the U.S. Mail recipient name and address along with payment to: Focus Magazine P. O. Box 459 Pampa Texas 79066
Someone you know could soon be drooling over the next issue of Focus Magazine... just like Harry!
Focus Magazine... a great way to keep up with the Panhandle. 14
Harry is Cager & Katie Beth Osborne’s son and grandson of Russell and Billie Osborne and Robert and Kerri Forester.
FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
C
s
f the High Pl o ain A AS
Save the date for the 2022 Derby Days! CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. CASA trains volunteers to advocate for children who are in foster care through no fault of their own. CASA of the High Plains is automatically appointed as guardian ad litem for every child in foster care in all 8 counties they serve: Donley, Gray, Hansford, Hemphill, Lipscomb, Ochiltree, Roberts and Wheeler Counties. Their volunteers stand up to be a voice for these children in the court system and in their day to day lives. The cost to advocate per child is approximately $2,500 per year. CASA of the High Plains is a non-profit organization and relies on donations and fund-raising efforts to meet the expenses needed to advocate for the children they serve; and to pay support staff to coordinate the effort.
In May of 2018, CASA of the High Plains hosted “Derby Days,” a Kentucky Derby-themed event... and it was a huge success! Due to Covid-19, the “Derby Days” event has been on hold. But, CASA of the High Plains is returning to the races... the 2022 Derby Days! The fundraiser will be held Saturday, May 7, 2022, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Pampa Country Club. Attendees will enjoy food, drinks, games with prizes and a silent auction... and will watch the Kentucky Derby Horse Race live on the big screen! If you are interested in attending or helping sponsor the event, contact CASA of the High Plains at 806-669-7638 or alissha@casahp.org. In order to meet advertising deadlines, sponsorships need to be secured by March 15th. Tickets for the 2022 Derby Days are available at the CASA of the High Plains office at 315 North Ballard. Follow CASA of the High Plains on Facebook for the latest information. Get a sneak peek at the fun by scanning the QR Code below with your smart phone! Save the date!
CASA of the High Plains Staff: Payton Foster, Recruitment & Retention Coordinator, Grace Nelson, Program Director, Alissha Jefferis, Executive Director, Ashlee Talley, Child Advocacy Specialist, Aretha Brown, Child Advocacy Specialist
www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
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2021 - 2022 Harvester Basketball
2021 - 2022
Hustlin’ Harvesters Basketball
2021 - 2022
Lady Harvester Basketball 16
FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
2021 - 2022 Harvester Soccer
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Harvester Soccer
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Lady Harvester Soccer www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
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on a Trip to the Holy Land 35 Folks from Pampa and beyond armed with passports, vaccine cards and lots of excitement, braved the Covid-19 climate for a visit to the Holy Land! Story and Photos
A
By F. Lee Cornelison
long awaited trip to Israel finally happened! Planning began in late 2018 for a March 2020 take off, BUT COVID! (GRRR) But, we did finally fit snuggly into a tiny time slot in mid November 2021. Thirty six folks, with vaccine cards, including required boosters, jumped through so many hoops I’m certain we could have joined a circus. Part of the requirements for departure and return included three covid tests, which were an added expense: had anyone of us tested positive we would have been stuck for a 10 day quarantine. Fortunately, we all tested negative, all three times. In my heart I have to admit to quite a bit of excitement, just to “be” in Israel, so when we touched down in Tel Aviv, a lifelong dream was accomplished. The sun was going down as we arrived at our overnight quarantine hotel. I had assumed that the “quarantine hotel” would be somewhat of a dump, or at least plain and simple. It was not. The Hotel Daniel is a premier resort hotel on the beautiful beaches of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Somehow I forgot, or never thought about being right on the beach front anytime during our Israel viswww.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
Article writer, Lee Cornelison and his wife , Brenda, pose for a photo near the Garden of Gethsemene. They are backdropped by the eastern wall of the holy city of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque with its gold dome.
it. But there it was, beautiful, turquoise, calm and active with swimmers, sail boats and shell collectors. I considered telling the bus to forget me there, but my wife made me leave. Upon leaving Tel Aviv, a very modern and expensive city, we traveled by comfortable bus up the coast, just past Natanya to Caesarea. What a surprise! The ruins of King Herod’s lavish fortified castle on the sea. On the site was an astounding theater, opulent baths, statues, and in addition to Herod’s castle was another Praetorium where the disciple, Paul was imprisoned. And for entertainment, a chariot race track
1. Synagogue ruins at Caesarea near the home of apostle Peter 2. United Nations representative at the Israel/Syrian border 3. Palestinian man and donkey pressing olives for oil in Nazareth 4. Inside a machine gun turret on Mt. Bental, site of 1973 border war after surprise Syrian attack 5. Sun coming up behind Caperneum, as watched from Tiberius 6. A 2000 year old fishing boat restored from bottom of Sea of Galilee 7. Herod’s castle entrance at Caesarea 8. Christian Orthodox Church at Caesarea 9. Driving thru an active Syrian mine field in the Golan Heights
continued
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and amazing stone seating for watching. Just as in Rome, this area was used for every torture, by every means. I suppose every guided trip to Israel has its own character. Our Israeli guide, Ami, chose a route going, first north, then east, and then south to finish in Jerusalem. I’ll make a technical note here: I never knew which way we were traveling as we did a bit of circling, especially around the Sea of Galilee, visiting Magdela, home to Mary Magdalan, Capernaum, Peter’s home, and on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee where Jesus gave one of His first sermons, the Beatitudes. There is a beautiful church there called, “The Church of the Beatitudes.” Every view from the hillside is breathtaking, especially when one realizes that Jesus walked “here.” The Sea of Galilee, which is really a lake, is fed by the snows and springs of Mt. Hermon. As the melt waters and runoff leave Mt. Hermon, they travel thru Caesarea Philip-
pi, a beautiful place, but one that grieved Jesus, as the pagan god, Pan was worshiped there. The Jordan continues through the Golan down to the West Bank, (which is on the east side) of Israel. All along the river are lush plantations and commercial growing farms, all fed by the Jordan River. We also visited the very place where much of the battles in the 1973 War occurred, the beauty of Tiberius, and the joy of driving through an active Syrian mine field on the way to Mt. Bental. We were taken to the baptism place of Jesus, and many of us were baptized. As Baptist Christians, we believe the public baptism is a testimony to the world that we have made a decision to love, follow and obey Jesus, so baptism is an opportunity to proclaim Jesus as Lord: it was a blessing. From here is was the desert, and sadly, the final resting place for the Jordan River. The beautiful Jordan, alive and teaming with life, and after feeding thousands on it way,
finds no way out of the 1300 feet below sea level canyon. As with every living thing, when it stops moving, stops breathing, it dies. Yes, we got in; I was skeptical, but you CANNOT sink in the Dead Sea! On the shores of the Dead Sea we visited two spectacular places: Qumron, location of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery, and Masada, the mountain home of a tribe of Jewish zealots who would commit mass suicide rather than become enslaved by a Roman army sent by Herod to conquer them. As night falls on the fourth night, we depart Masada en-route to Jerusalem. Amazingly, from the desert we can see Jerusalem and Bethlehem on the mountain, on the eastern edge of the West Bank. Its in the dark that one realizes the stress between Jews and Palestinians. Though Israelis claim to control the entire area of Israel, there are many barriers dividing the people. For instance, Nazareth is a Palestinian population, as well continued
Above: Lunch from the Sea of Galilee Left: First Baptist, Pampa, Pastor Byron Williamson baptizing his wife, Jana, and his father-in-law, Don Murray in the Jordan River. First Baptist is planning a trip back to the Holy Land in March, 2023. Please contact byron@firstpampa.org for information. Opposite: Lee and Brenda posing for a quick photo while sitting on a communal toilet at ancient Beit-She’an.
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FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
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as Bethlehem and many other neighborhoods. And, at the end of the day, everyone has to be in their place. That is why, if you have a Palestinian guide, you will be able to visits places that an Israeli guide cannot go, and vice versa. As our first night in Jerusalem falls and our aching calf muscles recoil, we find our hotel for the remainder of our tour, The Lady Stern. From here is a complete other story: the story of Jerusalem…please come back next issue to hear about The Holy City, Bethlehem, The Garden of Gethsemene, The Via Dolorosa, the birthplace, place of crucifixion, the burial and resurrection of Jesus. And one other thing: the joys of hummus. Right: Random burial tombs, seen along the highway. Below: Caves at Qumron, location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
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FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
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Meet Grant Johnson... Oil-painting artist EXTRAORDINAIRE!
by John H. Carlson
G
rant is a Texas born artist and has been making his living with brush and canvas since the 1980’s. Soon after graduating from Pampa High School in 1977, Grant went to work in Oklahoma... clear-cutting timber and brush on cross-country electric utility transmission/distribution line right-of-ways. He actually lived outdoors on the job! He enjoyed the solitude of the rugged outdoors and his budding interest in big game hunting subsequently led him to Montana where he spent a good portion of his early adult life living in that rugged mountainous terrain while hunting and guiding other hunters in pursuit of large trophy game. He enjoyed the solitude and “survivalist” style of living, adding the comment, “I prefer mules over horses because of their sure-footedness and greater endurance in mountainous terrain.” Johnson describes himself as a “self-taught artist who began his painting quest in an effort to express the truth he sees in the world around him in a better way than he could in words.” Grant primarily paints in oils and is best known for his expressive portrait work... exemplified by his work on the front cover of this issue of FOCUS Magazine, entitled, “SELF-PORTRAIT”- (U.S. Cavalry Scout). In this piece, he has cast himself as a leading character... to accurately depict the multiple cultures and their competing struggles to prosper and survive in the 1870’s Texas Panhandle. (Grant also excels at and enjoys landscape and still-life painting... skills needed to portray the Panhandle landscape.) Grant’s early-adult rugged outdoor experiences have uniquely equipped him to cast a vision in his current series, the Red River War Series... paintings of what was observed and experienced by residents of the Texas Panhandle in the mid-1870’s. Grant has completed the first seven, of twenty paintings intended to communicate an accurate depiction of the multi-cultural struggles and significant events over this brief period, as follows: “Self Portrait,” “Camp of the Big Springs,” McClellan Creek,” “Scouting continued Left: Johnson’s, “The Breath of Life,” one of two works carved in alabaster, on display at the White Deer Land Museum. Top Right: Johnson’s oil on canvas work titled “Scouting the Canyon.” FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
“Each canvas is a door through which we embark on a wonderful journey of discovery of the world around us, and if fortunate, a deeper discovery of ourselves.”
www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
- Grant Johnson.
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the Canyon,” “Coming Home,” “Upon the Wind of Remembrance,” “Farnsworth’s Flight,” “Camp Cantonment.” All are on exhibit at the White Deer Land Museum. A review of well documented, significant historical events, and an examination of the artifacts on display in the museum, complimented by viewing Grant Johnson’s inspired canvases will enable the museum visitor to truly envision life on the sparsely populated Texas Panhandle plains during the Red River War 1874-75. Another series of Grant Johnson’s previous works entitled “Million Dollar Row”, can be viewed at the White Deer Land Museum. Six oils: Pampa City Hall, Gray County Court House, Pampa Fire Station, Combs-Worley Building, Pampa High School, White Deer Land Company. Grant also has two hand-hewn alabaster sculptures on display at White Deer Land Museum, made from stone he found along the North Fork-Red River area, near
Johnson’s oil painting titled “Crossroads” was commissioned by the U.S. Postal Service and hangs in the Pampa Post Office.
Wheeler, entitled: “The Breath of Life” and “The Bear and the Nighthawk”. Also, the next time you are in the Pampa US Post Office, observe on the East wall an outstanding Grant Johnson oil painting portraying the early days of Pampa’s history. The title of Grant’s painting is “Crossroads”. (The USPS commissioned Grant several years ago to paint that scene representing our history.) Grant teaches painting and art history and is also skilled in art conservation and restoration. Grant has won numerous awards and recognition, both nationally and internationally... his work has garnered “Best of Show” and “First Place” in “Best of the Southwest” artist competitions, and has won numerous other awards around the country. His work is represented in private collections in several states and five foreign countries. Grant and his wife, Kelly, currently reside in Pampa where his multi-vocational/avocational pursuits are as follows: • Piano Tuning and Repair “Reflections Studio” - Pampa • Lay Minister at Frost St. Refuge Church/Men’s Home • Martial Arts Instructor • Lifelong Student - The Bible and other Ancient History ON A PERSONAL NOTE... What impressed this writer most about Grant is his humble, compelling personality and willingness to share his personal testimony of his spiritual journey in life. He explained about how he started out with an “inherited” Christian faith dogged by recurring questions and doubts. By confronting and wrestling those doubts and answering tough questions through Bible study and Ancient History studies, plausible answers have now put at rest his doubts and he stands prepared to defend his belief in God and his resolve to follow Christ’s leadership daily. Grant declared, “God is for Real!” At the close of my interview with him, Grant emphasized, “God gifted me with artistic talents... and I credit my faith in Christ for my works and accomplishments.” It occurs to me, again, how blessed our community is to have the likes of the talented, Pampa/Gray County citizen, Grant Johnson in our midst! P.S. Grant... if you are reading this, we can’t wait to see your next paintings in the series, “Red River War!”
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FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
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Th e
Contested Plains A Docudrama produced by the
White Deer Land Museum Foundation & Fall River Productions Story and Photos by Erin Mathews
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FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
T
he brilliant sun shone down on the rippling waves of brown and gold grass in northeast Logan County, Kansas much the same today as it would have on the morning of September 11, 1874. For John and Lydia German and their family, it was a deceptively peaceful scene.
This family had left Georgia, headed towards a new life in Colorado. But, hidden behind a nearby ridge was a raiding party of Cheyenne Indians. Their war cries filled the air as the unsuspecting family came under attack. John and Lydia were killed, along with daughters Rebecca, Jane, and Joanna, and son Stephen. Among their belongings, the family Bible, found at the gruesome scene, revealed a list of family members, informing Fort Wallace soldiers that there were four missing children… daughters, Catherine, Sophia, Julia, and Addie. Knowing that they had likely been captured, great effort to find them ensued. This past October, historians and documentary producers, Ken Spurgeon and Deb Goodrich, spent three days overseeing a film crew near the site where the attack of the German family is believed to have taken place. Today, the land is part of the Smoky Y Ranch, owned by Randall and Donella Younkin.
Telling the whole story The Contested Plains, the docudrama that Spurgeon and Goodrich plan to finish this summer, is dedicated to telling the whole story. They will help viewers understand why John German made the decision to lead his family west from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, as well as share the experiences of the American Indians whose lives were changed by the brutal encounter. “It’s the Germans’ story, but we’re trying to gather all the context for why things happened the way they did,” said Spurgeon, an assistant professor of history at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. “I don’t think anybody’s dug into the sources like we have.”
Watch for announcements about public screenings of The Contested Plains later this summer.
American Indians involved in the attack had previously clashed with the military. continued
www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
Opposite: Wagon photo courtesy Chris Larson.
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Women and children in their families had been killed and injured by soldiers. The buffalo that the tribes hunted were being slaughtered for their hides. Therefore, to give context to the events portrayed, interviews with Cheyenne historian Gordon Yellowman, and nine other historians, will be interspersed with the video footage shot in Logan County, Kansas, and elsewhere. “This is a fair approach on both sides,” said Marla Matkin, of Hill City, who portrays John German’s aunt, Ruth Brown. “This isn’t to condemn one and favor the other. It’s a balanced approach with the hope that healing will take place.”
nationally and internationally,” she said. “Significant things, so important in the story of our nation, were happening right here.” Shooting recently concluded at a location near Pampa, Texas. It was there that, weeks after their abduction, 5-year-old Addie and 7-year-old Julia were found, after being abandoned by their captors. Near starvation, the young girls had survived about 45 days alone on the prairie. The release of 17-yearold Catherine and 12-year-old Sophia, who were held by a different band of Indians, was negotiated in March of 1875. Books written by descendants of the surviving daughters – Girl Captives of the Cheyennes and The Moccasin Speaks – describe their ordeal. Jayne Pearce, president of the Fort Wallace Museum Association, said the youngest girls were abandoned because their captors were constantly on the run from soldiers, and it became too difficult to keep them. “They survived on
Goodrich said she believes the docudrama format reaches audiences in a way that reading books or just hearing someone describe an event does not. She said understanding such historical events is important because today’s world is the result of past decisions and actions. “It puts our lives in context,” she said. “We’re part of a continuum. It gives us, hopefully, gratitude and a sense of responsibility to make good decisions. If we don’t know what happened, how can we feel any of that?” Goodrich, who serves as historian for the Fort Wallace Museum, said she felt strongly that the project should be shot on location. She said the High Plains, where the family was attacked and where the missing girls had to figure out how to survive, was as much a character in the story as any the actors portrayed. Back then, “this was being reported
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hackberries and grains. They found an abandoned campsite that had some parched corn in it, and they ate every bit of that,” she said. The girls encountered wolves while alone on the prairie. Goodrich said she developed a new appreciation for the fear that a howl could inspire after spending a night at a farmhouse south of Oakley and listening to coyotes just outside. “I’m telling you what – there’s something primal in you, the fear,” she said. “I knew I had nothing to be afraid of. I had a house around me! But, it really hit home how those little girls must have felt. It was horrifying. I can’t even imagine being a child and being in that situation.” Ken Fields, a member of the board of the White Deer Land Museum Foundation, of Pampa, Texas, which has been raising funds for the movie’s production, found Julia and Addie’s ordeal unforgettable. “When I first read The Moccasin Speaks, I was just gripped by it when I realized this happened, in part, just 10 or 12 miles south of where I’m sitting in a five-story building,” he said. “I was just captivated by the horror visited on this Christian, nuclear, Southern family, who were no threat or harm to anybody.” He said at the time the Germans decided to make the trip, settlers had come through the area without incident for a number of years. “They had no way of knowing that they were moving into a hornet’s nest,” Fields said. “All of the battles of the Red River War were taking place down in the Panhandle of Texas right at the time they were making their journey.”
“These were challenging times, and the plains were very contested. It was a rough place to live, but it’s part of who we were, so it’s worth telling.” -Ken Spurgeon
The German sisters were reunited and, despite their traumatic experiences, lived full lives. Spurgeon said that the sisters never blamed the Cheyenne People, as a whole. On the contrary, Catherine German credited the continued
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The filming was conducted in the actual pasture where the event took place. Cheyenne Chief Stone Calf, Little Woman, and others with trying to prevent bloodshed. Ultimately, however, 75 Cheyenne were imprisoned for the murders and abductions, including Stone Calf, Little Woman, and many others who were not responsible. “These were challenging times, and the plains were very contested,” Spurgeon said. “It was a rough place to live, but it’s part of who we were, so it’s worth telling.”
The pasture where it happened Over the years, descriptions in the books of where the attack occurred led many local history buffs to the Younkins’ Logan County ranch. About two years ago, when Spurgeon, Goodrich, Fields, and others first arrived to talk about making a docudrama, the Younkins welcomed them. “When it comes to stuff like this, it’s part of history, and I think you’re obligated to do that (remember, tell, document and share). I think ethically you should,” Younkin said as he drove Fields through his pasture in an all-terrain vehicle during a break in filming. They followed the still-visible Butterfield Overland Trail until, at the crest of a ridge, Younkin pointed out 34
four side-by-side indentations he’d recently noticed for the first time. A stone on the west end may have served as a marker. He said he believes that this is where the German family members were originally buried, before their bodies were later moved to the Fort Wallace Cemetery. Fields said the sight of the shallow graves made the family’s tragedy real to him. “Now I’ve got a whole different story to take back to Pampa with me,” Fields said. Fields said he appreciated how generous the Younkins had been with their time and resources, even allowing the movie crew to utilize a ranch building when the wind was too strong for the tent they’d planned to use. Everyone worked together, agreeing that no other setting would give greater meaning to the story than the actual one. “I think it meant something to everybody involved in the filming, that they were on sacred ground,” Goodrich said. “I think that affected everybody, and I have to think that affects the quality of what you’re getting across to the audience.”
Kansas, a sought-after expert in the material culture of the Southern Plains Indians. Oakley, Kansas veterinarian, Jake Bauer, was instrumental in finding the horses, and wrangler Molly Renner Lamb, of Russell Springs, Kansas, provided riding instruction.
Reviving warriors Cheyenne warriors with painted faces, dressed in historically accurate costumes, were filmed riding horses on hand-crafted Cheyenne saddles. Their costumes were created by Ken Weidner, of Copeland, FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
Actors portraying the German family members, whose sunbonnets, cotton dresses, wide-brimmed hats and suspenders were equally historically accurate, walked beside their covered wagon, after costume designers applied trail dust to their clothing and faces. “The family would have been out in this (wind) too,” said Pearce, who helped serve the cast and crew catered meals. “The suffering was real back in the day.” Before lunch, Spurgeon offered a Christian prayer, and cast member Donald Christopher Yellow Eagle, of Weatherford, Oklahoma, sang and prayed in his native language. Yellow Eagle, one of fewer than about 200 people alive who fluently speaks the Cheyenne language, advised Spurgeon on Cheyenne dialogue used in the movie. “I was raised by my maternal grandparents in western Oklahoma, and it (Cheyenne) was spoken in the house,” he said. “My great-grandmother passed away when I was 13 years old, and all they spoke was Cheyenne. I learned English at the same time. We watched Saturday morning cartoons just like everyone.” The language spoken by the Cheyenne is guttural and complex, and, like the romance languages, it assigns gender to various objects, he said. “Even our storms – spring storms are male storms and summer storms are female storms,” Yellow Eagle said. Yellow Eagle, who portrays Medicine Water, the leader of the raiding party, is special projects director for the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Tribes’ Governor’s Office. He said he carries a lot of precious knowledge in his head about Cheyenne language, culture, and beliefs. Participating in projects like the docudrama allows him to share some of it with a wider audience.
Unexpected and meaningful connections When the cast assembled on location, it became apparent that this was more than a random gathering of actors. Among the American Indian actors in the cast was Philip Caldwell, son little Coyote, of Hutchinson. continued
www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
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He said tribal ancestors had been giving him signs encouraging his involvement in the film. He said he didn’t know until the day shooting began that two of his cousins were also in the cast. “It’s been good, because it’s united family,” he said. “It’s opened up many, many doors.” The movie also brought together cousins who were descendants of the German sisters. Scott Dean, of Kirkland, Washington, the great-grandson of Julia German, was watching filming from a nearby staging area. He said when a cousin told him about the movie, he asked a lot of questions. “As a family member, I was a little concerned. Is this good? Is this honorable? Is it right?
This article information and photos by Erin Mathews originally appeared in Northwest Kansas Today Magazine, published by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. We wish to express appreciation for permission to have this appear in Focus Magazine! For more information about the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and its mission, visit their website: www.danehansenfoundation.org - Robert & Kerri
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Will something positive come out of it?” he said. “I was just blown away the more I learned about the project.” He and his wife, Cynthia, had been planning to retrace the German family’s steps in their recreational vehicle. But instead, they arrived in Logan County in time to observe the docudrama as it was being filmed. Actress Mary Beth McDonough, who plays Lydia German, put Dean in contact with a German family descendant she knew who invited him to a family reunion. “There’s so much good coming out of this already – the connections. And, to see the interest in the story,” Dean said… “Out of death, comes life.”
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The
GERMAN SISTERS By H. Allen Anderson https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/german-sisters The four German (Germain[e]) sisters, Indian Captives, were the daughters of John and Lydia (Cox) German, who in the 1850s established a farm near Morganton, Fannin County, Georgia. They were Catherine E. (b. March 21, 1857), Sophia L. (b. August 11, 1862), Julia Arminda (b. March 23, 1867), and Nancy Adelaide (Addie, b. April 26, 1869). During the Civil War German fought for the Confederacy and was taken prisoner. He returned in 1865 to find his farm devastated and decided to make a new life for his family, which grew to seven children. Encouraged by a letter from a friend, the family set out for Colorado on April 10, 1870. Eventually they made it to How-
Adelaide (Addie) German and Julia German (standing) Photo taken shortly after their rescue from Gray Beard.
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ell County, Missouri, where they stayed among relatives for over two years before moving on. In Elgin County, Kansas, German and his eighteen-year-old son, Stephen, plowed fields for pay on the Osage Indian Reservation for ten months before moving on. In August 1874 the family reached Ellis City, where they were advised to take the stage route up the Smoky Hill River to Fort Wallace, since water was more readily available that way. On September 10 the Germans camped on the trail a day’s journey from the fort. The next morning as they were breaking camp they were attacked by a war party of Cheyennes led by Chief Medicine Water. John and Lydia German, their son Stephen, and daughters Rebecca Jane and Joanna were killed and scalped. The Indians then took any goods they deemed usable and set the wagon afire. Captured and eventually taken into the Texas Panhandle were Catherine, age seventeen; Sophia, twelve; Julia, seven; and Addie, five. The Germans were victims of the Cheyennes’ retaliation for their losses at the second battle of Adobe Walls on June 27.
Catherine German FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
campment. So complete was the surprise that the Cheyennes abandoned the village and left most of their property intact. Riding through the deserted camp, William (Billy) Dixon and other army scouts noticed movement in a pile of buffalo hides; they were astonished to find Julia and Addie German, both emaciated and near starvation. Dixon later recalled how hardened scouts and soldiers turned aside to hide their emotions as the little girls sobbed out their story.
Sophia German After a scouting party from Fort Wallace came upon the scene of the massacre a few days later, the military campaigns against hostile Indians in the Panhandle were intensified. In the meantime, the German girls were subjected to exposure, malnutrition, and occasional maltreatment as their captors traveled southward. Catherine, in particular, recalled instances of gang rape by young “dog soldiers” and indignities at the hands of Cheyenne women, particularly Medicine Water’s obnoxious wife, Mochi (Buffalo Calf Woman). Eventually Julia and Addie were traded to Grey Beard’s band, who for the most part neglected them. Grey Beard steered his following down the east side of the Llano Estacado, while Medicine Water joined with other groups and moved down the west side, probably crossing at several points into eastern New Mexico. By November 1874 Grey Beard had set up camp north of McClellan Creek, about ten miles south of the site of present-day Pampa. On the morning of November 8, Lt. Frank D. Baldwin’s column charged the Indian en-
At the main supply camp on the Washita River Col. Nelson A. Miles placed Julia and Addie in the care of an army surgeon, who took them to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In January Miles and Col. Thomas H. Neill sent out friendly Kiowas as messengers to find the Cheyennes and induce them to surrender. The Kiowas located the camp of Stone Calf on a tributary of the Pecos River near the New Mexico border. When Stone Calf, who was
bringing his people back from exile in Mexico, was told that peace was dependent upon the safety of Catherine and Sophia German, he had them moved into a lodge next to his own. They were released in March, after Stone Calf, Grey Beard, Red Moon, and other chiefs brought in their bands to surrender at Brinton Darlington’s agency. The sisters pointed out to the officers the individuals who had murdered their family and those who had abused them, including Medicine Water and Mochi. These, along with others singled out for various crimes, were placed in irons and sent to Fort Marion, Florida, for incarceration. Catherine and Sophia were subsequently reunited with Julia and Addie at Fort Leavenworth, and Col. Miles was designated their guardian. Congress set aside $10,000 from Cheyenne annuities as an endowment for the girls’ support and education. On reaching the age of
Julia German Brooks (pointing with cane) with her unidentified traveling companion and Ivey E. Duncan (standing in the back) as they visited the site of Lt. Baldwin’s attack on Gray Beard. Taken during 1952 visit.
continued www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
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twenty-one, each sister received $2,500. Reared by Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Corney in Kansas, all four girls eventually married and settled in Kansas, Colorado, and California. In 1927 Grace E. Meredith, Catherine’s niece, published her aunt’s narrative of the German sisters’ captivity. The following year, Mrs. Adelaide German Andrews and Mrs. Sophie German Feldman stopped in Pampa while en route to visit their sisters, Mrs. Catherine German Swerdfeger and Mrs. Julia German Brooks in California. Timothy D. Hobart, with whom the sisters had corresponded, took them to the site of Lieutenant Baldwin’s attack on Grey Beard’s camp. Several dignitaries accompanied them, and the event was well covered by area newspapers. A Texas Centennial marker was placed near the site in 1936. In October 1952 Julia Brooks was guest of honor at Gray County’s fiftieth anniversary celebration in Pampa.
Top: Cheyenne Chief, Stone Calf and his wife. Below: Cheyenne Chief, Medicine Water and his wife Mochi (Buffalo Calf Woman)
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FREEDOM MUSEUM USA
The Volunteers - Part 1 - Andy Epps, Museum Director Freedom Museum USA was opened in 1994, and has only known two Directors. Mike Porter, the original curator/director of the museum, handled the day-to-day affairs of the museum until he retired in 2000. At that time, Andy Epps took the helm, and is currently assisted by Ron Howell. James A. “Andy” Epps graduated from Pampa High School in 1958, and promptly joined the US Air Force. After basic training, Epps was assigned to the 612th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron at Ajo Air Force Station, Ajo Arizona, where he met and married his wife, Kay. He was thereafter assigned to the 639th AC&W, Lowther, Ontario, Canada as a radar operator. These stations were part of a Cold War defense system which eventually grew into the present day NORAD operations. Completing his time in Canada, Epps was reassigned to the 683rd AC&W Squadron, Sweetwater Texas, then sent to Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Texas for honorable discharge. Upon discharge, Epps and his family moved to Amarillo and he began attending college at West Texas State University where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration. He was immediately recruited for a position as a hospital purchasing agent in Midland, Texas. It was there he made a connection with Larry Brett of Hospital Corporation of American, who would direct him in assuming the administration of a small, private hospital in Grand Prairie, Texas. From there, Epps was soon transferred to Plano, Texas to oversee the construction and administration of the new Plano General Hospital. Epps advanced into more management positions within HCA, and retired as Senior Vice-President of Quorum Health Resources.
Andy Epps, Museum Director, addressing an annual Panhandle Veterans Hall of Honor Banquet.
In 1999, Epps returned to Pampa to help with the care of his aging parents, Lewis and Evelyne Epps. They purchased a ranch in Roberts County where they continued to live until 2020 before moving to town. Since returning to Pampa, he has continued his lifestyle of community commitment through his service to Freedom Museum
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Epps explaining Vietnam diorama.
Epps TV broadcast regarding receipt of B53 Bomb Case from Pantex.
USA. Epps is also active in Pampa Masonic Lodge No. 966, where he has held many of the offices of that organization. He and Kay are members of First Baptist Church, and he is also a member of the Everyman’s Bible Study Class. When he’s not at the museum, one can find Andy Epps most mornings at the Hamburger Station with friends “solving the problems of the world”, or at the ranch visiting Thunder, his 20-year-old longhorn. Under the management of Epps, Freedom Museum USA has acquired the majority of the static displays currently on site. He has also donated many artifacts from his vast personal collections. The museum has risen in popularity under Epps’s direction, and is now a major museum in the Texas Panhandle. In the last three years, as a part of Window on a Wider World, more students have visited the museum than ever before. If you drop by Freedom Museum at 600 N. Hobart, be sure and tell Andy Epps and Ron Howell how much you appreciate their being a part of such a great facility. The Freedom Museum USA is open Monday through Friday, noon to 4:00 p.m. For more information, visit: www.freedommuseumusa.org, follow on facebook: pampafreedom
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FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
Epps delivering one of 3 additional HMMWV.
Epps and Joe Reed (Coyote Trucking) delivering first HMMWV to museum.
Epps watching R J Howell tell WOWW students about Howell’s time in Vietnam.
www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
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The Well Story By Brenda Scott Tucker
and Its Provision
STEAM and Literacy Center
When you hear the word “well”, used as a noun, what comes to mind? Maybe it is a water well to quench a thirst. Maybe it is a well in a bowl of flour made to receive another ingredient. Maybe it is an oil well, working to pump oil out of the ground. Or it might be a point or place at which something is invented or provided. Your perspective, life experiences, and thought processes help determine which definition comes to you. Your first thought and mine may not be the same, and that is all right. We are different. There is a well in Pampa... actually, called The Well STEAM & Literacy Center. It is not a water well or an oil well, nor is it in a bowl. It is a place. It inhabited space at Las Pampas since 2016, providing tutoring services, weekend STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) opportunities, and various summer camps. It has a new home at 213 N. Cuyler. What exactly is this “well”? And how did it begin? Let me tell you. Paul Rayburn and his wife, Mary Grace (Fields) moved to Pampa about ten years ago from Frisco, where he was a teacher at Fowler Middle School. He holds a master’s degree in education administration. In Pampa, he taught math at Pampa Middle School for two years. He is former Associate Pastor of Redeemer Church. In October of 2015, Paul was asked to help a church member’s student with some tutoring, so they met for sessions at The Coffee Shop. Word traveled. He soon had another student, and another. Inside of three months, he found himself tutoring ten students. That soon became twenty. That quick growth opened his eyes to the need for help for students in various areas of study. It became evident that although his tutoring was making a difference in the academic lives of his students, it was taking much of his time. That is when The Well began. It began with these questions in mind: Can we help bridge the gap between the “new math” and local families? Can we inspire students to not just “get by” in school, but excel? Can we provide a fun and encouraging environment for students gifted in STEM subjects to creatively pursue their interests? If you ask anyone who participates a The Well, the answers are “yes” to all.
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FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
Now, five years later, there are 160 students who come to The Well in a week’s time.
made classrooms, and are preparing for the coming summer camps.
Math is being taught in a new way, causing tutoring to grow. One of the unforeseen effects of not using textbooks is that at home, parents no longer have access to explanations of math systems or examples of problems. There is no “map” that allows parents to help their student if he needs help in understanding a math concept. There is the Internet for information but finding the right thing takes longer than flipping a few pages in a textbook. It is a frustration for students and parents alike. This is one area where The Well is helping students to navigate a subject that requires a good foundation to move forward.
Initially, The Well met only on Saturdays and after school. With the facilities to provide Home-school support classes in math and science, they now have classes during the week, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Support classes for Math for grades 8-12 is offered in Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus. In addition to math, science help is available for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Anatomy/Physiology. There is a weekly Home-school Science class, where they can provide support in instruction, lab work, experiments. While they do not grade students at The Well, they offer instruction and assignments. Home-school students in area towns can participate via Zoom while the class is being taught in-house. The only requirement for these virtual students is that they must participate in person at least once a week. Relationships are considered just as important as the learning process. In establishing relationships, tutors can determine how students think and learn, providing insight into the best teaching methods. The Well closes by 6:15 p.m. except for Tuesday, when they stay later. Robotics and Books Clubs meet two Saturdays a month, and Sunday afternoons are available as well.
The Well is for students Kindergarten through 12th grade and beyond. It offers support for home-schooled students, private school students, and public-school students. Adults come in when they need help retooling for a new career, especially if testing is involved in the hiring process or they are looking at getting their GED. There are summer camps for Robotics, Pneumatics, Computer Coding, specialized classes for ACT/ SAT Prep, Book Clubs for students of all ages, and Art classes, besides tutoring. In 2019, they worked with Brittany Martin to bring on Open Books Literacy Center a few doors down at Las Pampas. Shawn Taylor has joined to provide Art instruction. Look for the new sign on the old Pampa Office Supply building at 213 N. Cuyler. The Well was able to purchase the 14,000 square foot facility to accommodate their growing clientele. Remodeling continues. They have added bathrooms,
www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
A new addition to the curriculum is IEW – Institute for Excellence in Writing. With new emphasis on Art and Literacy, and the joining of The Well and Open Books, The Well STEM Center changed its name to The Well STEAM and Literacy Center, adding the “A” for Arts. Open Books Literacy and The Well came together with
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the move downtown, thus the addition of Literacy in the name. Currently, The Well staff consists of Paul Rayburn, Jesse Lee, Paul Cuellar, Shawn Taylor, Brittany Martin, Eden Fowler, Darla White, Stephanie Malone, Karmen Buck, Mandy Lewis, Krista Clark, Raine Reyes, Andrew Smith, Cindy Clark, Leigh Chisum and Emma Chisum. Each one has a specialty. During summer, camps are held. In 2021, there were Book Clubs, Chess for Beginners, Art Fundamentals, Computer Programming, Engineers in Training, Robotics, Electricity, Chemistry, and even, Rocket Science! A total of 45 groups met to learn a variety of subjects. For Summer 2022, there will be new and improved versions of these subjects... and much more. The goal is to give students a better experience with each camp, incorporating better equipment, having more informed teachers, and providing more space. For information on upcoming camps, check out their website at http://Thewellpampa.org or call 806-4861971.
student is best served by going to college. Success is in finding the right niche, be it college or a trade. Learning about your skill set is key to getting on the right path for future success. When asked where The Well actually got its name, Paul replied, “I wanted an icon that both resonated with our community and embodied STEM achievement, hence the pump jack. An oil well also requires a great deal of hard work and grit before it produces a reward. Anything else worth doing is the same, including one’s education.”
Following COVID and the subsequent shift to virtual learning, there may be some gaps in a student’s education experience. The Well helps instill confidence through the mastery of an area where a student feels insecure. This winter, in conjunction with Lighting of the Bricks and Christmas on the Bricks, The Well offered hourlong cooking classes. While parents enjoyed a meal together, or shopped the downtown stores during Lighting of the Bricks, their kids mixed their own frosting and decorated pre-baked cupcakes. At Christmas on the Bricks, participants made quesadillas. They left knowing how to make a new snack at home! Cooking classes are offered on Tuesday evenings and Friday afternoons. Check out their Facebook page or website for more details. Paul shared that they have received financial support from grants from Xcel Energy, G2X (ProMan), and Gray-Pampa Foundation. In fact, Terry Price from Xcel reached out to him when she heard that they were a STEM provider, and suggested he apply for the grant to support the summer programs. They have received that particular grant for four consecutive summers. Likewise, they have received the G2X/ProMan grant twice. In addition to grants, local individuals have made donations that have been used to purchase equipment and provide renovations. Occupying a 100year old building has its own challenges... and surprises occur. Those funds help when repairs are needed. The Well is extremely appreciative of these donations which allow them to keep their tuition low and provide necessary equipment. Recently, grants were awarded from Pampa Education Foundation and Sparklight. The educators at The Well care about students. A benefit of the well is the individual attention that is available, something not easily afforded classroom teachers. The Well provides learning opportunities to not only support students’ learning processes, but to encourage students to find their own path. Not every 48
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_
In THOSE
_
Oklahoma Hills
M
ost of my stories about Woody start when he arrived in Pampa at the age of 17. So, what about before that? Folks know Guthrie was born in Oklahoma so that would be the obvious place to start. ‘Town On a Hill’ By
Michael Sinks
Oklahoma Hills
Many a month has come and gone Since I wandered from my home In those Oklahoma hills where I was born. Many a page of life has turned, Many a lesson I have learned; Well, I feel like in those hills I still belong. –Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
Okemah was named for a Kickapoo Chief who lived in the area. His name translated loosely as ‘person up high’ and folks always said the name meant ‘Town on A Hill’. Close enough. Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma on July 14th, 1912, Oklahoma had only been a state for 5 years. He was the third child of Nora and Charlie Guthrie, named in honor of the Democratic Presidential candidate of the time, which gives you some idea of Charlie’s political leanings. He loved to talk politics and read the law and taught penmanship. Coming from Texas cotton country, Charlie had been a guitar and banjo picker in various cowboy bands before his marriage to Nora Belle Tanner. Well known for fist-fights with politicians and land sharks on the muddy streets of Okemah, Charlie was a popular citizen about town. And though he had “hung up his deviled strings” as Woody put it, he never gave up singing. “He was always out talking, dancing, drinking, and trading with the Indians. ….. Taught me to count in Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, Sioux, Osage, or the Seminole dialect. He was Clerk of the County Court and our house was full of the smells of big leather law books and poems of pomp and high dignity that he memorized and performed for us with the same wild pioneer outdoor chant as he sang his Negro and Indian square dances and Blueses.” Nora certainly hailed from pioneer stock as her mother, Mary had been one of the first log cabin school teachers in Okfuskee County. She grew up on a farm a few miles outside of Okemah and learned to chord the old Irish and Scots ballads on the piano her parents had given her. Eventually, they would have one of the first phonographs in the county and Woody wrote, “The first notes of so-called civilized music echoed 51
in the holler trees along Buckeye Creek and in the leaves of the sumac and the green June corn….”. Music was a huge part of Woody’s young life, his folks would sing as they planted crops, fed the cows, or scrubbed the floors. These songs they told were born in other lands and sprouted up in rodeos, around campfires, churches, and even prisons. Work songs, ballads, gospel tunes, and cowboy verses. These would be fodder for Woody in the years to come. Woody said his mother’s bedtime lullabies were like a “nice ripe and juicy strawberry”. To Woody there was music everywhere, “There never was a sound that was not music – the splash of an alligator … the whistle of a train … a truck horn blowing … kids squawling along the streets.” The Guthrie family was doing pretty well when Woody came along. Brother Roy would’ve been about six and Clara twelve years old. Charlie was in real estate and had about thirty farms. They raised prize cattle, bulls, and hogs. He was very active in politics and had written two books on anti-socialism in his younger years. He often had the children with him riding in a hay wagon, campaigning, singing songs, and making speeches. They lived in a bright yellow house in a nice part of town filled with beautiful things that Nora had collected over the years. The first in a series of tragic events was about to change the Guthrie family’s fortunes
forever and fire was to curse Woody and his family time and time again. Woody was only two when the family’s lovely yellow home went up in flames.
Cyclone
Charlie went right out and purchased an old home built into the side of a rocky hill. Everyone called it the London house after the family that had lived there previously. Quite a step down from their previous style of living, no one in the family could ever really accept the London house as home. The downstairs walls were cold and clammy and it just never felt like home to anyone except Woody. There was a high porch that went along the top story where you look out over all of Okemah. He could watch the cotton wagons and the trains and his friends would come to visit. All in all, not too bad a place for a boy. For Nora it was unbearable, she became despondent, irrational, and even violent at times. No longer did she entertain guests or visit with friends. They did not remain in the London house for long, though it is often mentioned in Woody’s childhood stories. One hot still day Woody was surprised by a cool gust of wind as he was walking with his father. The next thing he knew he was being whisked away to the underground shelter on Charlie’s shoulders. Nora and his grandma had quickly joined them with a raincoat for his dad. Dark clouds and dust were swirling on the ground and barn doors were banging and tin roofs were breaking loose. Driving wind and pelting rain pushed them onward and suddenly the cow barn was lifted fifty feet in the air. They fell forward into the cellar door opening, crying, “let us in, let
Nora Belle, Roy, Charley Edward (standing), Clara (seated), in times of prosperity, ca. 1907-08
us in,” Charlie banging his fists on the door. As it creaked open, they squeezed through and joined fifteen others in the shadows of the lantern light below. Woody remembered climbing into his mother’s lap and being sung to sleep. It was just a while when a voice called out, “The worst is over!” They came up from the cellar to see the black snakey tail of the cyclone moving away leaving its awful trail of destruction behind. Roy and Clara were there to greet them, they had been in school when the twister hit. There was much crying and hugging and kissing from the people around finding their loved ones safe and heading out to survey the damage.
The London House, Woody watched the trains from the upstairs porch.
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The Guthrie family climbed to the top of the hill and looked around. Charlie said quietly,” There, that’s all that’s left.” The London House was totally destroyed. They ran down to see broken dishes, busted furniture, broken down rock walls, mud and water everywhere. They all looked at each other and busted out laughing. That is, everybody but Charlie.
Boomtown
As it is with these things, life moved on. Nora was glad the London house was gone; Okemah came into a new era of construction and Charlie started making money again. George was born into the family and not too long after came Mary Jo Guthrie. By now they were able to move into a much nicer house on Ninth Street. For a while all was well. The prospect of oil came to Okfuskee County. It was rumored the whole area sat upon an ocean of the black stuff. Then sure enough one day a man came running by, heading to the land office yelling, “Oil, she’s blowed her top.” A beautiful sight and riches to come for a lucky few. A dreadful blow to the green grasses and the clear water. Wild grape vines withered away along with the trees that had grown along the Buckeye Creek. Fish died by the thousands and the air was foul with oil fumes, but it brought few complaints and lots of newcomers looking for the quick money that was sure to come. And lots of those looking to snatch it away from unsuspecting rubes. There were many ways to make a dollar in an oil boom. Woody later would write in his autobiography, Bound for Glory: “Okemah became one of the singingest, square dancingest, drinkingest, yellingest, preachingest, fightingest, walkingest, talkingest, laughingest, cryingest, shoutingest, fist fightingest, bleedingest, gamblingest, gun, club, and razor carryingest of our ranch and farm towns. The first people to hit town was the rig builders, cement men, carpenters, teamskinners, wild tribes of horse traders and gypsy wagons…crooked gamblers, pimps, whores, dope fiends, peddlers, stray musicians and street singers, preachers cussing about love and begging for tips…Indians… with their kids underfoot…Thousands of folks come to work…celebrate, pray, sing, talk, argue, and fight with the old settlers.” It was during this time that Woody and his friends carried on at The Gang House, built on the side of Graveyard Hill. Taking after his dad’s political notions they had their own government complete with laws, courts, judges, and sheriffs. They even had their own money system based on paper backed by valuable junk gathered from the work sites. The toughwww.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
est kids sold newspapers on the corners and the competition was fierce. Woody had his connections with all the landlords and could sell his papers inside every gambling joint, girly place, slot machine place, café, and pool hall in town. He had the added benefit of using his newfound skill on the harmonica to earn some extra pennies in these places. As he was listening to the shoeshine fellow play the harmonica one day he remarked, “That is the most lonesomest piece of music that I ever run onto in my life, where in the world did you learn it?” He said, ”Oh, I just lie here and listen to the railroad whistle. Whatever it says, I say too.” As Woody recalled later, “Every day he would play me the same piece over and over and over. He just improvised as he went along and never did play the same piece no two days alike because he is just playing something that was in his head and never wrote down.” {On a side note, you can hear Woody’s version on ‘Hard Travelin: The Asch Recordings Vol. 3. It’s a great recording. I heard a radio interview with Matt Jennings, from Pampa, Woody’s brother-in-law, friend, and bandmate while he lived in Pampa. Matt said something to the effect that he couldn’t figure out for a long time how Woody got such a different sound out of his mouth harp than other people and one day he noticed that Woody played it upside down, so all the notes were backward.}
With all the new people in town there was a lot of extra work for law enforcement and Charlie got on with the Sheriff’s Department. This gave Woody good reason to hang around the jail. One of the things he saw was the men bringing in the bootleg stills they had raided. They would display them in the center of town where church members would chop them full of holes with axes and leave them for a week or so to prove the Sheriff was doing his job. In time they were auctioned off and eventually wound up in the same whiskey makers hands back in full production. Besides selling newspapers Woody mentioned working on an ice truck that made all the boom towns that flared up and died down like Slick City, Bowlegs, Sand Springs, Springhill, Garrison City, and later, Oklahoma City.
FIRE! FIRE!
It was May 1919 and Woody would have been six years old. Another tragedy was to strike the Guthrie family. Nora had not really been herself ever since her beloved yellow house had burned down. She had begun to quarrel with Charlie about his time down at Parsons’ Drugstore where he would hold court each morning talking politics. She was often at odds with the children and had a hard time keeping up with the housework. The move into the new house and the addition of George and Mary Jo
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had brought much joy into the home but it was often overwhelming for Nora. Clara was of an age to be of much help to her mother and one day she was asked to stay home from school to help with the chores. Clara had argued because she had a final examination that was required for graduation. Nora had sent Roy off to school that morning and Woody out to gather eggs. It was several hours later that Clara filled the old kerosene stove with coal oil and cleaned it like she had so many times before. For a while, it refused to burn. She opened the stove door to look in. As the fresh air hit the chamber full of thick, greasy smoke, fire burst out and she was enveloped in flames! Screaming, she ran through the house out into the yard and around the house several times before she finally rolled in the tall grass to smother the fire. A neighbor came to help put out the flames but it was too late to do much. He carried her into the house and laid her on the bed. It was about three in the afternoon when Woody heard the fire whistle. He said it had always made him feel funny wondering where the fire had struck this time, whose new house it was turning into ashes. About an hour later a car rolled up with his brother Roy inside, he said,” ….it’s Clara, she’s burnt awful bad, might not live, …..doctor said come……said for everybody to get ready……”
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May 16, 1926, in Okemah, Oklahoma: Woody (Left), Charlie (right), George (Seated)
They got home and a big crowd had gathered, the fire wagon had come and put out what fire there was, not much. Everybody was sitting around and crying and trying to console each other. Saying nice things about her. “She cleaned my house better than I could have.” “Smart in her books too.” “She made my little boy a shirt” “She caught the measles by going to bed with my daughter” Her teacher was trying to cheer Nora up telling her how Clara had led the class. Later, when she was with Clara in her bedroom, she assured her she would pass her exam. Woody passed his Papa in the front room with his head in his hands, once in a while, he would say, ”poor little Clara.”
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From his autobiography Woody recounts this back and forth exchange with Clara: I went in and looked over where Clara was on the bed. She was the happiest one in the bunch, she called me over to her bed and said, “Hello there,
old Mister Woodly.” She always called me that when she wanted to make me smile. I said,” Hello.” “Everybody’s cryin’, Papa’s in with his head down crying…” Woody “Uhh huhh.” “Mama’s in the dining room, crying her eyes out.” “I know.” “Old Roy even cried, and he’s just a big old tough boy.” “I seen‘em.” “Woodly, don’t you cry. Promise me that you won’t ever cry. It don’t help, it just makes everybody feel bad, Woodly…” “I ain’t a-cryin’.” “Don’t do it- don’t do it. I’m not bad off, Woodly: I’m gonna be up playing some more in a day or two: just burnt a little, and they don’t like for everybody to go around crying about it. I’ll feel good, Woodly, if you just promise that you won’t cry.” “I ain’t a-cryin’, Sis.” And I wasn’t. And I didn’t. (There were different accounts of Clara’s accident in which Clara set herself on fire to frighten her mother and punish her for keeping her home from school that day. Nora had been so afraid of fire since her home had
burned down and neighbors gossiped because of Nora’s deteriorating mental condition. Still, others claimed Nora had lit Clara on fire. These were written in different books on Woody’s life so I have included all of them here, though I choose to believe it was an accident. One can only imagine the effect these stories had on the family and, especially, Woody.)
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His sister died the next day, she was fourteen years old. It brought the family closer for a time as they sought comfort in each other but it was soon apparent to everyone that Nora was desperately ill. You’ll have to wait until the next issue of Focus to find out how the Guthrie family finds its way to Pampa. I’ll tell you this much, they don’t come together. If you want to stop by The Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center at 320 S. Cuyler in Pampa, Texas, I have the books ‘Woody Guthrie: A Life’ by Joe Klein, that is the book that Thelma Bray of Pampa read that prompted her to start our tribute to Woody. I have ‘Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie’, by Ed Cray as well as ‘Bound for Glory’, by Woody Guthrie. These books are for sale here and online at www.woodyguthrie. org the official site for all things Woody. I also used ‘Ain’t Nobody That Can Sing Like Me’, by Anne E Neimark for source material. I use all these books and any other magazines, stories and interviews I have come across over the years for material. They don’t always agree with each other so that is part of the fun. Come and see us at the Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center on Friday evenings for jam sessions starting at 6:00 pm and lasting till about 8:30. We are located at 320 S. Cuyler, Pampa, Texas. www.woodyguthriepampatx. com, 806-664-0824
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Remembering the stories... of those who served! by Tonya Lewis
W
hen I was growing up, Memorial Day always meant decorating the graves of all our departed loved ones, not just the military. Quiet lonely cemeteries with the wind always blowing over the graves in old places. The damp smell of the Oklahoma red earth and dry grasses of the Texas Plains haunt my memory. The melancholy and importance of Memorial Day hung heavy. At each graveyard, others carried flowers, wreaths, and flags to celebrate lives and remember their sacrifices.
Flags at Palo Duro Canyon
The Heritage and Cultural Center of the Texas Plains recognizes the importance of each person’s story and would like to encourage everyone to reach out to our veterans this Memorial Day and listen to their stories. Contact us at txplainshc@gmail.com for more information. We would love to document your story. Tonya Lewis serves as the HCCTP Secretary/ Treasurer.
It was in the 80s and I had attended a ceremony in Pampa’s Central Park. Returning to my car, I was by myself and feeling the weight of the day. Growing up, we always had a Memorial Day Poppy usually given to us by a veteran for a small donation to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. They were noble men with a sadness about them. I knew they had memories of times and places they wanted to protect us from. Now, I was an adult holding those memories.
dress uniform. Everything about him was dignified and polished from his cap, to his medals, to his shined shoes. I nodded and smiled. He smiled and touched the brim of his hat lightly. Then he held out to me one red poppy - the little poppy from my childhood memories, on a green wire stem with a white paper ribbon. I thanked him and reached inside my purse, but he held up strong wrinkled hand palm out and shook his head and smiled. His light blue eyes had a twinkle. I looked down at the flower in my hand and read the ribbon. “Remembrance.” I looked up to say something. He was gone. Still, I remember.
I stopped, mid-step, because right in front of me was an ancient World War I veteran in brown wool full
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ADVERTISER INDEX A A & T Yard Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 A Cut Above . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Anthony's Floor Care . . . . . . . . . .59
I Insurica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 ITECK Managed Services . . . . . 49 Itzi Bitzi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
B B & B Pharmacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 B & G Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 B & G Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 B & G Power Equipment . . . . . . . . 5 B & K Auto Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Bartlett’s Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Best Western . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Bill Allison Auto Sales . . . . . . . . . . 9 Bob Douthit Motors . . . . . . . . . . .54 Brandon's Flowers & Gifts . . . . . 21 Brown, Graham & Company. . . . 52
J J & M Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
C Cabot Community Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Carbucks Second Chance . . . . .57 Carmichael-Whatley Funeral & Crematory . . . . . . . . . 3 CASA of the High Plains . . . . . . . 21 Charla Shults Pics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Chief Plastic Pipe & Supply . . . .29 Clarendon College . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Clements Cleaners . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Coney Island Cafe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Crawford Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Culligan Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 D Dance Academy of Pampa . . . . 55 DeFever Monument Co. . . . . . . .58 Delete Dents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Doug Boyd Motor Co. . . . . . . . . .57 E Edward Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 F Fairview Cemetery . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Finley’s Fountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Finley's Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 First Baptist Church . . . . . . . . . . .24 Freedom Museum USA . . . . . . . .24 G Garden Owl, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Gray County Title Co., Inc. . . . . . 14 Great Plains Abstract & Title Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
L LaQuinta Inn & Suites . . . . . . . . . 53 O One Stop Remodeling . . . . . . . . . . 2 P PamCel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Pampa Chamber of Commerce. 25 Pampa EDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Pampa Home & Sleep Store . . . 55 Pampa Print Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Pampa Tire & Glass . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Parsley's Sheet Metal. . . . . . . . . .29 Prime Cuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 R Red River Steakhouse . . . . . . . . .29 Mike Ruff, CFP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 S Sallie Lee & Sena's . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Sheila Webb State Farm Ins. . . .50 Southwest Collision . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Sparrow's Nest, The . . . . . . . . . . . 35 T Texas Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Thurmond-McGlothlin . . . . . . . . 41 Tipsy Gypsy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 U Underwood Law Firm, P.C. . . . . 21 Utility Tire & Auto Repair . . . . . . 33 W W & W Fiberglass . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Wayne’s Western Wear. . . . . . . . 23 White Deer Land Museum . . . .28 Winks U-Haul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Wiskey Grills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 X Xtra Auto Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
H Hall Heating & Air . . . . Back Cover Hampton Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Happy State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 High Performance Exteriors . . .36
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OUTLET LOCATIONS “Find Focus Magazine FREE at these locations!” United Supermarket Plaza Mexican Restaurant Finley’s Fountain White Deer Land Museum Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center Pampa Area Chamber of Commerce B & B Pharmacy Brandon’s Flowers Clements Cleaners Coney Island Cafe The Sparrow’s Nest Hampton Inn • Best Western Prime Cuts A Cut Above Bartlett’s Lumber Wiskey Grills Wayne’s Western Wear Tipsy Gypsy in White Deer Red River Steak House in McClain La Quinta Inn & Suites FOCUS Magazine | Spring 2022
A TE S ES TI M FR EE
Anthony's Floor Care
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106 West 10th Borger, Texas 806-273-2467
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www.gofocusmag.com | Spring 2022
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