It was the first time graduates were limited on the number of guests they could invite. It was the last night the class of 2020 would gather officially as a class.
It was the first time the graduates had to be spaced six feet apart. It was the last time they would congregate in front of Mr. Simmons and Mr. Lunn.
It was the first time diplomas were not handed out by the administration. It was the last time many of them will ever hear their names announced over the PA system at the Waurika Football Field.
It was the first time a graduation had been held so late in the year because of a world-wide pandemic. It was the last time the class of 2020 will be honored as a group.
With all the firsts and lasts, it will possibly the most memorable graduation in Waurika’s history.
Editor’s Note: A complete story and pictures of the Waurika and Ryan graduations will be in the July 2 Special Graduation Edition.
As rain fell gently on those gathered at Veterans Park in Waurika this past Monday, former Waurika School Supt. Roxie Terry delivered a moving speech honoring the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Waurika Supt. Cody Simmons
Terry recalled a time when he was a boy attending a Memorial Day ceremony and hearing a veteran talk about how members of his family had died in service to the nation.
“I heard the speaker say, ‘My granddad is buried over there, my dad and brother are buried just down from his grave. They all died in combat, all in different wars.’”
Sheriff Jeremie Wilson offers the invocation
From then on when he would hear the statistics of those who had died in combat were more than just a number. They were a member of someone’s family.
“I guess that was the first time that I realized that the term “Killed in Action” didn’t just mean a number that Walter Cronkite talked about on the evening news.”
He went on to say, “Every person that becomes a soldier takes an oath and when they sign those enlistment papers they are signing a blank check payable to their country in the amount up to and including death. They do this to stand up for our country, our freedom, our way of life. Many, many people have made the ultimate sacrifice for us and that is why we meet here today. To honor them, to thank them, to memorialize them and their families.”
Mallory and Chloe Adkins
Current Waurika School Supt. Cody Simmons conducted the ceremony.
He also recognized the veterans who had passed on during the previous year.
Fittingly, a tribute to Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins was read by Jennifer Aldridge and Tim Adkins, both relatives.
Jennifer Aldridge and Tim Adkins read the biography of Bennie Adkins.
The Waurika native received a Medal of Honor for his service and there is a statue of Adkins in Veterans Park.
The solemn service honored our heroes and their families.
Waurika Boy ScoutsWaurika Band Director Everett Hodges performed taps at the ceremony. Several turned out for the memorial service despite the rainy weather.
Unfortunately, due to safety concerns this year, the Waurika Public Library’s Summer Reading Program has been canceled. The Summer Reading Program is something we look forward to every year and we hope to see everyone again next year when our theme will be “Tails and Tales”.
‘Project Kid’ by Amanda Kingloff is available as an an ebook from the Waurika Public Library’s virtual library on Overdrive.
Perfect for crafty parents who are eager to get their kids excited about DIY, ProjectKid is everything you could want in a craft book: 100(!) stylish, inventive projects; step-by-step photographs; tips for the novice crafter; easy-to-follow instructions; and a fresh, modern look. What really sets these projects apart are the unexpected, ingenious ways Kingloff uses everyday objects and materials. (Did you ever think a body-wash bottle would make a perfect rocket ship?) And these are projects for things kids want to make—and keep—from a juice-box owl to a pirate ship to a curio cabinet for displaying all of their treasures, plus games, jewelry, and more. Also included in the book are basic crafting lessons (such as pom-pom making and weaving) to help children of all ages build a DIY arsenal, a handy guide to must-have tools and materials, and a source directory.
You can check out Ebooks and audiobooks online through the Overdrive app available from your phone or tablet’s appstore. Your local library has thousands of ebooks and audiobooks you can check out online. You can borrow them, instantly, for free, using just the device in your hand. You’ll need your library patron card number and the free Overdrive app from the app store on your tablet or phone. Once you open the Overdrive app, find the Waurika Public Library and use your card number to sign in and then search, sample, borrow, enjoy. If you need your card number, call us at 580-228-3274 and we’ll provide it to you.
It takes just a few taps to find and borrow a book. Overdrive has a built-in ebook reader, and an audiobook player. You can also use your Kindle app or send books to a Kindle device for reading.
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. Just go to ‘smile.amazon.com’ and select Friends of the Waurika Public Library.
For information about events, activities and more, visit our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaurikaPublicLibrary/
What is a stroke? When blood flow to the brain is blocked, or a blood vessel in the brain ruptures that is known as a stroke. Anyone can have a stroke at any age.
Risk factors which can be changed, treated, or medically managed include:
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Tobacco Use
• Birth Control pills
• Lack of exercise
• Obesity
Risk factors that can’t be changed:
• Older age
• Race
• Gender
• History of prior stroke
• Heredity or genetics
If you have one or more of the above factors, take proactive steps and visit your primary care provider to discuss what you can do to lower your risk for stroke.
It is important to know the signs of a stroke and get help quickly. Stroke symptoms may happen suddenly and each person’s symptoms may vary. These symptoms may include:
• Weakness of the face, arm, leg, usually on one side of the body
• Trouble speaking or understanding
• Vision problems
• Loss of consciousness
• Severe headaches with no known cause
• Sudden nausea
You need to seek immediate medical attention if you notice any symptoms of stroke even if they disappear. Think “FAST” and do the following:
F: Face drooping. Ask the person to smile – is one side drooping?
A: Arm weakness. Ask the person to raise both arms – does one arm drift down?
S: Speech difficulty. Is the person’s speech slurred – do they have trouble saying a sentence?
T: Time to Call 911. If the person exhibits any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately
OKLAHOMA CITY, May 21 – The 93rd class of Oklahomans has been selected for induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
These accomplished Oklahomans will join the 706 current Members of the prestigious hall.
The 2020 Oklahoma Hall of Fame Honorees are: Calvin J. Anthony, Stillwater; Gary Batton, Clayton; Martha Burger, Oklahoma City; Charles Dennis “Denny” Cresap, Afton; Terry Stuart Forst, Waurika; Stephen M. Prescott, M.D., Oklahoma City; Francis Rooney, Tulsa; and John W. Smith, Del City. The 2020 Class will be formally inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 12th at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Norman Hotel and Conference Center, Norman, Oklahoma.
The Honorees were presented via Facebook video, with Oklahoma Hall of Fame Members Bart Conner and Bob Burke serving as hosts. The announcement can be seen on the Oklahoma Hall of Fame website, oklahomahof.com, YouTube channel and Facebook page.
TERRY STUART FORST, WAURIKA A fifth-generation Oklahoman, Terry Stuart Forst was born in Oklahoma City. She became general manager of The Stuart Ranch, the family ranch she grew up on near Caddo, in 2001. Through innovative planning and hard work Forst and her family have built an award winning equine program, cattle operation, and outfitting division. The Stuart Ranch is the oldest ranch in the state under continuous family ownership and encompasses over 40,000 acres in southeastern and southwestern Oklahoma. Forst served as the first woman president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and as a member of the American Quarter Horse Association Ranching Council. She was honored with the Master Breeder Award by Oklahoma State University, named “Top 50 Women Making a Difference” by The Journal Record, was the first female to receive the Oklahoma Cattlemen of the Year Award and inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.
Forst, her two sons, and their families live and work on the ranch in Waurika.
“We proudly continue our mission in honoring Oklahoma’s best and brightest with our state’s highest honor” said Shannon L. Rich, president and CEO of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and Gaylord-Pickens Museum. “Since the first induction ceremony in 1928 the Oklahoma Hall of Fame has celebrated the inspiring stories of our native sons and daughters who committed their lives to overcome challenges for the betterment of Oklahoma, our nation and the world. The outstanding class of 2020 is no exception and we look forward to sharing their unique stories that bring an overwhelming sense of pride to communities throughout our great state”.
The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 with the purpose of honoring Oklahomans in their lifetime with the state’s highest honor and educating Oklahoma’s youth on our rich history. The Gaylord- Pickens Museum, home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, opened in 2007 with the intent of giving the public access to the stories of these and other inspirational Oklahomans.
Along with being honored at the formal induction ceremony, the 2020 Honorees will be recognized in November with the unveiling of their portraits at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and Gaylord-Pickens Museum. In addition, their biographies, photos and videos will be accessible through interactive exhibits in the Museum.
For more information about the Oklahoma Hall of Fame Banquet & Induction Ceremony or making a nomination to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, contact Brenda Schwartz, Director of Honoree Relations, at 405.523.3209 or bbs@oklahomahof.com. Tickets and table sponsorships for the event will go on sale to the public September 1. For more information about the Oklahoma Hall of Fame or Gaylord-Pickens Museum, call 405.235.4458 or visit OklahomaHoF.com.
At times we as a nation seem to be growing farther and farther apart, the political lines running between the extreme left and the extreme right don’t leave much room for those of us in the middle. In this time of social distancing, we are seeing more and more of the silent majority coming to the front. While the more politically minded continue to argue about who is at fault, we see regular folks step up and offer a hand. Not just to family and friends but in many instances to strangers. During World War II, many companies retro-fitted production lines to manufacture the machines of war that were needed. Today we see whiskey distilleries stop making the spirits that made Kentucky famous and started making hand sanitizer that medical personnel needed so badly, multiple sewing factories changed over and started making masks and gowns that were needed.
Using Go Fund Me pages and the internet, young people that are sometimes so easily dismissed by us old folks are raising money to buy food and supplies for anyone that need these items. One little girl started a Go Fund Me page to purchase medical supplies, she donated her own savings to the cause and was able to raise several thousand dollars.
Other young people were each helping their grandparents by running errands like grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions and getting the mail. Some of them noticed that there were some shut-ins that did not have family close enough to be of much help, so these kids banded together to take care of the elderly in their areas. Not only did they supply for the physical comforts, they were in some cases the only contact some of these folks had with the outside world, even if it was from a distance.
I have written before about the wonderful job that the school systems are doing, handing out food and when needed they give tutoring, on line and in person again from a distance. Another teacher story came out of Woodward, Oklahoma. A little girl named Erin was going to turn 14 years old with only her parents and older brother in attendance. In the big picture, it’s probably not that big of a deal but Erin’s day was made a little brighter by the sudden appearance of her English teacher at the end of the family driveway. The teacher, Sonya Bell Covalt, got out of her car and in a voice loud enough to be heard on the porch, sang Happy Birthday to Erin.
The unity and generosity that President Bush spoke of can be seen daily if we choose to look.
I started with one President Bush and I will end with the other. President George W. Bush released a video this last week in which he spoke about the things that should bring us together. “Let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat. In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants. We are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together and we are determined to rise.” Mr. President, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
While sorting through dusty old file folders at city hall, Catrina Watters stumbled upon a thick yellow file folder containing the remnants of the history of the Montandon Pavilion now located at Harmon Park.
The information was passed on to the Waurika News Journal. The result was an article detailing the progression of the Pavilion and a short history of the Montandon family and their ties to Waurika printed in the May 7, 2020 edition.
The information Watters found piqued her curiosity leading her to reach out to Pat Montandon, the daughter of the ministers for whom the Pavilion was named.
Their conversations were tentative at first. Watters just wanted to learn more about the family and let Pat know the city was refurbishing the pavilion.
Evidently, this news struck a sentimental chord in the heart of the San Francisco journalist and former television host.
After several more conversations, Pat offered to make a donation to the pavilion project and promised to send Watters two of the books she had written.
True to her word, the books and the donation arrived this past week.
Thanks to Pat’s $1000.00 donation construction on the pavilion can now continue.
One of the books she sent to Watters is titled, Peeing on Hot Coals, A Memior.
In it she covers much of her childhood and recounts memories of Waurika.
Memories of Waurika are also revealed in two of her other books.
Pat Montandon in Napa Valley, 1981. Source: WikiCommons
Former Irving resident, Jon Harris had the opportunity to visit with Pat at a reading she gave of one of her books in San Francisco (Jon’s current place of residence). He informed her he was about to catch a plane so he could visit Waurika and she asked if she could tag along.
Local resident Sharon Garvin remembers watching Pat on television while Garvin was living in San Francisco years ago.
Pat is now 91 years old and enjoying her retirement in Los Angeles, California.
A letter dated January 2, 1980 from Glendora Montandon Hill to a Mrs. Davis contained an inquiriry into the possibility of a memorial in Waurika for the Rev. Charles Clay Montandon and his wife Myrtle who had once pastored the Nazarene church in Waurika and then later returned with plans to live out the rest of their days in this comunity they enjoyed.
Unfortunately, Charles came down with Bright’s disease and heart trouble and passed away on December 31, 1941.
His wife, Myrtle, continued to raise their children here.
Charles Clay Montandon was born in McMinnyville, Tennessee.
Myrtle Taylor was raised in Texas.
According to a paper supposedly drafted by the family found in files at Waurika City Hall, the couple didn’t meet until after Charles had been ordained as a minister in the Congregational Methodist Church.
They were married at her parent’s home at Gouldbusk, Texas.
The couple had 8 children 7 of those survived. Carlos, Nina, Faye, Charles, Glendora, Pat and James.
Charles Clay & Myrtle Montandon with their son Carlos in 1911. Source: “Oh the Glory of it All” by Sean Wilsey
Myrtle once made the remark that they had children in school for forty-two years beginning with Carlos, the oldest, and ending with Jim, the youngest.
Their ministry together consisted of revival meetings in communities where there were no churches. Once a church was established Charles would find a pastor for the congregation then move on to another community.
Charles was known as a competent contractor and builder. He often built the new church buildings or surpervised their construction.
According to the letter from the family, the couple were instrumental in establishing more than 31 churches of the Nazarene in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
According to family history, the Montandons pastored the Nazrene church in Waurika for a several years before continuing ministry in Texas.
Charles believed in the church being available to people of all races. This got him into trouble in Texas.
After allowing African Americans to attend services one week, the KKK burned the church down then set fire to a cross on the lawn of the church parsonage. The church board felt this was too much heat for their small congregation and asked the Montandon’s to leave.
This event lead the Montandon’s to retire from Ministry and move back to Waurika. Waurika was chosen because they had many friends here and it was by far the best place they had ever lived according to Pat Montandon’s memoir, Oh the Hell of it All.
More than once in her book, Pat refers to “growing up” in Waurika, Oklahoma.
The family arrived in town just before WWII. Pat Mondandon can remember the time period because someone from Waurika was nice enough to loan the family a Philco radio so they could listen to news about Hitler bombing Poland.
The death of Charles later on December 31, 1941 had quite an impact on the family. He was only fifty-six.
Myrtle stayed in Waurika to raise the three youngest who were still at home.
The people here were always good to the Montandons.
After Charles passed away, someone in the community purchased them a small home.
An accidental fire burned the house to the ground. Within two months friends in the community found them a much nicer home in a better part of town and even furnished it.
Myrtle would eventually pass away in 1979 in California. She had moved there to be near family, including her daughter, Pat, who had become somewhat of a celebrity by then.
January 1980.
City Manager Stan Patty was given the letter Glendora had written and wrote her back about the possiblity of building the pavillion in their honor.
According the the letter several options had been considered, but the city commissioners decided on remodelling and expanding Harmon Park. Part of the improvements planned for the 22 acre park was to build two pavilions.
The Montandon Pavilion under construction in 1980. Source: Waurika News-Democrat August 14, 1980
Members of the city commission at the time were Mayor Terry Kirkland, Vice Mayor Earl Swanson, H.C. (Jack) James, Bill Fechtel and Ceburn Lovett. The city clerk was Billie Helm.
In the letter Patty advised the cost to build one pavilion was only $2000.00.
In a forthcoming letter Glendora advised they would be happy to have a Pavilion named in her father and mother’s honor and promised a donation to cover the cost.
Glenda Montandon Hill
The plan was to have a permenent marker attached to the pavilion which would read,
“In Memory and the Honor of Reverand C.C. and Mrs. Myrtle C. Montandon.”
According to a picture in the Waurika News-Democrat (see front page), construction was well underway on August 14, 1980.
The contractor for the project was Ron Kerley.
The Montandon family left their mark on Waurika in more ways than one.
Some may recall the fame of their daughter Patricia “Pat” Montandon,
who made a name for herself in San Francisco, California.
Pat left Waurika when she was around 16 or 17 to pursue a career in modeling. Her brother-in-law Cecil Antrim (married to Faye) took money from his juke boxes and candy machines he had located around Waurika in order to pay for her trip to Dallas so she could work for Neiman-Marcus as a clothes model.
Later she migrated to San Francisco, California.
She worked as a columnist for the Sacramento Examiner and hosted her own televsion show.
Montandon published several books including How to be a Party Girl,The Intruders, Whispers from God: A Life Beyond Imaginings, and Oh the Hell of it All. Her memoir Oh the Hell of it All was a response to her son, Sean Wilsey’s book Oh the Glory of it All.
In it she talks about dating Frank Sinatra for a summer. Though she found him charming she didn’t want to marry him.
Later she met and married Melvin Belli, the attorney known as the King of Torts, and the famous attorney who defended Jack Ruby. Their marriage, however, was short lived, lasting only a few days.
Original memorial sign which was mounted on the pavilion and will be re attached once the pavilion has been rebuilt. Photo by Catrina Watters
Over the years Pat Montandon left her mark on the world. She fought for the rights of women, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times, met with 26 world leaders, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet President, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India.
Some would consider her a force of nature.
During here lifetime she overcame many trials and tribulations.
In 1987 she received the UN Peace Messenger award.
The Montandons did more than leave their name on a Pavillion in Harmon Park. Through their lives and the lives of their children they left their mark on the world.
A special thank you to Catrina Watters for obtaining the files in the archives from Waurika City Hall and for the pictures of the pavilion.
The Department of Human Services confirmed today that the Waurika Office will be closing. No firm date has been set as of yet. However, it will occur within the next few months.
News reports out of Oklahoma City have stated that half of the DHS offices across the state will be closing during the next few months. These closures are due to the changes made because of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Other considerations for closing are due to possible reductions in the future state budget.
Because of internet access it is believed services to the public will not suffer.
According to various sources, most employees should be able to keep their jobs, they will just work from home or other locations via the internet.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and safety of Chickasaws, employees and the public is the Chickasaw Nation’s main priority. With many businesses and schools closed, families are spending much more time at home. You can use that extra time at home to connect with your children through Chickasaw culture and keep young minds learning.
The Chickasaw Press and White Dog Press recommend these Chickasaw titles for young readers:
Chikasha Holisso Holba: Chickasaw Picture and Coloring Book, by Vinnie May Humes.
Koni, by Sherrie Begay, Kari A.B. Chew and Stefani Cochran. Illustrated by Donna Courtney-Welch.
C Is for Chickasaw by Wiley Barnes, illustrated by Aaron Long. Also available in enhanced app format for mobile and tablet.
