The Waurika Sorosis Club has sponsored a Tea for graduating seniors for more than 25 years. This year club members had to be creative in honoring the Class of 2020 Graduates. On May, 6, club members delivered each WHS graduating senior yard signs with 2020 Grad, the student’s favorite pizza, a rose, a gift from the club and balloons. Club members drove separate cars and were careful to socially distance as the deliveries were made.
Another week of nice weather here in southern Oklahoma. Flowers are in bloom and the birds are all singing. Admiring nature is a good way to take a break from everything that is going on in the world. Eventually though you have to go back and pick up your responsibilities. I’m not talking about myself because without children or grandchildren to worry about, I don’t have to concern myself with all the details and tasks that are a constant for other folks. I can only admire young parents raising children and working jobs that must be important sine they are still going to work during this lock down.
It’s easy to tale a dim view of humanity if all you read and see are news reports about crime and mayhem. If you go looking you can find the stories about people helping their neighbors and in some cases strangers. This week I watched a story about a woman handing out food to truck drivers that at times have had trouble finding food while they were on the road because of all of the restaurant closings, a restaurant owner keeping many of his employees working, cooking meals for anyone that needs them, another man that owns rental property, several of them house restaurants. He waved the lease payment if the business owners agreed to use the money to pay their employees.
Some of the feel good stories are about people that take time out of their day to be kind to someone that needs a pick me up. A teenage girl after having finished her last cancer treatment, is welcomed home by the neighbors lining the street. All of them keeping their distances but they are applauding and cheering and waving their homemade signs, a t.v. actor getting some of his friends to help and using something called Zoom (I’m told that is some more of this social media that old folks like me don’t understand) was able to host a high school prom for a bunch of kids scattered across the country, all in their homes.
One story that caught my attention, more for it’s quirkiness than anything else, was about all the people that had not gotten dressed up and gone out since this all started, did just that and got dressed in their fine formal wear and took the trash receptacle to the curb for pick up day.
That story makes me think about a job that most people don’t want, trash collector. How bad would this lock down be if they were not on the job.
All the time I have on my hands has enabled me to discover that I enjoy watching You Tube videos of people using a band saw mill to make lumber out of trees. I also enjoy watching people make wooden bowls using axes, adzes and chisels. Just in case you think that I am wasting my time, I have also been watching videos about gardening, pruning and grafting trees, starting plants from cuttings and making flower pots and planters out of cement. Just yesterday I watched a video about the ten ways you can tell that your spouse is cheating, on second thought I probably don’t have much use for that information.
All things considered, I guess social media is good for something. Education and staying in touch with far flung family. Now if you don’t mind I am going to listen to Mads Tolling play The Ashokan Farewell on the violin.
Be kind to one another, you never known what they are going through.
The Waurika Public Library is now offering curbside service to checkout books between 9am and noon, M-F. You can visit waurika.booksys.net/opac/waurikapl/index.html to browse our catalog. Then message Darren Biby on Facebook or call 580-228-3274 so that we can get them ready and bring them out to your car when you get to the library.
‘Look Alive Twenty-Five’ by Janet Evanovich is available as an audiobook or an Ebook from the Waurika Public Library’s virtual library on Overdrive.
Stephanie Plum faces the toughest puzzle of her career in the twenty-fifth entry in Janet Evanovich’s #1 New York Times bestselling series. There’s nothing like a good deli and the Red River Deli in Trenton is one of the best. World famous for its pastrami, cole slaw and for its disappearing managers. Over the last month, three have vanished from the face of the earth, the only clue in each case is one shoe that’s been left behind. The police are baffled. Lula is convinced that it’s a case of alien abduction. Whatever it is, they’d better figure out what’s going on before they lose their new manager, Ms. Stephanie Plum.
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. If you do not know your card number you can message Darren Biby on Facebook or email WaurikaPublicLibrary@gmail.com to get it.
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.
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.
You can download books and audio books for offline reading, or stream them to save space. Sample any book with a tap — nothing to download or delete. Try a zoomable graphic novel, or a picture book with read-along audio. Your loans, holds, reading positions, bookmarks and notes are synchronized automatically across all your devices. Your ebooks will be automatically checked back in at the end of your check out period. Ebooks placed on hold will be automatically checked out to you when they become available.
The Waurika Public Library will reopen as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
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/
BATON ROUGE, LA (04/21/2020)– Karlee Belle Gholson of Waurika, Oklahoma, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Gholson was initiated at Oklahoma State University.
Gholson is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. Its mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.”
Ryan High School has received word of its selection to receive a grant from the Oklahoma Educational Technology Trust.
The news of the selection was shared last Thursday with Ryan High School principal Tony Tomberlin.
The grant totals $65,000 and is divided into designated money for equipment and money for professional development for faculty at Ryan High School.
The high school was selected out of multiple schools from across the state of Oklahoma meaning grade schools, middle schools and high schools.
Application for the grant had to be made and on average only about 18 to 20 schools have been selected since grants were first awarded in 2001.
“This grant will help prepare our students for college and give them new and more interactive ways to learn,” said Ryan superintendent of schools Marcus Chapman.
“We are very excited to see this new technology in use,” noted Chapman. “A big thanks goes to our technology committee for the time and effort put into writing this grant!”
The trust which was first established with a $30 million gift by AT&T Oklahoma exists to equip Oklahoma common school and Career Tech students with the technology and technological skills necessary to compete in today’s global marketplace.
The grant provides funds for computer and telecommunications equipment, infrastructure, leadership and professional development to implement and advance integration of technology into classroom instruction.
It took Ryan High School officials two tries to receive the grant and it was a two-year process.
“The grant has been a long process,” said Tomberlin. “It is a high school only grant and you have to apply by school and not district.”
The faculty of the high school put together a desired plan and vision for technology use at the school and a technology team wrote the grant.
Members of the technology team included Angie Underwood, Seth Miranda, Kim Rhoades, Raquel Welchel and Tomberlin. Natalie Seay was also instrumental in the process.
Ryan High School is the only school in southwest Oklahoma to receive the grant for this year.
Tomberlin outlined the plans for the grant money designated for equipment.
“We will use the money to purchase two augmented reality tables, digital microscopes, several augmented/virtual reality headsets, 3-D printers and some other technology to go with it,” explained Tomberlin.
The OETT was established in 2001 as a result of an agreement between then Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmonson and AT&T Oklahoma during the company’s transition to a modern form of regulation. AT&T establishing the trust with the gift was part of the agreement.
Through the years, OETT has granted approximately $21 million worth of technology and professional development to 289 schools across Oklahoma. This initiative has reached well over 12,000 teachers and 150,000 students in communities and schools both large and small across the state of Oklahoma.
Interested schools have to successfully complete leadership training offered and after completing this stage, the next step is for administrators of schools to become eligible to apply for the grant money. The grant recipients are required to provide a 10% match ($4,000) that can be used for technology and equipment.
Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins, Medal of Honor recepient passed away April 17, 2020 at the age of 86.
Adkins was born on February 1, 1934 in Waurika, Oklahoma.
He was drafted into the Army on December 5, 1956.
While in the Army he attended Airborne School and then later volunteered for the Special Forces.
Adkins spent three tours in Vietnam. It was because of his acts of heroism and bravery during the war he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2014.
During his military career he receved numerous decorations and citations including the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster and “V” Device, the Purple Heart with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal with Bronze Clasp and Five Loops, the National Defense Service Medal, and many more.
Today a statue in Memorial Park in Waurika stands in his honor.
He was a man of honor and integrity and will be missed by his family, friends and a grateful nation.
These times are certainly unique and uncertain. When I was in seminary taking eighty hours of masters level education while studying theology and practical ministry, not a single course offered anything about pastoring a community through a pandemic. I can teach the Bible, preach the Good News, work the administrative side of things, pastoral care/counseling, and many other aspects of ministry. In this time of un-certainty ministry continues in various forms in all of our communities. I know all of us pastors are praying for everyone to be safe and normalcy to come soon. God is in control and God will remain faithful. I am writing this on behalf of the Waurika Ministerial Alliance to ask that as you worship with us virtually that you continue to tithe to you congregation. The pastors are still working in ways they never thought they would and bills will still need to be paid. We understand for many this time finances are tight and we just ask you prayerfully consider keeping up with your commitment of faith through your tithes and offerings.
The U.S. Census Bureau continues to monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and follow the guidance of federal, state and local health authorities. The census bureau is adjusting some operations with two key principles in mind: protecting the health and safety of census staff and the public, and fulfilling statutory requirements to deliver 2020 census counts on schedule.
Per the census bureau’s residential criteria, students living away from home at school should be counted at school in most cases, even if they are temporarily elsewhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if at home when they complete the census, students should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time.
College students living in on-campus housing are counted through their university. During the 2020 census, the bureau contacted administrators of colleges and university student housing to receive input on the enumeration methods that will allow students to participate in the 2020 census.
With multiple ways to respond to the census, the majority of higher learning institutions chose the eResponse methodology. Only about 7% chose paper listings. Both methods provide the census bureau information about each student.
However, about 35% chose the drop off/pick up option to respond, which allows students to self-respond. The census bureau is contacting those schools to ask whether they would like to change that preference in light of emerging situations.
The census bureau plans to offer assistance with responding to the 2020 census.
Currently, the census bureau plans to offer this assistance across the country beginning April 13, delaying from the previous start date of March 30.
The planned completion date for data collection for the 2020 census is July 31, 2020. That date can be adjusted by the census bureau as the situation dictates in order to achieve a complete and accurate count.
It might be said famous Chickasaw aviator Pearl Carter Scott was born to fly, so young was she upon making her solo flight in 1929 at the tender age of 13.
Ninety years later, Pearl’s airborne legacy has birthed a generation of descendants in whom flying has become an inescapable part of their DNA.
Bill, Scott and Craig Thompson, Pearl’s grandsons, are all licensed pilots. Their sister, Georgia Smith, never earned her pilot’s license but says she, too, can handle herself in a cockpit.
Their mother, Georgia Louise Scott Thompson, was Pearl’s daughter. She died in September.
“Flying has always been in our blood,” Ms. Smith said. “When mom, dad and grandma (Pearl) sat around the kitchen table they were all talking about flying. Bill actually got his pilot’s license before he got his driver’s license,” she said.
Though the Thompson children were born in Marlow, Oklahoma, their side of the family eventually moved to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, famous due to the musical talent of four local session musicians known as “The Swampers.”
Craig, 63, who has flown in over 100 countries as a commercial pilot, was recently hired by the city of Ada to manage its airport.
Bill, 67, is a professional financial planner who is moving his business to Ada from Birmingham, Alabama. “I do pre-and-post retirement planning,” he said. “I teach people about maxing out Social Security, how not to run out of money and how not to go broke in the nursing home.” He is also looking forward to getting back involved with flying, he said.
Scott Thompson, retired from the construction business, resides in Birmingham, Alabama.
Georgia Smith expects to move to the area soon too from her home in Lexington, Alabama. While the brothers’ athletic prowess won them awards in high school, they credit Georgia with being the best athlete in the family due to being selected to play on state championship teams in volleyball, track and softball.
Craig said one reason he was interested in the Ada position is due to an airport manager in Gunnison, Colorado, who saved his life years ago. His original destination had been Aspen, Colorado, but his plane was diverted due to weather conditions.
Eventually landing in the pitch black night in Gunnison also proved dangerous because, at the time, it had no runway lights or rotating beacon. Craig said the airport manager, Terry Sargent, quickly came up with a solution. He called local police who parked on the runway with lights flashing.
“I landed over the cars and kissed the ground,” he said, laughing. “I took this job just wondering what was going through Terry Sargent’s mind that night in 1981.”
Another of his close calls came Sept. 11, 2001, the day America woke up to its war on terror.
The jet he was piloting that morning was only 40 minutes ahead of the ill-fated Flight 93 out of Newark, New Jersey, with terrorists on board that later crashed in Pennsylvania. “That pilot pushed off the Newark gate behind me,” Craig said.
“It could have been him,” Ms. Smith said about her brother’s close brush with fate.
Before managing Ada’s airport, Craig flew for Thai Lion Air out of Bangkok, Thailand, just one of the 106 countries he has visited in his travels. He flew as a civilian pilot to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia 30 times transporting military equipment and soldiers, some of which were under-the-radar black ops missions. He has also transported Delta Force members and CIA personnel into world hot spots.
“I flew many refugee and relief aid flights. In1998 I flew relief aid to Honduras after Hurricane Mitch left 19,325 fatalities there.”
He also has flown cash between Federal Reserve Banks in America. “Did you know $38.6 million weighs 4,200 pounds? That’s something you need to know before you take off,” he said.
Craig said looking back on his youth, he now considers himself to have been something akin to “the little boy at the fence” while working at the Muscle Shoals airport. “It just gives you an opportunity to live at the airport from sunup to sundown and to learn and love every kind of aircraft,” he said.
All three brothers cut their aviation teeth sweeping out hangars, refueling aircraft and performing other chores before eventually becoming pilots.
One of the side benefits of airport work was seeing famous people who stopped to refuel. “We refueled President Jimmy Carter’s Air Force One aircraft there,” Craig said. “Muscle Shoals is the hometown of recording studios that were very big at that time. The Osmonds, James Brown, Tom Jones, Percy Sledge, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and other singers would come in with their personal jets and we would see them and sometimes shake their hands.”
Pearl was a frequent visitor to the Thompson’s Muscle Shoals home. “Even though we lived 700 miles from our grandmother, she was there every time we turned around,” Ms. Smith said. “She was there visiting us and getting to know us.”
Ms. Smith said one of her memories is of Grandma Pearl saying, “One of these days someone’s going to walk on that moon up there, though probably not in my lifetime.”
Only the first half of Pearl’s foresight proved accurate. Man did walk on the moon, but Pearl lived to see it. Not only that, she also lived long enough to witness Chickasaw astronaut John Herrington blast off in the space shuttle.
Craig said he has distributed copies of “Pearl,” the Chickasaw Nation-produced movie about their famous grandmother, globally. “I bought a bunch of them. I just pass them out to my friends. Everybody wants a copy,” he said.
Pearl’s most recent honor was bestowed on her by “The Ninety-Nines” an international organization of women pilots based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. “They designated Dec. 9, Pearl’s birthday, Women’s Aviation Day in Oklahoma City,” Ms. Smith said.
The siblings donated Pearl’s original aviation log and engine books, as well as several photos, to “The Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots.”
“We were moved to share her history with the world,” Bill said. “We want to encourage others to ‘Shoot for the moon, for even if you fail, you will still land in the stars,’ one of her favorite sayings,” he added.
“We lost our money because of the Depression,” Ms. Smith recalls their grandmother telling them. Grandma Pearl then added, “I can’t give you any money, but I’ll leave you a legacy to live on.”
Pearl died in 2005 at the age of 90 knowing her aviation legacy would, in fact, live on. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say it’s in her descendants’ DNA.
How far will you go to protect your family? Will you keep their secrets? Ignore their lies?
In a small town in Virginia, a group of people know each other because they’re part of a special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber that may cure a range of conditions from infertility to autism. But then the chamber explodes, two people die, and it’s clear the explosion wasn’t an accident.
A powerful showdown unfolds as the story moves across characters who are all maybe keeping secrets, hiding betrayals. Chapter by chapter, we shift alliances and gather evidence: Was it the careless mother of a patient? Was it the owners, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? Could it have been a protester, trying to prove the treatment isn’t safe?
‘Miracle Creek’ by Angie Kim uncovers the worst prejudice and best intentions, tense rivalries and the challenges of parenting a child with special needs. It carefully pieces together the tense atmosphere of a courtroom drama and the complexities of life as an immigrant family. Drawing on the author’s own experiences as a Korean-American, former trial lawyer, and mother of a “miracle submarine” patient, this is a novel steeped in suspense and igniting discussion. Recommended by Erin Morgenstern, Jean Kwok, Jennifer Weiner, Scott Turow, Laura Lippman, and more– ‘Miracle Creek’ is a brave, moving debut from an unforgettable new voice.
Check out ‘Miracle Creek’ by Angie Kim at the Waurika Public Library.
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.
Many events and programs at the library are supported by the Friends of the Waurika Public Library. Sponsorship of the Friends starts at just $10. For more information or to become a sponsor, please visit the Waurika Public Library.
Story Time is every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. for children and toddlers. Each week we read stories, and have games and puzzles for the children to play with after reading.
For information about events, activities and more, visit our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaurikaPublicLibrary/
