/
o.
Beaming bright blue eyes peak
out from the stringy uncombed
bangs of 12-year-old Eddie lngram
as he steps forward holding his
report card and the attached note
out to a visitor in the Roscoe
Ingrams' Morrison home.
Eddie is proud of the note which
reads: "You have been promoted
to the seventh grade."
Despite the string of "incom-
pletes" for grades; despite the
added stipulation that Eddie must
keep up his seventh grade work or
be sent back to the sixth grade;
despite having spent most of 1975
in hospitals .... Eddie is happy that
he has been promoted with his
classmates.
Eddie has leukemia.
In 1973 a thick haired 11-year-old
named Eddie lngram was a
muscular 70 pound wrestler on the
Morrison team.
At a Stillwater based statewide
contest, Eddie took fourth in his
division.
Eddie, like all young men, had
the stamina of a Jim Ryun.
"Me and another boy at school
Could run the longest distances in
track without getting tired," recalls
Eddie today. His father adds,
"He's always been athletic---any-
thing he did he went all out for."
But during Christmas vacation
last year, Roscoe lngram noticed
that Eddie was no longer able to
pull his own weight in chopping
Wood along side 15-year-old
brother Leslie.
As the bleak winter afternoon
folded into a dreary gray overcast,
the wood was ready to be loaded
into the pick up truck. But Eddie
wasn't standing at the tailgate to
do his share of the work.
"Go ahead and lay down on the
seat then, if you don't feel good,"
said his father, quietly making a
mental note to check later to see if
the youngster was gold bricking.
"I knew if he felt like getting
outside and playing ball after we
got home, that he was just being
lazy," says Ingram, adding, "and
he was going to catch it if that
proved true."
But Eddie took three naps during
the day---an unusuailoss of energy
for a 12-year-old who •"could run
the longest distances without
getting tired."
"He looked healthy, so we
started giving him vitamins." says
Ingrain, looking for the cause of
Eddie's sudden lethargy.
Growing pains...reaching puber-
ty...just a streak of laziness...could
have accounted for Eddie lngram's
inability to respond with his old
"do or die" effort.
But something more powerful
than vitamins was needed to
correct what was eating away at the
blood in Eddie's body---and he was
responding with despondency and
a quarrelsome nature that wasn't
typical of the shy young man.
Eddie's physical education
teacher noticed the change in
attitude first.
"Him (Eddie) and the coach
went round and round," says
Eddie's father. "I told Eddie,
'You've just got to try harder."'
But there wasn't much left for
Eddie to try with.
The Monday after Christmas
vacation Eddie faltered in a
running exercise and took the
customary extra Iaps. He got sick
and lost his color.
"We don't blame the coach.
There's no way he'could have
known. We should have known
The Journal Reports
II I
earlier that there was something
wrong," says Ingram.
Eddie called his mother, Mary
Ann Ingram, at home and told her:
"Morn, can you come and get
me...I just can't make it."
When Mrs. Ingram arrived at the
school to pick Eddie up she found
the shell of the son she had taken
such pride in when he won
wrestling patches and a trophy.
Fighting back the tears that
came with pain, and mustering
what courage was left, Eddie
appeared ashen and his lips had
turned an alarming purple.
"It seemed like he had a cold
during Christmas vacation, but his
temperature was only up at night.
We should have suspected some-
thing because his mental attitude
had changed so drastieally---I
should have noticed that something
was wrong," says Mrs. Ingram
looking back today on the late
December events which unfolded.
Mrs. Ingram took Eddie to the
family doctor in Perry and Eddie
was immediately put in the
hospital.
Visiting Eddie, Mr. and Mrs.
Ill
in Courage
by Lee Gray
lngram were told to wear surgical
gowns, caps and masks and to stay
at the end of Eddie's bed. Under no
circumstances were they to touch
him.
Fear loomed like an albatross
over the couple as they left Eddie's
room and Mrs. Ingram questioned
Dr. Arthur M. Brown about what
was wrong with Eddie.
"Let me have a few days to get
the test results back before I say
anything definite. Let's be sure
before there's need for alarm," the
doctor reassured her.
Only parents know the endless
pit feeling that developes,in their
stomachs when days dray by---
when almost any news is good
news because the torturous
anticipation is ended.
Prayers...fearing the worse...
hoping for the best...it all
culminates in a salvo of schizoph-
renic second guessing.
"Mary," said Dr. Brown when
the test results came back, "Mary,
Eddie has leukemia."
"We can probably get this under.
control," he continued, stopping
the give Mrs. Ingrain a chance to
let it all soak in.
"What's the first thing that
comes to your mind when you hear
the word leukemia?" asked the
doctor.
"Cancer," came Mrs. Ingram's
solemn reply.
Leukemia, often referred to as
cancer of the blood, is a disease of
unknown origin, though there's a
new ~nvestigation to see if it is a
viral infection.
In 1974 an estimated 13,000
children had cancer, the No. 1 killer
among childhood diseases; about
3,600 of those children died from it,
according to a recent National
Observer article.
Nancy Keebler, the article's
author, adds that leukemia is the
most prevalent cancer children
contract---with an estimated 4,300
under the age of 1S having it.
[Continued on page 31
F Ule Mr,y Am,
Don Hardin of Perklns-Tryon High
and 13 other area high school
Farmers of America claimed Star
Farmer awards at the 49th
Future Farmers of America
13-14 at Oklahoma State
Star Farmer Degree is the highest
on FFA members and
the top two percent of
FFA membership.
Joining Hardin in receiving the honor
was Kevin Bostian, Jimmy Davis, Johnny
Long and Joe Dale Mills, all of Coyle.
Cushing honorees were Bill Watson
and Randy Wright.
Mulhall-Orlando's Duron Darrell Ho-
ward also claimed the top award, as did
Ripley's Karen K. Boyd.
From Glencoe Larry Brown was named
while Steve R. Meyer represented
Mannford.
Stillwater winners included Judith Ann
Burk, Bill German Jr. and Dean Alan
Matthews. Yale recipientswere Clifford
D. Green and Tom Hixon.
Stopped
Perkins Volunteer Firemen responded in force to squelch a smoldering mattress
at Charles Suttoa's 307 S. Main St. home. The May 7th 4:30 p.m. fire caused
;e damage to the upper floor of the two-story dewlling, but the quick
of firemen prevented major structural damage. In the above photo an
is helped on with an oxygen tank so he can enter the smoke
lmiiding to put the fire out.
MonkeyBusiness... Page2
DicksonTournament... Page3
Demon Graduates... Page5
Perkins and other area towns joined
342 municipalities statewide in sharing a
half million dollar gain over last month's
city sales tax receipts, according to the
Oklahoma Tax Commission.
The 57,163,263 May disbursement
came from March business collections
remitted to the commission during April,
said S. W. Hampton, sale tax director.
Locally, Perkins showed a slight drop
in collections this May compared with
May 1974. This month's figure was
$1,583.98 while last May $1,695.04 was
disbursed.
Also in Payne County, Stillwater
showed a $5,000 gain, posting
$115,492.37 and $110,499.48 respectively
for May 1975 and May 1974. Yale had a
$200 plus increase which is figured by
matching the current May total of
le
Various area students are among those
who graduated this spring from colleges
and universities around the state, in-
;i
:f
! :
g
i i
Queen
Reheeea ilesflaa was crowned FFA Queen at fire annual Perld .Tryo FFA Buquet
Saturday, May 10. Bill Nowila, State FFA ptmident' was speaker at the banquet, where
It was alto mmouneed that Glen Gdder was elected Star Chapter Greeahand, and Donald
Hardin was elected Star Chapter Farmer. Queen atteadaata, from left to right, are Liada
Graves; Steve Bsrta, 1974-75 Seathmll Calvin Gtil~, son of Mr. and Mra.'Braee Griffin;
Patti Olton, daughter of Mr. aml Mrs. Alvin Oiton; Donald ~, 1974-7S Vice
President; Rebecca Boatbm; Bob McC~tcheo, ootgoing 1975 President; Dlvkl Pan-d,
1974-75 ta~mm~r and 1975-76 l~rtmid~mq ~ Jarvlt; Jim INKIrm, 1974.75 ~tery;
and Kathy McCoy.
Recently elected FFA Chepter edMcers for 197S-76 are David P&tta~, Immldm~ Randy
jay Davh, vke preeklenq Doule Chry, emaser Jame, hmmy,
" t-,,ed er t mrter.
A record 373 young men and women
received the coveted degrees and
represented a net worth of over $3
million. They are the top graduathig
$1,478.37 against the May 1974 figure of
51,260.54.
In other area towns, the report showed
Tryon posting a drop in collections this
May. The 1975 figure was $218.33 while
the May 1974 collection amounted to
$442.53.
Glencoe. which is collecting city sales
tax for the first time, pulled in $379.38
this May.
Cushing, which increased to two-cent
collections, captured $43,885.39 in
revenues this May compared to the
one-cent collection of $18,193.79 last
May.
Carney enjoyed a modest gain--draw-
ing in $341.37 for May 1975 compared to
$331.79 in May 1974.
Coyle jumped from $285.55 last year to
$312.82 this May.
ol
cluding Oklahoma State University,
Central State University, Southeastern
Oklahoma State University, and the
University of Oklahoma at Norman.
Among those who.receiVed their
degrees from OSU Saturday, May 10,
during the commencement exercises
~re students from Perkins, including
Merrell Butler, who received an EdD;
Steven Cundiff, with a BS; Vivian
Cundiff, ~ith an MS; Helen Martin
Fleischer, with a BS: Thomas Logan III,
v,~th an MS; Gene Niles, DMV; and
Jimmy Story, with a BS.
Coyle graduates from OSU and their
degrees include Larry Berg, who ob-
tained a BS; Leroy Brewer, with an MS;
Beverly McAnally, with a BS; and Mary
Rosson ~ith a BS.
Twenty-five of the 2,766 spring
graduates from OSU ~re from Cushing
and include Dale Adams, BS; Susan
Adams, BS; Billie Bennett, BS; Wayne
Bland, BS; Janice Bon&urant, BS;
Walter Clovis, BS; William Clovis. BA; .
Leonard Cochran, AD; Linda Combs,
BS; Judy Evans, MA; Theresa Haley,
BS; Kris Kinzie, BS; Barbara Maloney,
MBA; Mary Nishimuta Salvia, BS;
Shirley Sawatzky, MS; Donald Tucker,
MS; Bill Vassar, BS a~nd AD; Nancy
Weber, BS; Debra Wheat, BS; Robert
Wilson, BA; Jeanette Winkcompleck,
BS; Larry Winterscheidt, BS.
Glencoe OSU graduates include
Raymond Hoffman, who graduated ~th
an MS; Dale Lyle, with an ME; Michael
Lyle, ~th a BS; Robert Newman, ~ith
an MS; and Eddie Porter, a BS.
Two students from Mulhall also
graduated this spring from OSU. They
are Ixadyth Bolmstedt, who graduated
with a BS, and David On', who aim
graduated ~th a BS degree.
seniors studying vocational agriculture in
186 community high schools across
Oklahoma. The students' farming
investment averages $9,700 per student
and this is far above the national
requirement of $.500 f~r each degree
candidate, according to Paul W. Newlin
of'the state FFA Association.
"This is the 16th consecutive year that
Oklahoma's State Farmer candidates
have had an investment of more than $1
million and the second time of over $3
million," he said, adding, "Together,
they own 19,054 head of livestock, rant
16,801 acres of land and own an
additional 2,525 acres."
The Gold Key, emblematic of the State
Farmer Degree, was presented by
officials of the Oklahoma Vocatiomd and
Technical Foundation, Inc., sponsors of
the award.
Bids will be accepted on the $762,000
State Highway 33 construction project
lyeginning at 2 p.m. Friday, May 23 at the
offices of the Highway Commission in
Oklahoma City, according to State
Representative Joe Manning.
The construction project includes 2.1
miles of asphaltic concrete surfacing,
beginning east of Perkins and extending
east across the Cimarron River.
Cont.acts will be awarded to the
successful bidders at the next Highway
Commissiou m -tin June 2.
Mottles Presented
Becky Bostian, past president of the Future Homemakers' Chapter of Peddng-Tryou
High School, and newly elected president Connie Jarvis present two ebecks to Galen
Holsinger of the Payne County Bank for the Karen Barnes and Rieky Klnde Scholarship
funds. Holsinger servesns treasurer for each fund. The Karen Barnes Schelerahip winner
is select~! by the presidents of the Perkins Lions, American Legion and American Loflieu
AuxllJtry and MI Club. Anna Maria Evans serves as the executive of the committee.
Veeatitmd teachers at Perkins-Tryon High School select the winner of the RIcky Klm/e
Scholarship. Each scholarahip is $100. This year's winners were announced at the
Tuesday night commencement exercises and included Mlsi Bas//mt and Don Hardin.
MR. BUSINESSMAN
FARMER-RANcHER
SELF- EMPLOYED
WES WYATT
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NAME ........................................................................
PAYING TOO MUCH TAX?
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Up to $7500 A Year
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For Free Information. Send Coupon to
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405-372-3!77
ADDRESS ................................................................
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OCCUPATION .......................... ; .................. AGE ........
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