THE PERKINS
The PERKINS JOURNAL
This newspaper is dedicated to the memories of
Dr. P,. V. and Bea Clark
(USPS 42 8040)
Published every Thursday and entered as
periodical postage paid at Perkins, Ok 74059-0040
122 S. Main • Box 40 • Perkins, OK 74059
405-547-2411
Rick and Kathy Clark
Publishers
The publishers are solely responsible for content and any errors
corrected when brought to the attention of the
will
pub-
be promptly
lishers.
Office hours: 9-6, Mon.&Tues
CLOSED WEDNESDAY
9-5 Thur. & Fri.
9-noon on Sat.
Deadline for advertising & news submissions is Noon, Monday.
POSTMASTER:Send changes of address to The Perkins Journal,
P.O. Box 40, Perkins, OK 74059-0040
All contents © Copyright 1996
MEMBER OF:
THE PERKINS CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE
OKLAHOMA
PRESS ASSOCIA )'ION
BER 17,
1996
Am be r
2Vaves
A~C~e~k~l~ ~(:)i,'.mn by Rick Clark
Hope you enjoyed Harvest Fest.
A lot of people work hard on this annual community celebration
and often don't get their names in the paper. They didn't have to, but did...
*Shelby Lauener, resident of Perkins and Athletic Director for
Langston University, put in a lot of extra effort to get the band
transportation to and from Perkins for Harvest Fest. Although, LU
had to cancel at 3:05 p.m. Friday afternoon, Shelby did his part to
help...He didn't have to, but did...
.The Cimarron Medical Corporation, owners of the building hous-
ing Dr. Hough, donated $450 to feed all of the band kids who showed
for Harvest Fest. The nonprofit foundation, comprised of members
Harland Wells, Jack Vassar, Lynn Kinder, and Steve Willingham
graciously donated the money. •.They didn't have to, but did.
*And, the 4-H kids who did a wonderful job decorating Main Street
with pumpkins and hay, and then, cleaned up the street after it
was over; the Key Club members led by Jessica Hrencher, fed the
band kids pizzas that were provided by Brett Albers of D'Marios at
a low price....They didn't have to, but did.
*Jo Atwood, who leaped in with both feet to coordinate the whole
thing. Clay Plymate who helped "line them up". By the way, Clay
wanted to thank Elsie Grant for the key to the Senior Citizens Cen-
ter, and I wanted to say thanks to Elsie and friends for judging the
floats.
. And, Kristy Willingham fol' announcing...Sherry Baumgarner, PT
art teacher and students for the store front painting...Johnny Rusco
i • for being our parade marshal...'Diggee" Lore, "Bull" Dotson, and
-" "- " -" -" " " -" " " " " " "- " "= " -" " "= " "! Frank "Shartley" for participating in the domino tournament.
ITO Subscribe By Mall Just Fill Out This Form and Mail: ...None of them had to, but they all did....Thanks.
i
With Remittance To: The Perkins Journal, P.O. Box [ RC
I, mentioned the good ones that decorated Main Street. I haven t
mentioned the opposite that hang around Thomas and Main, Smok-
I 40, Perkins, OK 74059-0040 :
I Name ..................... :. ..................................................... I
I I
I Address ....................... , ................................................ |
I I
I City ........................... ,..State ................ Zip .................... I
I( ) One year in Oklahoma .... $24 I
I( ) 6 months in Oklahoma .... $14 I
I( ) One year Out of State ..... $28 I
I( ) 6 months OUt of State .... $16 I
,-------------------------.
Happy Birthday to both Velma
on October 14 and his on November 21!! TheYJ
ers Alley, and a couple of convenience stores, but I'm fLXin' to. their 64th wedding anniversary in the
During the noon hour and after school until late at night, there is
a group of juvenile delinquents that hang around these areas, smoke Matthews-Continued From page
cigarettes, harass people walking by, talk trashier than I did when his childhood and growing up years home and
I was in the navy, and are becoming a nuisance, years, he did move .away once during his
Their mommies and daddies obviously don't care, but I've had my moved to Osage County in 1915 but came
belly full of them. log cabin on the same farm they had left a year
Friday evening I caught several of them throwing the decorations Back in those days, country schools were
and pumpkins in the street-strictly as pure meanness, and laugh-
ing about it. The good kids decorate the street with pumpkins for apart. Although Velma had attended several
Harvest Fest, the bad kids throw them in the street thinking it's " 1921 she moved to Harmony School northeast
funny. Preston had moved to in 1919. He had began
The town council recently passed an ordinance making it a misde- lumbus School five miles east and two miles
meanor for a minor to be in possession of cigarettes....let's enforce both graduated from Tryon High School.
it. Yes, there were many schools in the early days
There is also a curfew ordinance....let's enforce it. there were also a lot of small towns. Two the
There is also a loitering ordinance....let's enforce it. are Davis (already mentioned) and Old Nora.
The Perkins Journal (me) was out with camera Monday and I in- Now is a good time to say "Happy Birthday"
tend to run pictures of those in Smoker's Alley and Thomas and She celebrated her 88th birthday on Oct.ober
Main who are violating the juvenile smoker laws that were recently be 86 on November 14.
pagsed. The Perkins Journal also intends to editorially urge, and Now, lest you think after reading this that
push if necessary, the town council and the police department to
vigorously enforce the ordinances mentioned above, cradle, she is quick to tell you that just because
I commend them for taking a stance on paper; let's help them by woman" (two years older) she did not rob a
backing them when it comes time to enforce those ordinances, grown up when they decided to begin dating
Some of these juveniles are out of control. When I was out Mon- ried. Asked if they were sweethearts all
some of them didn't like and tgl me so withsaid "no, we didn't even think about
and threats date sometime, they really got interested in each
The gestures and language I'm used to as a fiewspaperman, but school. They were married in 1933 and will
threats from adults or kiddies, don't set well with me. wedding anniversary in the spring of 1997.
I've mentioned in this column before that a 14 year old kid can They had both been raised as farmers'
hurt you just as bad, or kill you just as dead as a 40 year old. If we marriage they carried out that tradition. The
don't start making them (juveniles) accountable for their actions
now, then when they are 40 year olds, our law-abiding citizenry west of Tryon and lived and worked there for
will be in deep trouble, time, Preston decided to change his
Effective November 1, the state has changed the laws regarding for a large road construction company that was
juvenile offenders. In the past, the records of past offenses were ing 66 Highway. Next he worked on
kept, sealed and not available as a public record if they were under They moved from Tryon to Velma (yes, for
18. town that became her home
That has been changed to anyone 14 and over, or if the crime com- for a gas company. Velma worked in the
mitted would be considered a felony charge if an adult. Mr. Huls who had lived in Perkins many years
The jurisdiction of a juvenile offender also changes from the De- Velma, Okla. for 30 years before moving to
partment of Human Services to law enforcement such as the Dis- they had visited many years ago.
trict Attorney's Office. he came through Perkins on the way to Stillwater.
That is a good move. Instead of an agency meting out punish- his first car in 1919 and drove through Perkins on
ment that feels and acts as if kids can do no wrong, it now goes to a
friends on Duck Street in Stillwater. Little did he
justice system, that despite it faults, will at least treat criminals as
criminals despite their age. in later years this town would be his home.
The changes also mean that juvenile criminals can no longer be After Velma and Preston retired, they decided to
shielded from public scrutiny (you and I, and the press). " to where they had grown up--and in i984, they
,It's about time that we started to make all criminals accountable their home.• "We had been in a strange land
for their actions, including juveniles, and even former district at- explained, "and it was good to be back where we
torneys. He tells that he actually found names of 16 families
: ::: :: in Tryon in the Perkins phone,
.......... Even though they dearly loved living in
........... : :?:: tended the First Christian Church--and both
--* ................. ....................... : ..... ...... pointment at Ellen's Beauty Shop--they realize
• ~::. . " :? . ..... '. .:,.i! ..:.:"::~: .... ". ....... :::,.. "~Y:"~'-:': .......... • ........
ELIZABETH S COMMENTS ing "all good things must someday come to an
I w ,, .......... ; .............. .................... .by Elizabeth Wise are both getting older and their health isn't as
as a, set watch the parade aturday and had stopped by the so they have made another move, to the Stillwater
post office. When I came out to the car, Randy and Patta Jean Hall Of course, it is much different than living in one's
and their daughter were walking by and noticed that I.had a flat
tire. If they hadn't called my attention to it, I would have just got- they are fortunate to have some of their own
ten in the car and driven away, for those tires hadn't been on very residence.
long. Perkins is full of such nice people and I appreciate them. And while living in a dormitory setting might
So, everything was closed for the Harvest Fest, as far as service able as living in one's own home, it does have some
stations go and I went to the hardware store and bought a can of fact, it is in some ways like living in a large hotel.
tire inflator. When I got back to the car, there was a couple of people it that way, you can enjoy the good hot meals, beds
in the Car next to mine and they did .the inflating of the tire. Just are out enjoying the activities such as games,
some more nice people, helping an old lady.
New Cash Crop For Perkins?
Leon Bostian of Perkins has gone bananas. In the photo Leon
displays his first crop of bananas.from one of six trees that he
has been growing the last five years. According to Bostian, he
has had to take the trees out of the ground each Fall, wrap them
in burlap, and store them under his house until Spring. When
the weather would warm up, he would replant them again until
the chill arrived. The pDnt/replant cycle continued for five years
until this Year he finally got a buDch.
Asked why he wanted to grow a @opical fruit in the Oklahoma
changeable weather, he replied-"l just like to watch things grow."
church. You don't have to worry about dishes
I didn't want to drive my car to church Sunday because the tire always done.
wasn't fixed, so I drove Karen's pickup. Sure enough, a friend of Yes, life has been good for Preston and Velma.
mine informed me "that the pickup had a flat tire on it and after
church services, some of the men changed the spare tire to the wheel, wonderful sons, they have two wonderful
More-nice people! There was a nail in the tire. grandchildren. But although life has been
There is a saying that things happen in threes, so if I use the work saddness and sorrow for them, too,
sear with wheels to work in the yard, I'll probably have a flat on about five years ago. He and Julie had one daughter!
that. their home in New York State. Julie now lives
....... Oh well, win a few, lose a few, etc The Matthews are always happy to hem
Burt-Uy Dam White ',"", ' , ,, •
her mother-in-law a lovely birthday card and note
r I PROI ASLY 51tOgZDN'T rL ST Y(AR TltgRg LgRgr 50 I'/1 ttOP/ d TIOZf James and his wife Gale live in Olathe, KS. an,
Ill HUHIDIQ / H¢ twosonsandonedaughter. TheycometovisitJa$
quently.
YOU TOO? CANDY AND 5TUFF/ r/tPOV OUT 50/IE #tSS IA O AR; [JILL Over the years, Preston and Velma took advant"
, _]. i I , /. = A ZFd- rAT'O TO. OUT changes in transportation when they went to viSi
J/ THe" andand families.they enjoyedThey rode the big trains and flew init all.
Getting ready to celebrate 64 years of marriage
1977, the Matthews attribute their long life togetb
and lots of play along the way. And although "too
the broth, they are quick to say that for a good
anyway, it takes two bosses--with neither one
the other. Don't you think this is a marvelous
along together for all of us to follow, no matter
through life side by side as husband and wife
ment or as a recipe for.just living?
