THE PERK
ER 21, 1996
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The PERKINS JOURNAL
This newspaper is dedicated to the memories of
Dr. IL 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
405-547-241 I
Rick and Kathy Clark
Publishers
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be promptly corrected when brought to the attention of the pub-
lishers.
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All contents © Copyright 1996
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LE E :i TO TH
BIG WHOOPEES
Rick:
I wentto bed November 5th knowing I'd wake up to two big"whoop-
ees". One "whoopee" - the election is finally over. The other"whoopee"
- we won't have Dole for President. '~
i don't have quite as much distaste for Dole as Clinton-bashers
have for Clinton, but how can a working stiff support a guy who
kept the minimum wage $3.15 for 10 years (1980-1990, which you
can look up)?
The only other big "whoopee" I woke up to was Morgan defeating
Wedel. I met Mr. Wedel at the Perkins Festival. He's very nice and
sincere. But I wouldn't lie to him - I'm still apologizing for voting
for Reagan and Bellman. Plus, in this state every elected Republi-
can puts one more tool in the hands of a guy who already controls a
large part of the state.
Dole gave it a hard try; even visited Independence, Missouri hop-
ing to pull-off an upset like Truman in '48. Dole is no Harry Truman.
Neither is Clinton, but his landslide does bring to mind a quote
from 1948: "I guess everybody was against the President except
the people."
Dole advisors did a very poor job. Saying (nicotine) tobacco wasn't
habit-forming - egad, take the tobacco lobby's seven million, but
don't think anyone is dumb enough to believe that.
Dole's handlers also continued to harp on the "party of Reagan &
Bush"! How weird!? Bush was a one-term President who won by
beating a "pip-squeak", then lost to a young"whipper-snapper" who
was the only Democrat that really wanted the nomination. As for
Reagan, when he took office we owed one trillion. When he left we
owed three trillion (which you can look up). Is that good adminis-
tration? The only thing worse than "tax and spend" is "borrow and
spend"• That's Reagan.
Dole even lost Arizona. This is the first time since 1948 the state
did not go Republican. In fact, in 1964 1 stood in line until 7:30 p.m.
to vote for Goldwater. At least we made sure he took his home state.
Was Kemp any help to Dole? It didn't looklike it. And all those
things said in the primaries were probably remembered.
It looks like an interesting four years coming up.
signed
Red Cheek, Perkins
To Who Cares:
The environment and ecolog as taught at Perkins Elementary:
Not by the teachers. Not in the cafeteria - use it once, put it in the
trash can. Let someone haul it off to the landfill. Trays and bowls
made of Styrofoam (expanded rigid polystyrene plastic), food grade
(made with CFC's - fluorocarbon like freon). Not made in the United
States but in Canada because of the laws in the USA as to the use
of CFC's. Plastic knives, forks & spoons - disposable but not biode-
gradable. They will be plastic in one hundred years.
If the numbers in the Perkins Journal are right, as many as 454
lunches and 200 breakfasts every school day (654 trays and]or bowls
and plastm flatware; 3,270 every week; 13,080 m four weeks; 52,320
in sixteen weeks; 104,640 in 160 school days.
No recycling here, just more trash for the landfill that's full. Let
the children clean-up the mesh when they grow up. We save pen-
nies so they can spend millions cleaning up the mess.
Signed,
Don Harris, Perkins
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Kids these days get their first experience of gong to school by at-
tending kindergarten. "Baby Boomers", such as myself, had their
first school experience from the first grade.
My first grade teacher was Edna Chesney. Mrs. Chesney's obitu-
ary is in this issue if you want to know the brief, black and white
details of her life, but if you want to know a little bit of what it was
like to have her as your first te . cher, read on. "
RVC
I'm ornery. I've still got some of that "Little Demon" that comes
from my genes somewhere out on a limb of my family tree that no
one in my family has ever talked about. The limb that's hanging
out there with the grapevines and bagworms on it. You know, you've
got one of'em too-every family does.
There's been more than one occasion in my growing up years that
my dad would claim I was adopted, or he would tell my mother, "He
gets that from your side of the family."
I was ornerier in the first grade. I was less ornery after Mrs.
Chesney and the first grade.
She was a kind lady, but a no-nonsense teacher.
Me, I liked to throw spit wads and pull Edna Mann's long braided
pony tails. That was the first hour, of the first day, of the first grade,
of my first teacher Edna Chesney.
After the second hour and all subsequent hours I learned not to
throw spit wads; pulling pony tails was not funny; and the impor-
tance of the fundamentals of reading.
Teaching children to read was one of Mrs. Chesney's reward's of
life. She knew that if a child could not read, that child was in dire
straights for the rest of his life. You cannot learn 'ritin' and 'rithmatic
without the first "R".
What more noble cause can a person have in life than teaching a
child to read?
Two people taught me the value of reading: My mother and my
first grade teacher. Both are gone now, but the gift they gave me of
being able to read is not.
There is a special place in heaven with a chalkboard on the front
wall that has finely written block letters in front of where desks
are lined up with children reading.
And standing in between those desks and chalkboard is Edna
Chesney..."This is an A, as in Apple..."
RVC
Your spouse is having a heart attack. Right now!
You're scared, panicked, and don't know what to do.
What number are you going to call for help?
"Should I call Perkins?," you wonder. "What's the number?"
Is it worth 89 cents a month to be able to simply dial 911?
If you had the opportunity to vote for a county-wide 911, Emer-
gency system, would you? ........ ., ...........
You may be getting that opportunity soon. If you read last week's
Journal you know what I'm talking about.
The Perkins Chamber of Commerce had a town-wide meeting on
the 911 issue with questions from those in
from two Southwestern Bell officials.
To my way of thinking we need 911 on a
need it as soon as possible.
I don't think smaller communities such as
Ripley can afford to go on the system
up front expense, plus the costs of hiring and
We all can afford it however, if we go
forget that the rural, non-incorporated areas oft
ties unto themselves with an under-funded
vides essential services such as police
commissioner), water (rural water districts),
health department, postal service, and a road
maintained.
Most of you that live in the rural area do so
idea of no government. IfI had my "druthers",
druther be living too.
Before long we are going to be asked to go to
two issues: The 911 system on a county-wide
the half-cent sales tax for the county that
1997.
All of us-city, town and county residents
issues passed.
RVC
I've been asked several times on whether I
struction of SH33 to a four-lane was "real]
Sure, if they can find the funding. They
tomorrow if the Oklahoma Department
funds. You can do all of the surveys and studieS
there's not any money for roads you can forget
turned.
ODOT folks at these public hearings have
four-laning SH33 from Guthrie to Cushing to be
dollars a mile. Roughly $35-40 million.
"Okay, wise guy," You say. "You've got the
some solutions. Where does the state come up
Since our State Senator Mike Morgan and
Dale Wells subscribe to The Perkins Journal
finding the funding for the reconstruction
First, you cut the Oklahoma Department
in half and earmark those dollars to SH33.
Commerce Department has not brought
ing, Coyle, or Ripley.
Put a four-lane highway that connects us to 1.35
jobs come here through private investment.
Evans of CuShing are two examples of:
resulting employment. The Oklahoma
had nothing to do with the existence of
any other private enterprise, is there
capitalism. The greens are pretty, but the
is appropriately called "green" fees.
Second, you cut the Oklahoma Tourism
75 percent. Tourists will travel
tive Oklahoma) are nice, but Winnebagos like
slick ad campaigns and pictures of Will RogerS
boards.
If these two ideas are implemented we
,177 four-laned, the two intersection's
, ¢lec d president.
Is SH33 really going to happen?
Yeah, about the same time you see bum
Rick for prez. You can count on what he sez."
Center
POTLIGHT
By Jim Campbell, OPA Capitol News Bureau
to boost state farm economy
For too long, Oklahoma's economy has suffered because products
from its farms and ranches have been shipped out of state for final
processing, packaging and distribution.
Piecemeal solutions have been tried, but now a comprehensive
approach approved by the 1987 Legislature is under way. It was
placed in orbit with dedication of the Food and Agricultural Prod-
ucts Research and Technology Center at Oklahoma State Univer-
sity.
To be successful, the center will require support from a variety of
academic and other specialists including experts in banking, mar-
keting, manufacturing and environmental and bio-technical science.
Men and women with such credentials took part in a symposium
held as part of the dedication. Several legislators who sponsored
the concept, including a $16.2 million headquarters building, par-
ticipated.
HHH
As far back as the 1950s, lawmakers, agricultural leaders and
OSU officials lamented Oklahoma's lack of"value added" food and
fiber processing industries. Gov. Raymond Gary and Sen. Robert S.
Kerr, both reared on hard scrabble farms, had surveys made then
asking why so much Oklahoma wheat was converted into cereal in
plants in Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois.
Kerr later told an interviewer cereal makers and bankers in Michi-
gan told him processing was more profitable there because of lower
freight rates there for bulk and packaged products. Gary and Kerr
were worried that flour and feed mills in many Oklahoma commu-
nities had gone out of business.
Kerr was promoting proposed construction of the billion-dollar Ar-
kansas-Verdigris navigation project, with a key argument that it
would lead to lower freight rates for Oklahoma products. The wa-
terway alone, however, did not provide sufficieat i
HHH
OSU officials, lawmakers and others
will be boosted when
joint research and development projects
pices. Such arrangements also could grain
and hog producers.
An OSU spokesman says the center also will
producers of milk and dairy products, peanuts,
etables, fruits and other crops. It should
pollution problems and other environme
business ventures.
Broad focus of the center was dem
Gilliland, an OSU dairy foods
director. The center's role will be similar
passed 10 years ago establishing the Oklahoma
vancement of Science and Technology in
agency, with a staff of 20, connects collegi
in need of high-tech assistance.
Oklahoma Secretary of State Tom Cole
ing in for Gov. Frank Keating, who
gency. Former Gov. David Walters, whose
office when the funding bond issue was
speakers. Former Gov. Henry Bellmon
HHH
For at least one Democrat, Sen. Ed
been helpful if the dedication had
election. Long was an OSU regent before
in 1988.
As a regent he proposed the center concept
Robert Kerr, D-Altus, credit for passage of
led to its establishment. The dedication hoop
enhance Longs re-election hopes. He lost his
Waukomis Republican.
HHH
The first local telephone service case
new competitive arena, between AT&T and
now before state corporation commissioners.
decide whether to accept recommendations
law judge, including a 19.8 percent
reselling by AT&T. Bell says that's too n
Butt-By Sam White
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