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Charles
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and Danah
and
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history
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at the 4-H
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Journal.
i
Tough loss in
"Demonviile" Tuesday
night. Top rated
Chandler sweeps varsity-
See page 8
Stillwater woman helps
families reunite-"There's an
opening and a closure"-
Please see page 9 about
this special person
::::::~:::::
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Some activity
The Anderson family reunited.
Monson, Chester Roy Girard.
Morehart; Vivian McCurry.
Back row (left to right): Jim Anderson, Jack Morehart, Terry
Front row (left to right): Judy Ford, Gene Uphus, Joanne
by Rick Clark
Journal Publisher
The Perkins Journal has learned that the Oklahoma Department
of Transpo ation has completed a traffic study of the west inter-
section of SH33 and US177 (33-40 Caie) and is recommending the
installation of signal lights, according to J.R. Sim, ODOT Traffic
Manager from the Perry Divisional Office.
The traffic study and signalization recommendation is the result
of Sim, several ODOT engineers from Oklahoma City, and Cham-
ber of Commerce Transportation Committee Chairman David Sasser
meeting at the intersection earlier this year.
The group personally observed the traffic flow of the intersection
for several hours at that meeting and Sim ordered a traffic count
and study to try to find a solution to the dangerous intersection.
Coincidentally, Tuesday morning an accident that injured two
people occurred a the intersectionthat sent both drivers to the hos-
pital.
Michael Thorsen, Chandler, and Sandra R. Campbell, Perkins,
were transported to Stillwater Medical Center after their vehicles
collided. Both have been treated and released, according to OHP
Trooper Bob Park.
Campbell was issued a citation for improper turn from a direct
course. According to Trooper Park Campbell came onto SH33 from
the industrial road, then turned left to go northbound toward Still-
water.
Thorsen was going westbound on SH33 and collided with the
Campbell vehicle that had pulled out in front of him, the trooper
reported.
Although no one was killed in the Tuesday morning accident, it
does point out how dangerous the intersection is, and with the ODOT
recommendation for signalization shows the concern to correct the
problems from ODOT, local citizens, and civic leaders.
Sasser said that he will ask the Chamber of Commerce members
to endorse by a resolution support of the ODOT signalization rec-
ommendation that he will propose at the Chamber's Thursday,
Continued On Page Nine
\
Perkins
25-
Rainfall:
26-
Rainfall:
27-
Rainfall:
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Rainfall:
By Mo Wassell
Journal Sfaff Writer
Thanksgiving is typically a
time for family gatherings and
reunions. But this Thanksgiving
found the Anderson family cel-
ebrating more than gratitude for
the usual blessings. Eight broth-
ers and sisters of the Anderson
family were reunited for the first
time since 1951 on Saturday,
November 30, 1996, at the
Church of God in Ripley.
The emotional gathering culmi-
nated a 38-year search by Jim
Anderson and wife, Sam, of Still-
water, for his three brothers and
two of his three sisters who were
separated in their childhood by
the State welfare system and
placed initially in foster care,
and later with adoptive families.
They credited the invaluable as-
sistance of Leona Smith of Still-
water, and her husband, Tom, for
helping to bring the family to-
gether again. Approximately two
years ago, Jim and Sam, who
ing taken away. The mother,
attend the Ripley Church of GOd it all!" And his mother was gone EstherAnderson, died about one
with Leona and Tom, happened most of the time, working to try
to mention to Leona their frus- and support the family. In 1951 year later, and they suspect it
was partially due to a "broken
tration resulting from their fu- Jim was sent to visit a relative heart at losing her family."
tile search to locate Jim's fam- and when he returned home he
Jim, the oldest of the clan and
ily. Leona, who has had expert- found the Oklahoma Depart- affectionately referred to by his
ence reuniting families, offered ment of Human Services had siblings as"Big Brother", was 11
to help and they gratefully ac- removed the children from cus-
years old when he and his sis-
cepted her offer, tody and placed them in various ter, Vivian, age 9, were first
Born in Stillwater to Otto and foster homes in Oklahoma. Heplaced in foster homes and then
Esther Anderson, Jim struggled spent several years feeling as later placed at the Whitaker
to take care of the younger chil- though he had done somethingState Home, where Jim re-
dren. According to Jim, his fa- wrong, that he was respons'fD'm
ther was"an alcoholic. That says for his brothers and sisters be- Continued On Page Nine
29 - High:
0.94
30-
Rainfall:
1- High:
0.22
Novem-
at
24
office
ty
cirive
or
Perkins
Southard
18
Your curb
of the
the Lions
Kinder
Perkins
at 547-
By Margaret Coate
Journal Staff Writer
A lot of water has gone under
the bridge over the Cimarron
River south of Perkins and a lot
of water has gone into and out
of the old water tank that stands
near City Hall since Gayle Sager
went to work there nearly 30
years ago. Gayle is planning to
retire the last day of 1996 and
when asked about changes that
have taken place between May
of 1967 and December of 1996,
she says the most obvious
change is the way the town has
grown. That growth means a lot
more homes and those added
homes naturally mean a growth
in the number of water meters
and the number of city utility
bills Gayle and the other employ-
ees at city hall have to get ready
each month.
Another obvious change, espe-
dally to residents who have lived
in this town for many years, is
the number of water towers. In
1967 there was only one water
tower and now there are three.
In those earlier years, the tower
was visible at night from a great
distance because of the light on
top. That light, a large bulb on
top of the tower, was a beacon
for the weary traveler coming
home--and it was kept burning
by men brave enough to climb up
the steep steps to change the
bulb. One of those men was Leon
Reynolds who was the superin-
tendent when Gayle first came
to work.
Even though she looks forward
to being able to travel with her
husband, Melvin, Gayle will
miss the every day goings-on at
the place where she has worked
for so long. And when she retires
from being City Treasurer at
City Hall, the place will not be
the same.
City Hall--the place where
city residents go to pay their util-
ity bills each month and where
prospective residents go to pay
deposits for utilities. And it is
longer be the treasurer, Gayle our work done--and we had a lot
said, "I asked Melvin if he • of fun doing it." One of the
thought I could do the job--and
he said he thought I could" so she
ran for office--and to this day,
she hao never had an opponent.
Melvin retired from Oklahoma
State University where he was
in electrician maintenance and
after Gayle retires, the couple
plans to travel for awhile. They
expect to go south to Texas with
the "Snow Birds."
Both Melvin and Gayle gradu-
ated from Cushing High School.
The son of the late E.W. and
Ruth Sager, graduated in 1949.
Gayle, whose parents were
Arthur and Ethel Gentry, gradu-
things these two women "got
done" was reading the water
meters. Least anyone say read-
ing meters is"a man's job," Eliza-
beth wants everyone to know
that isn't necessarily s(r--women
can do the job, too. The first time
the women read meters hap-
pened this way: "The men acted
as if that was a difficult job, so
we decided to take the books and
go read the meters to prove to
the regular readers the job re-
ally wasn't that hard," she said.
"Of course, we found some spi-
ders but we got the job done," she
continued.
Gayle explained that people
who work at City Hall wear
many hats, especially the women
who fill in as police and fire sta-
tion dispatchers, and they still
read water meters when neces-
sary.
Another helpful change at City
Hall is the way utility bills are
prepared. Until recently it was
done with the use of typewriters
but now it is done with the new
computers. Mr. Ernest Dirks,
state training director, designed
a computer program for small
towns in 1984 and, as Gayle
says, he used Perkins for his
"guinea pig." "This program cut
down tremendously on the
at City Hall that these new rest- ated in 1950. They moved to
dents get their first taste of Perkins in 1951 to run the dry
Perkins hospitality. The people cleaner business, later buying it
who work there are happy to
greet old and new residents
alike, making the ones who have
been here for some time feel glad
they came and making the new
ones feel welcome in their
adopted town.
Gayle was elected to the office
of City Treasurer in 1967. Asked
how she decided to run for office,
she says it was her husband who
helped her decide. At that time,
Melvin was the treasurer and at
the same time he owned and ran
the local dry cleaner business.
When he decided he could no
from Jack Berry. After 20 years,
Melvin sold the business and
went to work helping maintain
the Perkins-Tryon schools before
working at OSU. "isn't necessar-
ily so.
At the time Gayle decided to
run for the office of City Trea-
surer, it was time to elect a new
City Clerk, also, and Elizabeth
Wise, a life long resident and
youngest daughter of the famous
Frank "Pistol Pete" Eaton, was
elected to that office. Of the 12
years she spent working with
Gayle, Elizabeth says, %Ve got
amount of time it took to get the
bills made out," she said. In or-
der to improve her work on the
computer, the treasurer took
some computer classes at Merid-
ian Technology Center.
Many funny things took place
during the time Gayle has
worked at City Hall. Of course,
nearly everyone in town knew
the Sagers before she'went to
work--and some of the people
she worked with could think of
funny things to do--like the sign
in her yard the day one very spe-
cial day--her 40th birthday. Her
co-workers knew that she felt 40
was "over the hill" so early that
morning, the aforementioned
sign appeared "out of no where."
Of course, many people thought
it was her husband who had
done that dastardly deed--but in
reality it was her co-worker Leon
Reynolds. That sign read (as
plain as could be) Gayle is 40!
"I tried and tried to pull that sign
up," Gayle said, "but it couldn't
be budged. It wouldn't have been
so bad if it hadn't been right
across the street from the school
where everyone going to and
from school could see it!" the
"Happy Birthday Girl" said.
Another funny thing (not
funny at the time but it gets fun-
nier with each year they think
Continued On Page Four
