Looking back at basic training

Fifty years ago tomorrow (Friday) marks an important day in my life. It will be etched in my mind forever. It was on Dec. 4, 1970, that I first stepped on the base of Fort Polk, La., to begin basic training for the 95th Division Army Reserve unit in Shawnee.

Counting the many changes

Looking back on the past year, it’s been a wild ride. From returning home from Spain to quarantining for ungodly amounts of time due to a national pandemic, this year has taught many life lessons – most of them being uncomfortable and unwanted – and brought many changes.

Editorial: remembering Pearl Harbor

This coming Monday, Dec. 7, marks the 79th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. In 1941, that day was a Sunday. Japanese planes unleashed a bombardment, killing and injuring thousands of American military personnel and many civilians.

Town Talk

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in downtown Stroud. Thank you to all the merchants who have decorated their windows for the holidays. Thanks, also, to City Manager Bob Pearman and the City employees for getting our community all lit up for Christmas. Our town looks great!

“Twas” Times Two in Chandler, Stroud

This is the Sixtieth article in a semi-permanent column for Stroud Arts that appears in the Stroud American. The mission of these articles is to inform, educate and inspire you, the reader, to Make Art Happen in your life and the life of our community. The classic Christmas poem, “A Visit from St.

Editorial

Oklahoma voters decisively defeated two state questions a few weeks ago in the General Election. State Questions 805 and 814 were soundly rejected. In defeating SQ 805, voters in Pottawatomie and Lincoln Counties joined those across the state in shelving attempts to reform state sentencing laws.

Ready for Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is a great time of the year. My wife Pat and I always look forward to Turkey Day. Once again we are really excited because our family will be here and that includes our daughter Meghan, her husband Terry and their son, Liam (our grandson).

Happenings at Prairie Pointe

Happy Thanksgiving! Who would have thought last March that we would still be dealing with this virus at Thanksgiving? Nonetheless, we still have plenty for which to be thankful and hopefully by next year, we will be thankful a vaccine has eliminated this deadly disease.

Update from Meeker Town Hall

Update on “Quapaw 15 Project/Meeker Lake I talked to Tammy Sawatzky this morning and she said that the surveying that is going on at the Lake now is resolving some issues from the previous surveying crews. Once the survey is redone, we will all sit down together and do an overview on land rights.

Town Talk

Glenda Buchanan Funk called me this week to check on the train engine Town Talk purchased from Paula Hicks Ackerman so I thought I’d share an update with you. We did purchase the engine and are having it restored. It is a community effort.