Frank Groom

Regan Siler This is Regan Siler with the Bristow Historical Society in Bristow, Oklahoma. This interview is part of the Historical Society's ongoing oral history project. The date is August 6, 2024 and I'm sitting here with Frank groom at the Bristow library annex. He's going to tell us a little bit about his life and his history living in the Bristow area. Can you please state your full name?

Frank Groom Franklin Ewing Groom.

Regan Siler Okay. And do I have permission to do this interview?

Frank Groom Yes, you do.

Regan Siler Okay. So can you tell me when and where you were born?

Frank Groom I was born August the 14th, 1939 in Chandler, Oklahoma.

Regan Siler And can you tell us about the people in your family? Let's, let's start with your parents. What are your parents? Full names?

Frank Groom My dad was Floyd Franklin Groom and my mom was Thelma Carmen Burris.

Regan Siler Okay. Do you happen to know your, I have your your dad's birth date as 12/8/1913. 00:01:00Does that sound right?

Regan Siler And then I have your mother as November 6, 1938 [correction 11/20/1911] Frank Groom Yeah.

Frank Groom That's correct.

Regan Siler Okay, um, do you have any siblings?

Frank Groom No, not, not 1938 Regan Siler Not 19?

Frank Groom Are you talking about my wife or mom?

Regan Siler Oh, I had, I do have that wrong? Um, well, that's what I found online. So it's November 6, but the year is incorrect?

Frank Groom My wife's birthday is November 6, 1938.

Regan Siler Well, okay, I just have that wrong, then. I apologize. I will, I will get the right date on that. Sorry about that. Okay, so do you have any siblings?

Frank Groom I've got five.

Regan Siler You have five siblings. Okay, what are their names?

Frank Groom Well, the oldest was my sister Murel Dean Groom Rains.

Regan Siler And you said Murel?

Frank Groom Murel. 00:02:00Regan Siler Okay Frank Groom M u r e l. Murel.

Regan Siler Okay.

Frank Groom Frank Groom And the next one, just older than me, was William Earl Groom.

Regan Siler Okay.

Frank Groom And after me, there's Gilbert Lee Groom, who still lives here in Bristow. And Joe Lynn Groom, who lives in South Dakota, and Jimmy Don Groom. He passed away several years ago.

Regan Siler Okay, so you so how many siblings are still living?

Frank Groom There's still four, five of us.

Regan Siler Okay.

Frank Groom I'm sorry, four, four of us. Two have passed away. My older sister passed away.

Regan Siler Okay, okay, um, what type of work, I know we had talked a little bit, but what, what type of work did your parents do?

Frank Groom My dad was a carpenter contractor, and my mom had the restaurant.

Regan Siler Okay, and you had mentioned that your family had run like restaurants in the Bristow area for around 40 years.

Frank Groom Yes.

Regan Siler And which restaurants were those?

Frank Groom Well, they had one on Main Street. I think, 00:03:00if this real little, I think it's called the Blue Front, which is down between Fifth and Sixth Street on the west side. And then they leased the Kelly Lake truck stop and had that until the turnpike opened in '54 and that killed the truck traffic on 66 so they left that and opened one on main street called the Harvey House Cafe.

Regan Siler And you said that was located where the Dollar General is now, currently. So did your did your mother run it? Did she cook there, like what?

Frank Groom All of it.

Regan Siler All of D, all of the above. Okay.

Frank Groom And then when Safeway bought that corner property to put the Safeway store where Dollar General is now, they moved up the street and changed the name of it to Mom's Home Cooking. 00:04:00Regan Siler Okay.

Frank Groom Stay there until they retired in the 70s, probably early 70s.

Regan Siler So did, did you and your siblings ever work at any of those restaurants?

Frank Groom Oh, yeah. Didn't have any choice?

Regan Siler It was just part of it. So, now, I know you said, and, which, I'm kind of skipping ahead, but knowing that your dad was a carpenter, is that where you because I know you had the handyman business, which we'll talk about a little later on in the interview. But is that where you learned all your skills?

Frank Groom Yes, and working with him and my granddad. My Granddad, Burris was also a carpenter, and was a real good teacher. So I learned a lot from my grandpa.

Regan Siler To me, that is some of the most you can't put a price tag on the knowledge that you can gain from like learning a trade like that, like carpentry, which I feel like we're kind of losing 00:05:00in this day and age as far as craftsmanship and quality of work and things like that. So, I guess you did you enjoy it as a young person?

Frank Groom Oh yeah, yeah.

Regan Siler So so it wasn't something forced on you, it's something you you really wanted to learn and enjoyed doing.

Frank Groom Yeah, I learned how to sharpen chisels, tools, saws and most people don't go have any idea how to do that.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom So, yeah, it was a good experience.

Regan Siler Good experience. So, did your dad just do any kind of carpentry work, or was there, did he have like, a specialty?

Frank Groom Well, no, not really. He did anything that a carpenter would do. He built several houses here in Bristow, and remodeled and put roofs on just whatever people needed.

Regan Siler Whatever needed to be done. So, did you, has your family, when did your has your 00:06:00family always lived in the Bristow area? I know you said you were born in Chandler.

Frank Groom Well, we moved here when I was, like, four years old. So that would have been 1943 we moved to Bristow.

Regan Siler And did your grand, did your grandparents live here?

Frank Groom They did after we lived here.

Regan Siler Oh, okay, so they moved here. They followed you here. Okay.

Frank Groom My dad had a, well, they worked at the bomber plant in Tulsa during World War II.

Regan Siler At the what plant?

Frank Groom The bomber plant.

Regan Siler The bomber plant. Oh, wow.

Frank Groom In Tulsa, and my dad built scaffolding to go up around the airplanes for people to work on them. And my mom was a Rosie the Riveter type person. She put aluminum panels together for the airplanes.

Regan Siler Oh, wow, that's amazing!

Frank Groom And I remember they had a 1939 Buick, 00:07:00and there was six of them. They worked second shift, and then six people from Bristow, my dad drove, and the others rode with him, because that's the only way they could have get enough ration coupons to have enough gasoline to get there.

My goodness, so and so, how long did he, how long did, what was the name of the, do you remember what the name of that, the bomb, the bomber plant was, or the?

Frank Groom Well, it's where American Airlines has their repair depot now.

Regan Siler So, it was out there?

Frank Groom I really don't know what it was called.

Regan Siler Okay, wow. And how long did he do that? Do you remember?

Frank Groom Until the war was over. Until '47.

Regan Siler Wow. Okay, um, so growing up, did you have, obviously, your grandparents were here. Did you have other family that lived nearby you?

Frank Groom No. Our 00:08:00closest relatives were in Guthrie [Oklahoma].

Regan Siler Really? Okay. So just your grandparents on your dad's side?

Frank Groom No, my mom's side.

Regan Siler Your mom's side were the ones that lived here close to you. Okay, um, so let's talk a little bit about your early childhood. These are just some kind of fun questions to remember. Do you remember having any favorite toys or favorite games that you played as a child?

Frank Groom Not really. I was an outdoor kid. If the weather was good. I was outside.

Regan Siler So what did you do outside? Like, what were the things you did outside?

Frank Groom We'd go to Sand Creek and play all up and down the creek and kick cans down the street.

Regan Siler So did you mainly play with your siblings, or did you have friends that would come over?

Frank Groom I had some little friends that lived in the neighborhood that's my age. 00:09:00I remember one of them was a little black boy that lived catty corner down a block or two, and when we started first grade, I had to go all the way to Washington School, and he only went a couple blocks down the street to Lincoln School. And I didn't think that was fair. He got the two blocks I had to walk six!

I actually went to Washington School, also. Okay. Well, so did you have any chores that you were expected to do as a youngster?

Frank Groom Well, we helped with, we took turns doing dishes, helped mom in the kitchen, hung out clothes on the clothesline on wash day, cleaned our own bedrooms, that kind of stuff.

Regan Siler Right. So, you just did what needed to be done. Okay. So, did you have any favorite activities 00:10:00or hobbies as a child?

Frank Groom My favorite thing was probably going down to my granddad's and working in his garden with him. I like to garden. I like to be outdoors. And he always had a garden, and that was a good excuse to go down and work the garden, then I could have supper with him.

Regan Siler Oh, you had a little bit of an ulterior motive there. So what kind of things did he grow?

Frank Groom All kinds of vegetables, you know, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, just typical family garden.

Regan Siler So did that, I guess, kind of instill a love for growing things with you?

Frank Groom Yeah, I still like do that.

Regan Siler Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. I wish we had a little more of that going on these days. I think that's maybe a little bit where we've, I don't know, lost some connection to family and doing things like that, because I remember, you know, 00:11:00picking and snapping green beans with my grandpa. And, you know, that's when you sit and you talk, and they tell you stories.

Frank Groom Well, my mom and my grandfather canned a lot of stuff, you know. I remember they'd go to Porter [Oklahoma] every year and get, bring back, the backseat ofthe car would be full of peaches for us and other people. And we would can peaches for, seemed like a week, make jelly and everything.

Regan Siler But I think doing that, you know, as a young person, you end up learning a lot of skills that I think, like I said, I feel, are kind of lost on, you know, probably my generation and younger, if that wasn't kind of handed down to you or something you did, traditionally, with your family. Do you remember collecting 00:12:00anything or having any, you know, having anything like that that you collected as a child?

Frank Groom No, didn't do any of that.

Regan Siler Well, let's talk a little bit about your school life. Did you first attend school at Washington?

Frank Groom The first six years.

Regan Siler Okay.

Frank Groom Of course, that school is gone. Went to junior high school. That building's gone. Graduated 1957.

Regan Siler Now, was it just me or going to, I can remember going to the junior high, boy, there were some hot summers in there trying to was it like that for you guys, too? Where you just you're you're sweating on your papers and trying to learn in the summer. Did you have any influential teachers during that time? Any that particularly stuck out to you, or you feel like maybe mentored you or helped you during that time?

Frank Groom Well, Carolyn Foster 00:13:00 [12/20/1912-7/10/2019].

Frank Groom She's been mentioned a lot in my interviews. Yeah, very beloved.

Frank Groom She was a jewel. And Mrs. Gurley, Neva Gurley [5/1/1902-9/16/1997], when I was in high school. Mr. Roberts taught, I don't remember what, history, I guess.

Regan Siler So, did, didn't Mrs. Foster, didn't she teach English? Okay, yeah. And was that in high school?

Frank Groom That was in junior high.

Regan Siler In junior high, okay?

Frank Groom And Loren Roberts was a history teacher in junior high. Top notch guy. He later took a job at the college in Alva. I don't remember the name of what that is, North Central, anyway, that's Regan Siler That's where he ended up going?

Frank Groom Finished out his career.

Regan Siler Do you remember, so, I guess you just said I was going to ask, do you remember how you got to school as a youngster, but you had to walk six blocks. 00:14:00Frank Groom Grade school, yes, whatever it was to the junior high.

Regan Siler To the junior high. So, where did you actually live in town?

Frank Groom Lived on the corner of seventh east, seventh and Oak Street, Regan Siler And did you live there pretty much your whole Frank Groom Until I graduate from high school.

Regan Siler So, you were there the whole time? Okay. Were you a member of any clubs or organizations during your school life, which would probably be more in junior high or high school.

Frank Groom I was in the band from the seventh grade on. I was in the Projectionist Club in the high school.

Regan Siler Now, what is the Projectionist Club?

Frank Groom Well, of course, they don't have it now, but if the teachers needed to show a film, they had to have somebody that knew how to run the 16 millimeter projector. So we had a small club that we trained individuals to operate that equipment so they could have somebody to 00:15:00operate the equipment.

Regan Siler Well, that's neat. Well, I did a little, I did a little digging on you, and I think you were like, really band was like, really your thing? Wasn't it? Like you were very good at it, and you were, I think, what were you a vice president of the band?

Frank Groom No, no, I was a drum major.

Regan Siler Drum Major, okay, and so you went to competitions and Frank Groom Yeah, I played solos at competition. Never did come out top dog, but always went, trying.

Regan Siler Okay, um, and then were you on the Council of Methodist Youth Fellowship? You were involved in your church?

Frank Groom Yes.

Regan Siler Um, and then explain to me what, is it Demolays? What is that?

Frank Groom Well, it's kind of like a junior Masonic organization sponsored by the Masonic Lodge.

Regan Siler Oh, 00:16:00 okay.

Frank Groom And it follows some of that ritualistic stuff. But it's just for, I think you're out when you're 21 that's as high as the upper age level.

Regan Siler So, you've always kind of had a heart for for that kind of thing, because, I mean, you're still, you're still.

Frank Groom It's a service organization.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom I don't even think they have one now.

Regan Siler Well, I honestly, hadn't ever even heard of it until I have worked on some previous interviews. And Paula Atwell is my go-to history lady at the at the depot. So, she I was like, what is the what is the Demolays? Like, I had never heard of it, um, but sometimes I wish we still had programs like that. It seems like that would be good for our youth to be more, a little more service minded.

Frank Groom Yeah, I think so.

Regan Siler Yeah, okay, um, did you enjoy school?

Frank Groom Oh, yeah.

Regan Siler You did? Did you did you do pretty well 00:17:00academically, or?

Frank Groom I passed.

Regan Siler Okay, fair enough. Did you have a favorite subject?

Frank Groom Probably history.

Regan Siler History.

Frank Groom Once I got out of high school, and went in the Air Force, I found out how good of schools we actually had here. The way I was raised was a whole lot different than a lot of guys that I saw, like in basic training.

Regan Siler That you experienced that in the Air Force that you Frank Groom Yes.

Regan Siler Interesting. So, in what way, and I guess expand on that, how do you how do you?

Frank Groom Well, a kid can't even sew a button back on his uniform. He doesn't have a clue on how to do that, or polish shoes. You have to teach them how to do this stuff when they're 18, 19, 20 years old.

Regan Siler And you felt you had very well 00:18:00rounded skills. Well, that's good, that's good to know. So then you did attend college. So where did you tell me about that a little bit. Where did you end up going?

Frank Groom After I got to the Air Force, I went to Grayson County Junior College, which it's where Perrin Air Force Base used to be between Dennis and Sherman, Texas. I went it all at night and got my APA there. And then I went to Texas A&M at Commerce, Texas, and finished out my degree, my bachelor's degree there.

Regan Siler Okay, so I guess let's back up so you were in the Air Force. And how long were you in the Air Force?

Frank Groom Eight years.

Regan Siler Eight years. And can you give us any I guess your thoughts on what that experience was like?

Frank Groom Well, 00:19:00I like, I liked it. I I enjoyed my service. Travel a lot. Got to see a lot of things. But, when I got out in '67 not sure how I should say this, but I came back from Japan. I was a Staff Sergeant E5 and I replaced the Chief Master Sergeant who was an E8, and because I had already passed all my proficiency stuff to qualify for a supervisor position at his level, but I had two tech sergeants that were still three-level because they weren't smart enough to pass the five-level test, much less the seven-level test. So, I went E5 and I've got E6's working for me, which don't work, 00:20:00but the upper management Air Force wouldn't do anything about it. And that really turned me against the process.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom So I quit.

Regan Siler You were done.

Frank Groom After eight years.

Regan Siler After eight years. Do you think if that would have been different or could have been resolved, you would have maybe stayed longer?

Frank Groom Yeah, I do. But I didn't see it changing.

Regan Siler Right, right. So, then you came back and went to college. So what did you study in college?

Frank Groom Business.

Regan Siler Business.

Frank Groom Yeah, business administration. Took a lot of accounting courses, My minor is in economics and finance. My major is Business Administration.

Regan Siler So I know whenever we had talked before, you said one of your main jobs throughout your career was in management 00:21:00and long-haul trucking. Can you tell me anything about that?

Frank Groom Well, I had a when I worked for Pillsbury for several years, and I was when I left them, I was [indecipherable] manager. So, I had some trucking experience, and I, at that point, I had my own business. I had a high pressure cleaning business in Dallas area, and one of my customers, I told him I was thinking about getting out of it, because the EPA was starting to get real strict about soap going down this cleaning stuff going into drains and all that, so I was thinking about getting out of it. And he told me he had a friend that owned a trucking company, and he would check with him and see if he needed any employees. So, this fellow 00:22:00named Jay Trammel (ph) called me and invited me to come out and talk to him, which I did, and he hired me. And I went to work in their operating department as customer service and dispatching, and from there, it just that became my world. I really enjoyed it.

Regan Siler So who were some of the companies that you worked for throughout your life?

Frank Groom Well, I worked for J Lines (ph), which was J Travel Company (ph). Then I worked for JMI Transport out of Batesville, Arkansas. Worked for another little trucking company in Dallas for just a little while. Then I went to, what's the name of that, out of Salt Lake City, Utah, that's gone by the wayside, PS, 00:23:00PST Vans. That stood for Pacific States Transport and they just shortened it to PST. Now I went from there to Goodway Transport in Pennsylvania, after living in Salt Lake City for a while.

Regan Siler So, you you went, you lived in Texas, then you went to Salt Lake, and then you went to Pennsylvania?

Frank Groom Yeah. Went to Louisiana.

Regan Siler So you, you, you got around for a while. So when did you end up landing back in Bristow?

Frank Groom Well, in '97 I left the company in Louisiana and moved back to Bristow. At that point, I went to work for John Christner Trucking in Sapulpa [Oklahoma].

Regan Siler Okay.

Frank Groom And retired from there.

Regan Siler And how long were you at John Christner?

Frank Groom Little over eight years.

Regan Siler Okay, all right. 00:24:00Um, okay. Well, we got a little bit sidetracked, because I wanted to talk to you about your your truck, your trucking career. Let's back up a little bit. And can you tell me about the the house you grew up in? I know you said it was on East Seventh. Um, did you have your own room?

Frank Groom Oh, no. We had a three-bedroom house. My folks had what their bedroom. My sister got one by herself. Five boys were in the other bedroom.

Regan Siler Oh!

Frank Groom Two double beds and one twin bed.

Regan Siler Oh, my goodness!

Frank Groom All in one room.

Regan Siler So did you get along with your sibling siblings, or did that, did that make for some contentious times?

Frank Groom There were times.

Regan Siler I would imagine! So and you said you spent most of your time outside, which I think 00:25:00a lot of people from your generation did. It's not like it is now, where you can't hardly kick a kid outside.

Frank Groom We had a big elm tree just outside the back door, and there was a place in it where I could set on limb. It's almost like a recliner and but I couldn't fall off, but the way the way the limbs were. And I would take my book and I'd climb that tree and get that nice spot.

Regan Siler Oh, that's awesome! You don't have a picture of that, do you?

Frank Groom No.

Regan Siler Oh, man!

Frank Groom We didn't have smartphones.

Regan Siler Yeah, yeah. Well, that's a neat place to hang out.

Frank Groom Yeah, it was. I spent a lot of time up there and just get away from everybody. I could read not be bothered.

Regan Siler Right! So, how old were you around when you hung out in your tree? How old would you say you were?

Frank Groom Up through junior high school, probably. Well, until I got a car. 00:26:00Then everything changed. Okay, so tell me what meal times were like in your family. Did you eat together every night?

Frank Groom Every night.

Regan Siler I'm guessing mom cooked cooked meals, and everybody sat down.

Frank Groom Yep, that's the way we did it.

Regan Siler I like that. Um, and then you said everybody just kind of took turns on cleanup. Did you help cook too, or did mom, usually?

Frank Groom I didn't, but my older sister did, and then my older brother would help but, Gib, the one younger than me, he's the only one that wound up in anything with food service. He went into the Army as as a cook and retired as a cook.

Regan Siler Wow. Okay.

Frank Groom [undecipherable] Regan Siler Wow. Okay, um, do you 00:27:00remember having a favorite meal? Or, you know, did you come away with any favorite recipes that your your mom made?

Frank Groom My favorite then and still is, is probably brown beans, cornbread, fried potatoes.

Regan Siler Man, you know, I've talked to some of my friends that aren't from here, and they can't wrap their head around that meal like and I'm like, I admit, I don't know, maybe it's like a southern thing or something, but that's, we always had that. It's good.

Frank Groom That's probably still my favorite.

Regan Siler Did your mom fix any favorite desserts or anything that you remember?

Frank Groom Well, she was well known for her pineapple upside down cakes, which were fabulous, but that was a standout. That's what we always wanted.

Regan Siler That was that was a treat, huh?

Frank Groom She was just a super cook.

Regan Siler Well, I 00:28:00imagine she would have to be for running restaurants for 40 years. So, thinking back to your life growing up around Bristow, did you have any like, favorite community activities? And by that I mean like you know you think about like Western Heritage Days, parades, county fair, what do you have any memory, specific memories of times like that, or things, I don't know, day camp and stuff like that that, that you did?

Frank Groom Didn't have day camp then. I had never heard of that until I moved back to Bristow. But [undecipherable] we had the swimming pool at that time. I would rather go to Falls Creek, I mean, Little Falls or down to Salt Creek somewhere. Swimming pool was, it didn't smell good.

Regan Siler You wanted to be in nature.

Frank Groom Yeah, I wanted to be outside. Swimming pool just didn't, didn't hack 00:29:00it for me.

Regan Siler Wasn't your, wasn't your cup of tea. So did you? So were you involved with any of like the Western Heritage Days activities?

Frank Groom No, not back then other than in the band. We had parades and all that.

Regan Siler Okay, alright, um, do you remember some of the biggest or most popular businesses around town?

Frank Groom Think back, I can probably think of most of them, but the ones I miss are, like, JC Penney, Clark's Fine Clothes, Mr. Silver's jewelry store, Mr. Harvat's jewelry store. I could go and stand and look and watch, help, fix watches and stuff for hours.

Regan Siler Well, I think it's neat because I came to Bristow in the, probably, 00:30:00early 80s, and it seems like there was a time before then, it seems like I kind of came at a time when Bristow was maybe kind of on a decline. And, so, to hear how Bristow was before that is has been really interesting to me, because it was a pretty it was a pretty happening town back in the day.

Frank Groom Yeah, I can remember, up until I left and after graduating, that you couldn't find a parking space on Main Street on Friday and Saturday. And a farmer could drive their teams of the horses and park them past the alley and stake them out, so they could get up on Main Street. But, gosh, from especially Fifth Street to Ninth Street, especially, it was just wall to wall people and cars.

Regan Siler So, what do you what do you think attributed 00:31:00to the change in Bristow?

Regan Siler Walmart. You're not the only one that says that they, you know, feel like there was quite a downturn for the town once Walmart came. It's a real double-edged sword, isn't it? Yeah, interesting. Okay, um, did you have a favorite place, this is probably a silly question, did you have a favorite place to eat, or did you primarily eat at home?

Frank Groom Walmart.

Frank Groom Well, either the cafe or at home.

Regan Siler Either one was your mom.

Frank Groom About once a month, my dad would load us all up in a car and we'd go to, what's the name of that? It's a hamburger place in west Tulsa [Oklahoma] and all, you can't even go in. You have to order at the window andsit in a car at a table up the street 00:32:00or something. But that was the big deal. Once a month, we would go up there, all of you would get a hamburger and a milk shake.

Regan Siler So that was a treat!

Frank Groom That was a treat, yeah.

Regan Siler And you don't remember the name of the place?

Frank Groom What-a-Burger. Well, no, Lot-a-Burger.

Regan Siler Lot-a-Burger.

Frank Groom Yeah, it's still there.

Regan Siler Really?

Frank Groom The tree still there beside it.

Regan Siler Oh, my goodness! Well, that's cool. Um, did you have a favorite place to hang out as a teenager?

Frank Groom Skating rink, probably, and Anchor Drive-In. That was after you get your car. You'd go to the Anchor.

Regan Siler So, was cruising Main a thing back then?

Frank Groom Oh, yeah.

Regan Siler Okay, yeah. I kind of miss those days.

Frank Groom We'd turn around at Fourth Street, Fourth and the railroad tracks, go up to Tenth and go turn around behind the DX station and drag main again.

Regan Siler See to me, that's when times were fun because 00:33:00we we still drug Main, even when I was in high school. But it kind of seems like it's not really a thing anymore. Like you drive through town at night and it's pretty dead.

Frank Groom Yeah, well, it wasn't them. Yeah, you could see everybody.

Regan Siler So, then skating rink time was that, before you got your car, that you would go?

Frank Groom And after.

Regan Siler And after.

Frank Groom That was just, Regan Siler And that was down here at the at the old skating rink?

Frank Groom Downstairs. Mrs. Barnett, Virginia Schrader, and Mrs. Beistle were the operators.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom That was the place to be the on Friday, Saturday night.

Regan Siler Back when times were a little simpler.

Frank Groom Yep, we didn't have the TV like we have now. I can remember when we got our first TV. We were the first people in that whole section of town to get a TV set. So, 00:34:00Harold [Harold White] that had the TV shop, come out, put it in, put the antenna up, and all that. You couldn't stir the people in the living room. All the neighbors were there to watch TV, and it was green.

Regan Siler It was green?!

Frank Groom Yeah, it had a greenish tent. It wasn't nice, sharp, black and white, you know, it was kind of the greenish color.

Regan Siler Greenish color, I had never, so do you remember any particular TV shows or anything that you got to watch that was exciting for you?

Frank Groom Actually, I did watch much TV. I still don't. About the only thing I watch is news and NASCAR races. That's it.

Frank Groom Oh, big time. Kids nowadays don't know how to entertain themselves if they don't have a cell phone or some kind of tablet or device, device to play games and stuff on.

Regan Siler Well, you know, it's kind of like the the Walmart situation. You know, when I do these interviews and I talk to people about how life was back then versus how it is now, and, you know, 00:35:00I know there's always a place for technology and that, you know, it's beneficial in so many ways. But, again, it's kind of a double edged sword. I think it take, it has really taken away from like relationships and being outside and doing things. Would you agree?

Regan Siler And it seems like to me, it kind of stifles creativity because you you're not forced, because I know, when I grew up in the country, we would build weird forts in the woods, or, you know, we were in the creeks, or, you know, we would even sometimes play in the dump to see what we could get out to, you know, make a little house out of 00:36:00or whatever. And, I mean, I just don't think there's a lot of that that that goes on, because everybody has a, so for me, doing these interviews and hearing about how it used to be is kind of a, you know, makes me wish it was still like that in some ways.

Frank Groom Well, like when I'd go, my grandparents lived out on Jackson, down past Fourth Street, about third or fourth block, and of course, it was half a mile from where we lived to their house. But I'd [indecipherable] out there, I had to walk. I had an old an old bicycle wheel. Didn't have a tire on it, just took metal ring of spokes, and I'd take a stick and I'd roll that thing all the way to grandpa's house. Or I'd, I'd get a can out of the trash, I'd kick it all the way to grandpa's house.

Regan Siler I've actually had, I actually had another gentleman that I interviewed that said he did the exact same thing. 00:37:00Frank Groom I mean, something to do. Kids don't do that now. In fact, you can go up and drive around after school, and you don't see a teenager out anywhere.

Regan Siler Yeah, yeah. I, I agree. Um, do you remember, back kind of on the TV thing, I know you said you didn't really watch it much, but do you remember happening, did you happen to see any pivotal moments on on TV growing up? Like I remember, one person said they remember witnessing like landing on the moon, and was there any pivotal moments you remember watching on TV?

Frank Groom Not that I recall.

Regan Siler Did you enjoy listening to music growing up?

Frank Groom Yes, but I've got away from that, because I'm so hard of hearing that I've got a six year old pickup that's got a brand new radio that's never been turned on.

Regan Siler Are you serious? 00:38:00Frank Groom Too distracting.

Regan Siler Oh, my goodness!

Frank Groom I tried to listen and say I'm hard of hearing anyway, so I just don't, I just don't turn it on.

Regan Siler And you didn't listen to music much as that seems crazy with you being in band and having been so involved with bands.

Frank Groom Have you listened to today's music?!

Frank Groom Well, I'm kind of old fashioned. I like older music, actually, but I just didn't know if, growing up, if there was any particular artist or music that you that you likd.

Frank Groom Eddy Arnold, I remember him real well. That's probably really only the one that I really like to listen to, but I like, you know, back then you get all kinds of music on the radio, but now it's junk. I just don't care for it.

Regan Siler Well, I can't completely disagree with you on that. 00:39:00So, what was medical care like for you and your family growing up? Did you have a family doctor? Did you take care of things at home?

Frank Groom Well, some of both. Our family doctor was Dr. Harz who was a chiropractor, and he was on the third floor over the OG&E building.

Regan Siler Really? I've not heard of him.

Frank Groom I don't believe that.

Regan Siler I don't think I have. I hear a lot about like, Dr King and but you say Harrs like H A R R S?

Frank Groom H A R Z. He was German.

Regan Siler Oh, okay.

Frank Groom Had the strongest hands, but he was our family doctor until I left and went in the Air Force.

Regan Siler Okay.

Frank Groom So, if you're too sick to find those three flights of stairs, you're too sick to see him. You had to go somewhere else.

Regan Siler You're just out of luck 00:40:00then, huh?

Frank Groom But I never went to a dentist until I was in the Air Force.

Regan Siler Oh, my goodness!

Frank Groom That's why I've got a set of false teeth now.

Regan Siler Well, so do you recall any serious illnesses or epidemics or anything like that growing up that you or your family experienced?

Frank Groom Well, I can remember having the chicken pox. I was I don't think I started school yet, and my grandparents still lived on the farm over by Chandler [Oklahoma], and that's where I was while I broke out. They put me in a bedroom upstairs and hung quilts over the windows, and I stayed in there for like three days.

Regan Siler So, you were isolated. They put you in isolation.

Frank Groom My grandma isolated me. She'd bring me some food.

Regan Siler Slide it under the blanket.

Frank Groom But 00:41:00when the mumps, there was a big deal on the mumps, and my mom and I was the only two in the family that didn't get them.

Frank Groom Really?!

Frank Groom But my dad, but all my siblings were that laid up with the mumps.

Regan Siler Yeah, that sounds pretty miserable to not that the chicken pox are a walk in the park, but the I'd heard that the moms are pretty, pretty miserable.

Frank Groom Of course, we all had measles, all that stuff.

Regan Siler So, you had all the stuff that we get vaccinated for now.

Frank Groom Oh yeah.

Regan Siler Okay, um, I was going to ask if you attended church, but I guess you attended the Frank Groom I started out at the Baptist Church.

Regan Siler Okay.

Frank Groom I wised up and switched to the Methodist Church.

Regan Siler Okay.

Frank Groom It's still there.

Regan Siler Oh, okay, okay, um, and is that in the same, like, the same building down here on Frank Groom Well, of course, they tore the old church down and built 00:42:00what's there now, but, yeah, same location.

Regan Siler Same location. Okay, um, so do you remember how your family celebrated holidays? Did they celebrate them in a big way? Like, say, tell me, like, what Christmas was like for you growing up.

Frank Groom Usually, we would go to Guthrie [Oklahoma], to my dad's folks, and I had an uncle that also had a restaurant, and that's where the family would meet for Christmas dinner.

Regan Siler Oh, fun!

Frank Groom At the restaurant. And I remember one of those Christmases, there was an old fella tapped on the door and tried to get in, and Uncle Marvin (ph) had the cafe, he went to the door and told him he's closed. And the old man, apparently, was like homeless, or anyway, invited him in and and they fed him. 00:43:00And then he asked if, if they had the jukebox that he wanted to listen to Rudolph.

Regan Siler Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?

Frank Groom That's first time I ever heard it. The played it on the jukebox.

Regan Siler Really?

Frank Groom On a Christmas day.

Regan Siler Oh, wow!

Frank Groom And I remember that for some reason.

Regan Siler Well, that was a core memory. It stuck out to you, Frank Groom Yeah, it did, and the fact that Uncle Marvin (ph) let the old fella come in and eat with us. I thought that was just a classy deal for him to do that.

Regan Siler Yeah, a kind gesture.

Frank Groom And I've saw my mom do it many times.

Frank Groom Restaurant was always open.

Regan Siler Right. Well, that's a neat story. Um, did you celebrate any other holidays, like the Fourth of July, Easter, Halloween, anything?

Regan Siler Yes, 00:44:00you guys were always working.

Frank Groom And Fourth of July is not a big deal to me. I despise fireworks of any kind.

Regan Siler Yeah, I can imagine.

Frank Groom I had a, and I don't remember his name, but he lost part of this finger the end of this one, and part of his thumb. He had a big firecracker and his his dad lit it for him, and he didn't throw it quick enough.

Regan Siler Oh, my goodness. So that was enough for you.

Frank Groom I had nothing to do with fireworks. I grew up without them. My daughter grew up without them.

Regan Siler So not your thing.

Frank Groom Not my thing.

Regan Siler Not your thing. It's not my dog's thing, either.

Frank Groom Where I live I can sit on the porch and watch the city display. Don't even go outside.

Regan Siler Don't even go outside. As a child, do you remember, do you did you have any thoughts of what you wanted to be when you grew up?

Frank Groom No. 00:45:00Regan Siler So, you never, as a little kid, thought I'm going to be Frank Groom No, I really didn't.

Regan Siler You didn't. You were just too busy playing in the creek. So, we talked a little bit about your jobs, and you said that you were primarily throughout your career in trucking management, but then you had also told me around 2006 that you started your handyman business. Can you tell me about that and what inspired that?

Frank Groom Well, of course, my experience working with my dad, my grandpa, I knew how to do a lot of stuff, and people that knew me, Regan Siler They knew that, didn't they?

Frank Groom Well, my wife and I were flipping houses before we ever heard of the expression.

Regan Siler So, you were before Chip and Joanna Gaines, is that what you are saying?

Frank Groom You bet. A long time before that. The house we had, the first house we had here in town was 00:46:00our 21st house in16 years.

Regan Siler Oh, my goodness!

Frank Groom Would buy one, live in it, fix it up, sell it, buy another one. Just and we moved a lot. Seemed like the only way you get ahead in the trucking business and change jobs. Go from a dispatcher to a manager to, you know, whatever. So, people get to know you and, hey Frank, come up here to Pennsylvania and talk to us about this job.

Regan Siler Right, right.

Frank Groom When they that they're going to go belly up, come down to Louisian and go to work for me, something like that.

Regan Siler So, your jobs are what really drove where you guys ended.

Frank Groom Right.

Regan Siler And, then, so did your wife just kind of what career was she into?

Frank Groom She worked at we lived in Texas for quite a long while, and she worked 00:47:00for the city of Arlington as a statistician. And she worked at Montgomery Ward for a while in there as accounting department. She waited tables when we first got married. When I was in the airforce, she worked at a restaurant.

Regan Siler So, since we're talking about your spouse, can you tell us what her name is?

Frank Groom Shirley Jean Dowdy [Shirley Jean Dowdy Groom 11/6/1938-1/29/2018]. We got married September 20, 1958.

Regan Siler And I have her birth date as 11/6/1938.

Frank Groom That's correct.

Regan Siler Okay, yeah, because I had that wrong. So, what was your first impression of her whenever you saw her for the first time?

Frank Groom Well, it was kind of strange. Another guy and I worked [indecipherable] in high school, and he 00:48:00and Shirley had been dating. And we were at the locker after lunch one day getting our books, and Shirley walked up and she said Dickie said, Dickie, don't forget, we've got this FHA thing. He said, oh I can't go. I forgot about that. You want to go? Sure, why not? So that was our first date.

Regan Siler Did you just move on in?

Frank Groom We got married three years later.

Regan Siler Oh, well, that's funny.

Frank Groom And stayed married for 60 years.

Regan Siler 60 years. So, did you have, like, an engagement period? Did you propose and have an engagement period?

Frank Groom Well, yeah, kinda.

Frank Groom She was living after high school, she went to beauty school, beautician school, and I was working for a supermarket. 00:49:00Of cousre, we were back and forth all the time. I was living in Tulsa, and it just developed.

Regan Siler Kinda?

Regan Siler And that's that's that, huh? So, where did you guys end up getting married?

Frank Groom At the Methodist Church here in Bristow.

Regan Siler So, you did get married here?

Frank Groom Yeah.

Regan Siler Okay, um, can you tell us about your wedding? Was it a Frank Groom Real small family.

Regan Siler Family.

Frank Groom Maybe ten people and the preacher and that was it.

Regan Siler Okay, okay. Um, so what were your early years of marriage like? Was there, did you have struggles? Was it fun when, I mean, Frank Groom We always had fun, but gosh, we hadn't been, she had a beauty shop over on Oak Street after she went to school. And we rented an apartment down 00:50:00on Fifth Street, and she had a phone put in with the same number as the beauty shop. The next morning, the phone rang, and I asked, somebody asked for Shirley Groom. I said, who?! It took a while.

Regan Siler Oh, that's funny. You had to let that one sink in a little bit.

Frank Groom But shortly after that, I took a job in Shattuck, Oklahoma.

Regan Siler Shattuck, I've never even heard of Shattuck.

Frank Groom It's about seven miles from the Texas line, straight west of Woodward. Just about as far as you can go and still be in Oklahoma.

Regan Siler So, you took a job there, but still lived here?

Frank Groom No, no, we moved.

Regan Siler Oh, you moved, okay.

Frank Groom And it was a trucking job. I was supposed to be the office manager for this little trucking company. Take calls, do the bookkeeping and all that. 00:51:00I didn't like sitting inside all the time, so boss would come in, of course, the oil field, they'd call in, they'd need a truck to do this or that. Nobody was around, I'd get in it and take off and go do it. So, anyway, I didn't do too much office work.

Regan Siler You liked being out. Um, so do you have any children?

Frank Groom Have one daughter.

Regan Siler And what's her full name?

Frank Groom Stella Reni, and her married name is Renner.

Regan Siler Okay, um, and then did do I understand that she was, she also went into the military?

Frank Groom She she wanted to learn to fly.

Regan Siler She wanted to learn what?

Frank Groom To fly.

Regan Siler Oh, to fly, okay.

Frank Groom And then she was a junior in high school, and, well, 00:52:00let's check into it while you can't afford prior to flying lessons.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom So, I said your only hope is going to the military if you could qualify and all that. So, she applied to the academies. Believe it or not, she got an appointment to all four military academies.

Regan Siler Oh, wow!

Frank Groom She picked the Air Force because she thought that'd be her best chance to fly. And she went to the academy, graduated and in '82. They sent her to a base in Mississippi to for pilot training. And she did real well, except she couldn't get them back on the ground. So, some kind of depth perception, but academically, in flight, I went down there because I thought maybe it was had to do with a good old boy, didn't want 00:53:00women flying. Yeah, but the colonel that was the head of the school said that he took her up and she she's great as long as they're in the air or in the classroom, but when it comes to put them back on the runway, he says, the airport can't keep putting land gear on an airplane, just so she can fly it. So anyway.

Regan Siler So did you fly also?

Frank Groom No.

Regan Siler You didn't fly. Okay.

Frank Groom Only as a passenger.

Regan Siler Do what?

Frank Groom Only as a passenger and didn't like that.

Regan Siler Right, right. Well, I mean, I guess when you think, you know, you talk about depth perception or whatever, I mean, I guess when you think about it, there's a whole lot of factors in being able to be qualified to fly a plane that a regular person wouldn't even think about.

Frank Groom Yeah.

Regan Siler So, was that pretty, I guess, disappointing for her?

Frank Groom Big 00:54:00time. And so, hey, just pick you another field and just be the best at it that you can.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom You know, you can't fly now. I mean, she had 30 some hours.

Regan Siler Oh, man, that's a bummer!

Frank Groom And just had to, you know, give it up. So, she picked the space program. So, she went to school in California and became a misssileer, you know, on the Minuteman missile site. And she went up in rank just like that. Everything I heard, she was really good at what she did.

Frank Groom So, she took what you said to heart and went and did did the best.

Frank Groom Yeah, but she was promoted to full blown colonel before 20 years, which is really unusual.

Regan Siler Wow!

Frank Groom But I read 00:55:00a, it's called an APR Airman Performance Report that a general wrote for her when she worked for him down at Randolph Air Force Base. And this is my kid. He's talking about?!

Regan Siler Boy, that makes you proud, doesn't it. Oh, man.

Frank Groom Anyway, he wrote on there "must be promoted". This was from Major to Lieutenant Colonel. Must be must be promoted next cycle. And she was.

Regan Siler Wow!

Frank Groom So, she made Lieutenant Colonel at about 15 years, 14, 15, years, and she just. And I got to pin all of her ranks on except when she made captain. I wasn't there for that one.

Regan Siler Well, how special is that?

Frank Groom When 00:56:00she graduated from the academy, I pinned her little gold bar on. When she made Colonel in Washington, Regan Siler And you're not proud at all, are you?!

Frank Groom My biggest accomplishment!

Regan Siler That's awesome!

Frank Groom Yeah, she's quite a quite a young lady.

Regan Siler So, is she out of the military now?

Frank Groom She retired eight years ago.

Regan Siler And where does she live?

Frank Groom She lives in Monument, Colorado.

Regan Siler I'm jealous if she's living in Colorado.

Frank Groom When she retired, she was a Vice-Commandant of students at the Air Force Academy.

Regan Siler Wow!

Frank Groom And loved that area, so they bought a house and just stayed there.

Regan Siler What a what a wonderful career. So, do you have any grandchildren?

Frank Groom I've got one. Remington Shane Renner. He's 21 and he's in the Air Force stationed at Warner Robins in Georgia, and he's a cyber security guy. 00:57:00Regan Siler Wow, so he's probably busy, right?

Frank Groom Yeah, he is unbelievably sharp on computers. Even in high school, he was named in high school as the outstanding computer science student.

Regan Siler Wow. And everyone in the family stayed in the Air Force, too.

Frank Groom Yeah, at one time, all five of us boys were in the service. Four in the Air Force and one in the army.

Regan Siler Boy, I bet that stressed your mom out.

Frank Groom Probably.

It would me! Well, so, do you remember any challenges being like a dad when when she was young, like challenges of being a dad?

Frank Groom Not really. We had a really good kid.

Regan Siler Sounds like it.

Frank Groom But anything she wanted to do we, we supported her, you know, she wanted to take dancing lessons. We 00:58:00got four years old. Started dancing lesson, and she continued dancing lessons since she graduated high school.

Regan Siler Wow.

Frank Groom She loved to dance. She wanted to learn to play the piano. That lasted a year or so. I don't really want to do this. Then she wasnted to learn to twirl. She was, she was in the band, and didn't really like that, but yet she became the drum major of the band.

Regan Siler Sounds like a very driven kid or adult now.

Regan Siler Exactly! Yeah.

Frank Groom She set her mind to do something, she'd do it. Like she after she got, accepted her appointment to the Air Force Academy, she took a and I don't remember, it was some kind of science course that they had. It started at seven o'clock in the morning, because it was some kind of special class 00:59:00that probably wasn't 15 kids in it, but she wanted it to help her when she got to the academy. But when she got her grades, that class wasn't on it, so she went to the teacher said, you know, there's no grade on here for no credit for this class. He said you don't need it. You got enough credit to graduate. That's not the point. I want it on my transcript.

Frank Groom He said, ah, not a big deal. So, she goes to the principal and tells him, and he's the same way. It's no big deal. Just forget about it. She said, when's the next school board meeting, I want to get on the agenda.

Regan Siler I like her. She got it handled, didn't she?

Frank Groom She sure did.

Regan Siler Well, she sounds like something else.

Frank Groom Well, it's like when she became drum major, I think she wanted to be drum major because I was, 01:00:00but she told that school had never had a girl for drum major. Well, the band director's son was same grade and he was going to be the drum major. And my daughter said, he doesn't know how to twirl a baton or conduct music. How's he going to, anyway, she became the drum major.

Regan Siler Sounds like a very driven individual.

Frank Groom Yeah, she did good.

Regan Siler So, what would you consider to be the most important invention during your lifetime?

Frank Groom Atomic energy, probably.

Regan Siler Wow, that's a that's a big one. And what and why do you why do you think that?

Frank Groom Well, it's the least 01:01:00polluting method of generating power that there is, except for disposing of the spent radioactive material. But it could be a game changer if people would get over their fear of radioactivity. Yeah, we lived in Pennsylvania when the Three Mile Island thing, and it was a big to do in the news, but it wasn't a big to do right around where it happened.

Regan Siler Oh, really?

Frank Groom No, you know, people didn't Regan Siler Freak out about it.

Frank Groom Pack up and leave and all that. It wasn't, it wasn't a big deal, to people that actually knew about what it was.

Regan Siler So, then you feel like the fear is what keeps that from being Frank Groom Absolutely.

Frank Groom Developed more? That's an interesting perspective.

Frank Groom I think we could have, 01:02:00you know, I think it's electric cars is kind of got me concerned. But where are we going to get all the power to recharge those cars.

Well, when they're telling us to you better get ready for power issues, because it's hot outside yet you're wanting everybody to plug in your cars. It kind of doesn't add up. It doesn't make sense, like they the technology was ahead of, you know, maybe the infrastructure, whatever, how to support it. I mean, I feel like there's probably a place for electric cars, but not to the degree that they're pushing them, because you can't support powering them.

Frank Groom We don't have the infrastructure to furnish that amount ofpower.

Regan Siler Yeah.

Frank Groom Right now.

Regan Siler That is the that's the first time anybody's answered atomic energy to that question that I, I like that perspective.

Frank Groom It's, it's probably the least used invention. 01:03:00Regan Siler In present time.

Frank Groom For peace time use. I'm talking about, you know, generating electricity. It doesn't take a lot of resources, other than the building, the containment, for it to operate in.

Regan Siler So, how do you feel the world is different than whenever you were a child?

Frank Groom Oh, gosh.

Regan Siler Like, let you count the ways. Well, just sum it up for me, what, what do you feel is the biggest difference?

Frank Groom I think the ability of people to get along. You know, they, I don't, I know people that don't even know the next door neighbors, you know? And if they, if they do, they don't say anything good about them.

Regan Siler Right, right. Yeah, well, I feel like, and that's something else I wanted to touch on, 01:04:00I feel like you're somebody that's been very involved with public service and, all the different, I'd like for you to tell us about some of the boards that you have served and continue to serve on and and what drives you to do that.

Frank Groom Well, I'm on the city council now, and I previously served eight years. I'm on the Board of Directors at Bristow Social Services, and have been for since 2017. And I'm on the board at the Bristow Housing Authority, and I've been, I'm just going into my second year with that.

Regan Siler And what's your drive for, for being a part of all of those things?

Frank Groom Help. Just to be useful. Help people. I got involved with social services. The Foster Family donated the buildings to 01:05:00the social services.

Regan Siler The one going out on 48 [Highway 48]?

Frank Groom Yeah, the one that's south. Where it's at now.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom And Mr. Krumme [George W. Krumme 12/15/1922-7/18/2024] donated the money to renovate it, and they had entered into a contract with a contractor locally. And the Saturday beforehe was supposed to start on Monday, he came in and said, I'm not going to do that. Not going to do your building.

Regan Siler So kind of left him in a pickle.

Frank Groom And I happened to be in the office. And I said, rather than going out and finding a new contractor, I'll take on that job with one condition, that I pick who I use to do the work. You know, I'm not an electrician. I'm not a plumber and all that.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom And the board 01:06:00agreed to that.

Regan Siler But that also probably gave you a little quality control, too.

Frank Groom Yes, it did. And, so, I kind of shut my handyman business way down and spent a year.

Regan Siler A whole year you were there working?

Frank Groom Just about.

Regan Siler Oh, my goodness.

Frank Groom To get it where it is now. And it has grown way beyond what we ever thought it would do, you know, with how many people we serve, and it's just a lifesaver for a lot of people.

Regan Siler And as a result of that, you were voted Citizen of the Year, is that correct? And that was in 2017 or 18?

Frank Groom '17.

Regan Siler 2017 for your work that you did with social services. Which I don't know, I mean, that's pretty amazing, that you spent that much time working on it and getting it ready for the community.

Frank Groom Well, I also got a lot of volunteers to help 01:07:00and but we used the court-appointed, not a court-appointed,but the court-directed community service. They would send them to us, and we find something they could do.

Regan Siler Well, that's good.

Frank Groom Which helped a lot. And social services, I'd known the guy that had been the chairman down there for years, and anyway, as a result of him leaving the board, I got on the board and found out there was lots of problems.

Regan Siler Lots of stuff that needed worked on.

Frank Groom Yeah, so anyway, we've got all that in the process, that's a work in progress, getting that changed. The executive director is no longer there, and we've got an 01:08:00interim director trying to get it straightened out and making good progress.

Regan Siler That's good. That's good. So, how do you feel about being on the city council, and you're in your you served eight years, and then you're back on now, serving a term of someone that left the council. Is that right?

Frank Groom Yeah.

Regan Siler Do you plan on running again?

Frank Groom I don't know.

Regan Siler Not sure?

Frank Groom Not sure.

Regan Siler You're not going to announce any breaking news?

Frank Groom Well, actually, I mentioned, I'm very hard to hearing, and I'm getting new hearing aids next week, next Monday. And they're they're going to be Bluetooth enabled, so, and they also told me this through the VA, and they also told me that they'll get me a microphone, that when I'm in a meeting, I can set that Iike in the middle of the table, and then I can hear 01:09:00 everybody.

Regan Siler You can hear better.

Frank Groom So, if that works like they say it will, I might run for it. But you're familiar with the room?

Regan Siler Oh yeah.

Frank Groom Over there.

Regan Siler Oh yeah.

Regan Siler So, you struggle.

Frank Groom I'm on the very right end. Which means one year next to the wall. I can't hear.

Frank Groom The four down on the far end.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom Almost impossible to hear them.

Regan Siler And is it the same way with city council, you feel like that's something that you just want to try to make a difference in the community?

Frank Groom Yeah, I served on the municipal not municipal authority, the industrial authority. I served, I was president of that for several years, and my big accomplishment was when I sold the old garment factory building. Everybody said, ain't nobody will buy that. I found buyerand 01:10:00sold it, got a big down payment, and then we financed it. And Kell Kelly, financed at 6% and Kell Kelly saw me at one of the meetings, and he said, I can't believe we got 6%. We can't get that at the bank.

Regan Siler Well, that's good, that's good.

Frank Groom That's that's the feather in my cap from that time.

Well, I feel like you definitely have a heart for service and for your community. You've been involved in so many different things, and you know, honestly, that's part of the reason why we wanted to visit with you. We felt like you had a lot to share.

Frank Groom I like my Bristow.

Regan Siler Yeah, I do too. Okay, what do you feel is our nation's biggest problem right now, and how do you think it can be solved?

Frank Groom Our biggest problem is Trump and the MAGA, 01:11:00what do they call them M A G A? And that far right-wing attitude. And where we're going to cure it is to get rid of it.

Regan Siler Okay.

Regan Siler And how do you, how do you, how do you get rid of it?

Frank Groom Well, you gotta vote out the ones that are in now and not vote the ones that are wanting to get in.

Regan Siler Okay, all right.

Frank Groom And I'm not a Democrat, by the way.

Regan Siler Okay, have any historic events affected your life? And if so, how and like, for example, Oklahoma City Bombing, 911, COVID, any natural disasters. Anything affected you?

Frank Groom When John Kennedy was assassinated, I was in the Air Force, and I was, and I remember this real vividly. I was in the north hangar at Perrin Air Force Base. And there's 01:12:00probably 10 airplanes in it, and all this ground power equipment, people working, but somebody had a radio and that announcement came on, and just like that, it was dead silence in that hanger. Everything shut down, and we got where we could hear, you know, and listen to that announcement. I guess nothing happened at the hanger for a couple hours. It just, Regan Siler Oh, I can imagine.

Frank Groom Everybody couldn't believe it. And I remember that just as vividly as I mean, if I think real hard, I probably can tell you the guys that were standing around at the time.

Regan Siler Right. It was another one of those core memories that sticks with you.

Frank Groom The Murrah Building, I was working for a company in Pennsylvania, but we had a terminal in Oklahoma City, and 01:13:00I was on the phone with the Terminal Manager, and heard this noise. What in the hell?

Regan Siler Oh, my gosh. Are you serious?

Frank Groom He said, I think one of the propane tanks must have blew up. He said, I'll call you back. And about that time, you could see it on the news.

Regan Siler Oh my goodness, yeah, so you were on the phone with him and heard it? Oh my goodness.

Frank Groom Yeah, the terminal was with the Feed the Children complex out there on Council, I think the street that it's on. Yeah, it is Council. And that's, that's where he was. He was in his office, there, and I was in Pennsylvania.

Regan Siler Oh my gosh.

Frank Groom When the blast went off.

Regan Siler Wow.

Frank Groom And then, of course, we turned TV on, and because we had a TV in the dispatch and had the Weather 01:14:00Channel on it so dispatchers could see what all the weather was on the country. So we switched it over to CNN, or whatever one and watched it. That was unbelievable.

Regan Siler That's kind of how I felt with 9/11 and my son was about two, and I was pregnant with my second son, and I just remember it kind of like what you said in the at the hanger. You just, you're kind of frozen, and you're just watching everything unfold in disbelief, you know.

Frank Groom When 9/11, I was working at Christner up here, and I walked in the dispatch, and everybody was over around the the weather TV, but they were, and I hadn't heard a thing about it. And they said, Frank, Frank, did you hear about this? No, I haven't. But, there again, 01:15:00nothing happened for about two hours.

Regan Siler Right. Oh, yeah.

Frank Groom Couldn't believe they just stuck to that TV.

Regan Siler Yes, yes.

Frank Groom I think the Kennedy one probably affected me more than most, because I really admired him.

Regan Siler Right. Yeah. Um, well, is there anything else that you would like to tell us about, or any wisdom you would like to share for future generations?

Frank Groom I don't know if there's a lot of wisdom there.

Regan Siler I know you have to have some wisdom in there you want to share.

Frank Groom Not that I could think of, just, you know, treat people like you want to be treated.

Regan Siler I agree.

Frank Groom That's about as simple as it gets right there.

Regan Siler Yeah, I think that's Frank Groom And help people when they need it.

Regan Siler Yes. Well, I think you're definitely an example of that.

Frank Groom Yeah, yeah. We try, yeah, we built, 01:16:00oh, gosh, I don't know how many handicap ramps we've built here in town and different places, repairing stuff for people.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom It's what you do.

Regan Siler Right.

Frank Groom Or what you should do.

Regan Siler What you should be doing, huh? And there's no other stories or anything else you want to share with us that we didn't, we didn't touch on.

Frank Groom Well, there's probably some, but you don't want them recorded.

Regan Siler Oh, gosh, well, we have really appreciated you taking the time to visit with us today,. Your interview willbecome an important part of our oral history archive for the museum, and we appreciate you and thank you.

Frank Groom You're welcome.