Charles Nicholson

00:00:00Regan 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 May 9, 2025 and I'm sitting here with Charles Nicholson, which I'll probably call him Coach, 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?

00:00:27Charles Nicholson: Charles Franklin Nicholson.

00:00:30Regan Siler: Okay. And do I have permission to do this interview?

00:00:33Charles Nicholson: Yes, you do.

00:00:34Regan Siler: Okay. Can you tell me when and where you were born?

00:00:38Charles Nicholson: I was born in January the 12th, 1937 at Baptist Hospital in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

00:00:48Regan Siler: Okay, and can you tell me about the people in your family? Let's start with your parents. Can you tell me your mom and dad's full names?

00:01:00Charles Nicholson: Freddie Lahoma Nicholson [Freddie Lahoma Looper Nicholson 4/4/1911-11/1/2008] and Harold Franklin Nicholson [11/1/1909-5/13/1991].

00:01:07Regan Siler: Okay, and I have Freddie, your mother's date of birth, as April 4, 1911. And I have your dad, Harold Nicholson's birth date, as November 1, 1909. I looked those up so we wouldn't

00:01:21Charles Nicholson: Oh, okay.

00:01:21Regan Siler: So we wouldn't have to remember that.

00:01:23Charles Nicholson: Gosh, that's good.

00:01:27Regan Siler: Can you tell me what type of work they did?

00:01:30Charles Nicholson: My mother was English major in college, an elementary major, and she taught second grade most of her life. My dad was a math and science major, and he played basketball at Northeastern State College in Tahlequah, and he was also my basketball, my tennis, my baseball [coach], and he was also superintendent of schools.

00:02:02Regan Siler: So, you didn't, you didn't fall too far from the tree, did you?

00:02:06Charles Nicholson: No, I didn't.

00:02:09Regan Siler: Do you have any siblings?

00:02:11Charles Nicholson: No.

00:02:12Regan Siler: So, you were an only child?

00:02:14Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:02:14Regan Siler: Well, my goodness, okay.

00:02:16Charles Nicholson: We had problems having children.

00:02:20Regan Siler: Oh, okay.

00:02:21Charles Nicholson: And I made it.

00:02:26Regan Siler: You made it. You were their miracle.

00:02:29Charles Nicholson: Yes, I was.

00:02:30Regan Siler: Okay. Did you get to grow up around family?

00:02:35Charles Nicholson: Yes, our family was mostly from Warner, Oklahoma, and we lived around Muskogee all of our lives. Bristow is the furthest place from Muskogee that I've ever lived.

00:02:51Regan Siler: Really?

00:02:52Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:02:53Regan Siler: And you've been here for how long since? I'm trying to think.

00:02:59Charles Nicholson: I think it's 19. It was 67.

00:03:03Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness, okay. Um, so you came, or actually, first, let's talk about your childhood and your home life. I'm going to ask you, just kind of some fun questions to see if you

00:03:19Charles Nicholson: Okay.

00:03:19Regan Siler: See if you can remember. Do you remember any of your favorite toys or games that you played as a as a youngster?

00:03:28Charles Nicholson: Yes, a pedal car.

00:03:31Regan Siler: You had a pedal car?

00:03:33Charles Nicholson: And my dad was resourceful. He would make bicycles.

00:03:40Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness.

00:03:41Charles Nicholson: So, I had all the, I never had a new bicycle, but I had a repainted fenders pedal, an old bicycle.

00:03:54Regan Siler: Well, that sounds awesome. So you probably spent a lot of time outside. I'm guessing?

00:03:59Charles Nicholson: Yes, we did.

00:03:59Regan Siler: Yes. Did you have any chores that you were expected to do?

00:04:06Charles Nicholson: Wash the cars.

00:04:08Regan Siler: Really?

00:04:09Charles Nicholson: Keep the cars clean.

00:04:11Regan Siler: That's interesting.

00:04:13Charles Nicholson: I also worked in a filling station with that experience.

00:04:19Regan Siler: Okay, and so how old were you when you worked at the filling station? Were you a youngster?

00:04:24Charles Nicholson: I was a senior in high school.

00:04:27Regan Siler: Okay, and did you have any friends that came over and played at your house? Did you live in town? Did you live in the country?

00:04:36Charles Nicholson: No, I, we lived in town, but I had, I had friends, but I spent most of my time on the road playing baseball and tennis and basketball.

00:04:51Regan Siler: So, and I'm going to jump ahead a little bit, but I found it funny because your daughter was telling me about you, your adventures in getting to some of your tennis matches.

00:05:06Charles Nicholson: Yeah.

00:05:07Regan Siler: It's not like it is today.

00:05:09Regan Siler: So, tell me, tell me a little bit about trying to get to a tennis match or what they would do.

00:05:09Charles Nicholson: Right.

00:05:18Charles Nicholson: Dad took me over where I went, and when I was 16, he handed me the car keys and said, your tennis match this weekend is in Oklahoma City. And, I had been in Oklahoma City, but I had never driven in Oklahoma City, so I took off and went and got to my tennis match.

00:05:50Regan Siler: And that's that's without Google Maps or cell phones or with anything. You just figured it out, huh?

00:05:57Charles Nicholson: It was the Oklahoma City University, and that's where I went for the tennis match.

00:06:02Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness.

00:06:03Charles Nicholson: And I was called Uncle Vic by the smaller tennis players in Muskogee, because Vic Seixas was one of the big tennis players.

00:06:20Regan Siler: Oh, okay.

00:06:21Charles Nicholson: So, they called me Uncle Vic.

00:06:22Regan Siler: So, that was a compliment?

00:06:24Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:06:24Regan Siler: Okay.

00:06:25Charles Nicholson: I was driving them to Ada. And you know how when they repair a road, there's cones out there. I look in the rear view mirror, one of them's got the tennis rackets out the window, knocking those cones over. It could have torn their arm off!

00:06:43Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness! It's a wonder that any of us survived our childhood, you know?

00:06:52Charles Nicholson: Yeah.

00:06:53Regan Siler: Especially whenever you're trying to navigate Oklahoma City as a 16 year old. So did you have any favorite activities or hobbies as a child?

00:07:08Charles Nicholson: Dad had a shop also, and we had a scroll saw they call nowadays, and we use that to make things. And I learned to make things, and I do that today for Christmas.

00:07:24Regan Siler: So, like, wood things?

00:07:25Charles Nicholson: Yes, sawing wood.

00:07:27Regan Siler: Cool.

00:07:31Regan Siler: So, those hobbies carried over into your adulthood.

00:07:31Charles Nicholson: With a

00:07:34Charles Nicholson: Yes, that is how I take, pass my time today.

00:07:39Regan Siler: Really? Well, that's neat. Did you collect anything as a child? You remember collecting anything?

00:07:49Charles Nicholson: No, I have, not bragging, but I have my tennis medals and my tennis trophies that I have in the attic, and then I have, you know other things, pictures.

00:08:06Regan Siler: Okay, okay, so can you tell me about your school life? Where did you first attend school?

00:08:15Charles Nicholson: I first attended school at, well, I don't remember.

00:08:28Regan Siler: That's okay. Did you were you said you lived mainly in Muskogee?

00:08:33Charles Nicholson: Yeah. I lived in, yeah. I guess, oh, Wagoner.

00:08:41Regan Siler: Wagoner?

00:08:41Charles Nicholson: My mom was second, huh, my mom was second grade teacher.

00:08:47Regan Siler: Did she teach you also?

00:08:50Charles Nicholson: Yes, in the second grade.

00:08:51Regan Siler: Okay, okay. Did you enjoy school?

00:08:56Charles Nicholson: Yes, I enjoyed school quite a bit.

00:08:58Regan Siler: Okay, now I'm asking if you were a member of any clubs or organizations. Obviously, you played a lot of sports, but were you involved in any other organization?

00:09:10Charles Nicholson: 4H club.

00:09:12Regan Siler: 4h, okay. Go ahead.

00:09:16Charles Nicholson: I raised three hogs in the backyard. And in a square made out of wood and fence. And I moved that along so when they wore the grass out, they would have more grass.

00:09:37Regan Siler: Right!

00:09:38Charles Nicholson: I took them to the fair that in the fall, and my three hogs got away from me and ran over the judge, knocked him down.

00:09:48Regan Siler: Oh, no!

00:09:49Charles Nicholson: So, I didn't win a prize.

00:09:54Regan Siler: Um, okay, so we're going to circle back to tennis. So, it's my understanding that you were ranked number one in Oklahoma for 15 and under, and you were ranked number three in Midwest Doubles rankings, and then you were the 1955 Oklahoma State Tennis Singles Champion. Does that sound right?

00:10:17Charles Nicholson: Yes for there were two classes, A and B.

00:10:20Regan Siler: Okay.

00:10:21Charles Nicholson: And, of course B, A was Tulsa and Muskogee and Ada, and there was a B class. That's all there was.

00:10:34Regan Siler: So, do you feel that you got your love of sports from your dad?

00:10:40Charles Nicholson: That was my job.

00:10:41Regan Siler: That was your job.

00:10:42Charles Nicholson: Besides keeping the cars.

00:10:44Regan Siler: Okay.

00:10:44Charles Nicholson: Keeping the cars clean. But my daddy told me when I was like in elementary, sports, is your job.

00:10:55Regan Siler: Okay.

00:10:55Charles Nicholson: Now I was taught how to do a lot of things around the house. I was taught how to paint the house and so on and so forth.

00:11:08Regan Siler: But, he felt like sports was your your job.

00:11:12Charles Nicholson: That's right.

00:11:12Regan Siler: Okay, okay, so, did that put pressure on you, or did you, did you enjoy it?

00:11:20Charles Nicholson: I enjoyed it.

00:11:21Regan Siler: You enjoyed it. Okay. Do you feel like he was hard on you?

00:11:25Charles Nicholson: My dad was hard on me. I was, we were playing the finals of the basketball tournament at Conner State College when I was a freshman. We were taught to run very hard man-to-man defense. A guy got away and came down the middle, and I swung and didn't touch the guy, but the guy, the referee called a foul. I guess I said some foul language. I don't know. That was not me.

00:12:11Regan Siler: Right.

00:12:13Charles Nicholson: You're out of the game 21! So, as I headed for the bench, I saw my dad pull off his belt. My dad grabbed me by the left arm, gave me a spanking by his belt. The referee stopped the game and says, you're back in the game 21.

00:12:40Regan Siler: Are you serious?

00:12:42Charles Nicholson: So, after the game, my dad said I hated to do that, but I needed you in the game.

00:12:48Regan Siler: Well, my goodness!

00:12:49Charles Nicholson: But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

00:12:54Regan Siler: Okay. Okay, so back on school, did you enjoy reading?

00:13:05Charles Nicholson: Not really.

00:13:06Regan Siler: I I'm kind of with you on that. Um, do you remember if you, like, ate in the cafeteria, or did you take your lunch when you were a youngster?

00:13:17Charles Nicholson: Okay, we lived in Wagner. My dad, eight miles south, was superintendent and coach. So, after I was probably in about the fourth grade, I went to, I started riding to school with him and going to Okay Public Schools, and so we spent a lot of time in the car, driving back and forth. So, that was my most that was my high school, I mean, my elementary and my high school experience.

00:14:00Regan Siler: Okay, okay, um, well, let's talk a little bit about the house you grew up in.

00:14:10Charles Nicholson: Okay.

00:14:11Regan Siler: Can you, you said you lived in town?

00:14:13Charles Nicholson: Yes, we lived in Wagner.

00:14:15Regan Siler: Can you describe your house?

00:14:18Charles Nicholson: It was a two story house, divided. In other words, they took a mansion, sawed it half in two, and moved them apart.

00:14:35Regan Siler: Are you serious?

00:14:36Charles Nicholson: And they, yes, they look alike. There's a picture on the wall. I wish you could see it of the two houses. The driveway was in between, and I had a concrete slab with the goal on the garage.

00:14:54Regan Siler: You probably spent a lot of time on that, didn't you?

00:14:56Charles Nicholson: Yes, we also had a tennis court in our backyard.

00:14:59Regan Siler: Did you really?

00:15:01Charles Nicholson: Yes, it was dirt, and we played tennis, practiced tennis in the backyard, and two blocks south was the baseball field.

00:15:16Regan Siler: And this was in the town of Wagoner?

00:15:18Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:15:19Regan Siler: Okay, and then you were close to the baseball field, too.

00:15:22Charles Nicholson: Yes, the baseball field was right down there.

00:15:24Regan Siler: Okay, so did you, do you remember, like, the inside of your house? Like your, I know you spent most of your time outside, but like, what was your, what was the inside of your house like?

00:15:38Charles Nicholson: Inside of the house was a kitchen, a washroom and a stairwell. Then on the east side of the house was the dining room and the living room.

00:15:50Regan Siler: So you had a really nice house, didn't you?

00:15:53Charles Nicholson: Yes, upstairs was a ping pong table in the hall and then a TV room, my bedroom and my parent's bedroom and a bath. So, there's an upstairs bath and a downstairs bath.

00:16:08Regan Siler: Wow!

00:16:10Charles Nicholson: And, like I say, we were very, oops, I forgot the word.

00:16:19Regan Siler: That's okay!

00:16:20Charles Nicholson: Resourceful.

00:16:21Regan Siler: Okay.

00:16:22Charles Nicholson: And he was able to, like I say, put a tennis court back there, and basketball court, and then we had a garage where we had all of our tools.

00:16:34Regan Siler: So, did your friends not come over and play tennis or basketball with you?

00:16:39Charles Nicholson: No, all my friends were going to Wagoner School, of course.

00:16:45Regan Siler: Oh, okay.

00:16:48Charles Nicholson: And they, we beat them in the finals. We beat them in the finals of the Regional in 1955 on our way to state basketball tournament.

00:17:06Regan Siler: Okay.

00:17:08Charles Nicholson: They were not very happy. As I was dribbling down the court, I would see paper clips fly by me.

00:17:16Regan Siler: Really?!

00:17:18Charles Nicholson: Yes, they were.

00:17:20Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness.

00:17:21Charles Nicholson: They were trying to hit me with paper clips from rubber bands.

00:17:27Regan Siler: Well, my goodness! Well, so, can you tell me what meal times were like for your family? Did you eat together every night? Or how did that work?

00:17:38Charles Nicholson: Yes, my mama had a rule that supper was going to be on the table at six o'clock.

00:17:51Regan Siler: And you better be there.

00:17:52Charles Nicholson: If we did, yeah, if we did not make it, we ate it cold. Or if we didn't like it, we would fix it ourselves.

00:18:02Regan Siler: I like that rule.

00:18:04Charles Nicholson: It was a good rule.

00:18:06Regan Siler: So, did you have to do any cleaning up or any of that, or did your mom handle all that?

00:18:12Charles Nicholson: I, my mother came to me one day and said, if I put, if you will put me through college, I will put you through college. And I said, okay, what do I do? She said, do the laundry and clean the house. I says, okay, teach me. So, she taught me how to do the laundry and to clean the house. Now, when we clean the house, we don't clean the house. We dust every object on every shelf and every shelf as we take it off. And, so, that was a good teaching thing for me. We still do that today, and of course, also clean the cars.

00:19:20Regan Siler: Yes, still clean the cars. Okay, well, that's interesting. I think that's a good that, that was a really good life lesson for you, wasn't it?

00:19:29Charles Nicholson: I think, yes, it was, yeah.

00:19:31Regan Siler: And plus, I just think that's, I'm I'm kind of like that at my house, too, so.

00:19:37Charles Nicholson: Mama just dies laughing, when I was I graduated in Tahlequah, and she said, how do you iron your clothes? I said, I spread them out and put them between the mattress and box springs and lay on top of them. That's the way I iron my clothes.

00:20:00Regan Siler: Well, hey, you said you guys were resourceful.

00:20:02Charles Nicholson: Yes, yes.

00:20:05Regan Siler: Did you, do you happen to remember having a favorite meal that she would fix for you? Can't think of anything in particular? Or any, maybe dessert or something that she would fix that you really enjoyed?

00:20:34Charles Nicholson: No, I really can't.

00:20:35Regan Siler: Okay. Was she a pretty good cook?

00:20:37Charles Nicholson: Yes, my mother was a good cook.

00:20:38Regan Siler: So, you probably liked everything, then, if you were a growing boy.

00:20:42Charles Nicholson: Right. Meatloaf comes to my mind.

00:20:46Regan Siler: Meatloaf. Okay, um, so you said that you always had to take care of cleaning the cars. What kind of cars did you have? Do you remember what kind of cars they were?

00:20:59Charles Nicholson: Well, yes, they were, my dad always had a new car to drive for safety reasons, and my favorite car was a Model A '31. We went to a barn west of Checotah [Oklahoma] and bought a Model A for $25.

00:21:31Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness!

00:21:33Charles Nicholson: My dad, we brought it home, and my dad was a, could paint, you know, all this stuff, and we fixed it up. It was beautiful, and I drove it all over, and when I got ready to go to college, Dad says, you got to sell your Model A, which broke my heart. So, I was parked on the street in Checotah, and this guy saw me get out of it, and stopped, from Oklahoma City and said, I noticed your Model A's for sale. And I said, yes. How much? I said, $650. He got out his billfold and counted his money and says, I think I got that much. So, anyway, I sold my Model A and went to college.

00:22:27Regan Siler: So, did he, did he want you to sell it because you needed the money or because you needed a better car?

00:22:34Charles Nicholson: Probably a better car.

00:22:35Regan Siler: A better car?

00:22:36Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:22:36Regan Siler: But you were partial to it?

00:22:38Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:22:38Regan Siler: Yeah, oka.

00:22:39Charles Nicholson: My better car was a '40 Chevrolet.

00:22:42Regan Siler: A '40 Chevrolet, okay.

00:22:43Charles Nicholson: Do we have time for that story?

00:22:45Regan Siler: Yeah, absolutely.

00:22:46Charles Nicholson: '40 Chevrolet had a bad engine. So, we found, dad found the '53 Chevrolet power glide upside down. It was at a junkyard and bought it and brought it home and put it in that '40 Chevrolet. Which the '40 Chevrolet, he'll never know this, was the fastest car on the highway. We would race it and win.

00:23:23Regan Siler: That's awesome.

00:23:24Charles Nicholson: So, when I moved to Porter [Oklahoma] as the coach, the super the president of the school board, raced cars. So, Porter was a small town, so I got in with them in the summer racing cars.

00:23:45Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness.

00:23:47Charles Nicholson: So, one of my physics students, he decided he was going to build a race car. So, they were standing around. And when I grew up in Porter, I was also with these mechanic's sons. So, they said, what are we going to do? I said, well, the fastest car I had was a '40 Chevrolet, '53 power glide engine with the stick shift. They kind of scratched their chins and they said, I think that'll work. So, that car after school on Fridays, I would hook that car and trailer up and take it to Muskogee [Oklahoma] for my student to race, and we had one of the fastest cars out there.

00:24:45Regan Siler: Well, how fun is that? I did not know that about you.

00:24:48Charles Nicholson: Oh, yes, I was just fortunate all my life to have do the things I had fun doing.

00:24:55Regan Siler: Yeah, you got to do all kinds of things. Um, well, let me see here. Did you, so, you said you had a TV room, so I guess you got to watch some TV growing up. Do you remember any of your favorite programs?

00:25:12Charles Nicholson: Yeah, but I can't think the name of it. We always tried to get home and Channel Six in Tulsa. Channel Six in Tulsa, came on the air. We heard there's a TV station. Now, before that, as growing up, we got to go to Oklahoma State basketball games and sit behind the bench, and we got to go what they call then, an all college tournament in Oklahoma City. Would be Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas, all the top schools in this area.

00:26:05Regan Siler: Oh, I was just wondering you, you said you sat behind the I had asked about the TV programs.

00:26:10Charles Nicholson: Yeah, okay, Channel Six came on the air. I sit on the front porch holding up an antenna. And dad had bought a TV, and we had seen Channel Four in Oklahoma City, which at then, at that all-college tournament, there was TVs out in the lobby where you could see them. So, we found out we could watch Channel Six, so dad had this big two story antenna on top of the house. We could get Channel Four in Oklahoma City, and then when Tulsa came on the air, we could get them.

00:26:51Regan Siler: You could get them.

00:26:53Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:26:53Regan Siler: Well, that's awesome.

00:26:54Charles Nicholson: And there was a dancing program after school at four o'clock on Channel Six, where, you know, students from all schools came and danced, and that was my favorite program. Later on, I found out my wife's sister was on one of those dance shows.

00:27:19Regan Siler: Did you attend church growing up?

00:27:22Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:27:23Regan Siler: You did? Okay.

00:27:24Charles Nicholson: First Baptist Church.

00:27:26Regan Siler: Do you remember what your favorite thing about church was, or what services were like? Or can you tell me anything about church?

00:27:37Charles Nicholson: The, sorry you asked, the teacher in Baptist Church was a very good looking woman, so all of us boys went to

00:28:01Regan Siler: You liked going to her class?

00:28:02Regan Siler: No, no, it's your interview. Yeah, I asked you.

00:28:02Charles Nicholson: Yes! We like going to her class, Sunday school class. We had a softball team that was very, very good. She was a good softball coach. So, that attracted us to the Baptist Church. We were, I was baptized in the Baptist Church, and I married my wife. She was, oh, we shouldn't be talking about religion, should we.

00:28:35Charles Nicholson: My wife was a Methodist. My parents were Methodists. So, I kept, even all through life, going to the Baptist Church. So, when I married my wife, I converted her over and because most of the ball players seemed like, when I was coaching, would go to the Baptist Church.

00:29:02Regan Siler: Interesting, and, so, you enjoyed attending the Baptist Church, then?

00:29:06Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:29:06Regan Siler: Okay, um, okay, so as a child, do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up?

00:29:16Charles Nicholson: Yes, I wanted to be a scientist, a chemist.

00:29:21Regan Siler: Wow!

00:29:22Charles Nicholson: But as I got older and went to college, I could not feature myself being inside all day in an office, in a room, working. So, I went home. One day I was at Oklahoma State. I went home one day and I said, I'm going to Northeastern at Tahlequah [Oklahoma], play tennis with my friends that I grew up with that are over there playing. I'm going to make a teacher and a coach. And my parents said, that sounds good. So, I finished that fall in Oklahoma State, and I went to Tahlequah.

00:30:12Regan Siler: And that's funny that you say that, that was the next thing I was going to talk to you about, because Lisa had told me that you were awarded basketball and tennis scholarships to Northeastern A & M in Miami [Oklahoma]. You played one year, attended OSU one year, and then in 1957 that you transferred to NSU to play tennis.

00:30:36Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:30:37Regan Siler: And that you graduated NSU in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a minor in science and math. Does that all sound right?

00:30:46Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:30:46Regan Siler: Okay. And then after graduation, I understand that you headed to Edna, Kansas for your first teaching assignment?

00:30:55Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:30:56Regan Siler: Okay. You want to tell me about that?

00:30:57Charles Nicholson: I married a girl from Tulsa. We met at college in the fall at a dance. And

00:31:09Regan Siler: So, okay, so, so since you're telling me about her, tell me, tell me what her name is.

00:31:14Charles Nicholson: Her name is Sharon Allen Scott.

00:31:16Regan Siler: Okay, and so you met her at NSU?

00:31:19Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:31:19Regan Siler: Okay, all right.

00:31:20Charles Nicholson: At a dance.

00:31:21Charles Nicholson: We at a dance. Yes, she came to Tahlequah at a fraternity dance. Her boyfriend had some problems, and she and I danced together. And I said, next time you come to Tahlequah, I'll have you a date with a really nice guy.I mean, I wouldn't say it would be me at the time, but as life turned out, she and I dated, and you gotta remember, she was a senior in high school. I was a senior in college. Her senior class was 1000 some odd, and my high school was 200. But I married a girl from Tulsa, and I moved her in a car, in a trailer, to Edna, Kansas, which was 250 people. She made a lot of friends. I'm serious, she made a lot of friends.

00:32:23Regan Siler: Well, she's a, she's a sweet lady.

00:32:26Charles Nicholson: She, oh gosh, yes, how lucky could you be?

00:32:30Regan Siler: Well, do you remember what your first impression of her was when you, the first time you saw her?

00:32:35Charles Nicholson: Uh, she was very mild and very sweet person.

00:32:43Regan Siler: Okay, so did you have an engagement? And did it, so did you get engaged? How long was your engagement? Or did you just decide to get married?

00:32:55Charles Nicholson: Let's see. It's one Saturday afternoon at her house, and we looked at each other and said, let's get married. She says, I want to marry you.

00:33:11Regan Siler: Just like that, huh?

00:33:12Charles Nicholson: Yes. And, so, later on my parents said we didn't know if we could afford you your senior year, because you burned, you and Sharon burned so much gas driving back and forth from Tulsa to Tahlequah to Checotah to Tahlequah. And I didn't, I said, why didn't you tell me? I said, we could've, you know, put it every other weekend.

00:33:49Regan Siler: Right.

00:33:49Charles Nicholson: But I would drive up stay with her parents one weekend, and then pick her up, and we would go to my parents one weekend.

00:33:59Regan Siler: Well, so, one of my other questions I wanted to ask you was, what was your first years of marriage like, which takes us back to you taking her to Edna. So, tell me a little bit about Edna. You said it was a little bitty town. She made a lot of friends.

00:34:14Charles Nicholson: Yes, we had a Falcon back then, red.

00:34:24Regan Siler: Okay.

00:34:25Charles Nicholson: I was so proud of my car. While we were dating, I drove it to Tulsa. She said, why did you get red? I said, because that was the color that the car was, okay. Not, oh, you got a new car! Wow, why did you get red? So, I have a picture of us standing by the red Falcon. But my memory was also, she would drive to Tulsa and visit her parents. One weekend, she got to her mom and dad's and her dad said, how much money you got? She said, $2. He said, you mean you drove all the way down here with $2 in your pocket. Well, gas was quarter a gallon, and the Falcon got 25 miles per gallon. That's it.

00:35:36Regan Siler: Well, so, I know that you also taught in Okay, Inola and Porter before you landed in Bristow in 1967 so let's talk a little bit about Bristow. Um, what did you think about Bristow when you first came here?

00:35:52Charles Nicholson: We loved it.

00:35:53Regan Siler: You loved it?

00:35:54Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:35:55Regan Siler: Was she happy to be in a different town?

00:35:57Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:35:58Regan Siler: Okay.

00:35:59Regan Siler: An escape?

00:35:59Charles Nicholson: Now, can I tell you that Bristow was an escape.

00:36:05Charles Nicholson: For us. I had lived in northeastern Oklahoma all our life. Everyone knew me from the time I was a little guy shooting free throws before a game at Porum, Oklahoma when I was six years old, and every time I would make one, the whole crowd would cheer. But it was an escape.

00:36:34Regan Siler: So, you felt like it was nice to come and be somewhere where no one knew you?

00:36:39Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:36:39Regan Siler: Okay.

00:36:40Charles Nicholson: Because little Charlie Nicholson was not going to whip my son in high school. I was an adult.

00:36:48Regan Siler: Right, right.

00:36:49Charles Nicholson: But we, we came here, and of course, basketball was not a big game, and I would go up down the hall, and I would tell the students, I said, hey, our basketball team's playing tonight. Why don't you come and see us? And luckily, I had some boys that were that could play, and and we started filling the gym, and it was just great.

00:37:22Regan Siler: So, you, so, whenever you came here, you were hired to teach ninth grade physical science?

00:37:29Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:37:29Regan Siler: To be the head coach of the boys basketball team and the assistant coach of the football team, correct?

00:37:35Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:37:36Regan Siler: Okay, um, and then I also understand, and I didn't even know this. I don't know how I didn't know this, that you were asked to start the girls basketball program in 1973, so I'd also like for you to talk a little bit about the evolution of girls basketball in Bristow.

00:37:58Charles Nicholson: Okay, we had six on six.

00:38:04Regan Siler: See, I played six on six. I'm an old timer.

00:38:07Charles Nicholson: Yeah, we had six on six. We had three guards and three forwards, and we started girls basketball in physical education. Gene Thompson kind of practiced the girls in physical education class.

00:38:27Regan Siler: Okay.

00:38:29Charles Nicholson: I had Dick Doak's daughter was from Stroud.

00:38:38Regan Siler: Now, is this Linda? Are we talking about Linda Trigalet?

00:38:40Charles Nicholson: Linda Trigalet.

00:38:41Regan Siler: Okay, she's another one of my favorites.

00:38:42Charles Nicholson: Yes, yes. She had played at Stroud, so she was a good outside shooter. I had some girls that could play guards and and we did well the first year of basketball.

00:38:57Regan Siler: That's awesome!

00:38:58Charles Nicholson: And we had a good time at it, too.

00:39:06Regan Siler: Do you feel like it took a while for the girls basketball to catch on, or did it just really take off and

00:39:14Charles Nicholson: Yes it, yes it, we kind of caught on. I had one or two girls that were fast and played defense.

00:39:26Regan Siler: And probably fun to watch?

00:39:28Charles Nicholson: Yeah, yes.

00:39:30Regan Siler: So, now, back then, was there very many other teams in your district, or was it still pretty small at that time?

00:39:38Charles Nicholson: Yeah, most, if I remember, but most of us had the same teams. Holdenville, Wewoka, Bristow, Henryetta, some, some other teams had, they all had girls.

00:39:57Regan Siler: So, this might not be a fair question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Do you have, do you, do you have a favorite sport that you have coached, between tennis, football, basketball, boys and girls basketball? Do you have a favorite?

00:40:11Charles Nicholson: Yes, I love basketball.

00:40:13Regan Siler: Basketball, yeah.

00:40:15Charles Nicholson: We, drills. We did not drill running up down the court or running up down the stadium. We drilled dribbling passing, three on two.

00:40:33Regan Siler: All the fundamentals.

00:40:35Charles Nicholson: Yeah, fundamentals. My dad said that you can't play ball if you can't dribble left hand, right hand and shoot left hand, right hand. And, every time I run on to an elementary coach, they would, I would say, learn to dribble, and they would scream at me left handed and right handed, because I've had players that thought they became left handed.

00:41:09Regan Siler: Because they were so fluid and being able to do either right or left.

00:41:14Charles Nicholson: I had a kid at Porter. They would say, other coaches would say, boy, that left hander is good!

00:41:24Regan Siler: And they're right handed?

00:41:26Charles Nicholson: Yeah, and, but I noticed that when my kids would dribble left handed down the court, nobody would take the ball away from because they would go, you know, they'd just look at them.

00:41:37Regan Siler: Right, right. That's funny. Um, seemed like there was something else I was going to ask you about that. So, how long were you the girls basketball coach? So, you were the head coach? Because I don't have that information.

00:41:55Charles Nicholson: I was head coach for about three years.

00:41:57Regan Siler: Were you really? And you were you still trying to coach the boys and football, too, and tennis?

00:42:02Charles Nicholson: No, I just coached girls basketball.

00:42:05Regan Siler: Just the girls?

00:42:05Charles Nicholson: Yeah.

00:42:05Regan Siler: Okay. And then, and then, didn't you, you coached tennis as well at some point, right?

00:42:12Charles Nicholson: Yes, Title IX said we must have equal women's sports. So, that's why that there is tennis and softball and track.

00:42:28Regan Siler: Equal opportunity, basically. Well, you know, I'm really glad you didn't become a scientist, because I think your calling was to be a coach and a teacher.

00:42:38Charles Nicholson: It was. I think it was, too.

00:42:40Regan Siler: And I have to say, I'm gonna go back to your teaching part a little bit. I had you for ninth grade science, and I remember because, you know, of course, this was before, you know, cell phones and everything was so readily available. We were, of course, talking about weather, and you had a VHS tape of some of an active tornado doing damage, and you let me take it because we watched, like, a little bit of it in class, and you let me take that tape home where I could watch it at home. And I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life. Scary, but cool, you know.

00:43:17Charles Nicholson: Yeah.

00:43:18Regan Siler: But you really sparked my interest in in weather, you know, in which we're going to talk about that too, because you have, you have quite a career here with Bristow, but let's talk a little bit more about your wife, Sharon. Um, you did you, you said you got married in the Baptist Church?

00:43:41Charles Nicholson: No, Methodist.

00:43:42Regan Siler: Methodist Church, I'm sorry. That's right. And do you remember what your wedding was like? Was it simple? Was it big?

00:43:50Charles Nicholson: It's very simple.

00:43:51Regan Siler: Very simple. Okay.

00:43:52Charles Nicholson: My college friend was a best man. His dad was a doctor that had a big Lincoln. So, we got the bride in a big Lincoln.

00:44:11Regan Siler: In a big Lincoln.

00:44:12Charles Nicholson: After the, before the ceremony, we arrived right in the big Lincoln. Had our ceremony, and we got in the big Lincoln and went to eat. The big Lincoln took us to our motel, so we had a big Lincoln waiting.

00:44:31Regan Siler: Well, that's cool. Um, well, I also want to ask you about your daughters, um, which I know both of them, but so tell me both of your daughter's names.

00:44:44Charles Nicholson: Leisa Lynn Nicholson (Hallman) [9/1/1961]. Teresa Edair Nicholson (Ledgerwood) [4/2/1963].

00:44:48Regan Siler: Okay, so

00:44:50Charles Nicholson: Lisa is a Hallman.

00:44:53Regan Siler: And Teresa is a Ledgerwood.

00:44:54Charles Nicholson: Teresa is a Ledgerwood.

00:44:55Regan Siler: And I have Lisa's birthday as September 1, 1961. And I have Teresa's birthday, April 2 of 1963 just because I want to have that on the recording.

00:45:08Charles Nicholson: We were not going to have babies for two or three years, but after a while, my wife said, it's time to have babies.

00:45:17Regan Siler: It's time to have babies. Well, can you think back to what maybe some of the challenges were of being a dad in the early years. Did you have any challenges or?

00:45:29Charles Nicholson: Funny you should ask.

00:45:31Regan Siler: Let me guess, you have a story?

00:45:33Charles Nicholson: Yes. Theresa did not like to go to bed early. She did not like to sleep, so she and I sit in the living room watching television while she was on my shoulder.

00:45:54Regan Siler: Right.

00:45:55Charles Nicholson: And about the time I would thought she was asleep, she would raise her head up and start looking.

00:46:02Regan Siler: And you're like, darn, we have to start this process all over again.

00:46:05Charles Nicholson: And Sharon and Lisa were sleeping while she and I was up.

00:46:10Regan Siler: So, she was your one that didn't sleep much then?

00:46:13Charles Nicholson: Yes, and she went through life like that.

00:46:15Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness. Now, did they, did you coach them in basketball? Did they play basketball for you?

00:46:21Regan Siler: So, how was that? Was that a good experience, a fun experience?

00:46:21Charles Nicholson: Yes, uh huh.

00:46:25Charles Nicholson: Yes, it was. Teresa would always and my daddy, I never thought about this. My daddy always said, you make the first shot of the game.

00:46:43Regan Siler: That's what he would tell you?

00:46:44Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:46:45Regan Siler: Okay.

00:46:46Charles Nicholson: Teresa was the same way. She'd make the first shot of the game. Lisa was a good passer.The girls. the girls liked to play with her, because she'd get the ball to them.

00:47:01Regan Siler: And it takes, yeah, it takes all parts to make it work.

00:47:05Charles Nicholson: That's right.

00:47:06Regan Siler: Um, now I also understand that you have four grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Is that correct?

00:47:14Charles Nicholson: Mm, hmm.

00:47:14Regan Siler: Okay. Um, okay, so some things I want to talk to you about in talking with Lisa, there were, you know, several points that they brought up that they wanted me to ask you about. I would like for you to tell me about serving as the Creek County Civil Defense Director, and then, I guess, you were Bristow's Civil Defense Director for 24 years, retired in 1998. Can you tell me about your experience with all of that?

00:47:43Charles Nicholson: Oh, we had a highway patrol that lived two doors south of us, that we camped with and I fished with, and one day he said, I want you to go watch storms with me, the highway patrol. So, I went twice.

00:48:08Regan Siler: And this was when you were, like, a teacher and a coach and all that.

00:48:12Charles Nicholson: Yeah.

00:48:12Regan Siler: It was that was that time of life. Okay.

00:48:16Charles Nicholson: And, so, we went twice. The next thing is, they said, I want you to go, there was a building out here on the hill by the swimming pool that was the county.

00:48:31Regan Siler: Yes, I've seen pictures of it.

00:48:33Charles Nicholson: And up on top of it was a little house, he said, and this is where they watch storms from, the key the base we'll call it, the base station. Want you go up there and see what they're doing. So, I went up there twice or three times, and pretty soon they came to the house, said we want you to be, then, Civil Defense.

00:49:07Regan Siler: Right, right.

00:49:08Charles Nicholson: I said, man, I don't know that I've got time for this. Well, we've got to have you, because at the time, the guy that was the director was going to run for county sheriff, so they had to have someone. So, I accepted was sworn in in this building across the street. The main thing was, is storm watching. I don't care what else happens. So I went to the National Weather Service in Tulsa, walked in the door, introduced myself. I said, I got to know about storms. I said they've thrown they've thrown me in Civil Defense Director at Bristow. And I said their main thing is watching storms. And a guy looked around and said, I bet there's a lot of people out there that don't know the, now, I knew about storms, but I didn't know the particulars.

00:50:08Regan Siler: Right.

00:50:10Charles Nicholson: So, this, I was the my experience was the beginning of the Weather Service traveling around, giving schools. And the first one was the First Baptist Church in Bristow. We filled that place.

00:50:34Regan Siler: So, you're basically kind of instrumental in getting training for storm spotting.

00:50:40Charles Nicholson: That's right.

00:50:40Regan Siler: That's amazing. And now it's huge. It's a big deal.

00:50:44Charles Nicholson: Yes, it is. And you can take it on television, I mean, I'm sorry, on the internet now, but still.

00:50:54Regan Siler: So, the first class was here at the First Baptist Church?

00:50:57Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:50:58Regan Siler: That's amazing.

00:50:59Charles Nicholson: And it was full.

00:51:00Regan Siler: It was full.

00:51:01Charles Nicholson: We later moved up here to the elementary. Washington had, you know, had a place up there, and we it got smaller because they moved around to different cities.

00:51:15Regan Siler: Well, I remember being bummed out when you retired, because I was like, who's going to tell us when the the sirens need to be blown. We, a lot of this counted on you.

00:51:26Charles Nicholson: Yes, it went downhill from there. I'm sorry.

00:51:29Regan Siler: Yes, I would agree.

00:51:31Charles Nicholson: We were in the process of rebuilding, and the guy died. Oh, he, he was one of my storm watchers, took over for me, and they didn't have enough. He couldn't find anybody with that could afford for nothing to go out and take their lives in their own hands.

00:51:56Regan Siler: Right, in your own vehicle, in your, yeah, in your own time, right, right. Yeah, I understand.

00:52:03Charles Nicholson: I mean, you can get out there and get hung up and get a get your pickup just beat up.

00:52:08Regan Siler: Oh! Absolutely, absolutely. I, also, understand that you were, I didn't know you were a volunteer firefighter for the fire department here?

00:52:17Charles Nicholson: Yes, I was.

00:52:18Regan Siler: You worked for a while. Okay.

00:52:20Charles Nicholson: We would fight fire all day and chase storms all night.

00:52:25Regan Siler: My husband actually started here as a volunteer fireman, and then was a full time here, and then, you know, ended up he's at Tulsa now. I, also, understand that you were awarded a Merit of Recognition and Appreciation from the mayor for your 24 years of service.

00:52:43Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:52:43Regan Siler: Is that correct? And you retired in 1998?

00:52:46Charles Nicholson: Mm-hmm.

00:52:46Regan Siler: Okay, and then did you also, you got a neighborhood watch program started?

00:52:55Charles Nicholson: Yes, the same guys that were storm spotters and firemen.

00:53:03Regan Siler: I felt like you were way ahead of your time on on getting all this stuff going.

00:53:09Charles Nicholson: We had a a fire up here where the there was a Ben Franklin store,

00:53:17Regan Siler: Yes, yes. I remember that story.

00:53:19Charles Nicholson: Big fire.

00:53:19Regan Siler: Yeah.

00:53:20Charles Nicholson: I was up all night fighting fire, and I went to school the next day and taught school. I went out and sat down to the high school principal's office, which being athletic director, I checked in with him every day. What are you doing here? This is my job. Oh, well, I didn't think you'd be here today. You was up all night. I said, that's my civil duty. This is my job.

00:53:57Regan Siler: Oh, dedicated,

00:53:59Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:54:00Regan Siler: Absolutely dedicated.

00:54:01Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:54:02Regan Siler: And, you were Citizen of the Year in 1985.

00:54:05Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:54:06Regan Siler: That's a pretty cool honor.

00:54:08Charles Nicholson: I thought it was.

00:54:08Regan Siler: Yeah. Isn't that when they used to have you like ride in the Christmas parade? And did you ride the Christmas parade like in a car, or did they just award it to you at the banquet?

00:54:19Charles Nicholson: At the banquet.

00:54:20Regan Siler: At the banquet, okay.

00:54:21Charles Nicholson: I was at a ball game one night. The principal walked up says, oh, by the way, your wife and family is out here eating dinner at the country club. You're supposed to go out there and eat dinner with them. I'll take over. So, I drove out there. I didn't know what's going on. So, they got to talking and giving speeches, and I'm going, I think I know that guy. And pretty soon they gave me the award.

00:54:55Regan Siler: That's awesome!

00:54:56Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:54:57Regan Siler: And then I understand, too, that you were, you were a 2010 Wildflower Run honoree?

00:55:05Regan Siler: Weren't you on a t-shirt and everything, on the Wildflower Run t-shirt? Well, that's pretty cool. Well, is there any other stories that you want to tell me about your time here at Bristow that I didn't ask you about? Anything else you want to share?

00:55:05Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:55:20Charles Nicholson: No, I don't.

00:55:21Regan Siler: You don't think so?

00:55:22Charles Nicholson: I don't really know.

00:55:24Regan Siler: Okay, well, I have a couple of other questions for you, but I but these are just kind of fun questions. Um, what would you consider to be the most important invention in your lifetime?

00:55:36Charles Nicholson: Oh, man, that's a that's a hard question.

00:55:39Regan Siler: That is a hard question. I'm challenging you.

00:55:42Charles Nicholson: I think the the car was.

00:55:45Regan Siler: For you, okay.

00:55:46Charles Nicholson: For me, because that's all I ever

00:55:49Regan Siler: You were on the road a lot, weren't you?

00:55:50Charles Nicholson: Yes, and my dad and I, we, we rebuilt a lot of cars.

00:55:57Regan Siler: See, I think that's awesome. My kids are real into car building too.

00:56:03Charles Nicholson: Yeah, we a transmission was $5. And now what does that ad say, $3000?

00:56:12Regan Siler: Yeah, it's crazy.

00:56:13Charles Nicholson: But, one day we put my friend of mine who we played, he was the postman in basketball, and played, he and I played end in football, and his dad owned a junkyard, we called it back in the old days. So, I could get parts.

00:56:40Regan Siler: So, you had a free for all out there, didn't ya?

00:56:42Charles Nicholson: Yeah, and he helped me, you know, put them in and out.

00:56:47Regan Siler: Right, right. Well, that's cool. How do you how do you feel the world is different now than when you were a child?

00:56:57Charles Nicholson: The world is too many people are self-centered. Too many people feel sorry for themselves. They don't, they're not fighters anymore. I mean, now, I'm talking fighters. I'm talking about getting out there and stealing the basketball at the end of the game and making a basket to win it.

00:57:20Regan Siler: Right, right.

00:57:22Charles Nicholson: Or, you know, or to come to bat and and hit a home run to win the game.

00:57:30Regan Siler: Right.

00:57:31Charles Nicholson: And there's just too many people that are cry babies.

00:57:34Regan Siler: Like they've lost their fire or something.

00:57:36Charles Nicholson: You're, you're right.

00:57:37Regan Siler: Yeah, yeah. I, I understand that. As you see it, what do you feel is our nation's biggest problem, and how would you think you would solve it?

00:57:50Charles Nicholson: We are too soft. Now, I was born in '37. We didn't put up with this. Our nation did not put up with this. Germany, they marched, my uncle's made the D-Day invasion. The D-Day invasion was, wow, a guy gets shot right there beside you, and you make it up the hill.

00:58:20Regan Siler: Right.

00:58:22Charles Nicholson: We, I remember the president, I lived at [undecipherable] southeast corner of the southeast bedroom was a big old radio. I remember the the president declaring war on Japan.

00:58:38Regan Siler: How did you feel? How did that make you feel?

00:58:41Charles Nicholson: It was scary.

00:58:42Regan Siler: Scary. About how old were you, would you have been?

00:58:46Charles Nicholson: Seven.

00:58:47Regan Siler: So you were little.

00:58:49Charles Nicholson: No, I wasn't. I was two, I was probably five, almost six.

00:58:57Regan Siler: But you that that's like a core memory.

00:58:59Charles Nicholson: Yes, see, that was December the seventh. My birthday is on the 12th of January. The hottest my mother carried me the hottest day of the year, summer of the year.

00:59:12Regan Siler: Right.

00:59:13Charles Nicholson: We drove to Muskogee in the snowstorm to give birth.

00:59:18Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. But, but you so you remember the feeling of hearing the the declaration of war and how that made you feel.

00:59:29Charles Nicholson: Yes.

00:59:29Regan Siler: And you were fearful about it as a youngster, okay,

00:59:33Charles Nicholson: We took naps on Sunday.

00:59:37Regan Siler: I like that idea.

00:59:39Charles Nicholson: The the war planes would fly from Oklahoma City over Porum [indecipherable] to Ft. Smith. I would wake up and I would think, oh my gosh, they're coming to bomb us. It would be our planes.

00:59:58Regan Siler: Right.

00:59:59Charles Nicholson: Our war planes.

01:00:00Regan Siler: But as a kid, that's yeah what you were thinking. Well, how have historic events say, such as the Oklahoma City Bombing, the 9/11 any natural disasters, world wars or even COVID, have any of those things affected you in your life, aside from what we just talked about?

01:00:22Charles Nicholson: Yes. I, Oklahoma City bombing, I was prepared to go down there like other people and help service. I got a phone call from the state office telling me to stay in Bristow, because we were on a main highway. See, okay, and they didn't know if they were going to be bombing, marching up, bombing.

01:01:01Regan Siler: Right.

01:01:01Charles Nicholson: And they would need me to stay here.

01:01:04Regan Siler: Wow. Okay.

01:01:06Charles Nicholson: Now others

01:01:07Regan Siler: Were you, were you fearful at that time of what was going on in our world?

01:01:11Charles Nicholson: Yes, I was.

01:01:12Regan Siler: Yeah, yeah. I remember, too. It was scary. Um

01:01:17Charles Nicholson: Now, not interrupting you, there's been other things like,

01:01:21Regan Siler: Yeah, go ahead.

01:01:24Charles Nicholson: I can't think of what it was crashed in Texas, the space shuttle.

01:01:30Regan Siler: Oh, yes, right, right.

01:01:33Charles Nicholson: And, you know, other things like that was really disturbing, because we never know what was that was it shot down?

01:01:40Regan Siler: Right.

01:01:41Charles Nicholson: You know.

01:01:41Regan Siler: Right, or like the Twin Towers getting hit.

01:01:45Regan Siler: Yeah, exactly. Well, is there anything else that you would like to share with us? Or, I, honestly, would like to get because I, I would like to hear what Coach Nicholson's words of wisdom are for you to share with future generations. Do you have any words of wisdom that you'd like to share to end this.

01:01:45Charles Nicholson: Yes, you're right.

01:02:07Charles Nicholson: Work hard.

01:02:09Charles Nicholson: And spend your time with your family. That is important. People about their grandkids or their great grandkids, I say, and their own kids. Enjoy them while you can, because pretty soon, snap a finger, they're going to be off to college and get married and leave. See, I have a great grand I have a grandson that he's worked in Kansas City. He works in California now, and we don't get to see him.

01:02:53Regan Siler: Right.

01:02:53Charles Nicholson: You know. So, you need to enjoy your kids while they're growing up.

01:02:59Regan Siler: Right. I like that advice. That's good advice.

01:03:03Charles Nicholson: That's right.

01:03:04Regan Siler: And it does. It goes by, it goes by so fast.

01:03:07Charles Nicholson: That's right.

01:03:08Regan Siler: It does. Well, your interview will become an important part of the oral history archives for the museum. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us.

01:03:18Charles Nicholson: You're welcome.

01:03:18Regan Siler: And it has definitely been my pleasure.