Linda Root

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 July 1, 2025 and I'm sitting here with Linda Root at the Bristow Library Annex. She's going to tell us a little bit about her life and her history living in the Bristow area. Can you please state your full name?

00:00:24Linda Root: Linda Rose Root.

00:00:26Regan Siler: Okay. And do I have permission to do this interview?

00:00:29Linda Root: Yes, you do.

00:00:29Regan Siler: Okay. Please tell me when and where you were born.

00:00:33Linda Root: I was born in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, June 3, 1953.

00:00:38Regan Siler: Okay, um, let's talk about the people in your family. Let's start with your parents. What are your parents full names?

00:00:48Linda Root: Rosemary McGuire and Clifford James McGuire.

00:00:53Regan Siler: Okay, and I have, I have your mother as Rosemary Simmonds McGuire?

00:00:58Linda Root: Yes.

00:00:58Regan Siler: Okay. And her birthday is 1/29/1926 and then I have your dad as 9/24/1912.

00:01:08Linda Root: Yes.

00:01:10Regan Siler: Okay, alright. What type of work did your parents do?

00:01:14Linda Root: My mother, there were six kids, so she was a homemaker, although she did work later as a caretaker for the elderly, and my dad worked for the Corps of Engineers after getting out of the army.

00:01:27Regan Siler: Okay, so he was in the army?

00:01:28Linda Root: Yes.

00:01:29Regan Siler: Okay. Do you have any, well, obviously, yeah, you have siblings. You have six siblings. How many

00:01:36Linda Root: There's there's actually eight of us. I have a half brother and half sister, and then six and my immediate family.

00:01:43Regan Siler: Oh, wow. Okay, um, so did you, growing up here, did you or did you where? First of all, where did you grow up?

00:01:51Linda Root: I grew up in the Kellyville area.

00:01:52Regan Siler: The Kellyville area, and then you told me you, your family moved here in 1972?

00:01:57Linda Root: Yes, that's when my husband got out of the service. We came back to Bristow.

00:02:01Regan Siler: Okay.

00:02:02Linda Root: And have been here ever since.

00:02:04Regan Siler: Okay, had your, where you grew up in Kellyville, had your family been in that area for a long time?

00:02:10Linda Root: I guess so, I mean the McGuires I was, my maiden name was McGuire, and there's McGuire family there in Depew area but I went to school there. We were in Bristow, though. I mean, Kellyville didn't have hardly anything. Still doesn't.

00:02:26Regan Siler: Right, right.

00:02:26Linda Root: But we always shopped in Bristow, and so I kind of grew up in this area. Did the Western Heritage Days and all that when I was a kid.

00:02:34Regan Siler: Right, right. Okay, well, let's talk about your early childhood and your home life. I'm just going to ask you a few fun questions about that. Do you remember any of your favorite toys or games that you played when you were young?

00:02:49Linda Root: Oh, my goodness. I think one of my favorite things was listening to my mom talk about her life growing up in England. But also, we were, we played games constantly. I mean, kick the can, softball, baseball. We were country kids, so we were outside all the time.

00:03:09Regan Siler: Right, that's, that's the general consensus from people from that time period, is that you were outside all the time. So you, you mentioned your mom was from England?

00:03:18Linda Root: Yes.

00:03:18Regan Siler: Well, that's interesting. So, she probably had a lot of neat stories.

00:03:22Linda Root: Yeah, I didn't know she had an English accent until I started school and the kids told me.

00:03:28Regan Siler: Really?

00:03:29Linda Root: You just,

00:03:30Regan Siler: That's what.

00:03:30Linda Root: You don't pay attention.

00:03:31Regan Siler: That's just how mom sounded.

00:03:33Linda Root: Yeah, I was very defensive.

00:03:36Regan Siler: So, when did she, when did she come over?

00:03:39Linda Root: She came over in 1947 on the Queen Mary after the war. She and my dad met when he was stationed in England, and she worked as for the RAF, the English Air Force, making parachutes and stuff when she was very young. And they ended up meeting there, marrying. My sister was born in England, and then she rode the Queen Mary back to the states and went through Staten Island, came to Bristow on a train.

00:04:12Regan Siler: Wow. So what brought, what brought her to Bristow?

00:04:16Linda Root: Well, there was, there was just stops that they made, and she was supposed to stop in Bristow. She didn't know that Bristow was as close to Kellyville as it was. So, the Red Cross did a special stop in Kellyville when she came over, but it was in the paper. My daughter's done research on it, and she found it in Oklahoma City.

00:04:37Regan Siler: Well, how cool. So, I would imagine listening to your mom's stories were probably pretty,

00:04:42Linda Root: Very interesting.

00:04:43Regan Siler: Really neat growing up.

00:04:44Linda Root: And I did get the opportunity to go over and visit all the areas.

00:04:48Regan Siler: Wow, that's cool. Um, well, kind of back to your childhood. Did you have any chores you were expected to do as a youngster?

00:04:58Linda Root: Oh, yes, we all had a chore. I did switch off with my brothers because I would rather be outside than doing the dishes. I was always an outside person, but I got drug back in.

00:05:10Regan Siler: So, since you had a big family, did you have friends that would come over and play, or did you just typically play with your siblings?

00:05:17Linda Root: Well, both.

00:05:18Regan Siler: Both.

00:05:18Linda Root: I had neighbors, good friends that were neighbors, too. We lived in the country, so we weren't right up against each other, but we did play a lot.

00:05:26Regan Siler: So, did you have any particular hobbies as a youngster?

00:05:29Linda Root: Horseback riding. I loved horseback riding.

00:05:33Regan Siler: So, did you live on a farm?

00:05:35Linda Root: It wasn't a big farm. It was just acreage. And I had a horse. My neighbors that I ran around with had horses, so we did a lot of that. Grew up over by Heyburn Lake. So, we were always either swimming, riding horses, something like that.

00:05:53Regan Siler: That sounds fun. Okay, well, can you tell me a little bit about your school life? Where did you first attend school?

00:06:02Linda Root: Kellyville [Oklahoma].

00:06:03Regan Siler: Kellyville.

00:06:04Linda Root: From the first grade through eleventh grade, and then we moved and was traveling after I married my husband. He got drafted, and so we were in the service. Moved eight times. Ended up in Germany and did a almost a year in Germany. And when we came back was when we came back to Bristow.

00:06:26Regan Siler: Okay, okay. Did you have any influential teachers that you can remember, growing up?

00:06:32Linda Root: Yes, Jeff Holcomb [ph] was a high school teacher. He was just a very good person. I thought the world of him and my first grade teacher, Mrs. Williams.

00:06:46Regan Siler: So, what did Mr. Holcomb teach?

00:06:49Linda Root: He taught history and different things that he had several classes. He was just a really impressive person. I think his son went on to teach over there, Tom Holcomb, too.

00:07:03Regan Siler: Okay, okay. Were you a member of any clubs or organizations in school?

00:07:11Linda Root: 4H, of course, Home Economics. I think I enjoyed 4H as much as anything, because it was kind of hands on. We did a lot of trips and stuff on that. Bristow didn't have a lot of extracurricular activity going, or not Bristow, Kellyville at that point. But, I was in, oh, let's see, I did speech. I was in a play. I was in a couple of plays.

00:07:42Regan Siler: So, it sounded like you probably enjoyed school.

00:07:45Linda Root: I did.

00:07:45Regan Siler: Did you have a favorite subject?

00:07:49Linda Root: Oh, goodness, let's think. I think probably English was one of my favorite. Math was probably my least. And then I ended up in real estate.

00:08:08Regan Siler: Where you had to do math all the time.

00:08:08Linda Root: I had to do it all the time.

00:08:09Regan Siler: Well, can you tell me a little bit about the house that you grew up in?

00:08:11Linda Root: Oh, I don't know what to say.

00:08:12Regan Siler: Did you, so in this house on your acreage, is that where you lived from the

00:08:18Linda Root: We lived in on a farm, a large farm, up until I was, like, in the third grade, and then we moved to the Heyburn Lake area because my dad worked there at the project office, and he bought a house and had put on that property. It's five acres and

00:08:37Regan Siler: And is that where you were the rest of your youth?

00:08:40Regan Siler: Okay, did well, you I'm sure you probably didn't have your own room if you had to share

00:08:40Linda Root: Yes, up until I left.

00:08:41Linda Root: No, we had to share. There were too many kids.

00:08:49Regan Siler: Too many, too many kids. Um, what were mealtimes like in your family? Did you guys eat together every night?

00:08:58Linda Root: Every night. My mother was a wonderful cook. My daughter would attest to that. You know, she, she was always baking, and of course, we milked cows. We had fresh milk and all of that. But, you know, when I came home from school, there was always cookies or something like that. She was just really into baking and cooking, and she was a wonderful cook.

00:09:23Regan Siler: Did she have a, did she make a favorite meal that, like, was your favorite?

00:09:29Linda Root: Remember, she's from England, or she was from England. Every Sunday we had roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and that's kind of a trend there with that. I just assumed everybody knew what that was. They don't.

00:09:44Regan Siler: Yeah, I don't either.

00:09:44Linda Root: Now more familiar.

00:09:46Regan Siler: Right, right.

00:09:47Linda Root: I ate a lot of stuff, I guess, growing up that she was influenced by, too.

00:09:54Regan Siler: Right, so, did you have to help cook and clean up?

00:09:59Linda Root: Yes.

00:09:59Regan Siler: Stuff like that. Did you inherit her, her cooking skills?

00:10:06Linda Root: Well, I like to cook. I don't know if I'm as good as her. I do have recipes of hers that I still use.

00:10:11Regan Siler: Well, that seems special to have.

00:10:13Linda Root: Yeah, our stuffing during the holidays, that's in great demand in my family and and that's her recipe. I have several of her recipes that I do.

00:10:23Regan Siler: Well, that's neat. Well, I know you'd mentioned Western Heritage Days, so I wanted to ask what, I know that you were in Kellyville, but you were in Bristow a lot. So, what were some of your favorite activities in the Bristow area, for instance, like Western Heritage days and such?

00:10:40Linda Root: You know, Western Heritage Days was so fun when I was a kid. I mean, you got the cap guns, and they had the shootouts, and it was, it's a good memory that I have of Bristow. Also, we the movies. We had movie theaters here. I think there was at least two that I remember. And Kemp's Drugstore had the best sodas that I have ever drank. We always, that was our treat. That was our treat on Saturdays, when we came to shop, we would get to go to Kemps and get a soda or the Highway Cafe that was here.

00:11:13Regan Siler: I hear about that a lot.

00:11:14Linda Root: That was wonderful. My dad always took me there, and it had to had the jukebox, you know, that you could get the tunes and everything. There was a lot of fond memories. We had a lot of fun.

00:11:27Regan Siler: So, were there other things other than Western Heritage days? Were there ever, like parades or county fairs or anything like that that you're maybe, did they have day camp at that time?

00:11:38Linda Root: Well, they used to have the fair here, and we always came to Bristow for the fair, the county fair.

00:11:44Regan Siler: Okay.

00:11:44Linda Root: And that was always a good thing. There was no day camp. My mother probably would have loved that.

00:11:51Regan Siler: Keep the kids busy during the summer.

00:11:53Linda Root: Camp for us was going to the lake and learning how to swim.

00:11:56Regan Siler: Okay, um, well, do you remember some of the biggest or most popular businesses around Bristow when you were growing up?

00:12:04Linda Root: Woolworths.

00:12:05Regan Siler: Okay.

00:12:05Linda Root: Was here.

00:12:06Regan Siler: And tell me what Woolworths was.

00:12:08Linda Root: It was like kind of variety store. It was in the area where I think the gym is at on between seventh and eighth. Let me think Safeway. I remember the manager at Safeway, because when I was little, but my parents were shopping, and I had gone over to where the comic books was at, and was looking through all of those. Well, with as big as our family was, they loaded up and took off and left me there, and I believe it was Norma Chadderdon's dad that was the manager, and he came over, and I realized they were gone, you know, I was starting to look for them. And, so, he picked me up and was walking around the store with me. Of course, they came right back.

00:12:57Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness!

00:12:57Linda Root: But that was a memory I had. There was a five and dime, and I don't remember the name of it. I know Woolworths was a big one. There was another one right next to it. Like I said, Kemps, the movie theaters, JC, Penney, that was one of my attractions to buying the building where we had Root's Hometown, because I grew up going to JC Penney's.

00:12:58Regan Siler: Is that where it was? Was it in that building?

00:13:22Linda Root: Yes.

00:13:23Regan Siler: Oh, how neat.

00:13:24Linda Root: On the south side where the stairways at, and you can go up to the upstairs.

00:13:28Regan Siler: Yes.

00:13:28Linda Root: We used to have recliners there. That's where the dresses were at.

00:13:32Regan Siler: Oh, how neat!

00:13:34Linda Root: Shamas

00:13:36Regan Siler: The Dry Goods Store.

00:13:38Linda Root: I remember going in there a lot, and

00:13:42Regan Siler: You've seen a lot of changes in Bristow from the time you young till now.

00:13:46Linda Root: Yeah, I have, I you know Bristow, I love living in Bristow. We had the opportunity to live a lot of other places, and this is home to me, and I'm only nine miles from where I grew up, too.

00:14:01Regan Siler: Right, right. Did you have a favorite place to eat out?

00:14:06Linda Root: I think Kemps was where we went. Like I said, the Kemps and the Highway Cafe. As a family back then, you didn't just go out and eat all the time. My mother cooked most of our meals.

00:14:18Regan Siler: Right, right. Did you have a favorite hangout as a teenager?

00:14:25Linda Root: Oh, goodness. I went to work as soon as I could, because that was my goal was to work. I worked at Howard Johnson's on the turnpike while I was still in school. Worked summers there.

00:14:40Regan Siler: So, how old were you when you started working? Do you remember?

00:14:43Linda Root: Oh, goodness. I worked for an aunt that had a concession stand there at the lake. I worked for her when I was really young. We ran the firecracker stand. We were just active. We were always out and doing something.

00:14:59Regan Siler: Right, right. Do you have any particular memories of the train depot, by chance?

00:15:09Linda Root: I remember going to it. It wasn't something that we went to all the time, you know, but we, I'm pretty sure there was, like, a large parking lot down in that area that we always parked at when we came to town. And, of course, we would spend the day in town when we came. I sound really old.

00:15:30Regan Siler: No, but it's really interesting to hear how Bristow used to be, and it was a very booming.

00:15:38Linda Root: Very booming, very busy town. Rexall Drug was here. I'm trying to think of all the different things. Anthony's this, this shoe shop. What was the name of it back then, that Cecil's [ph] had? I can't think of it either.

00:15:53Regan Siler: I know what you're talking about.

00:15:55Linda Root: Relapse here, yeah. But every storefront was, Lyon's Cafe. I forgot about that.

00:16:01Regan Siler: Yes.

00:16:01Linda Root: They were here.

00:16:02Regan Siler: That's another one that gets mentioned frequently.

00:16:05Linda Root: Oh yeah, it was exciting to come. And it was always so busy on Saturdays. It seemed like people all came to town to shop.

00:16:13Regan Siler: So, in a family, in a large family like yours, did you, did you get new clothes? Did your mom make your clothes?

00:16:22Linda Root: Both.

00:16:23Regan Siler: Hand me downs? I'm sure.

00:16:24Linda Root: Yeah.

00:16:25Regan Siler: Okay. So, did you get them around, did you get to come to town and buy them, like before school or?

00:16:31Linda Root: Yes, like the JC Penney's and Shamas.

00:16:33Regan Siler: Okay, okay, um, do you remember your family's first car?

00:16:38Linda Root: No.

00:16:41Regan Siler: It must have not stood out to you.

00:16:42Linda Root: I don't, I don't remember that. I mean, I can't even tell you what they drove, to be honest. Okay, have to sit and really think about it.

00:16:49Regan Siler: Did you get to go on any family vacations with having such a big family? I would imagine that was probably tough.

00:16:55Linda Root: Not really, not really. I mean, we, we lived in an area where people went on vacation around the lake, and my dad, you know, we always picnic'd and went down there. My aunt lived there, and she had a really nice place that we visited, and there was always fireworks and everything.

00:17:13Regan Siler: Right, okay. Do you remember who taught you how to drive?

00:17:19Linda Root: My dad.

00:17:20Regan Siler: Your dad did. And do you remember your first car?

00:17:24Linda Root: Yes, Fury III [Plymouth]. I learned to drive on in a pickup, a standard shift, and before I could drive, I had to learn how to change a tire and take care of all of that.

00:17:39Regan Siler: See, I think that's kind of a lost art these days.

00:17:42Linda Root: He would put me on his lap and let me steer you know.

00:17:47Regan Siler: Okay, what sort of entertainment did you enjoy growing up? Did you have a TV? Did you get to watch TV?

00:17:56Linda Root: Yes.

00:17:56Regan Siler: Okay. Do you remember any programs, specific programs you enjoyed?

00:18:00Linda Root: My goodness, of course, I watched what my parents said that we watched, and there wasn't that many.

00:18:06Regan Siler: Right, right.

00:18:07Linda Root: Which is why we played outside most the time. Let me think of some of the shows that we watched.

00:18:13Regan Siler: And that's okay if you can't remember, yeah.

00:18:17Linda Root: Lawrence Welk. My parents watched that, you know, the music and stuff like that.

00:18:21Regan Siler: So, did you listen to music much as a youngster? So, what was your favorite kind of music during that time?

00:18:28Linda Root: Well, when I was younger, I listened. My siblings are talented. I mean, I had a brother that played the piano. I've got two brothers that played the guitar. I picked around on both. Never kept with them, but there was always music, my dad played.

00:18:47Regan Siler: So, you had your own music.

00:18:49Linda Root: Yes, our family, when there was a family get together, there was always music being played.

00:18:54Regan Siler: That's cool. Do you remember witnessing any pivotal moments in history, like on TV?

00:19:04Linda Root: I remember when Kennedy was shot, President Kennedy, and that happened while I was I think it was in fifth grade, and everybody was just shocked.

00:19:15Regan Siler: Do you remember how you felt at that time?

00:19:18Linda Root: However, I knew it was something that was very important that had happened, and of course, we all cried, you know, and went home my parents were very upset about it. That was probably one thing that stood out more so than anything when I was young.

00:19:34Regan Siler: Was it your parents, that your family was upset about it, or just the shooting itself?

00:19:38Linda Root: The news, the shooting, the whole thing.

00:19:41Regan Siler: So, what was medical care like for you growing up? Did you have a family doctor? Did you try to handle things at home? How did, how did that work?

00:19:49Linda Root: We had a family doctor. We didn't go real often. I think I was taken, I hurt my arm, and when I was, like, in the third grade, and Dr. Joseph out of Sapulpa was our doctor at that point. And then Dr. Gebetsburger [ph] later.

00:20:06Regan Siler: Okay, did you attend church growing up?

00:20:09Linda Root: Yes, Sunrise Baptist Church.

00:20:11Regan Siler: And was that in Kellyville?

00:20:12Linda Root: Over it's out in the country by Heyburn Lake.

00:20:16Regan Siler: Does it still exist?

00:20:18Linda Root: Still there.

00:20:19Linda Root: That's our voting precinct.

00:20:21Regan Siler: Oh, okay, alright. Well, tell me a little bit about the holidays in your family, for instance, like, tell me what a typical Christmas was like growing up when you were younger.

00:20:33Linda Root: Oh, my goodness, we always got a package from my grandmother in England, so that was always exciting.

00:20:40Regan Siler: Oh, I bet.

00:20:40Linda Root: It's different. My mom always tried to make a big deal out of it. She grew up during the war, so they were rationed and didn't have the ability to get a lot of presents. So, she always made a big deal out of holidays for us.

00:20:46Regan Siler: So, did you have, like, the normal kind of decorations? Did you guys cut down a tree? Like, what was that like?

00:21:03Regan Siler: Yeah, well, and I don't think it's always necessarily about maybe what you get, but it's how you spend the time the tradition, just like your grandma sending you a gift or whatever, how that's a core memory, you know.

00:21:03Linda Root: I think we cut down a tree a lot later. Of course, she had a tree that she put up that, yeah, we decorated. We we had the stockings. They weren't big and fantastic Christmases, but I have really warm memories of all of it.

00:21:36Linda Root: She always fixed big meals, you know, we we celebrated, we had a good time.

00:21:41Regan Siler: Um, as a child, do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up?

00:21:45Linda Root: Not really.

00:21:48Regan Siler: You didn't have any big dreams?

00:21:51Linda Root: Well, I had goals of doing something.

00:21:53Regan Siler: You just weren't sure what.

00:21:55Linda Root: You know, I just, I didn't know. I could not have told you that I would end up in real estate and owning the furniture and appliance store.

00:22:03Regan Siler: Yeah, that that, I'm sure, that probably wasn't on your radar, was it?

00:22:06Linda Root: That came later.

00:22:07Regan Siler: Okay, did you attend college?

00:22:10Linda Root: I went to Tulsa Junior College after we got back to the States.

00:22:14Regan Siler: Okay, and did you enjoy that experience?

00:22:16Linda Root: Yes.

00:22:16Regan Siler: Okay, um, and I guess, did you receive an associate degree there?

00:22:21Linda Root: I didn't not. I just specialized in some some classes.

00:22:24Regan Siler: Different classes.

00:22:25Linda Root: And real estate was one of them that I took because we were getting into rental property. Loved it, and just went ahead and pursued that.

00:22:33Regan Siler: Well, I remember you telling me you were flipping houses before flipping houses was cool. Okay, well, let's talk about your spouse. Can you tell me what his full name is?

00:22:46Linda Root: Richard Allan Root.

00:22:47Regan Siler: And his date of birth I have is 5/17/1948.

00:22:50Linda Root: Yes.

00:22:51Regan Siler: And then he passed away in 2019?

00:22:55Linda Root: Yes.

00:22:55Regan Siler: Okay, so tell me what was your first impression of him whenever you saw him.

00:23:03Linda Root: Oh, my goodness, we worked together. And I, you know, I thought he was a snob, to be honest. But he was

00:23:14Regan Siler: Where did you work together at?

00:23:15Linda Root: At Howard Johnson's.

00:23:16Regan Siler: Oh, okay.

00:23:16Linda Root: And he had, he was going to OSU at that time. Rick was five years older than me, so you know, he was, he was going to OSU, and he was working there weekends, and we just ended up starting dating later, after we got to know each other.

00:23:33Regan Siler: Okay, so did you have a long engagement period, or did you just decide, hey, we're getting married?

00:23:39Linda Root: No, we ended up getting married. We dated for about four months.

00:23:45Regan Siler: So, you got married when you were in school?

00:23:47Linda Root: Yes.

00:23:48Regan Siler: Okay, okay. And I have down that you were, you got married on April, April 11, 1970 at the Blue Bell Church in Kellyville?

00:23:58Linda Root: Mmm-hmm.

00:23:59Regan Siler: Okay. What was your wedding like?

00:24:04Linda Root: It was nice. My mom did my wedding dress, and she was a seamstress, and my best friend was my maid of honor, and his best friend from college was his, his best man. But it was, it was everything's big in my family, because there's so many.

00:24:23Regan Siler: Right, right.

00:24:24Linda Root: My cousin, Preach McGuire, a lot of people in this area knew him at that time, was the preacher there, and he he held the service.

00:24:32Regan Siler: So, I wanted to ask what your first years of marriage was like. But, obviously, yeah, you ended up going overseas, right?

00:24:41Linda Root: I never dreamed that I would be moving that much at that time.

00:24:45Regan Siler: So, were you nervous, because, I mean, you were young, or did you just, you just went?

00:24:49Linda Root: My husband went to work for City Service after he got out of college. We moved to Tulsa. He was transferred to Bartlesville, and we lived in Dewey, Oklahoma. We were only there a month when he got drafted. When he went to Oklahoma City, back then, they just put him on a bus and sent him to Fort Leonard Wood. So, I had to take care of packing, notifying his company, doing all of that. I had to grow up really fast at that point.

00:25:21Regan Siler: Yeah, because what were you probably maybe 18 or 19 at the time?

00:25:25Linda Root: Seventeen.

00:25:26Linda Root: Yes.

00:25:26Regan Siler: My gosh, oh my gosh.

00:25:28Linda Root: I ended up moving to New Jersey after he got out of Fort Leonard Wood. I drove there. We lived in, I lived in Fort or Fort Dix, New Jersey is where he was stationed, and I lived off base. He was then transferred to Fort Hamilton, New York. I lived with an aunt in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, while he did that, and it was, he could go by train back.

00:25:54Regan Siler: Well, that's what I was going to say, it seems like being so young, you would be lonesome.

00:25:54Linda Root: No.

00:25:57Regan Siler: You weren't? You just, I guess you were social and just made friends everywhere you went?

00:26:04Linda Root: I guess. We ended up in in, well, San Antonio, Texas.

00:26:10Regan Siler: I feel like our kids are so different.

00:26:13Linda Root: I was young and dumb and wasn't scared of anything. From San Antonio, Texas then we ended up in Frankfurt, Germany, just outside of Frankfurt, it's [indecipherable] Germany and

00:26:29Regan Siler: Well, I know you told me that one of your children were was born and

00:26:33Linda Root: Ricky was born in Frankfurt.

00:26:35Regan Siler: Well, tell me, tell me your children's names and their dates of birth.

00:26:39Linda Root: Michelle Ann Root Morquecho. And she was born October 3, 1970 and then Richard Allan Root, Jr., and he was born September 13, 1971 and he was two months premature.

00:26:58Regan Siler: Oh, my goodness. And you were in another country.

00:27:00Linda Root: And I was in another country.

00:27:01Regan Siler: And you didn't have any family there with you during that.

00:27:06Regan Siler: So was, was your husband even able to be there for?

00:27:10Linda Root: Yes, okay, he was a chaplain's assistant in the army, and he was assigned to three chaplains that were in a Schaffenburg, Germany, and they just took me in as family. They, they were just wonderful.

00:27:26Regan Siler: Well, that's good. And then you told me you have nine grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren. So, you're you're a busy, you're a busy great grandma, aren't you?

00:27:39Linda Root: And I never dreamed that I would even be around for great grandchildren, but I'm glad that I'm able to enjoy them and they are, they are a handful at times, but they're wonderful.

00:27:50Regan Siler: Well, so, your family, you and your family, have been instrumental in the, you know, Bristow area the whole time you've been here. So, let's talk a little bit about that. I know you said, obviously, you had the your Root Real Estate business for 20 years, and then we all know Root's Furniture was here for 20 years, and then you still have another location in Cushing at this time. But, I also would like for you to tell us about the Tabouleh Festival, because I think that's a really important part of Bristow's heritage. So, tell us, tell us how that got started.

00:28:32Linda Root: The Tabouleh Fesitval, it was generated, I think, they were doing away with the the Western Heritage Days and my husband, when he went to work in Bristow, he'd retired from Occidental. He was a human resources manager. He retired from there, and he hated retirement. I was still working real estate, and so he wanted to buy something. He bought Brace's Furniture Store. And right about that time was when all of that happened. And so, he said, we've got to think of something that will draw people to Bristow, because you have to have something that you identify with. And, so, he he brainstormed and talked about different stuff. Well, we love tabouleh and we loved Freddy's and that, and that just kind of came up and started growing. And we met with Tex and Sherian [Slyman].

00:29:23Regan Siler: Well, the Lebanese heritage is a big, it runs deep in Bristow.

00:29:31Linda Root: In real estate, when I was trying to sell people on Bristow, which I've always tried to do, you know, since doing that. But if you look at the buildings, there's, you know, the Abrahams and the McSouds and all of that boils back to the Lebanese heritage. And they did help establish Bristow. So, the Shamases, I mean, there's a lot of them.

00:29:52Regan Siler: It seemed like a natural a natural direction to go.

00:29:56Linda Root: Yes, yeah. And we had two tabouleh factories here. We had the Bishops and we had the one that Tex Slyman had, and, so, started talking. We ended up meeting with them, Clifford Smith, and Deanna and Nancy and her husband, Edgar [Spencer], and those families just kind of got together and started brainstorming.

00:30:19Regan Siler: And when was the first Tabouleh Festival?

00:30:22Linda Root: Oh, my goodness, I don't remember. 2005?

00:30:26Regan Siler: 2005 that's what I

00:30:27Linda Root: Okay.

00:30:28Regan Siler: That's what I had down. And it's been every year.

00:30:31Linda Root: Well, it was 20 years this year.

00:30:33Regan Siler: It's been every year since then, right?

00:30:36Linda Root: And different degrees. I mean, the first year was really nice. And I think we had all kinds of tabouleh. We did the contest. There was just a lot when, when you're in my family, everyone works. So, I mean, the whole family worked. My daughter was involved very heavily in it. And we had the store, even our employees. I mean, we'd haul tables, and

00:31:01Regan Siler: It takes a lot of work.

00:31:02Linda Root: There's a lot of work, and I admire the people that are still doing it.

00:31:06Regan Siler: Right, right. Okay, well, then you also said you were involved with the Chamber. I know you said you've, like, coached T-ball and soccer and, like, you've done all kinds of things. But, I also want to talk about Root Real Estate was first.

00:31:24Linda Root: Yes.

00:31:24Regan Siler: Before the furniture store, correct?

00:31:26Linda Root: Yes.

00:31:27Regan Siler: Okay.

00:31:28Linda Root: When, when I got back, of course, I was raising children, but I went to work with Dr. Richardson. He was a chiropractic doctor that had an office where the 66 Venue is at. Worked for them shortly. They were friends. I went to church with them. Then I ended up getting into the real estate. Went to work for Donna Smith Real Estate. Naomi Talent bought her out, and I worked for her for a while, and then I, when I got my broker's license, I decided to open up my own and

00:32:03Regan Siler: The rest is history.

00:32:05Linda Root: I was young when it happened, and it, it was really interesting. I loved it.

00:32:10Regan Siler: And that was for 20 years you did that. You sold that in 2004?

00:32:14Linda Root: Yes, yeah. And it's, you know, it's just something that gives you the opportunity to meet everyone in town. I mean, all different varieties. You're you're working with people that are new to the city.

00:32:28Regan Siler: Like you say, it's a great opportunity to promote Bristow, too.

00:32:33Linda Root: It is. And it helped me meet more people than I would have ever met. You know?

00:32:39Regan Siler: Right? And then it was around, well, kind of around that time that you opened Roots Furniture.

00:32:45Linda Root: It was, let me see, I wrote that down. I opened that in July of '99.

00:32:53Regan Siler: Okay.

00:32:53Linda Root: My husband did. He was, he was the one that was behind that. We were trying to run two at once, and that was pretty difficult.

00:33:01Regan Siler: Yeah, oh I bet. And, then, so you closed that in 2017?

00:33:06Linda Root: Yes.

00:33:06Regan Siler: But you still have the one location in Cushing, right?

00:33:09Linda Root: Yes, and my son runs that. He's, he's the one that owns that now.

00:33:13Regan Siler: Okay.

00:33:16Linda Root: You know, as far as real estate goes, now, I still have properties that I manage and take care of.

00:33:22Regan Siler: So, you're you're still in that game.

00:33:24Linda Root: I'm thinning out, though.

00:33:27Regan Siler: Right, right. Was there any other Bristow related things that you would like to talk about that maybe we haven't touched on? I know you said you were involved with the Chamber for several years?

00:33:41Linda Root: The chamber. I mean, my philosophy is God, family and country. I mean, I love promoting Bristow. I think Bristow is a good town to grow up in. Our school system is great. Now I have great-grandchildren that are going to school here, and it's always been easy to promote Bristow to me. I think we're located in a great location between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

00:34:10Regan Siler: Yes, I agree. I agree.

00:34:12Linda Root: I look for great things to happen, hopefully.

00:34:14Regan Siler: I feel like we're definitely on an upturn right now for great things to start happening here.

00:34:20Linda Root: I do, too. I do, too.

00:34:22Regan Siler: Okay, well, let's change it up a little bit. What would you consider to be the most important invention during your lifetime?

00:34:32Linda Root: Goodness, probably computers and the internet.

00:34:37Regan Siler: Okay, okay, and how do you feel the world is different now than when you were a child?

00:34:43Linda Root: Oh, drastically. It's drastically different. I mean, I of course, TVs, we had a TV from the time I can remember, so that's not a big deal. But going from party line phones to cell phones, that's another thing.

00:35:00Regan Siler: Right, right.

00:35:01Linda Root: I had a car phone when I was in real estate, and it was like a bag. I thought, man, that is really neat.

00:35:15Regan Siler: Yeah, now we have the little pocket computer.

00:35:19Linda Root: I still have the same number. I've had the same number for years and years and years.

00:35:24Regan Siler: Which is probably important with the business that you're in. As you see it, what do you feel are our nation's biggest problems, and how do you think they could be solved?

00:35:36Linda Root: Oh, you're asking me a question I don't know the answer to, what solving it is.

00:35:41Regan Siler: Or maybe, what do you wish, we'll change it up. What do you wish, is there anything you wish was different? Or maybe that you, I don't know, miss from your childhood, that you wish was

00:35:54Linda Root: I'll tell you something that I I wish was different. I wish that the inflation and the cost of goods and houses being linked to real estate. You know, it was so affordable when I first got in and

00:36:09Regan Siler: Yeah, you've seen a wild swing.

00:36:12Linda Root: You know, helping people to qualify for loans and things like that, and finding the right properties for them. I'm saying my grandkids have to go through that and things are so expensive.

00:36:23Regan Siler: I agree. I feel like the American Dream, say for my kids, it's not the same as it was whenever we were that age, for sure. How have, how have historic events such as, say, like the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11 maybe natural disasters, even COVID, have any of those affected you? And if so, how?

00:36:52Linda Root: Oh, yeah. Of course, 9/11 was such a tragedy, and I was watching TV that morning when it happened, and couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe it happened. The Oklahoma City Bombing, again, a tragedy. I hate to see that kind of evil be in our world, but I know that's a reality, and we've been fortunate living in the United States, not to have to deal with a lot of that, and traveling overseas, I saw a difference. I mean, I realized that we are so fortunate to live here.

00:37:23Regan Siler: Is there anything else that you would like to tell us, or would you like to leave any wisdom to share with future generations? Come on, Linda, I know you do.

00:37:29Linda Root: Oh, wisdom! My goodness.

00:37:38Regan Siler: You have a lot of, you have a lot of grandkids and great grandkids that you need to leave your wisdom for them.

00:37:46Linda Root: I guess my wisdom for them would be to always be honest. Have God in your life. Treat people the way you want to be treated. What else?

00:38:01Regan Siler: I think those are, I think those are great. Was there anything else that you, that maybe we didn't touch on, that you would like to add to this interview?

00:38:11Linda Root: No, I've stumbled through this.

00:38:13Regan Siler: No! You've done great, you've done great! 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. We really appreciate it.

00:38:26Linda Root: Thank you, Regan. NOTE TRANSCRIPTION END