Myra Fadely

Interviewer: Debbie Blansett

Interviewee: Myra Fadely

Other Persons:

Date of Interview: March 17, 2021

Location: Bristow, Creek County Oklahoma

Transcriber: Abby Thompson

Organization: Bristow Historical Society, Inc.

Original Cassette Tape Location: OHP-2021-15 at 00:00 to 47:02

Abstract:

Preface: The following oral history testimony is the result of a cassette tape interview and is part of the Bristow Historical Society, Inc.'s collection of oral histories. The interview was transcribed and processed by the Bristow Historical Society, Inc., with financial assistance from the Montfort Jones & Allie Brown Jones Foundation. Rights to the material are held exclusively by the Bristow Historical Society, Inc.

The reader should bear in mind that he or she is reading a verbatim transcript of spoken, rather than written prose. Insofar as possible, this transcript tries to represent the spoken word. Thus, it should be read as a personal memoir and not as either a researched monograph or edited account.

To the extent possible, the spelling of place names, foreign words, and personal names have been verified, either by reference resources or directly by the interviewee. In some cases, a footnote has been added to the transcript in order to provide more information and/or to clarify a statement. Some uncertainties will inevitably remain regarding some words and their spellings. In these scenarios, a (ph) follows a word or name that is spelled phonetically. The notation [indecipherable] is used when the transcriber has not been able to comprehend the word or phrase being spoken. The notation [inaudible] is used where there is more mumbling than words, or when interference on the tape has made transcription impossible.

DB: Alright I think we're going, let's start. This is Debbie Blansett with the Bristow Historical Society in Bristow Oklahoma, and this interview is part of the Historical Societies ongoing oral history project. The date is March 17th, 2021 and I'm sitting here with Myra Fadely who's going to tell me a little bit about their history in the Bristow area. Okay, so now we just talk.

MF: Okay, well I'm happy to be able to give you a little bit about my life in Bristow, Oklahoma. To start with, I did not move to Bristow until December, 1971--71'? Yes, yes. And the funny thing about it was that it was just like two days before Christmas and I told my children that we weren't going to have a 00:01:00Christmas tree because it was too much trouble and we didn't know where our decorations were or anything. Well, my husband took the kids and went out and somewhere, I think it was Kemps drug store that had Christmas trees, but they only had one left and it was the most pitiful looking thing you have ever seen. So they just gave it--they gave it to him.

DB: Well there's a deal

MF: Yeah. Anyway, I am happy to tell you that I have three children. My first was my son Scott Fadely who was born in Topeka, Kansas, and I have my next son is Brett Fadely who was born in Dallas, Texas, and then there's my daughter Jean Ann who was born in Houston, Texas. So we kind of moved around a little bit, but 00:02:00we've been in Bristow for a long time now and I'm proud to say that I love it here and my kids have grown up to be very good people. I can tell you something about my grand--my parents.

DB: I'd love to hear some about your early life

MF: Okay

DB: Even if it wasn't in Bristow, let's hear a little bit about your early life

MF: Okay, I can tell you I was born in a little Podunk town in Arkansas named West Point. There was a school, there was a little store that also served as the post office, and there was a gas station and that was it. And my dad worked at a plant that employed people in that area. He worked there for several years and 00:03:00he also bought a farm down there and he raised cotton and strawberries and watermelons. If you want to hear a good story about watermelons; one night, my dad snuck down to the watermelon patch and hid in the bushes because he had heard that some boys were taking his watermelons. He had his gun with him, so he hid in those bushes and when those guys came over and started picking his watermelons up, he shot up in the air and they ran so fast and he turned on the little electric wire that he had strung around and boy did they get out of there in a hurry. He was something else.

DB: That's a good story, that's a good story.

MF: Let's see, we moved to Marion, Ohio when I was in the fourth grade. Oh let me tell you, while we were in West Point, we went to this little Baptist church and my sister Polly and I were always singing in the Baptist church and my sister played the piano, and we had a little old Baptist minister who--minister who thought we were hot stuff singing, and he would take us around to funerals, weddings, or any place that he thought we needed to sing. And Polly was so short that one time we had to sing for a--you've probably heard of the Stamps Baxter Boys (ph), anyway they were a men's quartet that were very famous back in those days, and they sung on the radio. Well this little minister got us on the show and we were going to sing, and Polly had to stand on the stand because she was a 00:05:00little bit too short to reach the microphone, and we started singing and we got to one point and Polly forgot the words and I got down off of that and I said "I'm not singing with you anymore, you can't remember the words" and I walked off.

DB: Do you remember about how old you all were?

MF: Oh, probably--oh well I was, when we moved away I was in the fourth grade. It was probably, I don't know we were--

DB: Second or third grade?

MF: Yeah

DB: Seven or eight. And--

MF: We've always--

DB: Your sister is Polly Kelly, correct?

MF: Polly Kelly, mhm Polly Kelly. She's married--was married to Tracey Kelly (ph) and--

DB: I forget that, but when you said Polly I was--I remembered.

MF: Yeah she's my buddy, that girl is. Anyway

DB: So then you moved to Ohio

MF: We moved to Ohio and we stayed there until we moved to Independence, Kansas 00:06:00and I entered the seventh grade in Independence, Kansas and I don't know how it happened, but every year that I was in seventh grade, high school, junior in college, college, I got chosen as a cheerleader every year. And that's why I hate going to football, basketball games because then I had to go to every one of them. And anyway I had a good, good life as a high school student and was involved in a bunch of things. And then on the first day that I went to visit the college up in Topeka, Kansas, a friend of mine and I drove up there and we 00:07:00saw some guys playing football out on one of the lawns so we parked the car and watched and I said "Hey Margie Lou (ph), look at that guy over" I said "That is the most handsome man I have ever seen" well somebody told him that he--and a day or so later he called me and asked me for a date and I thought "Oh this is just wonderful" you know, and he was. He was gorgeous! Now those of you who have seen him, who saw him in later years may not think so, because he let himself go and got a big tummy and all of that, but he was beautiful when he was in college. John.

DB: And that was your husband?

MF: That was my husband John Fadely

DB: And you were a little cheerleader

MF: I was a cheerleader

DB: He probably thought you were as cute as he was handsome

MF: Well when I went off to college up in Topeka, I thought I don't think I'll try for cheerleader because nobody knows me. Well, they did! They chose me. So I know all about cheerleading and dancing, I love to dance. When I was in high school, there was one boy that was a good dancer and we would actually do performances where we would do, you know like Fredistare (ph) and Ginger Rogers (ph) type things, so loved dancing. Anyway, you want to hear about more about Bristow probably.

DB: Well I'm ready whenever you're ready

MF: Well, we had only been here maybe a year and one day Doctor Reed McCullough 00:09:00(ph) who is a dentist called and asked if I would like to work in his dental office, and the kids were all in school and I thought hmm I've got time, I need to be doing something so I said sure. So I went, like the next day, and didn't know what to wear but I thought okay it's a doctor's office, everything's always white. So I had this cute little white dress so I sashayed down there and they laughed at me. Anyway I found out that I needed some scrubs so they happened to have scrubs and gave me them. I worked in that office for Dr. McCullough and later for Dr. McCullough and Dr. Corwin who came to the practice for 30 years, I worked in that office and they were very good to me and very nice people and I got to learn about almost everybody in Bristow. Of course today when I see them at Walmart or somewhere, I look at their faces and know I remember them but I can't remember their names

DB: Well people change

MF: People change

DB: Mhm. And when you worked for Dr. McCullough and Corwin, you--what did you do in the office?

MF: Oh well when I first started out, I watched, you know, for a few days as they did surgery and stuff and then I worked as a chair side assistant and I did that for several years and I would go to classes in Tulsa or somewhere and learn more and belonged to the dental association of Oklahoma and they had also a part of that was for dental assistants assisting. And at one point, I was the 00:11:00president of that organization for Oklahoma Dental Assistants and finally after 30 years, I decided to retire and the very next year, Dr. Corwin built this fancy new office and somebody said "Man they must have paid you really good" because now they had enough money to build a new building

DB: Now that you were retired

MF: That ain't so

DB: No, during your time when you were the--when you sat next to the patient, did you see things change? The practice change, what you--?

MF: Oh yes, it's--it is so much easier now. Way back then, we had the one thing 00:12:00that really changed is taking x-rays. We took them the same way, but then we had to go in this dark room where we had to dip them in different solutions, you know, and then hang them up to dry, it was a mess. Now, they take them and they can see them right then, no mess. And I can tell by the way Dr. Corwin does surgeries and fillings and things that it's all improved. He can do like a--like he did a root canal on me a couple of months ago, it didn't take probably 15 minutes.

DB: And they still did root canals when you went to work there, but it was hours 00:13:00long procedure.

MF: Oh yes it was, it was. It's so much easier now.

DB: And when you started working, where was the office?

MF: Right behind that building on seventh and main. At that time, it was--was it a business or was it somebody office? I can't remember but it was the office right behind the building on seventh and main

DB: On west seventh?

MF: West seventh, uh-huh, and it was not very big

DB: Kind of near what used to be American National Bank, which is now the library?

MF: It was between the corner, yeah and the library, mhm. Yeah it, like I say it was--anything like Dr. Corwin has today, his office is really up to date and they can do just about anything there.

DB: Well when you moved here in 1971, what did your husband do?

MF: He worked for a company that--where he dealt with customers in Oklahoma City 00:14:00and Tulsa, and the reason we ended up in Bristow is because my parents had moved here from Independence, Kansas, my dad was working for Sinclair and they moved here and so when we found out that we were moving from Houston, Texas to Bristow--or to Oklahoma, my sister Polly says "Well you've got to come to Bristow because it's kind of in between and he can be close to either city" so we moved here, and I've been here a long time it seems like.

DB: And at one time he had a Sinclair gas station

MF: He had a gas station down on main street on the way to the turnpike

DB: Yes

MF: Yeah

DB: Was it near the Pizza Hut?

MF: Uh-huh, right next door yeah.

DB: And how long did he do that?

MF: I can't remember, for several years yeah. I was trying to think, we got divorced, I can't even remember when that was, but he--I think he may have even been divorced then when he ran that station

DB: Well I know in 1981 when I came here, it was still in operation

MF: Yeah

DB: And I remember when--I don't remember when it left though

MF: One thing I remember about that station is on Fourth of July, you know everybody's wanting to buy fireworks. Well John sat up, got a firecracker stand and my kids ran the firecracker stand and of course all of their friends were 00:16:00down there all day long and Jean Ann, my daughter, would even sunbath on top of it and they had more fun doing that

DB: On top of the station?

MF: On top of the stand, on top of the stand

DB: On top of the firework stand?

MF: Yes, yeah you could go by and she'd be laying up there sunbathing.

DB: Well later on, didn't she do the swimming pool?

MF: She did the swimming pool, that girl she--want me to tell you about her dance studio?

DB: Sure, sure

MF: Okay when she graduated from Bristow High School, I wanted her to go to college. She said "I don't really want to go to college" she said "All I want to do is to teach little kids out to dance' and I said, well you know you need to go to college, so to please her own mother she went to college in Edmond and I 00:17:00can't even think of the name of it

DB: UCO

MF: UCO, and she got in the phys-ed part of it over there because she was an acrobat too, and even one she was won the student of the year in that category at the college. Anyway after one year she said "Mom" she said "I don't want to go back to college" she said "I want to teach kids how to dance" because she had taken dance, gosh almost all of her life, and I said "Okay, you figure it all out then". Well the first place that we could find for her to teach was at our Presbyterian church and they have a big fellowship hall and they said that she could teach down there. Well of course starting off you didn't have too many kids, so she had her classes down there then she got, I don't know that she even 00:18:00filled out a whole year that year because she found out that there was a big old ball room up in the top of the old hotel and I--

DB: At the Rolland building?

MF: Rolland building

DB: MhmMF: There was a big old ball room up there and nobody was using it, so she talked with whoever was managing it and rented it and of course we've had lots of work to get it in shape but it had a wooden floor and lots of room, so she taught up there a year, maybe two, and then she wanted somewhere else. It was better, nicer, cooler in the summer, and she bought the building where the dance studio is today, and that was the one owned by a little lady, I can't remember--

DB: But it's on--it's between ninth and tenth, eighth and ninth? On main street. 00:19:00Ninth and tenth? Eighth and Ninth?

MF: Eight and tenth isn't it?

DB: Hm, but it's on main street

MF: Yes, it's on main street

DB: And it's still there today

MF: It's still there today. You want me to tell about Jean Ann?

DB: Sure

MF: Okay, Jean Ann, she was probably the best known person for miles around and everybody loved her and she would do anything you asked her to do. A lot of the times, people would hire her to go embarrass people when they were having their 00:20:00birthdays when they were having their birthday dinner out somewhere, and she would go and sing and dance and embarrass them to death. Anyway, she had a really nice place to have her dancing now then, and she had lots of students every year more would sign up. At that time, she also had dancers in Depew and later on in Stroud, she owned a building in Stroud and at Depew the school, they let her use the school property.

DB: And these kids would be from three or four years old?

MF: Three

DB: Until high school?

MF: Uh-huh, yup they would do that. And she, well it's kind of hard to talk 00:21:00about, but Jean Ann after years of teaching and everything, she lived next door to me and one day early in the morning, somebody was banging on my door and I go and it's Jean Ann and she can't talk, she's--can hardly walk and she kept saying "Makayla, Makayla" well at that time, she had the little child named Makayla along with her son also. But anyway I said "I've got to call Chip" who's our doctor in town and he lives just down the street from us. Well he was here in five minutes, and he said "She's had a stroke" and so--

DB: And she wasn't very old

MF: Nuh-uh, I don't remember, I have to figure things out

DB: It's alright, I remember her not being very old

MF: Yeah, anyway we went to the hospital and it was decided that she had a stroke and somehow they figured out that it was in her brain, that she had cancer in her brain. And we went to the--Chip sent us to a specialist the next day in Tulsa, and we didn't like him, for some reason we didn't like him, and I have a niece who had had some problem with her brain and they had gone to this doctor that they really liked, so we got an appointment with him, and he told us that he could do surgery but that he wasn't sure that he could get it all. And 00:23:00anyway, so she had the surgery and did fairly well, she at the time that this happened, she was still gonna be running the swimming pool also, and so she had to quit that and then it was in the summer time and she wasn't having dance lessons and anyway, she lived fairly well just almost exactly one year.

DB: From her stroke?

MF: Yeah, and then of course she had that brain surgery

DB: Mhm, mhm.

MF: And we took her to Texas, we'd go down there for treatments, and finally Chip says "Myra" he says "She's not gonna get well" and he said "I would, if she was my child, I would quit running her all over everywhere". Anyway, so she did get to the point where she could hardly talk, but she was worried because it was time to sign kids up for dancing, "What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?" and I said "Well, you can't do it, you can't do the classes". One day I was over there, of course I was there all the time, somebody knocked on the door and it was Jennifer Kemp.

DB: A miracle

MF: A miracle, and Jennifer was like Jean Ann, she was a good dancer and she had 00:25:00been going taking dance in college and she traveled in different shows and things. Anyway, she said "Is there any way that I can help with the dance school?" And I said "Can you take over the dance school?" And she said "If that's what you want" she says "That's what I can do" and oh it just saved our lives, I mean Jean Ann was so worried about it. And ever since then, Jennifer is still doing dance lessons.

DB: How long has that been? How long has Jean Ann been gone?

MF: Well Jean Ann died in, oh when did she die? I have it somewhere. These dates just [Indecipherable]

DB: Well see Makayla is--

MF: [Indecipherable]

DB: How old is Makayla?

MF: Makayla is 20, and she was 6 when she died

DB: So 14 years ago

MF: Yeah

DB: 2007? So Jennifer's been doing the dance studio for 14 years, no 15

MF: Yeah

DB: For a while

MF: Yeah she's always--she's done it since that--

DB: Jean Ann couldn't do it anymore

MF: do it anymore, mhm.

DB: That's just amazing.

MF: It is, and Jennifer does a good job

DB: Well I think it's interesting at the--when we built the Freeland center

MF: Oh yes, yeah.

DB: Tell about that and what they put in the stage and--

MF: Of course in Bristow, there was really no good place to have dance recitals, 00:27:00and we had one or two over at, what is that building there?

DB: Oh at the--

MF: Parking lot behind the--

DB: American Legion

MF: American Legion building, yeah.

DB: And we had some in Depew, in the auditorium at Depew

MF: Yeah, and we did some in Stroud at their high school, and anyway she was a busy busy girl, I can tell you that. And when Jennifer took over, she did not do the other cities, towns. But I had a granddaughter who also took lessons from Jean Ann and she had graduated High School and was a good dancer and so she took 00:28:00over and taught some of the kids in Depew and Stroud

DB: Ms. Mallory?

MF: No, and that's Alisha

DB: Oh

MF: A. L. I. S. H. A. She's Scotts daughter

DB: Oh

MF: And that's a sad story that I don't want to go into, but Alisha died a horrible death, she was in the hospital for three months in Oklahoma City, in intensive care, she had two kidney transplants and one liver transplant

DB: Oh my

MF: They never really knew what was wrong with her or what was causing all her problems. Anyway, that's that.

DB: Well, what I thought was neat was when they build the auditorium and they 00:29:00put the stage in that they put a box in the floor

MF: Yes, well Chip Cooper was kind of the instigator for getting the Freeland Center, which is a wonderful auditorium for Bristow and Jean Ann always wanted to have an auditorium, and when they were trying to get people to donate money for the building, a lot of money was given in her honor, which was fantastic. And Chip wanted some way to remember Jean Ann in the auditorium, and we kept trying to think of something and finally he came--he says "I know what we can do" he said "We'll cut a hole in the stage and put her shoes in this hole and 00:30:00cover it with plastic so that the kids can dance on it and everything" and you know, but it'll have her shoes in there with a little plaque on it.

DB: And it's still there

MF: And it's still there

DB: Anybody that goes on that stage can see Jean Ann's spot

MF: They can

DB: Which I think is just really neat because like even in Nashville when they had the Grand Ole Opry, they saved that circle and moved it to their new place and people stand in that circle so that kind of gives me warm fuzzies thinking about it, but I know when I stand on that stage right there Jean Ann is there with me, and that's just kind of a neat thing for all of the generations to come.

MF: Sometimes people who are performing there from out of town will ask about it and Chip will come and get me and say "go back there and tell them about that" and people are interested who don't know the story, you know.

DB: I think it's a really good story.

MF: But, another miracle was when Jean Ann, well she had a son named Ryan who is a very smart young man and he--he works for, he went to college for I think one year and, or longer than that, he only needed a few hours to get some kind of degree but he didn't do it. Anyway, he works for, what is that company out there, I can't ever remember the name, let me get it. Consolidated Turbine Specialist

DB: Oh, uh-huh

MF: I can't ever remember that. He has a good job out there, he's probably 00:32:00number three man out there. Has a good job, plus Ryan buys old houses in Bristow and remodels them and works on them and usually rents them, some of them he has sold, and he's also built three houses in Bristow. So he's a busy boy, and I'm very proud of him. And then Jean Anns other child is Makayla. Makayla is now 20 years old, and she was born with down syndrome. And everyone--when she was born, everybody, we had all these people out in the waiting room, it was wild. They had to come in and tell everybody to be quiet all the time. Anyway, we all 00:33:00wanted a girl and they let me go in the operating room actually and see her be born. And as soon as this baby girl came out, I was on the phone telling them "It's a girl" and we were so thrilled, and anyway they took baby out to clean her up and another doctor came in and he said "I have news about baby, she has down syndrome". We didn't care what she had, she was our special little bundle and she has been a marvel

DB: Absolutely a marvel

MF: Everybody everywhere we go, everybody knows Makayla. She has accomplished so much, and--

DB: And touches every life she come in contact with, I mean nobody's the same 00:34:00after they meet her.

MF: I know, it's amazing. And she's 20 now and she's graduated from High School, she was the prom queen, she's been cheerleaders and--

DB: She went through dance

MF: Oh yeah

DB: Since she was little until she graduated and--

MF: She started at three years old and went every year, yup.

DB: And she works at the swim pool in the summer, and does she do Home Alone?

MF: Yeah

DB: For the children?

MF: Yes, she worked when she was in high school

DB: Oh

MF: She would work in the office, you know do things for the office in high school and then when she graduated, she has a job where she works at the kindergarten and home alone, which is--

DB: Oh, I didn't know she worked at the kindergarten

MF: --Where parents who work, home alone is a place where parents who work can leave their children and she kind of goes back and forth between home alone and the kindergarten and she loves it and they all love her, you can't help but love Makayla.

DB: Now we talked a little bit before we started the recording about how Bristow has changed in the 50 years you've been here and the 40 years I've been here, and you were telling me about Strongs, you might tell what kind of store that was and tell your story that goes with.

MF: Okay, it was a store on main street that was--we called it Strongs because Mr. Strong owned it and he had a lot of clothing in there and maybe some 00:36:00housewares, I can't remember for sure. I remember the clothing and the shoes, he had shoe department. Well I bought a pair, this has been a hundred years ago

DB: It feels like it

MF: I bought a pair of snow boots, they're all furry and they've got the thick rubber sole on them and lace up, you know and they're really cute I think. Because when I wear them nowadays, and yes I do still wear them, you couldn't tell that they've ever been worn.

DB: And I'll take a picture so that it can be attached

MF: Okay

DB: To this story so--

MF: Okay

DB: So we'll all have a picture of Strongs snow boots

MF: Yeah, people ask me "Where did you get those cute boots?" and I say "Way long time ago, Mr. Strongs"

DB: Any other favorite stores you remember in Bristow that aren't there anymore?

MF: I remember the furniture, the big furniture store across the street, the--I know [Indecipherable] kind of ran it for a while, and they went to our church. Oh and speaking of church, I'm a member of the Presbyterian church that is a hundred and five years now old. It is the most beautiful church, has windows by Tiffany and I love everybody there

DB: It's on the historic

MF: It's on the national historical societies register

DB: Mhm MF: Yeah, anyway we have good people at that church and right now we do not have a regular minister, but we have some members, one of them Debbie's 00:38:00daughter-in-law. Cara (ph) is one of those members that fills in for the pulpit every Sunday

DB: She's a good little preacher

MF: She is wonderful, and she had good news for us Sunday

DB: Don't talk about that yet

MF: Okay, okay. Yeah Cara and your son are a big addition to our church and we just love them to death

DB: Well they love the church, they do love their church. Well I see it on your--

MF: I'll tell you about something else we used to have in Bristow was a skating rink

DB: Yes

MF: You remember that?

DB: I do

MF: Were you here?

DB: I do remember two skating rinks

MF: Oh really? And there was a bowling ally

DB: One was underground

MF: That's the one I remember

DB: And it had a wooden floor and it was on sixth, it was on sixth street--east sixth and then where the casino is, there was another skating rink and it was, I 00:39:00mean for 1980's it was pretty stylish. It wasn't a wood floor

MF: See I don't remember that

DB: And it was--it was pretty fancy

MF: And there was a bowling ally

DB: That was before me, or I didn't know about it

MF: Seems like it was up there by KrummesDB: Oh, yes. In fact, I think it used to be in KrummesMF: Well that's what I was thinking but I wasn't for sure

DB: Yes. There were dress stores

MF: Uh-huh

DB: There was Paddens Place (ph) and [Indecipherable] to dress store over there where Carrie K (ph) used to have a radio station

MF: Oh radio station

DB: And then [Indecipherable]

MF: Oh yeah next door

DB: Right there and she sold real high end fashion clothes for women, and then Paddens Place (ph) which was put in by Pauline Padden (ph) and then run later by her daughter Paula Womack (ph)

MF: Yeah

DB: Sold very nice women's wear

MF: Yup, and of course the bank has moved

DB: The American National Bank that which became Spirit Bank, it was where the library is now and I think that was its second move when it went there, that was all before--

MF: Yeah it was on main street, wasn't it? The beginning?

DB: Yes, I believe the [Indecipherable] like across the street from where community bank is now is where it used--started out

MF: Used to be

DB: And then it moved to where the library is then they built a new building. So 00:41:00a lot of changes in 40 or 50 years in Bristow

MF: Oh yeah

DB: We were also talking about there used to be a taxi service

MF: Oh yes

DB: In Bristow

MF: One little man

DB: MhmMF: Yes

DB: And he would come and pick people up and take them where they needed to go and--so those were some pretty good memories

MF: Of course nowadays they have that bus

DB: Yes

MF: That they, you know, older people--

DB: A senior bus

MF: Uh-huh

DB: That takes people around where they need to go

MF: Take people around, yeah

DB: But it's been interesting to see Bristow change through the years and I appreciate your time today and telling us about what you remember about Bristow and some of your life stories. Before we go, is there anything else? I see here 00:42:00in WWII you had a gum story, did you wanna share a gum story?

MF: Gum?

DB: You don't remember? It says "Gum story" next to rations

MF: Yes,yesDB: Did you wanna share?

MF: When I was a kid, we went--we probably stayed at my grandfather's house in Arkansas, we lived on little teeny town in Arkansas and he lived I don't know how far away, it wasn't too far because we could drive our car there in half a day. Anyway, he was a doctor in this little town up in the mountains in Arkansas called Leslie, Arkansas and it seemed like--my mother had two sisters and they 00:43:00were really close knit family with their dad, who was the doctor, and it seemed like that every summer we spent most of the summer at grandpa's house. And upstairs there were three bedrooms and each daughter had their own bedroom and the kids slept on the floor or little beds in that room. Anyway, we spent a lot of time up there and in the town, there was a drug store and we could get a dime and go have a coke, you know at the drug store, or we could go to a little movie house for a dime

DB: For a dime

MF: And anyway, one thing that we always wanted was bubblegum. Well they never had bubblegum, and finally when the war was over or some celebration that I remember, we've heard that they got gum at the drug store. Well, one of my 00:44:00mothers had--sister had a son and they had quite a bit of money. Well that son had money and the rest of us were lucky to have a dime. So we go running down to the store and he beat us there and bought every piece of candy

DB: Oh no!

MF: Of gum that they had and wouldn't let us have any. If he did, we had to give him something or something, but he was so stingy with that gum and I'll never forget it.

DB: That's so funny, the things we remember. And I was also noticing here, probably because I told you my mother was born around the same time about when you were a girl and you were talking about your home life and that you had two sisters and you all shared the same bed?

MF: Uh-huh

DB: And you had feather pillows, that's interesting.

MF: My older sister was quite a bit older than we--than Polly and I were, but we all slept in the bed and I, somehow always got in the middle. And if you would cough, well for some reason I would cough during the night and my older sister would get up and check me and she'd say "shut up that coughing" and so we did that

DB: I wonder, you come from a small place in Arkansas and then you went to Ohio, was it still a small town in Ohio?

MF: Actually--

DB: Larger than--

MF: it was [Indecipherable], it was much larger

DB: Much bigger

MF: Yeah but we lived in out kind of in what you call the country, and we had our own school out there, it was a nice school.

DB: And then you went to college in a small college

MF: Independence

DB: So when you did finally come and then Houston, that was huge

MF: Oh yeah

DB: And then you came to Bristow

MF: That was--

DB: I mean, was it--it was a lot smaller than Houston, did it remind you of where you come from in Arkansas but it wasn't quite that small?

MF: Yeah, it, well yeah it was more like Independence, Kansas. A lot of people are familiar with Independence, Kansas, and yeah it was about the same as Independence I would say because we had good schools there and--

DB: And we had good [Indecipherable]

MF: We have wonderful schools

DB: And the people are close knit

MF: Mhm, yup.

DB: Well again I thank you for all your time today, I appreciate it.

MF: Well, I hope that it'll help some for--

DB: I know it--

MF: and people will get a thrill out of it maybe

DB: I know they will, thank you Myra

MF: You're welcome