From The Pages Of The Ponca City News, Monday, January
6, 1996
LOCAL
Success Over Substance Abuse Big Victory
New NAWARC Facility Erected
Beck Lecturer Will be Utilizing Science, Faith
Letters Say:
District Court
DEATHS
Ira Ray Faussett
Jessie Luella Rogers
Mary Elizabeth Barham
Minnie Ethel Wilson
Services Pending
Loretta P. Bain
Samuel Hudson
NEWS BRIEFS
SPORTS
PC Varsity Sports Schedule
By KATHY ZEHR
News Staff Writer
Elaine Primeaux, a 37 year old, slim, trim, mother of six, is just one of the hundreds of success stories coming out of the Native American Women's Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, at White Eagle during the last 16 years.
Elaine has had the same experience so many young women have today - she grew up in a dysfunctional home where use of alcohol was a common factor and the use of it picked up by each new generation. One of eight children, she saw her older brothers and sister fall into the trap, one by one, as they became teenagers and young adults.
Elaine experimented with alcohol as a teen, but began using it heavier at age 18. She left home and was married at age 18 to a man who was also a heavy drinker. She soon became pregnant, and gave birth to her first son. Elaine had three more boys in her early 20s. She drank all through the first nine years of marriage.
"Mom stepped in and made it easy for us after my first son was born. She said she would keep my baby until we were through drinking. I soon had another child, and she kept that one too. My oldest boy was seven years old before I quit drinking.
"When the last two boys were born, mom told me she would keep the two oldest ones, but I had to raise the last two myself. My mom was always the one that tried to keep the family together and keep everyone happy," said Elaine.
Elaine credits a part of her lack of resistance to the fact that someone always took care of her and made most of the decisions for her throughout her early life and she just followed along and copied everyone around her. "My family took care of me when I was growing up and then I got married and my husband took care of me."
She said she remembers at one point, feeling very empty. "My home was just a house I lived in, but there was no feeling in it. I wasn't a mother and wondered if it was always going to be like that. It got old - the same thing over and over," she recalled.
"Then one day when I was drunk, I was arrested, and spent a couple of days in jail. I was so ashamed of myself. When I went to court, I followed the others into the court room and sat on a bench. I didn't know there were other people in the back of the court room, until I stood up in front of the judge.
"When I got up, a lady came from the back of the room and followed me and stood beside me. I just looked at her and wondered what she was doing there.
"I found out she was with the Indian welfare, and she told the judge I needed help with a drinking problem. I thought 'What's she saying about me?' - I didn't think I had a problem!"
The Judge listened to her and said Elaine could either go get help for 90 days or go to jail for 30 days and pay a fine. She had a choice.
"I chose treatment, of course," she said.
Elaine spent about five days at a treatment center in Tulsa and was very uncomfortable there. She left that facility after five days and hitched a ride home with a very nice truck driver, who drove her all the way home to White Eagle. "I surprised my husband when I knocked on the door," she said.
At that time, Elaine's mother had custody of all four boys, and her husband was still drinking.
"My mom knew I was home immediately and was soon knocking at my door. She told me the welfare would be taking my kids if I don't get myself up to that treatment center.
"It was in October 1987, when they brought me in to the Women's Rehabilitation Center at White Eagle," she said.
"I liked this place so much better than Tulsa. It was more like a home, curtains on the windows, separate bed rooms. I was also close to my family."
Elaine stayed at NAWARC for 90 days and has not taken a drink for nine years - since that important day in October 1987.
"I didn't want to lose my family!" she said.
While in treatment, Elaine's husband had a car wreck and was admitted to the hospital with charges against him. After his release from the hospital, he had to serve time in jail, then decided to attend the Ponca Social Development Center, a men's drug and alcohol treatment center, also located at White Eagle.
"I was afraid of so many things. I knew what was out there ... and the people that would be waiting to lure me back into my old ways. I worried what I would do when people would ask me to drink with them again. And - my husband was in jail and not there to take care for me, and I was afraid if he didn't quit drinking when he got out of jail - I would not be able to say no to him either.
"When he quit and entered PSDC, I didn't have to make that choice."
Both parents have been alcohol free since 1987 and the home life has changed dramatically. Today, Elaine , has had two daughters in addition to her first four sons. The three oldest boys are teenagers.
"It took a long time to earn my family's trust, especially my mother. It took a long time for my kids to trust me too. Now instead of calling me Elaine - they call me Mom," she says with a wide smile.
After his sobriety, her husband helped with the two new babies and takes care of the kids. "I never thought I would see the day, when he would take care of our kids. The three youngest children are now more open with 'I love you', 'give me a kiss,' and other expressions of true feelings. The older ones still aren't as free," she says.
As a result of Elaine's counseling and rehab treatment the kids have taken available counseling at the center and at various agencies in Ponca City to help them deal with the effects of their parents addiction. But, it still takes a long time to earn their trust and repair the damage, says Elaine.
Her husband, Curtis, is now a Certified International Drug/Alcohol Counselor at the PSDC. They attend teen parenting and other counseling classes, and Elaine feels free to call on any of the counselors to resolve any of her problems she faces daily, when she feels she's 'losing it!'
Elaine is also glad to note that her dad is now sober, as well as her oldest brother. But several members of her family still use alcohol, and it still upsets her a great deal to see the many problems it causes.
The treatment center helped Elaine build up her confidence and set goals. So far, she has kept two of those goals - one was to get a job, and she's been working now for the entire nine years of her sobriety. Elaine has worked a part of the time at the rehab center, as a cook, counselor, and monitor, and sometimes in Ponca City. "I even worked two jobs at one time." she said.
"When I took that first job as cook ... I didn't know how to cook ... so the women at the Center all helped me to learn how to cook," she laughs. "I was shocked when I saw my first paycheck. I said "Is this right? I couldn't believe it. I'd never earned any money of my own before.
"Working now as a monitor at the Women's Native American Rehabilitation Center is very enjoyable and I like doing things with the clients, and taking them places. It is a warm comfortable, homey place.
"I've met so many women here, many I've kept in touch with over the years. It was neat to work with ladies from different tribes and share my experiences with them. I talk about how I drank, treated my kids. I feel comfortable just talking with them, and I understand their problems and they feel free to talk with me, since I understand."
The spotless, comfortable, facility at White Eagle serves up to 10 Native American women at a time. They are from all tribes in Oklahoma. Most are married and have children and have come from dysfunctional families such as Elaine.
Most women who attend want to break the cycle of alcohol or drug abuse, but do not know how until they learn how to break away at NAWARC.
By KATHY ZEHR
News Staff Writer
The Native American Women's Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, three miles south of Ponca City, recently erected a new 30 by 40 foot building on campus to accommodate and serve the Native American women clients who attend the center.
The new building had been a dream of Ed Hinman, director, for many years and is the result of a special grant received in 1994. The new facility was erected and completed in recent months with a large parking area at the front.
"We have needed a facility just like this for several years," says Hinman, "since our living facility is not set-up to provide space for group meetings, counseling services and cultural and recreational activities. We have had to drive our clients to other locations for many of those activities," he said.
The spacious new building boasts classroom space, craft tables, a private counseling area, as well as the space for group therapy sessions, Native American cultural and recreational activities, special programs, and much more.
The Native American Women's Alcohol Rehabilitation Center is a 60-90 day, 10-bed residential treatment program for Native American females from all tribes in Oklahoma. Clients must be 18 years of age or older and suffer from alcoholism or other related problems. Most clients are referred to NAWARC by the courts or other facilities.
The NAWARC center opened in the early 1980s and works with 45 to 50 clients per year. The goal of NAWARC is to help women cope with the disease of chemical dependency while living in a chemical free environment and learning new behaviors and establishing behavioral goals.
"We view our treatment program as only the beginning of a continued effort to maintain a life style which is conducive to remaining free from mood altering chemicals," says Hinman. "We provide psychological input to the simple effect of, 'You are a human being and we are concerned with you and the process of life,' and allow each individual to experience the awareness that there are existing behavioral alternatives."
Specific counseling services by trained experienced clinical staff, includes group therapy, individual counseling, alcohol education, self-help skills, referrals to additional agencies for other needed services, a 24-hour support system by trained personnel, support and companionship in out-of-house activities in the community, crisis intervention, out-patient/after care, and referrals.
The waiting list to enter NAWARC is usually quite lengthy since alcoholism is the number one problem among Native American women today. In an earlier interview, Hinman said he could easily use a 20-bed bed facility just to service the needs of the six area tribes. The success rate is high from the facility and most clients stay in touch by letter after leaving the facility.
"We are very proud of our new facility and are grateful to several local contractors and benefactors who donated extra time, labor, materials and supplies in addition to the grant monies to help us see our dream come true," said Hinman.
WINFIELD - Hugh Ross, an astronomer who has dedicated his professional life to bridging the perceived gap between science and faith, will speak at Southwestern College in Winfield Jan. 23 and 24. Ross's presentations will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday. Both are in Messenger Recital Hall.
Appearing as part of the Beck Lecture Series, Ross is president of Reasons to Believe, a non-profit corporation. With experience both as a research scientist and as a pastor, Ross sees connections others tend to miss between breakthrough discoveries and religious beliefs.
Through reading the scientific literature and interacting with researchers on the front lines, he stays abreast of current development in both physical and life sciences, probes the theological ramifications, and communicates the practical applications.
Editor, The News:
"When you rise to love, you love all men not because you like them, not because their ways appeal to you, but you love them because God loves them." - Martin Luther King Jr.
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Christmas has come and gone, a wind sweeping over us sprinkling a magic dust of love. Over the years, though, I have noticed that for some, Christmas isn't always a time of love. I first realized this when my mother began working with students who are at risk of failing or quitting school. As a witness to my mother's work for the past five years, I have seen the horrors of these teenagers' lives. Christmas teaches us love, but this love must be disbursed at times other than Christmas so that people such as these might still remember that love can exist for them.
For five years, my mother, to my immense awe, has also become the mother of the hundreds she has taken into her classroom. These children have nested in our home when their parents have abused and stranded them on the streets. Often, my mother buys shoes for her youngsters who walk to school in halfsoled shoes and torn socks, and gives money to some of her pregnant girls who need food.
What is incredible to me, though, is the absolute brilliance and beauty each student carries. Their lives have torn their bodies, yet each one still bears a gift. From being among them, I have seen true love, thankfulness, strength, and hope. They have taught me the art of forgiveness.
These students, the ones who are neglected by family, hated and forgotten by friends, lost in society by lack of money or culture ... yes, these individuals are the jewels of my mother's life because she has created within herself love for them each week, each day, each moment. Indeed, Christmas has passed, but the memory of the lesson of love never passes unless we forget.
Heidi Stoeckley
Senior
Virginia School of the Arts
Lynchburg, Va.
Ponca City
Divorces Filed
Brenda Lynn Holinsworth vs. Christopher Lee Holinsworth.Richard R. Himbury vs. Jana B. Himbury.
Civil Proceedings
Marla Scott vs. Edna Armstrong; plaintiff seeking judgment of $10,000.
DEATHS
BLACKWELL - Ira Ray Faussett, longtime Blackwell resident, died Saturday, Jan. 4, 1997, at the Blackwell Regional Hospital. He was 69.
The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, at the Roberts Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Robert Johnson, The Tabernacle Church, officiating. Burial will be in the Blackwell IOOF Cemetery.
Ira Ray Faussett was born Jan. 25, 1927, in Blackwell, the son of John William and Mabel (Lundsford) Faussett. He grew up in Blackwell, graduating from Blackwell High School in 1946. He attended Ponca City Business College for a year, then Tulsa Business College and Draughn Business College in Oklahoma City. He studied business machines and after graduation returned to Blackwell, where he was employed by Thomas Maytag in the business office, then began employment at Reutter Motor as a bookkeeper. He later was employed at Perkins Restaurant, then at Arkla Gas. Faussett was then employed by the Blackwell Public School System for 22 years, retiring in 1989. He was a member of the Salvation Army Church and the Moose Lodge.
Survivors include one sister, Inez Faye Helton of Blackwell. He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Chester, Orten and Robert Faussett; and one sister, Gladys Smith.
Casket bearers will be DeWayne Chambers, Jim Jenkins, Jack Combs, Brian Joachims, Wayne Adams and Bill Angle.
Memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Faussett's name to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Lung Research, c/o Roberts Funeral Home, 120 West Padon, Blackwell, OK 74631.
Jessie Luella Rogers, Ponca City resident, died Friday, Jan. 3, 1997, at the Ponca City Nursing Home. She was 79.
The funeral will be held graveside at 11 a.m. Tuesday, at Sunset Lawns Cemetery in El Dorado, Kan., with the Rev. James Mainzer, St. James Catholic Church, Augusta, Kan., officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Grace Memorial Chapel, Ponca City.
Jessie Luella (Wright) Rogers was born Dec. 15, 1917, in Atlanta, Kan., the daughter of Robert B. and Hazel (Smith) Wright. She graduated from Arkansas City, Kan. High School and continued her education at Bott's Business College in Ponca City.
On Jan. 1, 1937, she was married to Ralph Reynolds in Winfield, Kan. She was employed as a secretary at Strother Field in Arkansas City, Kan., for several years. Later she was employed by the El Dorado, Kan., Gas Service Co. for more than 20 years. She retired from the gas company in 1978.
On Oct. 6, 1978, she was married to Ralph Rogers and the couple made their home in El Dorado, Kan. before moving to Ponca City in 1979. He preceded her in death in 1982. Mrs. Rogers was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church. She enjoyed dancing and working on ceramics.
Survivors include two brother, Jim J. Wright of Ponca City and Warren B. Wright of Winfield, Kan.; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and both husbands.
LIBERTY, Mo. - Mary Elizabeth Barham, former Ponca City resident, died Monday, Dec. 30, 1996, at Pleasant Valley Manor Care Center in Liberty, Mo. She was 71.
The funeral was held Jan. 3, 1997, at Church-Archer-Pasley Funeral Home in Liberty and burial followed at White Chapel Memorial Gardens.
Mary Elizabeth (Miller) Barham was born March 18, 1925 in Morrisville, Mo. She was married to Grant Barham in Yuma, Ariz., on Dec. 12, 1944. After her husband was discharged from the U.S. Navy the couple moved to Boliver, Mo., then the family moved to Ponca City in June 1949. They attended the First Lutheran Church and their children attended Ponca City schools. After the death of her husband in December 1959, Mrs. Barham moved back to Missouri, where she help manage the Miller Restaurant at Liberty. Mrs. Barham retired in 1995, from Treasury Drug Store in Liberty.
Survivors include two daughters, Kathy Dothage of Rich Fountain, Mo., and Kay Foster of Lathrop, Mo.; one son, Kenny Barham of Kearney, Mo.; two brothers, James Miller of Chelse, Okla., and David Miller of Miami, Fla.; three sisters, Joan Lawson of Sandpoint, Idaho., Barbara La Grasta of Katie, Texas, and Dottie Gunselman of Spring, Texas; and six grandchildren. In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by one sister, Frances Miller; and one grandson.
BLACKWELL - Minnie Ethel Wilson, former longtime Blackwell resident, died Saturday, Jan. 4, 1997, at Marion (Kan.) Manor Nursing Home. She was 92.
The funeral will be held graveside at 1 p.m., Tuesday, at the Blackwell IOOF Cemetery with the Rev. Gregg Engle officiating. Burial will be under the direction of Roberts Funeral Home, Blackwell.
Minnie Ethel (Lucas) Wilson was born Oct. 24, 1904, in Kingston, Ark., the daughter of John and Clisty Lucas. She lived for many years in Blackwell.
She was married to Buford R. Wilson in Newkirk and the couple made their home in Blackwell. Her husband preceded her in death in the early 1960s and Mrs. Wilson moved to Wichita, Kan., in 1965, where she lived with a daughter for 25 years. She entered the Marion Manor Nursing Home in September 1990.
Survivors include one daughter, Mrs. Wilbur (Hazel) Evans of Marion; two sons, Leroy Truitt of Tulsa and David Wilson of St. Charles, Ill.; seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband and parents she was preceded in death by two sisters, Opal Heilman and Etta Horst and two brothers, Dewey and Owen Lucas.
Loretta P. Bain, Ponca City resident, died Sunday, Jan. 15, 1997, at the Ponca Nursing Home. She was 77. Survivors include her husband, John Henry Bain of the home. Arrangements are pending with Grace Memorial Chapel.
NEWKIRK - Samuel Hudson, longtime Newkirk resident, died Sunday, Jan.
5, 1997, at Blackwell Regional Hospital in Blackwell. He was 83. Arrangements
are pending with Miller-Stahl Funeral Service, Newkirk.
NEWS BRIEFS
Garden Council Meets - Ponca City Council of Garden Clubs will meet Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. at the Cann Garden Home. Program will be legumes and tomatoes, presented by F.G. Williams.
Water District Meeting - The Rural Water District No. 3 (Braden) will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Braden Community Center.
Art Show Registration - Members of the Ponca City Art Association are reminded that the Membership Art Show Registration will be held one day only, Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Ponca City Art Center, 819 East Central.
Helpline Needs You - Are you a caring person? Helpline needs you. The Helpline Training Class begins Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. Call Helpline 765-5551 for information to enroll.
Sage, Rosemary and Thyme - Members of the Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Garden Club will meet Jan. 15 at 9:30 a.m. in the home of Barb Kegler, 1409 Academy. A review of "Companion Planting" will be given and a special program entitled "Felting ... The Floral Way" will be presented. For more information call 767-1344.
Tires Slashed - A Ponca City police officer took a report at 10:54 a.m. Saturday of tires slashed in the 100 block of North Peachtree Street.
Stolen - A resident in the 300 block of South Peachtree Street notified the Ponca City Police Department at 1:43 p.m. Saturday to report the TV and VCR were stolen from a van. An officer took a report.
Grass Fire - The Ponca City Fire Department extinguished a grass fire at Willow Springs Park, South Eleventh Street and Miller Avenue, at 1:55 p.m. Saturday.
Larceny - A 36-year-old man was arrested by a Ponca City police officer at Wal-Mart, 1101 East Prospect Avenue, at 2:31 p.m. Saturday for grand larceny.
Found - The Ponca City Police Department received notice of an abandoned bike in the 800 block of North Ash Street at 2:56 p.m. Saturday.
In Custody - A 33-year-old man was arrested by a Ponca City police officer in the 200 block of West Grand Avenue at 2:56 p.m. Saturday for driving under suspension, expired registration, no insurance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and a city warrant for failure to appear.
Traffic Stop - A Ponca City police officer arrested a 38-year-old man at South Thirteenth Street and Edwards Avenue at 4:15 p.m. Saturday for driving under suspension, a city warrant for failure to appear and a Kay County warrant for failure to appear.
Arrested - A 66-year-old man was arrested after an accident that occurred at South Fourteenth Street and East South Avenue at 6:29 p.m. Saturday for driving under the influence and transporting an open container. The officer also took a report of the accident.
Ransacked - A resident in the 200 block of North Elm Street advised the Ponca City Police Department at 9:01 p.m. Saturday that the residence and car had been ransacked. An officer took a report of second degree burglary and destruction of private property.
Warrant Served - A 23-year-old woman was arrested in the 400 block of South Lincoln Street at 12:50 a.m. Sunday on a city warrant for failure to appear.
Subject Held - A Ponca City police officer arrested a 28-year-old man at North Elm Street and West Highland Avenue at 2:06 a.m. Sunday on driving while intoxicated, no insurance, transporting an open bottle, transporting an open container, no seat belt, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Door Kicked In - A resident in the 2200 block of North Fourteenth Street contacted the Ponca City Police Department at 2:17 a.m. Sunday to report the door had been kicked in. Two officers responded to take a second degree burglary report.
Arrested - A 30-year-old man was arrested by a Ponca City police officer at West Liberty Avenue and North Union Street at 11:14 a.m. Sunday on a city warrant for assault. Another officer arrested a 30-year-old woman in the 1000 block of East Otoe Avenue at 11:16 a.m. on a city warrant for failure to pay.
Deadly Weapon - Four Ponca City police officers responded to the 100 block of South Elm Street at 2:01 p.m. Sunday when a resident reported a subject chasing someone with a knife. Officers took a man into custody on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
Fire - Ponca City firefighters put out a fire in the 1500 block of Crawford Avenue at 6:11 p.m. Sunday. A resident reported smoke in the residence, believed to have come from insulation.
Attempted Burglary - A resident in the 2200 block of North Fourteenth
Street notified the Ponca City Police Department at 2 a.m. Monday after
someone allegedly broke out the windows and tried to gain entry through
the front door. Two officers responded, but the subjects were gone on arrival.
An officer took an incident report.
SPORTS
Po-Hi Varsity Games This Week
Tuesday
Basketball - Owasso here, 6:15, 7:45
Wrestling - at Enid, 7
Thursday
Basketball - at East Central Tournament
Friday
Basketball - at East Central Tournament
Wrestling - at Geary Tournament
Saturday
Basketball - at East Central Tournament
Wrestling - at Geary Tournament