From The Pages Of The Ponca City News, Thursday,
July 3, 1997
LOCAL
Editorials
Goodbye To Screen Heroes
Letters
John Raley Confirms Announced Retiring As U.S. Attorney
79 Po-Hi Grad Completes Course From Top Criminal Investigation Academy
'97 Po-Hi Grad Contestant In Cavalcade Queens Event
District Court
Fireworks Lead the Way For Holiday Celebrations
Caution Urged With Personal Fireworks
Nearly News
DEATHS
Gladys Irene Matney
Edith B. Broaddus
Violet Geraldine Wyatt
Ethel M. Ward
Paul J. Burtner
Obituaries
Phillip Godby 'Red' Terrill
NEWS BRIEFS
GARDENING
Methods For Recycling Grass Clippings
GARDEN GUIDE
SPORTS
Golf Notes
Football Mini Camp July 10 at Sullins
Correction
Attack Issues, Not People
Our last discussion of negativity in Ponca City needs some expansion. We have areas of disagreement with leaders of our community just as you do.
The Economic Development Foundation has been phenomenally successful. We do not agree with every move they have made and neither do some other citizens. Those disagreements should be argued without losing sight of the fact that the board is composed of well meaning and hard working people just like you, who are giving up time and energy for this community.
Running any school system is a daunting task. There is often more than one good way of approaching any situation. The board and administration put in untold hours to try to decide which is the best way to tackle each problem. To disagree with the board's position should not lead to a condemnation of the schools in general and harassment of the individuals involved.
When we attack individuals instead of issues we are being unfair to the well intentioned citizens who choose to take the time and effort we choose not to take. It also makes it increasingly difficult to find qualified men and women to run for elected office.
These volunteers are not bad because they approach a problem differently than we do, they may even be right. There is no conspiracy to hurt the people of Ponca City and to enrich their own pockets. There is sincerity and hard work. The right and wrong ways to approach disagreement are as simple as the difference between constructive and destructive criticism, between personal attack and valid argument.
Perhaps the most common negative situation occurs when those without a full grasp of the facts attack without taking the time to become knowledgeable. We have often seen critics change direction when they become fully involved and learn the real facts behind the decisions they had criticized.
The point is not to avoid criticism, the point is that the criticism should be constructive, and on specific issues and concepts, not on personalities. It is easy to argue when you don't have to use facts. It is easy to say that leaders are doing the wrong thing when you don't have the full story. It is much harder to become fully informed and to discuss the real issues involved.
They say the deaths of famous people (meaning entertainment personalities) come in threes. Even if that weren't true, the recent deaths of three top actors certainly reinforces that thought and touches the hearts of millions of fans.
First to go in recent days was Brian Keith, that lovable bear of a man who gave out so many good life lessons as Uncle Bill on "Family Affair" and also starred in the family film "The Parent Trap."
Next was the irascible Robert Mitchum. Certainly not a role model as one of the rowdier Hollywood types in his younger days, but he did come up from a rough youth to become one of the stalwarts of the screen, whether playing crazed killers ("Cape Fear") or war heroes ("Winds of War.")
And now, with the passing of Jimmy Stewart, the trio is complete. Jimmy Stewart was one of the most lovable actors in Hollywood. He was everyone's hero. In most of his films he lived to an ideal that could be held up for the young folks who went to see him on Saturday afternoons and the older folks who went to the evening movies.
As the guardian angel Clarence Odbody said to Stewart's George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life": ''Each man's life touches so many other lives, and when he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? ... You see, George (and Jimmy), you really had a wonderful life.''
Launching a Nation
The Declaration Of Independence:
Two hundred and twenty one years ago the debate and the rewrite of The Declaration of Independence was completed and held up to Great Britain, not as a petition but a notice, stating succinctly our separation from King George and all despotism. No loopholes would we entertain as in the Mayflower Compact and without regard for what historians may say of this parchment but with the gleaming solid brass of our conviction of God's natural law and under His providence we launched this new nation America.
Upon the unanimous vote of the Continental Congress we declared that no longer will we sojourn in this land. We give ourselves patent to it because our generations have tilled it and profit for the king is not what we wish to cultivate any longer.
Ready to fly or not our young eagle was flung out of its nest and over the ominous depths. If it fell to its death then we would have been the participants in a crushed rebellion to suffer all that this implies. Oh, but we became Americans on that day and girded on our father's sword to prosecute a revolution the likes the history of mankind has yet to witness before nor since.
The Declaration of Independence is not a broadside to be removed to make room for another day's piece of import so we have held this clarion of freedom as high as our hearts. We celebrate it on the fourth day of July and clearly it sounds over this good land of ours throughout the year. All of the abundance of liberty's spirit stands sentinel to our existence and has buttressed our home and this transport to the standing of the greatest nation on the face of the earth.
Robert McClung
Beware of Rabies
Warning! Last spring in south Texas there was an outbreak of rabies. This could also happen in Oklahoma.
Rabies is carried by skunks and most animals can get it . Bats have been known to have rabies and attack people.
When a dog gets rabies, it will leave home and wander around from place to place. If a stray dog shows up around your house, do not let your children play with it. Call the dog catcher immediately and have it picked up. Take no chances.
When a dog gets bitten by a rabid dog, its eyes will soon turn red and bloodshot. If this happens, take it to the animal shelter and they will pen it up for nine days and by that time they will know if it has rabies.
Be careful about any stray dogs.
If I wake up some morning with red and bloodshot eyes, I'm heading straight for the animal shelter.
Jim Isenberg
By LOUISE ABERCROMBIE
News Staff Writer
Former Ponca Citian, John Raley, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, has announced that he has written President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno requesting that he be allowed to retire effective Aug. 15.
Raley, who was originally recommended for the post by Sen. Don Nickles and appointed by president George Bush, has been in office since April 1990. In September 1993, he was reappointed for an additional four year term by President Clinton.
"I leave office with a full heart and the satisfaction of knowing that I have fought the good fight and completed my mission," Raley said.
"Any accomplishments we have achieved over the last seven and a half years are primarily attributable to an outstanding staff of highly dedicated, skilled and hardworking professionals that I would match for industry and integrity with any other U.S. Attorney's office in the country," he added.
During his term of office Raley has doubled the number of Assistant United States Attorneys on his staff, substantially increased the support staff, and supervised the acquisition and move to an office complex outside the U.S. Court House, with quarters now occupying the former Phoenix Federal Savings and Loan Building in Muskogee.
During this time, his staff each year has returned to the U.S. Government in the form of collected fines and debts considerable more than the annual cost of operation of his office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys and other members of his staff have consistently received top Department of Justice awards of merit for outstanding performance of duty.
For the last four years, Raley has chaired the Native American Sub-Committee of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys, composed of 28 U.S. Attorneys from coast to coast, who meet several times a year to discuss a myriad of legal issues involving Native Americans and to provide advice and recommendation to the Attorney General.
He has also served two terms on the Department of Justice Executive Working Group, consisting of representatives of the National Association of Attorneys General and the National District Attorneys Association.
In 1994, Raley was the recipient of the Department of Justice Criminal Division Special Initiative Award. In 1993, as a member of the trial team that prosecuted a cocaine murder case resulting in the first jury awarded death penalty in the Eastern District of Oklahoma in several decades, he received the Meritorious Service Award from the South Central Region Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Prior to his appointment as United States Attorney, Raley served eight years, from 1961 to 1969, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. For the next 20 years he was in the private practice of law as a partner in the firm of Northcutt, Raley, Clark and Gardner, Ponca City, where also was elected to and served a term as Mayor. In 1984, he was selected as Ponca City's Outstanding Citizen of the Year.
He served a term on the Board of Governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association. In 1995, he was the only Oklahoman elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, membership in which is by invitation only and restricted to the top one percent of lawyers in America.
Called to active duty in January 1952, Raley earned a commission in the U.S. Navy and served as gunnery officer aboard a heavy cruiser. After 34 years of combined active and reserve duty he retired with the permanent rank of Navy Captain.
His mother, Mrs. John W. Raley, widow of the longtime president of Oklahoma Baptist University, resides in Shawnee. He has two sons, John Wesley Raley III , a partner in the International law firm of Fulbright and Jaworski in Houston, and Robert Thames Raley, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma in Tulsa.
Lt. Rex Brown, a 1979 Ponca City High School graduate, recently graduated from one of the top criminal investigation academies in the central United States. Brown is the son of Norma M. Brown, 2225 Joe, and the late Sam C. Brown. He is the brother of Robyn A. Fezer of Ponca City.
Lieutenant Brown, a Guthrie police investigator, was honored at the Cowboy Hall of Fame by Gov. Frank Keating for being one of 19 law enforcement officers to complete three months of investigative training. The OSBI training is one that field agents and criminalists attend and the Guthrie department was one of five in the state invited to participate.
According to an article in the Guthrie News Leader, Brown said he "would like to think the OSBI recommended the Guthrie Police Department attend the academy because of the continuing progress they have made during the past several years."
The academy is an intense and total-encompassing training that covers analyzing forensics evidence, crime scene presentation, collection and identification of evidence and explosive analysis and identification. In addition to hands-on training attorneys from the U.S. Attorneys office as well as state and civil attorneys gave presentations to the students according to the newspaper story. Brown said the OSBI academy training is known as one of the best and most progressive and professional academies in the nation.
Brown has been with the Guthrie Police Department for 11 years. He started out as a patrol officer on the street and in 1990 was promoted to corporal. In 1991, Brown transferred into investigations and was later promoted to an investigative sergeant. He is currently chief investigator at the department.
Kristy Jo Buck will represent the Osage County Round-up Club in the 1997 Cavalcade Queens Event in Pawhuska July 16 through 20.
The daughter of Joseph and Kathy Buck of Ponca City, Kristy is a 1997 graduate of Ponca City High School and currently employed at Arby's. She enjoys riding in parades, trail rides, horse shows and queen contests. She was the 1994 101 Wild West Rodeo Queen and is active in 4-H.
The Osage County Round-up Club was organized in 1992 and has 25 members. Teresa Fisher is the 1997 president; Marla Mayse vice president and Sharon Kielharn, secretary.
As the Cavalcade celebrates its 51st anniversary, Kristy will be vying with 16 other contestants for the coveted title of 1997 Cavalcade Queen. The 1997 Cavalcade Queen will receive a number of special gifts, including a beautiful hand-tooled trophy saddle, the Jim Dickey Memorial "Traveling Crown" from the Kellyville Round-up Club, a satin sash from Queen sponsors NBC Bank, First National Band and Osage Federal Saving & Loan, all of Pawhuska, and belt buckle from Drysdales Western Store of Tulsa. At the annual Cavalcade spring planning meeting in March, the winner will be awarded a $150 wardrobe gift certificate from the Cavalcade Board of Directors.
Buck will begin the first leg of her quest for the coveted Cavalcade crown July 16 at 6 p.m. at the annual Queens Reception which will be held at the Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce in Pawhuska. The reception will be hosted by 1996-97 reigning Queen Tina Hardin of the 4-Y Round-up Club and Pawhuska Round-up Queen and Cavalcade co-hostess DeAnn Winget.
Newkirk
Marriage Licenses
John Eldon Burch Jr., 27, and Billie Jo Soderlund, 24, both of Ponca City.
Maurice Dean Meador Jr., 38, Braman, and Sandra Jane McNeese, 40, Ponca City.
James Wayne McIntosh, 29, and Jerrie Delores Thompson, 35, both of Ponca City.
Joseph Nicholas Tripp, 22, and Bobbi Rene Meyer, 24, both of Nardin.
Christopher Donald Murphy, 24, Rincon, Ga., and Christy Mae Stuckey, 21, Ponca City.
Richard Kenneth Farmer, 33, and Tracie Lynn Kwapil, 33, both of Newkirk.
Jeremiah Henshaw, 21, and Alice Mei-Tyan Chang, 21, both of Ponca City.
Jesse Vernon Quaid, 19, and Alysia Gayle Norman, 17, both of Ponca City.
Jared Ray Peck, 22, and Stacy Ann Shafer, 19, both of Ponca City.
Darryl Glen Klopp, legal age, and Carole Joyce Carr, legal age, both of Ponca City.
Blackwell
Divorces Sought
Manuel Viveros vs. Rebecca Viveros.
Divorces Granted
Jimmette Lee Loveall vs. Leroy Alvin Eugene Loveall; plaintiff restored to former name Jimmette Widener.
David D. Jacobs vs. Patricia L. Jacobs.
Frank R. Jarvies vs. Mary Ada Weber Jarvies.
Rebecca Annette Rowe vs. Harrison Dewayne Rowe Jr.
Ponca City
Divorces Sought
Jessica Hope Martel vs. Shane Phillip Martel.
Beverly Ann Dillahunty vs. George Elvin Dillahunty.
Sally Bolene Williams vs. David Thomas Williams.
Cheri Denise Morrison vs. Neil Ashley Morrison.
Deborah Lee Conner vs. DeWayne Ray Conner.
Divorces Granted
Elizabeth Suzanne Nichols vs. Darren Lee Nichols.
Pamela Ann Penka vs. Hubert William Penka Jr.; plaintiff restored to former name Pamela Ann Lott.
Earl William Beard vs. Michelle Marion Beard.
Roy S. Kelley Jr. vs. Mandi J. Kelley.
David Chris Simmons vs. Dianna R. Simmons.
Civil Proceedings
Louisia Whiting vs. Lynn D. Umbarger; plaintiff seeking judgment in excess of $10,000.
Ronnie L. Martin vs. Brandie Lynn McCandless; plaintiff seeking judgment
in excess of $10,000.
By LOUISE ABERCROMBIE
News Staff Writer
Fireworks ogling, watermelon seed spitting, fried chicken chewing and a salute to the birth of a nation are all on tap for the Fourth of July celebrations slated for this area.
Ponca Citians will be looking skyward during the July Fourth celebration. The events slated at Lake Ponca Park begin in the air with a fly-over of planes from the Oklahoma Air National Guard at 8 p.m., according to Kathy Ferguson, one of the event organizers.
The finale in the sky promises to be a bang-up affair with the fireworks display and laser light show electronically synchronized to music. The laser show will continue after the fireworks display.
The whole family is invited to bring blankets and folding chairs and enjoy picnics and cool treats, available for a minimal fee. Proceeds from concessions will go toward funding next year's fireworks display.
Newkirk
The Newkirk Fourth of July celebration, sponsored by the Newkirk Chamber of Commerce at the Newkirk Country Club, will blast off at 3:30 p.m., Friday. The audience will be entertained with music provided by D.J. Dave May.
. There will be various carnival type games including greased pole climbing, hoops shoot, fish pond and bean bag toss for youths. Other youth event swill be train rides and pony rides.
To help beat the heat the crowd will be cooled off by the new Newkirk Fire Department will spray folks down to avoid overheating.
Set for 6 p.m., are turtle races, followed by sack races for all ages and a tug of war. Andy Colclasure will present a country music concert at 7 p.m.
There will be a money in the haystack hunt and a balloon toss. At 7:50 p.m., Susan Smith is to sing the "Star Spangled Banner," during the raising of the flag. David May will present a magic and ventriloquist show at 8 p.m., this will be followed by a dance contest. Winners of the Little Miss Firecracker and Yankee Doodle Dandy contests will be announced at that time.
At dark the fireworks display is slated with patriotic music played as accompaniment.
Tonkawa
A number of events have been planned for the Independence Day celebration in Tonkawa. The day begins with the Historical Society Museum Grand Opening and Reception at 10 a.m.
The Cow Patty Caper is slated at Blinn Park at 11 a.m. Free swimming at the pool will be offered from 1 to 4 p.m. From 5 p.m. to midnight there will be music by Joe Brining with a group named "Born to Boogie" from Wichita playing.
Two hours of children's games are set beginning at 5:30 p.m., to be followed by the Tiny Tot and Mr. Muscle Contest. Other entertainment is set for 8:30 p.m., and the fireworks will begin at dusk, about 9:30 p.m. A dance will follow on the tennis courts.
Blackwell
The celebration of the nation's birth begins in Blackwell with the annual July 4 parade beginning at 11 a.m. Following the parade, turtle and sack races will be held at the Kay County Fairgrounds. Other activities include the Ugly Dog contest, hula hoop and greased watermelon challenge.
At 2:30 p.m., there will be the "Great Watergun Shootout" with folks wearing old clothes and being sprayed with water. The Chamber will supply the waterguns for everyone.
A feature of the July Fourth celebration will be the American Legion baseball tournament at Morgan Field. The fireworks will also be held at Morgan Field.
Memorial Park Pool will be open free to the public from 1 to 5 p.m. for swimming.
Pawnee
The celebration in Pawnee at the court house square begins with turtle races at 8:30 a.m., followed by a money scramble, sack races, egg toss, lady's purse throw, hoop roll and at 11 a.m., a men's boot throw.
At 6 p.m., gospel singing will be held on the southeast side of the square. Beginning at 8 p.m., on the west side of the square a local band will provide music.
The junior class will have several game booths set up on he square throughout the day. The day's activities will conclude with the fireworks display at 10 p.m.
Kaw City
Another popular celebration that draws crowds from Oklahoma and Kansas annually is the Christmas in July event slated for Saturday evening at Kaw City.
This is the 13th annual event set for Pioneer Beach. Activities are planned all day long climaxed by the lighted flotilla and fireworks display after sundown.
County officials and firefighters are urging people to be careful with fireworks outside the city limits, especially with so much good wheat still waiting for the harvest.
District One County Commissioner Dee Schieber, who this week was spending late nights in a combine, said because rains kept farmers away from the wheat fields for several days, there's a lot of wheat in Kay County still to be cut.
This year's crop of 60 to 70 bushels per acre for many farmers is the best in a long time.
Travis Harris, farmer and fire lieutenant for the Kildare Volunteer Fire Department, asks those who are celebrating the holiday "not to shoot off any fireworks across an uncut wheat field or near anything else that's dry."
Harris said because of the rains, the wheat is dry but the fields are muddy and firetrucks can't get into the fields if they have to. Custom cutters have been held out in this area so far, and the producers with the most wheat planted haven't been able to get to all of it yet.
"There's the potential of losing acres and acres of uncut wheat, and basically, that's the farmer's paycheck for the year," Harris said.
"In fireworks, the key word is 'fire.' Be careful."
For those who thought they had missed Poncan Theatre's movies, "Brassed Off" and "Breakdown," there is good news from Kenn Wessel, executive director, who says the movies have been held over for another week's run.
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Speaking of Wessel, he has an interesting pet duo. There's Clifford, the black toy poodle, which was given to him by the cast of "Cabaret" on opening night. The dog is named after a character in the play. Then there is a stray cat that wandered into the theater during a production here and was named Sullivan. The pets are "good buddies." Can you image what kind of pet might show up during the next "Taste and Tasteless" gridiron. Chances are pretty good it could be a crow looking for "corn."
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Nearly News has learned that the" First Annual I Love America Neighborhood Parade in the Meadows" will be held July 4 at 9:30 a.m. Participants and spectators are invited to meet in the cul-de-sac area of Cardinal and Meadowbrook. Participants are asked to decorate everything from bikes and pets to wagons and themselves. After the parade cookies and lemonade will be served in the cul-de-sac.
NEWKIRK - Gladys Irene Matney, long time resident of the Newkirk area, died late Tuesday afternoon, July 1, 1997 in Highland Nursing Center, Ponca City. She was 95.
The funeral has been set for 2 p.m. Saturday, July 5, in Miller-Stahl Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Don Richardson, minister of the Silverdale Community Church, officiating. Burial will follow in Newkirk Cemetery under the direction of Miller-Stahl Funeral Service. The funeral home will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday.
Gladys Irene Matney was born Dec. 25, 1901 at Peckham, Okla., the daughter of Dave E. and Jessie Inez (Vaughn) Lewman. She grew up in the Peckham area and attended Sweetwater Rural School.
On May 29, 1920 she and Alfred Chester Ramsey were married in Newkirk. They made their home east of Newkirk.
She and Elza Ray Matney were married June 29, 1935 in Bartlesville and made their home on a farm east of Newkirk. Two years later they moved to a farm east of Arkansas City. They later farmed for a time at Kaw City, and in 1947 moved to a farm in the Newkirk area, near Boix d'Arc Creek. In 1947 they moved back to the Arkansas City area. The following year Mrs. Matney began the first of 23 years as cook at Camp Horizon. In 1989 the family moved to Arkansas City.
Mr. Matney died Aug. 14, 1991, and Mrs. Matney continued to reside in Arkansas City until several months ago when she moved to Ponca City.
Mrs. Matney was a member of the Silverdale Community Church.
Surviving are three sons, Alfred C. Ramsey Jr. of Orange, Texas, Ivan Dean Ramsey of Ponca City and Jimmie Ray Matney of Arkansas City; one daughter, Mrs. Ruth Laverne Coate of Myrtle Creek, Ore.; one sister, Mrs. Hazel Edith Duncan of Winfield, Kan.; seven grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, John Preston Lewman, Buster Elsworth Lewman and Fred Samuel Lewman; a sister, Lena Ruth Willard, and one grandchild, Ivan Harold Ramsey.
Edith B. Broaddus died Tuesday, July 1, 1997, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. She was 93.
A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church at a later date. Trout Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Edith B. Broaddus was born July 20, 1903, in Chariton, Iowa, the daughter of Hyram Lincoln and Nina Olive (Taylor) Bowen. She attended Chariton Schools, the University of Chicago, the University of California, Berkeley and Drake University.
After coming to Ponca City in 1922 she taught at the Jefferson School. On June 12, 1924, she was married to Goodwin Porter Broaddus in Ponca City. The couple were members of the First Presbyterian Church, where Mrs. Broaddus was active in the women's organization. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and a 60-year member of the CN Chapter of the PEO Sisterhood. She belonged to the Garden Club, Twentieth Century Club, and in earlier years was active in the Campfire Girls Organization, all of which included leadership positions.
Survivors include her son, Goodwin Broaddus of Dallas, Texas; a daughter, Nancy Feild of Overland Park, Kan.; five grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband on Dec. 23, 1968, also five brothers and two sisters.
Memorial contributions may be made in her name to The First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 1442, Ponca City, OK 74602.
CUSHING - Violet Geraldine Wyatt, resident of Cushing and mother of Mrs. John (Gerry) McFadden of Ponca City, died Friday, June 27, 1997, in the Colonial Plaza Nursing Center, Cushing. She was 89.
Graveside service was held Tuesday, July 1, 1997 at 2 p.m. in the Fairlawn Cemetery in Cushing with the Rev. Chris Thompson, pastor, First United Methodist Church in Cushing, officiating. Davis Funeral Home, Cushing was in charge of arrangements.
Violet Geraldine Wyatt was born May 9, 1908, in Harwood, Mo., to Homer Holmes and Lois Etta (Williams) Sharp.
On May 10, 1930, she was united in marriage to Walter Houston Wyatt in Nevada, Mo., and the couple made their first home in Sarcoxie, Mo.
Mrs. Wyatt was a graduate of Cottey College in Nevada, Mo. She taught school for several years in the Missouri towns of Reeds, Independence and Nevada. In 1944 the family was transferred to Cushing.
While employed with Shell Oil Co., the family lived in Alton, Ill. from 1957 to 1960 before returning to Cushing. Mr. Wyatt preceded his wife in death on July 11, 1992.
She is survived by one daughter, Mrs. John (Gerry) McFadden of Ponca City; a sister, Virginia Hadley of Bedford, Texas, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, also a host of relatives and friends.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by one sister and two brothers.
BIXBY - Ethel M. Ward, resident of Ponca City, died at Grove, Okla. on Saturday, June 14, 1997. She was 81.
The funeral service was conducted at 2 p.m. Monday, June 16, 1997 in the First Baptist Church of Bixby, Okla. with Dr. Odell Carpenter officiating. Burial was in the Bixby Cemetery under direction of the Bixby Funeral Service.
Casket bearers were Tom Bradford, Johnny Lee Bradford, David Bradford, Jacky Grimes, Steve Ward, Terry Ward, and Sid Ward.
Ethel Ward was born June 1, 1916 at Broken Arrow, Okla., the daughter of George O. and Nora B. Harris Bradford.
Ethel and Loyd Ward were united in marriage on Feb. 5, 1936 at Tulsa, Okla. She had resided in Bixby since 1968 and after her husband died on Dec. 29, 1997, she moved to Ponca City to be near her son, Lester.
Ethel was a member of the Bixby First Baptist Church. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a son, Gary and a grandson, Robert.
Surviving are her son, Lester Ward of Ponca City; two brothers, Kenneth and John Bradford of Tulsa; one sister, Ruth Grimes of Tulsa, six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Paul J. Burtner, resident of Ponca City, died at 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, July 2, 1997 in St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. He was 76.
Cremation services are under the direction of McCafferty-Bolick Funeral Home in Tonkawa. No memorial service is scheduled at this time.
Paul J. Burtner was born Jan. 17, 1921 in Rockwall, Texas, the son of James Paul and Mamie (Burch) Burtner. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army from 1940 to 1945. He was a retired pump operator for Gulf Oil Co.
Surviving are his wife, Eula of the home; two daughters, Susan Hicks of Buena Park, Calif. and Bobbie Fesel of Arkansas City, Kan.; two sons, Larry Burtner of Ponca City and Jerry Burtner of Fort Smith, Ark.; a brother, Jack Burtner of Wasco, Calif., and a sister, Sarah Pryse of Tuskahoma, Okla.; also eight grandchildren.
NEWKIRK - Phillip Godby "Red" Terrill, longtime Newkirk area farmer, died Tuesday morning, July 1, 1997 at the home of his daughter in Whitehouse, Texas. He was 95.
The funeral has been set for 10 a.m. Saturday, July 5, in the Newkirk First Christian Church with the Rev. Jerry Albright officiating. Burial is to follow in Resthaven Memorial Cemetery, Ponca City under the direction of Miller-Stahl Funeral Service.
Those serving as casket bearers will be Tony Vap, Mike Vap, Gary Vap, Walter Shafer, Donald Lockwood and J.C. McCune. Honorary bearers are H.D. "Soapy" Blair, Junior Hazaleus and Wayne Randol.
The family will be at the funeral home Thursday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to visit with friends who call. The funeral home will be open on Friday, July 4, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The son of Phillip Smith and Issa Bell (Mayes) Terrill, he was born Feb. 26, 1902 in Garrad County, Ky. and was named for a Kentucky Methodist preacher. In the spring of 1905 he moved with his family to Davenport, Okla., and later they moved a mile north of Stillwater where Boomer Lake is now located. After a time they moved a mile and a half east of Stillwater.
He worked for the Marland Oil Co. in Ponca City and the Empire Refining Company of Ponca City. On Sept. 18, 1925 he began working for Continental Oil Co. as a stillman of the distillation unit in the heavy lube operations division. He retired on March 1, 1967 after forty-one and a half years with the company.
On Feb. 2, 1942 he and Avis Lillis Hale were married at Winfield, Kan. They made their first home on a farm on an old Indian Agency a mile east of Tonkawa. Later they moved to a farm a mile southeast of Ponca City on the river. In late 1942 they moved to a farm three and a half miles southeast of Newkirk where they resided until Mrs. Terrill suffered a stroke on Oct. 20, 1992. He had lived at Whitehouse, Texas since that time.
Surviving him are one son, Charles LeRoy Terrill of Stillwater; one daughter and her husband, Vera Loretta and Karey Atkinson of Whitehouse, Texas; and one granddaughter and her husband, Gina and Gary Wilson of Stillwater, also several nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by Avis, his wife of 53 years, on July 30, 1995; his parents; five brothers, James Pinkard, Charles William, Lloyd Steven, Henry Jackson and Alexander Lee.
Driving Under Suspension - A 30-year-old man was arrested at 6:24 a.m. Wednesday at South Second Street and East South Avenue for driving under suspension, no insurance and speeding.
Beaver County Warrants - A police officer arrested a 39-year-old man at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday in the 400 block of South Palm Street on Beaver County warrants.
Arrested - At 9:41 a.m. Wednesday a 52-year-old man was arrested in the 100 block of South Fourteenth Street for driving under suspension.
Gas Smell - A 911 call was received by the telecommunications center at 1 p.m. Wednesday from the 200 block of North Ash Street advising they smelled gas inside the house. ONG was contacted.
Knife Pulled - A report was taken at 1:24 p.m. Wednesday in the 1000 block of South Eleventh Street after a 911 call was received advising that a knife had just been pulled on the resident. No injuries occurred.
Report Taken - A Ponca City police officer took a report from the 300 block of West Hartford Avenue at 2:05 p.m. Wednesday after a juvenile jumped on a lawn mower and ran it into another vehicle.
Gun Pointed - A report was taken at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 200 block of South Birch Street after a man advised that a gun had just been pointed at him from another vehicle. No injuries occurred.
Vehicle Hit - A vehicle was hit in the 3500 block of North Fourteenth Street at 4:18 p.m. Wednesday. A report was taken.
Possible Gunshots - A 911 call was received from the 3000 block of Kingston Road at 6:43 p.m. Wednesday advising that gunshots had been heard from a neighbor's home. Police officers responded and found that one shot was fired in the residence and a report was taken.
Public Intoxication - A 42-year-old man was arrested at 10:30
p.m. Wednesday in the 500 block of West Highland Avenue for public intoxication.
GARDENING
The best way to recycle grass clippings is to let them fall back to the turf. The average lawn generates about 1,500 pounds of clippings per year. This accounts for 10 percent of the curb waste.
People bag their clippings because they believe grass clippings cause thatch. Grass clippings are beneficial to the turf, and do not cause thatch. Thatch is made of decay-resistant surface roots, runners, and stems found close to the soil surface. They are not removed by mowing.
Ponca City
Information about recycling clippings can be obtained locally from John Meadows, Waste Reduction Center coordinator of the City of Ponca City Solid Waste Division. A "Master Composter" course was offered to area residents in June and city regulations require residents to dispose of clippings in a specified manner. Ponca Citians are encouraged to mulch their grass clippings in an effort "to control the rising costs of refuse collection and disposal and to extend the life of the city's landfill."
Ways to Recycle Grass Clippings:
Let clippings fall back to the turf; Compost clippings; Use clippings as a mulch; Take clippings to a recycling center; Feed clippings to livestock.
Advantages of Letting Clippings Fall Back to the Turf:
It takes a third less time to mow; Up to 25 percent of the fertilizer nutrients are returned in clippings; Reducing trash by 10 percent means less space is taken in landfills and fewer plastic bags are taken to the landfills. Grass clippings consist of 85 to 90 percent water and nutrients. When clippings are left to dry on the turf, they shrink about 90 percent. Once dry, they will settle into the turf. Because clippings are composed of soft tissue, it does not take them long to decompose. The clippings contain approximately 4 percent nitrogen, .5 percent phosphorus, and 2 percent potassium.
Factors in Returning Clippings to the Turf:
The key to letting clippings fall back to the turf is not allowing the grass to grow tall between mowings. Do not remove more than one-third of the total leaf length at any one mowing. Keep the mower blade sharp, so mowing will be more efficient and less power will be used. Follow the recommended mowing heights for residential lawns such as 1-2 inches for bermuda grass.
Also, avoid over watering and excess fertilizing. Applying too much water or fertilizer will cause excessive growth requiring more frequent mowing. If the turf is not mowed on a regular basis, clippings will stay on top of the turf rather than filtering down to the soil surface.
Mowers
Several different types of mowers can be used in recycling clippings. One option is a mulching mower; it cuts, recuts, and deposits short clippings evenly on the turf. Mulching mowers have specially designed decks and blades that suspend clippings, allowing them to be chopped into small pieces. There is no clipping discharge vent on a mulching mower. They do not work well on tall or wet grass. Mulching mowers are not an excuse to let the grass get tall between mowings.
Another choice is to use a regular side discharge (side bagging) or rear discharge mower (rear bagging). Both types of mowers can be fitted with a mulching mower " Kit" over their discharge openings to make them function like a mulching mower. They don't recut the grass and distribute it as uniformly as a true mulching mower. The side discharge mower can be used without the shield if the turf is mowed on schedule. If a rear bagger is used without the shield or bag, it throws clippings onto the operator. Some rear discharge mowers can be fitted with a curved chute, which discharges the clippings to the side. Regardless of the mower used, it is important to adhere to the one-third removal rule.
When mowing without a catcher, it is a good practice to mow three or more rounds in a clockwise direction, throwing the grass away from buildings, walks, and drives. Then mow counterclockwise throwing the clippings away from the uncut grass.
Remember to remove clippings from hard surfaces such as sidewalks and drives. A blower works well for this job. Even a mulching mower deposits some clippings on drives and walks.
Composting
One ton of clippings will result in 200 pounds of decayable fibrous matter after composting. Grass clippings require special care because of their high nitrogen content and their ability to decompose quickly. It is for this reason clippings must be turned frequently at first, sometimes twice a day to avoid odor problems. More benefits are received when grass clippings filter back to the turf than when composted.
Advantages to Composting:
Grass clippings provide moisture and nitrogen with a carbon:nitrogen ratio of 12-25:1; Composting is preferable to taking clippings to the landfill.
Disadvantages of Composting:
Composting requires a lot of bulk handling; Composting increases mowing time and amount of work; Composting robs the turf of the nutrient benefits of clippings; Dry piles of grass clippings can become a fire hazard.
Mulch
Mulch is an option for recycling grass clippings, but it is not desirable as a mulch. Using grass clippings as a mulch can create a fire hazard. Clippings are light weight and susceptible to being blown and/or washed away. Wet grass mulch does not breathe like other mulches. Clippings from grass treated with weed killer should not be used as a mulch.
Take Clippings to a Recycling Center:
Recycling centers are another option for discarding grass clippings. A recycling center may be a designated place at a landfill, a vacant city lot, or a neighbor's compost pile. Some landfills are regulated locally, and many have designated areas for grass clippings.
Feeding Livestock Clippings:
Grass clippings can be fed to livestock. But, be sure not to feed livestock clippings treated with weed killer or other pesticides. Feed livestock only fresh clippings the day they are cut. Clippings that are piled quickly become moldy.
Keep strawberries weeded; feed with 5-10-5 formula, 2-3 pounds per 100 square feet. Water and keep mulched.
Harvest lavender flowers before they fade; also prime leaves of culinary and fragrant herbs.
Plant last gladiolus bulbs in July.
Use all purpose rose spray for mildew and leaf spot.
Water is needed especially by azaleas, rhododendrons, coniferous evergreens, magnolias, dogwood, flowering and other fruit trees.
Ponca City Area Farmers Market Saturday, 100 block of south Third street.
SPORTS
Golf Calendar
Ponca City Country Club
July 4 - Fourth of July Scramble
July 12-13-19 - Fourball Match Play
July 11-18-25 - Junior Golf Program playday.
July 15-167-17 - Women's Tee-Par-Tee Invitational
July 25 - Couples Scotch foursome
July 26 - Parent-Junior Tournament
July 30 - PGA Junior Tour Tournament
Wentz Memorial
July 5 - Open Three-Man Scramble, flighted after 9 holes, 8 a.m. shotgun start, entry fee $60 per team not including cart and green fees, deadliene for entering 6 p.m. July 3.
July 10-17 - Junior Golf Program playdays
July 12 - Two-Man Best Ball (membership not required)
July 25 - Parent-Junior Tournament
July 26 - Two-Man Ryder Clup Format
Blackwell
July 4 - Six-Person Scramble, $20 entry fee, limited 12 teams a.m. and p.m.
July 6 - Annual Flag Tournament, $5 entry fee, tee-off before 2 p.m.
July 12 - Annual Fee-Guest Tournament, 8 a.m. start
July 26 - Hospital Tournament
Winfield-Ark City
July 17 - Quail Ridge KSU Catbacker Junior Four-Person Scramble (9 holes), $20 entry fee, 9 a.m. tee-off.
July 19-20 - Winfield Stroke Play Invitational (Saturday at Winfield Country Club, Sunday at Quail Ridge), entry fee $85.
A one-day Wildcat football Quarterback/Receiver Mini-Camp will be held July 10 at Sullins Stadium.
Po-Hi coach Joe Matlock will conduct the camp, which will stress the fundamentals of passing and receiving. The mini-camp, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., is open to players 10 through 18 years of age.
The cost is $8 for those who pre-register and $10 the day of the camp. Campers will need to bring a T-shirt, shorts, cleats and a lunch.
To register or for more information, contact Joe Matlock, 1809 Yale Ave., Ponca City, Okla., 74604.
The Taco Bell girls' softball team pictured in Wednesday's Midweek section of the News took third place in league standings, not second as reported. The News regrets the error.