Bill and Tena Kibby are close friends and they are constantly helping others. Most recently they have been working on the Glory Cemetery. Please see their story and pictures of the cemetery on page A-8 of our May 25, 2021 edition of the Holdenville News. Rural cemeteries need financial help to keep them mowed and repairs made. Please help if you can. If you are willing to help, mail your contribution to First United Bank, PO Box 790, Holdenville, OK 74848 or you can drop it by at 102 E. Main…… This past week I went to visit the Seminole Nation Museum in Wewoka. It is incredible! The head of the museum, my longtime friend, Richard Ellwanger, gave me a wonderful tour. He also offered his help to our local museum and he is a wealth of information. If you have not been to the museum in the past few years, it is worth your time to go. I especially enjoyed the Veterans display. Richard is the son of HHS graduate Peggy Ellwanger. She is the longest serving Wewoka City Councilmember in history and continues to do a great job. Peggy and Richard are the type of leaders every community needs….. Our good friend Juanita Harris was by the office Friday to renew her subscription. She is also known as the “Taco Lady.” For years she had a trailer she would take to area events and sell tacos. There would always be a line at her location. Her tacos were delicious! She is so much fun to be around and I always look forward to our visits……My friend James Rinehart was by this past week. He will be celebrating his birthday Friday and we hope he has a great one. James is his late wife, Faye, are two of the finest folks I have ever known and have been a blessing to so many over the years…..Speaking of birthdays, my mother-in-law, Beth Leewright just celebrated her birthday on May 24 . She came home with us after church Sunday and we enjoyed having lunch together. She is a very special lady and I’m so blessed to have her as my mother-in-law…….Got to visit with Dayna’s classmate and our longtime friend Jeanne Smith. Her folks, the late Ray and Marie Bowen were dear friends and we still miss them. They were so much fun to be around. I will never forget asking Ray a particular question about the Bible. He said he wanted me to read a book he had and see if it answered my question. I read his book and didn’t understand half of it. Later, he asked me if the book helped and I said, “No, it really didn’t.” He then replied, it didn’t help me when I read it either and then he started laughing! I still have a lot of good memories about Ray and my dad…..Jerry Hardwick stopped by the office recently and I always enjoy his visits. His father, the late C.B. Hardwick was one of the finest men I ever knew. He worked many years for John Gaberino and they considered him like one of their own family. At a later date I will tell you how C.B. got me to eat one of Viola Brill’s pickled eggs. It was an experience I will never forget!.....I was visiting with my longtime friend Leo North at church Sunday and we started talking about his parents, the late Bob and Wilma North. Wilma worked at Pat’s Café for many years and was a wonderful lady. For years Bob owned and operated Bob’s Fix-It Shop in Holdenville. There was very little he could not “Fix-it.” People like Bob are almost non-existent in today’s world. As a youngster, I remember shoe shops, tailors, bakeries, steam laundries and several medical doctors in Holdenville. Now I don’t know of anyone in those fields and I really miss those days…..I was by the funeral home Sunday and say my good friend Liz Clarks-Campbell. Liz is assisting the Phillips family part-time and I know she will be a real asset…..for the first time in a long time my friend Fred Vines was in town. The former Spaulding resident is a WWII and Korean Veteran. He is a real patriot and one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known…..

My child’s private Catholic elementary school recently welcomed a queer-promoting transgender advocate as part of its “antiracism” speaker series, declaring “diversity of identity and thought” is “a core characteristic of our Catholic faith.” The school insinuated the “transgender experience” and “defining ourselves for ourselves” can “result in more love,” and that such ideas are consistent with the sanctity of each individual as created in God’s image.

1. The federal government, in its infinite wisdom, has “Tomahawk” cruise missiles, “Apache”, “Blackhawk”, “Kiowa” and “Lakota” helicopters and the code name “Geronimo” was used in the attack that killed Osama bin Laden, officially objects to the name of the Washington Redskins football team.

Years ago I was involved in a meeting to plan a parenting seminar. As we discussed various topics I remember the look of desperation in one young mom’s voice and eyes as she lamented, “Let’s talk about child discipline! I really need help in that area!”

It has been said when arguing before a governmental body, if the law is on your side, pound the law; if the law is not on your side, pound the table. What I witnessed during the LIVE feed of the last city council meeting was table pounding at its finest.

Monday is Memorial Day. We must never forget that if it were not for our veterans, we would have no freedom.

Martha Johnson is not only one of our dearest friends, but also a lady that spreads joy everywhere she goes. You never see her without a smile. We always look forward to her visits….Had a good visit with David Paslay this past week. He told me his dad, Glen, is doing great! I still miss the Dairy Queen that Glen and Mary owned for many years. My wife worked for them and has said often that they were the best bosses she ever had…..For the first time in a very long time, I got to see my longtime friend Terry Carpenter. We not only went to school together but also ran around together and had a lot of fn. Terry was sports editor for the Holdenville Daily News for a long time and did a great job. Health problems keep him inside most of the time but I’m sure glad I got to see and visit with him. He is a special friend….I stopped by to see Rev. Jimmy Freeman and he looks great! As many of you know, he had stage 4 cancer, but is doing remarkable with one lump gone and the other shrinking. He pastors the Harvest Time Tabernacle, and that church is a praying church. Pastor Jimmy is a blessing to this community and we pray for his continued improvement…. Had a good visit with Jerry Baxter. He and Janice are doing good and plan on being in town for Memorial Day. We had the privilege of meeting Billy Don Tidmore at the homecoming service for Chuck Self this past week. Billy is the son of the late Don Tidmore, an HHS graduate and one of our outstanding athletes. His mother is Billie Gentry who was Miss HHS. We had a great visit and he told me that his dad was still playing basketball when he was 80 years old. Don’s brother, Elroy and I still visit once in a while and I always enjoy it. Elroy is a Korean War Veteran and I used to see him and Racheal at the Korean War Veterans Reunion. I really miss those gatherings. Those veterans are among the finest people I have ever known. Billy’s grandparents were the Knox Tidmores. Many of us “old timers” remember Knox well. He sold chickens, eggs and produce in downtown Holdenville for many years. He was a well-known and respected businessman and as a youngster I can still remember going into his business just to look at all the chickens. Both Billy and Elroy remember when they would candle the eggs for Knox. I really miss those home-owned businesses. As I said earlier, Billy and I were at the service for Chuck Self. Chuck, his wife Rhonda and mother-in-law Norma Hensley are dear friends, and their family is so special to ours. Our friendship with their family is four generations old. I also got to see Orcella Love and Joyce Hammock who I had not seen in a very long time. I really enjoyed seeing them. I told them it is so sad that the only time we get to see many of our friends is at a funeral. Both Chuck’s sister and granddaughter shared memories about Chuck and their words touched the hearts of everyone. God bless this family during this difficult time….My friend Maxie Carter sent us the following….As one of several Holdenville Daily newspaper boys in the fifties, we frequented the M & P store, which was located next to the paper office. The most popular snack was a Pepsi Cola filled with peanuts after the first swig was consumed. Wendell Harris came from Seminole to Holdenville as the manager of M&P during that time. Wendell catered to the paperboys, occasionally tempting them with new products and instructions to tell our parents to shop at his store.

My lifelong friend and classmate Barbara Glass Crawford came by the house this past week. Sadly, she was in town making arrangements for the funeral service of her husband, Alan.

I really don’t know how to begin this. I don’t even know what to call it, a letter or a statement but it is what is on my mind and my heart. I lived over half of my life in Holdenville and raised our family there. It hurts me to see so much bickering going on and it is all over Facebook. That is the only social media I am on other than Hughes County Tribune weekly. I have several subjects to express my thoughts about and I hope you make it a POSITIVE thing.

Many years ago, my wife and I decided to take a vacation to Red River, New Mexico and camp out in the mountains. This was no small adventure for Diane, whose idea of roughing it involves an air-conditioned motel with black and white television. But setting aside the normal conventions of life --and armed with the assurance we would spend at least a few nights in a respectable hotel-- we made plans to set off on our wilderness trek.