Grandma's 1909 Trip To Colorado

My grandmother, Constance Estelle Warwick McGill, took a trip to Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods, and surrounding areas with a group of friends when she was 27 years of age during the Summer of 1909 in July. I scanned that scrapbook and put it into a movie file to share with other family members.

AHS - Class of 1925

1925 — Marjorie Hayward, Alva, and Eloise ‘Dude’ Ferguson Faull, Georgia, are two who graduated in 1925. Dude was a member of the national basketball championship team (The Goldmiddies). While her good friend was in NY playing the Croton-0n-the-Hudson team for the national title, Marjorie remembers sitting in the cafe listening to reports of the game on the radio. ‘Dude’ Faull, believed to be the only remaining member of the National Championship Goldmiddies team, will be in Alva for the reunion festivities. Faull resides in Georgia.

AHS - Class fo 1923

1923 — The earliest graduate of the group is Mary Barbara Korff who graduated in 1923. Mary Barbara is best known for her musical contributions to the community over the past many years. She regularly entertained the Woods County Senior Citizens with her piano skills until recently.

AHS - Class of 1920's

AHS Early Grads of the 1920s
Aftermath Reunion 2000 - Classes of the 1920's

The Graduates of the 1920s were the honored group during AHS Reunion 2000, Monday, 3rd July 2000, in downtown Alva, Oklahoma, 10:00AM. (SEE Reunion 2000 Pics for more photos of that 2000 reunion.)

This lively lovely ladies were invited to be the marshals of the Reunion 2000 parade held July 3rd, 2000, on the downtown streets of Alva, Oklahoma. Not all are shown in this parade photograph taken the morning of the parade. AHS names of 1920s… Marjorie Hayward (1925), Wilma Lee (1926), Elanor Sterba (1927), Vera Strasbaugh (1928), Mary Barbara Korff (1923), Eloise Ferguson Faull (1925), Addie McGuire (1926).

History of AHS Goldbug

Goldbug History -- It seems that in the early 1920’s, a high school principal, J. Allen Thomas, taught English. He was a great admirer of Edgar Allan Poe and especially like “The Gold Bug.”

According to the Reunion 2000 article appearing in the special edition of the Alva Review Courier at Reunion 2000, “Mr. Thomas conceived the idea of awarding beautiful paper goldbugs to outstanding students at annual honor banquets. The bugs, which were made by the high school students, went to those who were rated superior in their classwork and to those who were judged as being talented performers in music, debate, dramatics, and other school activities.”

After that in the late 1920’s the students began calling their athletic teams, “Goldbugs.” The idea continues to this day. The mascot, Goldbug, is the “Symbol of Excellence” in academic and extracurricular activities.

Friendship Oklahoma

FRIENDSHIP, OKLAHOMA – Verna Johnson & Don Butler

Friendship, in Jackson County, is a rural Southwestern Oklahoma Community with a unique, colorful history. At various times Southwestern Oklahoma was claimed by England, France, Spain, Mexico and the Republic of Texas. Before Oklahoma became the 46th state, Friendship was located in Indian Territory, Oklahoma Territory and Greer County, Texas. The Navajoe Mountains, located four miles east of Friendship, are a part of the Wichita Mountain Range.

Southwestern Oklahoma was once part of a vast sea of grass stretching as far as the eye could see, populated by millions of buffalo and claimed by Texas, but ruled by the Comanches and Kiowas. After the last free bands of Comanches and Kiowas were confined to the reservation at Fort Sill in 1875, the area became safe for cattle drives. From 1876 to 1892, millions of longhorns were driven from Texas to Dodge City and Ogallala, Nebraska, over the Western Cattle Trail which passed through the middle of what is now the Town of Friendship.

German POW story

German POW story stranger than fiction, 08/28/06 -- One war story, stranger than fiction, involved the first German prisoners captured even before the United States entered the war with Germany.

A book titled interned by James J. McBride tells and shows with excellent photos how and why this unusual story took place. War broke out in Europe on Sept. 1, 1939, when Adolf Hitler and Germany attacked Poland. The attack was so secretive, many German merchant ships were caught en route to various ports around the world. In instant retaliation to the attack, the Allies blockaded the Atlantic against ocean traffic to Germany. The SS Columbus from Germany, the largest luxury cruise ship in the Atlantic, was making a West Indies cruise when the war began. Berlin ordered Captain Wilhelm Dachne to off-load his passengers at the nearest port and take shelter at the neutral port at Veracruz, Mexico. After four months of escalating war, the captain was ordered to run the blockade and return to Germany to join the war effort. His orders also stated that if caught during the escape, he should scuttle the ship and set it on fire to prevent Allied use of the vessel.

Alva High Fight Song

Goldbug Fight Song…
On A . . H . . S! On A . . H . . S!
To the tune of “ON Wisconsin", Courtesy of Univ. of Wisconsin

On A . . H . . S!, On A . . H . . S,
Fight on for your fame.
Make a score in every quarter
And we’ll win this game.
Rah . . Rah . . Rah

On A . . H . . S, On A . . H . . S,
Fight on for your fame.
Fight, Goldbugs, Fight
And we will win this game.

Original Alva High School Song

In the 1920s there was a song composed by Earl Shelley during the ’20s and was used to open all their school assemblies. Complete lyrics to the song are:

Once again we as schoolmates assemble,
we far would lift our hearts in song,
to our high shcool our dear Alma mater,
let gladness the moments prolong.

We are proud of our lads and our lasses,
of honors won in days gone by,
so here’s a cheer for Alva High School,
for Alva High School, for Alva High.

Here’s to our classes,
here’s to our lasses,
here’s to the lads they adore.
Here’s to the seniors so mighty,
juniors so flighty,
freshies and sophomores.

Let mirth and gladness banish all sadness,
and as the days go by,
you’ll find us ready and steady,
boosting for Alva, High.

Soon for us will our school days be ended,
and joys of youth that fade so fast.
But we know that our hearts often ponder,
on mem’ries that are past.
There are joys that will long be remembered,
and friendships too that ne’er shall die.
So here’s a cheer for Alva High School,
for Alva High School, for Alva High.

-- Read more about Alva High Goldbug History.

McKinney TX IOOF Lodge Brothers

Early Day Lodge Brothers - McKinney, Texas

Who are these “Lodge” brothers of McKinney, Texas?

A lady in St. Louis, Missouri sent us a copy of this old photograph showing a group portrait of Lodge brothers of some kind. We suspect IOOF, because looking at the tent with the crossing shafts behind them you can make out the letters: F, H and C (Faith, Hope and Charity).

This picture was left to Rosemary Benson (Email: rosemarybenson@sbcglobal.net) in an estate/trust from Jimmy Ray McCluskey from McKinney, Texas. He was a Cherokee Indian and his mother’s maiden name was REED. We have Rosemary’s snail-mail address and phone, if needed. If you have or need any more information concerning the old IOOF photo, then email Rosemary Benson at the rosemarybenson@sbcglobal.net. Thanks

We did some searching on the internet for IOOF lodges in McKinney, Texas and found where their three-story IOOF lodge tumbled down around 1913.

If anyone out there has any more clues to the identity of this group lodge brothers, please send an email to Linda - EMAIL: mcwagner.lk@gmail.com