Volume 9 , Issue 43

Growing Up In Oklahoma & Kansas

"Good Evening Linda, We got a full moon and It's gonna be a clear and crispy nite here in Southern Okla. No frost warning for us yet. I think it is all up in your part of the state for tonite. I am sending along a few short stories of my childhood in Kansas, just before we were "transferred" to Oklahoma. As my stories relate we lived in a lot of little towns in Kansas. Just as we did in Oklahoma.

I hope you enjoy these few tales. Kenneth

1939 Near Peabody, Kansas -- I remember starting school at Wilcox. It was a small, 2 room, country school. Kindergarten thru Eighth grade. According to Willaverne, my older sister, the principal and his wife were the teachers. They were Mr. and Mrs. Ulverton West. I can't remember them that well but they had to be dedicated people to be there, in those hard times.

Ms. West taught Kindergarten thru the 4th grade and Mr. West taught 5th thru Eighth. Each morning you stood up and said the pledge of allegiance to the flag. There were some little German kids who wouldn't stand up or recite the pledge. This caused quite an uproar at that time but remember this was about l939 or '40 and Germany was taking over Europe. I'm sure these German families had relatives back in the Old Country.

I saw my first and only Klu Klux Klan meeting somewhere out in the Kansas prairie. This is quite sketchy in my memory. (I am about 6 or 7 yrs. old. I remember them burning a cross, and they all had their hoods and sheets on. But it wasn't in someone's yard it was just out in the prairie. Mother scolded me. And said I was never to tell that we had gone to a KKK meeting. It was my understanding that curiosity was the reason we went. And it was!

My Mother and Dad were both Christians, members of the Masonic Lodge and Order of the Eastern Star. They both attended lodge and Chapter on a Monthly basis.

---

1941-1942 -- We had moved around to several little towns in Kansas. Daddy drove a "pulling unit." He had a crew of 3 or 4 men who went with him to replace broken rods in oil wells. Since the war had started on that infamous day of Dec. 7, l94l, oil was going to be a great necessity for the USA. So Daddy's job was very important and he worked seven days a week all hours, and was gone from home a lot. I remember living in Chase, Lyons, McPherson, and Hoisington.

The first place we lived in Hoisington was on Main street above a grocery and drug store. You went up a flight of stairs and our 3 room apartment was on the left of the hall. You could go out the back and down a flight of stairs into the alley. I remember the John Deere tractor company was just a few doors down from us and had lots of new tractors sitting behind their place. Betty and I would go down and sit on them and pretend that we were plowing.

On the other side of the hall where we lived was the Masonic lodge. Daddy was a Mason and attended lodge there. Mother was a member of Eastern Star and probably attended Chapter meetings there as well. Can't remember.

I know Aunt Lou and Uncle Kenneth who lived on a farm near here were having a rough time and Aunt Lou was either sick or expecting a baby, and we kept a couple of their kids while we were living in this upstairs apartment. We later got a house somewhere in town.

---

1941-1942 -- We would go to Great Bend for the Company picnics on the 4th of July. I can't remember if Uncle Frank, who came to this picnic, supplied all the eats and drinks or everybody brought their own and shared with others.

Uncle Frank was Frank Phillips, the founder of Phillips Petroleum Co. In my opinion, he really was a great man. He took care of his old employees.

Daddy told me about times in Kansas before WWII, when oil was not needed that bad, and Uncle Frank let everybody work one or two days a week so that everyone still had a paycheck coming in. I know in later years as he grew older and his board of directors started making more and more decisions, the company began to grow and become more profit minded and less employee oriented. It was, and as far as I know, is still a good company to work for.

My Dad went to work for them about 1925. (I worked for them 11 years 1951 to '62.)

Daddy and Mother got to go to Uncle Frank's 66th birthday party in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. I can't remember what year this took place. I only remember they had a great time. Uncle Frank put on a "big spread." Dad worked for him about 37 years." -- Ken Updike
  |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

---