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ALMA MATER

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Entering the world during the Depression had a profound effect on many of us and helped, in part, to form the work ethic and frugal nature of our generation. Some of those who lived on farms near highways or railroads recall their mothers giving a meal to a "tramp" or "hobo" at the backdoors. Those who lived in town remember the farmers arriving at school at 2 o'clock to pick up a truckload of kids to go pull cotton and the country schools would even take a 6 week recess "til cotton harvest was completed". Others remember hoeing in the cottonfields and taking their lunches in a syrup bucket and their drinking water in a fruit jar tightly wrapped in burlap and wet down to keep it cool. Some of those who rode the school-bus recalled duststorms so thick that the headlights couldn't penetrate the darkness and the bus would pull over to the side of the road hoping it would soon be over. That was improved by the "shelterbelts" planted in this area.

We were very young when many of our older brothers and some of our fathers went off to war. We didn't know much about war, but at our young age, we were afraid it would come to our town. Most of our loved ones came home, but some, such as Fred Moomau, lost his father as a result of injuries in the Battle of the Bulge. Fred and his brother, J.B., lived with their Aunt Jo and Uncle Frank Baker for a time. We all did our part for the war effort by gathering scrap iron, tinfoil, rubber, lard, buying Savings Stamps in school, planting Victory Gardens, and joining together in the use of rationing stamps for everything from sugar to leather shoes to rubber tires, gasoline and coffee; black pepper and chocolate candy were sometimes in short supply.

Many in our class began and ended their schooling in Mangum, while others transferred in from other communities as Willow, Ocina, Brinkman, Plainview, Hester, Ozark, Granite, Centralvue, Reed, Jester, City View, Duke, Eastview and White Flat.

Marge Wilson was a favorite teacher of many in our class. The book, Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, applied to her second grade class. Some of us enjoyed the 10 cent hamburgers on Saturday night at Red Heatley's cafe, and the big Valentine boxes that were shared on Valentines Day in the classrooms.

Radio serials, weekly serials at the Greer Theater, as well as all the good times spent at the Temple Theater after we began dating, became our favorite 'past times' !!! We loved hamburgers and cokes at Lee's Hamburger Inn and we also spent many happy hours at the Bratton Drug over cherry cokes, vanilla cokes, root-beer floats and those yummy malts. We spent even more time at our favorite hangout, "The Tiger Grill", where Peggy Jo Watson's Mom and Dad (better known as Floyd and Maggie) never seemed to tire of all our teenage music on the jukebox. We also loved watching Peggy Jo, Earl, Jimmie Fern and George do the Jitterbug !

Saturday around the square was not only a shopping event, but a social event as well. We would spend many hours shopping and just "people watching" around the square. The best parking places were near Bratton's Drug and M.E. Moses Variety Store.

Without Fikes Studio and Jimmie's Studio, we wouldn't have had as many memories in photos as we do. And how exciting it was to go to Smiley's for our new school books and supplies....there is just nothing like a brand new box of crayons and a plaid book satchel ! After buying our school supplies, we would get our new shoes from Elliott's or Mr. Blacks and maybe new clothes from Anthony's or People's store, although most of our mothers made our clothes....then we might visit Doolen's for any musical needs.

Mangum was quite a town in our Junior High and High School days with so many flourishing businesses, such as Goad's Pontiac Dealer, Ponder Chevrolet, Caffey's Ford, Grigsby's International Harvester, Garrett's Furniture, Snipes Nash, Palmer's Ice Cream Parlor, Dr. Pepper Bottling Co., Ragsdale's Bakery, Mangum Creamery, the Ice Plant, Cottonseed Mill, Doyle's Brick Plant, Goode's Feed Mill, Oklahoma Tire and Supply, Sellers Cleaners, MKT Depot, along with other banks, grocery stores, cafes, clothing stores, barber shops, lumber companies etc. We have many fond memories of these places in our younger years and then we got our first "real jobs" at these businesses when we were in high school.

Our training really began with Miss Kathleen Moore, Margerye Wilson, Mable Doolen, Nina Davis, Effie Lassiter, Ethel Brunson, Roberta Graham, and Ima and Ura Foster, who were also our scout leaders. Renolee Smith, Luella Moore, Pearl Rude and Lilly Cross were also very important in our education. In Junior High, Ruth Mosby drilled us in English with her very special sense of humor. Frances Phipps and Jim Smalling were also teachers and Lee T. McMahan, was the principal. High school introduced us to Ray Hogan and our wonderful final years, with Minnie Lee Sumrow, Thelma Alexander, Ben Sorrells, Walter Dill, Tom Johnson, Mr. Turner, Jeanette Snow, Emily Hoover and Odie Jones, (one of the most patient people we knew), and Helen Deaver taught us life-saving skills in typing, shorthand, and how to get a jobs as secretaries.

We all considered it a real treat to go to Craterville Park and the skating rink at Granite. Along with FHA, FFA, D.O., Tiger Band, Pep Club, Sub Debs, all the sports and lots of other things, our lives were very full and busy. We had our very own music quartet, "The Unaccounted Four".........Charles Doyle, Ronald Vaughn, Windle Avery, and Lee Wayne Morris, with George Grigsby as pianist; you can see their picture now when you go in the Hamburger Inn Evening Edition !! They were in demand and sang at school assemblies, style shows, talent shows and service clubs !!

Our Senior Year began with election of officers, Lee Wayne Morris, Pres. , Ed Day, Vice Pres., Doris Stovall, sect., and Tom Johnson and Minnie Lee Sumrow our class sponsors.....Ruby and Lafon Garrett accepted the challenge of being our "Class Parents" and with their son, Robert Lynn, they went above the call of duty to help our class have a wonderful Senior year.

The Class Yearbook took much effort and time. Charles Doyle was the Editor. The Business Managers were George Grigsby and Fred Moomau. The Art Editor was Jim Ed Chambers, and the typists were Doris Ann Stovall and Jimmie Fern Mead.

Sixty years ago our class of 1952 won the State Championship in Boys Basketball. The year before the team had compiled a record of 26-1 with four Juniors on the starting five. That year, on the way to the State Tournament, we lost in the finals of the District to a team we had beaten twice before. After the loss we made a promise to each other that we would win the State Championship the next year, and we did.
We became the first and only Boy’s Basketball team from Mangum to win a State Championship in Basketball. The game made a lasting impression on all of us. The great thing about it was that we got a second chance at winning the State Championship, and we did it. It was the thrill of a lifetime. The desire to win taught us discipline and the value of teamwork. It showed us what you can achieve if you work hard enough for it. It changed our lives and laid the foundation for our future. It made us what we are today. The memory will always be something special to all of us because we were all good friends. It is hard to explain, but that Championship gets more special as the years go by. The Track team also took the State Trophy in 1951 nd 1952, in the mile relay. They were Mack Choate, Fred Moomau, C.J. Franklin and Bill Baker. They were undefeated in the Mile Relay for two seasons.

Our Homecoming Queen was Peggy Jean Bryan, and her attendants were Jean Roberts and Carol Jean Turner. Must have been something about the name “Jean” !! Our Senior float won 1st Prize in the Homecoming Parade.

When fire destroyed the Mangum High School, it destroyed much of the local history and along with it our 1952 State Championship Trophy. Fred Moomau had a duplicate of the Trophy made. The Trophy is a challenge for the present generation to set higher goals and achievements.

The Senior Play was a big success, “Jane Eyre”. Some of the cast members were Ed Day, Suzanne Pigg, Peggy Jo Watson, Vicki Yarberry, Peggy Heintz, Coy Copeland, George Grigsby and Carolyn Shumaker.

The MHS Band received Superior ratings in 1952, and marched to the delight of the fans in all the football games. Frank Moses was Assistant Director, and Richard Dodson was the Captain. Other Band members from our Senior Class were, Delores Hogue, Earl Goff, and Jerry Caddell. The Band Majorettes included Vicki Yarberry and Carol Jean Turner.

The Senior House was a farm home east of town refurbished by our class parents, Ruby and LaFon Garrett. It had a game room, juke box, pool table, card table, and also a fully equipped kitchen. Many happy hours were spent in this special “Senior House”on Sunday nights after Church and after all highschool sports activities. The mothers also assisted “Mom Garrett” in special dinners. Robert Lynn, son of the Garretts, was loved by all of the class, and was considered our “little brother”.

Jimmie Fern Mead Brier summed it up in these words, " I cannot imagine growing up anywhere else...I think my life could have been hard, but growing up with good, kind, caring people, it was great! Remember when we used to talk about what a good class we had. I still feel that way. So proud of everyone, and can’t believe the ones that are gone….it hurts….and our Mom and Pop Garrett were the best !”

As Yearbook editor in 1952, Charles Doyle wrote, "We will consider our efforts successful if in the turning of these pages, in the "after years", it brings laughter and tears of fond reminiscense." Thank you Charles...they have !

In celebrating our memories of and our connection with our lives in Mangum, we now know that time in our lives was far more influential than we realized at the time...and for that, we say "Thanks to all who had a part in starting us down the right path in life."

The Class of 1952 Graduates.

Mary S. Allgood
Windle Avery
Nancy Barrett
Peggy Brundige
Peggy J. Bryan
Jerry Caddel
Jim Ed Chambers
Mack Choate
Coy Copeland
Ed Day
Clarence Denton
Jodie Denton
Betty Dill-Wynn
Richard Dodson
Charles Doyle
Cleburne Fails
C. J. Franklin
Mary Gable
Earl Goff
Joy Griffin
George Grigsby
Peggy Heintz
DeLores Hogue
Irene Hunt
Sue Kinslow
Bert Kirk
Jean Kotte
David McFadden
Jimmie Fern Mead
Pat Melton
Norman Miller
Fred Moomau
Jo Dell Moore
Sue Morgan
Lee Wayne Morris
Frank Moses
Carolyn Neil
Wathenia Patterson
Martha A. Pearson
Suzanne Pigg
Darrell Price
Jean Roberts
Jess Scivally
Clifford Sellers
Jerry Sewell
Mary A. Shrosphire
Johnny Spivey
Doris A. Stovall
Gene Stover
Frank Taylor
Carol J. Turner
Ronald Vaughn
Shirley Vaughn
Peggy J. Watson
Charles Wheeler
Betty Wiginton
Juanelle Wooldridge
Vicki Yarberry

In Loving Memory of our Classmates:

Mary Sue Allgood Campbell
Jim Ed Chambers
Mack Choate
Vicki Yarberry Clayton
Clarence Denton
Joy Griffin
Earl Goff
Mary Gable Hawkins
Shirley Vaughn Holcomb
Delores Hogue Howell
Sue Kinslow
Sue Morgan Mayes
Pat Melton
Lee Wayne Morris
Peggy Jo Watson Norman
Darrell Price
Juaneloe Wooldridge Roberts
Jess Scivally
Clifford Skip Sellers
Peggy Heintz Semkoff
Jerry Sewell
Gene Stover
Suzanne Pigg Vaughn