Employees of Anchor Glass Container in Henryetta have again received national recognition for their production of an award winning glass container for Coors Brewing Company.

The limited edition Original Coors Ropin’ Bottle was honored in the 1997 Clear Choice Awards competition for the “Package Design” category. Sponsored by the Industry-Union Glass Container Program, the nine year old national awards program recognizes products that make glass packaging an integral and successful part of their packaging mix and honors the plants involved with the initial production of containers for that category of the competition.

In 1996, the Henryetta plant was honored for a Coors Bat Bottle, which took top honors in the “Beer” category that year.

“We’re proud of our 400 employees for their dedication to making top quality glass containers for a variety of food and beverages every day,” said Paul Austel, Anchor’s General Manager. He added, “Product image is critical in today’s competitive marketplace. This 12-ounce longneck bottle, which was available nationwide in March and April, featured an embossed lariat and rope molded into the glass from the bottle’s neck to its base.”

Instead of the Classic Coors waterfall insert, the label contained a graphic of a cowboy on a horse, with his lariat encircling the oval insert. A Peter Coors autographed case of Original Coors’ Ropin’ Bottles sold for $200 at a fund-raiser of the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada.

The package was among 12 award winners, judged from a record number of 138 Clear Choice entries. Winners were selected by a panel of package design and academic professionals consisting of Eric Berthold of “Food and Wine” magazine, Dr. Peter Vergano of Clemson University and Dr. Joseph Hotchkiss of Cornell University, as well as design firm representative’s Dean Lindsay of Kornick Lindsay and Jim Warner of Deskey Associates. A total of 13 plants, who initially manufactured the winning containers the panel selected, are being recognized by the Nickel solution this year.

As the winner of a 1997 Clear Choice Award, Coors Brewing Company received a Steuben glass award. In addition, the Glass Operation Frontline, a Denver-area hunger relief program associated with Share Our Strength.

LOCAL FINANCE OFFICE CONTRIBUTES TO AMERICAN LEGION LADIES AUXILIARY

Tina Tucker, Manager of Security Finance of Henryetta announced that its parent company’s private charitable foundation, Security’s Lending Hand Foundation, allows each of its offices to give something back to the local community. The amount of this contribution is based on the number of new customers who chose to do business with Security Finance, Henryetta.

“This means our customers are indirectly contributing to their community,” said Mrs. Tucker. “All the employees at Security Finance, Henryetta want to express our sincere gratitude to our customers who made contributions possible.”

Security Finance, Henryetta is one of Security Finance Corporation’s over 600 consumer loan offices which operate in 13 states.

50 YEARS AGO – 1972

DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

STUDYING COUNTY NEEDS

The Okmulgee County Development Council was set up over a year ago by the Rural Development Committee of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Don Walker is director for the council, which was approved by the County Commissioners.

According to Walker, the way of life had declined in the county as more people moved to cities, and the rural areas lost in population. The council was formed to try to revive rural areas. Its primary purpose is to “try to make Okmulgee County a better place to live,” said the director.

The organization studies and analyzes county development trends, problems, needs and opportunities and recommends priorities to specific government agencies.

The Okmulgee County Development Council is composed of 13 members at this time, although it originally has 15 members. They were selected from questionnaires mailed out in a county-wide survey, asking to name community leaders.

Jimmie Stephenson of Okmulgee is chairman and Clyde Estes, also of Okmulgee, is secretarytreasurer. Other members are Russell Miller, Beggs; O. E. Buckley, Beggs; Perry Palmer, Wilson; James Siberts, Henryetta; Clarence Smith, Henryetta; Charles Lackey, Hoffman; J. K. Reynolds, Morris; Bob Gaither, Morris; L. A. Edenborough, Okmulgee; Rubin Clinkscales, Grayson; and W. H. Hampton, Okmulgee.

The group meets in the extension office in the Okmulgee Federal Building on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Officers for the coming year will be nominated when the group meets this Monday.

TEACHER SISTERS

VIE FOR SANTA LETTERS

HONORS

Just as Dewar second grade teacher Linda Spurlock pulled up in front of the Daily Free-Lance office, her sister, Judy Thomas, a Kindergarten teacher at Graham drove by shaking her fist at her sister.

What was the cause of the sisterly animosity? Linda had just beat Judy for the second year running in getting her class’s Santa Claus letters to the newspaper first.

The Free-Lance has a contest each year, with the first class to get its Santa letters in winning ice cream for everybody. And while Judy was busy looking for a parking place, sister Linda triumphed again.

The two have been competing for three years now, with Judy winning two years ago and Linda grabbing the honors last year and this year.

“We really don’t get mad over it or anything,” Judy says, smiling at her sister through clinched teeth, “but it has kind of gotten to be a thing with us.”

The two teachers are the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Ernie Ferrero, 111 E. Cummings.

UNLIT CORNER RILES OLDTIME CAR-TRADER

“They come a-whizzing round the corner there by the bridge and run smack dab into my cars.”

That, in a nutshell, is why Slim Ratley is asking the city council to put up a street light on his property on Lake Road near where it runs into East Main.

Ratley owns a dozen or so old cars, vestiges of the days when he was called “one of the best traders in the country,” he recalls.

Since he was disabled by a stroke, Ratley hasn’t been able to get around as he used to, but he still likes to shoot the bull. “I was selling cars back when they were making the Whippits,” he said. The Whippit, Ratley explains, was a “small, pointynosed outfit.”

Born in the Missouri Ozarks, Ratley came to Henryetta when he was 16 and went to work at the Smelter. Living out at Smelter City, he met a young neighbor girl, Dot, who became his wife.

He sold cars, and then got into the trading business. “Trading was the only thing I could ever do, but I was called the best trader in the country,” Ratley said modestly.

The 72 year old Ratley has lived in Henryetta 56 years, and has salvaged and traded cars for 35 years. Mrs. Ratley says her husband was successful as a trader because “he made it sound good.”

“I’m noted for telling the truth if they got me to say I’d do something, I’d do it,” Railey said. “I’m like the old preacher when they asked him if he’d ever told a lie. If I did I don’t remember it,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

“I was talking to Lee Boerstler here a while back on. I said I didn’t care anymore if they got any rain to make the pastures green. But he said he still needed a little grass because he still has a little bull left,” he said.

Anyway, Ratley’s main concern right now is people missing that corner and running into his cars. “Once they even knocked the wheels off one car and they rolled right out on the pavement,” he said.

“There’s not a light of any kind from the highway on back to that bridge, and somebody’s always running off the road,” Ratley said. The city council goes by a set formula to determine whether or not a light will be installed.

But Slim Ratley doesn’t need any formula to tell him the area’s too dark. “Why, the wreckers tell me they get more wrecks out here than anyplace in town,” he said.

75 YEARS AGO – 1947

MAD DOG BITES LOCAL CHILD

A little local school girl was being given immunization shots today against rabies after the pet dog which bit her this week was reported today to have been infected with the dread disease.

The dog, belonging to a Henryettan who lives in the western part of town, bit the child and then died. Tuesday the State Health Department reported to F. M. Green, city pound master, that the bulldog had had hydrophobia.

Another dog, from Hoffman, suspected of having the disease, was killed and his head sent to the state health department with that of the bulldog.

The department reported was “undetermined on the Hoffman dog,” and Green said he was nearly positive the dog wasn’t mad.

The pound master said that terrified persons have been calling him to catch dogs loose in their neighborhoods. He warned Henryettans that he would be forced to pick any stray dogs and urged citizens to keep their dogs penned.

CITIANS SEND 100,000 YULE GREETINGS

Christmas spirited residents of Henryetta, where total population is estimated at 8,200, had sent 100,000 Christmas cards by noon Saturday, George the postmaster revealed.

Over 80,000 some and one half cent stamps were sold before Saturday during this Christmas season, George said, and it’s estimated that 20,000 other three cent and air mail stamps were sold for Christmas cards by local post office.

At Saturday noon, the post office here had gone $1,000 over Christmas postage sales last year, according to the postmaster. Christmas cards not yet mailed should be sent airmail to reach their destination by Christmas, George said.

The local post office will deliver packages today and Christmas day, and parcel post stamp windows will be open until 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

On Christmas Eve, Wednesday all post office windows except parcel post and stamp, will close at noon. Parcel post and stamp windows will remain open until 8 p.m. Christmas Eve.

100 YEARS AGO – 1922

WIFE FORCES UNPARDONABLE SIN OF HUSBAND

A case decided in Justice Davis’ court yesterday afternoon brings to light just how great the spirit of forgiveness in the heart of a good woman is. How she can forgive the greatest sin a husband can commit against the woman he has married, the woman he has pledged himself to love, honor and cherish, was fully exhibited in this case.

It was a case where the Christian spirit dominated as well as did love for the father of her children. The wronged wife was a highly respected Christian woman, a church worker of energy in the community in which she resided. Her provocation had been great, leading to the filing of a complaint against her husband and the woman for whom he had deserted his wife and children.

Everett Smith and Roberta Covey had lived for two or three months at a rooming house in Henryetta, passing as husband and wife. No farther away than Ada, the wife of Smith lived, providing and caring for her little children without any help from him. The police discovered Smith and the Covey woman and arrested them.

Smith’s wife was notified and came here from Ada. She talked to her husband in the city jail and when he said “You are trying to push me in the penitentiary,” she replied: “I would rather see you in the penitentiary than to have you living with that woman.”

Then she went to the cell occupied by the woman. Chief Stormont hovered about closely during this interview, naturally expecting violence. The opposite occurred. Mrs. Smith talked to the girl like a mother, admonished her to reform, to seek the Savior and lead a different life.

Smith and the Covey woman were taken to the county jail at Okmulgee and Mrs. Smith returned to her home at Ada. In a few days it was learned that Smith and the Covey woman had been released from jail on condition that Smith would return to his family, Mrs. Smith having agreed to take him back if he would give up the other woman.

The case against them was held in abeyance and in a few days Justice Davis learned that they were living together again in a little restaurant here and he at once issued an alias warrant for them and they were again arrested and taken to the county jail.

Their preliminary hearing on a charge of adultery, a felony and punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary, came on in Justice Davis’ court yesterday afternoon and at its termination the case was dismissed, Mrs. Smith having again come here and said her husband would go home with her.

It was on this condition that the action which followed was taken and Smith and his wife left for their home at Ada the Covey woman going with them, it being understood that she was to proceed to Coalgate to make her home and would remain away from Smith.

Smith is said to have left his wife and children at Ada four or five months ago and gone to the Healdton oil field where he is said to have met the Covey woman and came here with her, obtaining work for a time in the oil field west of the city.

The proprietor of the rooming house where Smith and the woman lived said they were very quiet, well behaved people and he never imagined for a minute that they were not married.