The First Presbyterian Church of Henryetta will begin a year-long celebration of the 90th anniversary of its organization and the 80th year in the in the present building on January 7.

The Church, which was organized June 18, 1906 will engage in a year of prayer for renewal and rededication of the congregation and for Henryetta religious, business and civic renewal.

The church will be open to the community for prayer each Monday from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

A day of special activities recognizing the organization’s anniversary will be June 18, 1997. The dedication of the building took place September 24, 1916 and will be recognized with special activities on September 22.

KENDALL BRITT

PRE-TEEN FINALIST

Kendall Britt, Henryetta Elementary fourth grade student, has been selected as a state finalist in the 1996 Pre-Teen Oklahoma Scholarship and Recognition Program which will take place in Tulsa on June 14 – 16.

She was chosen because of her high score on the achievement test which is given each year to local students. She will compete with 150 other girls for over $5,000 in educational bonds, prizes and awards.

The contestants will be judged on academic achievement, school honors, general knowledge and development of personal skills, communicative ability, stage expressiveness and overall pre-teen image.

The state winner will go to nationals for a chance to win over $25,000 in bonds, prizes and awards. Anchor Glass and Local Union #48 are helping to sponsor Kendall for this event.

Kendall is the daughter of Johnny and Shelly Moore and Ernie Britt.

50 YEARS AGO – 1972

SERVICES HELD FOR EX COACH

Services for Melvin V. Skelton, Okmulgee high school principal and former football coach, were today at the First United Methodist Church in Okmulgee.

Skelton, 58, died Sunday at Okmulgee Memorial Hospital after he was stricken with a heart attack Saturday. He was a member of the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He retired from coaching after leading Okmulgee to the state finals in 1967 and served as principal since that time.

A graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University in 1940, Skelton earned his degree at Oklahoma State University in 1953. He was coach at Seminole and Cushing before moving to Chandler as principal in 1961.

Okmulgee hired Skelton in 1962 to coach football. He transformed a 5-5 team in 1961 to a 7-3 squad in his first year. Skelton was picked Coach of the Year in 1968 after his Cushing Tigers won the Class a championship.

In 25 years, Skelton compiled a 157-66-15 record, including 41-16-6 at Okmulgee. He won five district championships and his 1956 Cushing team was state runner-up.

Skelton is survived by his wife, Nita, and three daughters, Mrs. Joan Barnett of Oklahoma City, Mrs. Sara Smith of Oklahoma City and DiAnna Skelton of Okmulgee.

A brother, Ed Skelton, lives in Shawnee. Skelton was a member of the First United Methodist Church and the Okmulgee Lions Club. A Navy veteran of World War II, Skelton was active in state teacher’s activities.

He was born June 30, 1914 at Meeker.

FIRE CHIEF WARNS

AGAINST BURNING

The Henryetta Fire Department is cracking down on violators of the city ordinance banning open burning, Fire Chief Jim Brown said today.

Ordinance 659, passed November 14 by the city council, bans the burning of trash within city limits. Brown said that despite publicity given the new ordinance, several persons told him they did not know about the ban.

“When we get a complaint we go out and give them a copy of the ordinance,” Brown said. The ordinance forbids any kind of burning besides fireplaces inside homes, fires for instruction and training of fire-fighting personnel, fires set for the elimination of fire hazards, fires to remove dangerous material and campfires for recreational purposes.

The ordinance carries a $20 fine for violations.

HORNE NEW PRESIDENT OF LIONS

Raymond Sewell, president of the Henryetta Lions Club, today announced his resignation. Sylvan Horne, the vice president, will succeed to the post being vacated by Sewell.

Sewell, principal of the Henryetta Elementary School, will be completing work on his doctorate degree at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, during the spring semester.

He is taking a leave of absence from Henryetta School in order to work on the degree. Sewell’s resignation is effective January 1. Horne is vice president of the American Exchange Bank.

75 YEARS AGO – 1947

CROWD GATHERS TO WELCOME SANTA CLAUS

A crowd began gathering today near the City Hall and downtown as Henrtyetta children between the ages of 2 and 10, some accompanied by their parents, came to see Santa Claus fly over the city and wave, and later see him at the fire station.

Santa was to fly over the city at 2 p.m., so low that all the children could see him wave to them. Later he was to rush to the fire station in a shiny red fire truck at about 2:30, and there meet approximately 2,000 children to whom he would give sacks of candy and bubble gum.

Classes at Henryetta grade schools were dismissed early in the afternoon so children would be on hand in time to see Santa. Arranging Santa’s visit were the Rotary club, the Lions club, Chamber of Commerce, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Community Chest.

A line from the fire station on Fifth Street was already forming after lunch as children gathered on the west side of the fire station to begin their trip through to see Santa and receive his presents.

Children were to go through the station and out the Fourth Street door.

LOCAL ROMEO FINDS WRONG PATH TO HENRYETTAN’S HEART

A local Romeo was in the city jail today, badly in need of a book on popularity pointers, after his attempt to force an unwilling girl into the role of Juliet ended badly Sunday night.

The local youth had learned that the way to a girl’s heart doesn’t lie in threatening her grey-haired grandfather, nor in “pestering” her to go out with him.

The young man Sunday evening went to the house of a pretty, oliveskinned Henryetta girl. Somewhere along the way, he got an extra supply of determination and threw caution to the wind.

He blustered into the house. The girl’s family complained as he attempted to force her to go out with him. Finally, he was thrown out by an irate grey-haired old man, the girl’s grandfather.

Undaunted, the youth came back to again storm the house. He found the gate locked and began to call loudly to the grandfather is what police were told.

When the elder man refused to open the gate, the youth allegedly threatened to “cut him up” and dared him to call police, the grandfather said.

The older man took the dare and police arrived just in time to arrest the would be swain. For disrupting the peace he is still in jail today.

YOUNG DIVORCE

BATTLE SETTLED

The decree of divorce granted Gladys Young from Leonard Young has finally been filed in the court clerk’s office here, it was revealed today.

The decree was granted after Leonard signed a waiver last month. He had first contested the divorce and argued against his wife’s testimony in a heated session at superior court.

The night after the contested trial, which was continued till latter, he was arrested for violating a restraining order and causing a disturbance to the Young home, 712 W. Merrick.

Mrs. Young has charged him with cruelty and he had countered on the witness stand “she ran around something awful.” Before the present action was filed, the couple was divorced in Okmulgee, remarried within a matter of days, and then separated again, within a month. During the trial, he said, “she’s sued me 16 or 17 times.”

In the decree filed today, Mrs. Young was granted absolute ownership of the home, child custody and alimony.

100 YEARS AGO – 1922

FLOWERS FOR DEAD SENATOR

The superior court for the Henryetta division adjourned at noon today for the entire afternoon out of respect to the memory of State Senator S. Morton Rutherford, whose funeral occurs at Muskogee this afternoon.

MUSKOGEE, Dec. 19 – A wealth of floral offerings had arrived at the home of the late State Senator S. Morton Rutherford this afternoon as the hour of the pioneer’s funeral drew near.

Funeral services were scheduled to begin at 3:30 o’clock at the home of Dr. H. J. Lloyd, rector of the Grace Episcopal Church. At the Greenhill cemetery, the Knights Templar were to officiate.

OKMULGEE, Dec. 19 – The wheels of justice will cease to revolve in Okmulgee county today while bench and bar unite in paying tribute to the memory of Morton Rutherford of Muskogee, whose death Saturday night came as a shock, not only to the legal profession in which Colonel Rutherford was a leader, but to hundreds of citizens of Okmulgee county who knew and loved him.

NO JURY UNTIL DECEMBER 26

In the superior court the judge dismissed the jury until December 26. No jury trial was taken up yesterday. The case of State vs. Lola Thrasher, perjury, was set for trial yesterday but it was continued to December 26. The defendant in this case was convicted in a former trial and sentenced to ten years imprisonment in the state penitentiary. The charge in the case grew out of her testimony in an application of Dan O’Hara, charged with the murder of John Gray, for a writ of habeas corpus. Her attorneys filed a motion for a new trial which was granted.

Several old cases on the criminal docket were dismissed by the county attorney for want of evidence to convict. These were misdemeanor cases and ones in which the witnesses have scattered.

Decrees of divorce were granted, in each instance to the plaintiff, in the following cases: Maude Heart vs. Brace Heart; Ora Gibson vs. John Gibson.

JUDGE ROSSITER IS GOOD TIMBER

Now that the season is open for slate-making, we would like to call attention to Judge Rossiter, of this city, and one of the men who will carry large prestige into the new legislature.

It is rumored that he may be given the championship of the oil industry committee, or that on taxation. This view is strengthened by that fact that he favors the governor’s man, Gibbons, for speaker. In fact Judge Rossiter admits that he wants Mr. Walton to have his choice for speaker.

Okmulgee County will be honored and greatly benefitted by this man having such chairmanship. His ability is recognized everywhere, and his special fitness for this post is beyond question. Henryetta people will be pleased to see the highest honors conferred on our reprehensive, and are confident that a choice will be for the best interests of the public.