Phillips Blackhawks: Memories p.1

In Coach Means' algebra class he used to stand up on top of his desk and sing to us during a test. On game days, he would sit at his desk with his head in his hands and worry all period. I bet these days there aren't many teachers who sing to their students while they're taking tests.

Somebody wrote about the community hall dances. How about those dances in the Borger hotel?? I remember the Harvest Moon Ball Dances on the second floor of the hotel. I think that I learned how to "dance" at one of those affairs.

I can't remember how old I was or what grade I was in, but I do remember that I learned how to dance at the Harvest Moon Ball. I had a date with this girl, and in my opinion, I didn't know how to dance. However, my friends were very helpful. They told me to just jump around and do whatever I felt like doing, and that would be dancing.

Well, I took their advice…. And…… I actually had a blast! I can't recall who my date was or what she thought about my dancing, but I remember that I really enjoyed hopping around on the dance floor. I wish that I could remember some of the songs that were being played. This was probably in 1964, but I can't really remember any songs that bands were playing back then.

Does anybody remember taking a sack of rags to the carnies at the fair? I remember getting tickets for taking them rags. I also remember selling pop bottles for money to buy tickets for the fair. Sunday after the fair was always a sad day because the fair would be gone.

I remember taking lessons from Mrs. Creel. I think that I had them two or three times each week. I had to be in her office at 7:00 in the morning I think. I can remember that she was always smoking and had this little metal contraption in her coffee cup to keep her coffee warm. Looking back, she was a really dedicated teacher. She insisted on perfection. I can remember that after I finished a lesson, everything was blurry for a while because I had been concentrating on the music so hard.

While I'm writing about band, I sure did get educated on some of those band trips. I remember going to Enid Oklahoma. To me, that was the big city. I remember buying goofy hats and all kinds of useless trinkets. That reminds me of the Music Makers. If I remember correctly, we met on Saturday morning at 8:00 every week for practice. I can still remember playing those "old time" songs. It seems like we always won awards at Enid.

Oh yes…… the education on the bus trips. I can remember a certain older girl and I were in the back of the bus. She introduced me to more than kissing. Well, actually, I introduced myself. While we were making out, my hands just seemed to develop a mind of their own and ended up in places previously unexplored. I suppose that my hormones were working overtime. Anyway, that was my educational experience.

Does anybody remember playing on Mr. George's baseball team? I can remember him driving what he referred to as his "Ford Cadillac" bus. He would drive us down to the practice field which was located on the river a little north of Men's Club Lake. I can remember him saying, "Hump back liner" and "It's a can of corn." Also, he would assemble us after practice and tell us a few stories. If somebody didn't show up for practice, Mr. George would state, " He's probably playing mumbly peg in the shade with the girls." Our teams normally won by many runs. I can't really remember anybody beating us. I do remember that we would often stop by the Dairy Queen for a foot-long hot dog.

Also, I can remember when he would drop us off, he would always say, "Don't take any wooden nickels." Mr. George always wore a white short-sleeved shirt, khaki pants and a straw hat. If I remember correctly, he also smoked Winstons.

In Mr. George's history class, I remember that he would have all of the boards (6 if I recall correctly) filled with notes when we entered his room each day. We would spend most of our time copying the notes while Mr. George was telling stories. I can remember several times when he would put on his hat and go outside of the classroom and knock on the door, and then step back inside to answer his own knock. I believe that this was his method of demonstrating Texas asking to join the United States.

Sometimes, while relating a story concerning the second world war and the Remagen Bridge with the soldiers marching route step across the bridge, Mr. George would shed a tear or two when remembering the friends that he lost in the war. He would pull out his handkerchief, blow his nose very loudly, and continue with his story. I wish that there were more Mr. Georges... Ahh…. Those were the good old days!!

One of my favorite memories is sneaking into the school during the weekends and smooching with my girlfriend in the 7th grade. We would try all of the doors, and sometimes find one that was open. We would then walk through the halls and periodically stop and kiss. Neither of us were experienced kissers…… so there was no tongue wrestling or exchanging of slobber. Talk about "puppy love!"… I had a severe case of it. We even sneaked into the empty busses by the swimming pool and kissed, and kissed, and kissed…… oh what wonderful times!!

The Phillip's Free Fair was named so because it did not cost anything to get into the fair grounds!

Snipe hunting was legal back then! Nolan Duncan was Scoutmaster when I was in Troop '66. Advancement wasn't a big issue with him but having a great time certainly was. The camping trips in that old school bus; summer camp at Camp Kiowa. We used to meet in the basement of the Methodist Church. Never got to go on the 'big trip' to Colorado.

Does anyone remember being a member of Boy Scout Troop 66? Considering some of our activities, its a wonder that we survived. One evening we hiked down the canyons toward "Elephant Rock" and the new members were required to walk across a rather long pipeline over a deep chasm. I don't think a merit badge was involved for that effort. The campouts involving "snipe hunts" are particularly favorite memories!

O.K.! I recall drinking pineapple Dr. Peppers at Jolly Drug Store. I also remember watching weak signals from an Oklahoma City TV station on one of the first TVs in Phillips located in Joe's Drug Store. "Crusader Rabbit" was my favorite show at the time. I enjoyed attaching bacon to a string and fishing for crawdads out of the sewer. It also seems to me that a bunch of my buddies actually went "skinny dipping" in one of those narrow "streams" of water. But, my favorite memories are of the Phillips Community Hall dances after football games. Who can ever forget the sights, sounds and aromas of the nearby Phillips refinery during some of those special evenings?

I wonder if there are any of the 3rd Street gang out there who remember sliding down the tank dike on cardboard boxes. Who needed snow anyway?

As I read all of these memories, I continually recall more and more of my own experiences of growing up in Phillips. I lived across the street from the "big hole" which was a park. I can remember when the sewer man came to pump out the sewer. It was a rare thrill to watch him pump out that gray gunk with what we thought were miniature balloons floating in the gunk.

Another one of our favorite activities occurred immediately following sudden thunderstorms which would dump large amounts of water. As soon as possible following one of these storms, we would grab our inner tubes and scramble down the hills to Dixon Creek. We would then strip down to nothing and leap into the creek, which had swelled to a small river after the storms, and float down the river. While we gloriously bobbed down Dixon Creek, we would dodge the cow chips, snakes, and lizzards. A few times, we even discovered a whirlpool. We were crazy enough to dive into the whirlpool just to experience it's effects on us. Fortunately, it always launched us out a short distance down stream of where we entered it. I have always attributed my good health to consuming enough of that polluted water to help me develop a high degree of antibodies.

Someone mentioned walking to Jolly Drug on Sunday afternoon - there's never been another "cherry lime squeeze" that tasted like the ones made there. How 'bout walking up & down Phillips Ave. (or all over town for that matter) hoping your latest crush would stop to pick you up? Do kids walk anywhere anymore?

How many remember Mrs. Lister (1st Grade teacher), who either hit you with a ruler or pulled your hair at some time whether you were in her class or not? Also, was anyone in Mrs. Haren's 4th grade class? Remember having a picnic in her backyard and seeing all the irises. Also her great reading of "The Little Boy and the Bear?"

After reading the Jolly's post below, I recalled several things about growing up in Phillips. I was wondering how many folks can remember riding a bicycle behind the DDT truck. We always had great fun riding in the fog of DDT which the truck produced. Considering that we also grew up in houses with asbestos shingles, and inhaled all of the wonderful fumes from the plant, I suppose that we should all be dead by now. Another situation which I didn't really appreciate at the time, was the offensive odors which were released from the plant on Friday night when we had a home football game. Since my high school years, I've visited with several former football players from other towns who stated that those fumes nearly made them sick. I suppose that we had one of the best home field advantages around!

Just wanted to see how many people remember Jolly Drug and running all the way there during the half time of the basketball games. I remember walking to Jolly's on Sunday afternoon and getting a cherry lime. How about the old community hall where we used to have dances on Friday or Saturday night?

Remember that we (or was it only me) thought "pot" was something you cooked in (until later) and no one was worried about having 10 or more people drink from your Coke (of course the backwash was nasty!).

Who remembers: The guys putting Mrs. Roe's cars up on the sidewalk and the "fertilizer" that found it's way to the front lawn on Western Day, along with the outhouse on top of the school?

I remember the funny antics between Mrs. Smith and Coach Dawson. There were quite a few occasions when they were dumping their trash cans in the other's room! We always wondered if she would get her chain out and show Coach Dawson what a linking verb was all about!

I am from the class of '61. My story about Miss Boyd wouldn't be in the funny classification, but I would like to tell it anyway. Miss Boyd was a very strict and a very devoted English teacher. She was so well liked by me and other classmates that we chose to have her for English from our Sophomore through our Senior years. As a member of Mr. Robbins' and Mrs. Creel's band (also excellent music teachers), there were times when we would have band trips where we would have to leave school early for football games or competitions. If one of the classes that was going to be missed was Miss Boyd's English class, we were expected to make up what was to be done in her class before we left. There were times when we were in her class room at 6 A.M. doing the oral work or tests that were to be done that day. We may have grumbled about having to do this, but this was a sacrifice for her to be there that early. I had two brothers and a sister who also graduated from Phillips High School. We talk about the excellent teachers that we were so fortunate to have during our school years. ---

Memories: Postings 1-29

[from the original website; lightly edited. Listed in reverse order]

In Coach Means' algebra class he used to stand up on top of his desk and sing to us during a test. On game days, he would sit at his desk with his head in his hands and worry all period. I bet these days there aren't many teachers who sing to their students while they're taking tests.

Somebody wrote about the community hall dances. How about those dances in the Borger hotel?? I remember the Harvest Moon Ball Dances on the second floor of the hotel. I think that I learned how to "dance" at one of those affairs.

Does anybody remember taking a sack of rags to the carnies at the fair? I remember getting tickets for taking them rags. I also remember selling pop bottles for money to buy tickets for the fair. Sunday after the fair was always a sad day because the fair would be gone.

The Phillip's Free Fair was named so because it did not cost anything to get into the fair grounds!