......LHS News......
Originally sent July 7

There will be a memorial service for Gladys (Mason) Fullerton, 96, former Lawton resident and living in Claremore at time of her death on April 23. Mrs. Fullerton was born in Fletcher and after marriage to Charles Fullerton June 9, 1941, (at the Holy City chapel), she traveled and worked in other states but settled in Lawton retiring from Lawton Public Schools after 35 years teaching.
Charles passed in 1971, she later married George Stevens Murphy who passed away in 1980.
Mrs. Fullerton is survived by a son M.J. Fullerton of Pryor and a granddaughter Kasey Edwards of Torrance, CA..Service will be Friday July 12 at the Bethel United Methodist church, east of Lawton, 10:30am.
Mrs. Fullerton was my first grade teacher at Washington School. I remember her well and visited with her on occasion in later years. She was also an Aunt, by marriage, to Julia (Fullerton) Bell. Very sorry to hear of her passing - the obit is in Sunday paper - July 6.

Especially for those who live out of town or out of state:
In Sunday June 1 Lawton Constitution, a great story on two educators "honored for their service." Mary Sue Silk and Ella Mackey were honored by the Oklahoma Retired Educators Association for their many years of service as educators and advocates for the education profession. They were recognized as "very important members" during the recent annual OREA convention at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. Mrs. Mackey was unable to attend but Mrs. Silk did attend.

Ella Mackey taught music in Oklahoma Public Schools for 33 years starting her career at the age of 19 in Wilson,OK, Consolidated School district between Okmulgee and Henryetta during the 1930's. Mackey said she was specifically told she was not to marry, play cards, or dance while teaching at that first job. She also had to play the piano for a church three week-ends out of every month as part of her teaching job. She didn't have a college degree when she started teaching, so Mackey taught during the school year and attended college during the summer semesters.
She later taught in other towns in OK and also at a school in San Marcos, TX.
In Lawton she taught at Taft Elementary and Tomlinson Middle School. One of Mrs. Mackeys favorite memories of her long career was starting a marching band in the tiny Mountain View school. She said they had never had a band and she started it and taught all the kids. A love of music has been a constant throughout her life. Mrs. Mackey was named LPS Teacher of the Year in 1960.

Mary Sue Silk has spent her entire 46 year career as a science teacher, administrator, and a school counselor in SW Oklahoma."I got my college degree in 1940", Mrs Silk says and "the first year I taught at Faxon. The next two years I taught at Cache. Then I was the high school principal at Chattanooga from 1943 to 1946."
When her husband [Wes Silk] returned from military service in 1946, they both became teachers at Lawton High School. In 1951 Mrs. Silk became a guidance counselor at Lawton High and was the director until her retirement in 1986.
Mrs. Silk said she especially enjoyed being a counselor..."I enjoyed helping [students] pick out courses to take and getting admitted to college, or helping them get a job."
She visited all of the US military academies as part of her duties as guidance counselor.
Mrs. Silk is past President of the Oklahoma Educators Association and served on the National Education Association Board of Directors.
They are both lovely ladies and still doing well.

Thought this might be of interest......Monday July 7 Lawton paper has an article about a temp exhibit currently at the Oklahoma Science Museum in OKC. "Field, Forest and Stream: The History of Oklahomans and the Ourdoors", features a section on Frank Rush and his early efforts to preserve the American Bison (buffalo) and the Texas Longhorn at the Wichita Mtn. Wildlife Refuge.
Rush was supervisor of the refuge from August 1907 (year OK became a state) - June 30, 1923. Probably for most of us, Rush is best remembered for Craterville Amusement Park.
Also featured, hunting gear of Wiley Post, whose family moved to Comanche County for a few years when Post was very young. Post is said to have attended Burns School - 5 miles south and 5 miles east of Sterling. Post was the pilot and was killed with Oklahomas favorite son, Will Rogers, in a crash at Point Barrow, Alaska in 1935. <www.okhistorycenter.org>

Regards to all.........Georgia