......LHS News......
Originally sent November 9

Breaking News (literally)..... Lawton, America got a really good 'jolt' last Saturday night as the strongest earthquake ever experienced in Oklahoma, said 'hi'! Upgraded from a 5.2 to a 5.6-7, and from what I am being told, rather a 'shallow' quake at some 3 miles down.
A quake earlier in the day registered some 3.+ and we didn't feel it. But this one at 10:53pm - also centered around Sparks, OK in Lincoln County - rumbled on southward to Lawton.
Understand it was felt as far north & east as Wisconsin! I was sitting at my computer & thought Bill was behind me trying to shake me out of the chair, I turned, no Bill. That's when I saw the rest of room 'moving'. Does startle one! Lasted about 5-6-7 seconds. Cell phone circuits immediately busy, did get some land lines to family. Spoke with friends on Sunday who live (as crow flies) just about 8 blocks north of us...they said, knocked things off cabinet and stuff out of bookshelves. As far as I know, no serious damage in our area & no one hurt. Was some structural damage of significance around Shawnee. A 'not common occurrence' for us - good conversation item!

What was so bizarre, had just opened an email from Murdoch Matthew with link to earlier quakes in area. And just then, viola!~

Classmate Charley Crabtree at Norman sent this text to Murdoch literally as we were emailing...

"Yep, we had one last [in] October. We just now had another one. It was 5.2. It really shook. My daughter in the SF Bay Area had a house party for her 45th birthday, and they felt a 3.5 in the early morning. The site near Oakland has been active for a week, little 2.0s and 3.+s almost daily. Bad enough the land goes up and down (you develop strong calves walking in SF), it won't stay still!"

And friends were sending emails fast & furious from and back to Oklahoma.....
Charles Darling in CA is a 'veteran' of quakes, wrote...."Sounds like you are experiencing a "swarm" of earthquakes. Sometimes they come in clusters and that fits with your description.
Probably going to experience some aftershock activity...usually not as bad as the original quake."

NOTE: Were numerous after shocks closer to the epicenter! Pretty good one - 4. - in Meeker.

Larry Joe Thompson was in local movie theater and people were startled trying to figure "what was that?"

Murdoch also added this note: "In my day, cracks in the ceiling plaster were all from artillery fire at Ft. Sill. Then there was the time that shrapnel from a mis-aimed shell hit Mike Banks's house in a NW Lawton suburb and a piece struck his wife's hip as she rested on a sofa. (Mike must have been class of 47 or so -- he was the first-chair-first trumpet player in the boys' band while I was a member, 1946-1947. Leonard Roe was second-chair-first. I was third-chair-third.) Have fun. What next?"

btw....next time I want a 'ride', will open an email from Murdoch! They make my computer chair rock 'n roll!

And on Monday, storms came in, we did get some good rain but tornados all over the area. Great film of a tornado dancing across the Wichitas - shown on News 9 in OKC. The pestilence continues!

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Sorry, made a goof in last news. Had Gale McCray living in Dallas area, when in fact, he lives in Ft. Worth area. So.....re-program that GPS.

Pat (Burris) Dean, '56, wrote that she and hubby Paul went to the playoff games in St Louis. Then some of their boys - they have 5 sons - and Pat went to the World Series games. Pat said it was her second World Series, but game six was "best of all games". She added...."Fun, but very tired. I may be getting old!" Naw!
Pat is married to Paul Dean, Jr., son of major league pitcher Paul Dean and nephew of the great Dizzy Dean.
Back in the day, Pat & Paul hadn't been married long & we all lived in same apartment building for a while. Lot of fun and longtime good friends.

Good news from Tommye (Boudreaux) Hobbs, '52, that hubby Ray's last test/scan showed NO cancer! They have also moved out of the motor home, out of Maderia, and into Granite Bay, CA where they have a lovely 'suite' at their daughter and son-in-laws until a "grannie cottage" can be built on adjacent property. Tommye says..."Granite Bay is on the map, but it is a "bedroom community" between Roseville and Folsom, just east of Sacramento. Summers should be a tad cooler here and I am hoping that we are slightly above the notorious valley fog line."

Sing 'Happy Birthday' to Judy K. (Matthews) Johnson on 11-11-11.!!!


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Jimmy Dean, class '62, had a carotid artery stint implanted last week & as of last report was doing well & headed home for lots of R & R. He has also battled diabetes for years. Jimmy is married to Karen (Wright), a '65 grad of St. Marys in Lawton. They live in OKC area.

Very sorry to report the passing of Janet 'Jan' K Armstrong, 64, of Dallas. Jan passed on November 4 in OKC. She was LHS class 1964. She is survived by a brother James D. 'Jim' Armstrong of Lawton.
Grave side service will be 2:00pm, Thursday November 10, at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Lawton.
Extended obit and guest book at: http://www.grayfuneral.com/

So sorry to report the loss of Beverly F. (Haymon) LaGrone, 79, of Lawton. Beverly passed on October 31 and services were November 4 in Lawton. Beverly was LHS class 1950.
She is survived a son Linden; two daughters, Candy and Denise; numerous grandchildren and extended family. Her husband Harold LaGrone preceded her in death in 1990.
Extended obit and guest book at: http://www.beckerfuneral.com/

Also passing, another of our 'Golden Wolverines' and longtime Lawton business man, Harold W. Wilson, 90. Harold passed October 30. Harold was LHS class 1938. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Dorothy (Kuntz); son Dr. Gary Wilson; daughters Lynda Kaye Haire & Patti Rhea; numerous grand and great-grand children; extended family. Harold is also uncle to classmate Trellys (Wilson) Erwin.
There was a Memorial service on November 6 and a private burial service.
Very long obit (interesting) and guest book at: http://www.beckerfuneral.com/

Please join me in remembering all these in your prayers.

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Waiting to see if the 'earth moves' anymore in Lawton, America! Sit tight! Regards to all, Georgia