Charles and Mary Sloan of Vian celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary the week of July 8-15 with a seven night Caribbean cruise. Accompanying them were their sons Chuck and his wife Linda and their daughter Mary, and Jody and his wife Paula and their children Seth, Sydney and Sylas, and Mary's sister and brother-in-law Ruthie and Donald Pruitt. They sailed from Galveston, Texas, on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship "Rhapsody of the Seas" and visited the ports of Montega Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico.

The couple was married on June 14, 1957, at Vian Methodist Church with Bro. L.G. Griffin officiating. They made their home in Tulsa from 1957-1977. Charles worked for five years with the Carnation Milk Company, then for 16 years with Allied Institutional (Food) Distributors. Mary worked for 8 1/2 years at Zebco, a division of Brunswick Corporation. While in Tulsa, Charles set aside weekends and vacation in the spring and fall to work on the family farm in Vian. In 1977, the family moved to Vian to continue farming full-time, and Charles and his son Jody farm in the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, south of Vian, and the Bane Farm on the Prairie. Mary is a homemaker.

The Sloans are active members of the Vian Methodist Church, the county and state Farm Bureau, Vian Public Schools, Vian Lion's Club, and they especially support their grandchildren's activities.

"Traveling our great country has been a shared interest since our early marriage," Mary Sloan said, "Camping out with cots and ice chests and later with a self-contained camper brought our family together around a camp fire. Sharing a beautiful cruise with our family under one roof, having a lovely dinner together seven nights in a row, and hearing of the days activities was a blessing and a perfect way to celebrate this golden anniversary."