State closes Gum Springs School

— Sequoyah County Times, July 29, 1999

25 Years Ago

—The Oklahoma State School Board of Education voted unanimously at a special meeting Tuesday to deny Gum Springs School accreditation, Sandy Garrett, state superintendent of schools, said. This means Gum Springs will face mandatory annexation, she said.

Garrett said it wasn’t a happy time for the state board, “We don’t like to close schools,” she said. She cited the on-going disharmony in the school district as the deciding factor in the decision to deny accreditation.

Representatives from Gum Springs submitted a petition to the state board with 300 signatures of people asking to keep the school open.

50 Years Ago

—Blue Ribbon Downs, the largest non-pari-mutuel track in the nation located at Sallisaw has received over 3,300 nominations for their Stake Races.

This is a 600 head increase over the record breaking 1973-1974 meet.

Blue Ribbon breaks the gates on Sept. 27 and runs through Jan. 11, 1975.

Over $1,000,000 in monies is expected to be distributed during this period.

75 Years Ago

—This week another step was taken in the plan to increase the power facilities of Sallisaw through the GRDA. Don Holloway, engineer with the GRDA made an extensive study of the needs of the town and the amount of electrical energy being used or that could be expected to used.

Fred Johnston, city manager, pointed out that electric power can be bought much more cheaply from the GRDA than the city can produce it, if the city is able to obtain such power under the existing rate schedule.

The plan of the city commission, Johnston has pointed out, is to keep the present plant on a standby basis to handle any emergencies that might arise. No city employees will be released, he said, as the same number as are now on the payroll will be required to operate a new distributing plant.

—It was announced today that John P. Layne will take charge of the cleaning and pressing department of the Super Cleaners, assisting Arvil Smith, manager.

Layne and his family are former residents of Chickasha. They recently moved to Sallisaw and have established a home here. Layne as had 15 years experience in the dry cleaning business.

100 Years Ago

—“It was the biggest picnic of the year” was the term used by those who attended the picnic at Grant Store, near Akins, in describing the event. Practically every candidate was out there doing their “bit” to make the affair a big one. John Grant, head of the picnic committee left nothing undone to make the picnic a success and he with his assistants certainly proved that they could stage a good old-fashioned picnic with plenty of ice water and politics thrown in. It was a great gathering.

—Miss Francis Kelleam was a most delightful hostess last Friday evening when she entertained with five tables of bridge on the spacious porch of her home. Quantities of ferns and bright colored zinnias, with the lights covered by Japanese lanterns were used to make the setting lovelier. Mrs. Luke Smythe of Fort Smith and Miss Mable Frye were given beautiful handmade handkerchiefs for the high scores made during the evening. After the five games a delicious two course luncheon was served. The hostess was assisted by her mother, Mrs. R.T. Kelleam and her sister-in-law, Mrs. Robert Kelleam. The guests were Mesdames J.E. McDonald, E.M Pointer, S.B. Jones, J.H. Jarman, Lucy Brodie, Grace Huggins, Finis Cox, Gus Warshauer, Dewey Smith, Roy Frye, Luke Smythe of Fort Smith, Harry Pitchford, Kilpatrick of Texas, Misses Myrtle Carlile, Mary Anderson, Mattie Bess Ahrens, Margaret McCombs, Charlotte Newlon, Mable Frye, Bernice Winter.