Collinsville, Oklahoma
February 10, 2008
Miscellaneous News
Baseball Signup Deadline /
ECC Kids /
Methodist Organ Restored /
Home Representative Club
This web site is brought to you by the Newspaper Museum In Collinsville and the other advertisers appearing on these pages. If you would like to provide news content or advertisements ... call Ted Wright (918) 371-1901 or
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1110 W. Main, Collinsville, OK 74021
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Ted Wright -- last update 2/10/2008 (MiscFeb10.html) www.cvilleok.com

Copyright 2008 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma
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www.collinsvillefh.com
(With Recent Obituaries)

Newly Remodeled Facilities at 13th & Main

Jim R. Dolton
Funeral Director/Owner

Melvin Lowe - Funeral Director
Christy Harris - Funeral Director
Mary Blythe - Office Manager-Collinsville Funeral Home
Betty Littler - Office Manager-Oologah Funeral Home

We Accept All Pre-Arrangements

Work continues on decking for the new 4-lane Main Street bridge (with traffic detoured to Broadway since. Nov. 14th, 2007)
ECC (Forgiveness) Character Kids Feb 8th: Kannon Ramsey, Shane Marcum, Noah Warnock, Nick Brightmire,Benjamin Caputo, Kendrick Philion, Darrell Stone, Jordan Fowler, Joclynn Branham and Breana Barker
L-R: Linda Pfeffer, Jeanie Barnes, Susan Babbitt HRC members who recently volunteered for the city-wide storm cleanup effort.

At the Feb. 5 meeting of the Home Representative Club members discussed plans for the April 3 Senior Tea, which will be held for the first time at the Bailey Educational Center. Attendance to the G.F.W.C. NE District Spring Council in Barnsdall was scheduled, and the club's required annual reports on volunteerism within the community were shared by Pres. Anita Mitchell.
Methodist Organ Back In Action
Although she is "retired" after years of playing the organ weekly at the Methodist Church in Collinsville, Peggy Henshall tried out the newly restored organ last Sunday (above). Now located at the Meadocreek UMC east of town, the organ has been out of service for the past year. Peggy is shown playing that same organ (below) in 1959 when the church was located near 12th & Oak (when it was called the First Methodist). Peggy estimated the organ was purchased in about 1954.
Peggy Henshall, Linda Wilson (Peggy's daughter) and Harriet Thornton have provided the organ and piano music for the Church for many years.
Ted, wanted to let you know that the deadline for youth baseball signups is drawing very close. We will not accept any signups after March 1, 2008. People interested in signing up can go to www.collinsvilleyouthbaseball.com and download the form and fax it to 918-371-1777. Teams have already been handed out to the all the coaches and practices start March 1, so please hurry. Any further questions feel free to call 918-381-7971. Thanks Ron
(Some additional info from Linda on Peggy):
Dear Teddy,
Mother started playing in 1939. She was 14 years old. June Clayburn Hoffman was a neighbor. She invited mother to walk with her to church down Oak Street. June was a long time member and brought her children Mike, Ronnie, and Jane Ann.
Mother was also the musician for the Collinsville Chorus led by Mrs. Oakson. They just happened to live across the street from each other on Oak Street at the time.
Before moving to Collinsville, she was the musician at Claremore. The chorus performed at the grand opening ceremony of the Will Rogers Museum. They didn't have sound systems like they do today. She stood in the chorus and sang because they could not bring in a piano. At Claremore, they had an assembly every Friday. She played a grand piano there. Every Friday she played GOD BLESS AMERICA over and over again till all the students had arrived. The students started singing as they entered the auditorium. She still talks about that. Now many schools do not allow that song to be sung!
Mother would leave school to play for funerals in town when she was 14, 15, and 16--either because the churches did not have musicians or the musicians worked during the day.
She graduated from HS at age 16 and then turned 17 the next week. At 17 she went to work at Spartan making airplanes for the war effort. You need to do a story on the riveters of WWII from Collinsville. No one has ever printed that story.

Thanks so much for all the great work on the story. Don't think any other church in town has had the same musician--playing for free--since 1939.

Linda Wilson
(2-10-2008)
Linda, I agree it would be nice to have a collection of stories about Collinsville's WWII "Rosie Riveters". My Mom (Betty) worked at Douglas as a parts distributor supporting the riveters.
-- Ted Wright