Oklahoma Biographies

Charles David Carter August 16, 1868 - April 9, 1929 was a U. S. Represenative from Oklahoma Born near Boggy Depot, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), Carter moved with his father to Mill Creek, a stage stand on the western frontier of the Chickasaw Nation, in April 1876. His parents were Benjamin Winsor Carter and Serena Josephine Guy Carter, sister of Chickasaw Gov. William M. Guy. Carter married twice. He wed Gertrude Wilson on December 29, 1891, and they had four children: Stelle LeFlore, Italy Cecile, Julia Josephine, and Benjamin Winsor. Carter's first wife died on January 30, 1901, and he married Cecile Jones on January 8, 1911. During his youth he lived in both the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations. He attended the Indian day schools and Chickasaw Manual Training Academy at Tishomingo. He was employed on a ranch from 1887 to 1889 and in a mercantile establishment in Ardmore, Oklahoma, from 1889 to 1892. Auditor of public accounts of the Chickasaw Nation 1892-1894. He served as member of the Chickasaw Council in 1895. Superintendent of schools of the Chickasaw Nation in 1897. He was appointed mining trustee of Indian Territory by President McKinley in November 1900 and served four years. Secretary of the first Democratic executive committee of the proposed State of Oklahoma from June to December 1906. Upon the admission of Oklahoma as a State into the Union was elected as a Democrat to the Sixtieth and to the nine succeeding Congresses and served from November 16, 1907, to March 3, 1927. He served as chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs (Sixty-fifth Congress). During his last years in Congress he chaired the Democratic Caucus. In 1926 he lost the Democratic primary to Wilburn Cartwright. He served as member of the State highway commission 1927-1929. He died in Ardmore, Oklahoma, April 9, 1929. He was interred in Rose Hill Cemetery in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Samuel J. Garvin was born Jan. 28, 1844 in Kentucky, the son of John and Mary (Stithe) Garvin. At the outbreak of the Civil War he migrated to Colorado. He joined a freighting caravan headed for the Southwest. There were seven wagons loaded with merchandise and each pulled by five or six teams of oxen. They were owned by Henry Myers. Experience gained on this trip from Colorado east down the Santa Fe Trail fitted him for his years as a freighter in the Indian Territory. At Fort Arbuckle, he met and married an Indian girl, Susan Muncrief, and by so doing became an adopted member of the Chickasaw tribe. He gained control of large blocs of land, which were later relinquished when allotment by severalty was enacted.He moved to Pauls Valley and operated a mercantile business. One of his employees was Walter J. Harris, who provides some clear impressions of the character of the namesake of Garvin County. Mr. Harris regards Samuel Garvin as one of the best judges of character he has ever known - a man who could size up a customer's honesty, credit rating and future potentials with a glance. In the many years he worked for Garvin in his store and banks he does not recall this judgment ever causing his boss a loss. Hard life as a freighter had been a good teacher, Mr. Garvin became widely identified with the banking institutions of the area. With Calvin J. Grant, he first organized a private bank which was followed by the First National Bank of Pauls Valley, of which he was president at the time of his death on July 20, 1908. He was also president of the First National Bank of Maysville and a director and vice president of the State Bank of Elmore City. He was president of the Pauls Valley Mill and Elevator Company also, and retained extensive ranching interests. He married Susan Muncrief in 1870. Their children were Lizzie, Robert, John, Birdie and Vivian. Samuel Garvin was a Mason, 32nd degree, Scottish Rite, Odd Fellow and a member of the Knights of Pythias.
(Taken from the Garvin County History book dated 1957.) (Chronicles of Oklahoma Vol. 26 No. 2 and Vol. 27 No. 3)

Mrs. Susan Garvin, wife of Samuel Garvin and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Muncrief, was born at Fort Arbuckle but established a residence at Pauls Valley after her marriage in 1870 to Mr. Samuel Garvin. She platted and dedicated ‘Garvin Addition to Pauls Valley'. She remembered as a child her parents defending their homestead against attacking Kiowa Indians who succeeded in burning a portion of their property and driving off their livestock. Mrs. Garvin was a true pioneer and her influence in Pauls Valley was wholesome and progressive. She stood on the high red bluff at Purcell, Okla., and witnessed the opening of old Oklahoma and the run from that point on April 22, 1889. She gained state-wide publicity and prominence after the first World War for encouraging aviation and as often as she could, she made airplane rides with Earl Witten, son of Cody Witten, a lifelong friend of Mr. and Mrs. Garvin. (Taken from the Garvin County History book dated 1957.)

In Garvin, Oklahoma, a four-foot granite marker has been erected at the grave of Isaac Levi Garvin in Waterhole Cemetery as part of a project of the McCurtain County Historical Society. Isaac Levi Garvin was born April 27, 1832 in Mississippi and was brought at the age of two to new Okla Falaya District in what is now Oklahoma by his parents. The family settled about six miles southeast of Wheelock Mission, about one mile southeast of the site of present day Garvin, which was named for the Chief. Educated at Norwalk and Spencer Academies, Isaac Garvin became an attorney and later served as a county judge, a district judge and as presiding officer of the Choctaw Nation Supreme Court. In 1978, the prominent jurist, who had also served on the ChoctawNation General Council was elected as Principal Chief. He became the first Choctaw Principal Chief to die while still in office. He died Feb.20, 1880, seven months before his first term, as Chief would have expired. The community, called Garvin in his honor, that had grown up around his farm-ranch home, continued to thrive. In 1902, when the Choctaw and Arkansas (later Frisco) Railroad line was built, the community was moved northwest about one mile to the rail line, but continued to commemorate the chief with its name. Waterhole Cemetery is located on a county road connecting US 70 at Garvin with SH 37 at the Iron Stob community, and in addition to Chief Garvin they also have the grave of his noted son-in-law, James Wood Kirk. He was buried at his home place and a monument is standing to mark his grave. It is not known who his first wife was but his second wife was Melvina, daughter of Capt. Miashambi, and sister of Peter J. Hudson's mother. Peter J. Hudson tells about Isaac Garvin coming to his father's house when he was just a little child. The father and mother were both out when he arrived and as the children didn't know who he was and he looked so much like a white man, on Mr.Hudson's sisters said in Choctaw "No count white man come to our country." They felt very much ashamed when they found he was a Choctaw and knew what had been said.
By his second wife, Isaac Garvin had one daughter, Francis, who married a man by name of Dr. Shi. They emigrated to Chickasaw Nation with Isaac Garvin's widow and have all died out with exception of one son, Isaac Garvin Shi now living in Chickasaw Nation. (I might state that in my grandfather (Cleason Jones) diary he mentions Dr. Shi quite often.
Chronicles of Oklahoma Vol. 17, 1939 p. 202 and http://www.choctawnation.com/History/

Phil Seymour was a rock musician and a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma born on May 15, 1952, he was noted as a both a talented guitarist, drummer, and singer. A founding member of the music group, 'The Dwight Twilley Band,' with childhood friend Dwight Tilley, they created music that had a brand of both power pop, burlesque pop, and a little slapback echo. Twilley and Seymour supposedly met as teenagers in 1967, when they attended a screening of The Beatles film, "A Hard Days Night," at a local theater. They began collaborating immediately on writing music at Twilley's home, and soon began a partnership that would last for years. The two named there group, 'Oister' and recruited another friend Bill Pitcock IV, to become the group's lead guitarist. The group continued practicing for sometime and then decided to head to Nashville, Tennessee, to see if they had what it took to become stars. In Nashville, the group met Sun founder Sam Phillips' son Jerry Phillips' and were immediately teamed up with recording artist Ray Harris. In 1974, after some more practice with Harris, they were signed to the Shelter Records Label, and released there first single, 'I'm On Fire.' The song became an instant hit, landing at number 16. The group followed this up with there next single, 'Shark,' which they debuted on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand," television program. The song was rejected by there label though, due to the success of the 1975 film, "Jaws," and thus started some of the group's bad luck. They released another album, and follow up single, but they went unreleased for over a year. Another single was released, and then there album, "Sincerely," but both failed. In 1977, the group enlisted the help of a friend named Tom Petty, to cut some songs for there next album, "Twilley Don't Mind," which was released on the Arista Record Label. This album to failed, and in 1977, Seymour left the group to pursue a solo career among other things. The group disbanded shortly after Seymour's exit, but Twilley continued on himself as a successful solo artist releasing several albums between 1979 and 2005. Twilley had a few hits and was also featured on the 1992 soundtrack for the "Wayne's World" film. Seymour worked as a session musician for Tom Petty, and then signed a contract with the Boardwalk Records Label. He released several demos on the label that he had recorded with a local band named "20/20," and then released his 1981 self-titled album, which included the single, 'Prescious To Me.' The song landed at number 22 on the pop charts, and became an instant success for Seymour. In 1982, he released his second album, "Phil Seymour 2," and in 1984, he joined the music group, "Carla Olsen's Textones." After the release of there album, "Midnight Mission," for the A&M Record Label, Seymour was diagnosed with lymphoma. He returned to his native Tulsa, Oklahoma, and continued to work until the disease took his life on August 1, 1993. Seymour was just 41 years old. Other songs by this talented musician include, 'Won't Finish Here,' 'I Really Love You,' 'Let Her Dance,' 'Then We Go Up,' 'Baby It's You,' and 'Don't Blow Your Life Away.' He is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma.

Jean Shepnard was born November 21, 1933 in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. Few country singers -- let alone female country singers -- working since the 1950s have produced a large body of work as enduring as Jean Shepard's. Her voice is pure country -- accent on both words. She grew up in Southern California, where Hank Thompson discovered her. She had her first Top Ten hit in 1953, and her last almost exactly 20 years later. In between, she cut one great record after another, mostly on Capitol Records. Nearly all of them crackle, no matter the topic, with honky tonk angel spunk. As a teenager, she began her musical career by playing bass in the Melody Ranch Girls, an all-female band formed in 1948. Shepard's hits continued throughout the '70s, though as the decade wore on she hit the Top 40 with less and less frequency. Her last hit single was 1978's "The Real Thing," which peaked at number 85. During the '80s and '90s, Shepard didn't record, but she continued to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and tour, particularly in the U.K., where she had a strong fan base.Shepard's hits continued throughout the '70s, though as the decade wore on she hit the Top 40 with less and less frequency. Her last hit single was 1978's "The Real Thing," which peaked at number 85. During the '80s and '90s, Shepard didn't record, but she continued to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and tour, particularly in the U.K., where she had a strong fan base.

I was born in Kemper County, Mississippi in the year A.D. 1850. My mother died when I was an infant only three weeks old. My father brought me to my grandmother, Rebecca Williams, who lived at that time in Jefferson County, Ark. She raised me until I was in my 17th year. When she died, my father, Carroll Tabor, died. I do not remember seeing him. I was so small when I (saw him) last. In 1869, I went to Texas. Stayed there 29 years all except four years of my life have lived and made my living on farms, farming, raising and handling stock. Have served in Texas as a deputy sheriff. Had some experience with thefts inforcing (sic) the law. One time I was shot in trying to arrest thieves. I was halled (sic) home and was 14 days had to be turned on my bed. Have been preaching for the last eleven years. Am a minister in the Missionary Baptist Church, at the same time making my other living. In 1898 I moved to the Indian Territory where I have resided ever since. I became a candidate for the legislature in complyance (sic) with the wish of my many friends who (indecipherable) requested and (indecipherable) to make the race. I have never studied politics to be a politician, have only taken such interest as to enable me to vote for the best interest of my county and this makes me an ardent supporter of democracy. Will send photograph as requested. Please pardon me for this delay as was not convenient for me to attend to this sooner. This Aug. 16, 1907,
William Tabor*This is my transcription of a handwritten autobiography submitted to the Oklahoma Historical Society on the occasion of his being elected to the first Oklahoma legislature in 1907. On Nov. 16, 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state. He served in the Senate in the first Oklahoma legislature and in the House of Representatives in the third. He died in 1917 and is buried in Paoli Cemetery.

Submitted by Bernadette Tabor Pruitt (great-granddaughter)The source of the picture is "First Administration of Oklahoma," p. 189, compiled by John S. Brooks, Oklahoma City, and published by Oklahoma Engraving and Printing Co.

Joseph Bryan Thompson a Representative from Oklahoma; born near Sherman, Grayson County, Tex., April 29, 1871; attended the public schools, and was graduated from Savoy College in Fannin County, Tex., in 1890; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1892 and commenced practice in Purcell, Indian Territory; moved to Ardmore, Indian Territory; appointed commissioner for the United States court in 1893 and returned to Purcell, Indian Territory; resigned in 1897; moved to Pauls Valley and resumed the practice of law; delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1900, 1904, and 1908; member of the Democratic Territorial committee 1896-1904; chairman of the Democratic State committee in 1906 and 1908; served in the State senate 1910-1914; elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1913, until his death on a train near Martinsburg, W.Va., while en route to his home at Pauls Valley, Okla., September 18, 1919; interment in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Pauls Valley, Okla.

Fredrick Tecumseh Waite, Fred Waite, who truly went from Outlaw to Statesman, is Oklahoma’s connection to the Billy the Kid legend. From the very first book on the Kid, writers have proclaimedthat Fred Waite was Billy’s best friend and tried to get the Kid to go straight and settle in Pauls Valley. Just how true that is, is open to discussion. What is true is that Fred Waite in 1875 decided to strike out on his own and announced his intention to go to Colorado. Instead, Fred, after narrowly avoiding being strung up for a no good cattle rustler, found a job with the famous cattle baron, John Chisum. By the fall of 1877, Fred was in Lincoln County, New Mexico, working for John Tunstall. Billy Bonney did not start working for Tunstall until January, 1878. Fred, having been assigned the task of driving a wagon loaded with trunks and stuffs, took a wagon road to Lincoln while Tunstall and his men drove a small herd of horses cross country, and therefore, did not witness the shooting of his friend and employer, John Tunstall. Fred heard about it the next day, and accompanied Constable Martinez and Billy Bonney to the Murphy-Dolan store to make arrests of the alleged killers. Upon entering the store, Sheriff Brady, who was surrounded by all the men who had been in his posse, refused to assist the constable, and instead disarmed and arrested all three men. Brady turned the constable free, but kept Waite and Bonney confined for 2 days, and thus, Fred did not get to attend the funeral of Tunstall. Within 2 months of Tunstall’s death, two members of the sheriff’s posse, along with a man thought to be friendly with them, were assassinated by a group of Tunstall’s friends who called themselves Regulators. Then, the Sheriff and a deputy who had been a part of the posse which shot Tunstall, were ambushed and murdered on the streets of Lincoln. Immediately after, one Buckshot Roberts, a member of the posse, decided to turn bounty hunter and go after the reward the county had issued for the killers of Sheriff Brady. Instead of becoming rich, Mr. Roberts became very dead, but not before single handedly wounding four, and killing one of the Regulators. Fred Waite was very much a part of each of these gun battles and was credited with killing the deputy accompanying Sheriff Brady. Fred also became the subject of a county and two Federal murder warrants. Fred was officially an outlaw. Fred, after unsuccessfully trying to get all of them, Billy the Kid included, to come to Pauls Valley to live, said his good-byes and started for the Washout River Valley. Fred Waite belonged to the extended family of Paul, McClure, and Waite’s who settled the fertile Washita River valley of South Central Oklahoma around 1859. His grand mother was the famed Ela-techa, or Ellen Brown McClure Paul, beloved wife of Smith Paul, and mother of Sam Paul, on whose land the Santa Fe’s Paul’s Valley depot was built. Fred was the first son of Thomas and Catherine McClure Waite, and was born in 1854, at Fort Arbuckle, Indian Territory. His father, Thomas, farmed and operated a trading store and stage stand southeast of present Pauls Valley. During the Civil War, Fred and his family, together with Tecumseh McClure, left the Valley to refuge in the Sac and Fox Reserve located in eastern Kansas. While being chased by Confederate soldiers, who were attempting to stop the family’s exodus, Fred’s maternal great uncle, Ja-Pawne disappeared and was assumed killed. Fred, within two years of his arrival home from Lincoln County, was charged with murder in the shooting of an alleged horse thief, however, as Waite was part of a posse formed legally by his Uncle, Sam Paul, the case was dropped by the Federal courts In the meanwhile, Fred married, started a family, ranched, tried his hand as news paper editor, owned a back door saloon fronted by a drug store, and entered tribal politics. As a politician, Waite served as a U. S. Indian Policeman; was appointed a delegate to an Inter-tribal conference where his performance so impressed Gov. Wm. Guy that he was invited to join Guy’s political machine; was then elected as a Representative and Senator from his home district; elected as Speaker of the House, by members of the House for 3 consecutive roll calls; elected as Attorney General of the Chickasaw Nation and finally appointed by the Governor as National Secretary for the Chickasaw Nation. Only Fred’s untimely death, from natural causes, in 1895 prevented Waite from being the Governor of the Chickasaw Nation. During his political career, Waite was effective in delaying the dissolution of the Chickasaw Nation and statehood until the rights of his people could be assured.
(Source: Fred Tecumseh Waite, Outlaw Statesman, by Mike Tower, and Chronicles of Oklahoma, Vol. 76, No. 2, Summer 1998 by Michael Tower )

Fred Waite

Alma Bell Wilson, the first woman to serve on the Oklahoma Supreme Court and its first woman as chief justice, was born on May 25, 1917, in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, to William R. and Anna Bell. Alma had a twin sister named Wilma. Their father was an abstractor and lawyer in Pauls Valley. Inspired by her father, at age eight Alma knew that she wanted to practice law. After graduating as valedictorian from Pauls Valley High School, she attended Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. She continued her education at Oklahoma City University and graduated with a J.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1941. In the 1940s only 2.4 percent of the nation's lawyers were women. She married Bill Wilson, a Pauls Valley attorney; they had one daughter, Lee Anne, who became an attorney in Oklahoma City. In 1982, one year after Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Governor George Nigh appointed Alma Wilson to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. At that time, women represented 5.4 per cent of all federal judges and less than 5 per cent of state court judges. From 1995 to 1997 Wilson served as chief justice. Wilson personified the woman who entered a male-dominated field and by diligent work garnered the respect of her peers. Her achievements have been recognized through many awards including induction into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame (1983) and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame (1996). She was named Appellate Judge of the Year for 1986 and 1989. She died at her Oklahoma City home on July 27, 1999, after a brief illness.
Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City), 5 January 1995, 28 and 29 July 1999

Joshua Bryan Lee (January 23, 1892 - August 10, 1967) was a United States Represenative and Senatorr from Oklahoma. Born in Childersbur, Alabama, he moved with his parents to Pauls Valley, Oklahoma (which was then Indian Territory), and then to Kiowa County, near Hobart, in 1901. He attended the public schools of Hobart and Rocky, Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Baptist University at Shawnee.. He was a teacher in the public schools of Rocky from 1911 to 1913 and was a coach of athletics and teacher of public speaking at the Oklahoma Baptist University, 1913-1915; he graduated from the Oklahoma Univer at Norman in 1917, and received a graduate degree in political science from Columbia Universityin 1924, and a law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Cumberland University in Tennessee in 1925. During the First World War, Joshua Lee served overseas as a private in the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Infantry, Thirty-fourth Division, in 1917 and 1918. From 1919 to 1934, he was head of the public speaking department of the University of Oklahoma, and was also an author and lecturer; he owned and operated a ranch in western Oklahoma and a farm near Norman. He was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-fourth Congress (January 3, 1935-January 3, 1937) and was not a candidate for renomination in 1936; he was then elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from January 3, 1937, to January 3, 1943. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1942, and was a member of the Civil Aeronotics Board from 1943 to 1955. He returned to Norman and practiced law; he died there in 1967 and was interred in the I. O. O. F. Cemetery.

Tommy R. Franks was born in Wynnewood, Garvin County, Oklahoma on June 17, 1945. He moved from there as a child and was raised in Texas. In 1967 Franks graduated from Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, OK, as a second lieutenant and got his first combat experience as an artillery officer in Vietnam. He left the armed forces to get a degree in business administration and returned to serve in Germany, at the Pentegon, and in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War. Along the way, he was awarded three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. General Tommy R. Franks is the Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command and the US commander of the coalition military operations in the war against Iraq. The four-star general oversees day-to-day maneuvers of US forces in 25 nations in Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, including Afganistan and the Purisian Gulf. He is married and they have one daughter.

	In Garvin, Oklahoma, a four-foot granite marker has been erected at the grave of Isaac Levi Garvin in Waterhole Cemetery as part of a project of the McCurtain County Historical Society. Isaac Levi Garvin was born April 27, 1832 in Mississippi and was brought at the age of two to new Okla Falaya District in what is now Oklahoma by his parents. The family settled about six miles southeast of Wheelock Mission, about one mile southeast of the site of present day Garvin, which was named for the Chief. Educated at Norwalk and Spencer Academies, Isaac Garvin became an attorney and later served as a county judge, a district judge and as presiding officer of the Choctaw Nation Supreme Court. In 1978, the prominent jurist, who had also served on the ChoctawNation General Council was elected as Principal Chief. He became the first Choctaw Principal Chief to die while still in office. He died Feb.20, 1880, seven months before his first term, as Chief would have expired. The community, called Garvin in his honor, that had grown up around his farm-ranch home, continued to thrive. In 1902, when the Choctaw and Arkansas (later Frisco) Railroad line was built, the community was moved northwest about one mile to the rail line, but continued to commemorate the chief with its name. Waterhole Cemetery is located on a county road connecting US 70 at Garvin with SH 37 at the Iron Stob community, and in addition to Chief Garvin they also have the grave of his noted son-in-law, James Wood Kirk. He was buried at his home place and a monument is standing to mark his grave. It is not known who his first wife was but his second wife was Melvina, daughter of Capt. Miashambi, and sister of Peter J. Hudson's mother. Peter J. Hudson tells about Isaac Garvin coming to his father's house when he was just a little child. The father and mother were both out when he arrived and as the children didn't know who he was and he looked so much like a white man, on Mr.Hudson's sisters said in Choctaw "No count white man come to our country." They felt very much ashamed when they found he was a Choctaw and knew what had been said. By his second wife, Isaac Garvin had one daughter, Francis, who married a man by name of Dr. Shi. They emigrated to Chickasaw Nation with Isaac Garvin's widow and have all died out with exception of one son, Isaac Garvin Shi now living in Chickasaw Nation. (I might state that in my grandfather (Cleason Jones) diary he mentions Dr. Shi quite often. Chronicles of Oklahoma Vol. 17, 1939 p. 202 and http://www.choctawnation.com/History/
	Phil Seymour was a rock musician and a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma born on May 15, 1952, he was noted as a both a talented guitarist, drummer, and singer. A founding member of the music group, 'The Dwight Twilley Band,' with childhood friend Dwight Tilley, they created music that had a brand of both power pop, burlesque pop, and a little slapback echo. Twilley and Seymour supposedly met as teenagers in 1967, when they attended a screening of The Beatles film, "A Hard Days Night," at a local theater. They began collaborating immediately on writing music at Twilley's home, and soon began a partnership that would last for years. The two named there group, 'Oister' and recruited another friend Bill Pitcock IV, to become the group's lead guitarist. The group continued practicing for sometime and then decided to head to Nashville, Tennessee, to see if they had what it took to become stars. In Nashville, the group met Sun founder Sam Phillips' son Jerry Phillips' and were immediately teamed up with recording artist Ray Harris. In 1974, after some more practice with Harris, they were signed to the Shelter Records Label, and released there first single, 'I'm On Fire.' The song became an instant hit, landing at number 16. The group followed this up with there next single, 'Shark,' which they debuted on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand," television program. The song was rejected by there label though, due to the success of the 1975 film, "Jaws," and thus started some of the group's bad luck. They released another album, and follow up single, but they went unreleased for over a year. Another single was released, and then there album, "Sincerely," but both failed. In 1977, the group enlisted the help of a friend named Tom Petty, to cut some songs for there next album, "Twilley Don't Mind," which was released on the Arista Record Label. This album to failed, and in 1977, Seymour left the group to pursue a solo career among other things. The group disbanded shortly after Seymour's exit, but Twilley continued on himself as a successful solo artist releasing several albums between 1979 and 2005. Twilley had a few hits and was also featured on the 1992 soundtrack for the "Wayne's World" film. Seymour worked as a session musician for Tom Petty, and then signed a contract with the Boardwalk Records Label. He released several demos on the label that he had recorded with a local band named "20/20," and then released his 1981 self-titled album, which included the single, 'Prescious To Me.' The song landed at number 22 on the pop charts, and became an instant success for Seymour. In 1982, he released his second album, "Phil Seymour 2," and in 1984, he joined the music group, "Carla Olsen's Textones." After the release of there album, "Midnight Mission," for the A&M Record Label, Seymour was diagnosed with lymphoma. He returned to his native Tulsa, Oklahoma, and continued to work until the disease took his life on August 1, 1993. Seymour was just 41 years old. Other songs by this talented musician include, 'Won't Finish Here,' 'I Really Love You,' 'Let Her Dance,' 'Then We Go Up,' 'Baby It's You,' and 'Don't Blow Your Life Away.' He is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma.
	Jean Shepnard was born November 21, 1933 in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. Few country singers -- let alone female country singers -- working since the 1950s have produced a large body of work as enduring as Jean Shepard's. Her voice is pure country -- accent on both words. She grew up in Southern California, where Hank Thompson discovered her. She had her first Top Ten hit in 1953, and her last almost exactly 20 years later. In between, she cut one great record after another, mostly on Capitol Records. Nearly all of them crackle, no matter the topic, with honky tonk angel spunk. As a teenager, she began her musical career by playing bass in the Melody Ranch Girls, an all-female band formed in 1948. Shepard's hits continued throughout the '70s, though as the decade wore on she hit the Top 40 with less and less frequency. Her last hit single was 1978's "The Real Thing," which peaked at number 85. During the '80s and '90s, Shepard didn't record, but she continued to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and tour, particularly in the U.K., where she had a strong fan base.Shepard's hits continued throughout the '70s, though as the decade wore on she hit the Top 40 with less and less frequency. Her last hit single was 1978's "The Real Thing," which peaked at number 85. During the '80s and '90s, Shepard didn't record, but she continued to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and tour, particularly in the U.K., where she had a strong fan base.
	I was born in Kemper County, Mississippi in the year A.D. 1850. My mother died when I was an infant only three weeks old. My father brought me to my grandmother, Rebecca Williams, who lived at that time in Jefferson County, Ark. She raised me until I was in my 17th year. When she died, my father, Carroll Tabor, died. I do not remember seeing him. I was so small when I (saw him) last. In 1869, I went to Texas. Stayed there 29 years all except four years of my life have lived and made my living on farms, farming, raising and handling stock. Have served in Texas as a deputy sheriff. Had some experience with thefts inforcing (sic) the law. One time I was shot in trying to arrest thieves. I was halled (sic) home and was 14 days had to be turned on my bed. Have been preaching for the last eleven years. Am a minister in the Missionary Baptist Church, at the same time making my other living. In 1898 I moved to the Indian Territory where I have resided ever since. I became a candidate for the legislature in complyance (sic) with the wish of my many friends who (indecipherable) requested and (indecipherable) to make the race. I have never studied politics to be a politician, have only taken such interest as to enable me to vote for the best interest of my county and this makes me an ardent supporter of democracy. Will send photograph as requested. Please pardon me for this delay as was not convenient for me to attend to this sooner. This Aug. 16, 1907, William Tabor*This is my transcription of a handwritten autobiography submitted to the Oklahoma Historical Society on the occasion of his being elected to the first Oklahoma legislature in 1907. On Nov. 16, 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state. He served in the Senate in the first Oklahoma legislature and in the House of Representatives in the third. He died in 1917 and is buried in Paoli Cemetery. Submitted by Bernadette Tabor Pruitt (great-granddaughter)The source of the picture is "First Administration of Oklahoma," p. 189, compiled by John S. Brooks, Oklahoma City, and published by Oklahoma Engraving and Printing Co.
	Joseph Bryan Thompson a Representative from Oklahoma; born near Sherman, Grayson County, Tex., April 29, 1871; attended the public schools, and was graduated from Savoy College in Fannin County, Tex., in 1890; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1892 and commenced practice in Purcell, Indian Territory; moved to Ardmore, Indian Territory; appointed commissioner for the United States court in 1893 and returned to Purcell, Indian Territory; resigned in 1897; moved to Pauls Valley and resumed the practice of law; delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1900, 1904, and 1908; member of the Democratic Territorial committee 1896-1904; chairman of the Democratic State committee in 1906 and 1908; served in the State senate 1910-1914; elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1913, until his death on a train near Martinsburg, W.Va., while en route to his home at Pauls Valley, Okla., September 18, 1919; interment in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Pauls Valley, Okla.