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- Harry lived in Leslie, Arkansas until he was about 6 years old. Harry loved to watch his "Uncle Zander", his father's brother, shoe horses and repair wagons. Uncle Zander would take Harry fishing when he finished his work, much to Harry's delight.
Harry moved with his family around 1913 to Harrison, Arkansas when the railroad moved the carpenter shop there. In early 1921 during the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad Strike, fearing for the family's safety, his father moved the family to Branson, Missouri where Harry finished the 8th grade. That summer of 1921, the family then moved to Claremore, Oklahoma. Harry had to quit school to help support the family, so he and his father helped lay the first water line from Spavanaw Lake to Tulsa. Tulsa still gets its water through this pipeline. They moved to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma in the mid 1920's. Harry and his father, a carpenter, built bridges in Collinsville and Barnsdall, Oklahoma. Harry was most proud of the bridge he built in Barnsdall and visited it at least once or twice a year.
Later, Harry worked for a Tulsa funeral home, drove an ambulance and attended Tulsa Business College. During this time he began a career in boxing. Harry was a Golden Glove Welterweight Champion of the Southwest USA in 1932 at age 25. He became known as the "Sand Springs Kid". He also trained young men to fight in the Golden Glove Tournaments.
Harry and Ella purchased 160 acres of land, located approx 7 miles from Sand Springs, OK on the Coyote Trail, in 1940 for $1650 and paid for it by raising and selling pigs during the war. He added horses, cows and chickens. Even though Harry was from Arkansas, Ella showed Harry how to harness mule so he could plow the fields and plant corn to feed all these animals. He purchased a big, beautiful red horse, called him "Big Red" and often rode him ten miles to work in town just to show him off.
In 1927, Harry was employed by Sinclair Oil Company in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. Sinclair finally made him quit his boxing career because they were afraid he would get hurt and become unable to work.
In January 1949 Sinclair Oil closed down and he was transferred to Cit-Con Oil Company in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In June 1949 Harry moved his family to Maplewood Community, approx 7 miles west of Lake Charles, which was built for employees of Cities Service and Cit-Con Oil Companies. This was quite an adjustment from farm life as the houses were quite close together and had no room for a garden. In 1958 Harry and Ella bought some property, built a lovely home and had enough room for a couple of horses. Harry could finally have his garden, which he planted every year up until his death.
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1907 - 1997 (89 years)
