I have shown this previously, but mentioning Vinita, Oklahoma in yesterday’s Buzzyblog post, thought it worth another showing.
This is from an article about Charlie Simms, his brothers and father.
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The article appeared in an Oklahoma “Community Links” Special Edition titled “Hometown Heroes.”
Here’s another photo of Charlie, this time on his Indian motorcycle. We joked with him that the picture’s title should be “Indian on an Indian.” Charlie, who is part Cherokee, readily admits that the primary reason he joined the Navy was because he knew he would never make Chief as long as he stayed around the rest of the Cherokee nation.
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Charlie 22 Years Old |
Here is a trivia question for you – Charlie Simms, Peggy Binzel and I have something in common other than a South County connection. Can you name it? We were all born in Oklahoma: Charlie in Vinita, Peggy in Duncan and yours truly in Enid.
Another thing that we all have in common is that these three towns are much more renown for other people and things than our birthplaces: Vinita’s most famous export is celebrity Dr. Phil; Duncan’s claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of the Halliburton Corporation (click here); Enid is best known by crossword puzzle solvers who frequently see a 4 letter clue listed as “Town in Oklahoma.” Enid is correct answer even if no one knows anything about it.
Also, born in Duncan, Oklahoma was Ron Howard. His father, like mine, was stationed at an Oklahoma Air Force Base. The Howards eventually moved to Hollywood where Ron landed the Opie Taylor gig. He went on to become an award winning movie director and producer including this 2016 Beatles’ documentary. Music video below is from that movie.