Grove Police Chief Resigns

Grove Police Chief Ivan Devitt III submitted his letter of resignation to new city manager Bruce Johnson Tuesday morning. Although he gave two weeks notice, he was asked to vacate his office immediately.

Sources said that the Fraternal Order of Police had threatened a "no confidence" vote on Devitt which might have interfered with his ability to perform effectively in the Chief's position. Devitt was appointed Chief of Police 15 months ago by then city manager Bill Galletly and since the election of three city councilmen in April his job stability has been in question.

Councilman Larry Parham has questioned Devitt's experience for the Chief's position, where Devitt spent 18 years on the Houston, Tex. police force. The council refused to give the police department the increased funding and four new officers Devitt had asked for in next year's budget; it refused to pass an ordinance banning smoking within 50 feet of an accident, suggested by Devitt; and it leaned on then acting city manager Debbie Mavity to ban uniformed policemen from council and trust authority meetings. Devitt had worked city meetings on his own time.

The FOP could have taken a vote on Devitt anytime the past year, but waited until a new city manager was on board.

One official who asked not to be identified said "this is nothing more than the council getting the FOP to do the dirty work, with a new city manager. The City Attorney and City Treasurer may be next. This is a travesty."

There are 19 policemen on the force, including the Chief, and he and assistant Mark Morris are the only two non-union members.

After being hired July 1, Johnson had visited with former chief Mark Wall and the FOP union president Mike O 'Herin before meeting with Devitt.

Devitt said that during his tenure on the force, a new Pet of the Day Program was begun; animal control policies were changed; internal procedures were revamped; patrols were made more visible; a radar trailer was purchased, school safety issues were re-worked; and two ESPN BASSmasters tournaments were handled 100% successfully. In addition, the courtroom was moved to city hall and new offices were added and remodeled for the first time in many years; a monthly crime report was put together and given to city hall, where previously there had been no such report; and the Canine officer was moved from night shift to day shift where the animal could be used in the schools as a drug deterrent. This caused some turmoil as the canine officer did not want to move to days so he was made a patrolman. The other canine officer did not want to work days either "so now we have a canine officer on the night shift without a canine." Both canine officers have retained attorneys and are threatening to sue the city for compensation for time spent in the care and feeding of the canine, even though they are already compensated for it, Devitt said.

Phone calls to City Manager Johnson and Mike O'Herin, President of the local FOP, were not returned. Sources said Johnson has named Mark Morris Acting Chief of Police and a search will be launched for a new police chief.

Devitt refrained from commenting on his resignation, other than to say it was official.

Grove Beginnings...Part 11

By Rose Stauber

Nothing beats proof when you are telling a story, and I have proof that
John
H. Gibson was elected mayor of Grove in 1899. Remember that we don't
have
the newspaper record. But an official record fell into my hands while
I was
copying a Dawes Commission application for someone. The commission was

pretty sticky about having marriage records which is how this record
ended
up in the Dawes file.

Seems that W.M. Fields and Miss Sally Lauean (?), both of Fairland,
wanted
to get married. This was 1899, and the only place anyone, white or
Indian,
could get a marriage license in the Territory was from the Northern
District
Court at Vinita. So William and Sally got their license and then asked
John
H. Gibson to marry them. Gibson filled in the Certificate of Marriage
by
writing "John H.Gibson Mayor for the Incorporated Town of Grove I.T."
He
proceeded to conduct the rites and publish the Banns of Matrimony. The
date
was July 16, 1899. Gibson signed his name and repeated "Mayor for
etc."

We probably need to have a footnote when we call John Gibson the
second
mayor.
Remember that J.C. Starr appears to have left office early. However,
there
is information that the major and council were elected annually.

John Gibson and his biographers say that he served four terms as mayor
of
Grove. We know he was elected again in 1907, the statehood year. This

service was only a part of a long career of service to his community.

Gibson was born in 1861 in Rusk Co., Texas, where his mother's family
had
gone to avoid the dangers of the conflict in the Cherokee Nation
between the
Treaty Party, to which the Bell family belonged, and the Ross party.
His
mother, Nancy Abigail Bell, daughter of John A. Bell and Betsy Harnage,
grew
up in Rusk County where she married Quinton K. Gibson, a white
Georgian.
His father was serving in a Texas unit in the Civil War and was killed
in
1864.

Nancy Gibson had a daughter, Rosa. The mother with her
two
children returned to Indian Territory on Feb. 17, 1872, according to
John.
Nancy Gibson married James E. Harlin. Nancy is the one who cooked the
wedding dinner for the Remsens. The Harlins had five children of whom
one
died young. John and Rosa, who married Robert Wann, seem to have
remained
close all their lives.

John entered the Cherokee Male Seminary at Tahlequah in 1878, at
least
that is the first time he was on the Honor Roll carried in the
"Cherokee
Advocate." The 1880 census lists John by himself with the remark, "At
the
Male Seminary going to school." Also from the "Advocate" in 1882, we
are
told that the Cherokee Debating Society had reorganized and elected new

officers to include John Gibson as vice-president, and his friend, John
E.
Butler, as critic.

About this time, according to one account, John dropped out of school
for
lack of money and sought a job teaching. He taught some years
including at
Olympus School in 1884. Also John began working his own farm. On July
8,
1886, he married Ary T. Sturdivant, daughter of Martin and Matilda
Sturdivant who lived nearby.

Not long after Remsen got the post office, Gibson started a small
store.
For years he was continuously involved with the growing town, partner
in
businesses and taking an active role. In addition to his service as
mayor,
he was continuously on the council. In a dispute over some of the
council
members paying taxes in 1906, John Gibson was appointed to investigate
and
resolve the problem. Just how it came out is not known because of the
missing gap in the newspaper.

John's first political efforts beyond Grove were with the Cherokee
Nation.
He was elected to the Cherokee legislature in 1897 and again in 1903
and was
chosen speaker of the lower house and served in that position until
tribal
government was dissolved in 1905.

John Gibson may have been to school on winning elections according to
the
following extract from an Indian-Pioneer Interview with E. Lee Brown
who
said this:

"One year while I was in Grove, Mr. Gibson, my employer, ran for the
Cherokee Senate which met in Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee
Nation.
Those were perilous times. The man who could pass out the most whiskey

usually got the most votes. Mr. Gibson and I went back in the
mountains and
took a barrel of 'firewater' to the Indians. On the voting day I stood

outside the door and voted for these full blood Indians. We had no
booths
in which to vote. We would hold the ballot against the building and
mark
it. Mr. Gibson won."

I have been told similar stories about voting in much more recent
times in
Delaware County.

John was a member of the sixth and seventh Oklahoma legislatures. He
was
elected county commissioner for two terms.

At home, he had his sorrows. In 1904, Ary died. The obituary ran
right
under the masthead of the Grove Sun, John H. Gibson, Editor and
Proprietor.
The next year, the youngest daughter, Hudnall, had her clothes catch on

fire. She did not survive. The Grove Sun carried the sorrowful story.
Now
in Olympus Cemetery were the graves of the mother and three small
daughters.
Five children of the marriage survived: Quinton, Mattie B., Mary L.,

Jennie C., and John L.

John Gibson married Mrs. Mattie McDonald June 16, 1906. Three
children
were born of this marriage: Nannie A., Paul W., and Charles Obediah.

John Gibson and his family had lived in various houses around Grove,
but
about 1911, he bought Arwood Springs which was on the west side of
town.
Today you would take State Park Road. The land had been owned by
Wilson
Suagee, and the Suagee Cemetery, or what remains of it, is still there.
It
was where Gibson would spend the rest of his life.

In a letter to Rosa in April 1939, he wrote, "The damn water will
cover
all of our good land here and on Honey Creek. They have not yet made
me a
bid on the land taken. We hate to be compelled to give up our home,
but
will have to do so."

"I look forward to your coming with great pleasure for I know I am
to you
what you are to me, an unbroken line of LOVE and Sunshine."

John H. Gibson died April 13, 1940. His long-time friend James E.
Butler
took part in the services. The Masonic Lodge conducted graveside
services
for the last charter member of the lodge. He is buried beside Ary.


Copyright © 2007 Rose Stauber

YMCA Soccer Season Begins

Soccer season begins August 27 and the YMCA is the place for sign-ups.
Through August 17, parents can register children age 10 and under for the Fall season that runs through October 19.
Ages three through six can register for “Itty Bitty Y Soccer.” Games will be played on Mondays (ages three and four) and Tuesdays (ages five and six) from 6 pm to 7 pm.
All players receive a soccer jersey and trophy and must supply their own shin guards, shorts, socks and tennis shoes.
Parental participation is strongly encouraged. Cost is $30 for YMCA members and $40 for non-members.
“U8” (ages seven and eight) and “U10” (ages nine and 10) registration is also underway.
U8 team members receive a soccer jersey, shorts, socks and a trophy. U10 will be league/competitive play with first, second and third place teams receiving individual place trophies. All U10 players receive a soccer jersey, shorts and socks.
U8 will practice on Mondays; U10 on Tuesdays with games for both divisions on Thursdays.
Cost for U8 is $40 for YMCA members and $50 for non-members; for U10, $45 for YMCA members and $55 for non-members.
Registration starts August 1st through August 17. Late registrations will be accepted on a space available basis and will be charged a $10 late fee.
For more information contact the YMCA at (918) 786-5774 or drop by the facility at 206 Elk in Grove right behind Pizza Hut.

Schools History Book Now on Sale

The Delaware County Genealogical Society announces pre-publication sales of the book "The History of Schools in Delaware County, Oklahoma." The pre-publication price of $15 is good through Labor Day weekend. After that date the price will be $22.

The book is a reprint of the book prepared and published under the last
county school superintendent, Bessie Duggan, in 1986. The new version
is a hefty 270 pages with 133 photos reproduced using the latest techniques.

Some of the photos are the same as some in the original book. Other
photos are entirely new.

A 37-page index has been added to make searching the book much easier.
Two brief appendices have been added. The first provides more information
on Cherokee schools, and the second gives a roundup of WPA projects for
the schools.

The third appendix is a roster of the graduates of the Grove High
School from 1916- 1986.

The book is an invaluable tool today for those seeking information
about communities and families as the schools were the center of the
community.
Schools often served double duty as places of worship.

Those wanting to buy a copy at the pre-publication price can contact
the society by email at dcgsinc@hotmail.com. Please put "School Book" in
the subject line. By mail, the society address is DCGS--School book, 1140
NEO Loop, Grove, Oklahoma 74344.

Order forms can be picked up at the Grove Public Library. The order
form will be on the society's website in the near future.

To order, complete the form and return it to the society with cash,
check, or money order for the required amount. Purchases in Oklahoma must
include sales tax of $1.32. For purchases to be mailed, include $4 for S&H.
Buyers can pick up their purchases at the Grove Public Library or have them
mailed.
Pickup dates will be announced, but the books are expected to be
available about Labor Day.

Spicer's Election Upheld by Indian Court

The re-election of Paul Spicer as chief of the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma was upheld Friday by the Court of Indian Offenses in Miami , Okla. Spicer won the June 2 tribal election by a more than 2-to-1 margin in a record turnout of tribal voters.

“Our tribal members have spoken with a strong and clear voice in support of the direction we have led the tribe over the last two years,” said Spicer. “I am gratified by their support and pledge to continue to move the tribe forward in ways that benefit all members and their families.”

Spicer’s re-election was challenged in court by a small group of supporters of former Chief Leroy Howard, whom Spicer defeated in this election. On Friday, July 27, the court ruled it does not have jurisdiction over tribal election disputes and allowed the unanimous confirmation of the tribe’s election committee to stand.

During his first two-year term as chief, Spicer made a number of changes, including implementing professional management of the tribe’s enterprises. “With the explosive growth of our gaming and tobacco businesses, we are now the equivalent of a mid-sized corporation,” Spicer stated. “The tribe can be proud to have perhaps the best management and systems of any tribe our size to ensure that the tribe’s assets are protected and the benefits from our businesses are maximized for all tribal members.

Change is difficult, and there will always be those who oppose it,” continued Spicer. “However, with this overwhelming show of support by tribal members of the direction we are moving, I am confident we can now all come together to benefit from the exciting opportunities in front of the tribe.”

Spicer sees construction of the new Grand Lake Casino and Resort on the shores of Grand Lake in Grove as the greatest of those opportunities. The tribe announced in May that it will be building a new 100,000-square-foot casino, including a five-story hotel and three restaurants.

“This will be the premier casino and hotel complex in northeastern Oklahoma . It will create 450 new jobs and bring numerous benefits to the Grove community,” he said.

The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma has 4,400 members and currently employs 330 people in its gaming, tobacco, and tribal operations in Ottawa and Delaware counties. The tribe also distributes more than $3 million annually in medical, housing, and other assistance to area families and individuals.

Sample Ballots Available for Aug 14 Election

Sample ballots now are available at the Delaware County Election Board office for voters who want to get a preview of what will be at stake in the Special Election on August 14, 2007.

Dixie Smith, Secretary of the County Election Board, said that sample ballots can be viewed at the Election Board office, located at 225 South 5th Street in Jay during regular office hours, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Sample ballots also will be posted outside every precinct polling place Tuesday, August 14, 2007 so that voters can review them before casting their votes.

Ballots that will be issued to voters on Tuesday August 14 include the following:

• County Commissioner District #2 Special Election
• Kansas School Special Bond Election

YMCA Launches Women on Weights Program

Beginning August 20, the Grand Lake Family YMCA will launch its next “Women on Weights” (WOW) program, a one-on-one, nine-week course that teaches women balanced muscular development and weight loss.
Using cardio equipment, dumbbells and other fitness gear, participants will be coached for one hour sessions, three times a week at a time most convenient to them during YMCA hours.
Those who complete the entire nine-week course will receive a FREE YMCA T-SHIRT.
Cost is only $26 per week for YMCA member, per 9-week course or $48 per week for non-members. Bring a friend and both receive a 10 percent discount per week.
For more information contact the YMCA at (918) 786-5774 or drop by the facility at 206 Elk in Grove right behind Pizza Hut.