Outdoor Adventurer To Speak at Third Thursday Event

Gary Courtney, native Oklahoma author, photographer, and historian, will be the speaker at the Grove Public Library's Third Thursday on Oct. 18, at 12 noon. His talk will be followed by a book signing. The public is invited, and brown bag lunches are in order.

Courtney will talk on the famous or infamous Cookson Hills of eastern Oklahoma and the outlaws and people of the area. For most of the last ten years, Gary Courtney has lived on a mountain top overlooking Lake Tenkiller, in the heart of the Cookson Hills, where he roamed as a boy and young man, fishing, hunting, camping, cave exploring, and Scuba diving. He moved there to observe, interview, research, explore, photograph, and to write about the area history and pioneers.

One result of his work is the book, "The Historic Cookson Hills Dictionary – Old Time & Slang Words & Phases." Courtney's latest book will be out in about a month. It is "Carl Janaway – Smartest Bandit of the Cookson Hills." The author is working on a book in progress for ten years, "Cookson Hills Chronicles."

The Cookson Hills Dictionary contains a history of the area with color photographs, tourist information and information on the notorious cave hideouts of outlaws on the run.

Courtney is noted for his outdoor attire which includes an old felt hat, blue jeans, and flannel shirt, topped by a big Bowie knife. His cameras are always nearby.

Beginning over seven years ago, he previewed chapters of his books to the public on his online magazine and as front page feature stories in the "Oklahoma Legend" weekly in Tahlequah. His two month-long museum exhibits at Northeastern State University featured the history of the area.

Courtney has a tie to Grove and the northeast Oklahoma area. His grandfather, James Grover Cleveland Tillman, was born in this area in 1891. Courtney now lives in Broken Arrow and Colorado.

Third Thursday is a program about books and authors sponsored by the Friends of the Grove Public Library and the library.

Drinks and dessert are provided.

Open House for Marcia Austin is Friday

An Open House will be held at the Grove Public Library on
Friday, Aug. 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to say thanks to Library
Manager Marcia Austin for her 25 years of service to the library. Friends of the Grove Public Library are sponsoring the event to thank the person who led the drive to get a new building for the library.

Library Offers Photographic Exhibit

Just in time for the Grove All-School Reunion, photographs of the school have taken over the exhibit space in the Grove Public Library. The exhibit is presented by Joyce Gibson of the Gibson family studio.
The photographs concentrate on the decades from the 1940s to 2002 and
range from graduating classes to sports and all types of activities. The photographs all come from the Gibson family collection.
Everyone is welcome to come by the library and enjoy this journey back
in history.

Library Manager Will Retire Aug. 31

By Rose Stauber

Marcia Austin, Grove Public Library manager, will retire Aug. 31 after 25 years of service, the last 16 as manager.

Friends of the Grove Public Library are hosting an open house from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. that day and invite everyone to come by to thank Marcia for
her service and wish her well.

The Grove Public Library began in 1964 in a small room in the
Community Center sponsored by the Grand Lake Business and Professional
Women's Club. In 1970 the library became a branch of the Eastern
Oklahoma District Library System. Marcia began working there in 1982. Three
times additions were built onto the space in the Community Center. Marcia
recalls the times that the books were moved and rearranged.

Marcia recalls the next move when the city moved GMSA from the building on Elk Street and relocated the library into the GMSA building with
about 5,000 square feet. On Nov. 1, 1991, Marcia took over as library manager.
Again, the growing library began squeezing into every usable space in the old
GMSA building, while during rains the water came down through roof leaks.
It was in this building that computers were added for checking books in and
out, and then for public use.

The inadequacies of the building fueled Marcia's campaign for a
new library. It took many visits to then City Manager Richard Ball and
much other help until the city council finally approved building a new
library in 2002. Marcia and Mary Williams organized Friends of the Library and
began the fund drive to raise the money needed to supplement what the city
could provide. The Wall of Honor in the library recognizes the donations of
all sizes that made it possible to build the library.

The new 10,300 square-foot library opened at 1140 NEO Loop Jan.
5, 2004. The books had been moved again. Marcia is remembered as
stating that she would retire before the library needed enlarging.
Marcia has directed the Grove Public Library through a growth
period which has more than doubled the monthly circulation of the
library from 4,000 items a month to 11,000 a month. She has brought into the
library large numbers of VHS tapes, DVDs, and music CDs.
The library has eight public computers and two children's computers. Marcia has paid special attention to the needs of children and young people. The unique design of the children's area, the decoration, and the materials had her personal care. The added space in the new building has made it possible for special summer programs and a pre-school program.

The genealogical collection is known throughout the region
as a great collection for a library in a city the size of Grove. The
Delaware County Genealogical Society supports the collection and works in
coordination with Marcia.

During the tax season, the library supports the IRS
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program which provides free tax service to
hundreds of qualified taxpayers. Marcia has welcomed and made accommodations to
continue this program.

Of her coming retirement, Marcia says that she plans to enjoy
time with her children and grandchildren and enjoy life "doing things I
haven't had time to do for 35 years." Some of her favorite activities
include watching her grandsons at their sporting events, quilting, and
traveling when the opportunity presents itself.

Mystery Writer Offers Clues at Third Thursday

Third Thursday will hear what Evelyn David describes as a fun "how-to" talk on writing. The title is "How to Commit Murder: A Mystery Writer Offers some Clues." The presentation is at 12 noon, Thursday, July 19, at the Grove Public Library.

Third Thursday is a program about books and authors to which everyone
is invited and welcome to bring a brown bag lunch.

"Murder Off the Books", the author's recent release, is about Mac Sullivan,
a retired Irish cop, and Whiskey, a fast-food loving Irish wolfhound.
A half-million dollars has vanished and a college comptroller is dead.
Mac, recently retired D.C. cop and newly-minted private detective, really
has no interest in the murder. Mac just needs to find the embezzled money.
Finding the killer is a bonus he's not sure he wants to earn.

"'Murder Off the Books' by Evelyn David is a well-crafted, skillfully
done, roaring great romp of a novel filled with intrigue, suspense, a
smidge of romance, and a number of good shocks and exciting twists and turns,
and it somehow makes the art of 'cooking' the books as fascinating as the
investigation itself. I, for one, look forward to more mysteries from
Ms. David," wrote author Robert W. Walker.

A visit to the website offers more mystery. Evelyn's bio says that
Evelyn David has a split personality. We will leave it to Evelyn David to
explain that. Enough to say that one part of the personality lives in
northeast Oklahoma.

Evelyn David will be selling and signing her books after her talk.
Questions are welcome.

Third Thursday is sponsored by Friends of the Grove Public Library and
the library. Drinks and dessert are provided.

The author's website is

Pulitizer Prize Winning Author to Speak

Vance Trimble, Pulitzer- Prize winner and author of the best-seller "Sam Walton," will speak at Third Thursday at the Grove Public Library at 12 noon Thursday, June 21. The meeting is open to the public.

Trimble began his writing career in 1927 at 14 as a cub reporter on
the Okemah Daily Leader. He worked at a series of papers and became
managing editor of the "Houston (Texas) Press". Promoted to news editor of the
Scripps-Howard national bureau in Washington D.C., he won the Pulitzer
Prize in 1960 for his expose of Congressional nepotism and payroll abuse that
brought on grassroots outrage and caused the Senate to open secret
records.

The same series of articles also won the Raymond Clapper and the Sigma
Delta Chi awards for national reporting. The three awards are the triple
crown of journalism.

"Choctaw Kisses, Bullets & Blood", Trimble's latest book, is a true
story of life and times in the Choctaw Nation about a century ago. The book
concentrates on the white Locke family. Victor Locke, a penniless,
ragged, Confederate boy-soldier, came to the Choctaw Nation after the Civil
War. Locke sets out to make his fortune and have a role in the political
affairs of the nation.
Victor, Sr., married a Choctaw, and his half-blood son, Victor, Jr., became a Choctaw chief and led an eventful life.

Trimble has found plenty of resources so that his story is backed up
with facts. There is conflict, intrigue, and action. Yet the story can be
accepted as a true account of the times. Many family and other historical photographs add greatly to the readers enjoyment.

Other books by Trimble include biographies of Fred Smith, founder if
Fed-Ex; Happy Chandler, the baseball commissioner; and E.W. Scripps,
newspaper publisher. Last year he wrote "Alice & J.F.B.: The 100-Year
Saga of Two Seminole Chiefs", another true story of a mixed -blood family.

Trimble worked as reporter or editor on newspapers in Wewoka,
Seminole, Maud, Shawnee, Muskogee, Okmulgee, and Tulsa. He was editor of "The
Kentucky Post", Covington, Kentucky, for twenty years. He now lives in Wewoka where he grew up.

Trimble will be signing his books following his discussion.

Those attending Third Thursday are invited to bring a brown bag lunch.
Drinks and dessert will be provided.

Third Thursday is a program about books and authors sponsored by
Friends of the Grove Public Library.

Submitted by Rose Stauber

Library Book Sale Set for June 16

The big Spring Book Sale will be held by the Friends of the
Grove Public Library on Saturday, June 16, in the parking lot at Main
and 11th Streets at Grand Savings Bank. Hours will be from 8 a.m. to
noon.

The library is still accepting donations for the spring sale. Anyone
with donations should bring them to the library as soon as possible. Some
categories which sell well are popular fiction, children’s books,
cook books, westerns, and mysteries. Audio and video books are welcome.

All items will be marked for sale on June 17, which makes a this a
great opportunity to pick up bargains. Hard cover books will be $1,
pocketbooks 25 cents. Audio and video materials will be $1. Children's books will
be 25 cents.

This book sale is the main fund raiser for the Friends of the Grove
Library. The Friends support programs at the library, and this year
established the Friends of the Grove Public Library scholarship for a
Grove High School graduate.

All materials donated to the library are sorted by library staff.
Anything which can be used in the library is kept to be used. The
materials which are excess to library needs are what will be seen at the sale.

In the event of rain the morning of the sale, it will be postponed to
the next Saturday.
(from Correspondant Rose Stauber)