July 29, 2020 Issue, Page 2 of 16

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Page 2, Section A The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Wednesday, July 29, 2020 6-years-old.” City resident, was honored Baker of Dr. Baker, that even late his practice. LV is one of the in life, he never lost his love very few people I know that She was delighted when to have L.V, has her doctor, of music and singing. It was I’ve never heard a bad word they worked together on the co-worker and friend. Continued from page 1. a bittersweet moment, but about him. Most of us have pageants. “[ met L.V. 55 years ago “They've got a lasting leg- this was a guy that lived acquired a few enemies over “LV and Pat served on the when I was pregnant with my acy, definite fingerprint on his life to the fullest, he got the years, but LV was just board years ago, and were daughter; he was my O.B. this town for sure,” Ediger every single ounce that he a very nice gentleman, and the biggest supporters of our doctor,” she said. “We spent said. could get out of his 92 years, he was always active in the pageant,” Mikles said.” They years working together on Ediger’s final encounter and people could learn a lot community.” gave scholarships, signifi- the school board and in the with Dr. Baker is something from him.” Ronda Mikles, also of Elk cant scholarships every year gift shop at the museum. He that he will never forget. Dr. Baker even made a City and director of the Miss to the winner of the swimsuit was truly one of my favorite “T loved him to death, and lasting impression on people Elk City/Miss Queen of the competition. They were sup- humans on earth. What he I'm going to miss him,” that didn’t know him very West dual pageant, worked porters since the beginning. did for Elk City and Western he said. “I saw him for the well personally. with L.V. in connection with They were icons, treasures, Oklahoma was phenomenal. last time at Christmas time. Bob Maine has lived in the competitions but first to the pageant board. Hon- He loved O.U., Sooner born Our choir goes and carols Elk City since 1964 and is met the Baker family a life- estly, they were huge sup- and Sooner bred, and he did at nursing homes and retire- 86 years old now. L.V. used time ago. porters of Elk City anything. not like to lose. I will never ment villages. We made it to be his doctor. “LV’s father was our fam- The Bakers were an institu- forget, when I moved into a point to go and see him. I “T was here when he first ily doctor,” she said. “My tion in Elk City. People like the home I’m in now, he don’t think he remembered came back to town as a doc- mom worked for his father that, when they pass away, showed up with no less than us, but when we started sing- tor,” Maine said. “He was as a receptionist in his of- they leave behind a legacy.A 15 plants for my landscap- ing the Christmas carols, he young and very understand- fice. My history with the love for our pageant, a love ing. | always understood that got right in there with us ing. He was an excellent, Bakers goes back 60 years, for Elk City, and he will be if I needed anything, I just and was singing right along. excellent doctor. It was a big ever since my family moved greatly missed.” had to call him or Pat. Oh, That will be my last memory loss when he retired from to Elk City when I was RosaBea Johnson, Elk how I'll miss him.” Courthouse Visitors rentals year after year and was on track to have a re- cord year until COVID-19 and that Elk City still will be a great destination that they will continue to come to,” Continued from page 1. [email protected] Continued from page 1. hit, Lenius said. she said. “Because I didn’t are having to be made in “I do believe the role I County Court Clerk do all this hard work for it 580-928-3330 all sorts of different busi- played is bigger than any to fall apart. It’s dear to me. County Sheriff one person,” she said. “It’s and Elk City is definitely re- Donna Howell @oscn.net nesses and entities across the 580-928-2121 country, and Elk City is not never been about me. It’s silient.” [email protected] different,” she said. always been about Elk City Lenius said she expects Election Board 580-928-3314 She appreciates the leaders at heart, and I do think that to stay in Elk City. She has in town - the mayor and city shined through.” community connections County Commissioners’ commissioners — for serving She talked about other as- District Attorney pects of job, such as repre- through the Kiwanis Club Executive Assistant during these hard times. 580-928-5555 Lenius said she thought senting Elk City at the state and church and wants to 580-928-2457 raise her children here. during her tenure that her and national level at confer- Emergency Management commissioners @ beck- bureau did some “incredible ences and meetings, and Elk “This is home, and besides 580-928-9264 hamcounty.org my parents’ home, this is things for our community,” City received many visitors beckhameoc@beckham- including bringing some coming here because of that. the longest place I’ve ever county.org groups to Elk City, such as “T look back and I’m so lived in my life,” she said. “1 County Clerk the North American Falcon- proud of what we managed fought for Elk City because I OSU—Ag Extension 580-928-3383 ers Association. More than want my kids to move back to accomplish in the last five 580-928-2139 [email protected] 30 states and six different years, and I know that times here when they get older. greg.hartman@okstate. countries were represented are tough, but as I reached And we love it. It’s our little edu here a few years ago at the out to different organiza- piece of heaven right here. It County Assessor event. The convention cen- tions and groups that we would have to be one heck of County Treasurer 580-928-3329 ter, which she oversaw, hosted, I let them know that a deal to ever get me to leave 580-928-2589 assessor @bcaook.com stayed busy and increased the transition will be smooth Elk City.” Getting the last $1 million for Oklahoma City bombing memorial proves a challenge By Chris Casteel, The City. Park Service and pledged $5 for years, played a major But the House parliamen- Oklahoman Some hold positions that million in federal funds to role in ending them in the tarian wouldn’t approve that Buried in the massive de- have been leveraged to get be matched by $5 million in Senate, despite opposition language for the House bill. fense bills approved last language into the defense private money. from Inhofe. So Lucas and Cole authored week by the House and Sen- bill, as it would normally be Former Rep. Ernest Is- The money for the memo- an entirely different amend- ate were very short provi- part of legislation involving took, a Republican who rep- rial fell off the radar, and the ment, one that requires a sions aimed at getting the the Department of Interior. resented downtown Okla- challenges for securing the financial update on the me- final installment mounted. federal government to meet As chairman of the Senate homa City then, was an morial. Delegation works on solu- That language was intend- an obligation made 16 years Armed Services Committee, influential member of the tion ago to the Oklahoma City Inhofe will be key to getting ed just to get something into House Appropriations Com- Watkins never forgot National Memorial & Mu- the language into law, since mittee. He and Inhofe were about it. the House defense bill about seum. he will be one of the law- able to secure $3 million of the Oklahoma City memo- And when she and the mu- If all goes as planned - makers writing the final ver- the federal funds in 2005 seum’s staff and volunteers rial so when House and Sen- and it took quite a plan - the sion of the defense bill.through earmarks. That was began working on the 25th ate negotiators worked on a bombing memorial’s endow- The Republican senator back in the days when law- anniversary observance of final version of the defense ment will get the last $1 mil- said there had been some makers packed spending the bombing - which was bill, the two different sec- lion promised by legislation opposition to the language bills with billions of dollars tions could be reconciled this year - she approached approved when President but that he was confident it in local projects. members of the state’s con- into one clear provision. George W. Bush was in his would become law. In 2006, when Istook tried gressional delegation. “When we can get it” first term. “That will be a reality,” he to put the rest of the $2 mil- Watkins recalled, “We Even in a_ presidential “When we started this said in an interview. lion into a spending bill, a were (saying), ‘It’s still due election year, with a very North Carolina Republican to us, and do we go fight for divided Congress, during a process, I was on maternity Unusual structure whose subcommittee over- it or do we just forget it? We pandemic, the national de- leave with my daughter - From its inception, the who is now driving,” said Oklahoma City memorial saw funding for the National really need to go get this.”” fense bill is expected to be- Kari Watkins, executive di- As congressional _ staff come law. According to In- Park Service, blocked the had an unusual organization- money; the same congress- hofe, Congress has passed a rector of the Oklahoma City al structure, one designed to man had also blocked money members began exploring a defense authorization bill 59 National Memorial & Mu- use the National Park Ser- way through the red tape to for the memorial in Pennsyl- the money, they discovered years in a row. seum. vice but maintain local con- vania for Flight 93, the hi- If the memorial gets the $1 Obstacles to getting the trol through a government- jacked plane forced down by that the fund created when million, the money will go last installment of the $5 owned corporation. passengers before it could the memorial was a unit of into the memorial’s endow- million owed have been The structure didn’t work; reach a target in Washington, the National Park Service ment. many, but the biggest were there were problems meet- DC.,on 9-11, no longer existed, so there “T wish I'd had the million the structural changes in the ing government accounting Istook ran unsuccessfully needed to be a new account dollars in our endowment memorial’s organization and requirements and paying for governor in 2006, giving to which the $1 million growing the last decade, but Congress’ move away from National Park Service em- up his House seat and the in- could be directed. we'll take it when we can earmarking money for local ployees through a trust. fluence on spending. And the earmark ban is get it,” said Watkins, who projects. Legislation overhauling Members of the delegation still in place, so lawmakers praised the delegation’s te- were able to secure $1 mil- Members of Oklahoma’s the memorial organization couldn’t just write a line- nacity. congressional delegation was approved in 2004, The lion in 2010, leaving $1 mil- item in a spending bill. The memorial and mu- lion owed. have been working on a so- trust created to operate the When Ohio Republi- Inhofe’s staff wrote lan- seum have been hurt by the lution, with Sen. Jim Inhofe site was dissolved, and the can John Boehner became guage amending the 1997 loss of visitors during the and Rep. Frank Lucas lead- Park Service took on the speaker of the House in legislation that created the pandemic, The memorial ing the effort with assists responsibility for paying 2011, he banned earmarks. memorial to allow the Park received a Paycheck Protec- from others, including Reps. workers at the memorial site. And the late Oklahoma Re- Service to provide the $1 tion Program loan, which Tom Cole, R-Moore, and The bill made the memori- publican Sen. Tom Coburn, million from its recreation can be forgiven, and has cut Kendra Horn. D-Oklahoma al an affiliate of the National who fought against earmarks and preservation account. expenses.