Sooner State Press (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 41, No. 27, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 2, 1949 Page: 1 of 4
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Volume 41
Norman Oklahoma April 2 1949
Number 27
Mrs Lillian Bray
Territorial Enid
Writer Succumbs
Widow of Populist Editor
Was Authority on Mexico
Onetime Capitol Columnist
Mrs Lillian A Bray 77 longtime
newspaperwoman and widow of a ter-
ritorial Enid editor died early in March
at a Springfield Mo rest home Fu-
neral services were held at Texas City
Tex
Born at Mount Victory Ohio in 1871
Lillian Williams moved west at an early
age to live with relatives in Kansas At
21 she took part in the Cherokee strip
run coming to Enid where she staked
her claim by train
She married Ralph E Bray founder
and proprietor of the Enid Coming
Events in December 1894 A promi-
nent Populist leader he had founded
the Coming Events a month after the
run
Husband Helped Boom Bryan
Bray was temorary chairman of the
first convention to nominate William J
Bryan for the presidency for the 1896
campaign Long afterward Mrs Bray
presented the gavel he used to Vice
President John N Garner who used it
while presiding over the US senate a
Mrs Bray helped her husband with
newspaper work during their years at
Enid In 1901 they moved to Joliet 111
where they operated a paper for a time
Four years later they went to Florida
where Bray grew pineapples and prac-
ticed law
Ruined financially by several freezes
Mr and Mrs Bray returned to jour-
nalism and by 1914 were operating the
Southeast Missourian Hunter Mo
Later he edited a weekly at Fallon
Nev
In 1918 Bray was appointed legal
adviser in the general land office of the
interior department Washington DC
He died in Washington in 1920
Mrs Bray Became Columnist
Mrs Bray later wrote a regular capi-
tol column for three Missouri news-
papers published by her son Ralph
In 1928 she joined him on the staff of
the Mission (Tex) Times writing a
column "With Valley Scribes"
At 57 Mrs Bray made an airplane
trip to Mexico She liked the country
so well that she spent much of her time
there for the next 10 years Her articles
on Mexico appeared in various Ameri-
can newspapers In 1941 she wrote a
book “Hands Across the Border"
based on her travels in remote Mexi-
can areas
Hancock Baby Dies
Anne Ransom Hancock 2-week-old
daughter of Mr and Mrs W Ransom
Hancock Hobart died March 26 Pre-
mature birth of the child was the cause
of death Hancock is editor and pub-
lisher of the Hobart Democrat-Chief
Garber Free Press
Has New Quarters
The Garber Free Press has moved
into new quarters in a building formerly
occupied by a cafe in the Garber busi-
ness district Frank N Jones editor
has announced
“An almost complete job shop and
small newspaper plant was brought m
from the Chandler area" Jones said
"and a large press for printing the 6-
column paper was brought from Hunt-
er" Knocked down for transporting the
press was being reassembled andwas
scheduled to print the March 31 issue
of the weekly Free Press -
Since the paper began regular publi-
cation in January it has been printed
on the presses of the Covington Record
Jones founded the Free Press in Sep-
tember 1948 after the Garber Sentinel
which he had edited for some 20 years
was placed under receivership as a re-
sult of a legal controversy which still
continues
WKY Gets Television
Antenna Muskogee
FM Station Expands
The television antenna of WKY
Oklahoma City first in Oklahoma was
in process of erection this week The
antenna will be placed atop the 915-foot
tower of the radio station north of Okla-
homa City
Fifty feet long and weighing more
than two and one-half tons it is made
of copper and steel
Meanwhile facilities of station KBIX-
FM Muskogee also are being expand-
ed The power will be increased from
250 to 1000 watts affording wider cov-
erage Joe Hasler - station manager
said
Work includes stringing of a coaxial
cables and installation of four doughnut-
shaped bay antennae at the top of the
radio tower
National Alpha Delta Sigma
President Speaks in State
Donald W Davis president of Alpha
Delta Sigma professional advertising
fraternity spoke at Norman and Okla-
homa City this week
He was the guest of the University of
Oklahoma chapter of the group at a
banquet Davis is on leave of absence
from Pennsylvania State college where
he directs advertising instruction
A graduate of Bates college Lewis-
to Me Davis is a former advertising
director of the Springfield (Mass) Re-
publican He acts as consultant for com-
panies in fields of advertising copy and
market research
Ferguson Files
Donated to OU
Journalism School
Nucleus of Memorial Library
To Be Formed by 37 Volumes
Of Watonga Republican
Files of the Watonga Republican ed-
ited by the late Mr and Mrs Thomp-
son B Ferguson have been donated
to the University of Oklahoma school
of journalism Benton Ferguson grand-
son of the pioneer editors placed the
37 volumes in the hands of the school
last week They cover the period from
1892 to 1930
The files will form the nucleus of the
memorial library of the school Even-
tually they will be displayed in the
newspaper collection in the proposed
Journalism ' building funds for which
now are being raised by the Oklahoma
Press association
Thompson B Ferguson was territo-
rial governor of Oklahoma from 1901 to
1906 He and Mrs Ferguson each drove
a covered wagon into Watonga in Oc-
tober 1892 hauling their small print-
ing outfit They had made the trip from
Sedan Kan
Their crusades against lawlessness
later became the basis for Edna Fer-
ber’s novel "Cimarron”
Mrs Ferguson Operated Paper
Ferguson died in 1921 and Mrs Fer-
guson continued to operate the Repub-
lican for the next nine years She sold
it February 25 1930 ending more than
37 years as assistant editor and later
publisher
Mrs Ferguson was the author of a
book “They Carried the Torch” which
described pioneer Oklahoma journal-
ism She died in December 1947
Since 1930 the Republican files had
been kept in the home of Mrs Walter
Ferguson Tulsa Scripps-Howard col-
umnist The late Walter Ferguson son
of the governor was at one time pub-
lisher of the Cherokee Republican He
died in 1936
Files Inherited
Benton son of Mr and Mrs Walter
Ferguson inherited the files from his
grandmother They are valuable not
only for their historical significance but
because they represent one of the state’s
outstanding newspapers
Recently vice president of George
Knox and associates Oklahoma City
advertising agency Benton Ferguson
became advertising director of the Fort
Worth (Tex) Press April 1
A graduate of the University of Okla-
homa he is a former vice president of
the Texas State Network Inc and of
Campbell-Mithun Advertising agency
Minneapolis Minn
The Alva Review-Courier has adopt-
eded an additional sports cartoon fea-
ture "Little Sport" by John Rouson
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Herbert, H. H. & Richardson, Truman. Sooner State Press (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 41, No. 27, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 2, 1949, newspaper, April 2, 1949; Norman, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1827358/m1/1/: accessed June 8, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.