March 2025

Members of the Underwood Club of Oklahoma Home and Community Education met recently in the home of Vicki Duncan for their March meeting.

Attending were Delpha Miklautsch, Ann Ricketts, Michele Rivers, Renee’ Schweitzer, Bernita Davis and Janan Fletcher.

Duncan gave the lesson titled “Sleep is a Super Power.”

Members contributed toward the ham for the December Christmas party. 

Fletcher will attend the SW OHCE district meeting March 27-28 in Duncan. 

Next meeting is set for 4 p.m. April 11 in the Schweitzer home.

Seth Levi Harrison of Oklahoma City passed away March 15, 2025, at the age of 45. Seth was born in El Reno on March 21, 1979, but after his father, James passed away, they moved to Stonewall, where he grew up. His mother, Margaret (Garrett) Harrison remarried and his stepdad, Daryl Harrison adopted him. 

Shortly after the El Reno girls won their second straight Class 5A state championship, I was stopped on press row and asked a question I was not ready to answer.

“You’ve got to be excited,” inquired one media member.

To the victor go the spoils as El Reno High School’s boys basketball team, the outright league champion, claimed nine spots on the five lists making up the 2025 All District 5A-1 Team.

Three of those honors were superlative awards as Rodney Haydon was named Coach of the Year. He was joined by senior Tre Davis, who was named Player of the Year, and senior Carter Roman Nose, who was tabbed as Defensive Player of the Year. Carter also earned a first-team spot.

Michael Gene Brown (Mike) was born May 26, 1954, in Waurika, Oklahoma, to Charlene (Snider) and Homer Brown. He passed from this life on Friday, March 14, 2025, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 70. 

Mike graduated from Waurika High School in 1972 and later earned a bachelor’s degree from Cameron University. On February 1, 1980, he married Denise, and to this union two children were born: Tyler and Sarah. 

El Reno High School fell a few pounds and points shy of winning its second championship of 2025 as the boys squad earned a runner-up finish at the 2025 Oklahoma Powerlifting Coaches Association’s State Meet.

The Indians had seven lifters in the high school division as El Reno racked up 47 points. Durant won the Class 5A team chase with 54 points.

El Reno High School’s girls golf team posted its first sub-400 team score of the 2025 season but now know they have work left to do to make an impact on the state tourney level.

Playing the Class 5A Girls State Preview at Lincoln Park, El Reno took seventh with a 394. Carl Albert won the title with a 347, followed by Duncan (352), Bishop McGuinness (357), Ada (371), Tulsa Bishop Kelley (380) and Lawton MacArthur (392).

El Reno freshman Radley Miller (44-47) and junior Lily Elliott (48-43) led El Reno’s effort with duplicate rounds of 91.

OKLAHOMA CITY – For just the third time in the storied 60-year history of the Jim Norick Arena, the Class 5A Girls Oklahoma State High School Basketball Championships was settled between a pair of past winners.

El Reno, the defending state champion, was expected to have an uphill battle in defense of that title against four-time winner Booker T. Washington, led by Baylor signee Marcayla Johnson.

While Johnson scored a team-high 24 points, 16 coming in the second half, the Hornets proved no match for El Reno.

With her body aching from a hard fall taken a quarter earlier, Raegan Bugaj stepped to the free-throw line at the Jim Norick Arena with 5.7 seconds left in the state title game.

She gently lifted up her glasses and wiped away a mixture of sweat and tears from under each eye.

“It was tears,” said Bugaj.

A grand opening ceremony opened the newly constructed Cheyenne and Arapaho Travel Center, located off Exit 108 on I-40, west of El Reno. 

Beatrice Fingernail, general manager for the new travel center, welcomed those attending the celebration. 

“It wasn’t too long ago we were doing the groundbreaking here and I was just a worker in IT. Now looking at everything and how our tribe has flourished and has come with another business, this is really an amazing day.