Services for Joe “Tinker” Merritt of Minco will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 at Minco First Baptist Church, with burial following at the Evergreen Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Tinker passed away Sept. 18, 2024, at his home. He was born Sept. 4, 1933, in Minco and was raised in the Minco community, graduating from Minco High School in 1951. He was employed with Tinker Air Force Base, retiring in 1987 as an item manager. He was a member of Minco First Baptist Church.

People matter.

Their stories matter. 

That’s a major point of the lesson Brian Rukes set out to convey to his students as they embarked on a journey to recognize the El Reno men who gave their lives for this nation during a time of war. 

Along the way, the lesson adopted a code the El Reno High School English teacher and district historian strives to live by: “If not me, then who? And if not now, when?”

When Brian Rukes isn’t teaching English to El Reno High School students or working to build the Gold Star Plaza at Memorial Stadium, he spends his spare time taking EHS reunion groups on tours of the beloved high school. 

Rukes spent countless hours researching the early years of EHS, which started in 1892. Class photos of those early years have been created and in another research assignment, Rukes’ students took on the task of identifying the students.

A construction crew hired by Preservation El Reno is making steady progress to replace the roof at the historic Canadian County Jail.

The nonprofit is raising funds to make upgrades and repairs to the 117-year-old building, which they plan to turn into a museum and education center.

Amy Neathery, a member of the El Reno City Council and an attorney, serves as president of Preservation El Reno.

Last week she encouraged Canadian County officials to sign rafter boards before they are installed on the new roof.