Longtime Coach, AD Skillern Dies By John A. Ferguson Published: 1/14/1996 Last Modified: 3/30/2008 6:43 AM GRADY SKILLERN, retired athletic director of the Tulsa Public School system who changed lives just by living his own, died Saturday. He was 97. Skillern compiled an overall basketball coaching record of 529-134 at El Reno, Oklahoma City Classen and at Central High School in Tulsa before devoting full time to Tulsa schools as an athletic director. Retired Webster coach Bill Allen said Skillern was a four-square individual. "Coach's philosophy was divided into four parts -- mental, physical, social and spiritual," said Allen. "He was the ultimate role model." Funeral services will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Tulsa at 2 p.m. Monday under the direction of Stanleys Funeral Service. Contributions to his memory should go to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Tulsa Boys Home. Survivors include a son, Grady B. Skillern and wife, Lu, of Anahuac, Texas; a daughter, Ms. Sandra Donahue of Rancho Cucamanga, Calif., four grandchildren, Mrs. Floyd (Caren) Reiman and Mrs. David (Sandi) Fadler of Tulsa, and Steve Donahue and Mrs. Tom (Kathy) Stuhler of Dallas, and three great-grandchildren. People mattered more to Skillern than compiling victories. After their high school days, Skillern often kept in touch with his students. During the Depression, he helped Red Pemberton, who went on to become a sports official, find lodging at the YMCA and a job after practice. Allen told the story
of how Wally Tipsword's plane was shot down in World War II. "Wally (who later played basketball at the University of Tulsa) had trouble getting his parachute to open. In the midst of the problem, Wally hadn't forgotten coach Skillern's words of "never to quit,' and the parachute finally kicked open." Skillern was Oklahoma State basketball coach Henry Iba's predecessor at Classen High School in Oklahoma City. And when Mr. Iba recommended Eddie Sutton, a grad assistant at OSU at the time (spring of 1959) for the Central head coaching job, Skillern agreed to the interview. After Skillern extolled the responsibilities of coaching at the biggest school (Central) in the city and its rich basketball traditions, he asked, "Are you sure you're ready to be a head coach?" To which Sutton replied, "I sure am." That Skillern had an intuitive sense when it came to hiring coaches fresh out of college is true. Sutton went on to NCAA Division I basketball success at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State. In that same time period in which he hired Sutton, Skillern recommended Chuck Bowman as football coach and Ned Blass as wrestling coach at Central. Bowman replaced John Payne at Central, another hiree by Skillern. He also hired H.J. Green for Hale High School. Each of those selections made their marks. Bowman went on to become executive director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which Skillern supported from the founding days of Eastern Oklahoma basketball coach Don McClanen. Green was Washington High School principal and executive director of the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association before taking a position in California. Payne went on to coach at Abilene Christian. Ira Sparks, now an insurance agent in Midland, Texas, and semi-retired Tulsa architect Paul Heap remembered how coach Skillern stressed free throws in the 1938 state championship season. Muskogee had beaten Central twice that year, but the third time was the charm from the free-throw line. Sparks made 7-of-7 and Heap 5-of-5 from the line as the Braves won 37-31 in the state semifinals. The Braves beat Oklahoma City Central 33-27 for the title the next night. "I knew Grady was special," said Allen, who started for Central as a sophomore in 1941. "He could have been an outstanding football coach, too." What Allen noted most of all was that Skillern gave an equal amount of attention to the reserves. He didn't limit his focus to the starters. "For example, Sam Aubrey, who never started for Grady at Central, was a regular on Oklahoma A&M's championship team," Allen recalled. "He knew how to handle groups, as well as individuals." Away from the sporting scene, Skillern had been active in the Rotary Club of Tulsa since 1955. In fact, Skillern was the recipient of the highest award Rotary can give (the Paul Harris Medal). Skillern demonstrated the service to others in his daily living, and the rewards from his athletes came back twofold. Skillern was a Hall of Fame official, too. For 25 years he officiated football games in the Big Eight and Southwest Conferences, as well as two bowl games. Allen was scheduled to officiate an NEO football game on a Friday night, and then coach Red Robertson of the Norsemen told him to bring a couple of other officials with him. "Friday is a high school football night, and it was difficult to find anybody to help," said Allen. "However, Grady had a college game at Missouri on Saturday, and he offered to help on the NEO game. That's the kind of individual he was." From 1938 to 1965, Skillern and his wife, Myrtle (a marriage that lasted 62 years until her death in 1988) operated Kamp Ke-Mo near Rockaway Beach, Mo. Skillern always said if he was greeted with "Skipper', he knew the individual was a camper. If the greeting was "coach', Skillern knew it was a former student or player. Not only was Wednesday Rotary day, but it was a weekly coffee group meeting with Whitley Cox, a track letterman at Central during Skillern's first year at the school. Allen and his wife, Nancy, took Skillern to church each Sunday at First Presbyterian where he and Myrtle joined in 1933. Former Tulsan Shelby Metcalf, who came out of a broken home, credited Skillern with putting him on the right path. "He's a gentleman, a coach, a teacher, a role model, a father figure and a sociologist all in one package, and he lived what he taught," wrote Metcalf in author Victoria Lee's "Unforgettable Grady' published a year ago.
By John A. Ferguson
JHCIII was Choctaw chief at Camp Kemo 1964. opposing Cherokee chief was Leonard.
Children
Grady Brazil Skillern b 5/22/1932 Tulsa d 5/11/2005 Houston. m Joanne Short
Sandra Skillern m Joe M Luton
also last name seen as Crawford
Wiley
Father: John Wesley CASSIDY b: 23 Aug 1841 in Leopold, Perry, Indiana, USA Mother: Mary Francis(Euphrasia) FYIE b: 1861/1862 in Belgium
lds has m 4/1/1909
Carl Cassidy (1885-1976) homesteaded in the Big Pasture near Grandfield, Oklahoma in 1906, after moving his family here by train from southern Illinois. He began grain elevator operations as the Northwestern Grain Elevator Co. in 1921. He later purchased the E.O. Billingslea Elevator, and the Calvert Elevator on the Northwestern Railroad at the present location in Frederick, Oklahoma. This facility consisted of a single, 100,000-bushel capacity wooden grain elevator. Merchandising farmer grain such as wheat, milo and corn, he was also a cotton merchant, and retailed Superior brand feeds, seed, coal and fuel. Cassidy Grain Co. joined the Oklahoma Grain & Feed Association in 1934, and has held continuous membership since that time. The grain facilities were expanded in 1948 with the addition of a 500,000-bushel capacity concrete grain elevator adjacent to the wooden elevator. In January 1950, the wooden grain elevator and office structure burned to the ground. Construction began immediately on a 100,000-bushel capacity concrete elevator replacement, and in 1951 a concrete annex was completed providing a total concrete grain storage capacity in Frederick of 768,000 bushels. After World War II, Carl’s son, William E. Cassidy (1912-1979) returned home to Frederick to take over the operations of the family business. In the 1950’s he added Anhydrous Ammonia and Dry Fertilizer to the services provided to farmers. He constructed a 400,000 bushel capacity flat grain storage facility to accommodate increased grain storage demand. A certified seed cleaning facility was built to round out a complete, modern, farm-to-market service center. Bill Cassidy operated the company until his death in 1979 when his sons, Mike and Brent returned home to Frederick to continue as the third generation of Cassidys to operate the family business. As bumper wheat crops in the early 1980’s enticed an increased demand for storage space, Cassidy Grain Co. expanded by purchasing the Kimball Elevator in Manitou, Oklahoma from the Chickasha Cotton Oil Co. in 1981, and the Bunge Elevator in Hollister, Oklahoma in 1982. These purchases increased the total storage capacity to over 2,000,000 bushels of space. The business further expanded into the custom application of dry and liquid fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, soil sampling and crop consultation services, production credit financing, bulk dry and liquid fertilizer storage facilities, lime application, bulk feeds, a bulk retail fuel outlet, a trucking company and custom construction equipment leasing. The recent purchase of Frederick Lumber Co. has expanded Cassidy Grain Co. into the retail lumber business. Cassidy Bros., Inc. and Cassidy Grain Co. were incorporated in 1985 as Oklahoma corporations. Principal stockholders are Mike and Brent Cassidy, who continue to operate the business, serving farmers, and reflecting the principals and values of their forefathers to this date. Michele Kinder, daughter of William E. Cassidy, joined the firm as Office Manager in 1998. The fourth generation of Cassidy’s, Chase, Will, and Kindra have recently joined the firm as full time employees, poised to take over the family business, with Krissy Cassidy working as a part time employee. Cassidy Grain Co. consists of three grain elevator facilities headquartered in Frederick, Oklahoma, with harvest-only locations in Hollister, and Manitou, Oklahoma. Total storage capacity exceeds 2,000,000 bushels of space. Operations include a fleet of seven liquid and dry custom fertilizer application rigs, and tender and nurse trucks. Services include seed conditioning, retail feed, seed, fertilizer and farm supplies sold to agricultural producers. 2004 addition of bulk fertilizer storage facility, known as Walker Fertilizer, (Owned by Cassidy Bros., Inc.) includes 750-ton bulk dry storage and blending, and 2400-ton bulk liquid tank. Manitou Fertilizer Co. is a bulk dry fertilizer storage facility located in Manitou, Okla. Anhydrous ammonia is retailed from bulk storage facilities at Frederick and Hollister, Okla. Cassidy Bros. Trucking Co. owns two (2) semi-truck tractors, plus eight (8) various related trailers. Separately incorporated, CBTC hauls exclusively for Cassidy Grain Co., hauling grain, and ag-input supplies, such as liquid and dry fertilizer, feed, seed and farm supplies.
7 kids
have seen d 5/27/1967
Frances Cassidy Hamilton
Funeral Mass for Frances M. Cassidy Hamilton, age 91, of Lawton, Oklahoma will be at 2:00 p.m., Friday, May 22, 2009 at St. Helen’s Catholic Church with Father Joseph Sundar officiating. A rosary will be held at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 21, 2009 at Jackson Funeral Home Chapel led by Deacon Ray Wallace. Burial will follow in the Frederick Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Jackson Funeral Home of Frederick. Mrs. Hamilton passed away on Tuesday morning, May 19, 2009 at Southwestern Medical Center in Lawton.
Frances Marie (Cassidy) Hamilton was born on July 3, 1917 to Carl and Celine (Belva) Cassidy in Frederick, Oklahoma. She attended Frederick Public Schools and graduated from Frederick High School in 1935. Frances went on to graduate in 1940 with a Bachelor Degree in Business from the University of Oklahoma in Norman. She was married on July 12, 1944 to Hilmer Reiley who preceded her in death. In 1983, she married her pre-World War II sweetheart Ward Hamilton, who preceded her in death in 2001. Frances was a life long Catholic and was active in the San Antonio, Texas women’s civic clubs, organizations and sororities.
She is survived by 15 nieces and nephews: Kathleen Mattox, Richard Nichols, Orville Nichols, John Nichols, Mary Celine Hardcastle, Carlton Nichols, Carl Krueger, Julia Waters, Tonie DuPerry, Marilyn Danielson, Carolyn Levings, Kay Cole, Michael Cassidy, Brent Cassidy, Michele Kinder, and numerous great nieces and nephews and several great-great nieces and nephews.
She was proceeded in death by her mother and father, her brother: W.E. (Bill) Cassidy, three sisters: Anna Mae Knittel, Ida Prater, and Mary Nichols, an infant brother; and one nephew: Jim Knittel.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation or St. Helen’s Catholic Church in memory of Frances Cassidy Hamilton.
Frances Cassidy Hamilton
Funeral Mass for Frances M. Cassidy Hamilton, age 91, of Lawton, Oklahoma will be at 2:00 p.m., Friday, May 22, 2009 at St. Helen’s Catholic Church with Father Joseph Sundar officiating. A rosary will be held at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 21, 2009 at Jackson Funeral Home Chapel led by Deacon Ray Wallace. Burial will follow in the Frederick Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Jackson Funeral Home of Frederick. Mrs. Hamilton passed away on Tuesday morning, May 19, 2009 at Southwestern Medical Center in Lawton.
Frances Marie (Cassidy) Hamilton was born on July 3, 1917 to Carl and Celine (Belva) Cassidy in Frederick, Oklahoma. She attended Frederick Public Schools and graduated from Frederick High School in 1935. Frances went on to graduate in 1940 with a Bachelor Degree in Business from the University of Oklahoma in Norman. She was married on July 12, 1944 to Hilmer Reiley who preceded her in death. In 1983, she married her pre-World War II sweetheart Ward Hamilton, who preceded her in death in 2001. Frances was a life long Catholic and was active in the San Antonio, Texas women’s civic clubs, organizations and sororities.
She is survived by 15 nieces and nephews: Kathleen Mattox, Richard Nichols, Orville Nichols, John Nichols, Mary Celine Hardcastle, Carlton Nichols, Carl Krueger, Julia Waters, Tonie DuPerry, Marilyn Danielson, Carolyn Levings, Kay Cole, Michael Cassidy, Brent Cassidy, Michele Kinder, and numerous great nieces and nephews and several great-great nieces and nephews.
She was proceeded in death by her mother and father, her brother: W.E. (Bill) Cassidy, three sisters: Anna Mae Knittel, Ida Prater, and Mary Nichols, an infant brother; and one nephew: Jim Knittel.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation or St. Helen’s Catholic Church in memory of Frances Cassidy Hamilton.
Father: Charles Jean Joseph BELVA b: 19 AUG 1814 in Chiny, Belgium Mother: Margaret (Marguerite) MEUNIER b: 27 MAY 1816 in Chiny, Belgium
Father: John (Jean) Baptiste DEOM b: 7 OCT 1806 in Rulles (B) Mother: Marie Therese HALBARDIER
Amarillo Globe-News, Jan. 25, 2003
Anna Mae Knittel FREDERICK, Okla.
- Anna Mae Knittel, 93, died Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2003, in Mesquite, Texas. Rosary was said at 7 p.m. Friday in Gray Gish Funeral Home Chapel with Ray Wallace, deacon, officiating. Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. today in St. Helen's Catholic Church with the Rev. Louis Sellam, pastor, and Ray Wallace, deacon, officiating. Burial will be in Frederick Memorial Cemetery. Mrs. Knittel was born Nov. 15, 1909, to Carl and Celine Cassidy, west of Grandfield. She attended school and graduated high school in Frederick. She graduated college from University of Oklahoma with a bachelor in education. She taught school in Drumwright and Kingfisher. She was united in marriage Sept. 13, 1938, to James N. Knittel. She also taught at St. Mary's Academy in Amarillo, where she retired. She moved to Dallas in June 1997. She enjoyed reading, cooking, quilting and gardening. She was Catholic. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband on Nov. 14, 1985; a son, Jim Knittel; a brother, Bill Cassidy; and two sisters, Ida Prater and Mary Nichols. Survivors include a daughter, Marilyn Danielson and husband, Tom, of Dallas; a daughter-in-law, Cara Knittel of Brunsville, Minn.; a sister, Frances Reiley Hamilton of Lawton, Okla.; and her grandchildren, Jim and Katherine Knittel of Minnesota, Beth Knittel of San Francisco, Chris Danielson and wife, Lori, of Dallas, Chad Danielson of Dallas and Cynthia Danielson of Brooklyn, N.Y. The family suggests memorials be to St. Helen's Catholic Church, 507 Highview St., Frederick, OK 73542.