Studentsof '59 Bid Farewell to House Full of Memories

Volume 37

Number 1

Winter 2006

Students of '59 Bid Farewell to House Full of Memories

By Krista Duhon
Reprinted Courtesy of The Miami News-Record
9/27/05

PICHER -- He swallowed hard as he thought about bringing the cold arm of a trackhoe against the cedar shingles of the sturdy little house. The irony was nearly too much for the experienced demolition man. This one, he knew for certain, was more than just a house.

Never in the past 47 years did Lloyd Stone envision that it would be his own hand that destroyed the home he worked so hard to build in 1959. He was much younger then, as were the dozen or so Picher-Cardin athletes who signed up for "shop" class that year. It was not a passion for carpentry that brought them to Burl Mullins' class, but rather a secured place in a sixth-hour gym class and three hours of what they thought would be an easy route to a good grade and eligibility to play sports.

It was anything but easy.

Thursday, nine of the teenage builders gathered to say goodbye to the house at 200 S. Alta St. The three bedroom home was the first of an estimated 20 houses built in Picher and Cardin by members of the school's technical and industrial arts students. The home is among dozens planned for demolition due to lead contamination that has plagued the majority of homes in the former mining town.

"This place holds a lot of memories," Stone said.

Stories of mishaps and mischief poured out of the former classmates as they walked through the empty house designed nearly half a century ago for Dewey and Clara Berry.

"From the day we started, we were throwing mud balls and putting sheetrock mud down people's pants," Tony Murray said.

There were shoving matches and rough-housing that brought about more work for the young carpenters who did extra duty patching holes in broken sheetrock.

"I think Bob Abernathy probably went through every wall in this house," Mike Lee said. After all these years, Lee still remembers that the walls were painted with a color called "sandalwood" and that it covered the scars on many patched walls where his classmate left an impression.

Notably remembered for a fall from a ladder that put the 6-foot, 7-inch, 325-pound senior through the home's exterior east wall, the late Abernathy was also remembered for his contributions to what became referred to as "the Berry home."

Nine students of the 1959 technical and industrial arts class at Picher-Cardin High School gathered Thursday to say goodbye and walk through a house they built together nearly a half-century ago. Pictured are (front row, from left) Mike Lee, Tony Murray, Dany Garner, Buddy Kerley, LeRoy Anderson, (back row, from left) Walter Emarthla, Ron Williams, Lloyd Stone and Bill Parkison.
Photo by KRISTA DUHON

From hard wood floors to the kitchen cabinetry to the mitered corners of the crown molding, the boys of '59 said it took the entire school year to finish the project. But, none would trade the experience for an easier lot.

The year with Mullins brought carpentry skills that most still use today -- but that is not the only thing they hold dear. Repeated in their recollections of their experience are the words "friendship," "love," "memories," "fun," "proud" and "he was the best teacher in the world."

Mullins is 80 years old now and lives in Marshall, Texas. Stone placed a call to his former teacher and he and his classmates passed around a cell phone to share their boyhood memories with a teacher who earned their respect.

"We all learned something out of Picher schools," said Danny Garner, a junior in high school when he helped to build the Berry home. "You hear a lot of bad news about Picher, but it is not bad. The teachers were great. I wish we had paid more attention to them."

Mullins left Picher the summer after the Berry home was completed. He put his skills of carpentry to work outside the classroom. But the tradition of housebuilding continued for many years.

The class of '59 said Picher-Cardin will never see a finer teacher.

"God bless you guys," Mullins said as he listened to a string of students introduce themselves and wish him well. "Precious memories ... it is good to hear your voices. I cherish this so much. You know, the days are long and the nights are long -- this makes a good day for me."

The day was also good for the group of men who stifled their own emotions as they listened to Mullins express his gratitude. They agreed that the house, which was home to thousands of memories for the Berry family, was also the dwelling place of memories that helped to define the men they became.

"I am glad I was here for this," Lee said. "This house is special to me. We built this house together and I will remember it until the day I die."

The Berrys

Dewey and Clara Berry paid for the materials needed to build their home. An additional amount equal to percent of the cost of the materials was given to the Picher-Cardin School District as payment for the services of the technical and industrial arts class.

In addition, the Berrys gave each of the student carpenters a brand new white, button-down shirt -- a luxury that most of the boys did not have.

B.J. Osburn, the great-grandson of the Berrys, said his great-grandparents offered the shirts with hopes that the students would wear them proudly to church every Sunday.

"My (great-)grandparents were wonderful people," Osburn said. "They loved this house and they took care of it."

The Berrys would drink tea on the porch and have conversations all day long with passers-by, according to Osburn. It was a comfort they enjoyed until the day they died.

"It was just like Mayberry, people would walk by, wave or sit and talk while they drank big glasses of iced tea," Osburn said.

The house holds lots of memories for Osburn who said it has remained in the family all of these years.

He learned how to work on cars from his grandfather who offered his advice in the driveway. He watched television in the only room in the house where it was allowed -- the garage that was converted into a den.

"It is very hard to walk through this house now," Osburn said as he looked around at the empty rooms.

His eyes teared a bit as he thought of its demise.

"This is tough," he said. "I spent most of my life right here in this house."