Each year the Kiwanis Club or Watonga awards multiple scholarships to worthy graduating seniors. The scholarships and their recipients this year include:
‘Cowboy’ Curtin – Mr. Curtin grew up in Wyoming. He was a former Oklahoma A&M (now OSU) quarterback. He married Dr. Virginia Curtin and moved to Watonga in 1941. He published the Watonga Republican newspaper for 24 years and was an active Kiwanis member. This year’s recipient was Anais Campos
E.O. Wheeler – Mr. Wheeler was an agricultural pioneer and entrepreneur in Watonga and Western Oklahoma. This year’s recipient was Kyler Parham
Ernest T Hoberecht, Jr. – Mr. Hoberecht was an accomplished journalist. This year’s recipient was Wade McCrary
E. Blumhagen – Mr. Blumhagen was a long-time attorney in Watonga and former Speaker of the House of Representatives in Oklahoma. He served in the capacity of Governor of Oklahoma on an interim basis for a short period of time. Mr. Blumhagen was also a 60-year member of the Watonga Kiwanis Club. This year’s recipient was Noah Hightower
Frank Moudry – Mr. Moudry was a farmer and accomplished narrator of history in Watonga for many years. He was extremely active in Kiwanis and largely responsible for much of our club’s growth. This year’s recipients were Emma Hussey & Lavender Cisneros
Anissa Quinlan – Ms. Quinlan was a loyal member of Kiwanis whose life was tragically taken early in an automobile accident. Anissa had an infectious smile and a zest for volunteering. She tried to live her life by the phrase “pay it forward”. This year’s recipient was Skylar Cox
Dr. S. M. Barrett - Dr. Barrett, after serving as a captain in the Army Medical Corps during WWII in Europe, practiced dentistry in Watonga for 50 years. In addition to Kiwanis Club, where he was a member for over 50 years, he also actively participated in and supported the First Methodist Church of Watonga, 12 years on the Watonga School Board, the Oklahoma Dental Association, Jr. Jaycees, Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts, 4-H club and VFW. This year’s recipient was Eden Waggoner
Oliver Hursh – Mr. Hursh graduated from Watonga High School in 1955. He spent many years devoting his time to the betterment of the Watonga community. He served in the Kiwanis Club for a number of years where he was one of our past Presidents. Most notably, he was instrumental in helping to organize the summer youth program, which we still carry on today. He was also active in coaching pee-wee baseball and wrestling. Other community involvement included serving on the Watonga City Council, the Watonga School Board, being President of the Watonga All Sports Association, the Watonga Soccer Club, and was the first president of the Watonga Take Down Club. He was also a past member of the Watonga Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Hursh is a great example of what you can and should do to get involved in your community after graduating to make your community a better place. This year’s recipient was Kaitlynn Kalicki
G.E. Gaines – Mr. Gaines was a former educator in Cordell, Hitchcock and Greenfield. He also served more than 10 years as Blaine County Superintendent. As a Watonga Kiwanis Club member he had perfect attendance for 48 consecutive years. This year’s recipient was Ethan Henderson
Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com