A story by Betty Chapman
May 5, 2009
 

For sometime, I have wanted to connect with Mary Ruth McCulley.  Her daddy, J.W. McCulley, preached a Revival Meeting in the Victor School House, in 1939, I believe.  He was Pastor of the Baptist Church in Greenfield, at that time.   I was about 11 years old, and was saved in that Revival Meeting, and was baptized in my Aunt Millie’s pond, shortly after that, thus becoming a member of the Baptist Church at Greenfield, but didn’t attend, because my family was not involved in Church as I was growing up.   She wasn’t sure if this was the same Revival or not, but she said that some Evangelist came to town and drove up and down the streets of Greenfield (maybe 'street' is a better word) playing gospel songs on a loud speaker…and then he would holler out, “Any one wish-in’—and desir-in’ just come to the Revival”.   I lost contact with that family, because they later moved from Greenfield.   However, after I graduated from High School and moved to Watonga to work, I moved my Church membership to Watonga First Baptist Church.

 

Later in life, I began to have a real desire to let that family know how much it had

meant to my life for Brother McCulley to have been instrumental in my salvation.

I also remembered that his wife and Mattie Lou Smith gave testimonies about “Daily

Bible Reading”…(that was foreign to me, at that time, but, it made such an impact on

my life, that I later had a desire that I still have to read the Bible daily).

 

In November, 2007, we had the Greenfield Alumni Banquet and had the Greenfield

Memories Building open for visitors before and after that Banquet.

 

I visited with some people who knew Mary Ruth McCulley, and where she

lived.  I got that information from them, and a few days later, I called her.

I was so pleased with that phone call. She was most gracious and so pleased when

I told her that I just wanted her to know what a blessing her parents had been to me, without their actually knowing it, and therefore, I wanted to share that with a member of the family, if possible.

 

She told me that her parents and her brothers were all deceased, and she had never married.  I discovered that she lives in Amarillo only 3 minutes away from my daughter.   I called her last week and told her I was coming to Amarillo on May 3, and asked if it would it be possible for me to visit briefly with her.  She said she would be delighted for me to come.   Andy McCulley   Mr. and Mrs. J. W. McCulley

 

I visited her on May 3,  2009—took a picture of her—and took a few notes as she shared some things.

Her parents were J.W. and Nora Ethel McCulley.

The children were Murray (her mother’s maiden name), Mary Ruth and Andrew.

I asked when they lived in Greenfield and she thought about 1936-1942.

I asked her what her memories were of that time.

She said she remembered that they could improvise on a moments notice and just have

a party or picnic or cook-out…She couldn’t remember where they would go.  But, said she thought it might have been at the school. 

 

She also remembered some of the H.S. boys at Greenfield, located a buggy and some horses somewhere and took Alta Bright (the class sponsor) for a buggy ride up and down Main Street…and she was a good sport about it..

 

She also remembered that at Halloween, the thing that the H.S. boys used to do was turn over the outhouses.

 

They lived across the street from the Church, then moved up to the north end of town.

 

She graduated in 1939 and then went to OBU, then transferred to SWOSU-Weatherford. Andrew graduated in 1942.  Murray was in the Navy, during the time they lived in Greenfield.  Murray died in 1985; Andrew in 1988; J.W. and Nora died in 1987 (only 3 months apart).

 

 

 

 

 some notes from Andy to Mary Ruth that she shared