Dorothy recalls Dad McGovern: 

He was about 5 feet 2 inches  tall, very short,  120 - 130 lbs.
Balding and gray. His face was about to Jay's jaw. 
Last few years of his practice he gave anethesia.  
He would nap at office after lunch.   Invested in stock market.
Also in Oil and Gas Leases.  Bought the leases from Barber in 
Wewoka. (Wewoka was a big oil hit in the early 30's).
Listened to OU football games on his radio.  Smoked either a 
pipe or cigarettes in evenings and talked to Paul & Willie  
Albright.  Made housecalls.  He would drive in to his driveway
and Gran would call out to him where the next housecall was.  
Worked with another doctor in Wewoka, Dr. Grimes.  Office is
where the current day City Hall is.  When our family visit
their house we would sleep in the upstairs room.  One time we
found a scorpion in the room. Dad would smoke pipe and sit in
chair next to radio.  Had toys for the gran kids in his leather
covered box.

Jay had a nickname for his father, "Old Sarge".  Everyone called
my dad "Captain".  Probably his rank from the air force. Dad would 
give him a hard time by kissing him on his bald spot.  Dad, Jack, 
and Chat would give him a hard time at holiday meals by putting a 
arm cuff hidden under his plate.  When he was ready to eat they 
would inflate the arm cuff, making his plate move.



Jeans remembrances of Dad McGovern:

He was called " Dad".  Sweet and gentle man, quiet, great sense of humor,
very intelegent.  Loved to sit in his chair ( when he got home from the
hospital or office).  Favorite chair was in the corner of the den where
his radio and later a TV was located and his ash tray where he would
smoke his cigarettes.  He was a very generous man - he would always slip
me a hundred dollar bill ( a lot in those days) when they came to visit
us.  They would never stay overnight but we always went out for lunch -
they didn't want me to have to cook.  One time I fixed fried chicken etc.
just to prove I could cook.  They enjoyed it.


Jack remembrances:

When I was born in 1922, my parents were living on a cotton plantation
outside of Clarksdale, Miss.  Your grandfather had been to medical school
in Tenn. and came back to Miss. and he and a friend of his bought a
plantation.  They raised cotton and somewhere around 1923 they had a
great cotton crop but cotton was only selling for very little so they
held out for more and ended up loosing almost everything.  That was when
they picked up and moved to Morris, Okla.  We lived in Morris for about a
year and then moved to Gulfport, Miss. where we lived for a couple of
years then moved back to Wetumka, Okla. and that was when Mr. Norman a 
Wewoka druggist came over to Wetumka and talked him into moving to
Wewoka.  The year was 1927 and Seminole County was one of the boom areas
because of the oil fields.  Wewoka became a town of over 11,000 people
and now is less than 5000 the last time I heard.  Your grandfather
practiced in Wewoka from 1927 until just a few years before he died in
1959.    He worked awfully hard those early years when the Depression was
on.  I can remember many times that people didn't have any money to pay
the doctor but they would bring in sacks of green beans and other
vegetables so we always ate pretty good. He would stay at the clinic
until 7 or 8 o'clock at night so he would be available if somebody needed
him.   Before I started school he would come by and pick me up if he had
to make a house call out in the country and he drove a Model T Ford and
later had a Dodge and when we got back from the call we would stop at the
drug store for an ice cream cone.  He was a great diagnostician in the
practice of medicine.  I can remember years later other physicians that I
came in contact with always said he was one of the best.  

He was a great fan of OU football.  He would listen to every game.  I can
only remember him going to one game and that was the Sugar Bowl game in
New Orleans.   Your Dad and I were both in med school and Jean and J.D.
and your grandfather and I went to the bowl game.  We got beat, but it
was a fun trip.  That was before Raz and your Dad got married.  
I'll send more later if I think of anything that might be of interest.


Letter from Malcolm A. Maupin:

  I had a most experience yesterday 
at the Clanton County Geneology Library.  I found a new book in the New 
book section, "McGovern From Ireland to Miss and Texas".  My mother had 
written in her bible that my doctor was Dr. McGovern.  On page 48 you 
related his residence in Farrell, Miss.  I was born there 30 Sep 1919.  
When he moved to Ok, my grandfather purchased his home for my grandmother 
who wanted to move to town.  She really wanted to be close to the train 
station.  She travelled at every opportunity & often.  The farm was about 
one mile from Farrell; on a dirt road.  The home was a beautiful, two 
story home with large rooms.  Our favorite pastime was sliding down the 
stairs banisters.  Granmother sold it to her sister for a mere $600, after 
my grandfathers death.  It burned in the early 1930's.  It was said when 
Dr. McGovern moved to Oklahoma, oil was discovered in his back yard.  
Does any have any records of his birth records, if he kept such records.



Dorothy recalls Mom McGovern:  

Taught sunday school at First Baptist of Wewoka for many years.  Was 
state WMU president.  Dad made house calls many times at night.  Gran 
would stay up and worked on the yard.  Gran and neighbor  walked and 
prayed for boys in the service.  Always very well dressed.  Wore gloves.  
Had 5 or more pair suits.


Jeans remembrances of your grandmother:

Mom was a true Southern lady -- in speech and manners - and very generous
also.  She would take me to buy clothes in Wewoka and pay for the whole
lot. She had some great sayings and loved to laugh, she had many friends
and was called "Miss Lil " She was in charge of the flowers at the church
and always left early Sunday morning to arrange the flowers on the
pulpit.  She was chair person for that job as long as I knew her.  She
hated tobacco and  booze.


Letter from Margaret Edwards Norman:

Dr. McGovern and his family were our good friends. He was a close friend of my father-in
law, Edgar Norman who owned Norman Drug.  Later he was a good friend of my husband, Ed Jr =
also a pharmacist.  He delivered two of my children - the oldest born during WWII and was
so compassionate.  He kept me from miscarring while my husband was overseas.  He put me to
bed and called on me every day until I was able to carry the baby.

Your father and Jack were close friends of my brother, H.H. Edwards and my husband.  At
one time J.D. roomed at my mother and fathers home in Tulsa.  My recollection of J.D.
are that as a young man he was very shy.  Not so with Jack!

Dr. McGovern and his wife, Lillian, were our neighbors when we lived at 1200 Bluff View.
She was a lovely person but she eventually suffered from memory loss and often ran off to
our house.  She brought me flowers during each of my pregnancies - and it saddened me to
see her fall in health.  Their home, 2 doors from us burned after they were gone. (supposedly
a transient was living there and built a fire.)

I really appreciated receiving a update on your family.  I wish I could give you more details
about your grandparents.  I know they were highly respected in the community and meant a lot
to my family.  Dr. McGovern was one of many doctors during the oil boom days.


Letter from Peggy Whitehead:

Your letter has brought so many happy memories to my mind about your grandparents.  They aren't
many of those who remember them well left.  Although I was younger than your grandmother yet I
am 93 years old!  We were together in so many activities in the church - SS and Woman's
Missionary Union.  Lillian tho I called her "Mrs. McGovern" for the lovely older ladies took
us under their wings and were certainly helpful in what we became in the church.  She spent
all her time in such activities.

Dr. McGovern was our family doctor. He was so nice to our whole family.  He was quiet-spoken
but a wonderful sense of humor.  He didn't come to church as "Mrs. Mc" did - being to busy
as a doctor, but I remember something he told me one time to show his interest in the church.
The IRS wrote our church office to check such a large gift on his tithe report to the church,
so he was very generous.  

I am glad I have one little thing still to send you - a paper clipping of her and another
SS teacher with the pastor presenting a plaque to both of them for length of teaching adult
womens classes.  Wish it were better of her but it gives you some idea of what a lovely
person she was.  I'm not sure where she was born, but she was always an elegant Southern 
lady.  She was always dressed so nicely - had a pleasant, happy way about her.

She was president of a district WMU (several counties) and I was her secretary and rode with
her to our meetings.  She laughed and told on herself - she bought nice expensive shoes for
her slender hard to fit feet, so she got the same shoe in both black and navy and arrived
at church with one navy on one foot and black on the other.

This dear friend (Mrs. Sturgeon) the two used to go every morning down town to the drug store
for a Coke - they were the same kind of lovely ladies. 

I thought of the clipping and the plaque because I was given a plaque April 1 on our churches
100th anniversary for having been a S.S. teacher for 70 years - 1927 to 1997!  If I hadn't lived
to be past 90 years old I couldn't have received it, could I?  

Your father had an early day friend named Jim Roberts and Jim had a younger sister who was my
Ann's good friend.  So she (Ann and Mary Artelyn) can remember being on a trip to school in
Colorado with the older boys.  So she remembered J.D.'s many degree's - geology, aeronautical
degree, before being a bomber pilot in the war, but finished a medical degree after the war.  
Dr. Mc said he really wanted his boys to be doctors too.  Ofcourse Jack just started right off
to be one.  I am always so grateful to your dad;  my husband's health was declining and J.D.
as a friend of our family made appointments with specialist in Norman for a complete check up.

I enjoyed your letter.  Glad you wrote.

Most sincerely,
Peggy Whitehead

P.S.  I along with several other women proved how well the older women helped us to give our
time and effort to church activities for I ended up being State President for Oklahoma Baptist
Woman's Missionary Union 1946 - 1949 and a trustee of Southern Baptist Training School in 
Louisville, KY.