Orren Anderson and Alida Guernsey were married in Strong City, Oklahoma on March 15, 1919.  The witnesses for the wedding were Alida’s sister Luella Guernsey and her brother Curt Guernsey.  The minister was William E. Turner, Missionary Baptist Church.   Orren worked in the Herring and Young store in Strong City and Alida was a third grade teacher.

Around 1924-25 they moved to Kingfisher, OK.  to start a  Chevrolet Agency, with partners, Jim Sandusky and Curt Guernsey.  Curt sold his interest after one year to Orren and Jim.  The two partners opened a second Chevrolet dealership in Hennessey, OK around 1928. Orren and Alida moved to Hennessey along with their daughter Marjorie Ruth Anderson.

Orren enjoyed a good business in Hennessey, even though it was a dark period in Oklahoma history with a national recession and the infamous dust bowl.  Their second child, Jimmie Lee Anderson was born their in 1932.  They enjoyed their friends in Hennessey with picnics, bridge clubs and fishing  Turkey Creek.

The above picture was taken in 1935 with their Hennessey picnic friends.  Orren is seated on the front row with Jim Lee in his lap and Marjorie at his side.

Around 1936, Orren sold his Chevrolet Agency to Willard Watson and the family moved 19 miles north to Enid, Oklahoma.   The reasons for the move was to get his children in a better school system.  The first year in Enid he spent  playing the cotton futures and  taking the family on a summer vacation to California.   

                                 The above picture was taken in Hollywood studio lot  during the filming of the movie PENNIES FROM HEAVEN.

                                             The lady on the left is unknown, next to her is Alida, Jim Lee, Orren and  Marjorie.  

When back in Enid, Orren began negotiations with General Motors to open a Pontiac Agency.  Once again he took a partner, Paul Buthod.  They eventually expanded the business to include an automobile salvage yard.  In those days a brand new Pontiac sold for less than  $1000.   Business was good until World War II started.  As we entered the war against Germany and later Japan, General Motors and all other automobile manufactures stopped making cars for the private sector and started  making tanks and airplanes for the war effort.  Orren no longer had automobiles to sell and was left only with a salvage yard.  Unknown to him at that time, the salvage business eventually would become a prosperous venture,  during the next four years of war everyone had to patch up their old auto with used parts from the salvage yards.   With no automobiles to sell, Orren was being considered for the Enid Postmaster position, but  he decided to help in the war effort by taking an administrative job with an Oregon  shipbuilding firm. This is my favorite picture of my father taken around 1940-2.  Raised on his dads cattle farm in Red Moon. Oklahoma Territory, he did a lot of cowboying  in his upbringing and was great with horses, just like his dad Black Bill.  While in Enid he belonged to the Round Up Club.  This is the only pictures I have where he not wearing a tie. 

On Fathers Day, June 16, 1942, our family started our move to Oregon.  The plans were to stop first in Strong City for Alida and Orren to see their parents.  When we were about 11 miles out of Enid, a new synthetic tire on our Pontiac blew out.  Later we found out that the tube had been improperly installed causing it to be pinched and blow out.

   It was 70 years ago and the memory of my father is something I cherish daily.  My only regret is that his grandchildren and great-grandchildren did not get to know this wonderful, fun,  loving, and  Christian grandfather..

Jim Lee