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Homer Earl Cox, the son of Bert and Sarah "Yates" Cox, was born July 19, 1910, 2 1/2 mile south and 1 mile east of Fairmont, Ok. on the Kruckenburg farm.At the age of 4 years, his family moved to the Pete Wynn farm, north of Breckenridge, Ok. for 2 years.
They moved to the Light place 21/2 miles south and 3/4 mile west of Fairmont, where they lived for 13 years,
Homer attended Banks School, District 79, grades 1-8, south of Fairmont. He took the 8th Grade twice, because he thought he would not be able to attend High School in Douglas which was several miles away. His teacher, Addie "Cooper" Coss, had paid him $10.00 a month to be the janitor during the 8th grade. She promised him that he could continue, so for the $10.00 a month, he took the 8th grade a second time."
After attending a rural school, the students were required to take a written test, before enrolling at Douglas High School. The test was given at the Cracker Box school, east of Douglas. Since Homer thought he wouldn't be able to go to Douglas anyway, he purposely failed the test the first year. That allowed him to be janitor another year.
His dad bought a 1923 Ford model coupe and let him go to High School.He drove and took his brother, Arthur, his sister, Edith, and neighbor's, brother and sister, Bob and Truth Baylor, to school.
At the end of the year in 9th grade, the boy's whose grades were good enough, to be exempt from the final exams were allowed to paint the horse barn on the school grounds. Homer's grades weren't good enough so he wasn't allowed to go. He refused to take the finals, and went to Child's Hardware store, got a paint brush and charged it to his dad's account, and then he went and joined the boy's painting the barn. Therefore his grades were incomplete so he took 9th grade over.
He participated on the Douglas team that entered the Oklahoma Relays at Owen Field, in Norman, on April 5, 1930.
He was a star in track. He ran track for 5 years. The team participated at the 27th annual interscholastic meet at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Homer was the great all-around Champion of the Ranger Rodeo, in 2:08.4.
At the Northwestern Individual track and field meet, on April 18, 1931,in Alva, Ok., Homer was a one man team from Douglas. He won the high point individual trophy, winning with 20 points, taking four first places, (all the events one man could enter according to the rules of the meet). He broke the record for the javelin throw with a distance of 163 feet 7 inches. The old record was 161 feet 5 inches, held by a Douglas team mate. He won the BBO-yard run in 2 min. 8.4 sec., The 120-yard high hurdles, he won in 16.7 sec., and the 440-yard dash, he won in 55.5 sec.
Douglas also entered the Skeltur Conference Meets. We have a combined total of 32 medals that he earned from 1929-1931 and a gold basketball that he received in 1930, that we have framed and they are hanging on our hall wall. There are (4)Gold, (1)Silver, (2)Bronze, for javelin. (4)Gold, (2)Bronze for Hurdles, (10)Gold,and (3)Silver for runner, and (2)Gold, (2)Silver and (2)Bronze, that I couldn't identify.
At the end of his Sophomore year, he thought he was finished with school, so after harvest, he went to Enid and "fibbed" about the requirements (the rules were that you must be 21 years old and weigh 160 pounds), he was 19 and weighed 163, and went to work in the warehouse of the Pillsbury Mill. He checked to be sure the box cars were at the correct door.
Douglas didn't have enough boys to play football without him so not only the boys but their coach kept begging him to come back to school.
After a period of time, and probably a pay check or two, he went to town, ordered himself a "Gentry" tailor made suit, and as he was walking down the street, he met the Ora Weldon family. He told Mrs. Weldon, and her daughter, Ruth, that he was going to go back to school in the fall.
Two weeks to a month after school had started, he quit his job and went to play football.
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