Pioneer author, free-lance writer, and former Mannford area teacher Zola (Bellis) Sample recently visited with students at the Mannford Middle School. In conjuction with teacher Mrs. Donna Cartwright's unit on pioneer life in Oklahoma, Mrs. Sample spoke to the students regarding life at the turn of the century.
"We were very fortunate to get her to come speak to us," said Mrs. Cartwright. "There aren't very many of these early day settlers left."
Mrs. Sample is the author of "House of a Jillion Memories," self-published in 1957 and "Cherokee Strip Fever," published in April of 1976. Both books have seen reprints. She is currently working on her third book, "The Mockingbird Sings Again."
She has written columns for various newspapers, under the heading of "Thinking It Over," and several short stories. Mrs. Sample still writes her column, which also ran in The Mannford Eagle, for the Okmulgee Daily Times.
Mrs. Sample, 87 years old, and blind, (she cannot see to proof-read her own copy) retains to this day, the enthusiasm and zest for writing she had over 30 years ago.
It was evident in her speech and she told students 'the way it was' back then.
Her eyesight began to fail in early 1980 and she began to train her German Shepherd, Brenda, to become her seeing-eye dog. Today, she is almost totally blind and hard of hearing. She and Brenda do fine. Brenda, 12 years old, recently recovered from an ear infection which interfered with her equilibrium.
Born to William L. and Charity Bellis on October 30, 1900, Zola was the fifth child. The family moved from Iowa to the Basin area, located one mile north of the Indian Nation, which is now Pawnee County, in 1895. Mrs. Sample's book, "Cherokee Strip Fever," covers the first three years of homestading (1895-1898) in this area of the Bellis family.
Mrs. Sample, who completed her high school education at Mannford, earned a second grade and a third grade certificate. She also earned a Life Certificate for teaching and was required to take continued college education courses to retain her position since Mannford was not an accredited high school at that time.
During her life as a student, Mrs. Sample said, "We'd share a lot with each other when we ate our lunch. We brought our lunches, we didn't have the hot lunches you children enjoy these days, and we all drank water out of the same dipper, until the health department came (and) decided this wasn't sanitary and we were issued folding cups to use."
Mrs. Sample also related an incident in Old Mannford where a tornado hit. "We watched the roof of the old school house go back and forth. I guess Mannford was a good place for a tornado to hit. Still is," she said.
"One of the former teachers, a Mrs. Lynch, lived in a tent for awhile. One night, a wildcat came into her tent and started licking up dinner's leftovers from the table," Mrs. Sample related with a smile. "She said she wasn't staying in such a wild place as this and was going back to Tulsa. But the school board told her to keep a lantern lit and the wildcat wouldn't come back. She stayed."
Mrs. Sample, who rode five miles on her horse, Daisy, each day, never missed a school day nor was she ever tardy.
There was one day that Daisy didn't want to go, she had a new colt and the colt wouldn't follow her, so Mrs. Sample set out for her destination - on foot.
After school, Mrs. Sample went to work on her sister and brother-in-laws farm earning $20.00 a month.
"My father worked close by and we would always stop to rest the team, take a break ourselves, and visit," she said.
"My father told me, 'Zol (he used to call me Zol), you've got too good of an education. Take your money and go to school in Edmond for 10 days and become a teacher.'"
And Zola did just that, although she had to borrow $45 from her father to do it. She took her exams and passed them. Her first assignment was at Prairie View, south of the Basin.
Later, dressed in a maternity dress borrowed from her expectant sister, Zola Bellis and her mother met with the Keystone School Board for another teaching job.
"I was offered $85.00 a month -- if I'd do the janitor work; and if I'd be there in time to ring the 8:30 a.mbell, they'd give me an extra $5.00 - that's $90.00 a month. Well, I tell you, I felt I was rich. Just think of me getting $90.00 a month when I'd been getting $20.00!" she said.
Mrs. Sample taught school at North Keystone for fifteen years. She also taught at Mannford and at Dixie School, near Cleveland.
Zola Bellis married Delbert Sample in 1925. Mr. Sample was a drilling contractor and a lease broker and had offices in Tulsa. Prior to settling in Okmulgee, where Mrs. Sample lives today, the couple lived in Mannford, Ponca City, and Cushing, in addition to other Oklahoma oil center cities.
Mr. and Mrs. Sample traveled and hunted widely. In 1955, she brought down a 400 pound buck.
After she retired from the teaching profession, she went into the real estate business and also operated several beauty salons in Oklahoma.
Zola Sample began her writing career in 1954 after swapping a 30.06 Winchester rifle for an old Underwood manual typewriter. She uses this typewriter to this day for her articles.
William Bellis passed away in 1941, followed by his wife, Charity, in 1958. Mr. Sample died in 1966. It's been a tough road at times, but the charm and the gusto that Mrs. Sample displays to her audiences remains intact.
"I do the best I can and I love people," said Mrs. Sample. "I want to help. All the early day stuff is passing and if someone doesn't relate it, and tell the truth, you children won't know how your country was settled."
A member of the Oklahoma Writer's Federation, Mrs. Sample has been honored with a Third Place in "Excellence in Creative Writing," and also with another "Excellence in Creative Writing," with the first and second chapters of "Cherokee Strip Fever."
In 1977 she took Second Place at the Oklahoma State Fair with "Cherokee Strip Fever." In that same year, she was honored by Senator David Boren and named "Outstanding Older Oklahoman."
Ernie Stone, in his first official act as Mayor of Mannford, proclaimed "Zola Sample Day," on Friday, April 19, 1985, during an autograph party held in the Mannford Public Library.
"Mannford has gone all out for me," said Mrs. Sample.
She has also been the subject of various video-tapes that are now housed in Oklahoma libraries.
In addition to the visit from Mrs. Sample, Mrs. Cartwright's students spent one day sampling some of the early culinary items (cornmeal mush, homemade bread and canned sand plums) the settlers ate, and another day was spent in a field trip to the Drummond Home in Hominy. A three-story Victorian home, the Drummond Home was completed in 1905. Gas lights and cistern water was in use until 1914, and the house has been restored by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
"The students were impressed with many articles not frequently seen in the '80s: lightning rods, hitching posts, gramophones, steamer trunks and razor straps," said Mrs. Cartwright.
Students attending this unit on pioneer life in Oklahoma were: Jeff Cook, John Fitzpatrick, Daasha Gibson, Seth Haile, Erik Jacques, Markus Kellert, Mathan Pantelogianis, Crystal Gifford, Belva Smith, Julie Clifton, Jared Cranke, Robert Founds, Stephanie Smith, Geoff Steurer, and Susan Willibey.
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