Photo Gallery

Rose Hoegger 97th Birthday Party-May 2019

Fort Gibson National Cemetery-Oklahoma

A national cemetery for our military men and women that have died. Pictures taken on Dec. 3, 2018 while attending a grave site ceremony for a Viet Nam Army veteran. Located at Fort Gibson, OK.

Rose Hoegger 96th Birthday Party

My New Kia Stinger- 2018

One of 400 yellow Stingers for the USA....the limited edition for this new model. Top speed is 167 as it is limited. My Stinger is a rear wheel, V-6 with a twin turbo that has a listed 4.7 to reach 60mph but has done it in 4.4 on some test tracks.....It is the first of Kia's brand that will upgrade their product. The outside design is the work of BMW's top designer and the inside is that of Audi's best.

Lunch with my friends at Logan's Road House-Oct 12, 2017

Rose Hoegger's 95th Birthday Party-May 4, 2017

Oklahoma City Thunder/San Antonio Spurs NBA Playoff at the Chesapeake Arena-OKC
May-2016

Rose Hoegger's 94th Birthday Party-May 4, 2016

Former Lee Teachers Eat at Logan's in Midwest City, OK-Ms. McKinney's Recent Birthday
Great memories in the making with some of my most favorite colleagues-June 10, 2015

Stormy Skies Over the Home at Danforth and Western, OKC- May 2015

Rose Hoegger's 93rd Birthday Party
May 4, 2015 Edmond, OK
At Home

Some New Home Pics-May 1, 2015

Rose Hoegger's 92nd Birthday Party
May 4, 2014 Oklahoma City Ok
Mimi's Restaurant

Michael Joseph Woolston Baptism
(April 26, 2014) at St. Damien's Catholic Church, Oklahoma City

All photos copyright by Fred Pahlke 2014

Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets
March 24, 2014 at the Peak in OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY TEACHERS CREDIT UNION ANNUAL MEETING AND DINNER

As a member of the Board of Directors and now sitting President of the Oklahoma City Teachers Credit Union I want to share some of the pictures I took at this year's annual members meeting and dinner at Northwest Classen High School. As usual, the meeting was a wonderful get together by members their families. Our Credit Union is one of the most secure Credit Unions in the State of Oklahoma. (The meeting is held every March)

Our New Home

We were fortunate for buy a new home this year. Here are some photos of the house. I will post others later.

LEE ELEMENTARY RETIREMENT RECEPTION 2013
Oklahoma City Public Schools
Janice Greer, Rosie Shepard and Toni Lindsay

Some Favorite Photos

NBA Finals Game 2 Photos

Lee Elementary Retirement Reception
May 22, 2012 (at Lee Elementary School-OKCPS)

James T. Hill's Graduation Lunch at Interurban in Edmond, OK
May 5, 2012

Wanda B. Hoegger (Rose) 90th Birthday Dinner at Mimi's in Oklahoma City
May 4, 2012

Yes Sir, Pahlke's Grocery

My grandfather William Pahlke came to Oklahoma City to work as a meat cutter for Mr. Schwab (Schwab's Meat Company). He had previous stops in and around Paducah, Kentucky, Cairo and Chicago, Ill. Rumor has it he answered an ad by Mr. Schwab in the Chicago papers and took the job by phone. He moved to this state with a wife and two kids. His third child, my Aunt Erma, was born across the street of the current Jesus House, in a rented apartment, just after arriving in the Oklahoma City. Mr. Schwab and my Grandfather, along with Mr. Kamp (Kamp's Grocery), and I am sure other 1st generation German American Oklahomans, became great friends. Kamps Grocery was the greatest food store in OKC at one time and Schwab's Meats was and is a standard in meats and meat smoking in this state. My grandfather was very successful with his money and by 1927 had a flourishing little grocery store in the Gatewood area of OKC. The store included a full scale meat department (he cut his own meats and sold Schwabs products), home grown veggies, fresh eggs, a deli, and for his own use, a winery. He grew, crushed, fermented and bottled his grapes I remember his large gallon jugs of grape wine sitting in his garage as a child. His wooden wine crushing barrels were large, as you could put two or three barefoot smashers in the barrels at one time, and his production was in the hundreds of gallons a year. During prohibition I don't know what he did with the spirits he didn't drink but I kinda believe he didn't sell it but gave it away as gifts to his customers. He had no need to bootleg to make a living.

With his profits in the grocery business my Grandfather invested in commercial real estate followed by residential rental properties. He bought the southeast corner of NW 23 and Penn in OKC when both roads were still dirt. He bought other corners including NW 16th and May, NW 30th and Penn (2 corners and the east side of Penn from 29th to 30th), NW 10th and Classen, N. Western and 5th, and NW 4th and Lee, Other properties have been sold through the years. At one time my family had over twenty rent houses and apartments to go along with the commercial leases.

My Grandfather told me when I old enough to understand that he had to get the hell out of his home country because he didn't like what was going on. He was, like other ambitious men of his time, not going to live the life of a poor man when the United State gave everyone who worked hard an opportunity to be successful. He was able to get to America before World War 1, which if he had stayed, he would have been one of the millions killed in battle. He told me he hated the Bolsheviks and the Bolshevik Revolution, later becoming the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In fact, my Grandfather considered himself German, but was actually born in East Prussia, Russia. When mad and in a cussing mood, my grandfather's favorite saying was "those GD Bolsheviks."

The picture below was taken in 1927 at 2110 North Penn in Oklahona City. The boy in the wagon was a friend that lived on the west side of Penn on 20th, a few houses from Penn. I don't have his name but he later became a high ranking Army officer. My dad, age ten, is the blonde headed kid on the delivery bike; my Aunt Erma, age eight; followed by my Aunt Dorothy, age eleven. Grandfather is in the background in the white shirt.

Pahlke's Grocery (circa 1927) Located at 20th and N. Penn, OKC (Family photo)

65 Years of Continuous Business for Bar
at 16th & May, OKC

My Grandfather built the building in 1946 and there has been a neighborhood bar at the property since. The sign at the bar saying it has been there since 1941 is wrong, as the building wasn't there in 1941.

photos by Duke Skadoris

LEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-Oklahoma City Public Schools
My Former School's 100th Year Celebration

October 14, 2011

Lee Elementary School of the Oklahoma City Public Schools held a 100th year celebration on Oct. 14, 2011. The school actually opened 101 years ago but because the school was moved to another elementary campus for the 2010-11 school year, the ceremony was postponed for a year. Still, even though the school has been at the corner of South Walker and 29th Street for 101 years, this is actually the 100th school year that the building has housed classes. In attendance was the current Oklahoma City Superintendent Karl Springer who gave an encouraging word to the students, staff, former students, and community. About 100 former students attended along with 500 students and current staff. A time capsule was filled with significant items of the day and buried. A tree planting along with various student presentations highlighted the activities. All in all, Lee Elementary was honored in a great way.