Published: July 13, 2008 12:36 pm            

Mouser named Prairie House Foundation Volunteer of Year

DUNCAN — Charles Lynn Mouser was honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Prairie House Foundation at the recent appreciation/membership dinner at the Prairie House.

About 32 people gathered with covered dishes in hand to enjoy the fun and fellowship of the evening.

For the past year, Mouser has been spending his time off from his “day job” as an engineer at Halliburton to keep the lawn of the Prairie House in good shape to welcome visitors — among many other tasks.

Gail Loafman, founder and chairman of the foundation, presented the award to Mouser, introducing him as another of her family’s longtime friends who shared her vision of restoring the historic home and offered to assist with the project.

Mouser has helped the group significantly with whatever needs became apparent, Loafman said. He serves on the board of directors along with Loafman, Bobby Richardson III, Sharleen Johns, Kathy Goldsmith, Ed Lowe, Sharon Martin and Ginny Heath. Lyndel and Dottie Strain are honorary board members.

The board of directors is directly responsible for all decision making pertaining to the foundation.

Mouser, father of two college-age sons: Patrick and Michael, is also an active volunteer for Habitat for Humanity in the Duncan community.

The foundation’s first Volunteer of the Year award was given to Jim Shelby, a former Southwestern Bell colleague of Loafman’s who came to offer his assistance with the renovation project after both had earlier retired from their full-time jobs.

A novice carpenter at the time, Shelby is now known as a master carpenter and the “father of the renovation,” as he was responsible for all the fine carpentry work and most of the other time-consuming and painstaking projects that had to be done in order to complete the renovation.

Visitors to the Prairie House today see a beautiful old home where a deteriorating piece of junk had stood in 2001, Loafman said.

Furnished almost entirely with lovely old pieces that belonged to individual families in the area, the house is a salute to the volunteers who wanted to add a small piece of their family history to the architecturally and historically significant 1918 home, she said.

Architecturally, the house has been said to possibly be the best extant brick example of the Prairie Style of architecture, developed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1920s, perhaps in all of Oklahoma.

Historically, the house is significant because it was “the costliest house in town” when it was built by W.T. “Tom” Foreman and his wife, the former Mary Etta Whisenant, after their first home on the site was damaged by cinders from a nearby hotel fire in April of 1918.

A new two-story brick home (2,900 square feet) was built and ready for occupancy by August 1918, at a cost of $8,000.

The house was put on the National Register of Historic Places in June 2003, at about the same time it was chosen as an official Centennial Site. The grand opening on June 23, 2007, was declared an official Centennial Event.

More than 650 people attended the grand opening to partake of free food; listen to Miss Oklahoma, the Centennial Calliope, the music of the Chisholm Trail Community Band and the Southwest Pride Barbershoppers; and view a live re-enactment produced by Duncan Little Theatre of the mock wedding of 1907 between Miss Indian Territory and Mr. Oklahoma Territory.

Loafman told the group that there has been a wide variety of events held at the home since the renovation was completed, including photography sessions, catered dinner parties, mystery dinners, birthday parties, wedding and baby showers, small weddings, receptions of various sorts, picnics, class and family reunions, retreats, bridge clubs, church meetings and teas.

She said more volunteers are needed as “sitters” for Friday and weekend afternoons, to help attract tourism. The house is usually open for tours from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons.

Also needed are people who would be willing to “adopt” about 6 square feet of flower bed to keep up, help in the gift shop, or do light housekeeping chores as needed. Docent training to assist Duncan’s tourism is in the near future for volunteer re-enactors who will dress up and play the parts of family members and friends, Loafman said.

This is the first year for the Prairie House volunteer appreciation dinner to be considered a membership dinner, as well, she said.

The relatively new nonprofit organization has been in a renovation mode every year until now. The foundation is seeking members whose dues will help it maintain operational funding during the time it is seeking funds for an endowment fund recently established with the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma.

All organizations within the Communities Foundation meet the annual test as a public charity. The Prairie House is a 501©3, not-for-profit, tax-deductible organization. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 2094, Duncan, OK 73534.

For information on joining the organization or scheduling events at the Prairie House, call 580-251-0027 or 255-4199.

        

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