Tobucksy County Newsletter

The Tobucksy County Newsletter is our official Society publication, bringing you regular updates on Society activities, events, and research alongside in-depth articles from Society members and guest writers. The Newsletter is a quarterly, digital publication, with print copies available upon request!

Vol. 37, No. 1 (Digital 2.1): January-March, 2026

Welcome back to the Tobucksy County Newsletter! This edition includes a review of recent Society events/programming, along with a multimedia article by Society Secretary Julie Wolf.

Current PCGHS Board

  • President – David Beall
  • Vice President – Adeline Whisenhunt
  • Secretary – Julie Wolf
  • Treasurer – Jim Young
  • Members At-Large: Melinda Dobson, Paige McClain, Christina Thurber

Society Highlights October 2025-March 2026

  • Tuesday, Oct. 7–PCGHS monthly meeting, featuring “German Immigrants in McAlester,” presented by Christina Thurber.
  • Saturday, Oct. 11–Christina Thurber presents “Find Your Family” genealogy workshop, sponsored by the Kilihoti Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, hosted by the McAlester Public Library.
  • Saturday, Oct. 18–True Crime Cemetery Tour at Oak Hill Cemetery, sponsored by the McAlester Rotary Club and PCGHS.
The Cemetery Tour featured the stories of former McAlester residents buried at Oak Hill.
(photo by Gabrielle Deputy)
Reenactors included community figures like Chief Kevin Heard of the MPD,
who played former Chief of Police Ott Reed.
(photo by Gabrielle Deputy)
  • Monday, Oct. 20–Christina Thurber presents “German Immigrants in McAlester” at the McAlester Public Library.
  • Friday, Oct. 24–Julie Wolf presents “The First Airport” during the grand opening of McAlester Regional Airport’s new terminal building (see Featured Article).
Julie and the PCGHS were also involved in collecting items for the airport’s Time Capsule project.
  • Friday-Saturday, Oct. 24-25–Christina Thurber maintains a “German Immigrants in McAlester” informational table, sponsored by the PCGHS, at McAlester’s Oktoberfest event.
  • Tuesday, Nov. 4–PCGHS monthly meeting, featuring “What Can You Learn from Naturalization Records?” presented by David Beall.
  • Tuesday, Dec. 2–PCGHS monthly meeting/Christmas party, including officer elections (see above).
  • Tuesday, Jan. 6–PCGHS monthly meeting, featuring “Researching the Dawes Rolls,” presented by David Beall.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 3–PCGHS monthly meeting, featuring “Exploring Obituaries and Funeral Home Records,” presented by David Beall.
  • Monday, Feb. 23–David Beall presents “What Can You Learn from Naturalization Records?” at the McAlester Public Library.
  • Tuesday, March 3–Mark Hughes presents “A History of the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant” at the McAlester Public Library, sponsored by PCGHS.

Featured Article: McAlester Regional Airport – Past, Present, and Future

Research by Julie Wolf

In March of 2024, my father Jeff Wolf–a member of the airport’s Advisory Board–asked me to do research on the Original McAlester Airport for a Time Capsule that has been placed in the new McAlester Regional Airport Terminal. One of the larger investments at the current airport, the new terminal holds a special place in the hearts of McAlester’s aviation enthusiasts. I certainly hoped to do right by them and for the future of McAlester Aviation. What I thought would be a quick, 4-month process turned into a winding, 18-month journey of rabbit holes and surprises, reigniting the joys I find in connecting the past to the present.

Below is my research, drawn primarily from newspaper articles, local organizations, retired city workers, and the wild world of early 1900s commercial sponsorships replacing familial patronages (a different story for a later time). The research is presented as a slide show video, representing the Tobucksy County Newsletter’s entry into multimedia reporting!

Thank you for reading and watching. As always, if you have any questions or new information, both are welcome at PCGHS. Special thanks to everyone that put in massive amounts of time and effort to see this new chapter of McAlester aviation happen.

I also highly recommend readers visit McAlester Regional Airport at 104 Airport Rd, McAlester, OK 74501. More information on airport hours and services can be found at the city website here. We also hope you’ll join in the airport’s July 2026 Independence Day celebrations, when they will close and dedicate the Time Capsule!