Too many years have passed for most of us to recall the year 1907. 
     Despite my inability to recapture the intimate details of the year 1907,
     it marked the borth of my mother and father. Consequently, it is unique
     to me in the fact that one was born in the bitter coldness of December,
     the other in the smoldering heat of July.
       Ruth Elizabeth Newkirk Parker was born to Jesse and Nell Newkirk on
     July 5, 1907. Ruth, the oldest of three children, attended Kiowa schools
     and upon completion of high school worked in the bakery.
       Paul Byron Parker was born to Frances and Roy C. Parker on December 31,
     1907, the first son but second child born to the Parker family who in
     conclusion were a family of three children.
       Paul was a healthy child, favored as the first son born into his family.
     As a boy, he worked the fields of northern Oklahoma with his father, Roy,
     and brother, Loyd. He attended a one room elementary school. Tall tales
     of riding horses, cutting wood, walking to school through the fields, and
     buying penny candy have been told to generations of young people.
       Upon completion of high school, Paul attended Kansas University for one
     semester. His love for the country and lifestyle of farming returned him to
     his native environment.
       He and Ruth Elizabeth Newkirk were united in marriage shortly after his
     return home.
       The marriage of Ruth and Paul encompassed hardships. Farming as a livelihood   
     was a struggle. The dust storms were bad, crops poor, and survival was minimal.
       The first three children born to Ruth and Paul died during the Panhandle
     dust bowl regime of the '30's. Donald, Eugene and Roberta had a short life,
     but within a short period of time, their third child and oldest surviving
     child, Paula Beth, was born. Within the next three years their second
     surviving son, Richard, was born, and also the youngest surviving daughter,
     Helen.
       The Parker family purchased a 160 acre farm southwest of Kiowa. This
     became their home for ten years. War was prevalent and again times were
     difficult for the farmer. Gasoline was rationed, machinery could not be
     bought, and it was net to impossible to buy facilities to mend the old.
       Gardens of fresh vegetables were raised for canning to fill the cellar.
     Meat was butchered, lard rendered, cows mildked, chickens raised to furnish
     eggs and summer meat. Recreation was scarce.
       Saturday evening, eggs were taken to town to trade for staples. Life was
     simple. Concentration was on the necessities - food, warmth against the
     cold, and shelter against the soaring heat in the summer. They prayed for
     the spring rains, feared the drought, and weathered the barren winters.
       Lifestyle for Ruth and Paul was memoriable following the war. Crop prices
     increased. Society became more mobile, and they had survived! The previous
     years had not left them unmarked. Paul had lost one eye. He was having
     problems with the cancer reappearing around his mouth and spine. He had
     to have several operations to have the growths removed. Ruth, under strain 
     and torment, found her health unsatisfactory.
       This, along with a growing family, led them to build a home in Kiowa. By
     this time their lifestyle was financially more secure, and Paul saw the
     necessity for more homes in Kiowa. He and builder Ted Terwort followed
     through with his plan.
       Ruth preceded Paul in death approximately fourteen years. Paul remained
     in the home that they had built until his death in January, 1977. They will
     be remembered by their family as being happy with the simple life as
     compared with today. Paul loved the land that he served, he loved the crops,
     the people and the children that constituted its entirety. His life of
     seventy years encompassed a small radius, but within this radius a man was
     made - a man of serenity, integrity, and giving. His knowledge of the
     constituents of the Oklahoma Panhandle surpassed all others. To know as
     he knew - one must live, work, and become devoted to its entirety.
       Ruth will remain with her family forever. Her good-natured approach to
     life and her love for people prevails through her youngest daughter, Helen.
       Paul's love of the land and concern for the community of Kiowa prevails
     in his son, Richard.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 358 
     Submitted by: Paul Parker Shepard