Reeds were Partners in Burn-Eze Chemical Company
By Glynda Pflug
One of the well known local medications was a product called Burn-Eze. The product is alleged to have been developed by Dr. W. A. Brown of Dumas. It was produced by a partnership called B & R Chemical Company. The company manufactured Burn-Eze, Chest- Eze and Bingo. The products were manufactured locally and distributed over much of the country. Two of the partners were Guy and Lucille Reed.
A story in the museum archives tells some interesting facts about the Reeds, told when they were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 1967.
The Reeds were parents of two sons, R. A. (Ick) and Joe Dean. Ick operated a radiator shop and later was elected sheriff. He also was part owner of the famous "Sandy the Golden Palomino" that lived on 14th and Dumas Ave.
Lucille was a native of Texas, but moved to Beaver County Oklahoma in a caravan of covered wagons in 1906. She was nine years old, but remembered clearly the first time she saw her new home, approximately 22 miles southwest of Texhoma, Oklahoma. She said the wind was blowing and "a profusion of yellow flowers were bending with the gale of wind. Yellow is my favorite color, and I can still see those beautiful flowers which covered the prairie, far as one could see."
He family homesteaded there and lived in a one room "cartop" house and a one room dugout. She lived there until she was about 17 years old. The land was known as "no man's land" and was frequently a hideout for outlaws.
She went to Goodwell to school at what was Panhandle Agricultural Institute. She graduated in 1916 and received a teaching certificate. Then began teaching in a one-room country school in Cimarron County. She walked a mile to school, built a fire each morning in a pot-bellied wood stove, taught the students, took care of the janitor chores and walked a mile back home.
Guy was born in Henry County, Missouri, and came to Oklahoma with his family in an immigrant car. His father bought ranch land with a partner, J. H. Gruver. Their stock was unloaded in Texhoma in February of 1906. His family lived on the ranch several years, but later bought a general merchandise store in Texhoma.
Lucille said, "We met up at the store when we were just buttons of kids," Their first home was on a farm near Texhoma and Lucille worked as a substitute teacher. They moved into Texhoma when Ick was born and Guy ran a meat market.
In 1929, they moved to Gruver. Guy ran a grain business and Lucille was a bookkeeper. Their second son, Joe Dean, was born while they lived there.
Their last move was in 1937 when they moved to Dumas and Guy worked in the grain business at Capps elevator and at Sunray.
The couple remembered some major events like the snow storm of 1943. "That was during World War II and "Ick" was overseas right in the midst of the fighting. We waded snow nearly k19nee-deep to go to the post office every day to see if we had any word from him."
The Reeds had several rental properties. During the hail storm in 1942, they all had damage. "All of the windows on the north side of our house were broken out, and the rugs floated on the floor," Lucille recalled.
Guy was out of town on business and Lucille was able to secure a load of shingles for their house and the rental property, but couldn't get any nails for several days.
The Reeds lived on the west side of Dumas Avenue. Only one house was between them and the railroad tracks. "We got lots of hoboes in those days, and I fed them all. We were trying to get a yard started, and Guy was busy with his work, so I'd have them dig grass and set it in the yard where we wanted it."
"One knocked on our door one morning just at breakfast and I asked him to sit down while I fixed him a plate. We got to talking and he was giving me his hard-luck story about not being able to find a job and no money. After a short pause I told him he could join the Army, and they would give him food and shelter. At that, he blew up, and I reached a decision -- he was the last hobo I fed."
Only the main street was paved in those days, and Guy recalled getting up many times during the night when it was raining and move his car over to the pavement so he could get out to go to work the next morning.
Compiled from family files in the Archives at Window on the Plains Museum
Article in Moore County News Press, 1970
A story in the museum archives tells some interesting facts about the Reeds, told when they were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 1967.
The Reeds were parents of two sons, R. A. (Ick) and Joe Dean. Ick operated a radiator shop and later was elected sheriff. He also was part owner of the famous "Sandy the Golden Palomino" that lived on 14th and Dumas Ave.
Lucille was a native of Texas, but moved to Beaver County Oklahoma in a caravan of covered wagons in 1906. She was nine years old, but remembered clearly the first time she saw her new home, approximately 22 miles southwest of Texhoma, Oklahoma. She said the wind was blowing and "a profusion of yellow flowers were bending with the gale of wind. Yellow is my favorite color, and I can still see those beautiful flowers which covered the prairie, far as one could see."
He family homesteaded there and lived in a one room "cartop" house and a one room dugout. She lived there until she was about 17 years old. The land was known as "no man's land" and was frequently a hideout for outlaws.
She went to Goodwell to school at what was Panhandle Agricultural Institute. She graduated in 1916 and received a teaching certificate. Then began teaching in a one-room country school in Cimarron County. She walked a mile to school, built a fire each morning in a pot-bellied wood stove, taught the students, took care of the janitor chores and walked a mile back home.
Guy was born in Henry County, Missouri, and came to Oklahoma with his family in an immigrant car. His father bought ranch land with a partner, J. H. Gruver. Their stock was unloaded in Texhoma in February of 1906. His family lived on the ranch several years, but later bought a general merchandise store in Texhoma.
Lucille said, "We met up at the store when we were just buttons of kids," Their first home was on a farm near Texhoma and Lucille worked as a substitute teacher. They moved into Texhoma when Ick was born and Guy ran a meat market.
In 1929, they moved to Gruver. Guy ran a grain business and Lucille was a bookkeeper. Their second son, Joe Dean, was born while they lived there.
Their last move was in 1937 when they moved to Dumas and Guy worked in the grain business at Capps elevator and at Sunray.
The couple remembered some major events like the snow storm of 1943. "That was during World War II and "Ick" was overseas right in the midst of the fighting. We waded snow nearly k19nee-deep to go to the post office every day to see if we had any word from him."
The Reeds had several rental properties. During the hail storm in 1942, they all had damage. "All of the windows on the north side of our house were broken out, and the rugs floated on the floor," Lucille recalled.
Guy was out of town on business and Lucille was able to secure a load of shingles for their house and the rental property, but couldn't get any nails for several days.
The Reeds lived on the west side of Dumas Avenue. Only one house was between them and the railroad tracks. "We got lots of hoboes in those days, and I fed them all. We were trying to get a yard started, and Guy was busy with his work, so I'd have them dig grass and set it in the yard where we wanted it."
"One knocked on our door one morning just at breakfast and I asked him to sit down while I fixed him a plate. We got to talking and he was giving me his hard-luck story about not being able to find a job and no money. After a short pause I told him he could join the Army, and they would give him food and shelter. At that, he blew up, and I reached a decision -- he was the last hobo I fed."
Only the main street was paved in those days, and Guy recalled getting up many times during the night when it was raining and move his car over to the pavement so he could get out to go to work the next morning.
Compiled from family files in the Archives at Window on the Plains Museum
Article in Moore County News Press, 1970