Topeka Capital-Journal
September 1960

(Charles Howes, who does some airplane driving and frequently has Dick Snider aboard, is today’s guest writer, discussing eccentricities of his peculiar passenger.)

By Charles Howes

I’ve wondered since Snider’s departure if he endeavored to have the pilot of his overseas jet route the flight from New York to Copenhagen via Oklahoma.

It isn’t a fantastic idea, in as much as I have precedent on which to draw. Every trip that we have made together was planned by Snider, and it was routed across that state to the south.

Of course, no one should be castigated for favoring his birthplace, but the extremes to which he goes have caused his fellow travelers to adopt countermeasures.

He could be deep in a paper. Back who done it as we approach Oklahoma, or sound asleep (he’s a relaxed flyer). Suddenly he comes alert and says, “Men, I sense that we are nearing Oklahoma,” information we have been trying to hide from him. Because upon crossing the border, Snider becomes voluble and tiring. We are thankful for the speed of airplane travel.

As I said, we have adopted countermeasures to his continued exultant raptures. “Snider, “Raphael asked him, “how confused can one get? You have the Washita Mountains, the Wichita Mountains and the Washita River down there down here. Did somebody misinterpret the smoke signals?”

And then I refer to the aircraft charts, noting to our Patriot that we are near Tulsa. I think that it is a reasonable question to ask Snider why Tulsa is known as the oil capital when there is scarcely an oil well within 30 miles while the state capital has 100 wells within the city limits. He doesn’t agree that it is reasonable.

One thing that he does agree with, however, is that he has been harboring a misconception about the Cherokee Strip. He admitted that he had been taught it had something to do with a rush for land. We have convinced him it was an Oklahoma Indian maid who became a burlesque dancer.

“Men,” Snider will say “Yonder is Norman and the campus of the University of Oklahoma and its famed football teams and…” and just then a fellow passenger points out the great program of highway construction between the stadium and the Texas border for the use of commuting football players Ah, yes, we caution what was Oklahoma football until this Wilkinson came along? He turned out to be the only coach in the long line who could talk enough Texan to make himself understood by the members of the team.

How nice it would be, we all (except Snider) agree, if Kansas and Texas could do business without crossing the wild area between. One nice thing is that out West Oklahoma’s less than 40 miles wide, only about 15 minutes flying time between Kansas and Texas. And the next time Snider goes, that is the route we will take.

Last March, as we were heading out for Mexico, Snider was declaiming about revenuers, thieves and outlaws that were hidden in the mountains of eastern Oklahoma. It was Bill Kiene who asked, “isn’t that the area where the lawmen carry? You know, billyclubs for protection; A hillbilly, that is?”

The conversation switched to golf.

Now just one personal beef, Mr. Snider. You took certain liberties with noble facts of Kansas history and a column that appeared on Kansas Day, last January 29. You toyed with this momentous heritage with levity and considerable disregard for the feeling of the natives.

That being the case, anything that might have been said here about your home state is purely intentional. And besides, our team is going to whip your team.