say, “We own it.”

As far as the pretty yard, we boys took care of that, we soon had it changed to sand all around the house. Our dad figured out that the land was more productive for peanuts than fruit trees. The orchard was soon gone. There were many good neighbors. Our uncles, Andrew, Truman and RC Borders were all within walking distance, on our road there was the Doyle, Poskey, Bryant, Blevins and Boyd families. From these families there were seventeen pretty girls, their fathers presented such an imposing look that many boys were afraid of these dads.

After starting school at Allen, we had lots of friends. Many families were large like us. For every Borders kid, there was Cosper, Maloy, Rinehart, and Vinson. At one time there were seventeen Borders students in the Allen School System. One algebra teacher, Mrs. Tuck, bless her heart, had five Borders in that class. R.W. always said that was probably why she left Allen School. We even had a bus route that was called, “The Borders Route.” There were others on it also.

I also want to write that when E.C. Peay and family moved to Allen in 1943, my dad went to him and explained how if he was given credit, he would always pay even though Mr. Peay might have to wait until livestock, or a crop sold. Mr. Peay was a great businessman, he recognized a good customer when meeting that person. I’ll never forget the first time I met Mr. Peay; I was about four and one-half years old, I was with my dad at the store, Mr. Peay put me on the counter and proceeded to find money in every pocket of the overalls I was wearing. I thought he could do magic! He always recognized his customers, young or older. There were so many of us boys, that whenever dad paid his bill, Mr. Peay would always send home some candy or fruit. Years later, one sister, Gerry, would babysit Jerry and Dale. Johnny, Marion and I would all work for Mr. Peay at his grocery store. We would work at the store, help get minnows on Saturday afternoon and also work on his farm. Our aunt, Alene Borders, also worked at the store and was kind of a counselor for us. Not only us, but most of the teenagers that worked there. She provided guidance.

Things on the farm changed in 1962 when our dad had an irrigation well dug. The well was a good one that would produce four to five hundred gallons of water per minute. There was no oil or natural gas south of the Gerty Road, but now there was water for farming. The next two years brought numerous changes to peanut farming. The land began to produce at a much higher yield. Our folks bought more land around them and much of it was put into peanut production. With the higher yield, there was also much more work to be done with irrigation. The new irrigation system was now providing part-time work for kids that lived in town.

Growing up on a farm, my brothers and I thought it would be great to do things other than farming. Some of us did other jobs, but at one time or another, all began to farm and ranch again. In the picture of us with our arms folded, I joke and say, “We are telling our dad that we are not going back to the peanut field, but as my friends James McDonald and Paula West Erickson said, “you would not have told you father that!!”

My folks have passed, three brothers and two sisters are gone. Only Marion, Mary Pearl, Gerry and I are still living. We had a good family, not without its problems. We dealt with health issues, both physical and mental, but our family faced those problems, and we did not hide from them. Shannon Borders Wofford is the only Borders living in the Allen area now. She works at the Hughes County Farm Services, her husband, Shawn, works at Wrangler in Seminole, but probably works more time on their land, having a haying operation and cattle.

Our farm family was not unique. There were many farm families around Allen. A few families were the George Cosper family, the Bain, Maloy, Davis, Harrington, Blackburn, and Merriman. I’m not forgetting the Andrew and Truman Borders farm families. Oil has always been a huge part of the Allen economy. Agriculture is a close second.

The eighty acres, to this day, is one of the most productive farms in Hughes County. Owned by Marion and Louise Borders, operated by their son Jason with help from Hank Deaton, the land is used for bermuda hay production. In fact, just this last summer, the front forty acres had the highest yield for hay production since it has been in the Borders name. The house, now ninety years of age, is still standing and livable, although now empty.

Mr. Black had a vision, our folks had one too, and I’m proud to say that our family in our own way saw both through. People come and go, God has instructed us to be good stewards of the land while living, but the land always remains for future families to tend. We are so blessed in this part of Oklahoma. We can rightfully brag about our sand, rock, soil, underground aquifer, abundant rainfall, oil, natural gas and clean air.