Sometime during the latter part of his overseas stay, he began corresponding with a girl who also lived in Muldrow and was a close neighbor and friend of the Riddle clan. Her name was Opal Juanita Plank. I imagine that a romance was blossoming by this time through those letters and once home, Homer didn't waste any time looking her up and asking her out on a date. My grandparents, his mother and father, had known the Planks for many years, lived in the same small town, and were practically next-door neighbors. There's much more to the beautiful story of Homer and Opal and I was glad to be a part of it. More blogs to follow on Homer and Opal....
Opal Juanita Plank, A Beauty in High SchoolOpal's parents, William Jasper (Jap) Plank and Ula Golden Plank, lived in the downtown area of Muldrow and owned a small hamburger shop next to their house on Main Street. My Grandma Riddle would walk with me downtown usually on a Saturday to buy groceries at the market and we'd stop for one of Jap's hamburgers and an ice cream cone. I've never had a better tasting burger in my life since! They ran that shop for many years, and on through my early school years it was still around. I think many of my Muldrow friends will remember the "malt shop" with its red vinyl booths and great hamburgers when hamburgers were 15 cents, Cokes were a dime, and ice cream cones were a nickel. Well, that was the 50s, a wonderful era to be a part of and I'm thankful for that wonderful time in my life. I'm thankful for the love I had through my family, my father, grandparents, and for this amazing man we called Uncle Homer!
Jap and Golden Plank were like a second set of grandparents to me.
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