Oliver Recalls Depression-Era Childhood in New Book

Clarence G. Oliver, Jr. never imagined his latest project -putting on paper some memorable events from his boyhood - would generate any interest outside his own family.

When the former Broken Arrow Public Schools superintendent sat down initially to record his child­-hood experiences from the Great Depression years, his goal was to help his own children and grandchildren better appreciate the era and the advantages they have today. But as one of the city's most distinguished and influential residents, news of Oliver's project did create interest -so much interest, that he decided to make it available to everyone.

One from the Least and Disappearing Generation: A Memoir of a Depression Era Kid was the result. Oliver will sign copies of the book Saturday at The Book Place in Broken Arrow. "It's primarily a memoir, from birth to high school, of a child growing up during the Depression and the recovery years following it," said Oliver, who spent those years in Ada. "It's a collection of snippets of....church experiences. It's a very personal view of growing up in that era."

Oliver was born in 1929, three months before the stock market crashed, signaling the start of the depression. In the coming years, the young boy would hawk newspapers to help his family survive; become a blind friend's right-hand man; meet his childhood sweet­ heart  and  future  wife, Vinita; and experience the murder of a neighbor -all of which are described in the book.

Oliver was also moved to write the book because so few personal accounts from the period were preserved. Members of the generation are dying every day, he said, and with them, their stories. "We were the smallest generation in number of all recent generations in our nation's history," Oliver added, explaining the book's title. "We were struggling for survival and didn't have large families. And it's an age group that's fast disappearing. I was worried the history will be lost."

Although it started out as a private project to share with family and friends, Oliver said, that changed quickly. "It's kind of taken on a life of its own," he said. "A lot of people began asking about it, so it grew from a family interest to a community interest and beyond."

A dean emeritus at Oral Roberts University where he still teaches part time, Oliver enjoys writing in his spare time. Culling from his years of experience in education, Oliver penned Ethical Behavior: A Guide for School Administrators, which was published last year. Oliver and his wife have lived in Broken Arrow for....