Bio, 2009: Janifer Durham Brown
I'll try to keep this simple. Shouldn’t be too difficult. Born ‘46 - Graduated SHS (CEDHS) ‘64. Note flipped numbers in the dates. Interesting!
After high school I attended OSU, (duh?) I married the same boy/man I dated my last year in high school. and no, I didn't graduate from OSU. I have enough hours to have at least a Masters in something, but I kept changing my mind. Home Ec., Dietetics, Accounting. Okay, so I like going to college. Had 2 children, Cassandra and Todd.
Short change of towns for four years (Crescent, OK) My husband was buying a car dealership and found, after 8 years of marriage, my best friend would make him a better spouse than I did. I skipped back to Stillwater. Before the year was up, I met the true love of my life, Tom Brown, who had just transferred in from Washington DC, bringing a 16 and 15 year old into my life, Renee' and Les. Tom and I married four months later. Okay I’ll sum that up for you - married first husband in ‘67 - married second in ‘76 hum?? there’s that number flipping again. Divorced at 29 - married at 29. I have 4 children - 2 by birth and 2 by marriage. Plus I now have 9 grandchildren - Jeremy, Tucker, Ivy, Sarah, Brianna, Asher, Keely, Tyler and Chloe.
In 1980 I started a business with my mother (bad idea) We sold sewing machines. I repaired them and taught classes on how to use them. Something good did become of all that Home Ec. Tom and I tried living in Virginia for a while (10 months to be exact) Didn’t like it. Way too many people, came back to Stillwater.
After Tom retired we moved to Bartlesville. Why you ask? Bartlesville is where the Delaware Tribe of Indians is headquartered after moving 18 times across America from the original home land, New York and New Jersey. I’ve learned so much about my heritage. I make moccasins, ceremonial clothes, sing tribal songs, and dance. I’m trying to learn the language. I created a pocket dictionary of the Delaware/Lenape language and a booklet on Delaware women's traditional clothing to help keep the culture alive. I have requests for a man's clothing booklet but haven't attempted it yet. For a few years, I was Chef Justus for the Delaware Tribe. Friends would see me and start chanting “HERE COME DA’JUDGE, HERE COME DA’JUDGE. - good’ol “Laugh In”
My husband, Tom, died from cancer after 29 years of a marriage some thought I shouldn't enter into as I was on the rebound. Don‘t believe that was the case. I ordered him from a catalog (God) because my son wanted a ‘new daddy‘, I wasn‘t that unhappy being single. I was sent much more than I asked for, he was Choctaw and learning about his Indian heritage. Tom was like no man I had known before - he could talk, listen, retain and discuss. He would encouraged me in whatever I wanted to try. He always said I could do anything when I set my mind to it, and ‘I’ think he was right.
©2009 Stillwater High School Class of 1964