Over a half-century after he sacrificed his life for his fellow soldiers, Henryetta Allen Devore is being honored with a sign on Main Street
At an unveiling ceremony Friday afternoon, the two green and white metal signs open each end of the bridge spanning Coal Creek were revealed.
In a brief gathering at the Henryetta civic center, State Senator Roger Thompson pointed out, “it is always good for us to give honor to whom honor is due. It is very good for our young men and women today to understand that freedom is not free.”
A replica of the metal signs was presented to the family members and will be displayed in the households as a traveling moment of their lost brother and cousin.
Devore, was killed in a firefight near Saigon in 1968. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his sacrifice saving the lives of troops were pinned down.
His brother Danny recalled Devore wanted to join the Marines but his parents would not sign the papers. Instead he was drafted into the Army. He was a member of an infantry unit that was pinned down by enemy fire. During the battle, Devore distinguished himself by using a machine gun to draw fire away from injured and trapped GIs. Because of that effort, he was mortally wounded.
Danny went on to say that when he and his brother, Steve, re-enlisted in the Army, they were in Washington state and their re-enlistment ceremony was held at the Devore welcome center named for the Henryetta soldier.
“Every time you looked at that sign and put a face with the name, it’s priceless,” he said.
He went on to say there are rifle ranges and parks bearing the Devore name. “Now this bridge is named after him and he deserved every bit of it.”

Keith Hare will be taking the reigns of president at American Exchange Bank next year.
Hare, who has been at AEB since 2017, will succeed Terri Thompson. She announced her retirement recently. The AEB board made their selection earlier this week.
The new president of the 91-year-old financial institution has 19 years of banking experience. He attended East Central University where he obtained a Bachelor’s of Science with a major in Business Administration, Finance.
A graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, he is a member of the Oklahoma Bankers Association and has completed multiple Banking School Programs.
“Keith is going to serve Henryetta and American Exchange well in his new position,” said Thompson.
Hare is involved in Henryetta activities, He is the 2021-2022 Henryetta Rotary club president.
Married, he and his wife, Courtney, have two daughters Kallie and Korbyn.  They reside in Weleetka where they have a small cattle operation and attend the First Free Will Baptist Church.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to lead the great team at AEB as we continually strive to offer exemplary service to our customers. I look forward to building on the long-standing history of the oldest bank in Henryetta, even as we expand our reach to other communities,” he said.

There has been some changes in the annual Henryetta Chamber of Commerce Santa Bucks program this year. Instead of picking up the tickets for the drawing, a Hometown Holiday Tour has been organized to allow shoppers to visit the participating stores. The drawing for the Santa Bucks will be held prior to the start of the Henryetta Christmas parade Dec. 4. Tour coordinators Ashley Morris and Jill Francis have provided this video detailing how the program will work.

The organization striving to restore the caretaker’s house at Nichols Park got the green light to start work Tuesday night.
City council members said the Nichols Park Restoration Committee was given 90 days to put a metal roof on the rock building, new windows and secure it.
Steve Sanford, who spearheaded the effort, said $19,200 has been donated to the project. “The original bid was $17,000,” he told the council. “The contractor is ready to go and can start at the end of the month.”
Sanford said no plans have been made for the future use of the building. “We are in the process of looking at uses including making it an information center. There is a need for information that can be done in a professional way.” He went on to point out that use would not require any restroom facilities or water.
Councilman Michael Dickey said there is a similar building used at Black mesa State Park. “It has a slot on the outside with maps and information.” He also said the Deep Fork Wildlife Refuge has information placards and a metal structure making pamphlets available showing the history and trails. “This is a perfect kind of setup.”
Replacing a downed stoplight at the end of Main Street is going to cost $17,927. That structure was destroyed in a traffic accident several weeks ago. The city will pay for the materials and work and be reimbursed by insurance.
In another traffic-related item, council members approved making part of Gentry marked for two-lane westbound traffic where it meets King Street. That part of the street approaches the school and the lane change is designed to improve traffic flow
Council members approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the county Criminal Justice Authority that will allow city prisoners to be placed in the jail facility in Okmulgee.
Also gaining approval was a decision to use Guy Engineering of Tulsa to inspect bridges throughout the town.That inspection is goin to be held from April 2, 2022 to March 31, 2024.
Tristan Demmitt was given approval to use the civic center for a free city-wide Christmas dinner Dec. 23. The approval waived both the rental fee and deposit. “This has been well-attended,” said Jennifer Munholland.
Also given approval for civic center use with no charge was Vickie Jones, community educator for 1-Eighty organization on Nov. 22 and 23. Janna Dugan said the organization deals with children in trouble with the law.
Council members increased the city manager’s spending limit from $15,000 to $20,000 saying that would allow Donna White to make some chemical purchases for the water plant without the need for council authorization.
City employees will be getting non-taxed bonuses this year. Council members approved the bonus schedule not to exceed $1,500 per a single individual
On the Henryetta Municipal Authority side of the agenda, approval was given to spend $225,127.36 of the funds from the COVID relief package for the water line work in front of QuikTrip. That was slightly less than half of the total needed for the project. Henryetta Economic Development Authority members approved spending $$398,215.30 to help finance the project.