Mattie Beal takes center stage at Lawton birthday celebration

Mattie Beal took center stage for Lawton’s 123rd birthday bash that began Thursday.

Beal’s life in the new frontier city of Lawton was recounted in song and dance for the crowd that filed into McMahon Memorial Auditorium, and awards were presented to individuals and organizations honored for making Lawton a better place to live.

The celebration began with Dr. William Jolly — the oldest Lawtonian at 101 — cutting a birthday cake at a reception at McMahon. Comanche Youth Dancers signed the Lord’s Prayer and national anthem, and Junior ROTC cadets presented the colors.

A choir directed by Doris Lambert accompanied Mattie (played by Grace Norbury) and husband Charles Payne (Alex Rodriguez) and students from Lawton’s dance studios interspersed routines throughout the performance. Music was provided by the 145th Army Band from the Oklahoma National Guard.

The presentation included some new songs, as well as old favorites from “Oklahoma!”

Beal has become the most celebrated pioneer settler in early Lawton, which was created by an auction of city lots on Aug. 6, 1902. Beal was a telegraph operator in Wichita, Kan., when she heard about about land lottery in what is now Southwest Oklahoma. She traveled to El Reno to register for 160 acres in the area around the Lawton townsite and won the second homestead.

She came to Lawton, fell in love with local businessman Charles Payne. They married and built a grand house, which has survived to become a local landmark. She divided her property into home lots and donated land for parks, a school and a church, and the home was the place to be in early Lawton society.

During presentation of awards, Jeanette Klein, who was committee chairman for Children’s United, was recipient of the Outstanding Citizen 2024 award.

Fort Sill’s 77th Army Band, which is being disbanded this fall, was presented the Living Legacy Award.

The next birthday event will be the Lawton Rangers Rodeo breakfast at 7 a.m. Saturday at the LO Ranch at 2002 SE 60th. Cost is $7.