‘Chilocco couple’ has made the best of boarding school lessons

This article appeared in the January 2015 edition of the Chickasaw Times

DALLAS - The very fabric of the life they have woven together for 65 years has a commonality few could replicate."

Albert and Norene Durant are Native Americans.

Both attended Chilocco Indian School.

Both credit the school – located in the far reaches of northern Oklahoma’s Kay County near the Kansas border – for providing skills to succeed in life.

Mr. Durant, a Chickasaw, grew up in Eastern Oklahoma at McAlester. Mrs. Durant, who is Shawnee, Delaware and Creek, grew up in Sperry, Oklahoma, north of Tulsa. They met at Chilocco. They married in Tulsa and began making a life together in Texas in 1948 after Mr. Durant was discharged from the U.S. Army after World War II combat in France and Germany.

Governor Bill Anoatubby said the couple epitomized the values that are typical of many who graduated from the school.

“Mr. and Mrs. Durant represent the dedication to family, work and community which were part of the educational experience for many who attended Chilocco,” Gov. Anoatubby said. “Many of those who graduated from the school say that strong values were integral to their education."

The Durants are still in Texas, in the same house they purchased with help from the GI Bill, the legislation that helped returning servicemen upon their return from WWII. The couple reared three children. They celebrate life together with fondness – and orneriness – as only a couple can that have been together so long.

“You couldn’t move that ol’ Indian out of Texas for any reason,” she chides him.

“I wish you’d stop talking so I could hear this man’s questions,” was his calm rejoinder.

He’s 91. She’s 87.

Call it happenstance, good fortune or just plain luck. Even Mr. Durant proclaims enrolling in electrical school in Dallas was one of “the best moves I’ve ever made.”

The schooling landed him a job with – what once was – one of the largest electrical contracting companies in America. Ling, Oliver, O’Dwyer found a place for Mr. Durant and immediately recognized his talent.

It wasn’t long before he was promoted as a foreman for the company, overseeing huge jobs and complicated work assigned to subcontractors.

His professionalism opened another door.

Ling, Oliver, O’Dwyer were union-affiliated. In order to continue his association with the firm, Mr. Durant would have to join the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). In 1948, he signed up and began paying dues while continuing his association with the massive, nationwide electrical company that employed thousands.

Two very uncommon situations by today’s standards arose from Mr. Durant’s trade.

His entire life, Mr. Durant worked for one company – Ling, Oliver, O’Dwyer. In 1988, he decided to retire after 40 years with the firm. However, Mr. Durant continued to pay dues and be active in the IBEW.

In October 2014, IBEW recognized Mr. Durant’s loyalty and contributions to the union after 65 years of membership. He received his 65-year pin from the local union in a special ceremony in Grand Prairie, Texas.

And, despite the fact she likes to tease her husband about “staying put,” Mrs. Durant’s voice becomes almost song-like when she talks about her husband’s work, dedication to family and ability to work for a single company his entire career.

“We’re proud of him,” she said. “He was always a hard worker and always did the very best he could for his family.”

She said all three of their children – Raenelle, 65; Linda, 62; and Albert, 61 – have the “stick-to-it” trait of their parents.

“I believe Chilocco helped both of us,” Mrs. Durant said. “We had teams we were assigned with. If it was mopping floors, peeling potatoes, making beds or washing, we worked as a team at Chilocco and completed the tasks that were asked of us.”

Mrs. Durant worked for a time as a telephone operator – back when you could actually talk to a real person who would assist you – and also enjoyed a 13-year career working in retail for Sears.

Mr. Durant feels much the same way about his Chilocco experience.

“The men were taught a trade and the regimen was pretty basic,” he said. “We trained and practiced our trade and we worked together to solve problems and keep things running (at the school),” Mr. Durant noted. “It was disciplined education and preparation.”

It was that discipline that guided Mr. Durant’s career and his life, his wife observed.

Forty years with one company and 65 years as a member of the same worker’s union serves as proof.