L. L. "Red" Males Obit

Lowell Lawrence Males was the son of pioneer parents, George Washington and Albertie Frankie Males. He grew up as a young man herding cattle on the family farm near Rankin. It was during this time that "Red" began to see the need for soil conservation. In 1920, after he had moved to Cheyenne to continue his education, the coach of the newly-formed railroad twon of Strong City offered him room, board, and a job as the janitor of the First Bank of Strong City. "Red" married Lorena Savage, from the nearby town of Hammon, in Cheyenne on June 22, 1928. "Red" began a distinguished career that saw him become the Presidnet of the bank in 1929. When the Cheyenne bank failed in 1935 the First State Bank of Strong was moved to Cheyenne and renamed the Security State Bank. After the Hammon flood in 1934, Red decided to do something about erosion. He began the conservation movement in Roger Mills County by helping to form the Upper Washita Conservation District in 1938. In 1941 he was elected as supervisor of the district only to resign in 1944 to join the Armed Forces during World Warr II. In 1945 he was re-elected as supervisor and in 1946 was elected Chairman of the UWCD. In 1948 the construction of the Sandstone Creek Project began and only after a trip to Washington by "Red" did the Congress place it on a top priority list. In 1950 a frenzied effort began to get the project completed. 1953 saw the completion of the World's first upstream flood prevention project providing 68,770 acres of drainage. "Red" continued as the Presidnet of the Bank during this time and even served as the President of the Oklahoma Bankers Association in 1951. In 1955 he met with President Eisenhower to express the people's appreciation and to show aerial views of problems that were now cured and to point out those still needing attention. In 1957 he became a charter member of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, a position that he held up to 1985. He also established the 4-H Hall of Fame in that same year. It was in 1958 that he began to travel all over the nation telling of the Sandstone Project, a practice that continued until 1984. 1959 was the year that "Red" felt was possibly one of his greatest honors when he was named the National Watershed Man of the Year. The 1960's began with pushing for improved grassland agriculture. In 1961 he suggested the Upper Washita Conservation District Youth Range Camp while expressing joy at the completion of the Roger Mills Soil Survey. President Lyndon B. Jonson appointed him to the National Food and Fiber Commission in 1965 and served throught 1968. In 1967 he served as the secretary of the Agriculture Soil and Water Advisory Committee. The 1970's saw "Red" encourage younger people to take up the reins and continued to act in an advisory capacity to younger peopled in conservation. On July 7, 1984 Governor George Nigh procalimes that day as "Red" Males Day across the state with "Red" and Lorena being honored in their home town that included the dedication of a street as L.L. "Red" Males Avenue. A time when he was still serving on the UWCD; Oklahoma Water Resources Bd., pushing conservation and Presidnet of the Security State Bank. In January 1990 "Red" retired as President and its chief executive officer to become Vice-Chairman of the Board. He was currently a member of the Red River Pact Commission and a member of the Cheyenne United Methodist Church. He was preceded in death by his parents and 2 brotfhers, Fred and Ernest.