A tribute to Ernest Tooke

I don’t remember when I first met Ernest Tooke. I don’t believe that he went to grade school in Ekalaka, but I might be wrong. So when I arrived at CCHS, as a freshman, he was a junior in the same grade as my sister, Bertha. I’m sure that I knew him before that.

Of course, everyone knew the Tookes, Feek and Faye and all the others along with their families. Ernie, as we called him then, was definitely one of the boys and a very popular one at that. All of the guys liked him immensely and he was very much a ladies man as well. Anytime a bunch of guys got together there was Ernie, the life of the party.

I believe that he was a very good athlete in the early grades. Then, at some point, I don’t remember exactly when, he got polio. Polio was a very scary thing back then, it terrified all of us. Anyway, Ernest came down with it. I won’t try to tell you any of the details because I really don’t know them.

When he was up and around again, he had to go around with a big brace holding his arm out in front or to one side of him. Prior to polio, Ernest had ridden bulls in the rodeo. For a while after, he tried to do that again with the brace holding his arm out from him. Fortunately that didn’t last very long. It didn’t slow him up very much in other things either. He seemed very active to me and just kind of had a withered arm.

One thing about Ernest Tooke was that he was good in school. Some of the boys from ranches, while there was nothing wrong with their intelligence, were not interested in school and it showed. Some of them even quit before finishing high school. Not Ernie. He went to school and he was very good at it. One of the last things that I remember about his writings was a story about Mrs. Cantrell, our English teacher. She was one of my favorites also. I wish that I could see more of his writings, more about that later.

I told you that Ernest was a ladies man and that was true, but I don’t think anyone but Peggy Williams had any chance with him. They went together in high school and, I think, married soon after. They were both my very good friends and I love them both. I am so sorry for your loss, Peggy and all of his other relatives as well.

As I recall, Ernest was quite a talker back then and it later came out in his writing. He was a good writer and had a real knack for researching his writings, whether it was about CCHS sports or about guys in Carter County who served in the military. I immensely enjoyed his writing, what I was able to get a hold of. He narrated the Days of ‘85 parade for some years and did a superb job.

During his adult years when I didn’t know him except from a distance he was very active as a rancher, a writer, and if I read correctly, as a pilot. Several times I got letters from them, meaning Ernest and Peggy, and also talked to them on the phone occasionally.

It was surprising to go on Facebook this morning and see the post by his grandson that he had passed away. I was very sorry to hear it. That was a very nice post, Toby. I also saw on Facebook that Ernest had been interviewed by RFDTV about the bucking horse business. I sure hope that I get to see that and even see the movie that is being made.

Ernest was a one of a kind person and I am very glad to have grown up with him, to have known him, and called him my friend