O.A.
(Dutch) Brewer, 69, prominent attorney and a Hugo resident since 1922, died
shortly after noon today at Memorial Hospital. He had been in critical
condition the past several days.
Services will
be Sunday at 4 p.m. in the First Methodist Church with Rev. W.E. Bowers,
pastor, and Rev. Maurice Higgins, vicar of St. Mark's Episcopal church,
officiating. Burial will be in Mount Olivet cemetery.
Lampton
Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born May 6,
1896 in Lockport, N.Y., Brewer came to Oklahoma as a boy. he attended school
at Comanche, where he was graduated with honors from high school.
He received a
bachelor of arts degree in 1917 from the University of Oklahoma. He received
his L.L.B. degree from the same school in 1920. On December 18, 1918, he and
Miss Gladys Mabry, of Beaumont, Tex., a student at the University at the time,
were married.
During World
War I Mr. Brewer was a Signal Corps pilot and also attended a special school
in the aviation section of the Corps.
He
established law practice here in November, 1922, at the same time establishing
the family home here. After five years local residence he was elected to the
post of Choctaw county representative, where he remained until 1929. He held
the office of county attorney of Choctaw county from 1929 until 1934.
Since then he
had devoted full time to private practice of law.
Throughout
his adult life Mr. Brewer was active in work of the Democratic party, serving
in almost every significant office from precinct level to the district party
chairmanship from 1954 to 1956.
A long time
member of First Methodist church, Mr. Brewer was chairman of the board of
stewards from 1944 to 1946. He had been a member of the board continuously
since 1924. He was voted an honorary member three months ago. He was an active
member of the Builders Sunday School class.
He was a
member of the American Bar Association, the Oklahoma Bar Association and the
Choctaw County Bar Association.
Mr. Brewer
was a member of Phi Beta Kappa honorary scholastic fraternity and Sigma Alpha
Epsilon social fraternity. He also was a member of Phi Delta Pi, national
honorary legal fraternity and another honorary legal fraternity, Order of
Coif.
He was a long
time member of Hugo Rotary Club, serving on numerous committees and also, for
several years, editing the club's weekly publication.
He was an
Elk, member and past district commander of the Legion and a Mason.
One of the
founders of the Little Dixie Broadcasting Company, operator of Radio station
KIHN here, he later was president and co-owner with W.E. Schooler, the two
selling this business in 1958. He was a stockholder in Citizens State Bank
here.
An
enthusiastic sports fan, Mr. Brewer lettered in football at the University of
Oklahoma, playing center on the Sooner team in 1916. he also was a basketball
star at OU and was a member of the O Club at the University.
"Who's
Who in American Politics" listed Mr. Brewer in its infancy as a national
publication, this honor being continued from year to year.
In addition
to Mrs. Brewer, he is survived by one daughter, Mrs. James B. Rogers, the
former Miss Ernestine Brewer, and five grandsons, all of Demopolis, Ala., a
sister, Mrs. Gates McPhail, of Comanche, and a brother, Dr. A. Frank Brewer,
who lives in California.
