The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

On Raising Bess

By Howard "Porky" Cutter MGWC
October 1, 2004
Columnist "Porky" Cutter recalls the courtship and early days of his marriage to Bess.

Porky and Bess celebrating Christmas a few years ago.
Bess and I were classmates from the fourth grade and she'll be my wife of 48 years next September - I think. She thought I was a spoiled brat in school and most of the time, she thinks I still am. What the hey - I like it.

Bess and her family moved away from Covington, Okla., and we lost communication for a time. Later, my family and I moved to Enid, Okla., and I saw these two girls walking home from school several times. I followed them in my Jeep station wagon, too bashful to stop and talk to them.

One day, I followed them all the way home and only then did I realize it was Bess and her sister, Mary. I was too bashful to talk to Bess so I would visit with her dad. After several visits with her dad, I finally got up enough nerve to ask Bess and her sister to ride with me to get a Coke.

I knew I wanted to date Bess but thought she was too young. One day while I was visiting her dad, they were celebrating a birthday for Bess. I then found out that we were about the same age. I still didn't have enough nerve to ask her for a date. One day, I went by her home to tell Bess I was going to Oklahoma City and if she wanted to go along, we would stop by to visit her sister Mary, who was attending Bible college there. She agreed to go along but we attended the Oklahoma state fair instead of visiting Mary.

Later, Bess was attending the same Bible college, so I would drive some 100-plus miles each week just to pick her up where she was night manager at Kat's Drug Store, take her back to her dormitory and then drive all the way back to Enid. This went on for quite some time.

While I was drilling wells on the Arkansas River, near Alma, Ark., I had tried to talk Bess into coming to visit me for a week in Alma. She wouldn't agree unless she could bring a chaperone, either her sister or her girlfriend. I definitely didn't want her to bring her sister, so she brought her married girlfriend. Her girlfriend was married to a Navy sailor and he was away. I later found out Bess had been engaged to her friend's twin brother. Bess requested I get them their own motel room across the motel from mine. Reluctantly, I did.

About a week later, I had about talked her into marrying me. We took her friend back to Enid. Bess' folks weren't at home in Enid, so we left them a note. Our (Bess') plans were to go back to Alma, where she would find a job and after a time, we would get married. Of course, she still required her own motel room across from mine.

About a week later, my folks arrived in Alma for a visit. They told us that if we really were planning to get married, we should go ahead and get married because everyone back home thought we already were married. They told us if we weren't getting married right away, it would be best if Bess returned home to Enid with them. Bess decided her reputation must already be ruined, so we got married.

Just before we were to be married, we received a phone call from her folks in Enid. I discouraged her from calling them until after we were married. It ended up they just were wanting to congratulate us.

We were married in Van Buren, Ark., in 1957 by a friend of Bess', and a former minister of the Enid Pentecostal church. Right after we were married, I had to go look at a prospective well job and then it was on to our honeymoon at Tenkiller Lake in Oklahoma. She got sunburned so bad on my boat that we only could go out at night for a while. We had a three-day honeymoon and then back to work drilling wells. Our first home was in a motel between Alma and Van Buren, Ark.

A week later, we returned to the same church for Sunday services. The minister had me stand in front of the congregation and asked me if I was happy. I stuttered, stammered and said, “Yes.” I was so embarrassed being in front of a church crowd that Bess has trouble getting me to go to church today.

Before Bess and I married, she had never been to a movie, rodeo, wrestling match, swimming, boating, skiing, parking or a drive-in; almost all she had ever experienced was going to church. Soon after, she wanted to experience a theater and then a drive-in movie - then a wrestling match, a rodeo and a carnival. At the carnival, I think we rode every crazy ride there was until I became somewhat sick from the rides. She still was ready for more rides. She loves those crazy rides today.

Sometime later, we were doing a drilling job near Ashdown, Ark., and again staying in a motel. I came home one day, opened the door and immediately thought I was in the wrong room! Bess was wearing make-up. It apparently was against her religion to wear make-up. But she had studied books, gone to the store, bought make-up and looked even better than I had ever seen her. She was beautiful - and still is!

Sometimes I think it was better when she didn't wear make-up because she always was ready to go in a minute - now it seems like it takes hours.

We traveled all over the U.S., staying in motels most of the time. It was great fun for many years.

While living in Chanute, Kan., drilling oil wells, I was contracted to go to Beaver, Utah, to core for uranium. We purchased a new pickup and a new 8-foot-by-35-foot Great Lakes mobile home in 1958 and went to Beaver where we core-drilled for uranium for three months. Bess rode up into the mountains in a Jeep almost daily to watch and help me drill until she became too pregnant with our first child, Cindy Lynn. Cindy died 30 hours after birth and is buried in a Mormon cemetery in Beaver. Shortly thereafter, we returned to Chanute, Kan., and I was drafted into the U.S. Army, which connects to a couple of my previous stories - “I Better Put on My Shoes” and “Porky in the Army.”

Today, Bess is like an old car - she still looks pretty good, runs OK most of the time and makes a lot more noise than she used to, but I still love her. I'll just keep her until she quits running altogether.

Watch for a rebuttal to this article, probably titled “Equal Time,” by Bess.
ND

Editor's note: Please be advised that the contact information for George Failing II provided at the end of "What A Shock -- And Sharing History" (ND, August 2004) has been expanded to include a Web address: www.americancorporatefinance.com. Photos or stories about George Failing can be e-mailed to his grandson using the e-mail feature on this site or can be sent to him at gef111@cox.net.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Howard cutter 200px
Howard "Porky" Cutter, MGWC, is a regular contributor to The Driller. For more Porky columns, visit www.thedriller.com/porky.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Markets
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    World According to Wayne
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Opinions
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Porky and Bess' 48th Anniversary

    See More
  • Porky's Hole Thoughts: Appreciating Bess' Help

    See More
  • Porky's Hole Thoughts: Bess Loves Christmas

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\ND\new site\principles-of-water-treat.gif

    Principles of Water Treatment

See More Products
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP