Clyde Ray Fraley - Tahlequah, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 54.623 W 094° 58.135
15S E 322334 N 3975799
This plaque memorializes a Tahlequah citizens who sacrificed himself for the children of Tahlequah.
Waymark Code: WMQEJ2
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 02/16/2016
Views: 1
At the east end of Choctaw Street on the east side of Tahlequah, the road has a hill, which ends at a retaining wall on Bluff Avenue. On February 19, 1948, trucker Clyde Ray Fraley was carrying a load of 40,000 pounds of gasoline down the hill when the brakes on his truck failed. Witnesses were alerted by Fraley's honking horn and the screeching of his failed brakes. As it was early morning and pedestrians were walking to businesses and schools, including children, Fraley did all he knew to do. Instead of jumping from the truck, he climbed back off the running board into the vehicle, so he could attempt to steer the truck away from those nearby. As a result, he lost his life when the truck collided with the retaining wall and burst into flames.
On the concrete retaining wall (built by the WPA in 1941) is a bronze plaque which reads: "In memory of CLYDE RAY FRALEY who sacrificed his life for the school children of Tahlequah February 19, 1948. Presented by the students and faculty of the City schools."
The full newspaper story can be found on three pages of the Tahlequah Daily Press - see link below
Website with more information on either the memorial or the person(s) it is dedicated to: [Web Link]
Location: Not listed
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