Garvin A. Isaacs, Sr., 90, died in Oklahoma City on Thursday, October 5, 2006. Born October 23, 1915, in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, to Joe and Cora Isaacs. His father, of the Choctaw Nation, died in the 'Great Flu Epidemic of 1918' leaving Cora to raise six children. Garvin Isaacs attended grade school at Beaty School, a one-room school near his childhood home in Garvin County. As a boy, he loved athletic competition. Basketball, baseball, and track were his favorite sports. He attended Elmore City High School. He attended Cameron Junior College and graduated with a B.S. degree from Oklahoma State University, and worked as a student assistant in the history department as OSU. He earned a Master of Arts in education from at Western State College, Gunnison, Colorado. While serving as a principal, history teacher, and basketball and track coach at Ninnekah, he met Ellen Mae Holman of Gotebo, a teacher at Oklahoma College for Women. They married on June 14, 1941. Mr. Isaacs was preceded in death by his wife, Ellen Isaacs, his granddaughter, Ann Isaacs, and his five brothers and sisters. During WW II, he served in the U.S. Army Infantry in both Europe and the Pacific. He was in Germany when the Germans surrendered, and he was in the Philippines when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed. He was discharged at the rank of Staff Sergeant after serving over four years. He returned to Oklahoma after WW II, and served as the principal and basketball coach for Hydro High School. His 1948 girls team won the state championship with the motto: 'State in '48.' In appreciation, the town of Hydro bought him a new 1948 Chevrolet. In 1974, Mr. Isaacs was given the Jim Thorpe Award for All Time Greats in coaching. In 1984, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for Girls Basketball Coaches for his 13 yr. career from 1947 to 1959 where he won 239 games and lost 97. He was superintendent of schools at Alfalfa, Apache, and Hinton. He often spoke to his students at graduation and repeated his philosophy: 'Never judge a man by the color of his skin, length of his hair, or the clothes he wears.' He encouraged his students to be independent thinkers and said, 'The only limits you have in life are those you place on yourself.' In 1970, he became assistant director of the State of Oklahoma Dept. of Vocational Technical Education where he created and organized over 20 vo-tech schools in Oklahoma. He is survived by: son, Garvin A. Isaacs, Jr., Oklahoma City; son, Philip J. Isaacs, Oklahoma City; grandchildren, Eric J. Isaacs, Philip D. Isaacs, Eleanor Isaacs, and Jennifer Isaacs. A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church of Weatherford in Weatherford at 1:30 p.m., on Monday, October 9, 2006. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Lockstone Funeral Home, (580) 772-5535. Donations to the Apache Historical Museum, P.O. Box 311, Apache, OK, 73006 or the Apache Swimming Pool Restoration Project, P.O. Box 306, Apache, OK, 73006, are requested in lieu of flowers.
Published in The Oklahoman on 10/7/2006.