Sandy Clause Visits Sahara

I was cleaning out some stuff and found this article below I ahd written during my days at Kilgore College.


Sandy Claus Visits Sahara
Kilgore College Flare Christmas Edition 1981
By Mike Midkiff

Christmas. A word that brings smiles to faces. The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a visit by Santa Claus. Childhood memories of one Christmas bring back especially good memories for me.
The Christmas of 1969 always lays heavy on my mind. There was no “Jack Frost” nipping at my nose, no “chestnuts roasting on a open fire,” and no white Christmas.
The reason? I spent that Christmas on the Sahara Desert located at the northern end of Africa.
Why spend Christmas half-way around the world from relatives and friends? My father was transferred to Africa by the oil service company he worked for, Halliburton.
My family and I lived in Tripoli, Libya, from June 1969, to June 1971. During this time, we were separated from television, McDonald’s, and the Dallas Cowboys. And only 400 or so American families lived in Tripoli working for various oil and service companies.
With all the political problems in Libya today, headed by Colonel Moammar Khadafy, very few, if any American live in Tripoli now. How well I remembered the days when Khadafay took reign on September 1, 1969. It sure was interesting watching tanks and other armored vehicles travel down the street in front of our house.
My father’s job meant spending 14 days on and seven days off. He commuted via airplane from Tripoli to Fox Trot Three, one of several Halliburton camps, located in the Sahara. Fox Trot Three could be compared to a small community. Trailer houses were living quarters for the men. The trailers surrounded the mess and recreation halls. Various warehouses and cement storage bins made up the rest of the camp.
The Christmas of 1969 was spent in the Sahara because Dad was working. All other Halliburton wives and kids who had husbands and fathers in the Sahara got to spend Christmas in the Sahara too.
We flew into Fox Trot Three on a DC-9 landing just outside the camp on a sandy runway. What a sight to see upon our arrival! No pine trees, grass or paved streets- just sand, sand, and more sand.
Stepping off the plane, the only thing I recall is that it was warm. Temperatures in the Sahara, during the winter, ranges from 65-75 degrees during the day and near freezing at night.
After getting settled in, Dad took us sight-seeing. Sight-seeing! All one could see was sand. But believe it or not, there were a few points of interest.
Dad took us, in a four-wheel drive Toyota truck with big tires, to visit three places: a drilling rig, a Mobil Oil camp, and a black top road that ended in the middle of no-where- I mean, no-where.
The Sahara did not have paved roads except for a little strip that went through a small village built around an oasis. The road was about a mile and half long running through a village that the Halliburton hands simply called “Oasis.”
The village had houses built from limestone blocks with plenty of palm trees. The road was built with the idea of eventually stretching from one end of the desert to the other end. The project ran out of money and ended after 1 ½ miles.
Sure, Christmas in the Sahara was not like spending it in the United States. No trip to Grandma’s house for us. Still celebrating Christmas with new friends was great.
Friends were not from Palestine, Texas, but from Louisiana, Mississippi, Canada and even Libyans who prepared Christmas dinner for us. It did not matter that we were all away from home in a foreign land because Christmas is celebrated in the heart- not at a particular place.
The Christmas of 1969 will always be a happy and meaningful memory for my family and me.

Blogging Is Not High On the List

Even though it has been a while since the last blog life has been a blast.

During the end of May I traveled with the East Texas Baptist University Lady Tigers Softball team to the NCAA Division III Softball championship held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I have never been to Wisconsin. I brought my two sons "cheeseheads" back from Eau Claire. It was different seeing all the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings stuff in the sports stores.

Wisconsin was very enjoyable because ETBU won it all. Yes, they are the national champions in NCAA Division III softball. I have watched many celebrations on TV when teams have won it all and always said to myself, "That is neat."

You know what, being at a national championship tournament and your team wins, is AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME. It beats watching a team win on national television. What an experience for me. In my career I have always wanted to cover a team that won it all. God is good to this old boy who used to type out his own newspaper as kid with make believe stories about teams winning championships.

When I got back from Wisconsin, my wife was named Secondary Teacher of the Year for the Marshall Independent School District. I am so proud of her but it does not surprise me. I see the extra hours she spends to get ready to teach and the extra time she gives after school to her students to help them succeed. She was recognized by the MISD school board just a few weeks back and the Marshall News Messenger did a story on her.

Father's Day was great. I am so blessed to be called Dad by Alison, Andrew and Ashton. Marianne and Alison made one of my favorite desserts, bannana pudding.

Life is a blast when you know that the Lord Jesus Christ is guiding it.

Radio Ranch III

It's a small world. I was watching today the delayed TV broadcast of the Class 4a State Football championship between Lake Travis and Longview. The play-by-play announcer sounded very familiar. The play-by-play announcer wa Marc McClain.

He sounded familiar because Marc and I did Kilgore High School football on KOCA in the early 1980's. The last time I have talked to Marc was when I was working at KTRE TV in 1983. I heard through the years that he was the voice of the Temple High School Wildcats for many years on KTEM after leaving Kilgore.

The year Marc and I did Kilgore High football was when Michael Kalmus and Sanford Stephens alternated plays at quarterback. My sister was a cheerleader for KHS and I interviewed her and the other cheerleaders at halftime of the game when Kilgore played Hallsville.

Working at KKTX-KOCA was a fun, interesting time. What I enjoyed most working there was the people I worked with. It was good to hear Marc call a game, I just wished I was in the booth with him calling a state championship game.

Kilgore-Marshall Playoff Game

When I was growing up in Abilene, Texas during my fourth and eighth grade years, I was into sports. I followed the Texas Rangers, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, the World Football League, you name it. I read Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News from cover to cover each week. I enjoyed taking my AM radio and spinning the dial at night to see what game I could pick up. Many times I would stop at clear channel WOAI 1200 AM to listen to Terry Stembridge call the games of the San Antonio Spurs.

As I listened to play-by-play guys like Stembridge, Verne Lundquist (Cowboys), Dick Risenhover (Rangers) and others, I said to myself, "I want to do that one day."

Here we are 35 to 40 years later I am the play-by-play voice of the Marshall Mavericks heard on KMHT as well as www.kmhtradio.com. I started my broadcasting career at 1240 AM KOCA in Kilgore as a sophmore in High School. Eventually I found my way into the sports broadcast booth doing Kilgore football, basketball, and baseball.

Some 30 years ago, after Stembridge retired from calling the Spurs, after over 1,200 consectutive broadcasts, he moved to Kilgore to start his on Oil/Gas lease business. I spotted him one night at Kilgore football game and asked him if I could interview him at halftime. I still have a tape of that interview today.

On Friday night, November 13, sitting in the visitor's radio booth, I interviewed Stembridge again during the halftime of the Marshall-Kilgore Bi-District playoff game. He talked about calling games in which Dr. J and George Gervin played in, he talked about his days when he started out at KOCA calling Kilgore College basketball, football as well as Kilgore High sports in the 60's.

I asked him about an American Basketball Assoiciaton exhibition game that the Chapparals played in Masters Gym at Kilgore College. It was the very first ABA exhibition game and Stembride was mic side. He said the basketball's, remember the red, white, and blue basketballs of the ABA, were right off the press and so slick. Nobody scored any points in the game until the 10 minute mark. Of course, the ABA had the 3-point line. Stembridge along with the GM of the Chapparals, had to go to the gym that day, and put tape down on the court to have a 3 point line for the game.

My hat is off to Stembridge, for once again, giving the time to visit with me and the listerners. He was a class act back then and still is today.

I am very thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ for blessing me with a hobby of calling high school sports on the radio.

God Is Amazing

Tonight in Marshall the Marshall Camp of Gideon's International held a pastor's appreciation banquet. Wow, was I blessed. I was blessed because I heard the amazing stories of how God is at work when His word, the Bible, is placed in schools, hospitals, prisons, etc.. by the Gideons.

The ministry of the Gideons must be supported by the local church. The word of God will not return void.

One the gifts the Gideons gave the pastors in attendance is a slim line New Testament. The Gideons want the pastors to use it sharing the Gospel. And if the person ask Christ to be their Savior, then give them the Bible. The Gideon's will be glad to give the pastor another one to give away.

Folks, we are to give away the good news that Jesus saves.

Radio Ranch II

Earlier I have blogged under the title Radio Ranch I. Now it is time for Radio Ranch II. The radio ranch is just a term I have used to make reference to places, people, I have worked with when I did radio.

I still do radio today calling various games for KMHT radio in Marshall. Matter of fact, I am about to embark on my fifth season in the booth when the Marshall Mavericks play football.

I just got through reading the Facebook wall of an old friend, Mark Waldi. Waldi and I were roomates together while I was a student at Sam Houston State University and he worked for KSAM-KHUN radio. Working together at "Radio Ranch Hunstville" is were Mark and I became friends. Hub Randel, who I graduated SHSU with, asked Waldi on facebook, if he was as famous as Bill Schoening.

Waldi left small market radio to go to Austin. Eventually he round up in major market radio working in Houston at the old KRBE. He also has worked in Chicago with his lastest stop being in Salt Lake City. Mark even put me on the air one time at KRBE as I called in to talk to him one evening. He had me say, "We are listing to KRBE in Bryan-College Station."

If my memory serves correct Schoening started his play by play career of college football at KSAM-KHUN radio. He called mainly the Sam Houston State University football and basketball games but also did softball and baseball when they made the playoffs.

Schoening left Huntsville and worked for a radio station in Austin. This allowed him to be a part to the University of Texas broadcast team working with Texas radio legend Brad Sham. Sham eventually left the Longhorn radio network as the play by play guy and Schoening moved into the spot for many years.

Today, Schoening is the play by play voice of the San Antonio Spurs. In years past, Schoening and I have swapped emails. The best email I have ever gotten from him is when he shared with me about his recommittment to Jesus Christ. Bill shared with me he had it all career wise, but was missing the true meaning of life. The true meaning of life is having a personal relationship with God's son, Jesus Christ.

When Bill was at KSAM-KHUN I ran the board at the station while he called the Bearkats. I remember one particular basketball broadcast in which I caused him some frustration. The audio for the games came through the phone line. During commerical breaks I would talk to Bill and tell him how many seconds to go before he was back.

On this particular game, after I talked to him, I would hang up the phone, thus disconnected the line. It was just a natural thing to do, when you are through talking to someone on the phone, you hang up. Well about the third time Bill said, "Mike, take an audio cart and place it over the cradle where the phone hangs up. This will keep you from hanging up on me."

Bill was right. From that day on, I never hung up again on him.

More stories later on Radio Ranch III.

Hello Win Column

On July first my job took me to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The ETBU Admissions Department was hosting prospective students from the Metroplex at the game between the Rangers and Los Angeles Angels. The ETBU bunch was sitting in Section 319.

Sometime during the game I looked up at the big message board in centerfield. On the screen was a welcome to some family who were guests of the Mark Holtz Hello Win Column Foundation. Mark Holtz was the play-by-play voice for the Rangers for many years before cancer took his life.

"Hello Win Column" was Holt's signature line when the Rangers won. I have heard it many times working the audio board during Texas Rangers games when I worked for KOCA radio in Kilgore. Seeing "Hello Win Column" brought back a terrific memory from my past.

I met Mark Holtz for the first time in early 1980's. The Texas Rangers Caravan made a promotional stop in Kilgore. Rangers players Mark Wagner and Bill Stein, along with Holtz came to the KOCA-KKTX studios be on the air. I got a chance to talk broadcasting with Holtz.

Holtz, told me, "I have a lot of respect for you local guys who call games on the radio. You have to do your own stats, you have to find out your own information about the team. You have to do your homework. In the majors, all that is provided to you by the media departments of each team."

When Holtz left that day I felt like I had made a friend. He said to me, "If you are ever at the ballpark (the old Arlington Stadium back then) come up to the booth. You will be welcomed."


The next season, because I worked for a Rangers radio affiliate, I was able to obtain a season press pass to all the Rangers home games. One paricular game on a Sunday afternoon Harry Lane and I went. During the game we made a stop into the Rangers broadcast booth where Holtz and Eric Nadel were calling the game.

Holtz remembered us and welcomed us to sit it and watch. During a lull in the action Holtz said, "For all you Rangers fans in Kilgore, I want to tell you that your sports guys, Harry Lane and Mike Midkiff, are visiting the booth this afternoon. Glad to have them watching the game with Eric and myself."

Wow. What a nice thing for Holtz to do. He did not have to say anything about us being there.

It seems everytime I see or hear someone say, "Hello Win Column" my mind goes back to my trip to Arlington Stadium and spending a few innings in the Rangers broadcast booth."

The Rangers beat the Angels that night with a walk off homerun by Hank Blaylock. Can you imagine how excited Holtz would have been that night when he said, "Hello Win Column!"