The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-04-30
ARDMORE, OKLAHOMA SUNDAY MORNING April. 80 1911

of directors of the Pioneer company
composed of c. S. Gleed of Kansas
City, L. D. Minis, John NJ. Noble, =
E Westervelt and Davis McKinstry
Of Oklahoma City, Henry E. Asp ot
Muskogee, Okla, and Hon A. ]. Seay
of Kingfisher, Okla, held here Friday
Mr.. Minis has become one of the
most prominent men in the state
through his work in building up the
Pioneer Telephone company, his as
sociation with the Commercial Nation
al Bank of Muskogee, the Security Ma
tional Bank of this city and with many
of the most important banking insti-
tutions throughout the state as we'll
as in the development of the oil fields
Mr.. Minis states that he expects to re.
tain all his interests here, although
his new duties will require that he
spend considerable time in Kansas
/ City. Mr.. Minis said in reply to the
question as to the outcome of the
change in the presidency of the Pio-
neer company: "Mr. Gleed will be
president of all the companies, but
each will retain its separate corpor-
ate existence and it's own board Of
directors while one set of officers will
have the management of the three
companies with headquarters in Kan
sas City"
He stated further that the new ar
rangement is in no way consolida-
ton of the companies, that it is mere
ly putting into effect a plan to bring
about greater efficiency and economy
in operation by placing one set of of
ficers in charge of the companies. He
said that it does not signify that
there will be any change in the To-
cal staff that the change will result
in a new distribution of management
and broaden the field so as to bring
about a better and more universay
service. The relation he said be-
tween the important business centers
of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri
are becoming so close that In a tele-
phone way at lease the imaginary
state lines are wiped out and it is
for the purpose of bringing these sec
tions of the country into better and
more universal communication that !
the above arrangement has been de-
cided upon.
John NJ. Noble founder of the sys-
TEN now known as the Pioneer Tele-
phone Company and who has been vice
president and general manager, will
have the general management of the
Pioneer Conn any, while E. E. Wester-
welt as secretary and treasurer and
Arthur Whorton as auditor will retain
the same positions that they have
heretofore filled.
Under one head the new arrange
ment brings the telephone devlop-
ment for the territory covering over
90 200 square miles occupied by over
six and half millions of people un-
der one head Mr.. Minis through his
careful management of the Pioneer
Company bringing it from single
toll line stretched between two small
towns in 1879 to the present company
which covers the entire state of Okla
homa, and which has witnessed a de-
unequaled anywhere is re
garded as one of the leading tele-
phone men of the country. Monu-
ments to the work that has been
by him and his associ-
ltes in the Pioneer Company stand in
he magnificent Pioneer structure in
Oklahoma City built of Oklahoma
marble and in the handsome new
building erected at Muskogee, Tulsa,
Lawton and other towns
md cities in the state.