oklahoma: the magazine of the oklahoma heritage association - april 2010
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A P R I L 2 0 1 0
A Clearer Vision: Thomas P. Gore of Oklahoma
Our Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion
Hall of Fame Spotlight: Oscar Brousse Jacobson
Generosity: Ralph Mason—An Investor of People
Remembering the Home Front
An Oklahoma Engineer with the Right Stuff
Bertha Teague: Mrs. Basketball of Oklahoma
Students Statewide Celebrate Oklahoma Heritage Week
OHA’s Story Through Its People
Magazine of the Oklahoma Heritage Association
Ackerman McQueen Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. Ray Ackerman Oklahoma City Mr. Cody Adams NormanAdvanced Network Design EdmondMr. & Mrs. Alex K. Adwan* Tulsa Ms. Bose’ Akadiri Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Luke Allard ChoctawMr. Robert D. Allen* Oklahoma City Joan Allmaras & Mark Houser EdmondMs. Ann S. Alspaugh* Oklahoma City Mr. Jerome K. Altshuler EdmondAmerican Fidelity Assurance Company Oklahoma CityMs. Jennifer Anderson Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. M. Shawn Anderson LawtonMr. & Mrs. Michael D. Anderson Oklahoma CityGovernor & Mrs. Bill Anoatubby AdaMr. & Mrs. Luke Anthony StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Calvin J. Anthony StillwaterMr. Felix J. Aquino MooreMs. Diane Argo Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. John Armitage Oklahoma CityMr. James A. Arnold* Nowata Mr. & Mrs. John L. Arrington, Jr. TulsaMr. & Mrs. Jimmy Arter EdmondDr. Glenn & Mrs. Arlene Ashmore Oklahoma CityAskins Investments LLC Oklahoma CityAT&T Oklahoma CityATC Freightliner Group Oklahoma CityMrs. Mary Athens TulsaMr. & Mrs. W. S. Atherton TulsaMr. & Mrs. Donald Atkins* Tulsa Mr. & Mrs. Gene Atkinson Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Gean B. Atkinson EdmondMr. Larry Auld McAlesterMs. Mary M. Austin NewkirkDr. & Mrs. Jon Axton Oklahoma CityAZURE ENVI. LTD TulsaMr. & Mrs. Leonard Bachle Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Tom Bagwell IdabelMr. Keith Bailey * TulsaMs. Nancy Bainbridge Oklahoma CityMs. Corie Baker YukonMrs. Katie Baker Yukon Dr. & Mrs. L.V. Baker, Jr. Elk CityMs. Lola Baker Oklahoma CityMs. Donna Baker Oklahoma CityMr. Bart Baker EdmondMr. Rex M. Ball Tulsa
Bank of Oklahoma* Tulsa Mr. & Mrs. Tom Barbour Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Gerald F. Barnett Nichols HillsBarnett Family Foundation Tulsa Ms. Doris T. Barrett Oklahoma CityMr. Bob Barry Sr. NormanMr. & Mrs. J. Edward Barth Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Robert L. Bartheld McAlesterMs. Ann Chilton Bartlett TulsaMr. Charles Bartusch Oklahoma CityMr. Gabe Bass EdmondMr. & Mrs. Andy Bass EdmondJim & Kay Bass Oklahoma CityMr. Raymond E. Batchelor TulsaMs. Cindy L. Batt Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. David Battles EdmondMr. & Mrs. James H. Bearden TulsaDr. & Mrs. William L. Beasley Oklahoma CityMr. Dewey Beene Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Ron Beer StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Alan Behrens El RenoMr. William M. Bell Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Jim Bellatti StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Clayton I. Bennett Oklahoma CityMs. Elizabeth Bennett Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. James Ike Bennett Oklahoma CityTheo Benson Oklahoma CityMr. Frank Berger Oklahoma CityMr. Tim Berney Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. William G. Bernhardt Midwest CityBarbara Bass Berry* Sapulpa Mr. Howard K. Berry, Jr. Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. William L. Berry SapulpaMr. Barry Bickle Ponca CityBig Red Sports/Imports NormanDr. & Mrs. Philip C. Bird NormanMr. & Mrs. James E. Bishop Oklahoma CityMacsene Biswell StillwaterMr. Larry C. Bittman Ponca CityMr. Charles F. Blackwood Oklahoma CityMr. Bobby C. Blair ShawneeMr. Mike Blake Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. G.T. Blankenship* Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. Dave L. Blankenship TulsaMr. Bill Bleakley Oklahoma CityBlue Cross/Blue Shield Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Jeff Blumenthal Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Morris Blumenthal Oklahoma City Ms. Suzanne Bockus Oklahoma City
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Boettcher Ponca CityMr. & Mrs. Mike Bohrofen Oklahoma CityBoldt Construction Company Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Lee Bollinger Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Ken Bonds Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Don Bonner DuncanMs. Merline C. Bonner AtokaMr. Robert Boone NewkirkPresident & Mrs. David L. Boren NormanMajor General William P. Bowden Oklahoma CityMr. Keith Bowen NewkirkMs. Britani T. Bowman TulsaMr. Matthew D. Bown EdmondMr. & Mrs. Gary Bowser WoodwardMr. & Mrs. Montie Box Sand SpringsMr. & Mrs. Roger Box BartlesvilleMr. & Mrs. Lyndon Boyer Ponca CityDr. & Mrs. Edwin C. Boynton DurantDr. & Mrs. John R. Bozalis Oklahoma CityMr. David Bozalis Oklahoma CityMr. Guy Bramble Oklahoma CityMs. Vanessa Brandon Oklahoma CityMrs. Sharlene S. Branham* Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. Jordan C. Braun Oklahoma CityPhyllis & Russal Brawley Oklahoma CityHon. & Mrs. Thomas R. Brett TulsaDr. & Mrs. George Bridges LawtonMr. Leroy W. Bridges Oklahoma CityJohn & Donnie Brock Foundation TulsaMr. & Mrs. Steven M. Brown Oklahoma CityMr. Bill Brown Oklahoma CityF.W. “Pete” Brown/Barbara Brown Oklahoma CityMary Sue & Gordon F. Brown Oklahoma CityMr. Michael Brown LawtonDr. & Mrs. Robert C. Brown Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. William C. Brown Oklahoma CityMr. Justin Brown EdmondMr. & Mrs. E. Lee Brown Ponca CityMr. & Mrs. Ken Brown Oklahoma CityMr. Monte Browne McAlesterMr. & Mrs. Robert F. Browne Oklahoma CityMs. Betsy Brunsteter Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Kinney Bryant EdmondMrs. Ann M. Bryce TulsaMr. & Mrs. James C. Buchanan III Oklahoma CityMs. Jessica Buchar Oklahoma CityMrs. Ellen Buettner Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Terry Bullington GouldMr. & Mrs. Jerry R. Burger Oklahoma City
Ms. Martha Burger Oklahoma CityMr. Bill Burgess LawtonMr. & Mrs. Bob Burke* Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. William R. Burket Oklahoma CityMs. Emily Burner YukonMr. John H. Burns Pauls ValleyMr. & Mrs. Jim Burpo LawtonMr. & Mrs. Merrill Burruss, Jr. GearyMr. Brian Bush Oklahoma CityMr. Arthur Buswell KingfisherMs. Barbara J. Butner NormanMr. Brian Byrne EdmondMr. & Mrs. Nevyle Cable OkmulgeeMr. John H. Cable, Jr. MuskogeeDr. & Mrs. Giuseppe Caccioppoli LawtonMr. & Mrs. Kenneth M. Cagle Oklahoma CityMs. Karen Caldwell FrederickDr. & Mrs. Scott W. Calhoon Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Steve Calhoun NinnekahMrs. C.B. Cameron Oklahoma CityCameron University LawtonDr. Richard Campbell LawtonMr. David G. Campbell Oklahoma CityChris & Gini Campbell EdmondCanyon Park Medical Group EdmondMr. & Mrs. Joseph E. Cappy TulsaDr. & Mrs. R.B. Carl EdmondMrs. Ginny Bass Carl Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Joe Cary NewkirkMr. & Mrs. Burton Casad Ponca CityMs. Elizabeth A. Cates EdmondMr. Bill Cathcart Oklahoma CityCattlemens Steakhouse, Inc. Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Michael Cawley ArdmoreCenter for Economic Develop-ment Law Oklahoma CityMs. Joanna Champlin Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Richard H. Champlin Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Roy W. Chandler Oklahoma CityChecotah Landmark Preservation ChecotahMr. & Mrs. John D. Cheek Nichols HillsDr. Vida Chenoweth Oklahoma CityChesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma CityChickasaw Nation* Ada Chickasaw Regional Library ArdmoreMr. & Mrs. Bruce Chill Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Jeff Chill Oklahoma CityChoctaw Nation of Oklahoma DurantMrs. Yvonne Chouteau Oklahoma City
Cinnabar Investment Oklahoma CityCitizens Bank & Trust Co. ArdmoreMr. Tom Clark TulsaMr. & Mrs. William B. Cleary Nichols HillsDr. & Mrs. Ted Clemens, Jr. Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Richard H. Clements Oklahoma CityMs. Cassie Cleveland EdmondMs. Jodi R. Cline Ponca CityMr. Bryan B. Close, Tulsa Dean & Mrs. Andrew M. Coats Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Mickey M. Coats TulsaMr. Sean Cobb Oklahoma CityMr. Clay Cockrill EdmondMr. Tyler Cofer Oklahoma CityMr. J. Walter Coffey StillwaterMs. Nancy Coggins Oklahoma CityMs. Patricia B. Cohenour Nichols HillsGeorge & Karla Cohlmia EdmondMr. J.D. Colbert NormanThe Honorable & Mrs. Tom Colbert Oklahoma CityCole & Reed Oklahoma CityMr. Tom Cole NormanMr. & Mrs. J. Roger Collins TulsaMr. & Mrs. J. William Conger Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Robert J. Conner EdmondMr. & Mrs. Tom Conwell LawtonMr. & Ms. Edward H. Cook Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Jackie R. Cooper Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Donald Cooper StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Luke Corbett EdmondMr. & Mrs. G. S. Corbyn Oklahoma CityMr. Hughes Coston TulsaMr. & Mrs. Glenn A. Cox BartlesvilleMr. & Mrs. G. Bridger Cox ArdmoreCox Communications Oklahoma CityMr. Richard Coyle Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. William H. Crawford FrederickMr. & Mrs. Joe H. Crosby Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Jim Crossland NewkirkMr. & Mrs. Herschal Crow, Jr. Oklahoma CityMr. B. Keaton Cudd III Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Douglas Cummings Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Brent Cummings Oklahoma CityCust-O-Fab Inc. Sand SpringsMrs. Betsy Amis Daugherty* Oklahoma City Mrs. Nancy J. Davies EnidDr. & Mrs. Don C. Davis Oklahoma CityMs. Lareesa Davis MooreMrs. Zelda Davis Lawton
continued onpage 48
Mr. & Mrs. Charles de Coune Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Al Dearmon Oklahoma CityDELL Oklahoma CityMs. Carolyn F. Demaree YukonMr. & Mrs. Ronnie Denham LawtonMr. & Mrs. W. Rowland Denman EdmondMr. & Mrs. Kenneth Dennis, EdmondMrs. Betty B. Densmore Pauls ValleyMs. Paula Denson Ponca CityMr. & Mrs. Gary W. Derrick Oklahoma CityMs. Brittany Devero Oklahoma CityDevon Energy Corporation Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. H. Jeffrey Diamond ShawneeDick Brunsteter Oil & Gas, Inc. AlvaMr. & Mrs. Chad Dillingham EnidMr. Gerald Dixon* Guymon Ms. Nicole Dobbins Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. John S. Dobson Oklahoma CityMs. Dena Drabek Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Charlie Drake StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Bob Drake DavisMr. & Mrs. Frederick F. Drummond* Pawhuska Mr. & Mrs. Ford Drummond BartlesvilleMr. & Mrs. Leslie F. Drummond HominyMrs. Gordona Duca-Heiliger TulsaMr. & Mrs. Paul Dudman Oklahoma CityMr. Richard Dulaney Oklahoma CityDulaney Brothers Investments Oklahoma CityMr. Robert Duncan Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Duncan StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Tre’ Dupuy EdmondMr. & Mrs. William E. Durrett Oklahoma CityMs. Louise Duvall BethanyMs. Jody East EdmondDr. Berno Ebbesson Ponca CityMr. & Mrs. Arthur V. Eckroat JonesMrs. Thalia Eddleman Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Bentley Edmonds Oklahoma CityDrew & Linda Edmondson Oklahoma CityCarl & Susan Edwards Oklahoma CityMary & Michael Eichinger LawtonMr. & Mrs. John B. Elder Oklahoma CityMs. Adrienne Elias EdmondDr. & Mrs. Ronald C. Elkins Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Charles Ellenbrook Lawton Elliott + Associates Architects Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Robert Ellis Oklahoma CityMs. Mandy Ellis Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. John “Cy” R. Elmburg Afton
*DENOTES OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE CHARTER SPONSORS
Engelbach Roberts & Co. Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. J. B. Epperson TulsaMr. Kyle J. Essmiller EdmondMr. & Mrs. Bud Evans TulsaMr. & Mrs. Michael D. Evans EdmondMrs. Cheryl Evans EnidCol. & Mrs. Stanley Evans Oklahoma CityMs. Pat Evans Ponca CityEvans Family Foundatio Ponca CityMr. & Mrs. Milton R. Evenson Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. James H. Everest Oklahoma CityMr. Eugene F. Fabry & Mrs. Patricia A. Thompson-Fabry CooksonMr. & Mrs. William Fahrendorf DurantCongresswoman Mary Fallin Oklahoma CityDr. Joe P. Fallin Oklahoma CityMs. Idalle Faram Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Edward G. Fayak AltusDr. & Mrs. John H. Feaver ChickashaMr. & Mrs. Bob Fenimore StillwaterMr. Anthony J. Ferate YukonMr. & Mrs. Ken Fergeson AltusDr. & Mrs. Joseph J. Ferretti EdmondMr. Nicholas Fiegel Oklahoma CityFirst Bank & Trust Co. Clinton First National Bank - McAlesterFirst National Bank & Trust Co. - OkmulgeeFirst National Bank of Oklahoma Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Richard S. Fischer StillwaterFitch Industrial & Welding Supply, Inc. LawtonMr. Victor Flegler TulsaFlying L Ranch DavisMr. & Mrs. Dale Folks EdmondSenator & Mrs. Charles R. Ford TulsaMr. & Mrs. Joe Ford LawtonDr. & Mrs. Thomas H. Fraley Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. John E. Francis EdmondMr. William Frankfurt Oklahoma CityMs. Mary Frates Oklahoma CityFrates Family, LLC Oklahoma CityFred Jones Family Foundation Oklahoma CityMrs. Josephine Freede Oklahoma CityMr. Scott Freeny Edmond Jason & Andrea French Oklahoma CityFrench Tulip, Inc. Oklahoma CityFriesens Book Printing Broken Arrow The Honorable & Mrs. Stephen Friot EdmondDr. & Mrs. A. Munson Fuller Tulsa
Mr. & Mrs. Gary F. Fuller Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. James D. Funnell Oklahoma CityDr. J. Harley Galusha TulsaMr. & Mrs. Gerald Gamble Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Martin D. Garber, Jr. BartlesvilleMs. Linda Gardner Oklahoma CityMs. Kitty Garrett EdmondDr. & Mrs. Don Garrett NormanMr. & Mrs. Richard L. Gaugler Oklahoma CityGaylord, E.L. & Thelma - Foundation* Oklahoma City Mr. Frank Geary TulsaMrs. Nancy Gee MiamiMr. & Mrs. John Gibbs HoldenvilleDr. & Mrs. Gilbert “Gib” Gibson| LawtonMr. & Mrs. Bobby Gibson Ponca CityMr. Mark Gibson NewkirkMr. & Mrs. Jerry Gill StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Dan Gilliam BartlesvilleMr. & Mrs. Bob Gilliland Oklahoma CityMs. Joan Gilmore Oklahoma CityGirl Scouts - Western Oklahoma, Inc. Oklahoma CityMr. Gregg Glass AlvaMr. & Mrs. Ike Glass NewkirkDr. Kay Goebel Oklahoma CityGooden Group EdmondMs. Wilma L. Goodin Oklahoma CityMr. Christopher A. Gordon Oklahoma CityBlanche Gordon & Family Oklahoma CitySister M. Therese Gottschalk TulsaMr. C. Hubert Gragg NewcastleDr. & Mrs. Thomas M. Gray WeatherfordGreat Plains Coca Cola Oklahoma CityGreater Cornerstone Baptist Church TulsaMr. & Mrs. Robert Greenberg Oklahoma CityMr. David Greenwell Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Ken R. Greenwood TulsaMr. & Mrs. John Greer Oklahoma CityMrs. Martha Griffin* Muskogee Mr. & Mrs. Jack Grimmett, Jr. Pauls ValleyMr. & Mrs. Jim G. Grissom EdmondMr. & Mrs. John D. Groendyke EnidMr. & Mrs. Mo Grotjohn Oklahoma CityMr. Matt Guillory Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. E. Murray Gullatt TulsaDr. Mary K. Gumerlock Oklahoma CityBill Gumerson & Associates Oklahoma CityMs. Laura Hackler Oklahoma City
OHA MEMBERS AND DONORS
2 From the Chairman From the President Tom J. McDaniel Shannon L. Rich
3 A Clearer Vision: Thomas P. Gore of Oklahoma Bob Burke
8 Our Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion Betty Crow & Bob Burke
15 Hall of Fame Spotlight: Oscar Brousse Jacobson Millie Craddick
20 Generosity: Ralph Mason —An Investor of People Sarah Horton
27 Remembering the Home Front Jim Linder
32 Book Review
33 An Oklahoma Engineer with the Right Stuff Bill Moore
36 Bertha Teague: Mrs. Basketball of Oklahoma Gini Moore Campbell
38 Students Statewide Celebrate Oklahoma Heritage Week
44 OHA’s Story Through Its People
LIBRARy DISTRIBuTION MADE POSSIBLE
THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF MAGAZINE SPONSORS STATEWIDE.
APRIL 2010VOLUME 15 • NUMBER 1
Magazine of the Oklahoma Heritage Association
M E
M B
E R
S H
I P
S Student ..................................... $15
Subscription ............................ $35Individualism .......................... $50 Perseverance ....................... $100Pioneer Spirit ......................... $250Optimism ................................ $500Generosity ........................... $1,000Legacy Circle ...................... $2,000Honor Circle ....................... $2,500 Executive Circle ................. $3,500President’s Circle ............... $5,000Chairman’s Circle ............. $10,000
For additional information contact the Oklahoma Heritage Association
1400 Classen DriveOklahoma City, Oklahoma 73106
Telephone 405.235.4458 orToll Free 888.501.2059
E-mail oha@oklahomaheritage.com
Visit the Association’s website atwww.oklahomaheritage.com
Unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by return postage.
PRESIDENT Shannon L. Rich
DIRECTOR, PuBLICATIONS AND EDuCATION
Gini Moore Campbell
CHAIRMAN, PuBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
Bob Burke
DESIGN Kris Vculek
KV GRAPHIC DESIGN • WAuKOMIS, OK
MISSION PARTNERSAdvanced Network Design
American Fidelity FoundationChoctaw Nation of Okahoma
ConocoPhillipsDELL Foundation
Oklahoma Publishing Company
ON THE COVER: Measuring 19 ¾” x 26”, Oscar Jacobson’s oil on canvasboard Enchanting Rocks was painted in 1926. In 1990 the painting was given to the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. David Bridges. Courtesy Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma.
Magazine of the Oklahoma Heritage Association
CHAIRMAN
Tom J. McDaniel Oklahoma City
CHAIRMAN ELECT
Calvin Anthony Stillwater
CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
Glen D. Johnson Oklahoma City
PRESIDENT
Shannon L. Rich Oklahoma City
VICE CHAIRMEN
Bill Anoatubby Ada
Bill Burgess Lawton
Dan Gilliam Bartlesville
Ike Glass Newkirk
Fred Harlan Okmulgee
Jane Jayroe Gamble Oklahoma City
Larry Lee Tulsa
Stan Stamper Hugo
AT LARGE ExECUTIVE CoMMITTEE MEMBERS
Clayton I. Bennett Oklahoma City
Polly Nichols Oklahoma City
Bond Payne Oklahoma City
CoRPoRATE SECRETARY
Jean Harbison Lawton
TREASURER
Nevyle Cable Okmulgee
DIRECToRS
Barbara Braught Duncan
Joe Cappy Tulsa
Michael A. Cawley Ardmore
Stan Clark Stillwater
Andy Coats Oklahoma City
Carol Crawford Frederick
Ford Drummond Bartlesville
Patti Evans Ponca City
Christy Everest Oklahoma City
Vaughndean Fuller Tulsa
Gilbert “Gib” Gibson Lawton
Jim Halsey Tulsa
V. Burns Hargis Stillwater
Robert E. Hayes, Jr. Oklahoma City
George Henderson Norman
Pat Henry Lawton
Ernest L. Holloway Langston
David Kyle Tulsa
Duke R. Ligon Oklahoma City
Dave Lopez Oklahoma City
Roxana Lorton Tulsa
John Massey Durant
Vicki Miles-LaGrange Oklahoma City
J.W. McLean Dallas, Texas
Joe Moran Tulsa
Melvin Moran Seminole
C.D. Northcutt Ponca City
Gary D. Parker Muskogee
Gregory E. Pyle Durant
Carl Renfro Ponca City
Frank C. Robson Claremore
Richard N. Ryerson Alva
William F. Shdeed Oklahoma City
Sharon Shoulders Henryetta
Lee Allan Smith Oklahoma City
Mark A. Stansberry Edmond
G. Lee Stidham Checotah
Kathy Taylor Tulsa
Steve Taylor McAlester
Chuck Thompson Norman
Steve Turnbo Tulsa
Ty Tyler Oklahoma City
J. Blake Wade Oklahoma City
Hardy Watkins Oklahoma City
Ron White Oklahoma City
We are well into 2010 and next month will celebrate the third anniversary of the opening of the Gaylord-Pickens Museum. Mark your calendars now to join us on May 8 with free admission to the Museum. Activities for the day include a book signing with authors and first families featuring A History of the Governor’s Mansion. In February we launched our first-ever membership campaign and at publication date are halfway to our goal. Membership co-chairs Bill Burgess of Lawton and Jane Jayroe Gamble of oklahoma City are dedicated to reaching oklahomans in every corner of the state. The kick-off event was held in oklahoma City on February 4 and events to date are planned for the communities of Law-ton, Norman, Ponca City, and Tulsa. Please come celebrate with us when we visit your area of the state. The oklahoma Heritage As-sociation is proud of its statewide leadership. At our board meeting in March, Carol Crawford, Frederick; Vicki Miles-LaGrange and Ronald White, oklahoma City; Gary Parker, Muskogee; Frank Robson, Claremore; Richard Ryerson, Alva; and Joe Moran and Kathryn Taylor, Tulsa, were elected to serve three-year terms on the Association’s Board of Directors. At this meeting I also was elected to
serve my second term as chairman of this outstanding organization. Directors who completed their terms of service last month include Ken Fergeson, Altus; Roger Collins, Suzanne O’Brien, and Deane H. Oven, Tulsa; John Feaver, Chickasha; C. Hubert Gragg, Newcastle; and David Rainbolt and Meg Salyer, oklahoma City. I would like to take this op-portunity again to thank them for their service. Current and past directors, as well as members of the Association and Museum, give countless hours of service to strengthen and secure our organization’s future and I am honored to serve alongside them. I also would like to recognize our talented and dedicated staff. Although it is the directors that tend to receive the accolades for our progress and growth, none of this would be possible without their tireless efforts and com-mitment. And to you, our members and donors, thank you for your continued personal interest and financial support. I look forward to seeing you at upcom-ing membership events and encourage you to become actively involved in the programming that interests you the most.
Tom J. McDaniel, Chairman
The Gaylord-Pickens Museum is alive with members and prospective members learning more about program-ming and activities. Visitors of all ages are touring our galleries, talented oklahoma musicians are competing for top awards in our Great Hall, and we continue to honor the amazing contributions of oklahomans. In February we kicked of our inaugural membership campaign in the Bennett-McClendon Great Hall. The evening gave current members a look at how far we have come in the last few years with our expanded program-ming and introduced our mission to non-members. The event was a huge success and we will be visiting com-munities statewide through May.School groups from across our state are taking advantage of our free field trip program made possible by the generos-ity of the DELL Foundation and the Oklahoma Heritage Association’s Teen Board. Students of all ages are leaving with their heads held high because of the enhanced pride they have realized while spending time in the oklahoma Through Its People and Hall of Fame galleries. Earlier this month we were visited by the senior class of Watertown, South Dakota. In exploring ideas for their senior class trip, class officers discovered our website and decided to make the trip to oklahoma City. While
in oklahoma City they visited our Mu-seum and the oklahoma City National Memorial. Our third annual Teen Board’s Battle of the Bands, “oklaRock,” was held in the Museum late last month. This year’s Teen Board is made up of 26 high school students represent-ing 15 metropolitan school districts. Their Battle of the Bands raised more than $18,000 to further educational pro-gramming of the Association through summer camp scholarships, free field trips for classrooms statewide, and scholarships for high school students. During the Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon we rec-ognized outstanding educators who are excelling in teaching oklahoma His-tory in the classroom, individuals and an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting our unique history, and presented the first Lee Allan Smith oklahoma Legacy Award. As the keynote speaker for the luncheon, Uni-versity of oklahoma President David Boren reminded us of the importance of owning our history and the responsi-bilities we have as oklahomans. We have programs and activities for everyone, please find the one that inter-ests you the most and become actively involved in telling Oklahoma’s story through our most treasured asset—our people.
Shannon L. Rich, President
2
FROM THE CHAIRMAN...
BOA
RD
OF
DIR
ECTO
RS
FROM THE PRESIDENT...
3
homas Pryor Gore was born in Missis-
sippi in 1870 and lost sight in both eyes in two
separate accidents as a young boy. He was a
gifted orator even as a teenager and became a
champion debater in school.
His first public speech was in the summer
of 1888 before he was 18 years old at a Farm-
ers’ Alliance gathering. The Farmers’ Alliance
had been formed in the previous decade in
Texas to generate support for political candi-
dates who subscribed to its goals of eliminat-
ing poverty and doing something about low
farm prices in America. Gore’s speech was
such a hit, sponsors of picnics and other politi-
cal gatherings soon sought him as a speaker.
The local newspaper was so enthralled with
his commencement address at the local public
school academy the speech was printed on the
front page.BY BoB BURKE
T
Senator Gore became a well-respected lawyer in Washington, D.C. after serving as Oklahoma’s first United States Senator. Courtesy Carl Albert Center Congressional Archives, University of Oklahoma.
4
Gore had a burning desire to be an or-
ator for as long as he could remember. on a
trip to New orleans, his father had bought
him a book, Lives of Self-Made Men, that
included the stories of John Calhoun,
Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, and other
American leaders. He was most impressed
with the oratorical skills of Clay and
Calhoun. In his mind, they were successful
speakers because they had the “common
touch.” From his early years, Gore began to
emphasize that type of oratory.
Since the time he was a page in the
Mississippi State Senate at age eleven,
Gore revered a copy of the Congressional
Record that came into his hands. He never
forgot the days he stood in the cow lot
memorizing the names of all the senators
and the states they represented. He never
forgot the list, even when he could see it no
more.
Early in life Gore decided to make
it his goal to be a United States senator.
However, he seldom talked about it even
to his closest friends as he enrolled in law
school at Cumberland University. A profile
of Gore in the Kansas City Star many years
later explained:
He was afraid of ridicule. He knew
that anyone would declare it an impos-
sible thing for a blind man to ever reach
the Senate, the second highest office
in the country. They tried to discourage
him from practicing law. It was a waste
of time, they said. How could a blind
man practice law? No one had ever
heard such a thing. Blind men mended
chairs or wove rugs or were musicians.
But to be a senator required a knowl-
edge of law, and he was determined to
get it.
Gore graduated from law school in
1892 and returned to Mississippi. Two
years later, after joining the national Popu-
list movement, he moved his law practice
to Corsicana, Texas. He returned to Missis-
sippi and ran an unsuccessful campaign as
a Populist candidate for Congress in 1898.
The Populist cause declined and Gore
became a Democrat.
In 1901, Gore and his new wife,
Nina Kaye, who became his “eyes” for the
remainder of his life, moved to Lawton,
oklahoma and continued to practice law. In
1903, he was elected to the oklahoma Ter-
ritorial Council. He impressed oklahoma
leaders with his incredible knowledge of
issues of the day. His wife often spent long
hours reading newspapers and books to
him.
Gore introduced several bills in the
Territorial Council. Most were considered
minimal contributions, but Gore delivered
a masterful speech in support of his bill to
declare April 22, the anniversary date of the
first great land run, as a legal holiday. He
was the only supporter of the idea that was
rejected by the Judiciary Committee. Even
though his legislation was not historic,
Gore was able to keep himself in the public
eye. In an interview with The Daily Okla-
homan, Gore admitted he would someday
like to serve as United States senator when
oklahoma became a state, causing the
reporter to opine, “When Gore becomes a
senator for oklahoma, the land of the fair
god may well rejoice in having one man the
equal of the representatives from any state
in the union.”
Senator Gore, his wife, Nina Kaye, and children, Thomas P. Gore, Jr., and Nina. Courtesy Carl Albert Center Congres-sional Archives, University of Oklahoma.
5
Gore made very little money practic-
ing law. He and Nina lived in a small house
and spent an average of only $12 monthly
on groceries. often they ate beans, bread,
and beef liver, with syrup dissolved in wa-
ter for dessert. Through it all, Nina believed
in her husband and supported his political
ambitions. She often stood in the door of
the little frame cottage and watched him
leave in the morning, dressed in shabby
clothes, his head held high, as he groped his
way down the street with a stick, not know-
ing where the next dollar was coming from.
Despite the hard times, Gore was deter-
mined to be a senator. He borrowed law
books and Nina read them to him by the
light of a coal oil lamp in the evenings. She
also helped him prepare his few legal cases.
Gore believed it was inevitable that
oklahoma would become a state, although
there was talk of perhaps two states being
created, one from Indian Territory and
another from the land comprising okla-
homa Territory. Arguments were made for
years both pro and con for both double and
single statehood. Republicans outnumbered
Democrats in oklahoma Territory so Gore
favored a single state so that the large major-
ity of Democrats in Indian Territory would
give Democrats control of the new state.
Leaders from Indian and oklahoma
territories had agreed before the consti-
tutional convention that when oklahoma
became a state one United States senator
should come from the west and one from
the eastern part of the state. It was uncertain
from which party the senators would come.
Senators were chosen by state legislatures,
although Oklahoma’s initial plan was to
hold an election or referendum to determine
popularity among the candidates.
The campaign to select the new state’s
first United States senators began before the
constitutional convention adjourned. Gore
launched his campaign in June, 1907 and
began to wage what he called a “cheese and
crackers” effort by riding trains to okla-
homa towns where he thrilled audiences
with his sharp tongue and obvious love for
his adopted state. Gore’s leading oppo-
nents were able to raise sufficient money
to finance their campaigns. However, Gore
had to mortgage his home in Lawton to
raise $1,000 for campaign expenses.
Gore spent $65 for 100,000 copies
of a circular that espoused his views. He
wrote, “I would rather expend money to
build homes than battle ships—to dig ditch-
es than graves.” He spoke on street corners,
from the tops of boxes, and from wagons.
The leading newspapers ignored him while
his opponents were able to buy advertising.
one rival hired a brass band and advance
agents. The money Gore borrowed against
his home was depleted weeks before the
end of the campaign. Some of his friends
urged him to drop out of the race, but Gore
had no intention of doing so.
He sat up all night in the lobbies of
hotels to save money for a bed. He ate only
one meal per day, often existing on cheese
and crackers he kept in his gripsack. Even
with the lack of nutrition, he somehow
had the strength to make from two to four
speeches daily. He lost 30 pounds and wore
his heavy winter suit in the fierce Oklaho-
ma summer heat because he owned no light
clothing. There were holes in the bottom of
his shoes.
With no money, Gore was in a state
of utter despair. His friends would not
loan him money and his banker would not
loan him additional money using his home
as collateral. one day, he walked down a
street with his head bowed, helplessly won-
dering whether he should confess defeat.
Then, someone touched him on his arm. It
was a Republican banker, Thomas Dunn,
who slipped $50 into Gore’s hand and said,
“Pay this back when you can.”
Gore’s oratory attracted large crowds.
He appealed to rural oklahomans by
attacking railroads, trusts, and the “privi-
leged.” He promised to let the people rule.
Even though he urged adoption of the
proposed state constitution, he favored
direct election of United States senators
rather than them being chosen by the state
legislature as the constitution mandated.
Gore’s formal platform also included
promises to remove restrictions from the
sale of allotments of Indian lands, regula-
tion of freight rates, taxation on incomes,
economy in government spending, “justice
for all and favoritism to none,” and de-
thronement of trusts and “enthronement of
the people.” It was a platform that appealed
to most oklahomans.
6
Gore was not immune from attack by
his opponents. He was sometimes called a
“radical socialist.” The Guymon Herald,
whose editor supported one of Gore’s op-
ponents, said, “Former Texas democrats
are inclined to laugh when they hear Gore
referred to as a ‘democrat.’ They know him
for the most malignant and vituperative en-
emy of the democratic party that ever came
to Texas.” The newspaper quoted from a
speech Gore made in 1896 in which he
blasted Democrats by saying, “The trouble
with the democratic party is that it is a
party of statesmen without statesmanship,
of patriots without patriotism, of heroes
without heroism.”
The ballot for the special election was
printed with Senate candidates from one side
of the state grouped together. The voter was
instructed to select one candidate from each
side. When the Democratic primary votes
were counted, Gore actually ran third, with
38,288 votes, behind Robert L. owen with
48,885 and Henry Furman with 39,113.
Had it not been for the gentleman’s
agreement that the two Senate nominees
come from the east and west, Gore would
not have received the nomination. His
opponents urged Furman to break the previ-
ous agreement, but he refused to do so. on
June 19, Gore and Owen were officially
named the Democratic nominees.
Gore’s election was a favorite topic
of political writers of the day. L.J. Abbott
wrote in The Independent Magazine:
Gore is a poor man, and thus could
not command the advertising columns of
the press. His ready wit, his iron memo-
ry and remarkable eloquence were
matched against this opponents’ wealth
and the assistance their wealth could
command…Because of Gore’s retentive
memory, he can call by name more men
in Oklahoma than any other two politi-
cians. He distinguishes personalities by
the voice more readily than most men
do by sight.
Williams Jennings Bryan came to
oklahoma to support the constitution and
the candidacy of Gore, owen, gubernato-
rial nominee Charles Haskell, and other
Democratic candidates. While Bryan touted
a Democratic future for the state, Republi-
can newspapers called for oklahomans to
elect a Republican legislature and refuse
to seat Gore and owens. However, in the
September 17 election, Democrats swept
the legislature and took the governor’s of-
fice with the election of Charles Haskell.
Two months after the election, on
November 16, President Roosevelt signed
the proclamation declaring oklahoma as
the 46th state. Gore was part of the happy
crowd in Guthrie as Haskell and other state
officers were inaugurated on the steps of the
Carnegie Library. The governor announced
the appointments of Gore and owen as
Oklahoma’s first two United States senators,
although official legislative approval of their
selection came on December 11.
After Haskell’s address, cries from the
crowd demanded that Gore speak. He said,
“I am glad to know that the dog days have
at last ended in oklahoma, that the dog
star has at last set and the glorious morning
star of hope has appeared on the eastern
horizon.” That reference to the passing ter-
ritorial government and the prediction of a
bright future for oklahoma was applauded
long and loud.
Gore was proud that he spent his own
money to finance his campaign for the Sen-
ate. The total cost of the race was $1,020.
Gore said, “The Senatorship came to me as
an unpurchased gift from an unpurchasable
people. This proves that neither the Sena-
torship nor the citizenship nor the legisla-
ture of oklahoma was for sale. It laid me
under a heavier obligation to the people and
enhanced my appreciation of their splendid
generosity.”
Shortly after the Guthrie inaugu-
ral celebration, Gore and owen left for
Senator Gore and his famous grandson, Gore Vidal, in 1935. Courtesy Carl Albert Center Congressional Archives, University of Oklahoma.
Famed criminal lawyer Moman Pruiett won back Senator Gore’s good name in a much-publicized trial in Oklahoma City in 1914. Accounts of the trial were front-page material in the nation’s newspapers. Courtesy Carl Albert Center Congressional Archives, University of Oklahoma.
7
Washington, D.C. At age 37, Gore was
the youngest member of the United States
Senate from the youngest state and was the
first totally blind person to ever serve in the
upper house of the national legislature.
Gore had to run for reelection to the
Senate in 1908, a campaign he won easily.
He became a trusted advisor to presidential
nominee Woodrow Wilson in 1912. After
Wilson’s election, Gore served on the Demo-
cratic National Committee from 1912 to
1916 and assisted the president in a sweep-
ing reorganization of the party. Gore turned
down a cabinet appointment to continue his
service to oklahoma in the Senate.
Gore was reelected again in 1914,
but only after one of the dirtiest campaigns
ever. His opponents set a trap for the blind
senator when a woman named Minnie
Bond invited him to her hotel to talk about
a job for her husband. After leading Gore
into a bedroom, which he thought was the
parlor, and pulling him down onto the bed,
pre-arranged witnesses rushed into the
room. The district attorney in Washington,
D.C., refused to prosecute Gore but Bond
filed a $50,000 civil suit in Oklahoma City.
Gore was defended by legendary oklahoma
lawyer Moman Pruiett. After the trial which
was heavily covered by the nation’s news-
papers, the jury unanimously exonerated
Gore in less than seven minutes.
Gore often voted in support of Presi-
dent Wilson’s New Freedom legislation,
including the establishment of the Federal
Reserve System, the Federal Trade Com-
mission, and women’s suffrage. Gore was
appointed to his most cherished position
in the Senate, chairman of the Committee
on Agriculture and Forestry. Gore was an
isolationist and opposed American involve-
ment in World War I, primarily because he
believed that tax money should be spent
only on agricultural programs, rather than
armies and munitions. He became anti-
administration on most war legislation
and evoked the ire of many oklahoma
newspapers and voters. His antiwar stance
cost him his close personal friendship with
President Wilson and was the primary fac-
tor in Gore’s defeat for reelection in 1920.
After his defeat, Gore practiced law
in Washington, D.C. Running again for
the Senate in 1930, he tied his campaign
to the “cheese and crackers” campaign of
Governor William H. “Alfalfa Bill” Murray
and was reelected. Back in the Senate, Gore
Senator Gore, right, and his wife, Nina, greet friends by telephone on a visit to Oklahoma City in 1940. Courtesy Oklahoma Publish-ing Company.
criticized Republican President Herbert
Hoover’s recovery policies during the Great
Depression. He campaigned for successful
Democratic presidential nominee Franklin
D. Roosevelt in 1932 but soon became an
outspoken opponent of the new president’s
New Deal recovery programs as well.
When Gore threatened to vote against
the Roosevelt legislation, he was again
attacked in newspaper editorials and was
barraged by letters from oklahomans hurt
by the economic downturn. Citizens booed
him at political campaign rallies. Ac-
cused of being too conservative to support
Roosevelt’s relief efforts, Gore lost in his
reelection campaign in 1936. He practiced
law in Washington, D.C., until his death on
March 16, 1949. His grandson is historian
and author Gore Vidal.
During his long years in the Senate,
Gore was well known for his vigorous sup-
port of the oil industry, soil conservation,
and American Indian tribal issues. But he
may be best remembered for his glowing
tribute of his adopted state. He said, “I love
oklahoma. I love every blade of her grass.
I love every grain of her sands. I am proud
of her past and I am confident of her future.
The virtues that made us great in the past
can keep us great in the future. We must
march, and not merely mark time.”
Judge Robert Henry and Bob Burke are writing a dual biography of Oklahoma’s first two United States senators, Thomas P. Gore and Robert L. Owen, to be published soon by the Oklahoma Heritage Association.
8
After statehood in 1907, the first governor, Charles N.
Haskell, busied himself with the affairs of establishing a
new state, carved from Oklahoma and Indian territories.
A statewide election was held June 11, 1910, to change
the locations of the state capital from Guthrie to Okla-
homa City. Later that year, in December, 1910, during
Haskell’s last month as governor, House Bill 3 autho-
rized the governor to accept donated land on Northeast
23rd Street in Oklahoma City for a State Capitol and an
Executive Mansion.
Lee Cruce, who followed Haskell as chief executive
in 1911, promoted the construction of a State Capitol
and designated a plot of land two blocks east of the cur-
rent State Capitol as the site of an official governor’s
residence. An Oklahoma City architectural form,
Layton, Wemyss, Smith, and Hank, drafted plans for an
elaborate mansion. However, Cruce’s troubled ad-
ministration and subsequent efforts by Governor
Robert L. Williams to complete the State Capitol
overshadowed attempts in the legislature to set
aside sufficient money to build a permanent home
for the governor and his family. The designated
site for a governor’s residence would remain a
prairie for another 16 years.
By the 1920s, the site where most observers
expected an official residence to be built was
where the Wiley Post Building was constructed
southeast of the State Capitol that sat boldly
on a hill overlooking more than 100 acres owned by
the state. That was the site for a mansion suggested by
George Kessler who had planned the layout for state
buildings that might someday surround the Capitol.
As state finances improved from tax collections on
the vast production in Oklahoma’s oil-boom fields, talk
of appropriating money for a governor’s residence was
revived in 1926 during the final year of the administra-
tion of Governor Martin E. Trapp.
Published in 2004, First Lady Kim Henry prepared the foreword to A
History of the Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion. In addition to the history of
the governor’s mansion, the book includes a chapter on each first family
and is available at the Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum,
in bookstores statewide, and online at www.oklahomaheritage.com.
9
Henry S. Johnston was sworn in
as Oklahoma’s seventh governor in
January, 1927. Within weeks, the
state legislature, in House Bill 35, au-
thorized the Board of Public Affairs to
spend $75,000 for a governor’s man-
sion and garage and an additional
$25,000 on furnishings, landscaping,
grading, and paving.
Some proponents of building an
official residence for the governor
scoffed at the appropriation, suggest-
ing that a governor’s home costing
only $75,000 should never be called
a “mansion.” Bob Gilliam, secretary
of the Board of Public Affairs, told
a newspaper reporter, “Someday
Oklahoma will have a $500,000
governor’s mansion. Henry Johnston
doesn’t care about a huge man-
sion. He is content with a home and
place where he can live respectably
and entertain that way. Perhaps a
governor of more wealth, who would
stage big parties, would want a larger
mansion.”
With only $75,000 set aside for
construction of the governor’s man-
sion, its design presented a giant
problem for the architectural firm se-
lected to develop plans for the struc-
ture. Drawings by Layton, Hicks and
Forsyth of Oklahoma City suggested
a $200,000 mansion, a two-story
home with two wings to be built of
limestone. The Oklahoma City Times
said “the smell of politics” entered
the construction project at that point.
By BETTy CROW AND BOB BuRKE
Early Oklahoma leaders suggested building a governor’s mansion on the ridge southeast of the State
Capitol. The Daily Oklahoman’s artist’s conception showed what the mansion would have looked like
from the south steps of the State Capitol. Courtesy Oklahoma Publishing Company.
Because he was about to be impeached
and removed from office, Governor John-
ston’s enemies wanted the project halted
“until the status of administration is more
clearly defined.”
Amid speculation that $75,000 might
only be sufficient to build a governor’s
residence that might later need to be
enlarged, Johnston threatened to call
the legislature into special session. The
Board of Public Affairs was torn by the
questions, “Shall we start a mansion?
Or shall we build a home?” The board
weighed its options. One member sug-
gested using the $75,000 appropriation to
build a single wing of the proposed large
mansion. Another cooler head warned
of “cluttering up the capitol grounds with
a building wholly incompatible with the
10
architecture of the capitol building and one which would be an
eyesore for the future generations to gaze upon.”
Contractors bidding on the construction of the executive man-
sion cut their bids to $98,000 by October, 1927. However, the
Board of Public Affairs was determined to build a mansion in keep-
ing with the architectural design of the State Capitol and within the
$75,000 allocated by the legislature for the home.
Governor Johnston and his family lived in an apartment
house on Northwest 17th Street while the Board of Public Affairs
struggled in the fall of 1927 to reach a consensus on what kind of
official residence to build. Hopes of convincing the legislature to
appropriate $200,000 for a governor’s residence vanished, prompt-
ing the board to instruct the architects to scrap plans for building
only a single wing of the mansion. Instead, Layton, Hicks and
Forsyth were ordered to prepare a plan for a finished building at a
cost of $75,000.
By November, 1927, realizing that a small mansion would look
out of place on the high terrace southeast of the State Capitol, the
Board of Public Affairs, with the support of Governor Johnston, de-
cided to build the new executive mansion on the narrow
strip of state-owned land east of the Capitol, in the middle
of a five-acre tract, even though streetcar tracks had to be
moved to give contractors access to the building site.
LEFT: Governor Henry S. Johnston and his family spent their first night in the newly-completed Okla-homa Governor’s Mansion on October 11, 1928. It was a quiet night for the Governor because the telephone in the mansion had not yet been installed.
ABOVE: The kitchen in the new mansion was a housewife’s dream with tile walls and a rubber tile floor and every built-in any woman could wish for in 1928. Courtesy Cherokee Strip Museum.
BELOW: First Lady Alice Murray hosted a unique quilting bee at the mansion. She invited one woman more than 70 years old from each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. Courtesy Oklahoma Publishing Company.
RIGHT: An aerial view of the Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion in 1930.
Courtesy Oklahoma Publishing Company.
11
The revised plans allowed construc-
tion of a 19-room mansion. The first
floor would contain a living room or
music room, dining room, sunroom,
library, breakfast room, and kitchen. Five
bedrooms, a sleeping porch, three baths,
and an office or sitting room would be
on the second floor.
On the third floor would be a ball-
room, 23 feet wide and 54 feet long, and
three storage rooms. An elaborate stair-
case would connect the two floors from
a large reception hall on the first floor.
The basement would house a laundry,
furnace, boiler, and fuel rooms.
The Kerr Family in the southwest living room, or library, on the first floor of the mansion. Left to right, Kay Kerr, Governor Robert S. Kerr, Bill Kerr, Breene Kerr, First Lady Grayce Kerr, and Robert S. Kerr, Jr. Courtesy Kay Kerr Adair.
LEFT: First Lady Willie Murray and Governor Johnston Murray have coffee in the newly-decorated family dining room in October, 1951. The chartreuse and dark green room had been the guard’s room in previous administrations. Chintz cottage curtains repeated the wallpaper pattern. Courtesy Oklahoma Publishing Company.
Governor George Nigh was a bachelor when he served his first term as governor. Nigh invited his nieces and nephews to a first-class slumber party at the governor’s mansion dur-
ing his nine-day term in 1963. Courtesy Oklahoma Publishing Company.
12
A swimming pool in the shape of Oklahoma was added to the mansion grounds during the administration of Governor George Nigh. Loyd Benefield of Oklahoma City and Julian Rothbaum of Tulsa spearheaded a drive to raise $25,000 in contributions to finance the construction of the pool. Courtesy Oklahoma Publishing Company.
An early winter snowstorm dropped seven inches of snow on the mansion in December, 1987. Courtesy Fred Marvel.
First Lady Ann Bartlett and Governor Dewey Bartlett showed their support for children’s issues by hosting day care students at the man-sion. Courtesy Ann Bartlett Burke.
13
Oklahomans were excited as the
Board of Public Affairs solicited bids for
the mansion. However, when 11 bids
were received in January, 1928, the low-
est, $87,130, was more than $10,000
above the $75,000 appropriated by the
legislature. The low bidder, Smiser Con-
struction Company of Oklahoma City,
looked for ways to cut costs, including
the idea of building the mansion of white
brick, rather than limestone.
Negotiations between Smiser
Construction and the Board of Public
Affairs resulted in a return to the original
plan of building the mansion of Indiana
limestone, to conform with the construc-
tion of the State Capitol. It was decided
to face the mansion west toward the
Capitol, toward Phillips Avenue, rather
than Northeast 23rd Street. Ground was
broken and construction began in March
of 1928.
Long before the exterior of the man-
sion was completed, First Lady Ethel
Johnston began the laborious process of
selecting plumbing fixtures, even though
her husband’s political troubles with the
legislature must have caused her to won-
der if she would ever live in the mansion.
Dozens of merchants insisted she
see their best offerings before purchases
were made. Money was tight making
necessary the selection of plain, all-white
bathroom and kitchen fixtures.
Smiser Construction ran out of
money and materials from the $75,000
appropriation by the time construction
began on a garage adjacent to the man-
sion. using leftover building materials,
the double-car garage, looking like a box
next to the limestone mansion, cost less
than $200. A spokesman for the Board
of Public Affairs promised the garage was
only “a temporary measure.”
Not everyone was proud of the new
mansion. Some said the building looked
like a barn. Others criticized the gover-
nor and first lady for preparing to move
into a house surrounded by barren land.
unperturbed, the first lady believed that
trees could be planted around the man-
BELOW: Pictures of former first families were displayed on both sides of the walls in the north entry of the mansion during the administration of Governor Henry Bellmon. The project was commissioned by First Lady Shirley Bellmon and paid for by the Oklahoma Histori-cal Society. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
First Lady Willie Murray’s open house at the governor’s mansion each Thursday was so popular that often there were not enough hostesses to conduct tours. Greeted by this crowd of more than 1,200 visitors in April, 1953, the cook, houseboy, and gardener were given hostess duties for the afternoon. More than 60,000 people visited the governor’s mansion during the Johnston Murray administration. Courtesy Oklahoma Publishing Company.
14
sion and that criticism of the landscaping
would be forgotten in two or three years.
The mansion had one hot water tank
and was heated by steam piped through
iron radiators. There was no bathroom
downstairs. The $300 per month op-
erating budget hardly covered bills for
electricity, water, and gas.
Newspapers followed with interest
the first lady’s furnishings of the man-
sion. Mrs. Johnston said, “After all, it is
called a mansion, but it is not a mansion,
only a large, comfortable home, built for
durability and practicability more than
anything.”
With the help of interior decorators
from Harbor Longmire Furniture Compa-
ny in Oklahoma City, the first lady chose
what she described as “plain, func-
tional” furniture. She bought 167 light
bulbs for $36.11; a Hoover sweeper for
$78.75; 12 ice cream bowls for $11.25;
a carpet sweeper for $7.90; drapes and
rugs for $50.00; and a waffle iron and
other kitchen equipment for $20.91. To
complete purchases for furnishing the
mansion, the first lady dipped into the
$300 per month mansion maintenance
account appropriated by the legislature.
The executive mansion was com-
pleted in early October, 1928, ready for
the first family to move in.Governor Frank Keating and First Lady
Cathy Keating welcomed guests to the housewarming for the governor’s man-
sion in March, 1995. Courtesy Michael Ives and Ackerman McQueen.
Henry Bellmon was elected gover-nor of Oklahoma a second time in 1986 after serving as United States Senator from Oklahoma. He and First Lady Shirley Bellmon are the only “first couple” in state history to live in the governor’s mansion two different times. Courtesy Gail
Bellmon Wynne.
Elizabeth Walters’ bedroom in the mansion was a typical four-year-
old’s bedroom, complete with stuffed animals and a doll carriage.
Courtesy Jim Argo.
14
15
Born in Vastervik, Sweden, in 1882, Oscar Brousse Jacobson immigrated
with his family to the United States in 1890. They settled in Lindsborg, Kan-
sas, where he attended public school and later at Bethany College located in
the same community. There, he studied art with internationally-known artist
Birger Sandzen, and graduated in 1908. In 1916 he received a master of
fine arts degree at Yale University and in 1941 a doctorate of fine arts from
Bethany College.
On Jacobson’s return from Paris, France in
1915 he came to the University of Okla-
homa as director of the School of Art, a position he held for thirty years.
Oscar Brousse JacobsonBy Millie CraddiCk
16
After his 1908 graduation from Bethany
College, Jacobson taught at the Minneapolis,
Minnesota, College of Art and Design and Wash-
ington State College in Pullman, Washington.
It was there that he met his wife to be, Sophie
Brousse, a French language teacher and writer
from Grenoble, France, who published under her
mother’s name Jeanne d’Ucel. During the first
half of 1915, he studied at the Louvre in Paris,
Sweden, Denmark, and again in Paris in 1925.
On Jacobson’s return from Paris in 1915
he came to the University of Oklahoma as direc-
tor of the School of Art, a position he held for
thirty years. Out of modest beginnings, under his
skilled direction, a large and well-organized art
school developed with numerous departments
and large art collections.
In the late 1920s, something happened
that forever changed Jacobson and the study of
art. In Anadarko, Sister Olivia Taylor, a Choctaw,
began teaching art to Kiowa Indian students at
a mission school operated by a Catholic church.
Susie Peters, a woman working for the Kiowa
Indian Agency in Anadarko was impressed with
the student’s art and sent some of the draw-
ings to Oscar Jacobson at OU. Fascinated with
what he saw, Jacobson invited them to become
special students at OU. Six Kiowa students –
five boys and one girl, who were included in
In 1986, Jacobson’s home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its unique architecture and role in the evolution and success of art in Oklahoma. Courtesy The Jacobson House Native Art Center.
A Kiowa shield adorns the Oklahoma blue front door of The Jacobson House Native Art Center. Cour-tesy The Jacobson House Native Art Center.
ABOVE: In 1915, Jacobson purchased his home at 609 Chautauqua Avenue in Norman. Courtesy The Jacobson House Native Art Center.
17
nearly all of the early exhibits – came to study
with Jacobson. The five boys became known as
the “Kiowa Five”. These artists and their style
became world famous and always have been
associated with Jacobson and the University of
Oklahoma. In addition, he founded the Associa-
tion of Oklahoma Artists and formally advised
President Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress
Administration’s Federal Art Project for Okla-
homa in the 1930s.
Jacobson’s name is synonymous with
early-twentieth-century art in Oklahoma. He
tirelessly promoted all arts to the young state. A
prolific painter of Southwestern landscapes, Ja-
cobson exhibited his work throughout the United
States and Europe. He lectured at the Metropoli-
tan Museum of Art in New York, at the Chicago
Art Institute, and more than fifty universities and
colleges. He was made an honorary chief of the
Kiowa Tribe.
Painted by Jacobson in 1938, the oil on canvas In the Navajo Country mea-sures 20” x 26”. Courtesy Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of oklahoma.
Jacobson with his wife Sophie, who published under her mother’s name of Jeanne d’Ucel, in their Norman home dressed in traditional Berber clothing. Courtesy The Jacobson House Native Art Center.
A number of Jacobson’s personal belongings are on display at The Jacobson House Native Art Center, including his painter’s pal-ette. Courtesy The Jacobson House Native Art Center.
18
Upon retiring in 1945 as director of the
School of Art, Jacobson remained director of the
art museum for another five years. He retired
from the university in 1952 as research professor
emeritus of art. In 1953 university authorities
honored Jacobson by naming the building in
which the museum was housed “Jacobson Hall”.
During the 1920s and 1930s Jacobson’s
home, which was built in 1917, became a meet-
ing place for artists from Norman and Taos and
Santa Fe, New Mexico, who were shaking up
the art world. Today, the Jacobson Foundation
operates the former home as Jacobson House
Native Art Center located at 609 Chautauqua
Oscar B. Jacobson, center, with Alice Timmons, left, and Vynola Newkuma. Courtesy The Jacobson House Native Art Center.
19
LEFT: Oscar B. Jacobson, third from right, with famed Kiowa art-ists, left to right, Tsatoke, Hokeah, Mopope, Asah, and Auchiah.
LEFT: Open to the public, The Jacobson House Native Art Center sits on the northeast corner of the University of Oklahoma campus. Courtesy The Jacobson House Native Art Center.
RIGHT: Located within the Roosevelt National Forest, the Oscar Brousse Jacobson Cabin is located between Meeker Park and Camp St.
Malo. Completed in 1933, the date of comple-tion is carved into a stone in the center of the
hearth, the cabin is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Avenue. In 1986, the foundation succeeded by seeing the house placed on the
National Register of Historic Places because of its unique architecture and role in
the evolution and success of art in Oklahoma. The House stands as a living symbol
of the recognition of Native American art as a medium speaking to the spirit of every
person.
Jacobson’s works are held by the Woolaroc Museum in Bartlesville, The Jacob-
son House Native Art Center in Norman, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and the
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, among others.
Jacobson was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1949. He passed
away in Norman, on September 18, 1966, at the age of eighty-four.
LEFT: Painted by Jacobson in 1928, the New Mexico landscape measuring 19” x 25¾” is in the private collection of Oklahoma collector Peter Carl.
20
he contribution Ralph Mason has made to the state of Oklahoma is significant, private, personal, and immea-surable. our state is a better place because of the influence Ralph has had on individuals who have experienced a life-impacting encounter or relation- ship with Ralph. Whether it be his three daughters, their husbands, and seven grandchildren who are conscientious citizens with broad world views or leading businessmen choos- ing to place themselves under Ralph’s mentorship or students finding guid- ance, direction, and scholarships from the Masons, his influence is widespread and mostly unnoticed.
BY SARAH HoRToN
T
Ralph played basketball at the Downtown YMCA for many years. He was known for his fierce competitiveness, fair leadership, and perpetual sportsmanship.
21
Born in Shawnee and brought home
to a small house in Meeker, oklahoma
always has been home to Ralph. He grew
up in various small towns where his parents
taught school in one-room school houses
which sometimes served as a church build-
ing on Sundays. Ralph’s father was often
the church pastor as well.
At the age of 16, Ralph began his
senior year at Prairie Valley School where
his father had accepted the job of principal
and high school math teacher. Ralph did
very well academically and enjoyed extra-
curricular activities, especially the girl’s
basketball games. Helen Eason was the
Ralph and his twin brother began school at age 4 so that his school-teacher mother could return to work. They spent most of their school days in one-room schools in small Oklahoma towns with their mother and father as teachers.
star guard on the half-court team who had
captured Ralph’s attention when he first saw
her and soon his affection as well.
Ralph and Helen married weeks after
her eighteenth birthday in a small ceremony
in Helen’s home. The following Sunday
morning the newlyweds went to church
with a dedication to beginning their mar-
riage with a strong faith and commitment
to their Christian beliefs. They really never
considered doing things any other way.
Ralph decided not to continue his
studies at oklahoma A & M so that he could
work and provide for his new bride. His
job at Tinker Field in a civilian apprentice
program paid $1.20 an hour. Helen’s job as a
telephone operator for Southwestern Bell in
oklahoma City added $40.00 each week to
their household income. They had more than
enough to pay their bills, and they recognized
this as a blessing. As their marriage began
they made a commitment to each other and to
God to always give part of their money to the
church.
Right on the heels of their first wedding
anniversary, Ralph was drafted to fight in the
Korean War. Just after that, Helen announced
she was pregnant. While the young couple
packed for Camp Roberts Army Base in
California their future seemed very uncertain.
By the end of Ralph’s four months of basic
combat training Helen had grown accustomed
to the meticulous budgeting that was required
in order to live on an Army salary and the
conflict with South Korea had settled some-
what. Instead of all troops going to war, now
some who were ready to be shipped out were
being sent to various countries to serve out
their terms. The couple was elated to receive
orders not to South Korea but to the Army
base in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Ralph married his high school sweetheart, Helen, following her 18th birthday.
22
Two important things happened early in
their eighteen months at the Army’s engineer-
ing training center in Missouri; Helen gave
birth to their first daughter and Ralph discov-
ered an aptitude for accounting after being as-
signed the job of bookkeeping for the supply
department. They immersed themselves into
their new community, devoting themselves to
the local church and loyally visited people in
their homes who were sick, needed encour-
agement, or were new to the church. Some of
the relationships they developed turned out to
be life-long friendships.
So it was from the earliest time of
their marriage and an uncertain time in
their lives that this devoted couple built
the foundation of giving some of every-
thing they had whether it was money,
time, friendship, support, love, kind
words, and so much more. This was
only the beginning of the hundreds of
lives the Masons have impacted. Even
after their net worth began to grow, their
focus has remained very personal, indi-
vidual, and highly specialized to each
circumstance.
Seizing OpportunityRalph, like many other servicemen, set his
sites on completing his college degree with
the help of the G. I. Bill. Ralph and Helen
eagerly returned to their family and friends
in Shawnee. Ralph resumed his job at Tinker
working the evening shift and enrolled in
morning courses at oklahoma Baptist Uni-
versity. Ralph graduated near the top of his
class with an accounting degree then went
to work for International Business Machines
(IBM). Starting out as a technician for an
Ralph was recruited to join the Army during the Korean War. The conflict settled before he completed boot-camp training. He and Helen were pleased to receive orders to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri instead of Korea.
After being recruited to join the Army, Ralph was sent to California for boot camp where he and Helen visited the beach.
While at IBM Service Bureau, Ralph was
responsible for program-ming and processing
data using punch card systems.
23
IBM wholly-owned subsidiary, the Service
Bureau Corporation, Ralph ran the num-
bers, analyzed data, and got the reports out
on time. He worked his way up the ranks to
operations manager, sales technical support,
then outside sales where he ranked among
the best in the company.
With each job promotion came a
move to a different market, a new city for
his family to settle into schools, establish
friendships, connect with a local church,
and make a home. While they made many
cherished friends around the country, Ralph
and Helen longed to be near their families
and provide a consistent environment for
their three daughters. They were thrilled
when he was offered the oklahoma City
sales territory.
Sonic Drive-InsHis success carried with it whispers of
promises of an eventual place in the
company’s corporate headquarters in New
York City. It was this possibility that mo-
tivated Ralph to explore different business
opportunities in oklahoma instead. He and
Helen wanted to stay near their families and
friends. After establishing himself within
his sales territory, analyzing the inner
workings of his client’s businesses, and just
talking with friends, Ralph determined the
best place for him to get into business was
with a Chevrolet dealership or Sonic Drive-
In restaurants.
Ralph believed these two options
provided the greatest earning potential, but
he was particularly intrigued with Sonic.
His high school friend, Bob Aylor, operated
the drive-in at Northwest 39th and Meridian
Avenue in oklahoma City and Ralph began
hanging out with Bob and observing the
operation. He spent the following two years
visiting with Bob, then coming home and
talking drive-in with Helen before deciding
he was ready to invest.
Sinking all of their $2,000 savings,
plus money borrowed from Bethany First
National Bank, into a new drive-in was
what Ralph deemed to be a good risk. It
was certainly a big one. He told Helen they
would either go bankrupt or make a lot of
money. Helen was nervous about the risk
and uncertainty, but gained great comfort
knowing Ralph would continue his work
for the IBM Service Bureau and still earn
a paycheck. In June of 1964, Ralph, along
with his partners, opened Sonic Drive-in
number nineteen in Miami, oklahoma.
After a year in business, Ralph knew
his investment in Sonic was a success, but
he also presented a crossroads to Helen. Al-
though Ralph gave his sales responsibilities
his best effort, his attentions had become
After exploring career opportunities with Sonic and Chevrolet, Ralph decided to become a franchisee of Sonic. Ralph modeled his business after Sonic founder Troy Smith’s ideas and philosophies to do business with an open hand and make sure each deal is good for all parties involved.
Ralph left business behind when he came home to his family, but often used stories about dealing with various people to teach his daughters about life.
24
divided between the Service Bureau and
Sonic. Accustomed to easily exceeding
his sales goals, for the first time Ralph’s
performance was below what was expected.
It was time to become fully committed to
Sonic and no longer rely on the sales com-
missions to pay the bills. It was another
event surrounded by risk and uncertainty.
Ralph cut his ties with IBM’s Ser-
vice Bureau and wholeheartedly invested
himself and all of his assets into Sonic. He,
along with many partners, soon became
Sonic’s largest franchisee. Today he has
been a part of opening nearly 300 stores and
earned a spot as one of the top five fast food
franchisees in the country.
Many people invested in Ralph along
the way to enable him to achieve such
accomplishment. He had caring bosses
who mentored him and entrusted him with
responsibility, people who taught him how
to deal with mistakes and failure, bankers
willing to take a risk alongside him, neigh-
bors who loaned him collateral, and pastors
who directed his perspective towards eternal
investment. He made conscious decisions
to emulate the morality-based business
practices he had learned, extend the trust he
had received, offer forgiveness for mistakes,
and mentor individuals who sought his
guidance.
Ralph’s greatest claim to success is the
fact he has been blessed. Sonic has been the
vehicle through which many of the bless-
ings have been delivered. Uncomfortable in
the spotlight, Ralph’s greatest contribution
has been through individual lives. one-on-
one is where Ralph is most comfortable and
it is where his impact can be seen across the
state and beyond.
PartnershipsBack when Ralph had about 30 stores he
decided he needed corporate partners to
facilitate future growth. He found a young
attorney to take on the responsibility of
forming partnerships, handling many
administrative functions, and offer legal
counsel. Ralph then was introduced to a
convenience store manager who agreed to
come on board as head of operations. They
agreed on a salary to cover the new part-
ner’s work for the 30 stores Ralph already
had and agreed that all future franchisee
profits would be equally divided among the
three of them. This partnership opened more
than 250 Sonic Drive-Ins and survived 31
years before one partner retired.
A young college graduate who could
not find a job during Oklahoma’s oil bust
years was offered an opportunity to become
a managing partner in Sonic. The young
man never expected to mop the floor with his
new college diploma, but with Ralph’s finan-
cial backing and faithful support he was soon
supervising multiple stores and making far
more than he would had he landed another
job. This individual later decided to leave
Sonic to pursue another career, but after a
while wanted to come back to the drive-in
business. Throughout each of his decisions
Ralph offered his encouragement and assis-
tance.
Two of Ralph’s church friends, one a
dentist the other a psychologist, became
enamored with Sonic by observing Ralph’s
advancement. With Ralph’s encouragement
and financial support they both left their
professional positions to become Sonic fran-
chisees and build wealth for their families.
Ralph always thinks in terms of equal
partnership but there are times when his
partner has reason to agree to a different ar-
rangement. Ralph has stood by each original
agreement in all of his business dealings
even through great prosperity, retirement,
death, disagreements, and failure to pay
debts. He has weathered a few storms but
mostly only grew to love his partners and
their families. Through these numerous rela-
tionships he and Helen have attended count-
less weddings, parties, funerals, graduations,
and other significant life events.
Chuck Harrison, left, and Gary Jarrard, right, joined Ralph to become key partners in building infrastructure of their franchisee operation. Together they formed Mason Harrison Jarrard and became the largest franchisee of Sonic.
25
Hoops at the YRalph’s physical and mental outlet was
playing basketball. He joined a group of
men who met at the Downtown YMCA for
pick-up games Monday through Friday.
Evaluating his competition and teammates
around the gym, Ralph saw business leaders
alongside men who came in off of the street.
While at the gym he felt he was judged only
by how he played the game. As the oldest
player there, he used his fierce competitive-
ness, accurate outside shot, and fair dealings
with all players to gain the respect of many
of the athletes.
It was there Ralph encountered a young
attorney who was looking for help in navi-
gating life’s uncertain waters. The weekly
mentoring meetings that ensued revealed a
raging river of discontent in the man’s law
firm, personal life, and marriage. Ralph pa-
tiently listened to the unlimited frustration
the young man needed to vent, and through
love and encouragement, guided him into
calmer waters where he was able to clearly
see the things that were within his power to
change. The most significant change was in
starting his own law firm, which he did with
Ralph’s steady encouragement and constant
support. over time Ralph also was able to
influence him to appreciate some of the
positive things that already were going for
him and equip him to handle uncertainty in
the future.
Due in part to Ralph’s influence, today
a successful oklahoma law practice is
completely dedicated to business principles
such as an honest day’s work is always
delivered for an honest day’s wage and each
transaction is handled in such a way that the
client will want to conduct another transac-
tion. Also, there is an influential attorney
who has grown into a mentorship role and
devoted himself to investing in individuals
as he once was inspired by Ralph’s mentor-
ship.
A well-known oil and gas tycoon
who frequented the YMCA pick up games
quietly observed Ralph. As a man who did
not allow himself to be easily influenced by
others, he conscientiously noticed Ralph’s
character and actions before deciding to
allow Ralph to have an impact on his life.
He studied how Ralph was able to main-
tain his fierce competitiveness in the game
and all the while act as a gentleman and a
Christian. He diligently wanted to learn this
trait because he knew he had to maintain
his own strong competitive spirit to gain
success in his business, but sometimes
struggled with how that could compliment
his desire to stay faithful to his beliefs.
It was not until a few years later that
Ralph was surprised to learn of his influ-
ence on this individual. Surprised because
this was a successful and highly regarded
leader in the community and because
Ralph never talked about his faith on the
basketball court. It was many years later
when Ralph discovered nearly everyone at
the gym identified him as a Christian and
respected his leadership, sportsmanship,
and aggressive play on the court.
Mason ScholarshipsThe Masons began giving individual col-
lege scholarships in the 1960s and have
sponsored at least one student, sometimes
several, every year since. The first went
to their babysitter then years later her
children were the first to receive second
generation Mason scholarships. There is
no application process or minimum grade
point average requirement; it is simply a
gift, an investment with long-term growth
potential.
Ralph once volunteered on a medical mission trip. Before knowing Ralph’s true profession, his son-in-law saw the portrait on the wall and believed Ralph was a dentist for quite some time.
Most all of the grandchildren’s
activities find Ralph and Helen in the
stands, audience, or on the sidelines.
26
Ralph and Helen volunteered with the
church youth group for ten years and really
connected with many of the young people.
one young man developed a special bond
and began double dating with the Masons
when he was in high school. He valued
their opinion and was able to go to a nice
restaurant on their tab! The thoughtful ques-
tions Ralph directed towards his dates were
usually character revealing.
After completing his under gradu-
ate degree at oklahoma State University
with the help of a Mason scholarship, he
announced his intention of going to medical
school. After directing some probing ques-
tions towards the young man and spending
time in prayer, Ralph and Helen asked if
they could cover the cost of his post-gradu-
ate education.
Because of Ralph and Helen’s love and
generosity there is a young man who will
soon graduate medical school without the
cumbersome restraints of student loans. At
this stage in his life he admits he does not
comprehend the lasting impact this advan-
tage will lend him, but he aspires to one day
become the giver of scholarships to pass the
same blessing on to other people.
Another strong connection they made
in the youth group was with a young
Ralph and Helen Mason have been mentors for many couples and
individuals.
girl who recognized her need to be in an
environment different from the chaos of her
home. She was welcomed into Ralph and
Helen’s home just as a dozen other girls had
found a temporary home there before her.
She was given shelter, food, and clothing;
the basics of life that she was able to accept,
however, convinced they were out to reform
her, she dug in her heels of resistance when
it came to accepting their love, nurturing,
and concern. over time, through many chal-
lenges, the young woman finally realized she
was worthy of being loved for who she is.
The Masons recognized her intelligence,
strong work ethic, and her ability to rise
above her circumstances. Wanting to help
her achieve her dreams, they visited with her
mother about the prospect of a college edu-
cation and realized there were no provisions
set aside. Ralph and Helen decided they
would like to see to it that she go to college,
continued to support her through graduate
school, prestigious internship opportunities,
and a second graduate degree.
Many people have become millionaires
after forging a business partnership with
Ralph. Nearly 100 students have attended
school with the assistance of a personal
scholarship from the Masons. Scores of
individuals have been encouraged, men-
tored, and influenced by Ralph intentionally
through weekly meetings, inadvertently
through regular contact, and brief encoun-
ters with life-changing impact.
Ralph and Helen’s generosity has
significantly impacted churches, schools,
inner-city programs, community founda-
tions, and other organizations, but the true
measure of their giving is in their readiness
to respond to any call. They have gone
through life with their hand open and
ready to embrace people who are willing to
receive. They have not preached sermons
or lead Bible studies, but have influenced
many by embracing them with uncondi-
tional love.
27
By JIM LINDER
In July, 1943, during World War II, a prison for German war prisoners was opened in Alva,
Oklahoma. In the summer of 1944, German prisoners of war were assigned to work at
the Railways Ice Plant at Waynoka. The war had left the ice company short-handed. A
satellite camp was established in Waynoka to eliminate the fifty-mile round trip from the
main camp at Alva. Waynoka high school student Jim Linder (1928-2007), too young to
enlist in the United States Army, worked at the ice plant, and took a special interest in the
prisoners, learning their language and later studying the war’s history and the reason for
their presence in a POW camp in northwest Oklahoma. At the request of the Waynoka
Historical Society, Jim wrote of his experiences in working with the German men, and also
included some background history of the war and the battle that ended in their capture
and confinement. He wrote the following account in 2005.
During World War II, German PoWs were well guarded when they iced the east-bound trains at the Railways Ice Company at Waynoka.
POWsThe prisoners of war (POWs) who ended up in the
camp south of Alva, some of whom worked at the
Railways Ice Company in Waynoka, were among the
huge number captured at the fall of Tunisia before
mid-May, 1943.
These Afrika Korps troops had followed Field
Marshall Erwin Rommel in his Desert Fox days and had
been beaten back across North Africa by the British
8th Army in combination with the United States Army
II Corps, the French XIX Corps, and massive Royal Air
Force and United States Air Force air support.
Under the pressures of Stalingrad and Allied air
offensives against his home front, Adolf Hitler had
been unable to reinforce or effectively supply the
Afrika Korps. Rommel was no longer “magic”, although
his troops still idolized him. The total of German and
Italian prisoners taken when Tunisia fell was estimated
at nearly 250,000. Prior to the Allies providing them
food, many had not eaten for a number of days. Rom-
mel had been flown back to Germany for medical
treatment, and to defend the channel coast. von
Arnim was the general who surrendered with the
Afrika Korps.
As it happened, a number of German prisoners
rode below decks on the converted Queen Mary with
Winston Churchill and his staff when they crossed the
Atlantic to meet with President Franklin D. Roosevelt
and the American joint staff in what came to be
known as the Trident Conference. While the British
were in Washington, the Axis POWs were sorted, de-
briefed, and staged for prisoner camps in the central
and western United States. It was believed these loca-
tions would prohibit them from escaping and making
their way back into the fighting.
Rumor had it that the Alva contingent were
largely Afrika Korps non-commissioned personnel
who were elite troops, enthusiastic Nazis, and likely to
be recalcitrant and troublesome. This population was
not allowed to join work parties outside the camp for
fear they could get too close to railroad transportation
and escape to Mexico.
1944When the school term finished in the spring of 1944, many of the sixteen- and
seventeen-year-old boys were encouraged, if not actually recruited, to fill the
jobs which normally would have been performed by those a few years older
that were scattered over the globe in military service. During the summer the
high school boys called crews for the Santa Fe, worked at the freight dock,
the rip-track, the ice plant and car-repair facility, clerked at the yard office, and
learned to be train-crewmen.
One of the original Railways Ice Company signs is on display in the Waynoka Historical Society.
Workers on the ice dock used “pushers” to move the 300-pound cakes of ice, and used the sharp points to strike the cake
in such a way that it would break into smaller chunks to be loaded into the
Santa Fe Railroad’s refrigerator cars.
Three-hundred-pound cakes of ice were broken into smaller pieces on the ice dock and then loaded into each end of the “reefers” - refrigera-tor cars.
28
Bill Darnell, Lindell Maulsby, Max Martin,
and I worked at the ice plant. We thought
that would be a great way to get in shape
for football in the fall and they would pay us
$63.60 for an 84-hour week. We were elated.
With the accelerated war-time economy,
there simply were not enough men to
keep up with the demands of the work.
The economy had to make do with us. We
all tried mightily to act and appear grown
up and competent while our parents and
girlfriends patiently waited and watched
without laughing too much.
The summer of 1944 brought the
peaceful invasion of Waynoka by the Afrika
Korps and United States Army guards armed
with the neatly lethal 30-caliber carbine
and a few pump-action shotguns loaded
with 00-buckshot. A city-bred guard from
Brooklyn, New york, once set one of those
down a little too firmly under a timber
stairway and blew two steps completely
out. He tried to convince his sergeant that
this was done with the purpose of impress-
ing his prisoners, but the sergeant told him
that being clumsy was bad enough without
lying about it. After the incident, the guard
was issued a carbine.
The first work crew of sixteen POWs
was transported from the Alva stockade
standing in a side-boarded truck used to
deliver ice cakes to the Santa Fe depot. Al-
though the POWs seemed to feel the outing
was fun, the two Army privates who shared
the open truck bed with them did not agree.
The corporal who rode with the driver in the
cab was not sympathetic.
That first morning the POWs were em-
ployed only in dragging 300-pound cakes of
ice from the big storehouse into a staging
area in the receiving room preparatory to
feeding them onto the conveyor chain that
would feed ice to the elevated quarter-mile
long icing dock. There the dock crew would
cut the full cakes into 100-pound chunks
and fill the ice bunkers at each end of each
refrigerator car. This process allowed fresh
produce from California to reach Kansas City,
Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, and the eastern
seaboard in usable condition and massive
quantities.
Because the trains travelled twenty-four
hours, the roundhouse, freight dock, yards,
and ice plant were around-the-clock opera-
tions. So were Eastman’s Restaurant, Roy
Solomon’s taxi, Eastman’s Hotel, Commercial
Hotel, also known as Mother Miller’s, and
the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Reading
Room. The other businesses in town, for
the most part, worked a twelve-hour daily
schedule except Sunday. The day the POWs
came to town there was much conversation
about the Germans—how they might be-
have and whether they would try to escape.
The very quiet ones were those families who
had lost a loved one in combat. The general
LEFT: The second highest-ranking German prisoner of war, Hans von Arnim was held in Britain until 1947. He returned to Germany where he lived until his death in September, 1962.
LEFT: Erwin Rommel was born in Heidenheim, Germany, on November 15, 1891. He wanted to study engineering but his father disapproved so in 1910 he joined the German Army.
Field Marshall Erwin Rommel (1891-1944) in the African desert.
feeling seemed to be that as long as the
United States had to house and feed them
they might as well do some work. One
American Expeditionary Force (AEF) veteran
was heard to observe that they might be
easier to get along with than an equal num-
ber of Frenchmen.
The German version of manhood at first
rejected the use of tongs or pusher tools to
handle the 300-pound cakes of ice. Appar-
ently feeling this was a decadent, possibly
effeminate way to operate. A good many
cakes were dropped, flopped over, chipped,
and broken while they tried to manipulate
the heavy, slippery cakes using only gloved
hands. One muscular Korps corporal,
dubbed “Superman,” broke a foot rather
badly before his comrades decided tongs
were de rigueur.
They were strong, wholesome looking
young men; good workers, although a little
ponderous in movement, we thought. They
were apparently pleased to be out of the
stockade even at the price of hard work and
29
The translation of the German version of “Lilly Marlene,”
A German love song that was sung by the German POWs.
Underneath the lantern, by the barrack gate
Darling I remember, the way you used to wait
‘Twas there that you whispered tenderly
That you’d love me, you’d always be,
Lilly My Lilly of the lamplight, my own Lilly Marlene
Time would come for roll call, time for us to part
Marlene Darling I’d caress you, and press you to my heart
And there ‘neath that far off lantern light
I’d hold you tight, we’d kiss “goodnight”
My Lilly of the lamplight, my own Lilly Marlene
Orders came for sailing, somewhere over there
All confined to barracks, was more than I could bear
I knew you were waiting in the street
I heard your feet, but could not meet
My Lilly of the lamplight, my own Lilly Marlene
Resting in a billet, just behind the line
Even though were parted, your lips are close to mine
You wait where that lantern softly gleams
Your sweet face seems, to haunt my dreams
My Lilly of the lamplight, my own Lilly Marlene
My Lilly of the lamplight, my own Lilly Marlene.
30
constantly enduring the change from 30˚ to 90˚+ outside. We guessed
that after Libya and western Egypt, Oklahoma in summertime might
not seem so bad.
We learned early on that they would trade anything from Weh-
rmacht caps to swastika-embossed buckles to non-com shoulder-
boards for a pack of American cigarettes. The German cigarettes from
the Red Cross were called “Astoria” and they were “ersatz”, apparently
made from decayed alfalfa or possibly sundried cabbage. We sug-
gested early and often that they should not smoke these things in
any place without a lot of fresh air or a really powerful exhaust system.
They assured us that their cigarettes were better than Russian and that
although Russia was a little larger than America it was much more
“barbarous.” That word was much used in describing anything Russian
we learned.
The first time the sixteen POWs were taken to the icing
dock to actually put ice into railcars they automatically fell into
step, Army-style, and the elevated dock began to sway slightly
but perceptibly until one of their senior non-commissioned
officers called for route step to break the unison and the dock
stabilized. I recall that they sang a pleasant war-time ballad
called “Lilly Marlene” when they walked any distance in a group.
The only thing wrong with that was they sang it in Teutonic
march time which sort of ruined it as a ballad. It actually was
not instantly recognizable when done as a march.
The German aidelweis uniform patch and the shoulder boards were traded to Jim Linder in exchange for American ciga- rettes.
POW IIAfter several weeks of hauling a crew of German prisoners from
Alva to Waynoka in the morning and back to Alva again in the
evening, two things became apparent to the management
structure. A lot of time and gasoline were being wasted and
the same number of POWs would be just as useful on the night
shift. From this came two quickly-built, wood-frame barracks
which would house 30 to 40 men, a bathhouse with coldwater
showers, and standard government issue (GI) conveniences.
A smaller frame building for a guard detail of six to eight also
was constructed. A six-foot fence topped with five strands of
barbed wire surrounded the compound, located just southeast
of the condensing, or cooling, tower. Another step toward solv-
ing the local labor problem was complete.
From that time forward trips made by a United States
Army vehicle hauled rations, censored mail, replacement
fatigues, and first aid supplies from the Alva camp. Frequently
that truck also conveyed injured POWs and a few heat-prostra-
tion cases back to Alva. The tongs, breaker-bars, and pushers,
with both breaker-points and hooks, all were kept exceedingly
31
sharp. Used at high rates of speed, there
were numerous puncture injuries.
One game favored by some of the re-
ally bored or adventurous prisoners involved
putting down one hand with the fingers
spread and with an ice pick held in the
other hand seeing who could stick the pick
into the dock boards between each of the
spread fingers in the quickest time. The win-
ner received soggy cigarettes and the loser
usually got a ride to Alva and a tetanus shot.
When someone stuck an ice pick through
a finger there was always a great shout of
laughter. Although the guards placed bets,
they did not play.
We were told that U.S. Army personnel
who injured themselves deliberately could
be court-martialed. The ultimate champion
at the ice pick game was a tall, dark speci-
men who had been a paratrooper on Crete.
His facial expression never changed so far as
I could tell and I remember that, like a snake
he never blinked. I noticed also that no
other POW ever came close to him without
making some sort of alerting noise and he
got more than his share of attention from
the guards.
One of my favorite German crewmen
was a blond, blue-eyed gentleman named
Heinz Juergen. Juergen had served mostly
in a Panzer division and had been wounded
well before the debacle in Tunisia. He
looked about as All-American as Tab Hunter,
one of Hollywood’s golden boys, and was
a terrific worker; more lithe and agile than
In the late 1980s, former German PoWs returned to visit the United States. In the pho-tograph, several of the men are shown with Waynoka Mayor Marvin Miller, center back, and three of the 14 paintings that remained after the war on the barracks walls at the Alva prison. The three shown are displayed in the Waynoka Air Rail Museum.
the other Germans. He had a long, neatly
healed scar down the back of one shoulder
which became more visible as the summer
wore on because the scar did not tan.
There were B-25 crews in training at
Vance Airbase in Enid and they flew over
the yards and the dock fairly often. Juergen
always called a B-25 “verdammt B25” as if
it were one word. Turned out his scar was
the product of a B-25 tank-buster. He could
spot one of those medium bomber Mitch-
ells long before the rest of us were sure
they actually were a plane. Bill Darnell and
I agreed we knew two things about Heinz
for sure—that he had contact with our Air
Force and that the Afrika Korps had at least
one great surgeon because his scar was as
neat as anything a draftsman could draw
with a ruling pen and a straightedge.
Another prisoner I remember more
pleasantly was an artillery sergeant named
Willi Metz. He apparently had been received
into the artillery with as much warmth as
the German military could manage because
he had been a math teacher at a German
gymnasium. The math experience made
him a surefire gunnery sergeant. He must
have been a terrific trig teacher because
not only did he know all the trigonometric
identities but he must have had the majority
of the trig tables committed to memory. He
was quite pleased that calculus had been
invented by the German Gottfried Leibniz,
which would probably have peeved Sir Isaac
Newton more than somewhat.
Metz’s brother served in the Schutz-
staffel (SS), the black-uniformed elite corps
of the Nazi Party. This caused much sadness
for Metz. I learned a bit later that Willi had
two young sons. One of them had been
born in an SS population-augmentation
facility about twelve months after Willi
shipped out for Africa. After the war I had a
letter from him once asking if we could get
a care package to him since food for his sons
was hard to find. I don’t know if his brother
made it through the war or not.
For more on Jim Linder’s experience, and about the operation of the Railways Ice Com- pany at Waynoka, an interview of Linder in early 2007 is avail- able on DVD from the Waynoka Histor- ical Society.
N •E •W R •E • L •E •A •S •E •S
M A Y • 2 0 1 0 R E L E A S E
Hardwood
HeroesGreat OklahOma BasketBall COaChes
by c. Renzi Stone & bob buRke
STON
E & BURK
E HA
RDW
OO
D H
EROES
Oklahoma’s impact on the art and science of coaching basketball is great. Oklahoma
coaches have not only produced winning teams, they have literally influenced the way
the game is played around the world. Pioneers such as Henry Iba and Bertha Teague were
without equal in their era. Not only did Oklahoma coaches impact many basketball programs at universities
beyond the state’s borders, basketball fans around the world knew about the great coaches
from the Sooner State. No other state has produced more coaches who led the United
States basketball team to gold medals in the Olympic Games.
HardwOOd HErOES
C. rENZI STONE is a former member and three-year starter of the
University of Oklahoma basketball team who now serves as president and
CEO of Saxum Public relations, one of the region’s largest independent
public relations firms. He has been published in numerous books and his
opinion editorials have run in several national newspapers. He is recognized
nationally for his political intelligence and public relations insight and has
been honored often by various local and national groups as a top businessman
under the age of 40. a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Stone graduated from Jenks High School
and holds a B.a. degree in history from OU. He guest hosts a popular local
political talk show, is an active member of the social media community,
authors a regular blog, and is frequently asked to speak on issues including
leadership, youth development, entrepreneurialism, and Oklahoma. He, his
wife Lee anne and their two sons, Jackson and Isaiah, live in Oklahoma City.
BOB BUrKE has written more historical non-fiction books than anyone else
in history. His 98 books are all about Oklahoma’s incredible heritage. Born
in Broken Bow, he was director of a large state agency in Governor david
Boren’s administration and managed Boren’s first campaign for the United
States Senate. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma
City University School of Law. Burke, a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma
Journalism Hall of Fame, has earned numerous awards for his writing. He is
the father of robert, amy, and Cody, stepfather of Natalie, Lauren, and Calli,
and grandfather of Nathan, Jon, ridge, Fallon, and Greyson. He and his wife
Chimene live in Oklahoma City where he practices law and writes books.
THE aUTHOrS:
32
SkirvinBy Jack Money & Steve LackmeyerFull Circle Press, $39.95
The Skirvin Hotel opened to the public in 1911 and so began the love affair and ulti-mate intrigue and mystery that surrounded what many have called Oklahoma City’s most spectacular structure. Oklahoma au-thors and reporters Jack Money and Steve Lackmeyer have presented the unique history of this magnificent hotel in their newly-released Skirvin. Published by Full Circle Press, Skirvin
focuses on the real heart of the majestic structure—its people. Upon opening, its namesake and founding father, W. B. Skirvin, was widowed and a single father of three. With his family he moved into a five-room suite on the hotel’s ninth floor and would remain at the helm until his death more than 30 years later. Through the years the hotel would prove to be both a blessing and the source of strife between the elder Skirvin and his children. Skirvin’s daughter Perle Mesta became known as the “hostess with the mostest” in Washington, D.C., was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, and served as the inspiration for the 1953 release “Call Me Madam” starring Ethel Merman and Donald O’Connor. Daughter Marguerite’s career included stage and screen; she starred op-posite Lionel Barrymore in “The Quitter” in 1916. Skirvin not only provides an inside look at the personalities of the hotel’s ownership, but the impact the hotel has had on the community. The owners of this Oklahoma
City landmark have been as colorful as the Skirvin Coffee Shop’s original tile work. The famous Persian Room could tell its own story—from political gatherings and business symposiums to wedding receptions and performances by celebri-ties. Its lobby could tell of business deals between Oklahoma’s and the Nation’s most prominent. The Skirvin Hotel has been the location where careers were launched and careers ended. It has hosted Hollywood’s hottest, presidents, and diplomats. For many years the hotel sat lifeless and dark with drapes half-closed, windows opened years before allowed only the birds to call the historic hotel home. Many have walked the halls with the dream of bringing the Skirvin back to its life of grandeur. The table of contents reads like an over-the–top novel that includes death, illegal gambling, prohibition, and ghosts. We have all heard the phrase “if these walls could talk” and, thanks to Jack Money and Steve Lackmeyer, they are. —Gini Moore Campbell
Broken Bow: The First Century by Bob Burke, Harriet Burris Martin, Kenneth Hamilton, and Paulette LaGasse $29.95
Pride of the Wichitas: A History of Cameron University by Sarah Eppler Janda $29.95
Hardwood Heroes: Great Oklahoma Basketball Coachesby C. Renzi Stone and Bob Burke$12.95 paperback
33
Oklahomans have long held positions of significance in the fields of aviation and space. A pioneer in both areas was Jack Ridley, born in Garvin, Oklahoma in the western part of McCurtain County on June 16, 1915. His parents, John W. and Sarah Ridley named him Jackie Linwood Ridley.
BY BILL MooRE
Jack Ridley, on the flight line, was an accomplished pilot in his own right and, after Yeager broke the sound barrier, flew the X-1 and broke the sound barrier himself. Courtesy Air Force Flight Test Center History Office.
Broken Bow: The First Century by Bob Burke, Harriet Burris Martin, Kenneth Hamilton, and Paulette LaGasse $29.95
34
Growing up, he displayed quite an
aptitude for mathematics and was pretty
good at understanding how things were
mechanically put together. The family
eventually made their way to the Sulphur
area where Ridley graduated from Sulphur
High School in 1935.
He enrolled at the University of
oklahoma in the engineering program.
Ridley received a B.S. in Mechanical
Engineering in 1939 and would then go on
to serve in the U.S. Army because of his
participation in RoTC at the university.
Soon after his entrance into the Army,
Ridley transferred to the Army Air Corps
and received his wings in May 1942. In
1944, he was first sent to the Army Air
Force’s School of Engineering at Wright
Field and then on to the California Insti-
tute of Technology where he earned his
M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering in July
1945.
Ridley returned to Wright Field to the
Flight Test Division of the Air Materiel
Command. Graduating as a Test Pilot in
the Spring of 1946, Ridley was placing
himself in position to participate in the
new supersonic research program. Col.
Albert Boyd, Chief of the Flight Test
division, selected three individuals from
his roster of 125 test pilots for the new
x-1 rocket research airplane program. He
selected Capt. Chuck Yeager as primary
pilot, 1st Lt. Bob Hoover as backup pilot
and Ridley as project engineer.
The new experience of trying to fly
faster than the speed of sound would need
a qualified engineer like Ridley. It would
also need an engineer who was a test pilot
like Ridley and could clearly explain the
engineering aspects to Yeager and Hoover.
Early on, as an engineer who was a
good problem solver, Ridley would bring
his skills to bear to resolve a situation that
could have prevented success in breaking
the sound barrier. As the speed of the x-1
approached Mach 1, the speed of sound,
the pilot could not control the pitch that al-
lowed the raising or lowering of the nose of
the plane. Ridley resolved this by using the
entire horizontal stabilizer to control pitch
that came to be known as the “flying tail.”
Yeager relates a story in his autobiog-
raphy that gave him total trust in Ridley’s
engineering skills. He wrote that “…a
training command pilot out of Luke Air
Force Base had run out of fuel and made an
emergency landing on a small strip out on
the desert somewhere…The airplane that
had run out of fuel was a P-84 Thunderjet,
needing a longer runway to take off again
with a load of fuel aboard. So, Jack said
to me, ‘Come on, let’s go out there and see
what we can do about it.’ I can still see
him standing next to that jet on that small
runway, working his slide rule. He calcu-
lated exactly how much fuel we’d need to
get the jet back to Luke, then he carefully
paced off the exact spot where I should fire
Test Unit Team Members gather around a photo of the X-1. Captain Chuck Yeager, third from left, and Major Jack Ridley, second from right, stand on both sides of the photo being held by Head of the Unit Walter Williams. Courtesy NASA.
Jack Ridley, born in Garvin, Okla-homa, played a significant role in
helping to break the sound bar-rier on the X-1 project with Chuck
Yeager. Courtesy Air Force Flight Test Center History Office.
35
jet boosters to lift off, driving in a stake at
that point. He said, ‘I’ve given you ten feet
of runway to spare. That should be plenty.’
A crew brought in the boosters and the
fuel, and I took off, fired the boosters at the
marker, and was airborne with ten feet to
spare. After that, if Jack had told me, ‘No
sweat, Chuck, I’ve left you three inches,’
that would’ve been fine by me.”
on october 14, 1947, Yeager broke the
sound barrier by flying faster than Mach 1
and the speed of sound. This event opened
up new speeds for aviation and the possibil-
ity of future space flight.
Ridley had to solve another problem
just before that historic X-1 flight. It saved
Yeager’s place as the pilot of the flight and
saved Yeager’s place in history. Yeager had
broken two ribs in a horseback riding inci-
dent just two days before the flight. Only
Ridley and Yeager knew about it. Yeager
could not secure the hatch of the x-1 with
his right hand because of the rib problem,
so Ridley cut off a section of a broom
handle which let Yeager wedge the broom
stick in the door handle with his left hand
and secure it shut.
The 1983 movie, “The Right Stuff”
Chuck Yeager and Jack Ridley stand in front of the X-1 attached to the B-29 Transport Plane. Courtesy Air Force Flight Test Center History Office.
made this problem solving famous with a
scene between actors Levon Helm playing
Ridley and Sam Shepard playing Yeager.
Helm’s portrayal of Oklahoman Ridley also
added his oklahoma accent as the nar-
rator for the rest of the film.
Ridley even flew the X-1 to supersonic
speed himself. When there had been
doubts about going faster than the speed
of sound, Yeager stated in his autobi-
ography that Ridley once told him, “The
only barrier is bad aerodynamics and bad
planning. Bell has designed the perfect ship
for the program, and we’re not gonna’ make
any mistakes getting there.”
Yeager wrote of his admiration for
Ridley by saying, “I trusted Jack with my
life. He was the only person on earth who
could have kept me from flying the X-1…if
Jack had said, ‘Chuck, if you fly in that
thing, you’re not gonna make it,’ that would
have been it for yours truly. Jack was bril-
liant.”
Ridley’s engineering expertise
involved him in many more experimental
Air Force programs around the world. He
worked on the x-1 through the x-5, xB-47,
xF-92A, F-84F, B-52 and was Chief of
the Flight Test Engineering Laboratory. It
was while stationed on one of those foreign
assignments in Japan that Ridley was killed.
He was a passenger in a C-47 when it
crashed into Mount Fuji on March 12, 1957.
Edwards Air Force Base named its Ridley
Mission Control Center in his honor.
Colonel Jack Ridley was inducted into
the oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of
Fame in 1991. Chuck Yeager insisted on
coming to the ceremony to induct his old
friend. Jack Ridley, this University of okla-
homa graduate from McCurtain County,
will always be remembered as the engineer
who broke the sound barrier.
36
Although her basketball coaching career began in Cairo, Oklahoma, it is Bertha Frank Teague’s 42-year coach-ing career at Byng High School that has forever secured her place in the record books. Born in Carthage, Missouri, Teague graduated from Arkansas’ Amity High School and from Oklahoma A & M, now Oklahoma State University. She began her coaching career when her husband, Jess Teague, was hired to teach at Byng, the small, rural school located just north of Ada. In addition to
Bertha Frank Teague is the only female coach in the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame. Courtesy Oklahoma Publishing Company.
By GInI MOORe CAMpBeLL
Hardwood
HeroesGreat OklahOma BasketBall COaChes
by c. Renzi Stone & bob buRke
STON
E & BURK
E HA
RDW
OO
D H
EROES
Oklahoma’s impact on the art and science of coaching basketball is great. Oklahoma
coaches have not only produced winning teams, they have literally influenced the way
the game is played around the world. Pioneers such as Henry Iba and Bertha Teague were
without equal in their era. Not only did Oklahoma coaches impact many basketball programs at universities
beyond the state’s borders, basketball fans around the world knew about the great coaches
from the Sooner State. No other state has produced more coaches who led the United
States basketball team to gold medals in the Olympic Games.
HardwOOd HErOES
C. rENZI STONE is a former member and three-year starter of the
University of Oklahoma basketball team who now serves as president and
CEO of Saxum Public relations, one of the region’s largest independent
public relations firms. He has been published in numerous books and his
opinion editorials have run in several national newspapers. He is recognized
nationally for his political intelligence and public relations insight and has
been honored often by various local and national groups as a top businessman
under the age of 40. a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Stone graduated from Jenks High School
and holds a B.a. degree in history from OU. He guest hosts a popular local
political talk show, is an active member of the social media community,
authors a regular blog, and is frequently asked to speak on issues including
leadership, youth development, entrepreneurialism, and Oklahoma. He, his
wife Lee anne and their two sons, Jackson and Isaiah, live in Oklahoma City.
BOB BUrKE has written more historical non-fiction books than anyone else
in history. His 98 books are all about Oklahoma’s incredible heritage. Born
in Broken Bow, he was director of a large state agency in Governor david
Boren’s administration and managed Boren’s first campaign for the United
States Senate. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma
City University School of Law. Burke, a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma
Journalism Hall of Fame, has earned numerous awards for his writing. He is
the father of robert, amy, and Cody, stepfather of Natalie, Lauren, and Calli,
and grandfather of Nathan, Jon, ridge, Fallon, and Greyson. He and his wife
Chimene live in Oklahoma City where he practices law and writes books.
THE aUTHOrS:
37
teaching first grade, Bertha Teague became the high school coach for Byng’s Lady Pirates basketball team. She never had played or coached the game of basketball, but believed coaching was like teaching any other subject. Success is an understatement when looking at Teague’s record. Her Lady Pirates made 22 state tour-nament appearances and posted five undefeated seasons. From 1936 to 1938 they boasted a 98-game winning streak. They also won eight state championships, 38 conference titles, 22 regional titles, and 27 district titles. Her lifetime coaching record boasts 1,157 wins with only 115 losses. When Teague began coaching, girls’ basketball had been in exis-tence for some 35 years. Through her coaching career and beyond, she not only modernized the game but is credited with the innovation of basketball apparel for women. She established the first basketball clinic and camp for girls in the Southwest. She became “the” authority on girls’ basketball and in 1962 authored, Basketball for Girls that shared her philosophy and coaching methods. She helped organize the Okla-homa High School Girls’ Basketball Coaches Association and was elected the organization’s first president. She was re-elected for seven consecu-tive terms. Teague also served for 11 years on the national Rules Com-mittee of the Division of Girls and Women’s Sport.
Teague’s players were not the only ones to receive accolades for their achievements; she was named Teacher of the Year in 1964 and the National Basketball Committee’s Coach of the Year in 1966. In 1972 she was the inaugural inductee into the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. She also has been inducted into the national Federation of State High
In 1892, after taking a special interest in the game of basketball and visiting with James naismith, the inventor of the game, Smith College’s physical education instructor Senda Berneson modified the rules for women’s teams. Serving as editor of a national basketball publication gave Berneson the opportunity to promote this new game to female athletes.
Having never played the game, Bertha Frank Teague began her
legendary coaching career in rural Oklahoma.
Bertha Frank Teague, second from right, with her first girls’ basketball team at Oklahoma’s Byng High School in 1927.
Bertha Frank Teague is just one of the many Oklahoma coaches featured in Hardwood Heroes: Great Oklahoma Bas-ketball Coaches by C. renzi Stone and Bob Burke. Hard-wood Heroes is a new release published by the Oklahoma Heritage association.
Schools Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. She is the only female coach in the Missouri Basket-ball Hall of Fame and the naismith national Basketball Hall of Fame. Bertha Frank Teague died just short of her 90th birthday, but her influence is still felt in every gymnasi-um where girls’ basketball is played.
38
1st Place State & 1st Place Northeast Zone Kylee Vaughan 6th • Maryetta School, Stilwell
2nd Place State & 1st Place Southwest Zone Kyle Ray 6th • Walters Middle School
3rd Place State, Southwest Zone Caden Boyer 4th • Hinton Elementary
1st Place Northwest Zone Dyllan Haworth 6th • Weatherford Middle School
1st Place Northcentral Zone Bryce Day 4th • Prague Elementary
1st Place Oklahoma County Zone Mireya Sanchez 5th • Linwood Elementary, Oklahoma City
1st Place Tulsa County Zone Nolan Booth 4th • Smith Elementary, Owasso
1st Place Southcentral Zone Bailey Bray Cook 6th • Oak Hall Episcopal School, Ardmore
1st Place Southeast Zone Cody Dunn 5th • Achille Elementary
Students statewide attended the 2009 oklahoma Heritage Week awards ceremony at the Gaylord-Pickens oklahoma Heritage Museum.
1st Place State & 1st Place Northcentral Zone Nicole Biddinger 9th • Bartlesville Mid-High
2nd Place State & 1st Place Northwest Zone Natalie Haworth 9th • Weatherford High School
3rd Place State, Northwest Zone Mason York 9th • Kingfisher High School
POSTER COMPETITION • 4TH-6TH GRADE
ESSAY COMPETITION • 7TH-9TH GRADE
2009 Oklahoma Heritage Week Award Recipients
39
In 1977, the Oklahoma Heritage Association launched its
Oklahoma Heritage Week competitions to celebrate Oklahoma’s
rich heritage during the week of statehood, November 16.
Students in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades compete in a poster
competition, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades compete in an essay
competition, and 10th through 12th grade students
compete in a combined poster/essay competition. All
competitions are designed to celebrate Oklahoma’s most
valuable resource—our people.
Louise Painter of Oklahoma City was named chairman of
the committee and continues in that post today. She
has visited school districts statewide to promote the various
competitions and make certain educators are aware of the
opportunities for their students. In 2000, George Nigh and
IBC Bank partnered with the Association to expand the
awards to students in every corner of the state.
For information on the 2010 Oklahoma Heritage Week
competitions and to learn about all educational offerings of the
Association and the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, visit
www.oklahomaheritage.com.
1st Place State & 1st Place Southcentral Zone Naissa Kirby 12th • Vanoss High School, Ada
2nd Place State, Southcentral Zone Alicia Daniel 11th • Home School, Ada
3rd Place State & 1st Place Southwest Zone Alisha Forinash 12th • Yarbrough School
1st Place Northeast Zone Alyssa Sharp 8th • Wilson School, Henryetta
1st Place Southcentral Zone Adam Daniel Home School, Ada
1st Place Tulsa County Skye Booth 8th • Owasso Junior High
1st Place Oklahoma County Hayley Harris 7th • Heritage Hall, Oklahoma City
1st Place Northeast Zone Tracy Sung 10th • Bartlesville Mid-High
1st Place Oklahoma County Zone Hang Nguyen 12th • Western Heights High School, Oklahoma City
1st Place Tulsa County Zone Aureanna E. L. King 10th • Boynton Moton High School
1st Place Southeast Zone Tanna Messer 10th • Soper High School
POSTER/ESSAY COMPETITION • 10TH-12TH GRADE
2009 Oklahoma Heritage Week Award Recipients
40
Frank Griggs: Preserving through Photography
NICOLE BIDDINGERBartlesville Mid-High School
9th Grade
There truly are an uncountable amount
of people to whom have had a mea-
surable effect on our county’s history,
though a few stand out from the rest.
Among these highly influential leaders is
Frank Griggs, who served as a photogra-
pher in Bartlesville for over seventy years.
Griggs came to Bartlesville in 1908 from
Jamestown, Ny, and while being previ-
ously employed by Eastman Kodak Com-
pany, he became an apprentice to Oscar
Drum, who owned his own business in
photography. Though on September 13,
1913, Griggs formed his own business in
photography, to which he called Griggs
Studio, and began to photograph the
early days of the newly developing town
of Bartlesville. Without truly realizing
the future effect of his photographs at
the time, Griggs documented history
through the growth and development
of Bartlesville, preserving the time period
for generations to come.
Through his years as a photogra-
pher, Frank Griggs took well over 200,000
photographs, “effectively establishing
himself as the chronicler and archivist
of early Bartlesville and the surrounding
area,” as said by the Bartlesville History
Museum, where the large majority of the
photographs in the various exhibits were
taken by Griggs himself. The museum
accurately displays Griggs in the very first
exhibit, letting a model of him speak to
patrons about the early days of Bartles-
ville, while telling them in an indiscrete
manner what a prominent role he played
in the early days of the town.
While he settled in Bartlesville,
Griggs photographed a variety of people,
places and historical sites, as well as a
few other various odd objects as well.
“Over fifty years ago, we photographed
the county schools for the superin-
tendent, golf tournaments, Mrs. Hamp
Scudders Thanksgiving turkeys, Keeler-
Carr cattle, banquets, politicians, outlaws,
etc. I always like to come back from far
places and see the beautiful Osage Hills
and give thanks that it is such a beautiful
place to live in. And because of these
things, I am glad I could keep a visual re-
cord for later generations to see, “ Griggs
said in a letter to Joe Bartles, clearly sum-
ming up his genuine love for keeping a
valid record of Bartlesville, while greatly
expressing his deep passion in showing
future generations Bartlesville’s unique
history and past.
Although Griggs’ goal in life was to
accurately portray Bartlesville for later
generations through pictures, he also
enjoyed what he did, and even displayed
journalistic talent through occasional
interviews with prominent people in
the city. Griggs even wrote a story on
the “First producing oil well drilled in
Oklahoma,” as it was titled, and talked to
George B. Keeler, who played an active
role in the development of Bartlesville
as an early city. In 2008, because of the
interview Griggs conducted with Keeler,
and other primary sources, it was made
clear that the Nellie Johnstone No. 1
was discovered on March, 25, 1896, and
not April 15, like historians had formerly
believed, finally solving the years of
controversy. Another example of Griggs’
writing is through his journal, where he
first described the city of Bartlesville as
fairly average, though later on, he grew
to believe that it was quite unique, and
realized how many historic “firsts” the city
had. “The city of Bartlesville in 1908 was
a small camp out business district with
mostly mud streets, filled with the usual
oil boom town people.” Griggs took
thousands of pictures of the early city,
and as the years passed, he continued
to document the changes as Bartlesville
continued to grow.
In 1973, the local newspaper, The
Examiner Enterprise, announced that
FIR
ST
PLA
CE
ESSAYS
41
Griggs was “Washington County’s Histo-
rian of the year.” Once Griggs received
his award, he merely chuckled, and
modestly said, “I’m on the wrong end
of the camera.” The Examiner proudly
released a statement that read, “Nearly all
of the after-statehood (1907) growth and
events of the area as well as individuals
and historic figures were recorded by
Griggs. The local History Room is full of
his contributions.” Even Griggs could not
deny that he had, indeed, played a major
part in the growing community.
Interestingly enough, in an inter-
view with the Tulsa Tribune nearly six
decades ago, Griggs said that his greatest
hazards were not wild animals or Indians-
but having to lug 60-pound cameras to
the top of oil rigs for Industrial pho-
tography. Griggs took his work to the
extreme, and was willing to do whatever
it took to get the perfect picture for
Bartlesville. In an article in the Examiner
Enterprise, it was said that, “Volumes
could be filled writing about Griggs and
his photographs. He has photographed
everyone from presidents to common
people that nobody will remember.
Frank Griggs will be remembered by
everyone who has seen his photographs.”
Though Frank Griggs passed away
on April 7, 1980, his seemingly lively spirit
lives on with the people of Bartlesville,
as well as his many historic photographs
that preserve the broad-ranged history
of the city. Through his active docu-
mentation of Bartlesville as an early city,
Griggs gave the wonderful opportunity
for today’s generation, as well as many
future generations to come, to see
Bartlesville’s vivid past, and understand
how important it is to the many citizens
that live there. Through the deep pas-
sion for his career, Griggs always enjoyed
what he did. “There was never a dull
moment – it was always interesting. It is
my hope that the pictures will give future
generations some idea of this beautiful
land and its people,” Griggs said nearly
four decades ago. Whether he knew it
or not, he accomplished what he had
always strived for – to have people know
their city’s history, as his incredible pic-
tures now portray in the many buildings
in the Washington County area.
“Frank Griggs’ contribution to the world in
which he lives can best be summed up by
the line in the lower right hand corner of his
pictures, ‘Photo by Griggs.’”
—Examiner Enterprise 1972
Dr. Henrietta Mann – An Extraordinary Woman
NATALIE HAWORTHWeatherford High School
9th grade
Heritage is something transmitted by or
a predecessor. It is a legacy or tradition. It
is something that is possessed as a result
of one’s natural situation or birth. It is
something that is of value not only to the
holder but to the ones that it is shared
with. A remarkable woman, Dr. Henri-
etta Mann, embodies this. Throughout
Oklahoma’s history, Native Americans,
their cultural and virtues have been im-
portant building blocks in what our great
state has become today, and Dr. Mann,
a leading advocate of Native American
Education, has been an important part
of teaching that. I had the distinguished
honor of visiting with this amazing lady
and was impressed with her gentleness
and genuineness.
SE
CO
ND
PLA
CE
THIRD PLA CE
42
Born a full-blooded Cheyenne Indian,
Henrietta Mann was instilled with customs
and culture of her ancestors at a very early
age. Henri’s (as her friends call her) great-
grandmother offered her to the four scared
directions as well as to the sky and to the
earth just days after she was born. Her great-
grandmother, a Cheyenne prayer woman,
was praying for Henri’s future the entire
time. Dr. Mann said “I think her prayer was
for an extremely long and good life.” She
believed the love and prayers that her family
has given her has helped put her on the
path she has followed.
Dr. Mann was born in May of 1934 in
Clinton, Oklahoma and grew up in the small,
but extremely strong Indian community of
Hammon, Oklahoma. From a very young
age, around 5 years old, Dr. Mann said she
wanted to teach others, especially about her
Native American background and culture.
At age 16, Henrietta entered Southwestern
Oklahoma State University in Weatherford,
Oklahoma, and in 1954 she received her
bachelor’s degree in education from the
university. Dr. Mann later received her
master’s degree in English from Oklahoma
State University in 1970 and Doctorate
of Philosophy degree in American Indian
Studies from the University of New Mexico
in 1982. She began her career teaching
seventh-graders in California in 1955. Her
influence on others through teaching has
lasted more than 50 years progressing
from middle school teacher to teaching
at some of the most prestigious colleges
and universities in our country. Dr. Mann’s
unbelievable leadership and guidance have
been afforded to University of Montana at
Missoula, University of California at Berkley,
Harvard University’s Graduate School of
Education, University of Science and Arts in
Chickasha, Oklahoma, Haskell Indian Nations
University in Lawrence, Kansas and is cur-
rently the President of the newly established
Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal College on the
campus of Southwestern Oklahoma State
University in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
Her ability to teach has not been the
only attribute Dr. Mann has utilized. Her
spiritual leadership has been called upon
many times as well. Dr. Mann was one of the
first Native American spiritual leaders called
upon to perform sacred ceremonies at
Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks.
She has also had the opportunity to pray for
world peace at Stonehenge and at a sacred
site in South Dakota called Bear Butte. Her
ardent prayers in her native Cheyenne
language have also been inspirational at
many University of Montana events. Another
diversified role of Dr. Mann is that of a writer.
She wrote Cheyenne-Arapaho Education
1871-1982 by University Press of Colorado. In
the book, she conducts oral interviews and
uses tribal records to document the history
of the Cheyenne-Arapaho children. The
book also tells how many of the children
were educated in white ways and of those
educated at Indian boarding schools. She
also has been a consultant for several televi-
sion and movie productions as well as “guest
speaker” throughout the United States,
Mexico, Canada and several other countries.
Dr. Mann has received many awards,
none of which she sought, but they have
been bestowed upon her because of her
effort to keep her Native American heritage
and culture alive as well as her spirituality
and leadership.
• 1983, she was named Cheyenne Indian of
the year
• 1987, she was selected as the National
American Indian Woman of the year Award
• 1991, she was named one of the ten lead-
ing professors in the nation by Rolling Stone
Magazine
• 1997, she was inducted into the Distin-
guished Alumni Hall of Fame at Southwest-
ern Oklahoma State University in Weather-
ford, OK
• 2008, she received the Lifetime Achieve-
ment Award from the National Indian
Education Association
• 2009, she received the National Multicul-
tural Women’s Legacy Award
This is a small portion of the many awards
she has received. Dr. Mann said “All of the
awards and honors are gifts, I have done
my job to the best of my abilities and I have
been blessed.”
In 2006, Dr. Henrietta Mann founded
the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal College on
the campus of Southwestern Oklahoma
State University. She said “I want to help
fulfill dreams of my people, a safe place for
them to learn about themselves.” Dr. Mann
has been an icon for Custer County, the
state of Oklahoma and the United States.
Because she has kept her Native American
ways in her heart and taught anyone that
would listen, the culture will live on for
generations.
THIRD PLA CE
43
Apostle Paul Sykes
MASON yORKKingfisher High School
9th Grade
Apostle Paul Sykes was born on March 2,
1842, in Grenada, Mississippi. In 1869, when
he was 27 years old, he walked all the way
from Grenada, Mississippi to Kingfisher, Okla-
homa. Kingfisher was the new boomtown
on the Chisholm Trial where Apostle Paul
was going to dedicate his life as an ambas-
sador for Christ. He begged and asked the
Lord for a hundred years in his service.
The reason Paul Sykes decided to come to
Kingfisher and into Indian Territory was so
that he could spread the Word of God to the
new settlers and townspeople.
While he was walking on his 568 mile
trip, he asked God for guidance, help, and
direction so that he would be able survive
and preach to the people on the way to and
in Kingfisher. Upon his arrival in Kingfisher,
he began preaching on the streets, in front
of the jail, and at train depot, where Rock
Island Passenger trains were arriving. He also
founded and managed the Straight Gate
Church on just a dollar a day.
On a daily basis, Apostle Paul would
go to the Kingfisher Depot and meet every
train that came (except the late night ones)
with joyful song, inspiring words, and shuf-
fling to his own compositions for the pas-
sengers who leaned from the windows hol-
lering, laughing, and tossing coins into the
cinders just to hear him. By doing this the
seed was planted and the legend of Apostle
Paul begun. Between each train, Apostle
Paul would go on the streets and street
corners preaching the Word of God to the
sometimes wild and joyous early day settlers
of this small town. Even though he did not
agree with the saloons stretching down
main street, he still insisted that all people
should hear him and preached everywhere.
Many settlers would take the time to listen
to Apostle Paul before running through the
doors to the saloons. All his notes, words,
and songs came mostly from his heart. In
Apostle Sykes’s mind it was wrong to be
vengeful, so most of the songs and words
were joyous and inspirational (some of them
brought up from Mississippi).
His songs and jigs at the depot led
to his popularity around the nation. He
became a landmark in Kingfisher and many
of the soldiers that had fought in World War
I told stories to fellow soldiers about the
old, joyful gentleman who met all the trains
in Kingfisher. When the trains would arrive
and the conductor would yell, “Kingfisher!”
people would hang out the windows to see
him. Hw would smile and bow in time to
the train’s whistle and wheels.
As the town of Kingfisher grew, so did
the work of Apostle Paul. Besides his daily
visits to the depot, he still had his street
sermons and the work of the Straight Gate
Church. To keep his church and mission
running, he would make loans, taking I.O.Us
(few of which were repaid). The largest part
of his income was when he received pen-
nies, nickels, and dimes from people at the
depot throwing them to him. His average in-
come a day was usually a little over a dollar.
Some of the money he collected was used
to pay for the Passover Suppers that he held
regularly. Occasionally, the Passover Suppers
were even paid for by traveling business men.
Because of the people that ride the
Rock Island train, he became a famous and
very popular person that many people
wanted to see throughout his time preach-
ing at the depot. His peak of popularity
came with World War I when soldiers noted
the town of Kingfisher as the town with the
old man who was always there to greet the
trains.
At this point he was nearly 80 years
old and his voice was not as enthusiastic,
booming, and resonant as it was when he
first began. The trust in the Lord the Apostle
Paul had was great that the Lord was going
to grant his wish of 100 years of service to
Him.
Ten years had gone by and the town of
Kingfisher was growing with farmers earn-
ing the title of “The Buckle of the Wheat Belt,”
with multiple white grain elevators rising to
the sky. By this time the Rock Island Railroad
had made Apostle Paul an offer to move
to Chicago where they would build him a
church and home to live in, all for free, but
he turned it down because he said that his
duty to the Laord was here in Kingfisher, not
in Chicago.
Time passed and World War I ended,
and the service men came home on the
trains; Paul Sykes was there to greet them
where many renewed their friendships.
Paul passed away just ten years short of
the 100 years he had asked for. He passed
away when he was 90 years old, on October
3, 1929. At his funeral service there were a
large number of whites and blacks to show
respect for the man that stood at the depot,
on the streets, and at his church bringing
happiness and love throughout his life. The
people who attended the funeral gathered
together and sang the songs Paul had sung.
He was buried in the Kingfisher Cemetery.
His headstone states he was the Pastor of the
Straight Gate Church and sang the “Old Arks
A-Movin.” And the Old Ark has moved on.
44
RIGHT: OHA Teen Board members Shanel Byron,
Stephanie Segerstrom, Jacob Cossey, Randi Merritt,
Rachel Pyle, and Callie Heerwagen at the March 27
Battle of the Bands.
LEFT: Selling tickets for the 2010 Battle of the Bands were, left to right, Emily Borders, Sydney Rich, Shelby Pilcher, Chandler Bair.
ABOVE: True Evidence was named “Crowd Favorite” at the 2010 Battle of the Bands held at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum on March 27.
Members of the 2009-2010 OHA Teen Board represent 15 Oklahoma City metropolitan area school districts.
ABOVE: Attending the 2010 Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon were, left to right, Vaughndean Fuller, Donna Nigh, and Betty Price.
ABOVE: OHA President Shannon Rich, center, visits with OHA directors Dan Gilliam and Joe Moran.
Receiving the 2010 Oklahoma Heritage Distinguished Service Award was Marjorie Barton, center, from Muskogee. She was presented the award by OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel and President Shannon Rich during the Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon.
RIGHT: OHA’s Second Century Board was hosted at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center by Stanley Hupfeld and Dr. Nazih Zuhdi.
45
LEFT: Callie Heerwagen, left, and Alex Brakefield, right, with members of Leo Goes Grr—the 2010 Battle of the Bands Winner.
LEFT: 2009-2010 OHA Teen Board Chairman Alex Brakefield, left, 2008-2009 chairman Jack Malone, and 2007-2008 chairman Hunter Ligon.
OHA’s Erin Page promotes the Battle of Bands for Oklahoma City’s News Channel 9.
Left to right, Simon Section, San Douglas,
Stephen Byron, and Solomon Byron at-
tended the 2010 Battle of the Bands.
RIGHT: Former OHA Teen Board Chairman Jack
Malone won the “The Magic of Disney” Grand Prize dur-ing the Battle of the Bands
raffle on March 27.
RIGHT: Left to right, David Boren, Bob Burke, and Marjorie Barton autographed copies of their books, Oklahoma Statesman: The Life
of David Boren and Leaning on a Legacy: The WPA in Oklahoma, respectively, prior to the 2010 Annual Membership Meeting and
Awards Luncheon.
RIGHT: 101 Ranch Old Timers Association Vice President Al
Ritter thanks the crowd on behalf of the Association for
being awarded the 2010 Gaylord Award for Preservation of State
and Local History.
OHA President Shannon Rich, left, and Chairman Tom McDaniel, right, present the 2010 Gaylord Award for Excellence in Teaching Oklahoma History to Woodward’s Horace Mann Elementary teacher Patsy McIlvain.
LEFT: Melvin Moran, subject, and author Karen Anson signed books for guests attending the Moving Heaven and Earth: The Life of Melvin Moran book signing at Oklahoma City’s Full Circle Book Store.
OHA’s Erin Page promotes the Battle of Bands for Oklahoma City’s News Channel 9.
Through Its People
46
RIGHT: Vicki Miles-LaGrange, right, congratulated Marjorie
Barton on her book, Leaning on a Legacy: The WPA in Oklahoma
and on receiving the 2010 Okla-homa Heritage Distinguished
Service Award.
ABOVE: Recognized during the 2010 Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon were, left to right, Bob Burke—Lee Allan Smith Okla-homa Legacy Award, Galen Culver—Oklahoma Heritage Distinguished Editorial Award, Al Ritter on behalf of the 101 Ranch Old Timers Associa-tion—Gaylord Award for Preservation of State and Local History, Patsy McIlvain—Gaylord Award for Excellence in Teaching Oklahoma History, Steven Woods—Bass Award for Excellence in Teaching Oklahoma History, and Marjorie Barton, Oklahoma Heritage Distinguished Service Award.
Steven Woods, center, a professor at Tulsa Community College, was presented the 2010 Bass Award for Excellence in Teaching Oklahoma History from OHA President Shannon Rich and Chairman Tom McDaniel during the Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon.
Bob Burke, second from right, was presented the first Lee Allan Smith Oklahoma Legacy Award by OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel, Lee Allan Smith, and President Shannon Rich.
RIGHT: Receiving the 2010 Oklahoma Heritage
Distinguished Edito-rial Award was Galen
Culver of Oklahoma City’s KFOR-TV, center. Culver
received the award from OHA President Shannon Rich and Chairman Tom
McDaniel.
LEFT: Members of the 101 Ranch Old Timers Association are congratulated by University of Oklahoma President David Boren, third from left. Boren was the keynote speaker for the Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon.
Taping a commercial for the Oklahoma Heritage Scholarship Competition at Oklahoma City’s News 9 were Teen Board members Bryant Clements, Ivan Cantera, Shanel Byron, Alex Brakefield, and Morgan Roberts.
Through Its People
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SUBSCRIpTIOn $35• Subscription to Oklahoma: Magazine of the Oklahoma Heritage Association, Legacy newslet-ter and Heritage Headlines e-update
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48
Dr. Ernest L. Holloway LangstonMs. Nadine Holloway Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Rob Holloway EdmondJim & Angie Holman Oklahoma CityMr. Burt Holmes TulsaJudge Jerome A. Holmes Oklahoma CityMr. Steve Holton PoteauHomer Paul Revocable Trust EdmondMr. & Mrs. Joe Homsey Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. J. William Hood Oklahoma CityMrs. Rhonda Hooper Oklahoma CityMrs. Janet Hopkins WoodwardMs. Donna Hopper NormanMr. & Mrs. Jess J. Horn EdmondMr. & Mrs. Bill Horne AdaDr. & Mrs. Jack Hough* Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. Gary Huckabay YukonMr. & Mrs. Wade Huckabay MustangJohnarline M. Hudson CoalgateMr. & Mrs. James C. Hudson Oklahoma CityMr. David Hudson YukonMr. & Mrs. David A. Huffman Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Dow Hughes TulsaMr. & Mrs. Tom J. Hughes TulsaMs. Jill Hughes NormanHugo Daily News HugoMrs. Kathleen Humphrey TulsaMs. Debbie Humphrey Oklahoma CityHumphreys Company, LLC Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Mike Hunter EdmondHunter Miller Family, LLC NormanMs. Teresa Huston Ponca CityMr. & Mrs. Dudley Hyde Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Norman K. Imes Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. C.C. Ingram TulsaIntegris Health Oklahoma CityMs. Deanne Jacobs EdmondMr. & Mrs. George W. James Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Kent G. James Oklahoma CityJames H. & Madalynne Norick Found. Oklahoma CityMs. Nancy Jarmon NormanJearl Smart Foundation WewokaMs. Louise L. Jennings ChickashaMr. & Mrs. Andrew Jensen EdmondMr. & Mrs. Kirk Jewell StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Albert Johnson LawtonMr. Willard E. Johnson II Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Glen Johnson Oklahoma CityBob & Gennie Johnson Oklahoma City
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OHA MEMBERS AND DONORS continued
List represents donors as of March 1, 2010.
Dr. & Mrs. M. K. Patterson, Jr. Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Wilbur P. Patton Oklahoma CityKent & Mary Patton Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. William G. Paul Oklahoma CityMs. Jennifer Paustenbaugh StillwaterGary Paxton & Jackie Kouri TulsaMr. & Mrs. Larry Payne TulsaMr. & Mrs. Bond Payne Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. H.W. Peace II Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Dominic Pedulla EdmondMs. Janet Peery Oklahoma CityMr. Lindsay Perkins TulsaMs. Jessica Perry Oklahoma CityMr. J.W. Peters EdmondMrs. Ruby Petty Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. David K. Petty GuymonMr. John A. Philbin Oklahoma CityMr. Peter G. Pierce III NormanPioneer Telephone Cooperative KingfisherMr. & Mrs. Bill Pitts Oklahoma CityMr. D. Frank Plater, Jr. Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Robert C. Poe TulsaMrs. Marjorie F. Polk Oklahoma CityPonca City Publishing Company Ponca CityDr. & Mrs. Richard W. Poole* Oklahoma City Ms. Roma L. Porter LawtonMrs. Bobbye Ruth Potter TulsaMs. Frances J. Potter TulsaMr. & Mrs. Ray H. Potts Oklahoma CityMs. Sandy Pound CushingMs. Nancy L. Prater Pauls ValleyMr. J.B. Pratt Nichols HillsPresbyterian Health Foundation Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Bill S. Price Oklahoma CityMr. Greg Price Oklahoma CityLinda Mitchell Price Charitable Foundation, Inc. TulsaMr. & Mrs. Norris Price Del CityMr. & Mrs. Walter E. Price StillwaterMr. Joe Prichard KrebsDr. Shannon Pruett Broken BowRep. R.C. Pruett AntlersPublic Strategies, Inc. Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. William Puffinbarger Nichols Hills Ms. Helen Pugh Oklahoma CityPuterbaugh Foundation McAlesterChief & Mrs. Gregory Pyle DurantMs. Lauren Quick NormanQuikTrip TulsaMr. & Mrs. James Quillian Nichols Hills
Mr. & Mrs. Roger Quinn EdmondMr. & Mrs. Penn Rabb LawtonMr. & Mrs. David Rainbolt Oklahoma CityMr. H.E. “Gene” Rainbolt Oklahoma CityJohn Rainey Oklahoma CityMs. Janet Rains Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. John Raley Ponca CityRAM Energy, Inc. TulsaMs. Deemah Ramadan & Frey Radfar Oklahoma CityBill & Donna Ramsey BixbyMr. Jason Ramsey EdmondMr. & Mrs. William Rapp, Jr. ShawneeMr. William C. Ray AltusRCB Bank ClaremoreRCB Bank - Ponca CityMr. & Mrs. William J. Rea, Jr. TulsaMr. & Mrs. George J. Records Oklahoma CityRed Bud Women’s Club Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Vernell Redo MuskogeeMs. Deborah Reheard EufaulaJustice John Reif Broken ArrowMr. & Mrs. Kurt E. Reiger Oklahoma CityRenaissance Oklahoma City Hotel Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Michael Render TulsaMr. & Mrs. Carl R. Renfro Ponca CityMrs. Berta Faye Rex Oklahoma CityMs. Shannon L. Rich Oklahoma CityMs. Beth Richard Oklahoma CityJohn & Charlotte Richels Nichols HillsRiggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. Lee R. Riley Oklahoma CityMs. Fran Ringold TulsaMr. & Mrs. Jerry Rizley WoodwardMs. Diane Roach Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Galen Robbins Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Mitch Roberson ChoctawMrs. Hazel Roberts EdmondMr. & Mrs. Aubrey D. Roberts Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Mark Robertson Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Bill Robertson EdmondDr. John A. Robinson ShawneeRobison Group EdmondMr. Frank C. Robson* Claremore Mrs. Genave Rogers TulsaDr. W. Edward Rolison Ph.D. WeatherfordMr. & Mrs. Patrick T. Rooney Oklahoma CityMrs. Syble Roring ArdmoreMr. Robert L. Rorschach TulsaMr. Phil Ross Newkirk
Mr. & Mrs. Mac Rosser IV TulsaLance Ruffel Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Dick P. Rush Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Harold L. Russell Nichols HillsRichard & Johnece Ryerson AlvaMs. Beverly Saffa-Stapleton Oklahoma CityDr. John Salmeron Oklahoma CityMeg & Chris Salyer Oklahoma CitySamuel Roberts Noble Foundation ArdmoreMr. Paul Samuels TulsaMs. Marsha Sanders Ponca CityMs. Michelle Sanders Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Charles W. Sandman Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Clayton Sargeant Oklahoma CityMrs. Sally Saunders Nichols HillsMarvin & Loree Schlichting CornMr. & Mrs. Eric Schmitz Oklahoma CitySchnake Turnbo Frank, Inc. TulsaMr. & Mrs. Kurt Schutz LawtonMs. Lorie A. Schwab Midwest CityMr. & Mrs. Colby Schwartz YukonMs. Sarah M. Sears Oklahoma CityMs. Becki Seay CheyenneMr. & Mrs. Lee Segell Oklahoma CityMs. Barbara Sewell ClintonMr. Scott Sewell EdmondMs. Tiffany Sewell - Howard PerryMs. Stephanie K. Seymour TulsaMr. & Mrs. Ben Shanker Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Larry Sharp Oklahoma CityMr. G. Calvin Sharpe Oklahoma CityLogan & Donna Sharpe ChecotahMr. & Mrs. William F. Shdeed Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. W. Scott Shdeed Oklahoma CityMrs. Delmoine Shepherd EnidMr. & Mrs. Michael Sheriff NormanMr. Don Sherman NormanMs. Wendi Shipp Oklahoma CityMs. Janet Shockley EdmondMr. Mark G. Short TulsaMrs. Sharon Shoulders HenryettaMr. & Mrs. Jerrod Shouse Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Richard L. Sias Oklahoma CityMrs. Milann Siegfried TulsaMr. & Mrs. C.J. Silas* Bartlesville Drs. Paul & Amalia Silverstein Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Roger Simons Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Harold B. Sinclair Oklahoma CityAnn Gordon Singer Oklahoma City
Mr. & Mrs. David Singer Oklahoma CityMs. Janice Singer* Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. Robert Slater Nichols HillsDr. & Mrs. Cedomir M. Sliepcevich NormanMr. & Mrs. Donald L. Smith HenryettaMs. Jeanne H. Smith Oklahoma CitySmith & Kernke Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Lee Allan Smith* Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. Herb Smith AlvaMr. & Mrs. Vernon L. Smith NormanAl M. & Shirley Snipes Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. A. Marshall Snipes Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. John F. Snodgrass ArdmoreMr. Jason Snyder EdmondChris Sorrells Oklahoma CityMrs. Carol Soule Nichols HillsMr. & Mrs. Dennis Souza Elk CityMs. Leslie Spears Oklahoma CitySpirit Bank Oklahoma CitySpiritBank - BristowMr. & Mrs. Don E. Sporleder DavenportMr. & Mrs. Roger Spring Oklahoma CityMr. Todd Stallbaumer Oklahoma CityStandey Systems Inc. ChickashaMr. & Mrs. Ainslie Stanford II Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Mark A. Stansberry EdmondMr. & Mrs. Harry B. Stead BartlesvilleSteidley & Neal, PLLC McAlesterCharles & Peggy Stephenson TulsaMr. & Mrs. Gene Stephenson EdmondMs. Becky Stevenson Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Everett Stewart BartlesvilleMr. & Mrs. Colin S. Stewart EdmondMr. & Mrs. G. Lee Stidham* Checotah Ms. Emmy S. Stidham ChecotahMr. & Mrs. G. S. Stidham TulsaStillwater National Bank StillwaterStillwater National Bank Oklahoma CityMrs. Sue Stone GuthrieMrs. Erin Stone-Fong Oklahoma CityStrategic Solutions LLC Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. David Stratton NormanDr. & Mrs. Gary F. Strebel Oklahoma CityMs. Mary D. Streich Oklahoma CityMs. Sharon Strickland Nichols HillsMr. & Mrs. L. E. Stringer Oklahoma CityMrs. Kay Sturm EdmondDr. & Mrs. Mark Sullivan Oklahoma CityJustice Hardy & Marilyn Summers Oklahoma City
Mr. & Mrs. Edward Sutter AlvaMs. Jane Sutter EdmondMr. Bob E. Swatek Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Merle Swineford LaverneMr. & Mrs. Bill Swisher* Oklahoma City Mr. & Mrs. Don R. Symcox NormanMs. Christian D. Szlichta Oklahoma CityT.D. Williamson, Inc. TulsaTalbot Library & Museum ColcordMr. & Mrs. Richard Tanenbaum Oklahoma CityMarnie & Clayton Taylor Oklahoma CityJustice & Mrs. Steve Taylor McAlesterTemple Israel TulsaMr. & Mrs. Alan D. Terrill Oklahoma CityDr. Donna N. Thomas Nicoma ParkMs. Donita Thomas EdmondMr. Robert E. Thomas* Tulsa Mr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Thomas, Jr. Oklahoma CityEthel L. Thomas PawhuskaMr. Arthur H. Thompson StroudJudge & Mrs. Ralph G. Thompson * Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Chuck Thompson NormanDr. & Mrs. Lewis W. Thompson TulsaMr. & Mrs. Brandon Thompson EdmondMrs. Charles E. Thornton TulsaMs. Patricia S. Thornton AlvaMr. & Mrs. Bill Thrash Oklahoma CityDale & Jennifer Thurman Oklahoma CityTiger Drug Company StillwaterMs. Regina Tisdale TulsaDr. Charles A. Tollett Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Lonny Towell Oklahoma CityGary & Sheila Tredway Oklahoma CityTriton Scientific, LLC Ponca CityJ. Mac & Carol Troy Oklahoma CityDr. Charles Trudgeon, Jr. TulsaMrs. Morrison G. Tucker *Penny & Jerry Tullis Oklahoma CityTulsa City-County Library System TulsaTulsa World* Tulsa Tulsair Beechcraft TulsaDr. William P. Tunell Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Ty A. Tyler Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Gary Tyler FrederickUMB Bank Oklahoma CityUnited Way of Central Oklahoma Oklahoma CityUniversity of Oklahoma Foundation NormanMs. Holley Urbanski Altus
Rex Urice Oklahoma CityMr. Thad R. Valentine Oklahoma CityMr. Jim Vallion Oklahoma CityMr. Robert Varnum Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Martin A. Vaughan TulsaMs. Kris Vculek WaukomisMr. & Mrs. Samuel J. Veazey ArdmoreMr. & Mrs. Richard F. Vermillion EdmondVilla Teresa - Mid Town Oklahoma CityDr. & Mrs. Donald S. Vincent EdmondMr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Vining TulsaMr. & Mrs. Calvin O. Vogt TulsaMs. Karen Waddell EdmondMr. & Mrs. J. Blake Wade Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Russ Walker Nichols HillsBen Walkingstick ChandlerJudge & Mrs. Lawrence E. Walsh Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Thomas B. Walsh Oklahoma CityMr. Peter M. Walter TulsaMr. Evan Walter Oklahoma CityLew & Myra Ward* Enid Mr. & Mrs. Larkin Warner Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. William K. Warren, Jr. Tulsa Wes & Lou Watkins StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Hardy Watkins Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Burl Watson TulsaMr. & Mrs. Max Weitzenhoffer* Norman Wells Fargo Bank Oklahoma CityJudge & Mrs. Lee R. West EdmondMs. Patricia Wheeler TulsaMr. Pete White Oklahoma CityMs. Linda K. Whittington Oklahoma CityMs. Karen Whitworth StillwaterMr. & Mrs. Charles E. Wiggin Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Eddie D. Wilcoxen AltusMr. & Mrs. G. Rainey Williams Jr. Oklahoma CityMark & Carol Williams Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. John Williams Oklahoma CityMs. Glenna WilliamsMs. Jan Williams YukonMr. & Mrs. Nick Wilson Oklahoma CityMs. Susan Winchester ChickashaMr. & Mrs. Steve Winkler Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Gary Winsett ElmerMr. & Mrs. F.E. “Butch” Wise El RenoMs. Monica Wittrock EdmondMr. & Mrs. Kenneth Wohl EdmondMr. & Mrs. Pendleton Woods Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Denver W. Woolsey EdmondMr. Dennis Worden Edmond
Mr. & Mrs. Dick Workman Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. D. Craig Wright Oklahoma CityLt. Gen. & Mrs. Harry M. Wyatt III VinitaMs. Donnita Wynn Mc AlesterMr. David Yelton WoodwardMr. & Mrs. John M. Yoeckel EdmondMrs. Lillian Yoeckel Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Devery Youngblood YukonMr. & Mrs. Stanley Youngheim El RenoMs. Cindy Youtsey Oklahoma CityMs. Nina Zapffe NormanZarrow Families Foundation TulsaDr. & Mrs. Leon W. Zelby NormanAmy & Brad Zerger PiedmontDr. & Mrs. Nazih Zuhdi Oklahoma CityARKANSAS Walton Family Foundation BentonvilleCALIFORNIAMr. James Garner LincolnLester Family Foundation San FranciscoMr. J. Edd Stepp, Jr. Los AngelesDr. & Mrs. H. W. Vandever Santa BarbaraCOLORADOMr. Boyd Clark Bass Steamboat SpringsMs. Judy Taylor Browning Ft. CollinsMr. & Mrs. Robert M. Hart DenverWASHINGTON, D.C.Falato Living Trust Washington, D. C.FLORIDAUniversity of South Florida TampaGEORGIAMr. & Mrs. Howard C. Kauffmann AtlantaHAWAIIMs. Dolly Lapinid MililaniMs. Josephine Ponce MililaniINDIANAAllen Co. Public Library Ft. WayneKANSASMs. Carol Lee El DoradoMARYLANDMr. & Mrs. W. DeVier Pierson Chevy ChaseMASSACHUSETTSDr. & Mrs. Philip Kistler BelmontDr. A.T. Stair BostonMINNESOTAMs. Beth Merrifield VictoriaDr. & Mrs. Ross H. Miller* RochesterMISSOURI Mr. & Mrs. Richard C. Thompson ColumbiaNEW MEXICOMs. Louise Bass AlbuquerqueMs. Kathryn A. Collier Roswell, NMDr. Nathaniel S. Eek Santa Fe
Matt & Jennifer Hayden AlbuquerqueMs. Sue K. Parham Las VegasMr. James W. Waldrip RoswellNEW YORKMr. Matthew R. Cox MenandsMs. Mary Johnston Evans New YorkMr. Alan C. Greenberg New YorkNORTH CAROLINAMr. David Shepherd JacksonvillePENNSYLVANIADrs. Melvin J. & Gloria Twine Chisum PhiladelphiaSOUTH CAROLINAMr. Marty List NicholsMr. & Mrs. Joseph H. Williams OkatieTENNESSEEMs. Finnie Kipping MurfreesboroughMr. Gordon Whitener KnoxvilleTEXASConoco Phillips HoustonDr. & Mrs. Kenneth H. Cooper DallasGeneral Bennie L. Davis GeorgetownMr. & Mrs. Fred D. Dupy Round RockMs. Ashley Finley DallasMrs. Chlokeeta Howard McAllenMs. Susan Taylor Jernigan DentonDr. & Mrs. J. Terry Johnson Horseshoe BayMr. Blake Lowry HoustonMs. Patricia Lukehart League CityMs. Ada Mae Marshall HoustonMr. David Matthews DallasMr. & Mrs. J. W. McLean* Dallas Mr. & Mrs. Greg Olds AustinMs. Patricia J. O’Neal Fort WorthMr. & Mrs. T. Boone Pickens DallasFrank & Joan Rees IrvingDr. Charles A. Rockwood, Jr. San AntonioMr. Larry Solomon DallasMr. Tim Sullivant HoustonMr. David Taylor HoustonMr. Gary Taylor Fort WorthTexas Industries DallasVIRGINIAAdmiral & Mrs. William J. Crowe* AlexandriaMr. & Mrs. David G. Helmer RoanokeGovernor & Mrs. Frank Keating McLeanMr. & Mrs. William L. Oakley ArlingtonMr. & Mrs. Richard Schubert McLeanMajor General Clyde W. Spence WilliamsburgMs. Leslie Woolley AlexandriaWISCONSINMs. Marie Tabor Onalaska
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