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

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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

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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

Standard Membership Benefits• Subscription to Oklahoma: Magazine of the Oklahoma Heritage Association, Legacy newslet-ter and Heritage Headlines e-update• 10% discount at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum Store• Invitations to Association and Museum events• Membership discounts on programs and events

STUDenT $15All Standard benefits plus:• Annual admission pass to the Gaylord-Pickens Museum for student (must present valid student ID; kindergarten through college eligible)

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OpTIMISM: $500All Pioneer Spirit benefits plus:• 25% discount on one-time rental of the Devon Classroom

GeneROSITy: $1,000All Optimism benefits plus:• One complimentary weekday use of the Edith Kinney Gaylord Garden or Bennett-McClendon Great Hall• Advance opportunity to purchase Oklahoma Hall of Fame tickets• Recognition in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame program

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PReSIdeNT’S CIRCLe: $5,000All Generosity benefits plus: • Customized facility use package*• Recognition in Legacy newsletter • Recognition in The Oklahoman and Tulsa World oklahoma Hall of Fame Sunday Supplement

CHAIRmAN’S CIRCLe: $10,000All Generosity benefits plus: • Customized facility use package*• Recognition in Legacy newsletter • Recognition in The Oklahoman and Tulsa World oklahoma Hall of Fame Sunday Supplement

For more information about any of our member-ship levels or to customize you membership package at the $1,000 level and above, call Alexis Lux at 405-523-3207.

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Oklahoma Heritage AssociationJoin the

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

OKLAHOMA

HERITAGE

ASSOCIATION

$3.95