Interviews

1921 Race Massacre

• Otis Clark The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 is considered to be the worst race riot in U.S. history. The actual
• Wess & Cathryn Young Wessley Hubert “Wess” Young Sr., was a Tulsa Race Massacre survivor, World War II veteran and longti

Activism

• Carrie Dickerson When Carrie Dickerson first saw a newspaper headline about the electric company’s plans to build a n
• Barbara Santee For more than forty years Barbara Santee was a leading voice statewide on abortion rights and other

Aeronautics

• Tom Clark Oklahoma University Regent Tom Clark was appointed by Governor Frank Keating in March 2001 for a sev
• William Pogue Astronaut William R. Pogue was born in Okema, Oklahoma. He attended primary and secondary schools in
• Red Stevenson Red Stevenson was born in southern Oklahoma where he spent his first few years in an orphanage durin

Art & Design

• Doug Campbell Doug Campbell was born in Galveston, Texas, but moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of five with hi
• Minisa Crumbo Halsey Woody Crumbo was born near Lexington, Oklahoma on January 31, 1912 as Woodrow Wilson Crumbo, on his
• Charles Faudree While Charles Faudree was known worldwide, he was a Tulsa-based interior designer and philanthropist
• Charles Ford Since the 1920’s Oklahoma’s history has been captured by Oklahoma artists and on display in the Okla
• Thomas Gilcrease Born in 1890, Thomas Gilcrease was the oldest of fourteen children and learned the value of hard wor
• Enoch Kelly Haney The only full blood American Indian to serve in the Oklahoma Legislature, Enoch Kelly Haney was elec
• Robert L. Jones Born in McAlester, Oklahoma, Robert (Bob) Lawton Jones received one of the more elaborate educations
• N. Scott Momaday N. Scott Momaday, an internationally acclaimed poet, novelist, playwright, storyteller, artist and t
• Russell Myers Russell Myers is best known for his newspaper comic strip “Broom-Hilda”. He was born in Pittsburgh,
• Jay O’Meilia Philip Jay O'Meilia was born in 1927 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Between military stints during WWII and Kor
• John Brooks Walton John Brooks Walton is an Oklahoma born architect and architectural historian. Reared in Ponca City,
• Charles Ward Charles W. Ward is an award-winning architect who received the inspiration for his profession as a s
• Dave Whitlock Dave Whitlock is a world-renowned fly fisherman and contributor of many articles, photos, and illust
• Charles Banks Wilson Few other artists have become so identified with their state as Oklahoma's Charles Banks Wilson. His

Authors

• Angie Debo Oklahoma’s “greatest historian” was nine years old when she first set foot on Oklahoma soil on Novem
• Jenkin Jones Jr. The grandfather of Jenkin “Jenk” Lloyd Jones Jr., Richard Lloyd Jones, bought the Tulsa Democrat fro
• Guy Logsdon Dr. Guy Logsdon grew up in Ada, Oklahoma and attended the local high school. After graduating from E
• N. Scott Momaday N. Scott Momaday, an internationally acclaimed poet, novelist, playwright, storyteller, artist and t
• Michael Wallis The renewed interest in Route 66 has come about because of the book Route 66: The Mother Road writte
• Dave Whitlock Dave Whitlock is a world-renowned fly fisherman and contributor of many articles, photos, and illust

Business

• Ray Ackerman Since he arrived in Oklahoma City from Pennsylvania in 1947, Ray Ackerman has given of his time and
• Bob Anthony Charles Ross Anthony born in 1885 was an orphan of Tennessee farmers. C.R. Anthony learned the retai
• Blue Cross Blue Shield The Oklahoma plan for Group Hospital Services of Oklahoma opened its doors in the Tulsa Loan buildin
• Jenny Brouse Brouse’s Shoe Store in Utica Square was a prominent business for many years in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jenn
• Chester Cadieux Chester Cadieux was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After graduating from Tulsa’s Central High S
• Dick Carson Carson Attractions in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was the foremost ticket facility for events at the Maxwell Co
• Stan Clark The fortieth anniversary of Eskimo Joe’s in 2015 recalls the story of two graduates of Oklahoma Stat
• Tom Clark Oklahoma University Regent Tom Clark was appointed by Governor Frank Keating in March 2001 for a sev
• Harry A. Clarke Jr. Clarke’s Good Clothes, founded in 1929 in Tulsa by Harry Clarke Sr., developed into a clothing store
• Wayne Creasy If you want to know the story of the Wayne Creasy Insurance Agency, you must listen to Wayne tell yo
• Jim Economou Ask anyone in the Coney business what’s the most important part of making a great coney, and the ans
• James L. Gallogly Jim Gallogly is the fourteenth president of the University of Oklahoma. He is a 1977 alumnus of the
• David Green In 1972, David Green founded a small retail store to sell the picture frames he was manufacturing. W
• John F. Hausam Then he stepped off the path. In his oral history, John F. Hausam talks about his military service i
• Burt B. Holmes Equipped with a degree from The University of Tulsa and the experience of working with his father, D
• Jenkin Jones Jr. The grandfather of Jenkin “Jenk” Lloyd Jones Jr., Richard Lloyd Jones, bought the Tulsa Democrat fro
• Maxine Kelamis Nick Kelamis is where the story of the Savoy Restaurant begins. In 1910, he left Greece with a dream
• King Kirchner King Kirchner was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Tulsa-based Unit Corporation
• Henry R. Kravis Tulsa native Henry R. Kravis co-founded the global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and is th
• Ed Malzahn It all started in a blacksmith shop in Perry, Oklahoma. It was in the late '40s when Ed Malzahn obse
• Lilah Marshall Cornelia’s Ala "Bama" Marshall's homemade pies were so mouthwatering and so well known. that people
• Herman Meinders Originally from Pipestone, Minnesota, Herman Meinders came to Oklahoma to attend Oklahoma City Unive
• Joe Moore Joe Moore was born in Claremore, Oklahoma on July 31, 1919, the youngest of nine children. His fathe
• John T. Nickel The John T. Nickel story is that of a work ethic which led to success far beyond anything he could h
• Sid Patterson In the 1950s, Sid Patterson worked for Patterson Steel, the family business, as a civil engineer. Th
• Don E. Pray Donald E. Pray reached many goals by graduating from Tulsa’s Central High School in 1950, graduating
• Gene Rainbolt H.E. (Gene) Rainbolt acquired his first bank, the First American Bank in Purcell in 1962. In 1965 he
• Frank Robson As a champion for Public Education, Frank C. Robson founded the Claremore Public Schools Foundation
• L. Francis Rooney III L. Francis Rooney III is the fourth generation of his family to own Manhattan Construction Company. 
• William Ross William J. Ross, a lifetime resident of Oklahoma City, attended Classen High School. He received his
• Robin Siegfried NORDAM is a Tulsa-based aerospace company that employs 2,500 “stakeholders” worldwide. But, before t
• Steve Stephenson Francis W. "Steve" Stephenson was the founder of Steve's Sundry Books and Magazines in Tulsa, Oklaho
• Red Stevenson Red Stevenson was born in southern Oklahoma where he spent his first few years in an orphanage durin
• Ed Taylor Ed Taylor grew up in Camden, N.J., the son of an RCA executive making the Taylor Family the first on
• Robert E. Thomas Mapco was founded by Robert E. Thomas, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton S
• Paul Thornbrugh Paul Thornbrugh was a patriot, public servant, politician, and businessman. Paul served during World
• William Vandever In the 50’s all things big and small could be found at the store with everything. Vandevers was the
• J. Blake Wade It was during J. Blake Wade’s military service, which included the Vietnam War, that he demonstrated
• Roger Wheeler Businessman, Roger Wheeler, the former chairman of Telex Corp. and former owner of World Jai Alai wa
• John Williams John H. Williams comes from a family with a long entrepreneurial history–a tradition he continued wh
• Joseph H. Williams While Joe Williams is primarily known in Tulsa as an oilman, his friends and family speak of him as
• Carl Willis S&H Green Stamps were trading stamps popular in the United States from the 1930s until the late

Centenarians

• 100th Interview This is the 100th interview for the oral history website Voices of Oklahoma and it features two ladi
• Wavel Ashbaugh Wavel Ashbaugh was 105 when she was inducted into the Centenarian Club of Oklahoma. Wavel’s mother w

Civil Rights

• Gloria Dialectic Through her work in several social agencies, Dr. Gloria Dialectic has made major contributions to th
• Norma Eagleton Norma Eagleton is known for many accomplishments including first female Tulsa city commissioner and
• Ray Feldman The son of Latvian immigrants, Ray Feldman was born January 10, 1922, and grew up in Tulsa. After gr
• LaDonna Harris “What is it like to live in a tent?” asked Robert F. Kennedy’s five-year-old daughter, Kerry, when s
• Joyce Henderson Joyce Henderson was an Oklahoma City high school student in the mid-1960s. She served as the song le
• Maxine Horner Maxine Horner was one of the first two African American women to serve in the Oklahoma Senate. While
• Loretta Young Jackson Verden, Oklahoma resident Allen Toles was an African American farmer who had become the owner of his
• Marilyn Luper In 1958, Clara Luper and her students from the Oklahoma City NAACP Youth Council were invited to New
• Dr. G. Calvin McCutchen During the civil rights era of the 1950s and ’60s, Dr. G. Calvin McCutchen established himself as a
• Jeanne Eason Phillips Jeanne Eason Phillips was born August 26, 1924, in Etna, Oklahoma, but spent her early childhood yea
• Barbara Santee For more than forty years Barbara Santee was a leading voice statewide on abortion rights and other
• Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher In 1946 the University of Oklahoma College of law denied admission to Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher because
• Rev. Dr. John B. Wolf Dr. John Burton Wolf was the senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, OK, for thirty-
• Wess & Cathryn Young Wessley Hubert “Wess” Young Sr., was a Tulsa Race Massacre survivor, World War II veteran and longti

Community Leader

• Ann Bartlett Ann Bartlett, former Oklahoma first lady and widow of the late Oklahoma U.S. Senator and governor De
• David Bernstein David Bernstein was the Executive Director of the Tulsa Mental Health Association from 1969-1973 and
• Jenny Brouse Brouse’s Shoe Store in Utica Square was a prominent business for many years in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jenn
• Tom Clark Oklahoma University Regent Tom Clark was appointed by Governor Frank Keating in March 2001 for a sev
• Gloria Dialectic Through her work in several social agencies, Dr. Gloria Dialectic has made major contributions to th
• Norma Eagleton Norma Eagleton is known for many accomplishments including first female Tulsa city commissioner and
• Nancy Feldman Nancy (Goodman) Feldman grew up in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from the University
• Ray Feldman The son of Latvian immigrants, Ray Feldman was born January 10, 1922, and grew up in Tulsa. After gr
• Loretta Young Jackson Verden, Oklahoma resident Allen Toles was an African American farmer who had become the owner of his
• Dr. G. Calvin McCutchen During the civil rights era of the 1950s and ’60s, Dr. G. Calvin McCutchen established himself as a
• Sid Patterson In the 1950s, Sid Patterson worked for Patterson Steel, the family business, as a civil engineer. Th
• Lee Allan Smith Every great event needs a great promoter. Born in Oklahoma City in 1939, it was as a college student
• Paul Thornbrugh Paul Thornbrugh was a patriot, public servant, politician, and businessman. Paul served during World
• Dean VanTrease Until 1969 Tulsa was served by two private higher education institutions. State lawmakers addressed
• J. Blake Wade It was during J. Blake Wade’s military service, which included the Vietnam War, that he demonstrated
• Rev. Dr. John B. Wolf Dr. John Burton Wolf was the senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, OK, for thirty-

Education

• David L. Boren David L. Boren has served Oklahoma as governor and U.S. Senator and became the thirteenth president
• Jenny Brouse Brouse’s Shoe Store in Utica Square was a prominent business for many years in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jenn
• Angie Debo Oklahoma’s “greatest historian” was nine years old when she first set foot on Oklahoma soil on Novem
• James L. Gallogly Jim Gallogly is the fourteenth president of the University of Oklahoma. He is a 1977 alumnus of the
• George Henderson George Henderson, Ph.D., joined the University of Oklahoma faculty in 1967. He and his wife, Barbara
• Joyce Henderson Joyce Henderson was an Oklahoma City high school student in the mid-1960s. She served as the song le
• Dr. Ben G. Henneke In 1931 Ben Henneke was a freshman at the University of Tulsa. It was the beginning of a long-standi
• Dr. Bruce Howell Dr. Bruce Howell’s career as an educator began in a one room country school in Southwest Iowa when h
• Loretta Young Jackson Verden, Oklahoma resident Allen Toles was an African American farmer who had become the owner of his
• Nancy McDonald Community volunteer Nancy McDonald’s service to Tulsa has touched the very soul of the state of Okla
• Marina Metevelis Marina Metevelis answered the call to defend the United States as one of the iconic bandanna-clad Ro
• Ken Neal Ken Neal joined the Tulsa World as a copy boy in 1953, and his numerous positions on the paper won h
• Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher In 1946 the University of Oklahoma College of law denied admission to Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher because
• Frosty Troy Forrest J. “Frosty” Troy was the founding editor of the Oklahoma Observer. A member of the Oklahoma
• Dean VanTrease Until 1969 Tulsa was served by two private higher education institutions. State lawmakers addressed

Entertainer, Musician

• Tommy Allsup Western Swing guitarist and music producer Tommy Allsup was born on his Cherokee mother's land allot
• Dick Carson Carson Attractions in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was the foremost ticket facility for events at the Maxwell Co
• Roy Clark The son of two amateur musicians, Roy Clark began playing banjo, guitar, and mandolin at an early ag
• Wanda Clark Born on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York, Lucille Ball got her start as a singer, model, and f
• Mary Jo Guthrie Mary Jo Guthrie loved her father—her “Pappa”—and her brothers, one being Woody Guthrie. Woody was te
• Woody Guthrie This land is your land This land is my land From California to the New York island; From the red woo
• Jim Halsey The original star maker, legendary music impresario Dr. Jim Halsey has set the standard in the music
• Wanda Jackson Wanda Jackson was only halfway through high school when, in 1954, country singer Hank Thompson heard
• Jana Jae Musical talent runs through the family of Jana Jae. Her parents studied at the famed Juilliard Schoo
• Curly Lewis Julian “Curly” Lewis was an influential fiddle player and accomplished vocalist who, during a career
• Guy Logsdon Dr. Guy Logsdon grew up in Ada, Oklahoma and attended the local high school. After graduating from E
• Coke Meyer Oklahoma's favorite son used to say "My ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower, but they met th
• Steve Ripley Steve Ripley grew up in Oklahoma graduating from Glencoe High School and Oklahoma State University.
• Will Rogers Oklahoma's favorite son used to say "My ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower, but they met th
• Washington Rucker Washington Irving Rucker was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on March 5, 1937 and attended local schools th

Environmental

• Carrie Dickerson When Carrie Dickerson first saw a newspaper headline about the electric company’s plans to build a n
• John T. Nickel The John T. Nickel story is that of a work ethic which led to success far beyond anything he could h
• Gathering Place Gathering Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is an award-winning 100-acre park located on the banks of the Ar
• Tallgrass Prairie Preserve The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, Oklahoma is the largest protected area of tallgrass pr
• Joseph H. Williams While Joe Williams is primarily known in Tulsa as an oilman, his friends and family speak of him as

Government

• Bill Anoatubby Governor Bill Anoatubby's  childhood was spent in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, where he graduated from Tish
• Ann Bartlett Ann Bartlett, former Oklahoma first lady and widow of the late Oklahoma U.S. Senator and governor De
• Henry Bellmon Henry Louis Bellmon was a member of the Oklahoma legislature, the 18th and 23rd Governor of Oklahoma
• David L. Boren David L. Boren has served Oklahoma as governor and U.S. Senator and became the thirteenth president
• Tom Coburn Tom Coburn is a physician, a former congressman and senator from Oklahoma, and is a member of the Re
• Carrie Dickerson When Carrie Dickerson first saw a newspaper headline about the electric company’s plans to build a n
• Ernestine Dillard Ernestine Dillard of Bixby, Oklahoma is perhaps best remembered for her April 23, 1995 performance w
• Norma Eagleton Norma Eagleton is known for many accomplishments including first female Tulsa city commissioner and
• Buddy Fallis S.M. “Buddy” Fallis graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1960 and went on to bec
• Denzil Garrison Denzil “Denny” Garrison served Oklahoma as a state representative and senator from 1957 to 1974 and
• David Hall David Hall was the 20th Governor of Oklahoma serving from January 11, 1971 to January 13, 1975. He w
• Enoch Kelly Haney The only full blood American Indian to serve in the Oklahoma Legislature, Enoch Kelly Haney was elec
• Fred Harris Fred Harris grew up in the small town of Walters, Oklahoma, where he was born in a two-room house. H
• LaDonna Harris “What is it like to live in a tent?” asked Robert F. Kennedy’s five-year-old daughter, Kerry, when s
• Jim Hewgley Jim Hewgley Jr. was an independent oilman who served two terms as Tulsa’s mayor from 1966 to 1970. I
• Maxine Horner Maxine Horner was one of the first two African American women to serve in the Oklahoma Senate. While
• Jim Inhofe U.S. Representative and Senator from Oklahoma from 1987, James Mountain Inhofe was born in Des Moine
• James R. Jones At an early age James Robert Jones was fascinated by politics after he visited the offices of the co
• Frank Keating Born in St. Louis, Frank Keating grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He received his undergraduate degree fr
• Robert J. LaFortune Tulsa civic leader and oilman Robert LaFortune was born at St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, January
• Neal McCaleb Neal McCaleb is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and a former George W. Bush administration official
• George Nigh Governor George Nigh served four different terms as the governor of Oklahoma–more than anyone else i
• Ron Norick Ron Norick was the Mayor of Oklahoma City from April 1987 – April 1998. During his terms in office h
• L. Francis Rooney III L. Francis Rooney III is the fourth generation of his family to own Manhattan Construction Company. 
• Paul Thornbrugh Paul Thornbrugh was a patriot, public servant, politician, and businessman. Paul served during World
• Frosty Troy Forrest J. “Frosty” Troy was the founding editor of the Oklahoma Observer. A member of the Oklahoma
• Wes Watkins Congressman Wes Watkins was raised on a small cattle and peanut farm near Bennington in southeast Ok
• Lee Roy West Lee Roy West has made several thousand friends in over 40 years of public service as a law teacher,
• Penny Williams Penny Williams was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives (1981–1988) and to the Oklahoma

Hollywood

• Wanda Clark Born on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York, Lucille Ball got her start as a singer, model, and f
• Peggy Helmerich When Peggy Josephine Varnadow was signed by Universal Pictures in 1949, the public relations staff w

Holocaust

• Al Langer It was September 1, 1939 when the life of Al Langer drastically changed. The Germans invaded Poland
• Sherman Ray Sherman Ray survived WWII Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, by sewing German uniforms. He was targeted by
• Kenneth Renberg Born Günter Renberg on November 30, 1920 to Anna and Herman Renberg in Delmenhorst, a city in Northw
• Eva Unterman In the summer of 1939 there was a little girl living in Lodz, Poland who was looking forward to the

Hospitals

• Sister Therese Gottschalk Sister Mary Therese Gottschalk was born in 1931, in a tiny village in Bavaria, Germany, the second o
• William Warren, Jr. In 1916, William K. Warren, Sr. arrived in Oklahoma on the recommendation of a friend in a Nashville

Immigrant Citizens

• Jenny Brouse Brouse’s Shoe Store in Utica Square was a prominent business for many years in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jenn
• Sister Therese Gottschalk Sister Mary Therese Gottschalk was born in 1931, in a tiny village in Bavaria, Germany, the second o
• Maxine Kelamis Nick Kelamis is where the story of the Savoy Restaurant begins. In 1910, he left Greece with a dream
• George Matson For fifty-five years George Matson answered the phone at Southern Hills Country Club as “Golf Shop G
• Marian Opala Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Marian P. Opala was born January 20, 1921 in Lodz, Poland. In 1939, M
• Kenneth Renberg Born Günter Renberg on November 30, 1920 to Anna and Herman Renberg in Delmenhorst, a city in Northw
• Mike Samara The son of Lebanese immigrants, Michael Samara was born in 1924 in Oklahoma City. He started working
• Eva Unterman In the summer of 1939 there was a little girl living in Lodz, Poland who was looking forward to the

Law

• Sam P. Daniel While living in Oklahoma City during his grade school days, Sam P. Daniel was a neighbor of federal
• Buddy Fallis S.M. “Buddy” Fallis graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1960 and went on to bec
• Ray Feldman The son of Latvian immigrants, Ray Feldman was born January 10, 1922, and grew up in Tulsa. After gr
• Stephen Jones Stephen Jones is an attorney from Enid, Oklahoma whose practice is limited to trials and appeals. Jo
• Phil Kennamer In 1935, the American Justice system was on trial as much as Phil Kennamer, who was the son of a pro
• Dobie Langenkamp Both of R. Dobie Langenkamp’s, grandfathers were Oklahoma pioneers in the 1920s in oil development.
• Joe Morris Judge Joe Morris was formerly Vice President and General Counsel of Shell Oil Company, General Couns
• Marian Opala Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Marian P. Opala was born January 20, 1921 in Lodz, Poland. In 1939, M
• Don E. Pray Donald E. Pray reached many goals by graduating from Tulsa’s Central High School in 1950, graduating
• Stephanie Seymour Judge Stephanie Kulp Seymour, who joined a historic class of women judges in 1979 when she was appoi
• Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher In 1946 the University of Oklahoma College of law denied admission to Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher because

Media

• Alex Adwan It was at the Oklahoma Military Academy in Claremore that Alex Adwan got his start in journalism. He
• Bob Barry, Sr. He painted pictures with his voice. For more than 50 years Bob Barry was a radio play-by-play announ
• Betty Boyd Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Betty Boyd became known as the "Queen of Tulsa TV" after a career in broadc
• Ed Dumit He actually started his radio career at the age of five when he had no idea he possessed a beautiful
• Jane Jayroe Gamble As millions of television viewers watched the crowning of Jane Jayroe as Miss America in 1967 and Be
• Ken Greenwood Ken Greenwood who grew up in Nebraska and was a World War II veteran, graduated from the University
• Jenkin Jones Jr. The grandfather of Jenkin “Jenk” Lloyd Jones Jr., Richard Lloyd Jones, bought the Tulsa Democrat fro
• Russell Myers Russell Myers is best known for his newspaper comic strip “Broom-Hilda”. He was born in Pittsburgh,
• Ken Neal Ken Neal joined the Tulsa World as a copy boy in 1953, and his numerous positions on the paper won h
• Dick Schmitz Dick Schmitz was one of the original “Big 7 DJs” when rock and roll took Tulsa by storm in 1957. He
• Ed Taylor Ed Taylor grew up in Camden, N.J., the son of an RCA executive making the Taylor Family the first on
• Frosty Troy Forrest J. “Frosty” Troy was the founding editor of the Oklahoma Observer. A member of the Oklahoma
• Clayton Vaughn Clayton Vaughn was born in Kansas and raised in Cushing, Oklahoma where he began his broadcast caree
• Danny Williams Danny Williams sent his version of "Cinderella" to WKY in Oklahoma City in April of 1950. The statio

Military Service

• Paul Andert World War II veteran Paul J. Andert enlisted in the U.S.Army in 1940 at the age of 17. Paul served a
• Bob & Diane Borlase Bob and Diane Borlase’s service to our nation and to our state came in the form of the US Navy, the
• Rex Calvert Tulsan Rex Calvert graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1942 and worked 10 months for Mid-Con
• Denzil Garrison Denzil “Denny” Garrison served Oklahoma as a state representative and senator from 1957 to 1974 and
• Mary Jo Guthrie Mary Jo Guthrie loved her father—her “Pappa”—and her brothers, one being Woody Guthrie. Woody was te
• John F. Hausam Then he stepped off the path. In his oral history, John F. Hausam talks about his military service i
• Catharine Kingsley Catharine Kingsley grew up in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where she attended Oklahoma State University. Sh
• Al Langer It was September 1, 1939 when the life of Al Langer drastically changed. The Germans invaded Poland
• Marina Metevelis Marina Metevelis answered the call to defend the United States as one of the iconic bandanna-clad Ro
• Robert Norman On December 7, 1941, Petty Officer Robert (Bob) Norman was sitting on his bunk aboard the battle shi
• Audrey Pullen Audrey (Anderson) Pullen is the daughter of a man who literally carved out his niche of fame on Moun
• Sherman Ray Sherman Ray survived WWII Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, by sewing German uniforms. He was targeted by
• Kenneth Renberg Born Günter Renberg on November 30, 1920 to Anna and Herman Renberg in Delmenhorst, a city in Northw
• Red Stevenson Red Stevenson was born in southern Oklahoma where he spent his first few years in an orphanage durin
• Shawnee Stewart Milton Shawnee Stewart served in the Army Air Corp during World War II. He became a gunner on a B26
• Eva Unterman In the summer of 1939 there was a little girl living in Lodz, Poland who was looking forward to the
• Charles Ward Charles W. Ward is an award-winning architect who received the inspiration for his profession as a s

National Monuments and Parks

• Audrey Pullen Audrey (Anderson) Pullen is the daughter of a man who literally carved out his niche of fame on Moun

Native Americans

• Bill Anoatubby Governor Bill Anoatubby's  childhood was spent in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, where he graduated from Tish
• Minisa Crumbo Halsey Woody Crumbo was born near Lexington, Oklahoma on January 31, 1912 as Woodrow Wilson Crumbo, on his
• Angie Debo Oklahoma’s “greatest historian” was nine years old when she first set foot on Oklahoma soil on Novem
• Enoch Kelly Haney The only full blood American Indian to serve in the Oklahoma Legislature, Enoch Kelly Haney was elec
• LaDonna Harris “What is it like to live in a tent?” asked Robert F. Kennedy’s five-year-old daughter, Kerry, when s
• Wilma Mankiller The first woman elected as Chief of the Cherokee Nation was Wilma Pearl Mankiller. She was born Nove
• Neal McCaleb Neal McCaleb is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and a former George W. Bush administration official
• N. Scott Momaday N. Scott Momaday, an internationally acclaimed poet, novelist, playwright, storyteller, artist and t
• The Perryman Family Tulsa, Oklahoma was originally part of Indian Territory and was first settled by the Lochapoka and C
• Jim Thorpe James Francis “Jim” Thorpe, dubbed the Greatest Athlete in the world, was born May 22, 1887, in Indi
• Cynthia Warner Cynthia McDonald Warner was an enrolled member of the Ponca Nation and oldest member until her death

Oil and Gas

• H. Allen Chapman H. Allen Chapman was the son of Tulsa philanthropists James A. and Leta Chapman. He married Mary Kat
• Thomas Gilcrease Born in 1890, Thomas Gilcrease was the oldest of fourteen children and learned the value of hard wor
• Walter Helmerich Walter Hugo Helmerich III was planning to be a teacher. Those plans changed in 1950 when he met the
• King Kirchner King Kirchner was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Tulsa-based Unit Corporation
• Dobie Langenkamp Both of R. Dobie Langenkamp’s, grandfathers were Oklahoma pioneers in the 1920s in oil development.
• Melvin & Jasmine Moran Born in St. Joseph, Missouri to European Jews, Melvin Moran grew up in Oklahoma. He attended schools
• Larry Nichols Devon Energy is a leading independent energy company engaged primarily in the exploration, developme
• Lloyd Noble Lloyd Noble was the second of three children born to Samuel Roberts and Hattie Edith Skinner Noble.
• Robert L. Parker Robert L. (Bob) Parker Sr., a Tulsa native, graduated from Culver Military Academy in Indiana and ea
• Elliot & Virginia Phillips Elliot Waite Phillips was born January 11, 1918 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma to Waite and Genevieve Phillip
• Boone Pickens Hard work, intuition and the nerve to take a chance describe T. Boone Pickens. A household name to t
• Don E. Pray Donald E. Pray reached many goals by graduating from Tulsa’s Central High School in 1950, graduating
• Kenneth Renberg Born Günter Renberg on November 30, 1920 to Anna and Herman Renberg in Delmenhorst, a city in Northw
• Lynn Schusterman Lynn Schusterman was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Oklahoma City. She first learned ab

Oklahoma City Bombing

• Bob & Diane Borlase Bob and Diane Borlase’s service to our nation and to our state came in the form of the US Navy, the
• Stephen Jones Stephen Jones is an attorney from Enid, Oklahoma whose practice is limited to trials and appeals. Jo
• Frank Keating Born in St. Louis, Frank Keating grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He received his undergraduate degree fr
• Ron Norick Ron Norick was the Mayor of Oklahoma City from April 1987 – April 1998. During his terms in office h

Oklahoma Land Run

• Darrell Stiles It was high noon, Tuesday September 22, 1891, when George Stiles Sr. was riding “Topsy,” a black mar

Philanthropy

• Ray Ackerman Since he arrived in Oklahoma City from Pennsylvania in 1947, Ray Ackerman has given of his time and
• Margery Mayo Bird The Mayo hotel was her father’s hotel. Co-founded in the 1920s by Tulsa businessman John D. Mayo and
• H. Allen Chapman H. Allen Chapman was the son of Tulsa philanthropists James A. and Leta Chapman. He married Mary Kat
• Ray Feldman The son of Latvian immigrants, Ray Feldman was born January 10, 1922, and grew up in Tulsa. After gr
• Thomas Gilcrease Born in 1890, Thomas Gilcrease was the oldest of fourteen children and learned the value of hard wor
• Peggy Helmerich When Peggy Josephine Varnadow was signed by Universal Pictures in 1949, the public relations staff w
• Walter Helmerich Walter Hugo Helmerich III was planning to be a teacher. Those plans changed in 1950 when he met the
• Henry R. Kravis Tulsa native Henry R. Kravis co-founded the global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and is th
• Lloyd Noble Lloyd Noble was the second of three children born to Samuel Roberts and Hattie Edith Skinner Noble.
• Charles Page Charles Page was an important figure in the early history of Oklahoma and Tulsa. His most lasting ac
• Gene Rainbolt H.E. (Gene) Rainbolt acquired his first bank, the First American Bank in Purcell in 1962. In 1965 he
• Kenneth Renberg Born Günter Renberg on November 30, 1920 to Anna and Herman Renberg in Delmenhorst, a city in Northw
• Lynn Schusterman Lynn Schusterman was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Oklahoma City. She first learned ab
• Ed Taylor Ed Taylor grew up in Camden, N.J., the son of an RCA executive making the Taylor Family the first on
• William Vandever In the 50’s all things big and small could be found at the store with everything. Vandevers was the
• Henry Zarrow Henry Zarrow, Mr. Henry, as he is affectionately known to most, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Feb
• Maxine Zarrow Maxine Foreman Zarrow was born June 16, 1925 Wichita Falls, Texas. She attended the University of Te

Physicians

• Dr. John Coates John Albert Coates was born December 31, 1925 in Geary, Oklahoma, a small town 30 miles west of El R
• Dr. Jerry Gustafson Dr. Gerald “Jerry” Gustafson graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in medicine. He
• Dr. C. T. Thompson Dr. C. Thomas Thompson came to Tulsa in 1955 and became a highly respected general surgeon and admin

Racism

• Ray Feldman The son of Latvian immigrants, Ray Feldman was born January 10, 1922, and grew up in Tulsa. After gr
• Joyce Henderson Joyce Henderson was an Oklahoma City high school student in the mid-1960s. She served as the song le
• Loretta Young Jackson Verden, Oklahoma resident Allen Toles was an African American farmer who had become the owner of his
• Marilyn Luper In 1958, Clara Luper and her students from the Oklahoma City NAACP Youth Council were invited to New
• Dr. G. Calvin McCutchen During the civil rights era of the 1950s and ’60s, Dr. G. Calvin McCutchen established himself as a
• Jeanne Eason Phillips Jeanne Eason Phillips was born August 26, 1924, in Etna, Oklahoma, but spent her early childhood yea
• Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher In 1946 the University of Oklahoma College of law denied admission to Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher because
• Wess & Cathryn Young Wessley Hubert “Wess” Young Sr., was a Tulsa Race Massacre survivor, World War II veteran and longti

Rancher, Farmer

• Frederick F. Drummond "Come trade with me.” Those are the words that brought the Drummond family to Oklahoma and Osage Cou
• E. C. Mullendore III He was 32 years old and deep in debt. E. C. Mullendore III was murdered on September 26th, 1970, at
• The Perryman Family Tulsa, Oklahoma was originally part of Indian Territory and was first settled by the Lochapoka and C
• Darrell Stiles It was high noon, Tuesday September 22, 1891, when George Stiles Sr. was riding “Topsy,” a black mar

Religion

• Rev. Dr. Mouzzon Biggs The Reverend Dr. Mouzon Biggs, Jr. came to Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in 1980 from Beaumo
• Dr. James B. Buskirk Dr. James B. Buskirk was Senior Minister at First United Methodist Church in Tulsa, for twelve years
• Wishard Lemons Wishard Lemons was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1917, where he lived with his family until moving t
• Dr. G. Calvin McCutchen During the civil rights era of the 1950s and ’60s, Dr. G. Calvin McCutchen established himself as a
• Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts was an American Pentecostal televangelist. He was the founder of Oral Roberts
• L. Francis Rooney III L. Francis Rooney III is the fourth generation of his family to own Manhattan Construction Company. 
• Rabbi Charles Sherman Rabbi Charles P. Sherman retired in 2013 after serving Temple Israel for nearly 40 years. Temple Isr
• Rev. Dr. John B. Wolf Dr. John Burton Wolf was the senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, OK, for thirty-

Restauranteurs

• Stan Clark The fortieth anniversary of Eskimo Joe’s in 2015 recalls the story of two graduates of Oklahoma Stat
• Jim Economou Ask anyone in the Coney business what’s the most important part of making a great coney, and the ans
• Maxine Kelamis Nick Kelamis is where the story of the Savoy Restaurant begins. In 1910, he left Greece with a dream
• Mike Samara The son of Lebanese immigrants, Michael Samara was born in 1924 in Oklahoma City. He started working

Social Work

• Gloria Dialectic Through her work in several social agencies, Dr. Gloria Dialectic has made major contributions to th

Sports

• Diamond Baseball Dinner, 1973 The Tulsa Oiler Diamond Baseball Dinner was one of the best big league dinners in the country, organ
• Bob Barry, Sr. He painted pictures with his voice. For more than 50 years Bob Barry was a radio play-by-play announ
• Johnny Bench Johnny Lee Bench was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on December 7, 1947 and grew up in the small to
• Bart Conner Bart Conner is the most accomplished male gymnast America has ever produced. He is the only American
• Reuben Gant Reuben Charles Gant was born on April 12, 1952 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Reuben was a standout athlete fro
• Marques Haynes Widely regarded as the world’s finest ball handler during his 50-plus-year career in basketball spen
• Bob Kurland While he was billed as a seven-foot basketball player, Robert Albert “Bob” Kurland admits to being o
• George Matson For fifty-five years George Matson answered the phone at Southern Hills Country Club as “Golf Shop G
• Ted Owens From surviving the Great Depression and Dust Bowl eras to driving a Model A Ford, hearing and watchi
• Porter Reed Muskogee, Oklahoma was a major stop on the Negro League baseball barnstorming circuit. As a child, P
• Bill Rollings Professional baseball in Tulsa goes back to 1905, and before then amateur teams represented the city
• Warren Spahn “The greatest game ever pitched” (Milwaukee Braves vs. San Francisco Giants, 1963) was an event that
• Eddie Sutton With 36 years of Division 1 coaching experience, Coach Eddie Sutton became the first coach to take f
• Barry Switzer Barry Switzer was the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1973-1989. Born in Cros
• Jim Thorpe James Francis “Jim” Thorpe, dubbed the Greatest Athlete in the world, was born May 22, 1887, in Indi
• Ken Trickey After the death of basketball coach Ken Trickey in 2012, the Tulsa World called him “one of the most
• Allan Trimble Allan Trimble won more state high school football championships in 22 seasons at Jenks than any head
• Dave Whitlock Dave Whitlock is a world-renowned fly fisherman and contributor of many articles, photos, and illust
• Bud Wilkinson Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from

Tulsa History

• Johnnie Coe Joan Agnes “Johnnie” Coe lived her whole life in Tulsa, Oklahoma, graduating from Central High Schoo
• Gathering Place Gathering Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is an award-winning 100-acre park located on the banks of the Ar