Peter Mayo

Voices of Oklahoma

#Society #Voices Of Oklahoma

39:50

The truth is out West! We’re hopping on the ET Highway and venturing to the most notorious alien hot spots, including Roswell’s infamous crash site, Area 51’s eerie perimeter, and a mysterious desert watchtower. Join us as journalist Laura Krantz, host of the podcast Wild Thing , beams up to share stories from the front lines of UFO reporting—from strange sightings and quirky festivals to a mailbox where people leave letters to extraterrestrials. Maybe you’ll even decide for yourself: Is Earth a tourist stop for spaceships? UFO hot spots you’ll encounter in this episode: - UFO Watchtower (near Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado) - Roswell, New Mexico - Area 51, Nevada - Extraterrestrial Highway (aka State Route 375), Nevada - Little A’Le’Inn, ET Highway, Nevada - E.T. Fresh Jerky, ET Highway, Nevada - Alien Research Center, ET Highway, Nevada - The Black Mailbox, ET Highway, Nevada Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group .…

рік тому 1:52:11

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There is a distinguished Tulsa family that is associated with several downtown Tulsa real estate properties. The Mayo family was responsible for building the Mayo Building, the Petroleum Building, the Mayo Hotel, and the adjacent Mayo Motor Inn parking garage.
Today, a fourth-generation Mayo family member, Peter Mayo, follows this heritage in restoring and improving Tulsa’s former Municipal Theatre which was once known as the Brady Theater and is now called the Tulsa Theatre.
In 1925, Peter’s Grandfather, John, and his brother Cass Mayo completed construction of what would become a destination for many notable guests throughout the hotel’s first life, including President John F. Kennedy, Babe Ruth, and Elvis Presley. The 18-story, 600-room hotel exemplified modern luxury during Oklahoma’s oil renaissance; ceiling fans were outfitted in every room and the hotel boasted Tulsa’s first running ice water.
The Tulsa Municipal Theater was completed in 1914 and remodeled in 1930 and 1952. It was one of only 16 theatres in the U.S. equipped to host a full Metropolitan opera production.
It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
When the Tulsa Performing Arts Center was built, the city put the old theatre up for auction in 1977. Peter bought the theater for $35,000, saving it from demolition, and made major improvements to what was once known as the “Ole Lady on Brady”.
Peter’s parents, Alene Oliphant Mayo and John Burch Mayo were very prominent in the Tulsa community, promoting many good causes, including the Tulsa Symphony and opera productions at the Municipal Theatre. Burch was known for his operatic voice. So, when the Mayo name became attached to the theatre, it seemed only fitting.
In Peter’s oral history, he talks about his musical background, how he came to buy the theatre, and reflects on the many concerts since his ownership.
And he talks about the legend of Enrico Caruso.

202 епізодів

Voices of Oklahoma

Peter Mayo

Voices of Oklahoma

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#Society #Voices Of Oklahoma

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Voices of Oklahoma

1
Don E. Pray 1:52:24

4 hours тому1:52:24

1:52:24

Donald E. Pray reached many goals by graduating from Tulsa’s Central High School in 1950, graduating from the University of Tulsa in 1955 with a degree in petroleum engineering, and graduating from the University of Oklahoma School of Law in 1963. The law library at the University of Oklahoma was named for him thanks to a gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, honoring Don Pray’s service to the foundation as its first Executive Director and then as a long time-time trustee. He was a founding partner at the Pray, Walker, Jackman, Williamson & Marler law firm. Don was one of the founding Trustees of the Grace and Franklin Bernsen Foundation and has also served as a Director or Trustee of St. John Medical Center, the University of Tulsa, Philbrook Art Museum, and the Tulsa Ballet Theatre. These major accomplishments by a man who “grew up in a garage”. It has been written about Don that “his life has been rewarding, not because of what he has received, but because of what he has been able to encourage others to do.” Now you can listen to Don’s interesting life story on VoicesofOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
George Conner 1:06:05

8 днів тому1:06:05

1:06:05

The sports network ESPN owes its existence to Tulsa’s own George Conner. After graduating from the University of Tulsa with a marketing degree in 1964, George went to work for Skelly Oil in downtown Tulsa. When Getty Oil gained control of Skelly in 1974, George became a finance manager and was asked to study a proposed Connecticut-based Cable Television network committed to all-day, every-day sports programming. George approved the project and Getty Oil made an initial investment of $10 million which grew to $160 Million. ESPN went live on September 7, 1979. Co-founder Bill Rasmussen stated: “I still firmly believe that, without Conner as the bridge to Getty money, there would have been no ESPN.” Listen to George talk about the beginning of this new concept of a 24-hour sports network and his role in establishing ESPN on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Eddy Gibbs 2:02:14

21 день тому2:02:14

2:02:14

Born at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Eddy Gibbs was raised in Checotah by his mother. Only 10 when his father passed away, Gibbs felt a strong need to provide for the family. After graduation from high school, he began installing fences in Tulsa, followed by apprenticeships in Kansas City, Missouri and Bakersfield, California to perfect the trade. He returned home to start his own company and, eight years later, began manufacturing fence products. Ameristar became the largest ornamental fence manufacturer in the world. Upon sale of the company, with terms that the company remain in Oklahoma, Gibbs distributed a portion of the proceeds from the sale to employees as a token of appreciation. Close to his Owasso home, Gibbs’ weekend retreat is northeast Oklahoma’s Shangri-La Resort. After it fell into disrepair, he purchased the property and restored the resort’s reputation, dramatically increasing tourism to the area and employment opportunities for local residents. Listen to Eddy talk about his inventions, how 9/11 affected his business, and his huge donation to Rejoice school on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Dick Willhour 51:59

25 днів тому51:59

51:59

Richard “Dick” Willhour graduated from Will Rogers High School and enrolled in the University of Tulsa. When World War II began, he joined the Army and was attached to the 100th Infantry division as a machine gunner. Upon his return from military service, Dick’s father told him to write about the experience, and so, at 99 years old, that script was helpful in telling his story. The chaos of the battlefield, the loss of comrades, and being wounded in service to his country, are all told in a humble way. And even in his 99th year, Dick was of service to his church, handing out snack packs to those in need. He owned Pennant Petroleum Company which was a DX Sunoco jobber. Dick was 99 when he died November 1st, 2024, but you can hear his voice as he talks about the Oklahoma land run, his preparation for war, and the loss of four company commanders on the battlefield on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Roger Hardesty 52:34

5 weeks тому52:34

52:34

Born in a half-dugout, in what was Fonda, Oklahoma, Roger Hardesty went on to become a real estate developer and builder, making his mark on Tulsa in 1959. During his late teens he began his building career by learning on the job, starting with concrete finishing, then single-family followed by multi-family housing units, industrial buildings, commercial retail centers, office buildings and hotels. He owned Mid-Continent Concrete and founded and operated over 25 different business ventures including Alliance Transportation, the Quarry Landfill, and Bizjet International. Roger was sixteen when he obtained his pilot license, which led to founding the United States Aviation, the country’s premier independent Fixed Based operator facility, worldwide aircraft character services, and Black Hawk helicopter air crane business. Roger and his wife, Donna, established The Hardesty Family Foundation with a focus on Tulsa nonprofits. Listen to Roger talk about how he learned to build houses while hanging sheetrock, his love for flying, and his desire to give back to Tulsa on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
John T. Nickel 1:19:01

6 weeks тому1:19:01

1:19:01

The John T. Nickel story is that of a work ethic which led to success far beyond anything he could have ever imagined. While in his early twenties, along with a friend, he traveled to California for an adventure. He returned to Oklahoma with an idea that set him on a path beyond his wildest dream. As a result, he developed Greenleaf Nursery in Cherokee County, Oklahoma (on Lake Tenkiller), into a multi-state business. Then, at his brother Gil’s including Far Niente, in Napa Valley.As a young lad he enjoyed hiking, fishing, and nature along the Illinois River and dreamed of owning that land one day. Eventually this passion led him to the ownership of the Caney Creek Ranch, the J-5 Ranch, and the donation of 14,000 acres to the Nature Conservancy for a wildlife and nature preserve. To complete the dream, he reintroduced elk to the John T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve.He was recognized with a Wildlife Stewardship Award by NatureWorks in 2004 and was a recipient of The Nature Conservancy’s first Oak Leaf Award in 2006.This story actually begins in a small mom-and-pop nursery business in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where John T. Nickel was born.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Claire Eagan 1:30:01

8 weeks тому1:30:01

1:30:01

Born in the Bronx, New York, Judge Claire Eagan graduated from Trinity Washington University in 1972 and later from Fordham University School of Law. She began her legal career working as a law clerk to Judge Allen Barrow of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and went into private practice at the Hall Estill Law Firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1978 to 1998. Claire served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge from 1998 to 2001 and was then nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. She served as Chief Judge of the court from 2005 to 2012. U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts appointed Judge Eagan as the chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference in 2020. She assumed senior status in 2022. Listen to Claire tell her story, how she knew she wanted to be a lawyer as a young girl, the important mentor in her life, and the decisions she made as a judge on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Drew Edmondson 1:36:49

9 weeks тому1:36:49

1:36:49

Drew Edmondson is the son of former U.S. Congressman Ed Edmondson and June Edmondson. He is also a nephew of former Governor J. Howard Edmondson. His brother, James Edmondson, is a justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Drew was the Oklahoma Attorney General from 1995 to 2011. His 58 opinions defending the Open Meeting and Open Records Acts strengthened citizen access to government. He sued the tobacco industry, winning a national settlement resulting in more than a billion dollars invested in Oklahoma’s healthcare and Drew successfully filed suit against a dozen poultry companies for polluting the Illinois River. His prior public service included the U.S. Navy, State Representative, and District Attorney. He has received many honors including induction to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. In his oral history interview, Drew talks about his political family, people he prosecuted in Muskogee as District Attorney, and several campaigns for office on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Keith Bailey 2:27:16

10 weeks тому2:27:16

2:27:16

A graduate of the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (now the University of Missouri–Rolla), Keith Bailey’s initial degree was in mechanical engineering. His academic record was augmented several years later with a professional degree in mechanical engineering from UMR and the completion of studies at the Harvard University Program for Management Development. In 1973 Keith became an assistant to the V.P. of Operations at Williams Pipeline Company. In the succeeding years, he assumed growing responsibilities with various units of the company until he was named President in 1992. In 1994 he was named CEO and Chairman of the Board. As a dedicated supporter of the United Way, Keith has served as a Campaign Chair as well as Board Chair. His United Way involvement extended to the national level. His commitment to education resulted in his service to the University of Tulsa with two terms as Board President. Listen to Keith talk about the difficulties in getting his first job, his admiration for John Williams, and 9/11 on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Jimmy Houston 1:16:55

11 weeks тому1:16:55

1:16:55

Jimmy Houston is known for hosting his own television show, Jimmy Houston Outdoors, which is watched by 2 million people around the world. He was born on July 27th, 1944, was raised in Oklahoma City, and attended high school in Moore.Jimmy moved with his family to Cookson, Oklahoma, near Lake Tenkiller, during his senior year of high school. His parents bought a resort there, where he became obsessed with fishing. Lake Tenkiller was the inspiration which made Jimmy the professional angler he is today. Since winning The Oklahoma State Championship as a college senior in 1966, Jimmy Houston went on to win over a million dollars in bass tournaments. He has fished 15 Bassmaster Classics and won the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year title. Jimmy has received honors from multiple organizations including induction into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.The writer of many faith-based books, he has been on national television for over 46 years. The Jimmy Houston Outdoors show was ranked the #1 outdoors show on ESPN for 20 years.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
John Groendyke 1:19:45

12 weeks тому1:19:45

1:19:45

John D. Groendyke is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Groendyke Transport, Inc., the fifth-largest motor carrier of bulk commodities serving the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico. It all began on July 12, 1932, when John’s father, Harold Groendyke, transported his first load of kerosene from Borger, Texas, to Beaver, Oklahoma. He drove a two-axle Ford truck equipped with a 3,000-gallon tank mounted on a homemade chassis. That was the start of the tank truck industry and Groendyke Transport Company. John received his Bachelor of Science in Business from Oklahoma State University and his law degree from the University of Oklahoma. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, and after a two-year tour of duty, he returned to Enid, Oklahoma, to join the family trucking operation. In 2024 John received a Lifetime Achievement Award from National Tank Truck Carriers. In his oral history interview, John talks about his father building a truck, the effect of technology on the trucking industry, and his extensive car collection on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Jon Stuart 1:00:33

13 weeks тому1:00:33

1:00:33

Adopted as an infant in Norway and brought home to Tulsa, Jon Stuart was educated in Tulsa, and at the Culver Military Academy, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Tulsa. As chairman of the board and chief executive officer of First Stuart Corporation, Jon is continuing in the family business. He also is the managing partner of Jon R. Stuart Interests, L.L.C., with the primary focus on energy, and is a trustee for the Stuart Family Foundation. Appointed by His Royal Highness King Harald VI of Norway, Stuart serves as the Royal Norwegian Consul for Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. He served on the City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority Board for more than 25 years, including five years as chairman. The Port of Catoosa’s Maritime Park is named for him. He has served on the Gilcrease Museum National Advisory Board and Philbrook Museum of Art and served two terms on the University of Oklahoma’s Board of Regents. Jon is a fourth-generation inductee into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, following his great-grandfather Charles B. Stuart, inducted in 1933, his grandfather W. G. Skelly, inducted in 1939, and his father, Harold C. Stuart, inducted in 1983. Listen to Jon talk about his friendship with the King of Norway, meeting J. Paul Getty, and Jon’s famous heritage on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Danna Sue Walker 1:03:30

13 weeks тому1:03:30

1:03:30

Danna Sue Walker wrote the “People and Places” column six days a week in The Tulsa World for at least 24 years. Her column kept readers informed about the fundraisers and events for many of the city’s nonprofit organizations, and the column is one of the reasons Tulsa is known as a caring and philanthropic city. A native of Tulsa, Danna Sue graduated from the University of Tulsa. She joined The World in 1962 as society editor and left to raise her daughters before returning in 1981 to write the column. She was inducted into the University of Tulsa Communications Hall of Fame in 2005 and received the Bill Crawford Memorial Award for commitment to the arts. In her oral history interview, Danna Sue talks about living at the Tulsa Country Club, her lifelong friend, and of course, “People and Places” on the podcast and website of VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Harry A. Clarke, Jr. 1:09:17

14 weeks тому1:09:17

1:09:17

Clarke’s Good Clothes, founded in 1929 in Tulsa by Harry Clarke Sr., developed into a clothing store for men, women and children. From its downtown location, the store expanded to Utica Square Shopping Center in 1962 and then to the 50,000 square-foot store in Southland Shopping Center at 41st and Yale. In 1976 the expansion continued to Tulsa’s Woodland Hills Mall at 71st and Memorial, and then on to Joplin, Missouri and Oklahoma City.Harry Clarke Sr. was very well-known in the Tulsa community, and following in his father’s footsteps, Harry Clarke Jr. also participated in local business and civic organizations. Further, his sister, Madge (Clarke) Wright, who served as vice president of advertising and public relations for the clothing store, became active in Tulsa, coordinating Miss Oklahoma’s wardrobe to teaching watercolor painting at the Philbrook Museum of Art. Clarke’s Good Clothes was known for special promotions such as Straw Hat Days and Coffee Call. Harry Clarke Jr. is the storyteller of this Oklahoma retail success. Listen to his account on the Oklahoma oral history website, VoicesofOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Joe Harwood 1:15:10

15 weeks тому1:15:10

1:15:10

Joe Harwood had a head start on becoming an owner of yacht clubs and marinas on Grand Lake. Joe was introduced to lake life because his father loved lakes and boating. It was during a summer break from college that Joe’s first job was at Bomar’s Marina on Grand Lake. After graduating he went to work full-time at the marina where he sold, repaired boats, and pumped gas. As a child, Joe dreamed about owning a marina. The dream came true when he purchased Arrowhead Yacht Club in 1982. He also developed Bomar’s Marina into Arrowhead South Marina and, in 2007, he became the owner of Cherokee Yacht Club all in Duck Creek. His ownership has expanded to other marinas including Beaver Lake, Arkansas. Listen to Joe’s oral history interview as he talks about Grand Lake in the 50s, his purchase of two yacht clubs, the fireworks show, and the GRDA on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Ross Swimmer 1:50:38

16 weeks тому1:50:38

1:50:38

Ross Swimmer’s Native American heritage and work in real estate law intersected when he performed pro bono work for the Cherokee Nation Housing Authority, and he later became in-house counsel for the Cherokee Nation. Ross began working for the Nation in an official capacity in 1972 and became Principal Chief in 1975. He remained Principal Chief until 1983, when he left at the request of President Ronald Reagan to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Interior-Indian Affairs. Swimmer was instrumental in helping western tribes secure water rights and providing funds for projects that allowed tribes to use that water for agricultural and business projects on reservations. Swimmer served as president of Cherokee Nation Industries, Inc. before being asked by President George W. Bush and Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to return to Washington as the director of Indian Trust Transition at the Department of the Interior. In 2003 President Bush nominated Swimmer to become the Special Trustee for American Indians, an appointment requiring senate approval. Now you can hear Ross tell his interesting story on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Lewis Meyer 21:14

17 weeks тому21:14

21:14

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Junior League of Tulsa conducted oral history interviews with pioneer Tulsans on medicine, lifestyles, architecture, government, business, education, journalism, and many other subjects regarding the early history of Tulsa. The collection rests with the Tulsa City-County Library. One of the interviews featured Lewis Meyer. For sixty years, Meyer was a Tulsa institution as an author, bookstore owner, and book reviewer. Lewis Meyer was an attorney who found practicing law dreadfully boring, so he opened a bookstore in 1955 next door to the Brook Theater, now the location of The Brook restaurant at 34th Street and Peoria Avenue. He started writing book reviews for local newspapers in the 1930s, then began discussing books on local radio stations and even made public appearances to give speeches about books. By the early 1940s, Meyer had his own daily radio program, “The Values We Live By,” and was speaking to crowds twice a week at downtown Tulsa’s popular Brown-Dunkin department store. His Sunday morning TV show, “The Lewis Meyer Bookshelf,” began airing on KOTV in 1953, and continued for 42 years. By visiting the Tulsa City-County Library website and the digital collection, you can hear the entire oral history project. The library has granted permission for us to share this Lewis Meyer interview conducted March 26, 1980, by Danna Sue Walker who was the People and Places columnist with Tulsa World. Listen to Lewis Meyer talk about early Tulsa radio, hypocrites, and alcoholism on the podcast and website of VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Bill Nash 1:44:56

17 weeks тому1:44:56

1:44:56

William Ray Nash was the founder of United Bank in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which he sold in 1984. The bank became known as the Bank of America. His first experience in the banking business came in 1966 when he worked for the Bank of Oklahoma in charge of advertising, public relations, and marketing. He graduated from the Oklahoma Intermediate School of Banking at OSU and the School of Bank Public Relations and Marketing at Northwest University in Chicago. Bill became head of the Real Estate Loan Department to head the Correspondent Department at the Bank of Oklahoma. Bill and his wife Edna came to Tulsa in 1956 to work for Oral Roberts in the Radio and TV department. In his public service, he served as the chairman of the Tulsa County Election Board later serving on the Oklahoma Transportation Commission rising to the position of chairman. In addition to his professional career, Bill talks about the plane crash which took the lives of his brother Marshall and sister-in-law Rebecca — the daughter of Oral Roberts — on the oral history podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Gene Stipe 14:03

18 weeks тому14:03

14:03

In 1948, at the age of 21, Gene Stipe was elected to the Oklahoma State House of Representatives representing Pittsburgh County, making him the youngest person elected to the state legislature. Stipe won a senate seat in 1956 and served for forty-eight years, making him the longest-serving Oklahoma State Senator. Gene had a reputation as an excellent trial lawyer and took the lead in some important Oklahoma court cases. On January 1st, 2000, Gene published the book A Gathering of Heroes, featuring stories of many Oklahomans. Some of the heroes he talked about included former U.S. Senator Robert Kerr, Judge Luther Bohanon, and Lloyd Rader. The book is still available on Amazon. Gene Stipe was 85 when he died on July 21st, 2012. When John Erling was with KRMG radio, he interviewed Gene about the book in 2000, and you can hear the interview now on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Eva Unterman 2:19:09

18 weeks тому2:19:09

2:19:09

In the summer of 1939 there was a little girl living in Lodz, Poland who was looking forward to the first grade. It was while on the family summer vacation that Eva Unterman heard her family members quietly talking about Germany and war. They cut short their vacation and went home to Lodz and soon little Eva was looking at black, shiny boots. The German invasion of Poland was underway. Eva’s family was forced into the Lodz Ghetto. After four years in the ghetto they were deported to Auschwitz, Stutthof and a labor camp in Dresden and then marched to Theresienstadt. This march is referred to as the Death March. It was May 1945 when Eva and her parents were liberated.The German Third Reich took the lives of three million Polish Jews in World War II. Only a small number survived or managed to escape. And today, survivor Eva Unterman, now an Oklahoman, tells her story to honor the millions of children whose lives were cut short by the Nazis, and to be sure the Holocaust shall never happen again!Eva’s granddaughter Phoebe has written a children’s book Through Eva’s Eyes about her grandmother’s early life in Poland.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Burt B. Holmes 51:13

20 weeks тому51:13

51:13

Equipped with a degree from The University of Tulsa and the experience of working with his father, Dan P. Holmes, in his insurance business, Holmes and Chester Cadieux co-founded QuikTrip Corporation in 1958. QuikTrip has grown to one of the country’s most successful convenience store networks. Later, he established Burt B. Holmes and Associates, the predecessor of The Holmes Organisation Inc., which he sold in 1998, but remains as a consultant. In 2010, The University of Tulsa’s Collins College of Business named Holmes the Outstanding Entrepreneur for his dedication to life-long learning, entrepreneurship, and support for the arts, education, and community. He is president and director of Leaders Life Insurance Company, the American Institute of Medical Technology and National Occupational Health Services. Previously Holmes served as founder, owner or director of: Hurricane Trading Company, Gas Energy Development Co., Day Schools Inc., Healthfood Associates/Akin’s, Utica National Bank, and National Bank of Commerce. He promoted Tulsa’s first high-rise suburban office building, the Southland Financial Center. Holmes is past chairman and director emeritus of The University of Tulsa’s board of trustees, past chairman and director of the Gilcrease Museum Association, The University of Tulsa Alumni Association and Family and Children’s Services, former director of the Tulsa Philharmonic, Palmer Drug Abuse Program, Thornton Family YMCA, Greenwood Cultural Center, and Phillips Theological Seminary. Currently, he serves as a director of the Tulsa Botanic Garden and First Oklahoma Bank.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Neal McCaleb 1:38:42

21 weeks тому1:38:42

1:38:42

Neal McCaleb is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and a former George W. Bush administration official. Before his involvement in politics, McCaleb was a civil engineer and businessman. He served on the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission from 1967 until 1972 when President Nixon appointed him to the National Council on Indian Opportunities. He was also a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1974 to 1982, and later was a presidential appointee on Ronald Reagan’s Commission on Indian Reservation Economics in the 1980s. McCaleb ran for Governor of Oklahoma in 1982 but lost the Republican primary. He was appointed Oklahoma’s first Secretary of Transportation by 1987, and from 1995 to 2001 he was the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. In 2001, George Bush appointed McCaleb to be the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs. After serving in the Bush administration, McNeal served as Ambassador at Large for the Chickasaw Nation.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Marcia Mitchell 2:06:14

24 weeks тому2:06:14

2:06:14

Marcia Mitchell is the founder of The Little Light House, a faith-based mission to assist children with a wide range of developmental disabilities including autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. The program is not only a facility for students, but also serves as a training ground for professionals and volunteers throughout the United States and other countries who are learning to reach out to special needs children in their communities. Marcia and her husband, Phil, gave birth to their daughter, Missy, who was born with a rare condition leaving her legally blind. With no facilities in Tulsa to help Missy, Marcia and her friend Sheryl Pool opened Little Light House in a small building, eventually expanding to a 22,000-square-foot facility. In 2013, the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits named Little Light House Oklahoma’s top nonprofit organization. In her oral history, Marcia talks about the many unusual circumstances, which Marcia calls miracles, that led to The Little Light House serving thousands of special needs children. Here’s the story now, on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Rick Brinkley 2:05:41

25 weeks тому2:05:41

2:05:41

Rick Brinkley was the minister of the Collinsville Community Church, an Emmy-nominated television producer in Oklahoma, Baltimore, and New York City, and President/CEO of Eastern Oklahoma’s Better Business Bureau and then its Chief Operating Officer from 1999 to 2015. He became a State Senator in 2010, serving as the Chair of Pensions, Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee, and a member of the Appropriations, Energy, Health and Human Services, and Business and Commerce Committees. In August 2015, Brinkley resigned his seat as he was being investigated on accusations of embezzlement from his employer. The embezzlement was related to his gambling addiction. He was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. As a noted public speaker, Rick travels the country telling the story of his gambling addiction, what it did to his life, and what others can do to regain control of theirs. If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, call The National Problem Gambling helpline: 1-800-GAMBLER. Listen to Rick talk about how his addiction brought him comfort, the day he learned he was under investigation, and his days in prison on the Podcast and website of VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Fred R. Harris 2:35:04

27 weeks тому2:35:04

2:35:04

Fred Harris grew up in the small town of Walters, Oklahoma, where he was born in a two-room house. He was first elected to the Oklahoma State Senate where he was one of its youngest members. He made an unsuccessful race for governor of Oklahoma in 1962. In 1964, he entered the race to serve out the unexpired term of U.S. Senator Robert S. Kerr who had died while in office. He was 33 years old when he successfully defeated former Governor J. Howard Edmonson, who had been appointed to succeed Kerr, in the Democratic primary, and narrowly upset Republican nominee and legendary Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson. While in Washington, D.C. he encountered such giants as Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert H. Humphrey and Robert Kennedy. In this interview, Fred talks about the personalities of these figures–including the tension between Johnson and Kennedy. Harris accomplished much during his distinguished career, championing human rights at home and around the world. Twice elected to the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma, Fred Harris became Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. He is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Roy Bliss 1:19:16

28 weeks тому1:19:16

1:19:16

Roy Bliss grew up in Worland, Wyoming where his father was in the Culligan Soft Water business. A neighbor, Tom Mitchell, read about cable television in a magazine. Roy’s father owned an airplane and Tom asked if Roy’s father would “fly around to see if they could find a TV signal, line-of-sight”, which they found coming from Billings, Montana. And that was the beginning of the cable TV business for the Bliss family. Roy was very young when he helped his father bring cable to Worland. In time, Wayne Swearingen, an oilman who saw the potential for cable television, asked Roy to join him in Tulsa. Wayne was part owner of Tulsa Cable, which bought a microwave company, United Video. Becoming president of United Video, Roy distributed Chicago’s WGN TV via satellite nationwide. Roy was with United Video for 26 years before retiring from the cable business. Listen to Roy’s oral history as he describes how his father captured a TV signal from a Billings, Montana station, and how the cable business became Roy’s profession on the podcast and website of VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
John Brock 58:11

28 weeks тому58:11

58:11

Oklahoma native John A. Brock was raised in Oklahoma City and graduated from Classen High School in 1948. In 1953 he graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.S. in Geological Engineering. He served in the U.S. Army Artillery in Korea from 1953 to 1955 when he began his career in the oil business with Shell Oil Company. John returned to Oklahoma in 1968 to become executive vice president and general manager of LVO Corporation in Tulsa, followed by president of Southport Exploration, chairman of Medallion Petroleum, Inc., and chairman of Brighton Energy, LLC. John endowed the Brock Chair of Energy Economics and Policy and the John A. Brock Endowed Chair in Engineering Leadership at the University of Oklahoma. He also established the Brock Chair for Education Leadership and the Brock Chair for Education Innovation at Oklahoma State University. Listen to John talk about the ups and downs of the Oil industry and the investments he made in our state on the podcast and the oral history website, VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Pat Woodrum 1:08:50

30 weeks тому1:08:50

1:08:50

Three days after Pat Woodrum’s graduation from OU, she began working at the Tulsa City-County Library system as a branch librarian. Woodrum served in nearly every position until she became the executive director of the Tulsa City-County Library System in 1976, where she served for 32 years. Pat helped establish Tulsa’s Day Center for the Homeless as an alternative to the usage of public libraries for shelter. Woodrum was appointed to the first board of the University Center of Tulsa, and was on the site selection committee and buildings committee for what is now the OSU-Tulsa campus. After retiring from the library system, Woodrum went through the OSU Master Gardener Program and helped create the Centennial Botanical Garden in Tulsa, serving as executive director for many years. In her oral history, Pat talks about digitizing the library system, book banning, and the botanical garden on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Warren G. Morris 1:13:06

32 weeks тому1:13:06

1:13:06

Warren Gene Morris was a World War II veteran working up the ranks becoming Captain in the Army Air Force flying B-29s. By the age of 21 had flown thirty-four combat missions in the South Pacific. Often, he would fly for 15 hours or more — seven or eight hours to the target and then back to the base. He contracted polio while on duty, crippling him for several years. But through physical therapy he was able to walk without braces. After World War II, Warren entered the real estate profession developing 13 subdivisions and constructing 1,900 homes. Building a successful law practice, he also became a Master Appraiser, Real Estate Broker, and a Tulsa County Excise and Equalization Board Member. Listen to Warren talk about his combat missions, including the day the bomb bay doors accidentally opened, losing an engine in flight, and his struggle with polio on the Voices of Oklahoma podcast and website, VoicesOfOklahoma.com.…

Voices of Oklahoma

1
Joe Carter 1:37:32

35 weeks тому1:37:32