Edited and Updated 6/19/2007
Also, see Mid-Continent To OHA.
WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
From all I’ve read, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame originates from the 1927 efforts of El Reno resident Anna Brosius Korn, the founder of the Oklahoma Memorial Association, which later became the current day’s Oklahoma Heritage Association. The OHA’s website has now been revamped. The new OHA website entry page is here. The new and very nice history of the organization is here. Generally, with some revision in this 6/19/2007 edit, I’ll leave intact the information that I located elsewhere, before the organization’s nice website revision.
OHA’s history page shows that the originally named Oklahoma Memorial Association became the Oklahoma Heritage Association in 1971 to reflect the organization’s “expanded role in the preservation of Oklahoma history,” a date that had eluded me when writing my original post here.
The earlier OHA website did not identify the organization’s founder, but the new history page does, and so, now, it is beyond dispute that the founder of the Oklahoma Memorial/Heritage Association and/or its product, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, resulted from the singular efforts of one person, a lady named Anna Brosius Korn, in 1927. Unless I missed something (and I confess that I’ve not yet looked really closely), you’ll still find out more about the founder here than in OHA’s revised pages. Oh, well …
ANNA BROSIUS KORN
This woman was both the founder of the Oklahoma Memorial Association (which later became the Oklahoma Heritage Association) and of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame awards which she envisioned in 1927 and which, in fact, began in 1928.
From a November 27, 2005, Oklahoman article:
Woman’s passion for state’s history provided legacy
In 1927, [Anna B.] Korn channeled her passion for preserving history and love of grand ceremonies into founding the Oklahoma Memorial Association, now called the Oklahoma Heritage Association. The purpose of the group was to create a hall of fame for prominent Oklahomans.
By the time she died in 1965, about 300 Oklahoma statesmen, doctors, businessmen and educators had been named to the hall of fame. [Ed. note: the article’s list of “titles” is not complete – others were also inducted.]
Anna Lee Brosius was born in Hamilton, Mo., in 1869, to a family that included an ambassador to Russia and J.C. Penney, founder of the department store chain. The petite redhead was a determined overachiever, too.
* * *
But Korn’s greatest passion was history. She served on the Oklahoma Historical Society board of directors for more than 40 years, had trees at the state Capitol dedicated to Presidents Jefferson, Jackson and Wilson, and got a monument to War of 1812 veterans erected at Fort Gibson.When the Oklahoma Memorial Association had its first hall of fame banquet in 1928, Korn planned an elaborate ceremony with dancing girls, “royal escorts” for the honorees and a queen chosen from the state’s outstanding youth.
Korn was involved in virtually every aspect of the ceremony. She played an active role into her 90s. Even suffering a stroke the morning of the 1956 event didn’t put her out of commission for long.
Although the induction ceremony has changed, the hall of fame Korn founded continues to grow, boasting almost 600 notable Oklahomans.
Anna Korn was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1961 at age 92. She she died in 1965.
THE CURRENT DAY
Note: This section was originally written September 28, 2006, before grand opening of the Edward L. Gaylord-Boone Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Center on May 10, 2007. I’ll be posting a later blog article about the new facility, post-reopening, in the near future, but I’ll leave this one pretty much “as is” with some modification.
The present day Oklahoma Heritage Association has broadened its horizons to include much more than the mere identification and induction of prominent Oklahomans into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Its website’s offerings of literature and other awards focused on Oklahoma history are quite impressive. And, very soon (in the next month or two) [ed. note on 6/19/07: my original post was written in September 2006 … the new grand opening was in May 2007], the opening of the new Edward L. Gaylord/Boone Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Center at 1400 Classen Drive will add a diamond near the northwest side of downtown Oklahoma City.
But, what I didn’t know until my attendance at this year’s [2006] Centennial State Fair of Oklahoma three days ago is that the inductees into Oklahoma’s Hall of Fame are all displayed in the State Fair Park on 7-8 feet high granite slabs in a westside portion of the fairgrounds called the Oklahoma Heritage Plaza, just south of the OPUBCO pavilion. Only a passing reference in OHA’s Hall of Fame website page mentions this very impressive exhibit …
In addition, the inductees are recognized on granite monuments in the Heritage Plaza at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.
The new OHA website does list all recipients in either chronolgical or alphabetical order.
OKLAHOMA HERITAGE PLAZA
The remainder of this post shows each of those granite monoliths located in the northwest part of State Fair Park. Click on any pic for a larger image which makes the names of the recipients more plainly seen. They are ALL here!
The north size of the plaza (just south of the OPUBCO pavilion) contains the gateway:
Just south of that monument are 22 large granite slabs which remember the names, sometimes faces (3 to a slab), of each of the inductees. Below, they are presented in chronological order. The edifices are set up to contain names on the front and back even though only the last 2 have done that , so far. Click here to skip the following text and go straight to the monuments.
The names and general description of recipients so far are listed at this OHA website page, but here they are also listed here for easy reference (descriptions, if any, are from OHA’s website):
Dennis T. Flynn – Oklahoma City, Congressman
Elizabeth Fulton Hester – Muskogee, Civic Leader
1929
James S. Buchanan – Norman, Educator
Charles F. Colcord – Oklahoma City, Oilman
Alice M. Robertson – Muskogee, Congressman [Ed. Note: woman]
R.A. Sneed – Sulphur, Public Servant
1930
David Ross Boyd – Norman, Educator
Alice Brown Davis – Wewoka, Seminole Chief
E.K. Gaylord – Oklahoma City, Publisher
Annette Ross Hume – Anadarko, Civic Leader
Graves Leeper – Sulphur, Public Servant
Frank Phillips – Bartlesville, Oilman
Joseph W. Scroggs – Norman, Educator
1931
Charles F. Barrett – Oklahoma City, Military
Laura Clubb – Kaw City, philanthropist
Gregory Gerrer – Shawnee, Artist
Roy A. Hoffman – Oklahoma City, Military
Douglas H. Johnston – Emet, Chickasaw Chief
E.W. Marland – Ponca City, Oilman
Benjamin F. Nihart – Oklahoma City, Educator
Joseph B. Thoburn – Oklahoma City, Historian
1932
Frank Bailey – Chickasha, Jurist
Joseph Blatt – Oklahoma City, Religious Leader
Fowler Border – Mangum, Physician
Fred S. Clinton – Tulsa, Oilman
J.P. Connors – McAlester, Public Servant
John Cotteral – Guthrie, Jurist
John B. Doolin – Alva, Public Servant
William A. Durant – Durant, Public Servant
F.B. Fite – Muskogee, Physician
Frank Frantz – Tulsa, Public Servant
Thomas P. Gore – Lawton, U.S. Senator
Charles N. Haskell – Muskogee, Governor
J.W. Hawley – Oklahoma City, Clergyman
William M. Jenkins – Sapulpa, Public Servant
W.A. Ledbetter – Oklahoma City, Attorney
J.L. McBrien – Edmond, Educator
Grant McGee – Muskogee, Journalist
John J. Methvin – Anadarko, Missionary
J.S. Murrow – Atoka, Missionary
James F. Owens – Oklahoma City, Businessman
Gabe Parker – Muskogee, Public Servant
D.P. Richardson – Union City, Physician
Will Rogers – Claremore, Humorist
Campbell Russell – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
Jasper Sipes – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Sidney Suggs – Ardmore, Publisher
Elmer Thomas – Lawton, U.S. Senator
C.P. Wickmiller – Kingfisher, Pharmacist
1933
John A. Brown – Oklahoma City, Merchant
Madaline Conklin – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
Edward Everett Dale – Norman, Historian
Eva Shartel Ferguson – Kingfisher, Publisher
Mrs. M.B. Gibbons – Goodland, Educator
John A. Hatchett – Oklahoma City, Educator
John F. Kroutil – Yukon, Entrepreneur
Dan Peery – Carnegie, Public Servant
Una Lee Roberts – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Angie Russell – Oklahoma City, Social Worker
Angelo C. Scott – Oklahoma City, Educator
Charles B. Stuart – Oklahoma City, Attorney
1934
Eugene M. Antrim – Oklahoma City, Educator
Maude Richman Calvert – Oklahoma City, Educator
Grant Foreman – Muskogee, Historian
Emma Estill Harbour – Edmond, Educator
W.W. Hastings – Tahlequah, Congressman
Samuel W. Hayes – Oklahoma City, Jurist
Travis F. Hensley – El Reno, Public Service
Thomas P. Howell – Davis, Physician
Charles W. Kerr – Tulsa, Minister
Everett S. Lain – Oklahoma City, Physician
Gordon W. Lillie – Pawnee, Entrepreneur
Zack Miller – Ponca City, Rancher
Francis F. Threadgill – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Clara C. Waters – Pawnee, Administrator
1935
Czarina Colbert Conlan – Oklahoma City, Cultural Leader
Etta D. Dale – El Reno, Educator
Charles N. Gould – Norman, Geologist
David W. Griffin – Norman, Physician
Edith Johnson – Oklahoma City, Journalist
Roberta Campbell Lawson – Nowata, Cultural Leader
Oscar J. Lehrer – Norman, Educator
W.H. McFadden – Ponca City, Civic Leader
Ida M. McFarlin – Tulsa, Philanthropist
R.M. McFarlin – Tulsa, Oilman
Lewis J. Moorman – Oklahoma City, Physician
Mell A. Nash – Edmond, Educator
Jennie Harris Oliver – Fallis, Author
E.B. Ringland – Oklahoma City, Minister
Winnie M. Sanger – Oklahoma City, Physician
Mary Frances Troy – Oklahoma City, Educator
1936
William B. Bizzell – Norman, Educator
Alice M. David – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Rachel C. Eaton – Claremore, Historian
Annett Blackburn Ehler – Hennessey, Civic Leader
S. Prince Freeling – Oklahoma City, Public Service
Forney Hutchinson – Tulsa, Minister
William S. Key – Oklahoma City, Military
W.H. Kornegay – Vinita, Attorney
LeRoy Long – Oklahoma City, Physician
James A. Maney – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
M. Alice Miller – El Reno, Civic Leader
1937
Mabel Bassett – Sapulpa, Public Servant
A.G.C. Bierer – Guthrie, Jurist
Elmer E. Brown – Oklahoma City, Journalist
Frank C. Carter – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
Dorothea B. Dale – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
James S. Davenport – Vinita, Jurist
Clarence B. Douglas – Tulsa, Administrator
John F. Easley – Ardmore, Publisher
Ida Ferguson – El Reno, Nurse
Lucia Loomis Ferguson – Tulsa, Civic Leader
A.L. Kates – Claremore, Publisher
James R. Keaton – Guthrie, Jurist
Lilah D. Lindsey – Tulsa, Educator
Margaret McVean – Oklahoma City, Law
Mrs. Jessie E. Moore – Wayne, Law
Boss Neff – Hooker, Rancher
Minnie Shockley – Alva, Educator
Ida Wright – Atoka, Civic Leader
1938
Henry G. Bennett – Stillwater, Educator
Mrs. Virgil Browne – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Scott Ferris – Lawton, Congressman
Carolyn Thomas Foreman – Muskogee, Historian
Everett G. Fry – Oklahoma City, Musician
John W. Harreld – Oklahoma City, U.S. Senator
Walter M. Harrison – Oklahoma City, Journalist
Abbie B. Hillerman – Tulsa, Prohibitionist
Patrick J. Hurley – Tulsa, Diplomat
William B. Johnson – Ardmore, Attorney
Henry S. Johnston – Perry, Governor
Arthur N. Leecraft – Durant, Public Servant
Boh Makovsky – Stillwater, Education
John B. Nichols – Chickasha, Oilman
G. Lee Phelps – Wetumka, Missionary
Jane Gibson Phillips – Bartlesville, Civic Leader
William B. Pine – Okmulgee, U.S. Senator
George Rainey – Enid, Educator
Scott Squyres – Oklahoma City, Attorney
Martin E. Trapp – Guthrie, Governor
Edward A. Walker – Oklahoma City, Banker
Anna L. Witteman – Oklahoma City, Administrator
1939
O.H.P. Brewer – Webbers Falls, Public Servant
Cassius M. Cade – Shawnee, Congressman
Nannie K. Fite – Tahlequah, Public Servant
George Riley Hall – Henryetta, Publisher
John B. Harrison – Oklahoma City, Jurist
Mrs. Charles N. Haskell – Muskogee, Civic Leader
Blanche Lucas – Ponca City, Public Servant
Isaac Newton McCash – Enid, Educator
James I. Phelps – El Reno, Jurist
Meta Chestnutt Sager – Minco, Educator
William G. Skelly – Tulsa, Oilman
Katherine VanLeuven – Oklahoma City, Attorney
A.M. Wallock – Lawton, Religious Leader
1940
G. Walter Archibald – Durant, Publisher
J.C. Bushyhead – Fort Gibson, Physician
Frank Buttram – Oklahoma City, Oilman
Nannie Hutcheson Cleveland – Darlington, Educator
Milton C. Garber – Enid, Congressman
E.B. Howard – Tulsa, Congressman
Mrs. W.A. Ledbetter – Ardmore, Civic Leader
Anna Lewis – Chickasha, Historian
Eugene Lorton – Tulsa, Publisher
Christian Madsen – Guthrie, Lawman
Alma J. Neill – Norman, Physiology
Mrs. Lute Walcott – Ardmore, Civic Leader
Muriel H. Wright – Lehigh, Historian
1941
Mrs. Anton H. Classen – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Julien C. Monnett – Norman, Educator
Robert L. Owen – Tahlequah, U.S. Senator
W. Mark Sexton – McAlester, Religious Leader
Edgar S. Vaught – Oklahoma City, Jurist
1942
Walter S. Campbell – Norman, Historian
Houston Benge Teehee – Tahlequah, Public Servant
Louis Wentz – Ponca City, Oilman
1943
Gladys Anderson Emerson – El Reno, Educator
O.C. Newman – Shattuck, Physician
Waite Phillips – Tulsa, Oilman
Mrs. Oscar W. Stewart – Muskogee, Educator
1944
John R. Abernathy – Oklahoma City, Religious Leader
Kenneth C. Kaufman – Norman, Literature
Burton Rascoe – Shawnee, Author
Paul B. Sears – Norman, Botany
1945
Joseph P. Blickensderfer – Norman, Educator
Roy Gittinger – Norman, Historian
Raymond S. McLain – Oklahoma City, Military
Paul A. Walker – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
1946
Robert Burns – Washita County, Public Servant
Frances Dinsmore Davis – Chickasha, Fine Arts
Charles Evans – Oklahoma City, Educator
Mark R. Everett – Oklahoma City, Physician
1947
William G. Beasley – Holdenville, Religious Leader
Daniel L. Edwards – Enid, Religious Leader
John E. Mabee – Tulsa, Oilman
Yvonne Chouteau Terekhov – Norman, Ballerina
1948
Roy Temple House – Norman, Literature
Mrs. Charles H. Kimes – Enid, Artist
Fred Lookout – Pawhuska, Osage Chief
E.H. Moore – Tulsa, Oilman
Lynn Riggs – Claremore, Playwrite
1949
Nina Kay Gore – Lawton, Civic Leader
Robert A. Hefner, Sr. – Oklahoma City, Oilman
Oscar B. Jacobson – Norman, Fine Arts
Irene Bowers Sells – Oklahoma City, Journalist
Poe B. Vandament – Yukon, Publisher
1950
Angie Debo – Marshall, Historian
Norris G. Henthorne – Tulsa, Public Servant
J.G. Puterbaugh – McAlester, Entrepreneur
Waldo E. Stephens – Oklahoma City, Internationalist
Jim Thorpe – Prague/Yale, Athlete
Louis A. Turley – Norman, Medicine
1951
Joseph H. Benton – Norman, Opera
Eugene S. Briggs – Enid, Education
George L. Cross – Norman, Educator
Luther Harrison – Oklahoma City, Journalist
Earnest Lachman – Oklahoma City, Physician
Mrs. Perle Mesta – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
William H. Murray – Tishomingo, Governor
C.I. Pontius – Tulsa, Educator
1952
George L. Bowman – Kingfisher, Public Servant
Joseph J. Clark – Pryor, Military
Everett L. DeGolyer – Tulsa, Geologist
Thomas Gilcrease – Tulsa, Oilman
J. Raymond Hinshaw, Jr. – Norman, Medicine
Richard Lloyd Jones – Tulsa, Publisher
Savoie Lottinville – Norman, Literature
1953
C.B. Bee – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
James E. Berry – Stillwater, Public Servant
William J. Holloway – Hugo, Governor
Roy M. Johnson – Ardmore, Oilman
James C. Nance – Purcell, Public Servant
Pearle Sayre – Ardmore, Civic Leader
Nan Sheets – Oklahoma City, Artist
Gomer Smith, Sr. – Oklahoma City, Congressman
1954
Felix M. Adams – Vinita, Mental Health
J.R. Hinshaw – Butler, Medicine
Louise McMahon – Lawton, Music
Maud Lorton Myers – Tulsa, Civic Leader
John L. Peters – Oklahoma City, Hunanitarian
T.H. Steffens – Sand Springs, Humanitarian
1955
Annetta A. Childs – Tulsa, Civic Leader
F. Hiner Dale – Guymon, Jurist
Paul Harvey – Tulsa, Radio Commentator
Gaston Litton – Granite, Historian
Ross Rizley – Guymon, Congressman
1956
William M. Franklin – Ardmore, Public Servant
C.B. Goddard – Ardmore, Oilman
Robert S. Kerr – Ada, Governor/U.S. Senator
Jesse L. Rader – Newkirk, Literature
Robert Terry Stuart – Oklahoma City, Insurance
Nora A. Talbot – Stillwater, Educator
1957
Carl Albert – McAlester, Congressman/Speaker
Robert H. Bayley – Oklahoma City, Physician
Stanley C. Draper – Oklahoma City, Chamber Executive
Te Ata Fisher – Tishomingo, Theater
Erle P. Haliburton – Ardmore, Oilman
Roy Harris – Chandler, Composer of Music
James A. Rinehart – El Reno, Public Servant
Anna T. Scruggs – Enid, Mental Health
Roy J. Turner – Chandler, Governor
1958
K.S. Adams – Bartlesville, Oilman
Willis M. Chambers – Edmond, Educator
Dean A. McGee – Oklahoma City, Oilman
Alice L. Marriott – Oklahoma City, Historian
Mrs. Charles Page – Sand Springs, Civic Leader
John Wesley Raley – Shawnee, Educator
Oliver S. Wilham – Stillwater, Educator
1959
Charles R. Anthony – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Mrs. John A. Brown – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
H.H. Herbert – Norman, Educator
H.C. Jones – Sand Springs, Entrepreneur
Alfred P. Murrah – Oklahoma City, Jurist
Bess B. Truitt – Enid, Poet Laureate
Mrs. William K. Warren – Tulsa, Civic Leader
Mac Q. Williamson – Pauls Valley, Public Servant
1960
Stephen Chandler – Oklahoma City, Jurist
Mrs. Patrick J. Hurley – Tulsa, Civic Leader
Richard K. Lane – Tulsa, Businessman
Joe C. Scott – Rattan, Public Servant
Ned Shepler – Lawton, Publisher
Joseph R. Taylor – Norman, Artist
1961
Virgil Browne – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Anna B. Korn – El Reno, Civic Leader
Joe W. McBride – Anadarko, Publisher
A.S. “Mike” Monroney – Oklahoma City, U.S. Senator
John Rogers – Tulsa, Attorney
Fred E. Tarman – Oklahoma City, Publisher
William K. Warren – Tulsa, Oilman
1962
Jennie Dahlgren – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
J. Howard Edmondson – Muskogee, Governor
John E. Kirkpatrick – Oklahoma City, Philanthropist
J.B. Perky – Stillwater, Vocational Agriculture
W. Angie Smith – Oklahoma City, Religious Leader
1963
W.P. Atkinson – Midwest City, Publisher
Orel Busby – Ada, Jurist
Gordon Cooper – Shawnee, Astronaut
Ben G. Henneke – Tulsa, Educator
Herschel H. Hobbs – Oklahoma City, Religious Leader
Mrs. Paul Sutton – Ardmore, Civic Leader
Charles B. “Bud” Wilkinson – Norman, Coach
1964
Mrs. Frank Buttram – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Harvey P. Everest – Oklahoma City, Banker
Van Heflin – Walters, Actor
Mickey Mantle – Commerce, Baseball
Madame Ramon Vinay – Ardmore, Opera
Clarence H. Wright – Cordell, Businessman
1965
Page Belcher – Tulsa, Congressman
T. Jack Foster – Norman, Real Estate
Henry P. Iba – Stillwater, Coach
Jacob Johnson – Warner, Educator
Fred Jones – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Mabelle Kennedy – Pawhuska, Public Servant
1966
Mrs. Anita Bryant – Tulsa, Actress
W.W. Keeler – Bartlesville, Oilman
Donald S. Kennedy – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
Edwin W. Parker – Ardmore, Religious Leader
William T. Payne – Oklahoma City, Oilman
Lloyd E. Rader – Hinton, Public Servant
1967
Henry B. Bass – Enid, Construction
Mrs. J.A. Chapman – Tulsa, Civic Leader
Hicks Epton – Wewoka, Attorney
Malcom E. Phelps – El Reno, Physician
H. Milt Phillips – Seminole, Publisher
George M. Sutton – Norman, Ornithologist
James E. Webb – Oklahoma City, NASA/Space Administrator
Raymond A. Young – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
1968
Hayden H. Donahue – Norman, Mental Health
W.D. Finney – Fort Cobb, Banker
Jake L. Hamon – Ardmore, Oilman
Floyd L. Jackson – Oklahoma City, Jurist
Jenkin Lloyd Jones – Tulsa, Publisher
Augusta I. Carson Metcalfe – Durham, Artist
Hal L. Muldrow – Norman, Military
Grace Steele Woodward – Tulsa, Historian
1969
Jack T. Conn – Oklahoma City, Banker
Fred A. Daugherty – Oklahoma City, Jurist
Mrs. Clifford L. Frates – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
William T. Gossett – Chickasha, Attorney
Morton R. Harrison – Checotah, Public Servant
Mrs. Frank Johnson Hightower – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
George H. Shirk – Oklahoma City, Historian
1970
Mrs. George L. Bowman – Kingfisher, Civic Leader
Raymond Gary – Madill, Governor
Joseph A. LaFortune, Sr. – Tulsa, Oilman
Ward S. Merrick – Ardmore, Oilman
Maurice H. Merrill – Norman, Educator
D.H. O’Donoghue – Oklahoma City, Orthopedic Surgeon
Willard Stone – Locust Grove, Artist
1971
Jack Abernathy – Oklahoma City, Oilman
Mildred Andrews Boggess – Norman, Musician
S.N. Goldman – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
E.L. “Mike” Massad – Ardmore, Military
J. Rud Nielsen – Norman, Physics
Tom Steed – Shawnee, Congressman
Mrs. Frederick P. Walter – Tulsa, Civic Leader
H. Merle Woods – El Reno, Publisher
John M. Young – Enid, Public Servant
1972
George S. Benson – Edmond, Education
Milo M. Brisco – Seminole, Oilman
B.D. Eddie – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Mrs. Henry C. Hitch – Guymon, Civic Leader
Robert B. Kamm – Stillwater, Education
Maria Tallchief Paschen – Fairfax, Ballerina
Oral Roberts – Tulsa, Religious Leader
1973
Francis Rosser Brown – Muskogee, Civic Leader
Guy Fraser Harrison – Oklahoma City, Symphony Conductor
Robert A. Hefner, Jr. – Oklahoma City, Oilman
John M. Houchin – Bartlesville, Oilman
Paul Miller – Oklahoma City, Journalist
Eugene Swearingen – Tulsa, Education
Thomas P. Stafford – Weatherford, Astronaut
Mrs. Fred Zahn – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
1974
Armais Arutunoff – Bartlesville, Entrepreneur
William H. Bell – Tulsa, Attorney
Edward L. Gaylord – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Sam Noble – Ardmore, Oilman
Robinson Risner – Tulsa, Military
J.B. Saunders – Oklahoma City, Oilman
Cedomir M. Sliepcevich – Norman, Engineer
Kathleen P. Westby – Tulsa, Civic Leader
1975
Alfred E. Aaronson – Tulsa, Oilman
Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Robert J. LaFortune, Jr. – Tulsa, Oilman
T. Howard McCasland – Duncan, Oilman
Lela O’Toole – Stillwater, Education
Carl L. Reistle, Jr. – Bartlesville, Oilman
Holmes Tuttle – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Dolphus Whitten, Jr. – Oklahoma City, Education
1976
Harriet G. Barclay – Tulsa, Botanist
Henry Bellmon – Billings, Governor/U.S. Senator
Jerrie Cobb – Ponca City, Aviator
James G. Harlow – Oklahoma City, Education
J.W. McLean – Oklahoma City, Banker
Merle Montgomery – Davidson, Music
Kent Ruth – Geary, Historian
Jim Shoulders – Henryetta, Rodeo
1977
Ira C. Eaker – Durant, Military
Bryce N. Harlow – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
Earnest Hoberecht – Watonga, Journalist
Ross H.Miller – Ada, Physician
Inez Lunsford Silberg – Oklahoma City, Education
Earl Sneed – Norman, Banker
John H. Williams – Tulsa, Entrepreneur
Charles Banks Wilson – Miami, Artist
1978
Dewey F. Barlett – Tulsa, Governor/U.S. Senator
Woodrow “Woody” Crumbo – Okmulgee, Artist
Mary Johnston Evans – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
John Hope Franklin – Rentlesville, Historian
Walter H. Helmerich – Tulsa, Oilman
Mrs. Fred Jones – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
James J. Kilpatrick – Oklahoma City, Journalist
Morrison G. Tucker – Oklahoma City, Banker
1979
Christine Anthony Browne – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
John Burns – Pauls Valley, Diplomat
Henry C. “Ladd” Hitch, Jr. – Guymon, Agrabusiness
Moscelyne Larkin Jasinski – Tulsa, Ballerina
J.C. Kennedy – Lawton, Banker
P.C. Lauinger – Tulsa, Publisher
James C. Leake, Sr. – Chandler, Entrepreneur
Dale Robertson – Yukon, Actor
1980
Marion Briscoe DeVore – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Owen K. Garriott – Enid, Astronaut
Cluff Hopla – Norman, Zoologist
Patience Sewell Latting – Oklahoma City, Public Servant
W.P. Longmire – Sapulpa, Physician
W.F. Martin – Bartlesville, Oilman
M.A. Wright – Blair, Oilman
1981
J.W. Bates – Tulsa, Oilman
James D. Berry – Sapulpa, Banker
William J. Crowe – Oklahoma City, Military
E.T. Dunlap – Cravens, Higher Education
Russell F. Hunt – Tulsa, Attorney
Leonard D. McMurry – Oklahoma City, Sculptor
Walter F. Merrick – Sayre, Horseman
Juanita Kidd Stout – Wewoka, Jurist
1982
Fred E. Brown, Jr. – Muskogee, Securities
Roy Clark – Tulsa, Musician
James D. Fellers – Oklahoma City, Attorney
John T. Griffin – Muskogee, Entrepreneur
Charles C. Ingram – Tulsa, Business Executive
Jeane Kirkpatrick – Duncan, Foreign Service
Roberta Knie – Cordell, Opera
Lowe Runkle – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
1983
William W. Caudill – Hobart, Architect
Kenneth H. Cooper – Oklahoma City, Physician
Howard C. Kauffmann – Tulsa, Oilman
Clarence E. Page – Oklahoma City, Aviation
Patti Page – Claremore, Singer
James R. Scales – Jay, Education
Harold C. Stuart – Tulsa, Attorney
Robert E. Thomas – Tulsa, Oilman
1984
Johnny Bench – Binger, Baseball
Jacqueline L. Carey – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Gloria Twine Chisum – Muskogee, Scientist
Tullos O. Coston – Oklahoma City, Physician
Wm. C. Douce – Bartlesville, Oilman
Nolan J. Fuqua – Duncan, Conservationist
James M. Hewgley, Jr. – Tulsa, Public Servant
James E. Hill – Stillwater, Military
1985
Vida Chenoweth – Enid, Ethnomusicology
Arrell M. Gibson – Norman, Historian
Allan Houser – Apache, Sculptor
Edward C. Joullian, III – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Edwin Malzahn – Perry, Entrepreneur
F.M. Petree – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
W. R. “Dick” Stubbs – Henryetta, Banker
Charles E. Thornton – Tulsa, Oilman
1986
Lyle H. Boren – Seminole, Congressman
Charles P. Brown – Lawton, Military
Nancy Frantz Davies – Enid, Civic Leader
James Garner – Norman, Actor
Julian J. Rothbaum – Tulsa, Oilman
James E. Stewart – Oklahoma City, Civil Rights Leader
G. Rainey Williams – Oklahoma City, Physician
Henry Zarrow – Tulsa, Oilman
1987
James G. Harlow, Jr. – Oklahoma City, Business Executive
Marilyn Harris – Oklahoma City, Author
Robert M. Hart – Tulsa, Oilman
Jeane Porter Hester – Chickasha, Physician
N. Scott Momaday – Lawton, Author
John W. Nichols – Oklahoma City, Oilman
Samuel Moore Walton – Kingfisher, Entrepreneur
1988
David L. Boren – Seminole Governor/U.S. Senator
Ed L. Calhoon – Beaver, Physician
Richard D. Harrison – Oklahoma City, Business Executive
Patricia W. Langholz – Tulsa, Civic Leader
A.T. Stair, Jr. – Canton, Scientist
Kay Starr – Daugherty, Singer
Joseph H. Williams – Tulsa, Entrepreneur
Stanton L. Young – McAlester, Humanitarian
1989
Virginia Thomas Austin – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
James R. Bellatti – Stillwater, Publisher
Bennie L. Davis – McAlester, Military
William R. Howell – Claremore, Business Executive
Tom P. McAdams, Jr. – Bristow, Oilman
George Nigh – McAlester, Governor
C.J. “Pete” Silas – Bartlesville, Oilman
John S. “Jack” Zink – Tulsa, Entrepreneur
1990
Jim Hartz – Tulsa, Television Personality
Jack Van Doren Hough – Oklahoma City, Physician
John Kilpatrick – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Clem Rogers McSpadden – Chelsea, Congressman
Ray H. Siegfried, II – Tulsa, Entrepreneur
1991
Gene Autry – Tulsa, Entrepreneur
James E. Barnes – Tulsa, Oilman
Glenn A. Cox – Bartlesville, Oilman
Jack N. Merritt – Lawton, Military
Allie P. Reynolds – Bethany, Baseball
Marjorie Tallchief Skibine – Fairfax, Ballerina
1992
J.M. “Jack” Graves – Tulsa, Oilman
Allen E. Greer, – Oklahoma City, Physician
Frank A. McPherson – Oklahoma City, Oilman
Robert L. Parker, Sr. – Tulsa, Oilman
Helen Robson Walton – Claremore, Civic Leader
Martha Griffin White – Muskogee, Civic Leader
1993
Ray Ackerman – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Jimmie Baker – Tulsa, Television Producer
Jane B. Harlow – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
John A. Sabolich – Oklahoma City, Prosthetics
John F. Snodgrass – Ardmore, Banker
Warren Spahn – Hartshorne, Baseball
Jack Zarrow – Tulsa, Oilman
1994
James R. Jones – Muskogee, Foreign Service
Wilma Mankiller – Tahlequah, Cherokee Chief
Don Nickles – Ponca City, U.S. Senator
Lee Allan Smith – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Max Weitzenhoffer – Oklahoma City, Broadway Producer
Nazih Zuhdi – Oklahoma City, Physician
1995
Clark Bass – McAlester, Banker
Alan C. “Ace” Greenberg – Oklahoma City, Securities
Wilson Hurley – Tulsa, Artist
Stephen J. Jatras – Tulsa, Entrepreneur
Mary Jane Noble – Ardmore, Civic Leader
Ralph G. Thompson – Oklahoma City, Jurist
1996
Keith E. Bailey – Tulsa, Business Executive
William R. “Bill” Bright – Coweta, Religious Ministries
Robert Lorton – Tulsa, Publisher
Charles A. Rockwood, Jr. – Oklahoma City, Physician
G.W. “Bill” Swisher – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
Alma Wilson – Oklahoma City, Jurist
1997
W.W. Allen – Bartlesville, Oilman
Ann Simmons Alspaugh – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Vince Gill – Oklahoma City, Singer
Tony Hillerman – Sacred Heart, Author
Melvin Moran – Seminole, Oilman
Dennis J. Reimer – Medford, Military
1998
W. French Anderson – Tulsa, Physician
Wanda L. Bass – McAlester, Banker
Donald L. Cooper – Stillwater, Physician
Archie W. Dunham – Ada, Oilman
Reba McEntire – Stringtown, Singer
Herman Meinders – Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
1999
Larry Brummett – Tulsa, Business Executive
Jean G. Gumerson – Oklahoma City, Civic Leader
Abe Lemons – Oklahoma City, Coach
Jay O’Meilia – Tulsa, Sculptor
H.E. “Gene” Rainbolt – Oklahoma City, Banker
Barry Switzer – Norman, Coach
Jimmy Webb – Laverne, Songwriter
2000
Hannah D. Atkins, Oklahoma City, Public Servant
Thomas R. Brett, Tulsa, Jurist
Tom E. Love, Oklahoma City, Entrepreneur
John W. Montgomery, Poteau, Veterinarian
*Samuel Lloyd Noble, Ardmore, Oilman
Marian P. Opala, Oklahoma City, Jurist
Darrell Royal, Austin, TX, Coach
Charles Schusterman, Tulsa, Philanthropist
2001
G.T. Blankenship, Banking, Oklahoma City
John Brock, Tulsa, Oilman
Luke Corbett, Oklahoma City, Oilman
Howard Lester, San Francisco, CA, Entrepreneur
Roxana Lorton, Tulsa, Civic Leader
Larry Nichols, Oklahoma City, Oilman
C.D. Northcutt, Ponca City, Attorney
2002
Chester Cadieux, Tulsa, Entrepreneur
Ralph Ellison, Oklahoma City, Author
Josie Freede, Oklahoma City, Philanthropist
John Massey, Durant, Banker
W. DeVier Pearson, Washington, D.C., Attorney
Richard Sias, Oklahoma City, Oilman
Wes Watkins, Stillwater, Public Service
2003
William Crawford, Frederick
George Henderson, Norman
Robert S. Kerr, Jr., Oklahoma City
William G. Paul, Oklahoma City
Boone Pickens, Dallas, Texas
Milann Siegfried, Tulsa
William K. Warren, Jr., Tulsa
2004
Bill Anoatubby, Ada
Molly Shi Boren, Norman
Frederick Drummond, Pawhuska
William E. Durrett, Oklahoma City
Christine Everest, Oklahoma City
Leona Mitchell, Enid
R. James Woolsey, McLean, Virginia
2005
Andrew Coats, Oklahoma City
Nancy Payne Ellis, Oklahoma City
Gilbert Gibson, Lawton
Frank Keating, Washington, D.C.
Peter Meinig, Tulsa
Bobby Murcer, Edmond
Edward Ruscha, Venice, CA
Cyril Wagner, Midland, TX
2006
Bob Burke, Oklahoma City, Historian/Author
Glen D. Johnson Jr., Durant, Educator
King Kirchner, Tulsa, Businessman and Pilot
J. Philip Kistler, Belmont, Mass., Physician and Researcher
Tom McDaniel, Oklahoma City, Educator
Lynn Schusterman, Tulsa, Philanthropist
Woody Guthrie, Okemah, Folk Singer
THE MONUMENTS
Click on any thumbnail for a larger and more readable image:
The Gateway
1928 – 1933
1933 – 1937
1937 – 1940
1940 – 1950
1951 – 1958
1959 – 1967
1967 – 1974
1975 – 1981
1982 – 1985
1985 – 1992
1993 – 2000
2001 – 2006
One thing I don’t get … why aren’t either Henry or Edward Overholser included in the list of inductees? That doesn’t compute at all, at least not to me!