COWBOY CHRONICLES
It’s a Vornado!
OSU’s work in aviation can trace its roots to Ralph Odor’s early plane
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Odor switched to a double-tube design to increase the Vornado’s power. He tested numerous propeller configurations, shapes, sizes, and angles both outside and inside the tubes.
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n the early 1930s, Oklahoma was in the depths of the Great Depression and its western areas were dealing with the Dust Bowl. Officials at Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical College were exploring options to keep the institution open, offer employment for students, staff and faculty, and provide the residents of Oklahoma with practical advice to remain economically viable. Most people would not think of this as a good time for taking a risk. But there are times when an institution needs to take a chance without guarantees for success and with the hope that an idea will lead to future opportunities. Beginning in 1932, some at OAMC were willing to gamble on Ralph Odor’s vision — and his Vornado airplane. Ralph Keely Odor was born on the family farm near Arcadia, Oklahoma, on April 5, 1895. His parents were William Harrison Odor and Myra Eva Keely Odor, and the farm was known for the round barn his father constructed south of Arcadia along Route 66. He attended Central State Normal (now the University of Central Oklahoma) in Edmond briefly and then transferred to OAMC in fall 1912 where he was enrolled through spring 1915. On campus, he participated in the college military band as a private, assisted with the student newspaper, The Orange and Black, and served as reporter for the Omega Literary Society. He provided musical entertainment at campus gatherings and was known for his trombone solos. Odor was drafted Dec. 10, 1917, to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War I. His first assignment was in New York City before being selected as the first trombonist in the Great Lakes Naval Station Band north of Chicago. John Phillip Sousa served as the band director, after coming out of retirement for the war. Odor attained a rank of first musician. More importantly, he became intrigued with aviation during the war. On Jan. 7, 1920, Odor married Rosalie Lupus in Philadelphia, returned to Oklahoma and initially lived with his parents before moving back to Pennsylvania in 1923. Their oldest daughter, Dorothy, was born in Oklahoma, but sons William, Ralph Jr. and Paul joined the family while they were living in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania.
STORY DAVID C. PETERS | PHOTOS OSU ARCHIVES
