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contents features
24
CHASING SWITZER As he enters into his 15th season at OU, Bob Stoops is on the verge of setting a milestone.
42
PONCA AVENUE ARTS Norman’s South Ponca Avenue counts 9 blocks from Alameda Street to Earl Sneed Memorial Park as our Artist’s Row.
departments
50
Abundance of Recumbence Recumbent bicycles and tricycles are making a comeback and many say it’s because of comfort.
60
WHERE THE BISON ROAM Oklahoman uses buffalo to train his horses how to cut cattle.
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from the Publisher
11
from the Editor
12
Norman Events
34
Norman Style
38
Norman FYI
56
Making a Difference Bike Racks
66
Norman History
75
Wine Time
76 Taste of Norman Libby’s Café 80
Norman Profile Motzie the Cat
SnapShots 84 Summer Breeze 85 The Ride 86 Toby Keith Concert 88 Baseball/Softball 90 Second Friday 92 Sooner Welcome 94 Coaches Lunch
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34 60 On the Cover: Kaitlyn Morrison models fashions from Blush on the patio at The Mont, a popular restaurant for town and gown. More fashion photos by Cami Benecke, page 34.
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NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
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magazine
from the Publisher
it’s all about you sept/oct 2013
Volume 3, Issue 2
Publisher Terry Connor Executive Editor & General Manager Andy Rieger Advertising DIRECTOR Debbi Knoll Advertising Account Executives Rebekah Collins Robin Escarcega Kimberly Lehenbauer Sherry Romack Nick Sheats Ryan West Contributing Writers Jerri Culpepper Amy David Carol Cole-Frome Doug Hill Mick Hinton Chris Jones Michael Kinney John Shinn Contributing Photographers Travis Caperton Jessica Cherry Jay Chilton Lindsey Davies Doug Hill Kyle Phillips Ty Russell norman style coordinator Rebekah Collins Designer Daren Courtney Digital Coordinator Jason Clarke Norman magazine is a bi-monthly publication of The Norman Transcript. 215 E. Comanche, Norman, OK 73070. (Phone: 405.321.1800). Letters or editorial contributions should be sent to: Norman magazine, P.O. Drawer 1058, Norman, OK, 73070 or emailed to editor@normantranscript.com. Norman magazine is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content in any manner, without permission is prohibited. Address advertising inquiries to Debbi Knoll – (405) 366-3554 or dknoll@normantranscript.com Norman magazine can be found online at www.normanmagazine.com
Learning the art of
Grandparenting
U
nfortunately, I don’t remember either of my grandfathers. My dad’s father died before I was born, and my mom’s dad died when I by terry connor was around three. I’ve been told they were both special men who wore wide-brim hats with their well-tailored suits, that’s the way that generation dressed. I remember them through old black & white photographs that were part of photo albums and stories told by my parents. My Grandfather Connor was an Irish Catholic police officer in Indianapolis, and there are tales that he chased John Dillinger around parts of Indiana. I never had the opportunity to confirm the Dillinger story with my grandmother, but it’s a story that sounds pretty cool so it needs no verification. I’ve been told that my Grandpa Gorman was a God-fearing man of German heritage and successful businessman. There’s also stories about him, including that he once forfeited an opportunity to be on the ground floor of the distribution rights of a newly-created drink that was being called Dr. Pepper. Really? I would have loved to be a Pepper. Well, I digress, because the reason behind my scribbling here is to note that by the time this column is published I will be a grandparent – my son Chris and his wife Joslyn were expecting their first child – a girl whose name will be Rebel Rae – around August 25. As I write the first draft of this column, it’s still two-plus weeks before Joslyn’s due date, and I have an endless list of questions about my new little angel. Stop the presses – it’s funny how life will throw you a curve when plans have been set. Rebel decided to make a strong first impression and establish her personality early by entering the world on August 18. Her arrival was announced via text message with a photo of the beautiful newborn. So by the time you read this column, I will have made the trek to Florida and held her in my arms – I probably haven’t smiled so much since her dad arrived 28 years ago. Many of my early grandparenting questions were answered in that first text message. Unlike her grandfather who is penning this column, she has a head full of brown hair. Her blue eyes are stunning. She has pretty cheeks, a sweet smile and is a perfect bundle of joy. And, yes, she is healthy, which is all that matters. Despite hinting that I was ready for grandchildren, when I learned Joslyn was pregnant, I had thoughts that only “old” people are grandparents. I dispelled that myth as the due date grew closer, and on the Sunday afternoon Rebel was born, I had a renewed vibrant, youthful feeling. Yes, we are all getting older, but I am confident that grandparents are not old, we are just maturing well. Unlike me, in years to come, I want my granddaughter to remember me more than through old digital photos and stories that are told over and over. My plan is to be a part of her life – I want to help her grow, teach her, love her, and, most of all, spoil her. And, although Rebel has no idea, or maybe she does if the twinkle in her eyes is an indication, she already has me wrapped around her little finger…this next stage of life is going to be a lot of fun.
NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
9
from the Editor
So long, Charlie
L
ooking back with the benefit of 45-plus years of hindsight, I’m sure the skinny bird dog pup that came into our northeast Norman home was either a bet won by my father or a debt repaid to him. It may have been a fee for legal work because I’m positive my parents wouldn’t pay much for a family pet. Most of our food chain of pets – rabbits, chickens, a goat named Zeppelin, horses, guinea pigs, gerbils and hampsters – were dumped on us by friends and family who thought all country people just loved all kinds of animals. “Mike” became my responsibility. He was a pedigree dog and needed to be walked, fed, watered and bathed. He didn’t have much personality but could point up birds in the acres and ponds around Rucker’s Farm or the state hospital lakes. But without much more than a Daisy BB gun, the game brought home from my hunts was pretty limited. One fall day, we let him out of
by a ndy rieger
his pen for his daily run, and he didn’t come back. Surely, he would get hungry and show up. Dad suggested I get on my bicycle and look for him but my 10-yearold brain rationalized that it was “Mike” that ran away and he’s the one that should be looking for me. He never did come back. My intuition said he traded up to a real hunter family who could make use of this fine specimen of pointer pup. “Charlie,” our family cat since 2004, made his own run this summer and never returned. This time, I did look for him. In the creeks and backyards of southwest Norman. Down alleys and behind fences. We made posters, enlisted the help of neighbors, ran a classified ad, rallied friends on Facebook and called the Norman Animal Shelter. Charlie left our lives with much less fanfare than his entry on a cold fall day. He limped, was dirty and disliked any human contact. We felt sorry for him and started feeding him. He stood out from other feral cats because he had no tail. In the middle of a cold night, I trapped him where he was sleeping on our screen porch and called the animal shelter the next morning. My family worried that he would be euthanized so the animal we had hauled off was quickly re-adopted, for a fee, of course. It was off to the veterinarian for a complete examination and then a return to our home and an
attempt at re-socialization. After a few weeks, he was a lap cat that loved attention, always wanted to be near people and even sat still for a bath. When he took to the litter box quickly, we realized he was a runaway that had lived in the wild for a while. Charlie survived neighborhood dogs, hungry owls, raccoons and a houseful of teenagers. He developed diabetes and Dr. Phil Linnemann, the vet that kept Charlie alive, prescribed insulin shots, twice a day. Charlie would often jump on the counter and wait for his shot before his meals. He ate at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. and always let us know if we were late. Early each morning, we would stretch our limbs together like two old men who didn’t want to go to Yoga class but knew they needed to be more limber. He would respond to a special whistle, fetch cat toys and even brought a few live mice gifts to our door. If on the occasion that he stayed out all night, he would always be waiting on the porch the next morning. Sometimes, he’d limp in and have some overnight war wounds, but he always came back. There’s an ending scene in the movie Shenandoah where the country church door opens and Charlie Anderson’s missing 16-year-old son, Boy, limps in and joins what’s left of the war-shattered family with quite the story to tell. If he didn’t trade up for a better family, that’s my dream for our missing Charlie. That I’ll open that front door some morning and he’ll come limping in with quite an adventure behind him.
NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
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Norman events
Information supplied by Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau Photos by Kyle Phillips, Doug Hill and Jay Chilton
Saturdays and Sundays Discovery Days
2nd Friday of each month Second Friday Circuit of Art
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History 2401 S. Chautauqua 2-4 p.m. Discovery Days includes interactive, hands-on activities with stories, crafts and touchable specimens. Free with paid museum admission.
Mainsite Art Gallery 120 E. Main St. 6-9 p.m. 2nd Friday Circuit of Art – a monthly, citywide celebration of art – is a collaboration between artists, art organizations, and businesses, brought to you by the Norman Arts Council.
Sundays Live music: Mike Hosty
Art “a la Carte”
The Deli 309 White Street 11 p.m. Mike Hosty performs live each Sunday night.
First Monday of the month Free Admission the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 S. Chautauqua Museum hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. The first Monday of each month, the museum features free admission
Tuesdays Comedy Night
Wednesdays and Saturdays Norman Farmers Market
Othello’s 434 Buchanan Street 9 p.m.Sign up begins at 9 p.m. and the show begins at 10 p.m.
Cleveland County Fairgrounds 601 E. Robinson 8 a.m. to Noon The indoor and outdoor farmers market is the oldest farmers market in the state. With a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables along with plant materials, the Norman Farmers Market offers an authentic Oklahoma “agritourism” shopping adventure. The selection includes delicious produce, salad greens, herbs, watermelons, peaches, farm fresh eggs, meat items, pure Oklahoma honey, fresh cut flowers or quality Made in Oklahoma products.
Tuesdays Art Adventures at The Fred
Wednesdays Local Trivia Night
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman 10:30 a.m. Young artists are invited to experience art through books and related art projects for children ages 3 to 5 accompanied by an adult. Art Adventures are made possible by generous support from the Kimball Foundation.
Local 2662 W. Main St. 8 p.m. Join Local Restaurant for free team trivia every Wednesday at 8 p.m., presented by TheLostOgle.com. It is free to play, but the winning teams will win cash prizes. Meanwhile, everyone can enjoy food and drink specials.
Tuesdays Noon concerts Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman Noon The Tuesday Noon Concerts series is a cooperative effort between the OU School of Music and the FJJMA. Set aside part of your lunch hour for these 30-minute concerts performed by OU music students and faculty. Selected Tuesday Noon Concerts are followed by gallery talks or Art After Noon programs at 12:30 p.m.
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NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman 6-9 p.m. The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art participates each month with the Norman Art’s Council’s 2nd Friday Circuit of Art. From 6-9 p.m. on the second Friday of each month the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art provides live music and independent films by the deadCENTER Film Festival Admission to Art “à la Carte” is free and open to all ages. Live music and films run 6:30-8:30 p.m. Films should be considered for mature audiences only.
Ongoing through Dec. 29 Art Exhibit: Pablo Picasso’s Woman in the Studio Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman Museum Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For one year, Pablo Picasso’s Woman in the Studio (1956) will be on loan from the St. Louis Art Museum. Several works by Picasso from the FJJMA permanent collection also will be on view as a compliment to this featured exhibition. The museum is closed on Mondays.
Ongoing through Sept. 8 Exhibit: Beautiful Beasts: The Unseen Life of Oklahoma Spiders and Insects Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History 2401 S. Chautauqua Museum hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Oklahoma photographer Thomas
Shahan will take you there. Beautiful Beasts presents a series of Shahan’s immense color macro photographs alongside descriptions of where and how the photographs were made. The exhibit chronicles the photographer’s tireless search for arthropods, a venture that has made him into an outspoken advocate for education about the role they play in our lives. Shahan’s up-close views of Oklahoma spiders and insects promise to forever change how visitors think and feel about these creatures. Sponsored by a grant from the Norman Arts Council.
this material together gives visitors a sense of the artistic process behind Kuhn’s masterpieces. In addition to sharing rarely seen artwork by Bob Kuhn, this exhibit hopes to inspire young artists to sketch with the same enthusiasm and vigor as Kuhn did. Reaching farther, this exhibit hopes to inspire visitors of any age to take up pencil and paper and experience the rewarding practice of sketching the world around them – indoors and outdoors.
Sept. 3 and Oct. 1 NSAA Art Critique Mainsite Art Gallery 120 E. Main St. 6:45 p.m. Held the First Tuesday of each month at MAINSITE Gallery, the NSAA Critique Sessions enable artists of all levels to present their in-process work and receive constructive feedback for the betterment of the piece and the artist.
Ongoing through Sept. 8 Art Exhibit: Bob Kuhn, Drawing on Instinct Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History 2401 S. Chautauqua Museum hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Some of the world’s most magnificent creatures will be on display as the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History features Bob Kuhn: Drawing on Instinct. A selection of stunning masterpieces and sketches by the late great wildlife artist Bob Kuhn will be on view in the Brown Gallery through Sept. 8. This retrospective exhibit, organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and curated by Adam Harris, focuses on a selection of masterpieces from Kuhn’s work, displaying the relationship between predator and prey. The exhibit includes drawings from Kuhn’s childhood sketches of animals at the Buffalo Zoo in New York as well as sketches and paintings of wildlife in North America and Africa from later in his artistic career. The museum’s collection displays 155 sketches and paintings, selected from more than 5,000 studies, and exhibits a compilation of Kuhn’s artwork until his death in 2007. Some of the sketches tie directly to finished works of art in the exhibit, but many are included to be appreciated on their own merits. Seeing
Ongoing thru Sept. 15 Art Exhibit: Hopituy, Kachinas from the Permanent Collections Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman Museum Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hopituy will feature six types of Hopi kachina figures as depicted in more than 175 objects from woodcarving, basketry and painting. Within the cultural context they lend to each other, and by exploring the use of color, motifs and geometric shapes as relevant to each type, this exhibition examines the aesthetics of these figures from a perspective that is uniquely Hopi, or Hopituy. Exhibition materials are drawn from the FJJMA’s permanent collections, including the James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, the Rennard Strickland Collection, the Richard H. and Adeline J. Fleischaker Collection and others.
ESCAPE THE EVERYDAY
NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
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Ongoing thru Sept. 14 Art Exhibit: Skip Hill, Under the Mango Tree Mainsite Art Gallery 120 E. Main St. Exhibition hours are TuesdaySaturday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., 2nd Friday of each month from 6–10 p.m. and by appointment. Skip Hill’s captivating collage works are inspired by various cultures, languages, and beliefs. Mainsite will be featuring the work of Jessie Wilson and Joshua Boydston, as well, in conjunction with Skip Hill’s exhibition.
Opens Sept. 14 Art Exhibit: Dark Light, the Micaceous Ceramics of Christine Nofchissey McHorse
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NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman Museum Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Dark Light: the Micaceous Ceramics of Christine Nofchissey McHorse is the first traveling exhibition by the Navajo artist. McHorse is considered to be one of the most innovative forces in
Native American pottery today. By creating vessel-based art that is undecorated and abstract, her work relates more to modern sculpture than to Southwestern culture. As a result, she has been collected both by contemporary art and Native arts collectors. The mica-rich clay McHorse harvests from the riverbeds in Northern New Mexico fires to a black sheen that creates both sensuous shadows and highlights on her architecttonic forms. This exhibition surveys her journey and gathers some of the finest works of the Dark Light series from 1997 to the present. Dark Light: the Micaceous Ceramics of Christine Nofchissey McHorse is organized by The Ceramic Arts Foundation, New York, NY, in association with Clark + Del Vecchio, Santa Fe, NM, and is curated by Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio.
Sept. 5-7 Cleveland County Free Fair Cleveland County Fairgrounds 601 E. Robinson 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. The annual Cleveland County Free Fair will be celebrating its 106th year. This year will be no exception to the past with anything from livestock shows to goat roping, carnival rides and the midway to baby crawls, tractor pulls, a car show, kiddie pedal pulls, the petting zoo, exhibitor entries and more. The event features free parking, free admission and live entertainment.
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Sept. 7 OU Football vs. West Virginia
Make this fall the most colorful ever!
Christmas Expressions 2214 W. Lindsey • Norman • 405.360.5211 Monday through Friday 10 - 6 Saturday 10-5
Owen Field 180 W. Brooks 6 p.m.
Sept. 8 Summer Breeze Concert Series: Byron Berline Band Lions Park 450 S. Flood 7:30 p.m. The Summer Breeze Concert Series has become a Norman tradition, featuring national and local musicians performing in Norman’s Lions and Andrews Parks. These Sunday evening concerts are casual familyfriendly events, so bring a blanket and picnic basket and enjoy. For an exciting evening of traditional bluegrass and Western swing music, join three-time national fiddle champion Byron Berline and his band; John Hickman, Jim Fish, Greg Burgess, Richard Sharp and Steve Short. Berline’s career includes helping Vince Gill get his start in the recording industry, recording a fiddle solo for a song by the Rolling Stones, playing with musicians like the Eagles and Elton John, among others, and recording with Gene Clark of the Byrds. The Byron Berline band entertains regularly in the Music Hall above Berline’s Fiddle Shop in Guthrie, and the group is in great demand around the state, as well as surrounding states and throughout Europe.
Sept. 8 Second Sunday Poetry: Jennifer Kidney Norman Depot 200 S. Jones 2 p.m. Jennifer Kidney will be reading from her latest book, Road Work Ahead, and her forthcoming book, The Road
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NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
to the River. Dr. Kidney earned a B.A. with Highest Honors in English from Oberlin College and a M.Phil and Ph.D. in English from Yale University.
Sept. 10 Gallery Talk with Distinguished Artist Christine Nofchissey McHorse Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman 10:30 a.m. Located inside the Cy and Lissa Wagner Gallery, the event features Christine Nofchissey McHorse, Distinguished Visiting Artist Chair. The artist will lead a walking gallery tour through the installation of her ceramics in Dark Light.
Sept. 12 Joe Diffie in Concert Riverwind Casino, Interstate 35 and State Highway 9 West 8 p.m.
Sept. 13 Travis Tritt in Concert Riverwind Casino Interstate 35 and State Hwy 9 West 8 p.m.
Sept. 13 Art Reception: CLAY National Juried Galley Exhibit Firehouse Art Center 444 S. Flood Ave. 6-9 p.m.
Sept. 13 OU soccer vs. Oral Roberts John Crain Field Chautauqua and Imhoff 7 p.m.
The Sooner Theatre’s Sooner Stage Presents 2013-14 season
Sept. 13 through Oct. 31 Art Exhibit: Jacqueline Iskander Mosaics
Sept. 19 OU Volleyball vs. Nebraska-Omaha
Norman Depot 200 S. Jones 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Jacqueline Iskander began exploring the vast and versatile world of mosaic in 1996, later studying with mosaic masters in both the United States and Italy. Iskander says she allows the materials to speak “through their unique characteristic of texture, reflection, and color…to convey a sense of ease and harmony through simple, uncluttered design, often minimal color palette, and the exercise of precision.” Her interest is in inviting the viewer into a space around an idea or felling which can be “breathed and inhabited for a time.” The exhibit continues through October 31 and is held in the Performing Arts Studio located in the Norman Depot.
McCasland Field House 180 W. Brooks 7 p.m.
Sept. 20 Lee Brice in Concert Riverwind Casino Interstate 35 and State Hwy 9 West 8 p.m.
Season Tickets On Sale Now! Main Event Concert Series Presents
Sept. 20 OU Volleyball vs. LIU-Brooklyn
Ruthie Foster Sept.13, 2013 8 PM
McCasland Field House 180 W. Brooks 7 p.m.
Sept. 14 OU Football vs. Tulsa
The
Owen Field, 180 W. Brooks 11 a.m.
Sept. 15 OU soccer vs. North Texas
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Sept. 19 Daughtry in Concert Riverwind Casino Interstate 35 and State Hwy 9 West 8 p.m.-11 p.m.
Non-audition classes for grades pre-K-12*
Sept. 20-22, 26-28 Oklahoma Festival Ballet Rupel Jones Theatre 633 Elm Avenue 8 p.m.-10 p.m. The University of Oklahoma’s School of Dance presents a mixed repertoire production featuring an exotic suite of dance from “Lakmé,” an abstract ballet by new faculty member Ilya Kozadayev, exciting classical choreography by Clara Cravey from the ballet “Sylvia,” and Mary Margaret Holt’s sweeping ballets “La Chanteuse de Paris” and “Le Mistral.”
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Sept. 21 Robert Earl Keen in Concert Riverwind Casino Interstate 35 and State Hwy 9 West 8 p.m.
Sept. 21 OU Volleyball vs. Miami McCasland Field House 180 W. Brooks 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 OU Volleyball vs. Texas Tech McCasland Field House 180 W. Brooks 7 p.m.
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NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
Sept. 27 FREDTalks Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman 7 p.m. FREDTalks is a new program that features distinct creativity-related topics suggested by the museum’s faculty advisory board. Each panelist will share short presentations during the lively forum, followed by Q&A. Light refreshments will be served. The Journey program will include a discussion of Todd Stewart’s Road to Ruscha project, a collaborative, multidisciplinary, conceptual art project inspired by Edward Ruscha’s painting No Man’s Land and the 50th anniversary of the landmark bookTwentysix Gasoline Stations. Other speakers will be announced.
Sept. 27 Wade Bowen in Concert Riverwind Casino Interstate 35 and State Hwy 9 West 8 p.m.
Oct. 4 7th Annual OU Westheimer Airport Open House & Family Festival 1700 Lexington Drive Noon-6 p.m. Come out to the OU Westheimer Airport for this outstanding family event. There will be numerous General Aviation aircraft on static display, as well as the War Bird aircraft that will do the flyover at the OU vs. TCU football game. Admission and parking are free.
Oct. 4 Art Symposium: “Libertad de Expresion: Freedom of Expression in Latin America and the Caribbean” Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Libertad de Expresión: the Art of the Americas and Cold War Politics, this symposium will explore the role that freedom of expression has played in Latin American and Caribbean culture, journalism, and politics from post-World War II to the present. Creative and political speech has been alternatively celebrated and vilified by both conservative and leftist governments who were equally threatened by dissent and independent or unconventional thought. The symposium will feature scholars on a range of topics concerned with the freedom of, or restrictions placed upon, expression.
Oct. 4 OU soccer vs. Oklahoma State John Crain Field Chautauqua and Imhoff 7 p.m.
Oct. 5 OU Football vs. Texas Christian Owen Field 180 W. Brooks Time to be announced
Oct. 5 OU Volleyball vs. Iowa State McCasland Field House 180 W. Brooks Time to be announced
Oct. 11 OU soccer vs. Texas Tech John Crain Field Chautauqua and Imhoff 7 p.m.
Oct. 12 OU Volleyball vs. Kansas State McCasland Field House 180 W. Brooks 7 p.m.
Oct. 11 Art Exhibit: Donald Longcrier & Barbara Ryan Mainsite Art Gallery 120 E. Main St. Exhibition hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.; 2nd Friday of each month 6-10 p.m. and by appointment. Donald G. Longcrier produces paintings and sculpture in a variety of scales and materials. He has exhibited work in Colorado, Missouri, Texas, and Oklahoma. His work is in numerous private collections. Mainsite will be featuring the work of Barbara Ryan, as well, in conjunction with Longcrier’s exhibition.
Oct. 13 OU soccer vs. Iowa State John Crain Field Chautauqua and Imhoff Noon
Oct. 17-20 L’Elisir d’Amore Opera OU Reynolds Performing Arts Center 560 Parrington Oval 8 p.m. School of Music brings one of opera’s greatest comedic gems to stage with Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. Abel canto production full of gamesmanship and a triangle of desire. Bill Ferrara will stage this operetic comedy, Jonathan Shames serves as artistic director and conductor.
Oct. 18-21 Friends of the Norman Library’s Annual October Book Sale Norman Public Library 225 N. Webster Invitation only Friday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday; 3-8 p.m. Monday Presented by the Friends of the Norman Library, this event is the Library’s biggest annual sale and includes over three rooms of items available for purchase (including hardbacks, paperbacks, magazines, audio, and video). One of the highlights of the Sale is on Monday, when, for a small fee, everything that you can fit into a paper sack is yours.
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Oct. 24 Art Lecture: “Modern Spirit: The Art of George Morrison, Chippewa Modernist” by Dr. W. Jackson Rushing III
Oct. 26 OU Football vs. Texas Tech
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman 4 p.m. Join us for an illustrated lecture that documents, celebrates and investigates the artistic achievement of George Morrison, the distinguished and beloved Chippewa modernist (1919-2000). Often inspired by land, water and sky, Morrison mixed abstraction with representation to produce sensuous works of art that explore form, color and texture.
Oct. 26 OU Volleyball vs. West Virginia
Oct. 25 OU soccer vs. West Virginia John Crain Field Chautauqua and Imhoff 7 p.m.
Owen Field 180 W. Brooks To be announced
McCasland Field House 180 W. Brooks Time to be announced
Oct. 29 Gallery Talk: Latin American Modernism at Mid-Century by Dr. Mark White Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman 12:30 p.m. Exhibition curator Mark White will discuss the influence of international modernism in Latin America through a survey of Libertad de Expresión.
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NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
Oct. 31 Art Exhibit: Spectrum - The Art of Culture, Fashion and Dance Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 500 Elm Avenue, Norman 6:30 p.m. In conjunction with the exhibition Libertad de Expresión, students and faculty from the OU School of Dance present the second annual fashion show – an evening of fashion, art, music and dance, including choreography to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The evening serves as a scholarship fundraiser for the School of Dance and is sponsored by the FJJMA with free food provided by University Catering. The Art Museum Ambassadors will host a free student Halloween party following the fashion show. Come dressed as an artist or painting for a chance to win some prizes! Tickets for the fundraiser are $10 and available by phone at (281) 777-7178 and at the door during the event. Tickets also will be available in the OU Memorial Union beginning Oct. 21. Visitors must be 18 or older.
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Cover Story
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Chasing Switzer
by m ichael kinney Photos by Travis Caperton, Jay Chilton
Stoops Closing In On Most OU Wins
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n 1999 when Bob Stoops arrived in Norman, he was fresh faced and full of enthusiasm. Joe Castiglione had plucked the young defensive coordinator away from the University of Florida to become the 21st head coach in Oklahoma’s history. At the time, the Sooners were in turmoil. The Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger, John Blake eras had not been a success and the OU brand was at an all-time low. The Sooner Nation was growing weary. The opening line around Norman was, “We’re with you coach, win or tie.” The 38-year-old Stoops was being asked to resurrect the Sooners back to their past glory and win titles. That’s a lot to ask of someone in their first head coaching job. Yet, that is exactly what Stoops seems to have done. He has a BCS National Championship (2000) under his belt to go along with leading the Sooners to a school-record 14 consecutive bowl berths and eight Big 12 titles. Now, as he enters into his 15th season at OU, Stoops is on the verge of setting a milestone no one could have predicted when he took over. He has racked up 149 career wins and needs only nine more to surpass Barry Switzer (157) for the most victories in Oklahoma history.
Despite it being a major accomplishment that could be attained this season, Stoops refuses to bask in the glow that is sure to come from the record. “I don’t know if there is much to talk about on the prospect of becoming the all-time winningest coach,” Stoops said. “All that means is I’ve been here a long time. That’s not something I really think about to be honest with you. I am kind of day to day, week to week, what we need to do. That’s all that matters to me. I’m just trying to do a job.” While Stoops may not be too excited publicly about the record, many around the program are. That includes the man he is set to pass on the leaderboard at some point. “Longevity does that,” said Switzer, who will turn 76 in October. “He has been there a long time. If you stay there a long time, it’s going to happen. But as they say records are made to be broken. You got to remember, I didn’t leave because I was getting beat. I quit for other reasons. But he has a chance to do it this year. I only coached 190 games in my career. That’s the number I go by.” Becoming the all-time winningest coach at any school is quite an accomplishment. But it
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Barry Switzer jokes wth the audience at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame dinner in August in Oklahoma City.
Barry Switzer 1973-1988 157-29-4
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goes to another level at a program like Oklahoma, which has such a storied lineage. The Sooners are the only program in major college football to produce four head coaches with at least 100 wins each. They include Bennie Owen (122), Bud Wilkinson (145), Switzer and Stoops. However, as Switer pointed out, Wilkinson could have made the record unreachable if hadn’t set his sights on another job. “Bud quit when he was 47,” Switzer said. “If he hadn’t quit, Bud might have the thing out there near 300. Bud ran for the Senate when he was 48. He had other ambitions. Actually, Bud wanted to be President of the Unit-
Bob Stoops 1999-Present 149-37
NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
ed States. I guarantee you he did. He had aspirations for that.” Those four have accounted for 573 victories, seven national championships and 37 conference championships. Those numbers stack up with any program. Each of the four aforementioned coaches has made Oklahoma a corner stone in the college football landscape. According to Switzer, it’s one of the top five coaching jobs in America. “There’s continuity,” 1969 Heisman Trophy winner Steve Owens said about the Sooner program. “I think that’s what helps a college and university develop tradition is that continuity. If you look at those four coaches, and what they did and how many victories, it just says what the University of Oklahoma stands for is excellence, winning, tradition, all those type of things that go along with it. Personally just to be a part of it for four years was a great time.” At age 52, Stoops is far from the end of his coaching career. This summer he signed a contract extension with Oklahoma that doesn’t end until 2020. “We took this action to express the University’s deep appreciation for Bob Stoops’ work,” said President David Boren. “In my opinion, he ranks among the very best nationally in the way he combines his ability as a coach with high ethical standards. I greatly value and enjoy my association with Bob and feel extremely fortunate that at the University of Oklahoma we have the longest continuous tenure of the current head football coach, athletics director and president. The progress made in our football program
Bud Wilkinson 1947-1963 145-29-4
Bennie Owen 1905-1926 122-54-16
since Bob took the helm in 1999 is remarkable. I’m always proud when he represents the University of Oklahoma to the nation.” If Stoops continues to average 10 wins a season like he has throughout his career, he will pass the 200 win mark in 2017 or 2018. Yet, even with a contract, there is no guarantee Stoops will still be in Norman. “One of the major reasons why this has been so positive for me is the people I work with and answer to in President David Boren and Joe Castiglione our athletic director,” Stoops said. “But that can change next year. You just never know what your current circumstances are going to dictate. There may be a time you think this is the time to do it. It’s hard to predict the future.” Oklahoma fans are hoping Stoops doesn’t follow the lead of two of his predecessors. Both Wilkinson and Switzer took a stab at coaching in the NFL. Wilkinson lasted two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals while Switzer won a Super
Bowl in his four years with the Dallas Cowboys. “I am one of those people you never say never,” Stoops said. “But it’s hard to say. I’m 52. I’ve already been here going on 15 years. In this profession I have never gotten one year ahead of myself.” But as of now, Stoops is solely focused on the Sooners and keeping the program among the elite, where it belongs. “I knew when I did take the job, this was not a stepping stone job,” Stoops said. “You don’t come here and win to get a great job. I was taking a great job is how I felt. And I believe with our history and tradition, and championships, and wins and percentages, all those kind of things, we’ve done that. This is one of those places.”
Bob Stoops directs his players on Owen Field.
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Campus Life
Headington Hall A new way of OU living
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or the first time in almost 50 years, some of the incoming Sooner freshmen moved into a brand-new residence hall this fall. As the semester approached, dirt still flanked the outside of Headington Hall, at Jenkins and Lindsey, and the smell of new paint filled the air. But inside the $75 million project, upper end finishes and amenities welcomed students in late July to the apartmentstyle residence hall that takes up a full city block. Joe Castiglione, University of Oklahoma director of athletics, said compared to the best student housing around the nation he believes Headington Hall sets the standard. “I haven’t seen one yet that would compare to this. Anytime we try to do something here at Oklahoma, it’s to create a standard of excellence and to uphold anything that allows us to pursue excellence,” Castiglione said. “I think at this point, it stands alone in its uniqueness, its sustainability, it’s services to the students who live here and use it on a daily basis.” Headington is one of a few privately funded residence halls that exist in the United States. It was completely funded by the university’s athletic program and various donors. OU graduate and former tennis player Tim Headington gave a $10 million gift to benefit the project. Two former OU football players also donated to support the construction. Adrian Peterson pledged $1 million to OU Athletics with $500,000 dedicated to the project, the largest financial gift ever given to OU Athletics from a former Sooners football player. Sam Brad-
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ford, former All-American quarterback and 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, gave $500,000 toward the facility. Groundbreaking for the 230,000 square-foot building was in the fall of 2011. Castiglione said he has received many positive responses about the classic and timeless architecture of the building. “A lot of things here you will see were all intentional to replicate all the greatness of our campus.” It makes this corner, which was not previously university property, feel like it is integrated with the rest of the campus, he added. Castiglione said officials also wanted to keep some of the history of the location so they incorporated a brick on the northeast corner of the building from the original O’Connell’s Irish Pub and
NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
by a my david
photos by kyle phillips
Grille that previously stood there. Headington is home to about 380 OU students, with about 180 of those being student athletes. Castiglione said this is the first time all of the incoming student athletes will be housed under the same roof. Two of the three dorms previously used to house athletes will be torn down. Bud Wilkinson Hall may be refurbished. However, that plan hasn’t been finalized. Castiglione said the new building’s central location allows people to walk easily to class and student athletes to have quick access to the facilities where they train and compete. “We understand student athletes time demands, practice schedules and all of that are different, we still want them to feel completely integrated with how our campus operates.”
This residence hall provides a great opportunity to create a synergy among all students, he added. OU is one of a few campuses where an athletic department still operates a residence hall. Headington Hall has characteristics that are environmentally efficient making it a LEED-certified building and one of the most energy efficient buildings on campus. Many of the spaces in the new structure were designed to resemble other notable areas of campus including the Great Reading Room in the library. No dorm would be complete without a media commons area, including a 90-inch television, custom-made pool and ping-pong tables and somewhere to eat. It also includes a courtyard area for residents to enjoy the outdoors. Inside of Wagner Dining Hall ath-
letes and other students can experience dozens of healthy food options at the Sam Bradford Training Table. Castiglione said in planning for Headington, officials spent a lot of time visiting with athletes of all kinds about nutrition, which led them to take an entirely different approach to dining. Nutritionists came on board to help plan meal offerings and cooking stations that are geared to healthy choices to give all students, not just athletes, a chance to address their own personal nutrition. But not everybody is interested in every single healthy choice and residents can get items here that would be offered in any other dining hall on campus also, Castiglione said. Just inside the main door stands one of only a few replicas of the Guardian statue that adorns the State Capitol in Oklahoma City.
Castiglione said it was important to build a structure that would stand the test of time. “We tried to get the most out of our dollars invested here and I have no doubt in my mind that we exceeded our goals in that case.” Castiglione said to build a facility of this type and size in such a good campus location was not an easy process. However, the project had support from many areas including the university leadership, athletic department, architects, contractors and others. “The heavy lifting that took place to make this facility a reality was huge and could never have happened without everybody’s work. And believe me there were tireless efforts,” Castiglione said. The goal to make all students feel a part of the campus is ongoing at OU through various programs many
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OU Residence Hall Facts Each year about 4,000 students live in the residence halls at the University of Oklahoma. The majority of the students are freshmen, but about 400 are returning students. This is almost 85 percent of the freshman class who live on campus. OU Spokesperson Amy Buchanan for Housing and Food Services said the residence halls are part of the OU campus landscape with the tall towers being visible from all around. All of the halls are grouped together in the same area of campus to create a neighborhood-type community among the residents, she added. “OU alumni still feel a sense of connectedness to the specific hall that they lived in while attending OU. Many are delighted when their children are assigned to the same hall years later,” she said. The towers, Walker, Adams and Couch were built in the 1960s. Buchanan said at that time the suite-style arrangement, (two rooms, with two residents each connected by one shared bathroom) was very forward thinking. Cate was constructed in 1949 and David L. Boren Hall in the early 1960s. Both of these buildings are arranged in more of a traditional community style with one bathroom shared among many rooms. Buchanan said over the years the buildings have been continually maintained and modernized. This summer all of the residence halls received new furniture in all of the lounges and new carpet was laid in many areas. Also several floors in the towers were given a complete refresh and in Cate Center the bathrooms were refreshed. The residence halls at OU are compatible and comparable with most other similar schools, Buchanan said. Available for upperclassmen, Traditions Square apartments were constructed in 2005. The Kraettli Apartments were built in 1972. These offer family style living. Buchanan said at the present time the university is able to offer housing to every incoming freshman that needs it. However, Housing and Food Services always looks to the future. At this time there are no plans to construct additional dorms but a housing master plan committee has been formed to explore future possibilities, she said.
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of which allow students and faculty to interact and develop unique bonds outside of the classroom. In 1996, OU began a faculty-in-residence program to have members of the staff live and be part of each residence hall. Beth and Kelly Damphousse are as excited about living in Headington Hall as any of the students. The couple hopes to be a resource and influence the new students by providing a family atmosphere as they transition into college life. While we may not be their parents, we are parents, said Kelly Damphousse, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Damphousse said, we want the students to realize that faculty members are normal human beings with a job at the university who they can come to when needs arise. Just past the dedicated movie theater in the building and on the other side of the academic commons is the door to Kelly and Beth’s apartment. From what will now be their home, they will offer family style meals, special gatherings, a comfy couch and someone to talk to if needed. “We are big breakfast for dinner people and I foresee many midnight waffle gigs at our apartment,” Damphousse said. Beth Damphousse said she and her husband are accustomed to having a house full of kids at all times and the faculty-in-residence program suites their personality. “We were planning to move to Norman anyway and this just kind of fell into our laps. This is going to be a great experience for us,” she said.
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Now we are more on their turf and they will have better access to connect, she added. With more than 2,000 square-feet, the couple’s three bedroom, two bath apartment offers a galley kitchen and plenty of open space to have lots of students hang out with them. “Last year we were empty nesters. We have traded out two for 380,” Beth said. “There is nothing like being in the campus atmosphere. It’s really enjoyable to be here and walk the campus. It’s beautiful. I am looking forward to getting to know all of these kids that will be here,” she said. OU senior Kayleigh Damphousse said it will be nice to have her parents on campus. She is a residence assistant at Couch Tower. “You don’t have to travel to get laundry done and can run over and have mom cook us dinner. Which is really nice.” The couple’s youngest daughter, Kristen, is a sophomore at OU. Kelly Damphousse said he was looking forward to being close to whatever was happening on campus around the clock and helping the students during this transitional time. “I think there is no doubt that living on campus makes a huge difference in the success of your first year,” he said. Damphousse, 50, said this opportunity takes him back to his college experience and helps keep him young. It will be even more enjoyable with both of his girls living on campus, he added.
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Norman Style
Oklahoma necklace available at Mel’s Kloset
photography by cami benecke Hair and makeup by Amy Meek of Mystique Hair Salon Clothing by Blush Modeled by Kaitlyn Morrison & Hailey Meek
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Go BIG Red! Scene & STYLE
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Norman FYI
Carrie Floyd
Irving Middle School 7th grade Language Arts
Which Norman schools did you attend and when? I attended Lincoln Elementary from kindergarten through fifth grade, Irving Middle School from sixth through eighth grade, Central Mid-High for ninth grade, and Norman High until I graduated in 2000. Why do you teach and when did you know that education was the career for you? Teaching is a fulfilling career that continually offers new opportunities to learn, while building relationships. I knew education was the career for me after coaching gymnastics and cheerleading throughout college. It was exciting to be involved in the learning process for the athletes, as well as celebrating their successes. What does it mean to you to be working in the district where you were once a student? It is a blessing to be teaching where I was once a student. I automatically have a built in support system of knowledgeable educators that are like family to me. What makes a good educator? For me, a good educator is someone that values the process of learning and thrives on making that process more successful. An educator must be willing to consistently work on building relationships with students, parents, and faculty members. What advice do you have for those who are thinking about a career in education? Be open to teaching different ages and subjects. I originally thought third grade was the only grade I wanted to teach, but after working with middle school students, I knew that was where I belonged. Do you enjoy back to school shopping and what tops your list? I do. My weakness is Paper Mate felt pens. They are the only pens I use in the classroom, and I get really excited when they’re on sale! In the fall, what do you get excited about? I love getting my classroom ready, along with making lesson plans and seating charts. 38
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What is the biggest change in the classroom since you were a student? Technology! In Norman we are fortunate to have an abundance of technology to support the teachers and students. Tell us something about you only your best friend knows. My best friend knows my love for the movie, “Steel Magnolias.” Anytime it’s on, we text each other our favorite lines right before the character says them. If you could have lunch with a notable figure, who would it be and why? I would have to say Betty White. I’m a huge fan! She’s a strong woman with an impeccable sense of humor.
Norman FYI
Sonny Feexico
ite. She’s the one that really kept me grounded at all times. I guess you can say she was a blessing. She really helped me a bunch.
Which Norman schools did you attend and when? Growing up, I attended Eisenhower Elementary for grades K-2, Kennedy Elementary grades 3-4, Noble 5th, Irving 6-7, Noble 8th, Central Mid-High 9-10, and Norman High 11-12. Graduating high school in 1987. I did a little bit of moving when I was younger. Why do you teach and when did you know that education was the career was for you? I knew in the 9th grade. I had some really great teachers and coaches growing up who had made a great impact on my life. I knew what that meant to me growing up and thought how great it was that they really cared about my well being. I have always been involved in athletics my whole life, it seems, and I knew I wanted to be a coach and a PE teacher. Getting the best of both worlds in the classroom and on the field was a no brainer. Getting kids to be active and play is just fun and the life lessons that high school student athletes learn from playing sports is a reward in itself because you know that they are gaining an edge in life before the real world starts for them. My goal is that I just want the kids to learn and apply lessons in their lives as they grow and hopefully they can become well-rounded, successful adults. What does it mean to you to be working in the district where you were once a student? I was born and raised in this great town. There was no other place that I wanted to teach and coach other than Norman. The saying, “Home is where
Truman Primary Elementary, physical education; and Norman High School, football and track coach
What makes a good educator? A good educator is someone who can simplify the hardest problems so kids can understand and respect the surroundings of a kid’s life so they gain trust and are not fearful of learning. A good educator is also knowledgeable about the community that they teach in so as to get a better understanding of what type of kids you are dealing with in a demographic and sociological sense. Having grown up in Norman, I think I had an advantage in that area.
your heart is,”really rings true in my books I guess. People talk about their dream jobs, well, this is mine. Can’t think of a better place to work and raise your kids. Norman is great! It means a lot that I have the opportunity to give back to the community and pay it forward just like the teachers and coaches did when I was a student in Norman. Were you a good student? I was an average student at best. I wasn’t totally committed to studying all that well in my high school days. I think my wife, Rikki, can attest to that. She was my high school sweetheart and we ended up getting married. She is also teaching here in Norman at Alcott Middle School. We started teaching at the same time and she, too, is a Norman-
What advice do you have for those thinking about a career in education? My advice to future educators is to be committed and compassionate about your work. If you really think about it, you are molding and changing lives in this profession. There’s a saying that we say in track before we head out for workouts, “Time to go make champions today!” I find that to be the epitome of what we do as educators, we make champions every day. I think if you have that mind-set, you should be fine. In the fall, what do you get excited about? It’s exciting to get back to school to see the new faces because you know that there is a challenge awaiting to get those kids on the right track to learning and since I do coach football, Fall brings back football season too!
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Norman FYI
Peter Liesenfeld
Longfellow Middle School, Principal
Which Norman schools did you attend and when? I attended Monroe Elementary, Whittier Middle School, what was then West Mid-High, and Norman High, graduating in 1994. Why do you teach and when did you know that education was the career for you? Education impacts every life and is the most important thing we do. I cannot think of anything more rewarding than helping students find and achieve their dreams. What does it mean to you to be working in the district where you were once a student? Finding a way to give back to the community that raised (and put up with!) me is truly a blessing and I feel it every day. Were you a good student? Next question, please. What advice do you have for those who are thinking about a career in education? You would be entering into a field where creating dreams and endless possibilities is a daily reality. Do you enjoy back to school shopping and what tops your list? Oh yeah! Socks! In the fall, what do you get excited about? I count the days of summer, waiting to hear the students’ voices in the hallways. I get most excited about the first day of school as students rush in to see teachers and friends. What is the biggest change in the classroom since you were a student? I’ve noticed the shift from teachers being the gatekeeper of knowledge to their facilitating creative and critical thinking within the classroom. What is the most “memorable” statement a student has ever made to you? Shortly after his death, a very shy student shared with me about my great friend and mentor Robert Cason, who had 40
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been her teacher. “I loved being in class with Mr. Cason because he noticed me” she said. “One day, he sat next to me. No teacher had ever noticed me like he did.” The ability to make such a profound impact on a student with such seemingly little action has affected me every day since. If you could have lunch with a notable figure, who would it be and why? Composer John Williams who continues to be brilliantly creative and successful after six decades. His music has had such an impact on our culture for generations whether it’s Star Wars orHarry Potter.
Norman FYI
Julie Klingensmith Norman High School
Math Analysis, AP Calculus BC & AEGIS math every chapter along with them at night. It will give you a better idea of what problems they might run into, questions they might have and what to review.
Which Norman schools did you attend and when? Monroe, Whittier, West Mid High & Norman High (Aug. 1984-May 1997). Graduated in 1997, with the last class from only one High School. North opened the next year. Why do you teach and when did you know that education was the career was for you? I often helped others in my math classes in high school and going into college thought I wanted to teach math or be an architect. After majoring in architecture for 1.5 year at OU, I switched to math education. In a mechanics courses in college I enjoyed helping others in my class with the math part better than being creative and designing. I knew I needed to make the switch! What does it mean to you to be working in the district where you were once a student? I actually did my student teaching at NHS and thought is was strange to realize my former teachers were real human beings. They talked about movies, vacations, family and told jokes at lunch. By the time I started teaching at NHS it didn’t seem weird anymore. It was actually a bonus to teach in a school you already knew so well. I knew where the copy machine was, that there was a bond fire after the homecoming parade and what teachers I could go to when I had questions or needed help.
What makes a good educator? You have to be able to multi-task, have a strong background in your content and be willing to always change, grow and improve. A good educator is always learning and becoming better. A good educator also is willing to collaborate, work with others, share ideas and ask for help. I love working on a team with other teachers we are so lucky at NHS to work on teams where we can develop lessons, exams, goals and activities together. What advice do you have for those thinking about a career in education. Go for it! There is nothing more rewarding than helping people all day long. Also, do your homework. You need to do everything you ask a kid to do the first year you teach a new subject. Work out every problem out of the book, read
In the fall, what do you get excited about? I get excited about trying new things, improving and making changes that will make lessons go better the following year. Like most teachers I spend a large part of my summer attending conferences, workshops and professional development. I can’t wait to implement all the things I learned into my classroom. What is the biggest change in the classroom since you were a student? Technology, Technology, Technology! Every classroom in Norman has a projector, interwrite board, set of clickers for students, 3 mobis (to write on board from anywhere in the room) and a document camera. My students work with a classroom set of graphing calculators daily. When I was at NHS only 2 math teachers had graphing calculators. Tell us something about you only your best friend knows. I have a very unique laugh that has evolved through the years. I have great friends that continue to make me laugh as hard as I did with them in middle school.
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Art District
Whimsical landscaping touches and sculpture gardens are sprinkled along Ponca Avenue between Alameda and Classen.
Ponca Avenue’s unusual magnetism for creative talent
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story & photos by doug hill
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t’s fascinating to pinpoint how an area becomes home for artists and other imaginative people. New York City has Greenwich Village, Santa Fe boasts Canyon Road and San Francisco’s unofficial arts district is the Yerba Buena neighborhood. AVE Norman’s South Ponca Avenue counts 9 blocks from Alameda Street to Earl Sneed Memorial Park as our Artist’s Row. Naturally not just visual artists live in these dozens of homes. There are scientists, a rock musician, a garment designer, photographers, an equine architect and a book publisher as well, among the painters, sculptors and silversmiths. Without speaking to a single resident there are clues to Ponca’s artistic sensibility.
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Sculptures visible to the passer-by grace many yards. A cast iron bird, enormous steel flora and skeleton with outstretched arm wearing a pair of Chuck Taylor basketball shoes are in front of the Amber and Hunter Roth home alone. The collection would be the envy of many a small art museum, never mind a private residence. Hunter Roth is a designer, artist, musician (Quilted Cherry Podium) and the University of Oklahoma college of architecture model shop manager. Further down the avenue a red bench overgrown with vines beside a wall is the seat for tiny seraphim blowing a trumpet. Another block on a crowned prince of ceramic frogs sits at the base of a magnificent oak tree. It’s not your typical cookie-cutter conformity suburban neighborhood.
“Ponca is an artists’ row and it makes for interesting conversation with the neighbors,” Molly Levite Griffis said. She’s an educator and author. Attracted initially to her Oklahoma natural stone house built in 1925, Griffis moved in four years ago and now adores the area. She can hear the University of Oklahoma band practice from her back breezeway and watch Lincoln elementary school kids play ball through the front window. Griffis commissioned artist Bill Bettcher to transform a lightning-struck tree in her front yard into a wooden sculpture of the 16th President of the USA. It’s a compliment to the neighboring Norman Public School. “At least five people a week stop by and sometimes whole classes of Lincoln kids come over to have their picture made with that statue,” Griffis said. Old Abe is dressed in a frock coat and holds a rolled document in a hand that was once living elm. He stands proudly near the street, straight and strong as the indivisible union. “The peacefulness of this neighborhood inspires my creativity,” Griffis said. “I moved here from the west side of Norman and it’s not busy all the time like over there.”
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iber artist Kiki Hiott is Griffis’ pal and resides a few blocks away. She’s also a jeweler and has a studio attached to the home she shares with University of Oklahoma professor of biology William L. Shelton. Hiott is one of the owner/operators of Gallery 123 at 123 E. Main. Her current ongoing project is making shawls and handbags of felt that she creates from raw wool, silk and other natural fibers.
It wasn’t the neighborhood’s artsy vibe so much as a full acre behind the house they purchased a few years ago that attracted them here. The couple are both fish biologists, Shelton’s study centers on reproductive biology. They’ve filled the large deep back yard with small ponds, handmade tile benches and stone walls creating a wildlife-friendly environment. “All the neighbors are considerate of each other and it’s just a nice place to live,” Hiott said. “We didn’t learn until later that so many artistic people lived here. We just got lucky.” She described an avenue of differences and residents who tolerate them.
{top left} Lori Bacigalupi has a cast iron wolf in her backyard. {above} Amber and Hunter Roth’s home attracts attention from passersby.
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onca is a leafy district with hundreds of mature trees and some shady secluded spots that border on being wilderness. This close connection to nature undoubtedly enhances creativity. Bishop Creek runs along the backyards of homes on the east side of the avenue and through the city park named Eastwood. It’s a marvelous common area that resembles a natural amphitheater thirty feet below street level.
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Tim Kenney launched his successful artistic career from a home studio on Ponca Avenue.
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Tall trees shade a playground and picnic tables. The park extends to Oklahoma Street on the east and provides just enough bending real estate to feel like a genuine escape from urban life. Several of the surrounding homes afford tranquil views of Eastwood Park. Traveling South Ponca Avenue comes to an abrupt end at postage stamp size Earl Sneed Memorial Park. It’s a curious pie slice-shaped green space that’s a miniscule oasis bordered by busy Classen Boulevard. There’s a rectangular wooden post arbor covered by vines shading twin benches. A boulder nearby bears a bronze plate whose inscription reads: “A tribute to the honorable Earl Sneed who served as the mayor of Norman, Oklahoma from 1961 to 1965. His service to our city will always be remembered.”
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NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
Eastwood Park provides an escape from urban living.
It’s a peaceful retreat where quiet reflections are broken only by calls of birds in the overhead branches.
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o one style dominates the houses along South Ponca Avenue. It’s not an ostentatiously wealthy area but doesn’t have any outstanding eyesores either. “There are a variety of kinds of architecture,” Lochlan Oldaker said. “Each house has its own character, there’s even one that’s Art Deco with a flat roof.” She’s a registered architect and Senior Equine Architect at Gralla Equine Architects, 230 E. Main Street They’re designers of facilities for horses with an international clientele. Oldaker is fond of her neighborhood. “There’s one Spanish Revival house that has a really beautiful multi-colored clay tile roof,” Oldaker said. “There are cottages that remind me of ones in fairy tales and I love the houses with deep lots that go way back down to the creek. They’re big enough for a horse.” She recounted frequently seeing a family of red fox who call the area home and doesn’t really mind that they’re outdoor cat food thieves. “I enjoy walking
Earl Sneed Memorial Park arbor {right} Heather Clark Hilliard and Ed Hilliard in their backyard.
on Ponca and seeing the whimsy that’s displayed in outdoor sculpture and other little decorative touches,” she said. Oldaker’s large 1930s era home is surrounded by plant and flower gardens on all sides with very little conventional lawn. On one recent summer morning her house guest brother Jamie Oldaker was enjoying the front yard’s dappled sunshine. He’s a rock, blues and country music percussionist who came out of the storied 1960s Tulsa scene and has performed with Eric Clapton, Bob Seger and Leon Russell among many others. Jamie Oldaker is presently writing a memoir of his career. “He was a kid who wanted to grow up to be a rock and he’s had some pretty amazing experiences,” his sister said proudly.
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hevaun Williams and Terence Heckart like South Ponca Avenue so much that they’ve lived together in two different homes there over the past several years. Currently they’re in a 1935 era beauty. Williams is the award winning photographer who owns and operates Shevaun Williams and Associates Commercial Photography firm. Heckert is a ceramic artist with a BFA from the Uni-
versity of Oklahoma and also CEO of Thunderbird Liquors. “We’re inspired by the artistic focus and intensity going on around us in the neighborhood,” Williams said. “There’s that, but also I’m an Oklahoma girl who likes her space and quiet.” Much of their work involves travel, and Ponca is a great place to come home to. Heckert’s eye for eclectic interior design combines sophistication with a playful bohemian streak. The backyard view past a natural stone patio is all green meeting blue sky. “It’s a lot like living in the country,” Heckert said. “But it’s also a ten minute walk to Campus Corner or downtown.” Close proximity to William’s studio space in historic old Norman at 221 E. Main is a plus. Years ago she was one of the original organizers and hosts of what has grown into the wildly successful 2nd Friday Art Walks. “It must be the land, nature and wildlife that attract artistic people here,” Williams said. “Along with the character of the homes.”
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ori Bacigalupi is CEO of Kiss of the Wolf. The world headquarters is on South Ponca Avenue. Her business is creating “one of a kind wearable art.” Bacigalupi designs garments
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that are then created at her on-site studio with the assistance of staff. Using the Japanese shibori dyeing process, screen printing and handpainting on silk and other fabrics, highend women’s clothing is made here. These articles are retailed at exclusive boutiques in 10 states and at special events such as the Smithsonian Institution’s Women’s Craft2Wear Show this October. Celebrity customers include novelist Toni Morrison and actress Bea Arthur. “I never really thought of Ponca as being Artists Row,” Bacigalupi said. “But I’m grateful that the people who live here are like-minded.” She has developed close friendships with those residing nearby, describing a familial neighborhood where a garden and greenhouse are shared and fences have purposefully not been built. A native New Yorker, Bacigalupi came to Norman 30 years ago and has lived at her 1929-built Ponca address most of that time. “Proximity to the
Homes along S. Ponca Avenue are of many architectural varieties.
university, tall tree lines and old houses that don’t all look alike are all attractive to me,” she said. Mostly what Bacigalupi discussed were the human relationships here. Sunday coffee klatches in Eastwood Park, Wednesday evening pot luck dinners and spontaneous gatherings of people have warmed her heart. “It’s
drawn a lot of love and many people have been connected,” she said. “There’s a creative environment with a big revolving door and a lot of energy.” Bacigalupi has hosted open workshops on topics as divergent as kite making and yoga. “I have a sense of extended family here and I feel like it’s good for my art,” she said.
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Heather Clark Hilliard is a fine artist who cherishes her Ponca Avenue residence for a variety of reasons. She married her husband Ed Hilliard, OU professor emeritus of landscape architecture, there and the place symbolizes rejuvenation and joy for the couple. Hilliard’s studio is part of their home and is where the beginnings of her large installation pieces take shape. She works with fibers, textiles and natural materials. Hilliard is an authority on plant-based dyes such as Maya blue pigment, a combination of indigo and a specific kind of clay, and techniques using them. Many saw her 2012 Mainsite Gallery show in Norman titled “Lines of Language/ Language of Lines.” This summer Hilliard is artist in residence at Tulsa’s 108 Contemporary Gallery where she has installed an enormous fiber sculpture suspended from the ceiling titled Memory Ring. It’s in conjunction with her solo exhibition called Finding the Fire, Concepts in Fiber. Ed’s landscaping magic has contributed to making their address a little slice of paradise.
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ainter Tim Kenney and his family have lived in a 1918 vintage South Ponca Avenue home since 1989. He just started putting palette knife and oils to canvas five years ago and currently has a career built on talent, willingness to learn, persistence and salesmanship. At age 57, Kenney is selling his fanciful landscapes dominated by aspen tree groves in the persnickety galleries of Santa Fe, N.M. and Steam Boat Springs, Colo. Using skills from previous jobs in pharmaceutical sales and marketing, he personally made calls to regional art galleries. Most turned him down but Kenney made enough inroads to get his paintings displayed for sale in key showrooms. “If I go into a gallery and someone is rude to me, I don’t go home and cry, I go to the gallery next door,” he said. Kenney is friends with most of his nearby South Ponca Avenue neighbors. “They’re all part of our lives and have been excited seeing my career develop the way it has,” he said. “My Ponca neighbors come out when I have a show here in Norman like when I was the featured artist at May Fair this year. It’s a great community.”
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he ways that South Ponca Avenue became an Artists Row are many. The beauty of nature attracted some as it has artistic people throughout history. Good fortune played its role along with the power of personality. All these combined to form an enclave in Norman that’s home to the creative and makes this town a richer place to live. SouthPonca Avenue is something special and it’s the people who live there who have made it that way.
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Bob Massengale, owner of Oklahoma Recumbent Trikes and Bikes, 102 E. Broadway in Lexington, stands with his wife, Carla, in the showroom of their recumbent bike shop. Massengale specializes in recumbents and sells various styles of bikes, trikes and tandems to people from all over the state and beyond.
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Norman People
Abundance of Recumbence story & photos by jocelyn pedersen
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here are plenty of bikes rolling around Norman. Some are the traditional upright variety while others are more laid back. Literally. Recumbent bicycles and tricycles are making a comeback and many say it’s because of comfort. Paul Minnis, professor of anthropology at the University of Oklahoma, definitely subscribes to the comfort theory, saying that he finds sitting back more comfortable than sitting on “what amounts to be a leather 2x4” on a traditional bike. Minnis says he finds his recumbents to be more aerodymanic and he prefers to look around while biking rather than being bent over. Minnis started riding recumbents in 1998 and now has six of them. “I never get rid of them. I use them for different purposes, some for commuting, some for faster rides, some for hauling stuff. Like a car, different ones are for different purposes. It’s an obsession really.” In fact, he once rode his bike from Oklahoma to central New Hampshire by trekking 73 miles a day for three weeks. “That was my midlife crisis when I turned 60,” Minnis says. “It was a very
interesting experience.” As for the trend toward recumbents, Minnis says, “As the baby boomers get older, they don’t want to be uncomfortable. Their wrists and necks hurt more. The more horizontal you can get, the more aerodynamic you are. On a recumbent, you are more horizontal.” Minnis’ biking partner is Dan Snell, professor of history at OU. The pair have been riding together for several years and in the summer they meet to ride in the early morning hours before it gets hot. Snell’s take on why more recumbents are rolling the streets around Norman dovetails with Minnis’. Snell maintains recumbents provide a comfortable ride for the many baby boomers who have developed back problems. “Your back is not strained and you get the same exercise but you actually get to see things. People who want to go really fast uphill should try a traditional bike,” says Snell who tries to ride about 100 miles each week. “It’s kind of a commitment,” he adds. The baby boomer and recumbent connection is echoed repeatedly. Dewayne Norvill at Buchanan Bicycles says although the shop doesn’t
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OU professors Paul Minnis, left, and Dan Snell are recumbent bicycle enthusiasts. The Norman duo ride approximately 100 miles a week. They say they prefer recumbents because of the comfort factor. To beat the summer heat, they ride in the crisp early morning hours.
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Bicycles have been around since the early 1800s, and recumbents have been popular since the early 1900s. Some have two wheels, while others have three or four as in the case of Charles Mochet who built a four-wheeled, pedal-driven vehicle for his son back in the 1800’s. It was fast and soon became very popular. Cyclegenius.com states people wanted the so-called Velocar, and they wanted comfortable seats that leaned back. Speed plus turns equaled tipping over, so Mochet redesigned the vehicle on two wheels with a seat that leaned back, producing the first recumbent bike.
Biker riding recumbent bicycle on March 02, 2009 Wanaka, NZ. It holds the world speed record for a bicycle and now races under the banner of the Human Powered Vehicle Association (HPVA).
sell recumbents they can work on them and they have some clients who like them—mostly baby boomers. Bob Massengale, owner of Oklahoma Recumbent Trikes and Bikes in Lexington, carries only recumbents in a variety of styles—some two-wheeled and some trikes, and even some tandem models. Massengale maintains the trend toward recumbents is because baby boomers are becoming conscious of their health. “They don’t want to hurt while they’re doing it (riding). Recumbent bikes don’t hurt. They don’t beat you up. Your bottom, your hands, your knees, your shoulders. It just doesn’t hurt to ride them.” He adds that the only significant difference between a regular and a recumbent bike or trike is the seat and the frame. Massengale says some of his customers want a bike to ride a few miles a day and after a while, they tell him
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NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
Bob and Carla Massengale at their store in downtown Lexington.
they are up to 12-15 miles per day. His customers range in age from 4 to 82, and they come from Norman, Moore, Oklahoma City, Kansas, Texas and beyond. As for efficiency on the road, recumbent bikes are known to be more difficult when going up hills, so gearing down is a good idea. But flat surfaces are a breeze and these bikes are downright zippy going downhill, a fact illustrated by recumbents being banned from bike racing in 1934. Snell’s take on this is, “the racers wanted it to be not just about technology but about human endurance.” Another local recumbent enthusiast is Frank Lotito who frequents the streets of Norman on his motor-assisted recumbent bicycle. So enthused about his recumbent ride, Lotito says he puts 6,000 miles per year on his bike and only about 3,500 miles on his car which he uses only for long distance driving, because he maintains, “most places are within biking range.” “I think they’re great,” says Minnis who rides his bike about 100 miles per week. “I think they’re a very logical design. They tend to be odd-looking, but what do I care? I think they are a superior design because of comfort and aerodynamics.” He adds that recumbents take a bit of getting used to, but with a chuckle, he invites people to try them and “join the increasing group of geeks in Norman,” because for distance touring, Minnins maintains they are “spectacular.” Coming full turn to health, he quips that all that biking means he can “have 100 extra Snickers bars per year.” There are many sources online about recumbent bicycling, and Massengale carries several styles and varieties at his Lexington store located at 102 E. Broadway.
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Photo by Josh Clough
Making a Difference
Vera Clough, 7, left, and Juniper Clough, 4, check out a new bike rack on Main Street in downtown Norman.
Eye Catching Bicycle Racks
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hat is that blue and yellow thundercloud on Main Street? It’s a bike rack, one of five art inspired bicycle racks installed this summer in downtown Norman. Bicyclists who are accustomed to the usual boring tubes may take a second look at the clever designs before locking up their bikes. It’s sidewalk art that’s fun for anyone just walking past. The designs, manufacture, and installation of the racks are the first part of a multi-phase project by The Nor56
man Public Arts Board and Fowler Volkswagen of Norman. “These racks look amazing,” Erinn Gavaghan, executive director for Norman Arts Council, said. “In early fall we will ask for a new round of submissions for an additional five racks.” The five winning designs were selected as winners from 200 designs submitted by artists throughout Oklahoma. Winning designs are Debbie Kaspari’s “Bison Charge” and “Thundercloud,” Oklahoma City artist, Dustin Gilpin’s, “Ride Fast,” Adam Stewart’s “Palette,” and Chris McDaniel’s “Fourheads.”
NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
by c hris jones
Kaspari, Stewart and McDaniel are Norman artists and avid bicyclists. Jonathan Fowler, Norman Public Arts Board member, suggested the bicycle rack idea to the board. He said he learned of a similar project in Toledo, Ohio and thought it would work well in Norman. Adam Stewart, a special education teacher in Norman, said he has pedaled thousands of miles. A year ago he rode to Georgia to visit his brother. “When the competition came up I was thinking in terms of locking up my bike, and how a person would use the
When the competition came up I was thinking in terms of locking up my bike, and how a person would use the bike rack. The artistic part was thinking about what says Norman, and what says art?” ~ Adam Stewart He looked over the top 10 and determined which of those would best fit the budget and could be suitable for an actual bicycle rack. “My guys in the shop really toiled over this project,” McPherson said. “We are skilled craftsmen in a dying industry. We turn metal into design, and kept as close as possible to the artist’s design.” McPherson said he studied the designs for some time before beginning work. Each of the racks weighs 100 pounds or more, and a suitable base had to be selected. The need for strong material had to be balanced with the design concept, and there couldn’t be sharp points. Everyone locks up their bikes,” McPherson said. “These bike racks have a nice artistry, and they are functional, with a good durable finish.” Kaspari said she took her inspiration from Oklahoma weather and Native American heritage. “I think Norman is becoming a bike friendly place for everyone,” she said. I recently bought a bicycle, a mint green Giant.” She said she was planning a ride down Main Street to see the bike racks. “I enjoy riding my bike with the wind in my face,” Kaspari said. “It’s great. I hope there will be more bike racks and more opportunities for art and design of every day items.”
The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution, www.ou.edu/eoo. For accommodations on the basis of disability, call (405) 325-4712.
bike rack,” he said. “The artistic part was thinking about what says Norman, and what says art?” Dustin Gilpin said he thought the art competition was a great idea. “It caught my eye because I am an active cyclist, a graphic artist for my own company, and this is a unique way to create a sculpture, as well as something utilitarian,” Gilpin said. Chris McDaniel said his winning design was his first attempt at sculpture. He enjoys three dimensional work, and painting. The designs were sent to Tom McPherson, McPherson Machine Shop in Newcastle for fabrication.
Public Opening Reception 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 You are invited to a public opening reception featuring appearances by OU Women’s basketball coach, Sherri Coale, exhibit creator Kevin Carroll and Grant Long of the OKC Thunder! Support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oklahoma and enter to win an autographed THUNDER basketball when you donate a new playground ball at the reception! Admission is complimentary to the museum through the opening weekend, Oct. 19-20.
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Norman Profile
Where the
Bison Roam by m ick hinton
photos by richard baron & phil corbett
J
ohn Starcevich hops into his rusty brown 1972 Ford pickup and cruises his 240-acre ranch in search of his buffalo herd. “I use this ol’ pickup every time I come out here. It will go anywhere,” Starcevich said. Starcevich, a dentist who has lived in the Norman area for decades notes that his home is about equidistant from the rolling hills of Pottawatomie County where his ranch is located, to his dental office near Integris Baptist Medical Center in northwest Oklahoma City. On a trip in mid-July, Starcevich decided it was time to move his herd from one pasture to another, on his land that stretches a mile long. “You can see how the buffalo have eaten down all of the grass growing in this field,” Starcevich explained. “It is time to give this pastureland a rest, and let the grass grow back.” Technically, his animals are bison, not buffalo, but most people ignore the distinction.
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Starcevich loaded up four feeding troughs into his pickup and headed for the new field. “The land is kind of rough around here. Get ready for that bump,” he said, as he speeded up to cross from one field to another. Starcevich has his way of convincing the buffalo to follow him. He belts out a buffalo call sounding like a drawn-out WOO-O-O-ING then wooing some more. The urban cowboy is having a ball as he intermittently honks the horn on his pickup, while calling the buffalo to get them to come eat. He quickly unloads the troughs and sprinkles them with all natural “sweet protein cubes.” He noted that the buffalo might be more excited to eat some of the virgin grass in the new pasture, rather than chomping on the sweet protein he provided. His 14 head of buffalo include nine cows, three calves and two young bulls.
Dr. John Starcevich
“Watch that cow,” he said, pointing to a female buffalo that was leading the pack. “She’s the king of the herd. Watch how she uses her head to push aside the other buffalo” to keep them away from the sweet morsels she wants in a feeding trough. “They have a pecking order,” he observed. That lead cow was one of the original buffalo that Starcevich bought in 1983. His buffalo feel comfortable around Starcevich, although he does not get too close to them because they are still wild creatures. You might call Starcevich a “buffalo whisperer,” who knows his critters’ many moods. “See that one wagging her tail up high. She’s really agitated right now.” “The mature buffalo has those horns and can quickly hook you with one of them.” Starcevich pointed out that buffalo grow to mature animals that weigh considerably more
The bison have a pecking order, Starcevich said.
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Buffalo Advantage: Buffalo are fast and tireless. Their huge bodies can travel at speeds comparable to a horse, upwards of 30 miles per hour. This is why at least one Oklahoman uses buffalo to train his horses how to cut cattle. A grown buffalo cow weighs between 900 and 1,100 pounds. But a full-sized buffalo bull can weigh more than a ton. Despite their size, buffalo are fast. They can quickly cut a 90-degree angle to trick a horse learning how to cut cattle. Buffalo can turn a corner on a dime, and they keep playing, say those who know them well. That is why Mike Roberts of rural Ada uses buffalo to train cutting horses. Dentist John Starcevich of Norman, who raises buffalo as a hobby, sells his buffalo calves to Roberts for that purpose. Unlike Roberts, most Oklahomans use cattle, rather than buffalo, to train their horses to cut cattle from a herd. “What I do works best for me,” Roberts said. Roberts said it takes from 60 to 90 days to train a buffalo to work with a cutting horse. “It takes that long to gentle a buffalo,” he said. But once they learn, buffalo never quit playing the game. It might take only two to three days to train beef cattle to do about the same thing. But after 30-45 days, cattle quit playing the game. Trained buffalo will continue playing with a cutting horse for a year or more. “They can run for miles and miles,” said Roberts. A buffalo has large nasal openings and a huge windpipe. Roberts said it takes about a year to really train a quarter horse to be a top competitor. That requires perhaps three buffalo, compared to about 300 cattle to provide the same training. Roberts runs a horse-cutting operation full-time on his ranch between Ada and Stonewall. His arena is actually located in what is known as the Union Valley subdivision. Competition among cutting-horse owners has been an outgrowth of the days when horses were
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really needed to cut cattle from the herd out on the range. But now, most cutting horses are trained to compete in tournaments and other events. Roberts said buffalo “are nature’s perfect creature.” Those who know the buffalo well say they must never be totally domesticated. Both Roberts and Starcevich keep their buffalo on pasture land 24-7 to keep them content. The buffalo are not animals that would tolerate living in a feed lot. The owners keep enough hay on hand to supplement the grass the buffalo eat on the range so the animals will stay content.
Starcevich said when he looks at his buffalo, it is not hard to imagine how it must have been a couple centuries ago when American Indians relied on the buffalo for everyday food. They utilized every part of the buffalo, that had roamed for centuries in North America. Roberts said by the late 1980s and early 1990s, the number of buffalo had decreased dramatically. Then there was an upsurge that makes it unlikely buffalo in North America will become extinct. Indian tribes particularly in the northern states are tending herds to assure the buffalo will remain. Roberts said, “I really love to work them.” Seeing the buffalo roaming the range is almost a spiritual experience, he added. The owners say when they look across a field and see buffalo grazing on the land, it just seems that this is the way nature was meant to be.
than humans. Buffalo calves are born weighing 50-65 pounds. On the other hand, “I have had bulls weighing over a ton.” A cattle herd usually has just one bull to service (breed) the cows, but Starcevich said his pair of buffalo males get along with each other. “A bull could jump the fence if he decided to,” he said. “But neither one wants to leave the girls back in the pasture.” “The bulls actually have a kind of friendship. They’re buddies who hang around together and away from the herd.” Starcevich pampers his herd by feeding them sweet treats, but knows that he has to keep his distance from them. “Don’t touch them or try to pet them. You’ve got to remember that they still are really wild.” It all started when Starcevich thought it would be fun to run a few buffalo with his cattle.
Mike Roberts works with the bison on his Ada ranch.
He also thought that his four children, including two sons, would enjoy raising these animals at the ranch. When the kids were growing up, every weekend there was some activity on the ranch that kept the interest of the children as they grew into adults.
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Now he has two grandchildren and another on the way who are the next generation of the family to go out to the ranch. There’s fishing, swimming a bit in the pools, hunting and also watch those buffalo. To get started, Starcevich attended an auction in Tulsa and bought three heifers and a bull. Then a neighbor decided to sell off his herd, and John bought some more buffalo. Two years ago, when Oklahoma was hit with another drought, several ranchers sold off their cattle because they didn’t have enough grassland. By this time, Starcevich had acquired 60 head of cattle and 38 buffalo. “I whittled down the herd during that terrible drought.” He sold all of his cattle and kept 14 head of buffalo. He was faced with the prospect of having to buy hay, knowing it would soon become hard to find and too expensive to purchase. Starcevich is not about to run out of hay these days, after an usually wet spring and summer. In a day and a half in July, Starcevich and his son Mark loaded up 229 huge round bales and took them to the ranch. The first year he bought the buffalo, Starsevich realized he did not have any hay to feed them, so he had to buy all of it.
Buffalo or bison? Scientists agree that buffalo in North America are more accurately termed as bison. However, common practice has been to call them “buffalo” throughout the U.S. Even the United States mint issued the buffalo head nickel many years ago. Technically, buffalo is the name of the animals found in Africa and Asia. They are both huge animals with their bulls weighing over a ton apiece. American bison have a hump on their back between their shoulder blades, unlike the buffalo, whose back is smooth. The bison in the U.S. also have much bigger heads, but the African buffalo have larger horns. While the bison’s horns stick up, those on the buffalo typically wrap around the head in a circular pattern.
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What does Starcevich do with his buffalo? Starcevich said he butchers buffalo, always keeping on hand some of their sweet meat for his table. Buffalo meat has less fat and less cholesterol than domesticated animals. “The only way to eat the meat is cooking it to rare or mediumrare so it is juicy and sweet.” If cooked to well done, the meat becomes tough because of its small amount of fat. Starcevich also has sold some buffalo to parties wanting to butcher them for meat. But he has discovered an unusual way to market them. He sells his buffalo calves to a rancher near Ada who uses them to train cutting horses learning how to work cattle. “Buffalo are really fast; they can turn on a dime,” he said. “And they never get tired.” That makes them better training animals than young cattle. Leaving the farm to head back to the city, Starcevich surmised that having this land is even more than just a hobby. He sees himself as a steward of the land. He feels it is his duty not only to keep the land, but also tend it along the way. “I know that is what I am supposed to do,” he said.
GO SOONERS! Cynthia Orange Oklahoma Strong
Cell: 405-412-1251 • Phone: 405-928-5500 • Fax 405-928-5501 email: cynthia.orange@remax.net • www.CynthiaO.remax-oklahoma.com NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
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Norman History
Special Collections + Your Imagination:
Ingredients for Time Travel by j erri culpepper
E
ver dreamed of traveling through time? Whatever your mode of travel – in a mechanical vehicle such as that envisioned by H.G. Wells in The Time Machine or Dr. Who’s blue Tardis – what era would you select? Fancy a stimulating conversation with the likes of Galileo or Darwin? Or how about a leisurely walk through the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, culminating with a ride on the new-fangled Ferris wheel? Perhaps a game of poker with Wyatt Earp during America’s “wild west” days puts the shine on your buttons? With a little help from the Special Collections staff of the University of Oklahoma Libraries and a touch of imagination on your part, you can chart your own fantastic journey. The possibilities span centuries and include every continent on Earth. Can’t visit in person? No worries. Many of the manuscripts, photographs, artwork, memorabilia and other items also can be viewed digitally – most recently via iBook exhibits that include multimedia functions and interactive maps. Some of the collections also are featured on Facebook and Pinterest. Currently, some 80,000 high-resolution images may be downloaded at no charge from the libraries’ Online Galleries (http://hos.ou.edu/galleries/). This summer, University Libraries commenced a Digitization Laboratory that provides the Special Collections with a digital capability never before enjoyed. With its launch, OU is prepared to lead in collaborative projects involving multiple institutions. For example, OU is entering into a partnership with Oxford University and the Max Planck Institute for the History of
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Science in Berlin to launch a Galileo project that is expected to become the ultimate online destination for works related to Galileo. Referring to the Special Collections as the “crown jewels” of the university, Rick Luce, recently named as dean of University Libraries, says one of his goals is to gain greater awareness of their holdings locally and across the state and nation (and beyond). “The treasures within the History of Science Collections, Western History Collections, the John and Mary Nichols Rare Books and Special Collections, the Bizzell Bible Collection and the Bass Business Collection are extraordinary, oneof-a-kind artifacts that hold international prestige,” added Luce, who also serves as the Peggy V. Helmerich Chair. However, although the collections are wellknown – and, indeed, enjoy national and even international prestige among scholars and library professionals – they remain a mystery to a large degree to the broader public, Luce says. “We hold the entire set of 12 first editions of Galileo, some containing his own handwriting on the fragile pages. No other library, not even the Library of Congress or the British Library, can say the same about their collections. And yet, when I speak to people within the state and across the nation about our collections, I’ve been surprised to discover how hidden these treasures are from the public eye.” Thanks to the acquisition and application of new technology, University Libraries is creating its own time portal that can be accessed by knowledge- and thrill-seekers anywhere 24/7.
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our of the Special Collections – the History of Science, Bass Business History, Bizzell Bible, and John and Mary Nichols – are located on the fifth floor of Bizzell Memorial Library. All are used by undergraduate students and classes as well as by individual scholars and other visitors. They share a reading room, lobby and exhibit hall. While these collections and the exhibit hall are open to the public and no advance appointment is required to visit the reading room, scholars and other visitors must first undergo a brief training session and be granted authorization before receiving rare and fragile materials. In addition, some materials may require 24 hours advance notice to retrieve.
THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE COLLECTIONS
John H. and Drusa B. Cable Chair, says that what makes the holdings of this collection so notable is not so much the individual rare books, but rather the “extraordinary combinations of rare books, such as all the major works of Galileo, Newton and Darwin.” Take, for example, its holdings of works by and relating to Nicolaus Copernicus, including his De revolutionibus (1543), in which the astronomer places the Sun at the center of the universe, with the Earth in the heavens revolving around it. “The OU copy,” Magruder notes, “is extensively annotated by contemporary readers. These annotations, written in the margins by a circle of astronomers working in Paris only a few years after its publication, tell us much about the initial reception of Copernicus’ ideas. A student or scholar at OU may compare this
Everette Lee DeGolyer founded the OU history of science program (now the Department of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine) in 1949 by lending 129 rare works to the university in exchange for the establishment of a teaching and research program in the history of science. He eventually donated 6,000 volumes. The DeGolyer Collection later was renamed the History of Science Collections to recognize the role of additional donors. Today, this world-renowned research center and library boasts some 95,000 volumes encompassing every field and subject area of science, technology and medicine and ranging chronologically from Hrabanus Maurus, Opus de universe (1467) to current publications in the history of science. The work of virtually all scientists throughout history whose names appear in modern textbooks are represented here. Kerry Magruder, curator of the History of Science Collections and the
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first edition with the second (1566) and third (1617) editions. Very few libraries in the world hold all three editions published up to the time of Galileo. Moreover, OU also holds the first edition of a little work by Copernicus published in 1542, which is even rarer.” Another example is the Galileo Collection, including all 12 first editions of Galileo, four of which contain his own handwriting as well as the first English translation and many other first and later editions of his works and that of his immediate contemporaries. Augmenting this collection is the recent acquisition (made possible through a generous endowment established by the OU Athletics Department) of three works by Oratio Grassi regarding the appearance of three comets, which initiated a polemical exchange between Galileo and the Jesuits that became known as the “controversy over the comets.” The History of Science Collections also houses the Darwin Collection, which includes all of Charles Darwin’s works in their first editions, as well as hundreds of subsequent editions and translations, along with five autograph letters. Also featured is a well-preserved, three-volume copy of Darwin’s first and rarest book, Zoology of the Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, containing what Magruder calls “one of the most beautiful works of hand-colored natural history illustration in the 19th century.” OU is a major contributor to Cambridge University’s Darwin Online. With digital versions of nearly 40 obscure editions, the OU Collections’ contribution is second only to that of Cambridge itself.
OU’s collection of bibles contains some 665 volumes. It is strong in the collection of early English Bibles. Former President William Bennett Bizzell purchased his first old Bible for 1$ while a college student in Boston.
BIZZELL BIBLE COLLECTION
Established in 1959 by William Bennett Bizzell, OU president from 1925 to 1941, the Bizzell Bible Collection, containing some 665 volumes, is housed in the beautiful Gaylord Room, featuring built-in red oak cabinets. Bizzell purchased his first old Bible, a Geneva Bible, for $1 while a college student in Boston. The collection also incorporates such Bible-related works as commentaries, prayer books and hymnals. Among the Bibles are seven incunabula – printed books published in the infancy of printing, no later than 1500 – in-
cluding one in Latin printed in Nuremberg by Anthony Koberger in 1479. The collection is strong in its holdings of early English Bibles, including several editions of the Geneva Bible and two variant copies of the first edition of the King James Bible, though the more common non-English variants also are represented. Many non-European Bibles – Cherokee, Muskogee, Hindi, Swahili, Mongolian, Tartan, Multan and Turkish – also are represented, illustrating the worldwide expansion of Christianity in the 19th century. The Bibles are of interest not only to scholars of religion, but to knowledgeseekers in virtually any subject area. As a professor of literature, Bizzell was
Current and Upcoming Exhibits September: From the Pueblos to the Northern Plains: American Indian Art (Western History Collections) September 2013 through March 2014: Johann Kepler and the Scientific Revolution (Western History Collections) February 2014: Brother Against Brother: Civil War Diaries, Letters, Artifacts, Documents and Photographs (Western History Collections) Coming in August 2015: A major new exhibition initiative from the History of Science Collections titled “Galileo’s World” is in the planning stages. Watch for details in the coming months.
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fascinated by the influence of the Bible upon English literature. Other scholars use the Bibles in their research into printing and the history of the book, while others study them as works of art and elaborate typography.
JOHN AND MARY NICHOLS COLLECTION
Established in 2001, the John and Mary Nichols Rare Books and Special Collections features more than 13,000 rare books and special materials in English literature and related subjects dating from the 15th century to the present. The collection was established to promote scholarship in the field of English literature and to provide stewardship for the general collection of rare books.
Despite its general focus on English literature, a broad range of American and European literatures are represented. The works of many a beloved and influential author are housed here: Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain, to name some. Among the newest acquisitions are four unique items relating to the work of Victorian artists and illustrators: a portfolio of 240 watercolor prints of Dickens’ characters by Joseph Clayton Clarke, aka Kyd; The Life of George Cruikshank (1882); plates for The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1837); and An Essay on John Leech by W.M. Thackeray (1880). The Dickens Collection can be experienced via the new Apple iBooks exhibit.
BASS BUSINESS HISTORY COLLECTION
Established in 1955, the Harry W. Bass History Collection contains materials useful to scholars in multiple disciplines. It now contains 25,000 books – approximately 2,000 of which were published before 1850 – along with scholarly journals, microforms, DVDs, oral histories, digitized material and reference books. Biographies of business leaders and entrepreneurs, histories of firms, classics in economic literature and tomes on the social, economic and political forces that have influenced the role of business in society all can be found in this collection. Three archival sources provide original data for research: J&W Seligman and Co., one of Amer-
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OU’s Western History collection, founded by longtime professor Edward Everett Dale, was created to fill the need for rare resource material on the American frontier.
ica’s oldest investment banking firms; Retail Intelligence Systems; and the Robert Kahn papers and publications for retail firms. According to Daniel Wren, curator, OU’s business history collection is the only one in the United States except for the one at Harvard’s Baker Library. However, he added, “Harvard stopped collecting for the Kress Collection if the book was published in the 20th century.” To find another business history collection, one would have to travel to London’s Goldsmith Library; that library’s holdings continue only through the 18th century. “There is pride in what OU has done to collect broadly in business history,” Wren states. Wren noted that among the Bass collection’s more unusual holdings are relays used in early-day telephone technology. If you are of a certain age, you may recall hearing clicks when you made a call using a dial phone. Those clicks, Wren said, corresponded to the relays and switches within the “bank” as a person dialed and were connected with their caller.
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“The historical importance of these concerns the pioneering social science experiments in the 1920s at the Hawthorne Plant of Western Electric (AT&T),” Wren explains. “These studies re-shaped ideas about motivation and group behavior until recent years, though today’s scholars are doubtful about the research methodology [used],” he said. “With digital switching, the original Hawthorne Plant was destroyed, and a colleague retrieved these items used in the experiments and gave them to our collections.”
THE WESTERN HISTORY COLLECTIONS
The Western History Collections (located in historic Monnet Hall) is an internationally known center for study of the American West with more than 80,000 books, 2,700 manuscript collections and 2 million historical photographs chronicling the
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western American experience. OU history professor Edward Everett Dale founded what would become the Western History Collections in 1927 with financial support from Oklahoma oil executive Frank Phillips with the assistance of OU President William B. Bizzell and attorney Patrick J. Hurley. Originally named the Frank Phillips Collection, it was created to fill the need for a collection of original and rare resource material on the American frontier for Dale’s history graduate students. A grant from the Rockefeller Foundation in 1948 financed the start of University Libraries’ Manuscript Division; the two collections merged in 1967, when it was given its current moniker. At the heart of the Western History Collections is the general stack collection, known as the Frank Phillips Collection, which focuses on the history, ethnography and prehistory of Native Americans and the history of the transMississippi West. The Phillips Collection is complemented by smaller family library collections, including ones focusing on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, the Indian Wars and Gen. George Armstrong Custer, and former Librarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin. The WHC’s Manuscripts Division includes more than 2,000 collections of materials on Oklahoma and the West: diaries and journals; personal and official correspondence; literary manuscripts; business records and scrapbooks covering diverse topics, such as records of the American Indian tribes that were removed to Oklahoma; expansion and settlement of the American West; and businesses that contributed to the development of the trans-Mississippi West region.
John Lovett, director of Special Collections and Branch Libraries and curator of the Western History Collections, said one of the most exciting projects planned by the Manuscripts Division is the digitization of its recordings of “The Indians for Indians Hour,” a weekly radio show that aired on OU’s educational radio station, WNAD, from 1941 to approximately 1985, though the library only holds broadcast tapes of the show through 1976. Originated by Don Whistler, or Chief Kesh-kekosh, the show featured Native American music and guest interviews. WNAD’s signal reached 18 tribes. In addition to the “Indians for Indians Hour,” the division holds almost 2,500 sound recordings (cassette tapes, compact disks and reels) of Native American songs and folklore as well as oral histories by Oklahoma pioneers. The WHC’s Photographic Archives are widely recognized as one of the best resources for historic photographs of Oklahoma, the American West and its peoples. The archives hold approximately 2 million images representing many photographic processes, with the core of the collection composed of photographs of Native Americans in Oklahoma and the West; the settlement and development of Oklahoma towns; Western outlaws and lawmen; and images of the range cattle industry. The latest acquisition for the Photographic Archives is an album filled with black-and-white images of the men of Battery A, 18th Field Artillery, at Fort Sill, Okla., that document the soldiers, their daily activities and many of the buildings present there during the 1922-1923 period. The most recent major addition to the Western History Collections is the Conrad Masterson Western Ranch History Collection and Study Room, containing more than 500 books and journals on the range cattle industry in the American West, with a focus on the history of individual ranches. The collection boasts many rare and special editions of ranching books. Some titles are bound in horse or cow hide. Also new is the Advertising of the West Collection, which focuses on printed advertising materials and ephemera that feature iconic images of the West and its culture, industries and landscapes. So, what will be your first stop in your travels through time via the University Libraries’ Special Collections? Will you peer into Copernicus’ telescope, explore Dickens’ London, stow aboard the H.M.S. Beagle with Darwin, or take a ride on a train across the wild and wooly West? Whatever your chosen destination, you can begin your adventure at http://libraries.ou.edu/.
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Your Adventure Tour Guide
Dean Rick Luce
by j erri culpepper
Q. What has your first year as University Libraries dean been like? A. I was warmly welcomed to the OU leadership team by a wonderful group of people, both at OU and around the state of Oklahoma. Much of my time has been spent on building relationships with others on campus as well as members of the Bizzell Library Society and on evaluating the library organization, both our strengths and the areas we need to strengthen.
Photo provided
Q. Any surprises? A. A real hidden gem that I hadn’t anticipated was the depth of our special collections, in particular the History of Science and Western History collections. These collections are not widely known outside of OU, especially in the manner these collections would merit. I was also surprised by how collaborative OU’s senior leaders are; this is truly part of what makes this university special. Q. What are your short-term goals? A. When I arrived, my priorities were to build my leadership team, to develop and articulate our strategic direction and strategic plan, to look for opportunities to build partnerships on campus, and to set up an Institutional Repository and improve access to our collections. Q. Your medium-range and long-term goals? A. The emphasis is on five pillars: (1) creating excellence in the library experience by envisioning a master plan renovation, establishing a collaboratorium and enhancing information discovery; (2) building on excellence in special collections by enhancing access, increasing awareness,
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building a living library and integrating primary source materials; (3) supporting OU campus research by establishing a digital scholarship lab, facilitating data curation and preservation, and building collaborative partnerships; (4) charting a new role for scholarly communication at OU by providing easy access to OU research and supporting open educational resources, and (5) strengthening skills and capabilities by investing in career development and attracting new talent. Q. What do you see as your most pressing challenge(s)? A. One pressing challenge will be transforming the University Libraries’ space to facilitate all learning modalities, to foster creativity and research, and also to respond to an increasingly data-driven world, which impacts how we support faculty and student research and learning.
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Q. How do you envision the University Libraries in 10 years and beyond? A. My hope is that in 10 years the ideas outlined in the strategic plan will all have become reality so that we are operating in a truly transformed environment that is agile and able to support the creation of knowledge, not merely provide access to already created knowledge. In trying to forecast the future of libraries, the one thing that is clear is that the value of unique and rare special collections will become even more valuable. With digitized publications and the accompanying commoditization that follows, libraries will increasingly be set apart and become distinguished based on their rare materials that support research.
Q. Will the services it offers be much different? A. I anticipate continued emphasis on learning and supporting research, although how that is done will continue to evolve rapidly. Services will become more customized as we are able to take greater advantage of technology and as technologies evolve. Q. Will libraries’ role in general undergo major transformations? A. Libraries have been undergoing major transformations for the past two decades and will continue to do so. We are now actively engaged in building digital repositories to house the output of OU scholarship and research. An example of this is our current Electronic Theses and Dissertations project with the Graduate College that should be in production by the start of the fall semester. As another example, we are also collaborating with Oklahoma State University Libraries to make much of Oklahoma’s academic research freely
available to others through a joint institutional repository. Libraries are becoming engaged with electronic publishing and engaged as advocates of open access. Q. Do you think books will continue to be at the heart of libraries’ collections? A. The book will not be replaced, but increasingly libraries will be known as knowledge commons –- a place to access and create knowledge – and that knowledge comes in all forms and formats. Q. Looking at University Libraries with a fresh eye, what do you see as its major strengths, and what areas need further work? A. Major strengths are the people here who are dedicated to the mission of the university and our collections. Further work is certainly needed to bring our facilities up to date in their ability to support today’s student needs. The University Libraries intersect and support the academic needs of nearly every OU student
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during their time at the university. As the university has grown, student use of the Bizzell Memorial Library continues to increase as well, with gate count rising by 25 percent over the past decade. The existing infrastructure in the three buildings that comprise the Bizzell Memorial Library date from 1929, 1958 and 1982. Much has changed over the past 30 years in terms of how our library buildings are required to support learning today, e.g., with computers and networks, group meeting, study and presentation rooms, collaborative learning, support for media and visual information, etc. Even without changes in technology, the infrastructure supporting heating, cooling and electricity has exceeded its planned lifecycle. We also need to build and grow the diversity of skills with staff so we can support GIS research, data analytics, digital capabilities and other services that will enhance our faculty and students’ research endeavors.
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Cabernet Sauvignon
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by kathy hallren Cabernet Sauvignon the backbone of classic red wine, is hardy, prolific and multifaceted. This varietal emerged in the 1700’s in France and became the standard for Bordeaux wine, a blend primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It quickly became popular in England labeled Claret. Thomas Jefferson was also a fan and ordered it shipped to the White House. It was planted in California in the 1890’s, only to be destroyed during prohibition, new vineyards were planted in the 50’s and thereafter. In California blending was not the standard, although Bordeaux style blends are now marketed as Meritage. These hardy grapes have a long growing season and when harvested early, a tendency to make a herbaceous wine. The thick skins produce a tannic wine, that is mellowed by oak barrel and bottle aging. Fully ripened grapes in Bordeaux’s finest vineyards are left in contact with the skins for about five weeks, then barrel aged for periods up to a year, followed by bottle aging for several years. Wine makers in California have developed methods to accelerate this process to mellow the tannin, without losing the quality, although some still use the traditional methods. The process is, of course considerably more complicated, however, I hope this starts to explain why some wines command a premium. Cabernet Sauvignon picks up characteristics from the place, terroire, where planted. This is the effect of the particular soil, sun and moisture on the grape. The final element is the winemaker, and his particular vision, as he makes all the decisions about the time involved for the processes described above, blending, if any, and a multitude of other factors which you ultimately taste. Large production wineries will usually want consistent flavor and blend between years and grape sources. Small wineries may only produce vintage in good years, and sell their grapes in years when the crop is not considered suitable for the highest quality.
WINE • LIQUOR • BEER www.joeswinesandspirits.com 1330 ALAMEDA Ι NORMAN
405.364.9262 NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
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Taste of Norman
by jessica bruha Photos by Kyle Phillips
Home cooking, Libby’s style Once a general store, Libby’s now offers home cooking and an upstairs bar.
E
veryone has a favorite restaurant. Sometimes it’s a fancy steakhouse, sometimes it’s a cozy little Italian restaurant, or maybe it’s just a really good barbeque shack. In any case, there’s something special that you find in those places, whether it’s the atmosphere, the food, the people or every one of those things mixed together that makes for a truly unique dining experience. The first time I walked into Libby’s Café just south of Norman off I-35 in Goldsby, I knew it was one of those places for me. It felt like home. The cooking smelled like real, home-cooked food. The people working there reminded me of the people in the small town where I grew up, and the atmosphere did too. Libby’s is a place that holds history in and on its walls. I grew up in a small town in Iowa nicknamed “Antique City” for the absurd amount of antique shops in the small downtown area. Libby’s transported me back to that place with old family photos scattered across the walls and real antiques filling the spaces in between.
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It’s easy to tell that owners Libby and Scott Adkins take pride in the restaurant’s history, too. The family photos adorning the walls are of Scott’s own family and other local families, including the Goldsby family for which the town was named. “The antiques on the wall, those are authentic. They’re not reproductions,” Scott Adkins said. “That room was actually built in 1921.” Before Libby’s became the restaurant it is today, it was once a general store with two gas pumps. Adkins said he can still remember when they sold cotton sacks when cotton was handpicked. When you walk in the front doors, you walk right across an area where a tire shop used to be. When you’re seated you’ll still be able to see the original copper ceiling above you. The Adkins also kept the original water well which can be seen inside, at the front of the main seating area. The general store eventually evolved into a little café of sorts that could hold 35 people. Now the restaurant can hold 350 people, and that’s
A Libby’s taco salad comes with cheese and fresh avocado.
The upstairs, outdoor patio is great for summer and fall evenings.
Libby’s is known for its catfish.
Chicken-fried steak is smothered in gravy.
The restaurant’s salad bar is downstairs
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just the downstairs area, Adkins said. Libby and Scott purchased the restaurant in 1992 on their way to the veterinarian with a cow. At the time, their cotton crop was failing. Scott said back then, there was no such thing as crop insurance, if you didn’t make it you were in trouble. So as they were passing by, Libby was asking if the restaurant was still available. When Scott asked why, she said because she wanted to buy it. Five minutes later they owned it. “We just had no money,” Libby said. “I was just looking for another way to support my family.” The Adkins still farm today, but the restaurant has also been a big focus of theirs. In 2007, a whole upstairs portion was added including a bar area, pool tables and outdoor patio seating with TV’s. During the fall they have live bands play on Saturdays. They also have karaoke on Fridays and open mic nights on Wednesdays, Scott said. There’s also a patio area downstairs people can book for wedding receptions or rehearsal dinners. Scott said he thinks they’ve grown so much because of Libby’s good cooking. “Everything’s made fresh,” he said. The two said the french fries are cut fresh and the potatoes are made fresh twice a day, for lunch and dinner. “We don’t precook our food, not even a hamburger patty,” Libby said. The restaurant is mostly known for its catfish and chicken fried steak, and rightly so. I’ve had catfish at other restaurants, eaten catfish caught and fried by my own grandfather. Libby’s offers something special though. I’m not sure how they perfected the breading on it, but I do know that anytime I want catfish now, I’m heading to Goldsby. Libby said they are also trying to get some healthier food items on the menu because many of their customers eat there every day. Their grilled catfish is getting pretty popular, too, she said. The side dishes match the main courses you’re ordering as well. Whether you want corn and mashed potatoes or green beans and a baked potato it’s all good, home cooked comfort food. And just like at my grandparent’s house, if you don’t have some dessert, you are going to miss out. I think the warm, melt in your mouth peach cobbler might have been better than my grandma’s and that is not an easy feat. In my grandma’s defense though, I haven’t had her cooking for a long time. So maybe I just forgot how good it is. Either way, if I’m ever missing her food or the comforts of the small-town home I grew up in, I know there’s a place I can go to transport me back and it will only be a 15 minute drive from my home in Norman.
Edward Jones Full Page
Keith E Reames Jr, AAMS® 1161 Sonoma Park Ste. 200 405-217-9083
Omar M Rosales 211 34th Ave. SW 405-360-3295 Amy M Million, AAMS® 1932 West Lindsey Ste. C 405-292-0564
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Norman Profile
One Cool Cat by j ocelyn pedersen
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orman is home to one very cool cat. Motzie, a Savannah, is pretty famous—he’s posed for many billboards, including Jaguar cars. He regularly engages in pet therapy sessions and reading programs for children. He’s a registered personal service animal through the Veteran’s Administration and weighing in at 24 lbs. and 16 inches tall, he’s one big boy. Motzie, whose registered name is Matanah Me Al which is Hebrew for Gift from Above, is a Savannah which is a breed founded in Ponca City, Okla. where breeder Joyce Sroufe bred African servals with Oriental shorthairs or Egyptian maus. The result is a lot of kitty to love. At A1 Savannahs, now owned by Martin and Kathrin Stuki, these animals are in high demand. Savannahs are extremely quick, docile animals that are large, loveable and sterile from the first generation through the fourth—and then only fertile for a year or two. Motzie, 7, is a second generation Savanah. His kitty friend, Peanut, 4, is a third-generation Savannah. They coexist like any other housecats with their owner, Deborah-Ann Milette. Milette recently traveled with her cats to the Enchanted Cat Club’s Feline Fiesta at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque where Motzie was measured to contend
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for the world’s tallest domestic cat. The results have been sent to England so the Guinness World Records professionals can make a determination. Milette says she considers Motzie the goodwill ambassador of the breed and she enjoys sharing him with people. He is truly one big boy, and a lover to boot. I, for one, was a little taken aback when a kitty the size of a small bobcat hopped on my lap during an interview and parked as if to say, “Hello, you may love me now.” Soon my pen was down so I could properly scratch Motzie’s large jowls, ears and take the week it requires to pat him from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. Unfortunately, these gentle giants are often confused with wild cats. Milette says people often call Animal Control when they see her cats peeking out the window. Motzie is so big, and they both look like African servals, that uninitiated passersby sometimes mistake them for wild bobcats. Not only is the analogy to being wild a mistake, so is the idea of them having a fierce temperament. As a trained therapy animal, Motzie, and his “brother,” Peanut, snoozed on a table at a recent fundraiser banquet while dressed in a bow tie and top hat, surrounded by music and hundreds of people. With his size
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and demeanor, Mr. Laid Back is used to having people of all ages come and touch his sleek fur. But not all people are proponents of having hybrid cats. Milette reports she has received death threats from members of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a non-governmental animal activist organization opposed to hybrids. A post entitled, “The Case Against Hybrids” from petfinder.com in essence maintains hybrids are unsafe. Across the country, HSUS has proposed bills against ownership of hybrid cats. Likewise, Senate Bill 1799, more commonly known as the “Exotic Cat Bill,” proposed by Sen. Kim David (R-Tulsa), passed the senate and went to committee about a year ago. This bill regulates and requires a permit to possess, exhibit, and/or breed any non-native exotic feline in captivity. An overview of such laws and a brief history of them can be found at Michigan State’s article “Detailed Discussion of Exotic Pet Laws” at www.animallaw.info/articles/ddusexoticpets. The Oklahoma bill currently excludes hybrids like Savannahs, but Milette says she has seen bills like this change and “blossom into full-fledged ownership bans” the likes of which have caused her to steal away at night to keep her cats from being seized and euthanized. “I’ve moved from five states so far to protect my cats,” Milette says. “I don’t
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have any family. These cats are my family. Oklahoma does not have an exotic cat problem,” adding, “It is important to note that catteries housing and breeding exotics and hybrids are closely regulated by the USDA.” Milette, Motzie and Peanut travel the country to dispel rumors, and show the public and legislators alike that the only thing these cats wish to kill are laws designed to squelch their existence. They have been successful in overturning legislation in two states so far, and are lobbying in six more. A1 Savannahs breeder, Stuki, says he has all the licenses necessary to house Savannahs and Servals, and like, Milette, he’s a fan of the breed. “It’s a fantastic breed,” Stuki says. “There are a lot of people out there who
NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
are meaner than my cats. It takes responsible ownership. You can’t blame the animals. There’s no such thing as a mean cat, it’s who raises them that can make them mean or gentle.” As a disabled Vietnam veteran, Milette’s not going down without a fight to keep her cats and ensure it’s legal to own them. “I didn’t serve my country only to have my right to own my cats taken away,” Milette says. “I can see having laws against the bad owners, but people like Joe (Exotic) and Martin (Stuki) and I have proven over and over responsible ownership.” But the cats are so much more than pets to Milette. They’re family. She walks them on leashes, has her car decked out as the Motzie Mobile and since her cats turn heads, she patiently takes the time wherever she goes to answer questions and let young and old alike pet them. And they are good for her, too. They are her constant companions as she battles cancer she acquired while serving in Vietnam. Like the Three Musketeers, Milette, Moztie and Peanut seem to have the motto, “all for one and one for all,” as they roam the country dispelling myths. If you see them out for a walk on their leashes, be sure to stop and say hello. But beware, Motzie may climb up in your lap if you’re not careful, and Peanut may start purring.
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Snapshots
84 Summer Breeze / 85 The Ride 86-87 Toby Keith Concert / 88-89 Norman Baseball & Softball 90 Second Friday / 92 Sooner Welcome / 94 Coaches Lunch
William Hughes
Adelaide Parsons
Summer Breeze Summer Breeze concerts were a big hit with the community this summer. The events were held on Sunday nights at Lions Park and featured local and regional artists. The cooler temperatures made for big crowds at the park. Families and friends brought picnics, drinks and pets for relaxing evenings out. Photos provided
Tacoma Rodriguez
John Fullbright
Marley Glidewell
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Kyson Aldridge
The Ride
Ethan Vinson, First Place in the 5-6 year old boys division
Caden Pamplin, representing McMahon Marketing
Ebony Cook, Second Place in the 3-4 year old girls division
Chloe England, representing Sooner Mall
The Ride Big Wheel Race benefitting the United Way of Norman took place at Sooner Mall on July 27. Nearly 50 children competed and were all smiles when each received a medal for completing the race. Big Wheels were decorated by individuals and companies and ranged widely with creative designs. A second race also to benefit the United Way of Norman is planned for September 21. This event, The Ride Grand Prix, is an adult trike race for riders aged 18 and up. Both races were organized by First American Bank with sponsorship from Bramlett & Associates, SportsTalk 1400, Nexus Productions, Citywide Mortgage and Republic National Distributing Company. Registration for The Ride Grand Prix is available at www.TheRideNorman.com.
Riley Jarvis, Madeline Clark and Alexis Gay, Winners in the 7-8 year old girls division
{left} Bekham Rother, Caroline Clark and Laney Gay, Winners in the 5-6 year old girls division {below} Sutton Classen representing the Cleveland County Family YMCA
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Snap Shots
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin introduces Toby Keith
OU head football coach Bob Stoops introduces Garth Brooks
Toby Keith toasts the fans
Legendary football coach Barry Switzer introduces personal friend Mel Tillis
Ronnie Dunn
Bethel Acres native Wade Hayes waves goodbye to the fans
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Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sing a duet
Toby Keith Concert Thousands were in a fever pitch July 6 as Toby Keith’s Twister Relief Concert kicked off at the University of Oklahoma’s Memorial Stadium. Mel Tillis
Toby Keith raises his “Red Solo Cup”
Garth Brooks
The sold-out crowd cheered with palpable excitement in anticipation of hearing a star-studded lineup including Keith, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Willie Nelson, Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Dunn, Krystal Keith, Kellie Coffey, Mel Tillis and John Anderson as well as Carrie Underwood via satellite from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Special guests between sets included OU football coach Bob Stoops and former coach Barry Switzer, OU athletic director Joe Castiglione, City of Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. Photos by Jay Chilton
World war II-era propeller driven fighter planes fly over to kick off the concert
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Snap Shots
Norman Baseball and Softball Norman baseball, T-ball and softball teams wrapped up the summer season in late June with tournaments at Griffin Park. Hundreds of local youths played in league this year. City officials said about 1,300 kids played on 124 teams. The play all begins again next spring. In the meantime, soccer teams are forming to play Saturdays at Griffin Park, 12th Avenue NE and Robinson Street. Photos provided
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THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
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NOV. 22-DEC. 7
YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHERS’ SHOWCASE JAN. 23-26
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE FEB. 14-23
COSÌ FAN TUTTE MARCH 6-9
THE CHERRY ORCHARD APRIL 4-13
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The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. For accommodations on the basis of disability, call (405) 325-4101. www.ou.edu/eoo NORMAN magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
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Snap Shots
Tony Smith Taira Green, Porsha Keller and Rhea Sawyer.
Taraneh Tayaran, Patrick Carlson and Russ Moore.
Kids and adults like check out the artwork.
Malika Trotter and Sonya Hill
Second Friday Downtown Norman is transformed into an art-lovers paradise on the second Friday of each month. Galleries hold special exhibits, restaurants offer specials and artists take over the streets. Photos by Doug Hill
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Jack Gillespie, Mahina Tara Kaur and Mariah Rae.
JJ and Tim Bradford
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Mohammad Javaheri and Elise Derringer
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Snap Shots Sooner Welcome The University of Oklahoma welcomed its newest class of freshmen in August with games, food and prizes. An annual Friday night welcome was put on by the Norman Chamber of Commerce. Photos provided
Nick Maher Drew Walther
Terence Murphy, left and Pablo Mayen
Jonas Haldouis and Shannon Reiser
Belen Barona
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Amy McMullin, Kaitlynn Maddox
Crown Jewelers Nicole T. Jarvis, M.D. OB/GYN 3201 W. Tecumseh Road, Suite 220 Norman, Ok 73072 405-701-2424 www.NicoleJarvisMD.com
Welcome to Our World Norman’s Only Clock and Watch Repair Shoppe
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Holiday issue Coming in november Reserve Your Advertising Space Now.
Love • Strength • Hope
SURVIVORS T h e N o r m a n Tr a n s c r i p t I n v i t e s Yo u t o S h a r e Yo u r S t o r i e s .
OCTOBER
Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Norman Transcript invites you to share your fight, survival or loss of a loved one. Please submit your courageous stories to breastcancer@normantranscript.com. For additional information call 405.366.3542.
N nor mantranscr ipt.com
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Snap Shots
Anthony Wuesterfeld and Steve Faler Aaron Emerson and Marty Taylor
Kandi Nagel and Khorrie Luther
Rick Warren and Isaac Christian
Coaches Lunch OU Head Football Coach Bob Stoops, right, is joined on the Journey Church stage by assistant coaches Jay Norvel, Mike Stoops and Josh Heupel during this year’s annual Coaches Luncheon. The event raises money for Cleveland County children in the custody of the Department of Human Services.
Lindsey Jeffries and Sean Crandall
Charlotte Jones and John Koons Autumn McMahon and Grady Carter
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Candice Janowiak and Tara Forth
A Community of Friendship and Support
“I Love ThIs PLace!” As a seamstress, Mary spent many years patching up uniforms for the Sooners. Now, she cheers for her favorite team from the comfort of her new home...right here in Norman.
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Parting Shot
Summer’s last stand A youth plays in the City of Norman’s Splashpad on East Lindsey Street this summer. Cooler temperatures and falling leaves signaled the end of summer and the seasonal closing of the splashpads and pools in Norman. Photo by Travis Caperton
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Cami Benecke p h o t o g r a p h y 405-317-9419