Vol. 57 No. 34 • One Section • 12 pages • January 5, 2024 $1 per copy
Red Andrews Christmas Day Dinner From left: Diety Madrid, Red Andrews Dinner Chairman Mary Blankenship Pointer, Anita Poz and Jessica Cifuntes team up during the 76th annual event to offer food and toys for some 7,000 people. The distribution took place at Santa Fe South Charter School. For more photos, see Page 7.
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving affluent far north Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills and The Village for 49 years
Happy birthday, OKC FRIDAY! By Rose Lane Editor On May 10, 1974, J. Leland Gourley published the first edition of OKC FRIDAY. At the top of the front page, he proclaimed “Friday: Finishing
a week of productive labor, beginning an exciting weekend! Howdy! Meet your new paper, FRIDAY!” With that, he formed a community in far northwest Oklahoma City — Fridayland. Over the past 50 years, we’ve
covered news from the Capitol and City Hall, as well as the accomplishments of Fridaylanders and our students. We have told your stories from brushes with celebrities to your work on behalf of our many local nonprofits.
We have attended thousands of galas and high school sporting events, including in our publication the news which is important to you. In this our Golden Anniversary Year, we plan to
look back on the past 50 years and revisit where you and your families are today. Please join us by remembering your favorite OKC FRIDAY story. Submit your thoughts to rose@okcfriday.com.
Nichols Hills’ most tenured employee is stepping down By Shane Pate Nichols Hills City Manager
long waiting list of young people who need its services. “Obviously something like Pivot is needed in our city and we are proud to support such a worthy cause,” he said. Jennifer Goodrich, Pivot’s president and CEO, accepted the donation at the ball. With the $40,000 donation, the Bachelors
After 46 years of faithful service in Nichols Hills, the city’s longest serving employee, Major Neil Gray, is stepping down. Neil joined the Nichols Hills Police Department on Sept. 1, 1978 at the age of 22. In those days, the state minimum age qualification for a police officer was 18, which greatly benefitted Nichols Hills at the time because Neil had already been a deputy sheriff in Nowata for one year when he arrived in Nichols Hills. It wasn’t employment with the city that uprooted Neil from Nowata, but love and family. In August of 1977, Neil had just married his wife of now 46 years, Teri. The two decided to relocate to the Oklahoma City metro so Teri could finish her undergraduate studies at Central State (now University of Central Oklahoma). To support their family, Neil took on a security officer role at Kerr-McGee in Oklahoma City. While at Kerr-McGee, Neil became acquainted with petroleum geologist and philanthropist, Dean A. McGee, who lived just outside Nichols Hills next to the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club golf course. “Whenever Mr. McGee would go out of
See BALL, Page 2
See NHILLS, Page 12
-Photos by Fran Kozakowski
Bachelors Club Ball raises $40k for Pivot The 77th annual Charity Ball hosted by the Bachelors Club of Oklahoma City raised $40,000 for the local nonprofit Pivot, a Turning Point for Youth and presented 20 debutantes, according to tradition since 1945. Bachelors Club President Eddie Cook selected Pivot as this year’s recipient. Before the ball, this year’s Bachelors Club escorts
Above: The Bachelors Club court. At left: President Eddie Cook presents the Walter M. Powell Outstanding Alumni Award to longtime member Brian S. Ferguson. For more photos, see Pages 2 & 11.
and debutantes toured the organization’s headquarters to learn more about its mission focused on helping at-risk young people, many who are living on their own, access housing, counseling, educational and vocational services and more. Cook said he and the entire group loved visit-
ing Pivot in person and seeing the incredible work that those involved with Pivot do for the people they serve. “Their impact on our community is just unbelievable,” Cook said, noting that Pivot has a
OKC to consider stadium proposal On Thursday, Jan. 4, the Downtown TIF Review Committee was to consider using economic development funds to increase the budget for the MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium from $41 million to $71 million. The proposal is contingent on the multipurpose stadium being located downtown where an additional $30 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and other economic development funds could pay for a portion of the stadium’s construction costs. The proposal was to also be considered by the Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust on Friday, Jan. 5 and City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Property under contract OKC Energy FC ownership is under contract to purchase an area of undeveloped property south of Bricktown and east of the Oklahoma City Convention Center from the Producers Downtown Development, LLC. The ownership group plans to donate 7.2 acres of the area to the City for the stadium, which the City is to own. OKC Energy FC ownership plans to develop the remaining area into a sports-centered entertainment district. The land donation is dependent on approval from the MAPS 4 Venues Subcommittee and the MAPS 4 See STADIUM, Page 3
FRIDAY’s
Dog of the Week
Athena Grace just turned 3-years-old. She is a Silver German Shepherd. Helen Lloyd rescued Athena from an ugly backyard breeding situation. “But it is truly her that rescued me,” Lloyd said. “She helps me with my social anxieties and my eating disorder. “But most importantly, she was the inspiration and reason behind starting my own pet sitting business, Purrfect Pet Pal!” Athena helps many other dogs to socialize, train, and play. The ball is her absolute favorite toy. She can play with it for hours. The garden hose or sprinklers are her next favorite. Email Dog, Cat, Pet and Baby of the Week nominations with complete descriptions to rose@okcfriday.com.