J. Leland Gourley
OKC FRIDAY Founder/Publisher
50 years
of covering local news, sports
By Vicki C. Gourley Publisher
On May 10 1974, J. Leland Gourley pub‐lished the first issue of FRIDAY.
He was the owner and publisher of the Henryetta Daily Freelance. He left his general manager in charge of the Freelance to travel the state to campaign for gubernatorial candi‐date J. Howard Edmondson.
After Edmondson’s election, Gourley moved his family to Oklahoma City so he could serve as Edmonson’s chief of staff. Edmonson, 33, was and still is the youngest governor in the history of the state.
After Edmonson was elected to the U.S. Senate, Gourley bought State Capital Bank. But he longed to be back in the newspaper business.
He started FRIDAY in 1974 with news con‐tent covering Nichol Hills government and social scene. Jane Van Cleef was his first social column writer.
After reading this first issue, Vicki Clark –president of The Village Jaycees – visited Gourley’s office, saying “your newspaper is all Nichols Hills news and Village advertisers.”
Gourley hired Clark to write a Village col‐umn paying her $10 a week.
The newspaper thrived, but within the year, Gourley was threatened with a lawsuit from an Asian newspaper which had registered the name FRIDAY. Gourley quickly changed the name to OKC FRIDAY.
Now, as we celebrate our 50th year of all local news, we want to thank all of our readers and advertisers for your support.
Oklahoma City Ballet announces 2024/25 Season
“Future Voices: A Choreographic Showcase”: With no sets or complicated costumes, audiences get a close-up view of dancers in an intimate setting.
OOklahoma City Ballet is pleased to announce its 2024/25 Season, full of family‐friendly fun, classic favorites and an excit‐ing new version of “The Nutcracker.”
Oklahoma City Ballet’s season begins with the fifth annual “Ballet Under the Stars,” a FREE community performance held at Scissortail Park on Friday, Sept. 13. Featuring excerpts from classical ballet and modern dance, the evening is to include sev‐eral short works performed by the ballet’s professional dancers, as well as students from the Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School.
Guests are encouraged to come early to “Ballet Under the Stars” to get a great spot on the lawn and take part in family‐friendly activities starting at 5:30 p.m., including a 6:30 p.m. family dance class. Tickets or reservations are not required.
Oklahoma City Ballet returns to the Civic Center Music Hall for Jorden Morris’ “Peter Pan,” Oct. 18‐20. Audiences will adore seeing their favorite characters like Tinkerbell, Wendy Darling and her brothers, Michael and John, fly across the Civic Center stage. There will also be appearances by Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, Tigerlily and even Nana the dog.
Oklahoma City Ballet returns to the Civic Center Music Hall for Jorden Morris’ “Peter Pan.”
-Photos by Shevaun Williams
The holidays would not be the same without “The Nutcracker,” pre‐sented by Devon Energy and the Chickasaw Nation, which features all new sets, costumes, and choreography. Artistic Director Ryan Jolicoeur‐Nye is working with his design “dream team” to give everyone’s favorite holiday ballet a fresh look while keeping both the story and the experi‐ence traditional and family‐friendly. OKCPHIL is set to play the familiar Tchaikovsky score along with vocal accompaniment from Canterbury Voices.
“We’re not merely staging a performance; we're crafting a warm, wholesome, holiday story, and a visually stunning masterpiece for our audience," said Jolicoeur‐Nye. "With the support of Devon Energy and the Chickasaw Nation, we have the opportunity to dive deeply into creating an extraordinary show that will leave a lasting impression on everyone who experiences it. This presents a distinctive opportunity to redefine the artistic vision of ‘The Nutcracker,’ and we plan to introduce a capti‐vating twist."
In February 2025, Oklahoma City Ballet presents “Swan Lake” for two weekends in a row. “Swan Lake” is the epitome of ballet with elegant bal‐lerinas, chivalrous princes and heart‐wrenching music by Tchaikovsky, performed live by OKCPHIL. Performances are Feb. 7‐16.
“Future Voices: A Choreographic Showcase” is set to return for its sixth year, March 20‐23, 2025, in the Inasmuch Foundation Theater at Oklahoma City Ballet’s Susan E. Brackett Dance Center.
Featuring several world‐premiere short works created by Oklahoma City Ballet dancers, this audience favorite celebrates the process of chore‐ography and dance in its purest form. With no sets or complicated cos‐tumes, audiences get a close‐up view of dancers in the intimate setting of the world’s most iconic dance studio.
“‘Future Voices’ has become an audience favorite. You’re up‐close with our dancers in their home studio, witnessing how hard they work. It’s also a nice way to see our stunning facility, where parking is easy, and tickets are only $20 each,” said Jo Lynne Jones, Oklahoma City Ballet’s John Kirkpatrick executive director.
The 2024/25 Season concludes at the Civic Center Music Hall with “Shorts,” featuring three short works in one program: Ryan Jolicoeur‐Nye’s world premiere with music by the Flaming Lips; “Otra Vez” by Stephanie Martinez; and George Balanchine’s “Divertimento No. 15,” May 9‐11, 2025.
Season subscriptions to Oklahoma City Ballet’s 2024/25 Season are available now by calling (405) 848‐8637 or visiting www.okcballet.org. Season subscribers receive extra benefits like discounts, first choice of seats, free exchanges, and more. Single tickets to all performances go on sale Sept. 4.
Tickets may be purchased by calling Oklahoma City Ballet (405) 848‐TOES (8637), online at okcballet.org, or by calling the Civic Center Box office at (405) 297‐2264. The Oklahoma City Ballet Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 6800 North Classen Blvd., Oklahoma City. Follow Oklahoma City Ballet on social media @okcballet.
The 2024/25 Season concludes at the Civic Center Music Hall with “Shorts,” featuring three short works in one program.
-Photos by Shevaun Williams
OKC FRIDAY:
YEARS IN THE MAKING
An Evening in Camelot at the Oklahoma Museum of Art: Underwriters Chairman Judy Love and her husband, Tom, left with publicity Chairman Polly Keenan.
Pi Phi awards luncheon: Alums Cindi Shelby, Lynn Mills, Cindy Ball and Ann Mason.
of the
1984:
Festival
Arts
The picnic basket looks good to Peter and Susan Hoffman and Barney Lehmbeck.
OKC FRIDAY:
YEARS IN THE MAKING
1984: A collage of front pages from OKC FRIDAY’s first decade. The first edition of the newspaper was published on May 10,
OKC
: YEARS IN THE MAKING
Leaders of three Fridayland businesses celebrating their firms’ 20th anniversary in 1994 proudly display their success banner. They are, from left: J. Leland Gourley, editor, publisher, CEO of Nichols Hills Publishing Co.; Vicki Clark Gourley, executive editor and president of the same company that publishes FRIDAY: J. David Davenport, chairman of the board of Quail Creek Bank; Bert Olah Jr., president, CEO of Quail Creek Bank; Brenda Smith, executive vice president and secretary-treasurer of Larry Smith and Associates advertising agency; and Larry Smith, president, CEO of the Smith ad agency company.
OKC FRIDAY: YEARS IN THE MAKING
1994: Above — Joel Levine, Philharmonic music director, poses with Elaine and Harrison Levy who hosted a fundraising dinner for Ballet Oklahoma. At left — Red-nosed reindeer at their bridge club Christmas party are Joy Richardson, Helen Sanger and Susie Nelson.
OKC FRIDAY: YEARS IN THE MAKING
2004: Above — Oklahoma fashion jewelry designer Valerie Naifeh was featured on national TV on ABC’s “The Great Domestic Showdown.” At right — Louise and Clay Bennett at the opening of the downtown Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library. Clay was a member of the original MAPS Committee.
OKC
FRIDAY
: YEARS IN THE MAKING
2014: Above — Clay, Becky, Marnie and Clayton Taylor at Allied Arts’ biennial gala, Opus. At left — Actress Shirley Jones is surrounded by the men who adore her at the premiere of the remastered movie “Oklahoma” at Oklahoma City Community College. From left, Blake Wade, former Governor George Nigh, Barry Switzer and Lee Alan Smith. Inset: Broadway Ball Co-Chairmen Aimee Harlow and Connell Branan.
