TulsaPeople January 2024

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU | LIVES WELL LIVED | CHARITABLE EVENTS CALENDAR January 2024

TULSAN OF THE YEAR TULSA PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD PRESIDENT

STACEY WOOLLEY

INSIDE THE FIGHT TO PROTECT TPS P. 57

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Contents JANUARY 2024

VOLUME 38 ISSUE 3

7

CITY DESK Delivering medical supplies to Ukraine.

Learn the two-step at new concert series.

Music news and faces.

Catch the latest flicks at Circle Cinema.

61 New Year, New You at Club Pilates

LIFESTYLE Brookside style staple for nearly 40 years.

January 2024

TULSAPEOPLE JANUARY 2024

TULSAN OF THE YEAR

INSIDE THE FIGHT TO PROTECT TPS P. 57

TULSA PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD PRESIDENT

STACEY WOOLLEY ON THE COVER Tulsa Public Schools Board President Stacey Woolley is TulsaPeople’s Tulsan of the Year.

PHOTO BY MICHELLE POLLARD

4 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

57

2024 CHARITABLE EVENTS CALENDAR

STANDING UP FOR STUDENTS

Support local nonprofits at these upcoming events.

Inside the fight to protect Tulsa Public Schools with School Board President Stacey Woolley, TulsaPeople’s Tulsan of the Year

BY MADISON WALTERS

48 JENNIFER JEZEK VSC Fire and Security president and CEO, and 2024 Tulsa Regional Chamber chair

BY MARNIE FERNANDEZ

50

New home boasts contemporary design.

Play mahjong, make new friends.

Connie Cronley on winter and more.

BY TIM LANDES SPECIAL SECTIONS

66 NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

72 SPRING BREAK TRAVEL

87

TABLE TALK Sans-booze options at Saturn Room.

LIVES WELL LIVED

New hotel dining spot.

Remembering those we lost in 2023

3 places for comfort food.

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

Recipe rotation staples.

MICHELLE POLLARD; CITY DESK: GREG BOLLINGER

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU | LIVES WELL LIVED | CHARITABLE EVENTS CALENDAR

26

CONTENTS

FROM the PUBLISHER Volume XXXVIII, Number 3 ©2023. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, including created advertising in a proofed or printed stage.

J

TulsaPeople Magazine is published monthly by

anuary may be my least favorite month

President Stacey Woolley … as you will read

of TulsaPeople is always a personal

cover profile beginning on p. 57.

on the calendar, but our January issue

favorite during the year. I value our

in Features Editor Tim Landes’ excellent The magazine has named a “Tulsan of

recognizing and naming a Tulsan as “Tulsan

the Year” each year since 1999. Honorees

1999 — because it reflects a Tulsan’s good

2000; Pete Churchwell, 2001; George

of the Year” — something we’ve done since works in the present. I value spotlighting notable Tulsans who the community lost

during the past calendar year in our annual “Lives Well Lived” feature beginning on p. 50. It reflects the accomplishment of

good works past — a form of a final bow

to deserving Tulsans — whose passion and

efforts made a difference and will be missed.

Congratulations to Stacey Woolley on

her selection as our “Tulsan of the Year”

for 2024. Stacey was an easy choice for our editors this year based on her difference-

making leadership as president of the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education, a title she has held since 2021.

It has not been an easy road for Woolley.

TPS is the largest and most diverse public

school district in the state and faces unique

have been: Ed Keller, 1999; Keith Bailey, Kaiser, 2002; Kathleen Coan, 2003; Voters For Vision 2025, 2004; Beryl Ford,

2005; Ginny Creveling, 2006; Tom Kivisto, 2007; Tom McKeon, 2008; Dr. Gerry

Clancy, 2009; Kathy Taylor, 2010; Mike Neal, 2011; Keith Ballard, 2012; Phil Lakin, 2013; Becky Frank, 2014; Dr.

Steadman Upham, 2015; Marq Lewis, 2016; Damario Solomon-Simmons,

2017; The Donors and Leaders Behind 2019; Jeff Martin, 2020; It’s You (Frontline workers, teachers, essential workers and

others who stepped-up to serve during the pandemic year); Sterlin Harjo, 2022; The

Does this issue of TulsaPeople look a

Creative Director Madeline Crawford,

Walters, political activists, representatives

of special interest groups and some parents.

The result has been a chaotic mix of ongoing political attacks that have resulted in TPS’s

EDITOR Anne Brockman FEATURES EDITOR Tim Landes EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Tiffany Howard EDITORIAL CONSULTING Missy Kruse, The Write Company CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford ART DIRECTOR Georgia Brooks GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ashley Guerrero MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHER Michelle Pollard VIDEOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Andrea Canada ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Josh Kampf Rita Kirk CONTROLLER Mary McKisick RECEPTIONIST/MARKETING ASSISTANT Madison Walters INTERN Sevyn Bahntu

MEMBER

historic Cain’s Ballroom, 2023.

have been complicated by the words and

State Superintendent of Education Ryan

PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNITY RELATIONS Susie Miller

Rodgers Family, owners and managers of

little different to you? You are not seeing

actions of some state leaders, including

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon

Gathering Place, 2018; Judy Kishner,

problems and challenges, some based on

sheer size alone. Of course, the difficulties

1603 South Boulder Avenue Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119-4407 P: 918-585-9924 F: 918-585-9926

TulsaPeople’s distribution is audited annually by

things. Our talented and skilled team of

the magazine a new look as we enter our

Langdon Publishing Company sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. This issue of Tulsa People was printed on recycled fibers containing 20 percent post-consumer waste with inks containing a soy base blend. Our printer is a certified member of the Forestry Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and additionally, meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards. When you are finished with this issue, please pass it on to a friend or recycle it. We can have a better world if we choose it together.

magazine. tp

Disregard any TulsaPeople subscription solicitation that is not directly mailed from the Langdon Publishing office at 1603 S. Boulder Ave. Contact Langdon Publishing directly if you are interested in subscribing or renewing your TulsaPeople subscription.

Art Director Georgia Brooks and Graphic Designer Ashley Guerrero have given

38th year of proudly publishing Tulsa’s city

accreditation being threatened, the district’s leadership attacked, and the forcing of

long-tenured Superintendent Deborah Gist to resign. It has been a frustrating display in the news media. The steady hand on-the-

wheel throughout the chaos has been Board 6 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Jim Langdon PUBLISHER

S AY N O T O H A T E

City Desk NEWS

CAUSES

PASSIONS

READ MORE ON P. 16

“If I can use individual videos to jump-start somebody else’s learning curve years, that’s what I want to do,” says Shae Haning, owner of Tallgrass Tailor. “With the YouTube channel, I want you to be able to decide you want to start sewing and then do it.”

GREG BOLLINGER

B

SEW-ALONG

ecause of a language barrier between Shae Haning and some of her employees at Tallgrass Tailor, she turned to YouTube to create bilingual training videos.

“I started with some training and safety programs to help people learn to use new machinery, especially because some of the countries the women were coming from didn’t necessarily have automatic powered machines,” Haning says. “I used YouTube as a platform because it was easy to access. It was free and translated to different languages, including the written text.”

But as she posted these videos, she noticed other people started watching them.

“It blossomed from there,” Haning says. “People started making comments and asking, ‘Well, what about this’ or ‘Would you teach us to do this?’”

Her YouTube channel, The Sew Show with Shae, now has over 20,000 subscribers.

“I want these videos to be a really easy entry point for people to think, ‘I can do this.’ One of the things we include in all the videos is me screwing up because I want you to know that no one is doing anything perfectly in the world.”

Find Haning’s videos, all filmed in her shop, on YouTube. tp

TulsaPeople.com 7

CITY DESK

NOTEBOOK

Next project announced for Tulsa Botanic Garden

LOOKING BACK On Jan. 31 Gilcrease Museum Executive Director Susan Neal retires from decades of public service as she turns the keys of the museum over to Interim Director Jennifer Bennett, who will remain chief of staff for The University of Tulsa.

While the building will be completed later this year, exhibit fabrication and collection re-install will see the museum re-open to the public in 2026. Gilcrease is in good hands with Bennett, as Neal says that now funding is complete, leaving at this time gives a couple of years for a new director to establish themselves with the institution and leave their own mark on the project. — ANNE BROCKMAN READ MORE ABOUT NEAL, HER CAREER AND RETIREMENT PLANS ON TULSAPEOPLE.COM.

FREE FORM

8 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

JIM & CHERRY BOST ARBORETU BABBLING BROOK & PAVILIO

This month Tulsa Botanic Garden crews will begin working on the Jim and Cherry Bost Arboretum, a 2-acre area that will include more than 100 trees and shrubs with pathways, a plaza, pavilion and fountain.

Once completed this fall, the attraction will include trees such as oak, ginkgo, redbud, willow, sassafrass and dogwood among hydrangeas, azaleas and witch hazel shrubs. Along with fresh fall color, guests will be treated to more than 30,000 daffodils in the spring.

Those interested in learning more about the project or sponsoring a tree can do so at tulsabotanic.org. — ANNE BROCKMAN

If you viewed Gilcrease Museum’s artwork in unexpected places throughout Tulsa in the past year, you weren’t alone. According to research by its staff, the Gilcrease In Your Neighborhood public art program reached nearly one-third of the Tulsa metro area, or roughly 350,000 residents.

“The response we got is overwhelmingly positive,” says Alison Rossi, Anne and Henry Zarrow director of learning and community engagement.

The program — which features reproductions from the Gilcrease collection —launched in 2022 to reach residents while the museum is closed during the $139 million construction of its new facility. The Gilcrease team is using research they collected from its first year — through focus groups, community conversations, social media posts and other data — to cultivate another unique experience in 2024, featuring art in five areas throughout the Tulsa area.

“What we heard over and over from the community conversation was that people wanted to lean into programs that helped them focus on well-being and wellness,” Rossi says. “Putting art in another setting and providing additional context is a way we hope people can connect with art in a new way.”

For 2024, Gilcrease In Your Neighborhood will go back to nature at five attractions: Gathering Place, Turkey Mountain, Oxley Nature Center, Keystone Ancient Forest near Sand Springs, and Ray Harral Nature Park and Center in Broken Arrow. The next series installment will begin in mid-January. Museum staff will create corresponding discussions, family activity guides and activities for the public that tie to the natural settings.

“Art is for everyone. Museums don’t have to be an elitist space,” she says. “The collection and the museum belong to Tulsa.” — KIM BROWN

NEAL: GREG BOLLINGER; GILCREASE, TULSA BOTANIC GARDEN: COURTESY

Susan Neal, retiring Gilcrease Museum and Helmerich Center for American Research executive director

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CITY DESK

CALENDAR

JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS Jan. 2-7 HAIRSPRAY Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical “Hairspray” makes a stop at Tulsa’s Performing Arts Center for a show full of upbeat songs, laugh-outloud moments and spectacular dancing.

TULSAPAC.COM Jan. 7-13 CHILI BOWL NATIONALS This year marks the 38th annual Chili Bowl, taking place at Tulsa’s Expo Square. Watch as speedcars vie for the title of champion in this not-to-bemissed event of the season.

CHILIBOWL.COM Jan. 15 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY PARADE Join the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Society for its 45th annual parade, honoring the great Civil Rights Movement leader.

MLKTULSA.COM

MORE DATES TO SAVE

Jan. 3 VELVET CHAIR POETRY NIGHT gypsycoffee.com Jan. 4 NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S BINGO welltownbrewing.com Jan. 6 THE TULSA WEDDING SHOW thetulsaweddingshow.com

10 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Jan. 6-7 ALL-STAR TEAM ROPING allstarteamroping.com Jan. 12 OK, SO STORYSLAM oksotulsa.com Jan. 13 EBB AND FLOW: BRAHMS SYMPHONY NO. 3 tulsasymphony.org

Jan. 13 TFA TOURS — SPOTLIGHT THEATER: A BRUCE GOFF ICON tulsaarchitecture.org Jan. 20 GO SHORT, GO LONG, GO VERY LONG runsignup.com/race/ok/tulsa/ goshortgolonggoverylong Jan. 20 UNIVERSITY OF TULSA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. WICHITA STATE tulsahurricane.com

Jan. 28 TULSA OILERS VS. IDAHO STEELHEADS tulsaoilers.com Jan. 29-Feb. 4 TULSA BOAT SPORT AND TRAVEL SHOW tulsaboatshow.com Jan. 30 MANIA: THE ABBA TRIBUTE coxcentertulsa.com

TIM LANDES

Jan. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT VINTAGE BAR winebartulsa.com

CITY DESK

IN CONVERSATION

Whitney Stauffer Partner with Narrate Design and chair of the Foundation for Tulsa Schools STORY AND PHOTO BY TIM LANDES

NARRATE’S NEW OFFICE THAT HOUSES 35 EMPLOYEES STARTED OUT AS A PUBLIC SERVICE CO. OF OKLAHOMA APPLIANCE SHOWROOM ... I was excited about coming to downtown, but I totally underestimated how much I would love being in the middle of all this activity.

It’s like the Downtown Tulsa Partnership created a midweek farmers’ market for us.

It started right after we moved in, which is amazing. We like that we’re a part of what’s happening in the larger landscape, which is really great. You can see these big windows, it’s fun.

NARRATE IS WORKING WITH PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART ON ITS NEW CAMPUS MASTER PLAN AND OTHER LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, WHILE THEY ALSO WORK WITH NATIONAL CLIENTS … HEB Grocery Co. has been a client for 23 years, and we’re going on a decade of representing Chick-fi l-A. They’re both at the top of their game. They’re both innovative and laser focused on serving their customers well. We get to be part of that innovation and how that space reflects what they’re trying to do, so it’s really fun.

STAUFFER’S TWO CHILDREN ATTEND TULSA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND SHE HAS BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED SINCE THEY BEGAN AT COUNCIL OAK ELEMENTARY ... I’m just a huge believer in public school.

It’s the great equalizer. The most important thing that a community can do is to support their public school system. It’s very shortsighted to only think about your kids or your family. Th is group of children will be leading everything in the coming decades.

Whitney Stauffer is in business development with Narrate Design.

W

hitney Stauffer has a nice view of downtown from her desk that overlooks Chapman Green.

She’s a partner with Narrate Design, formerly Selser Schaefer Architects, an architectural, interiors and planning firm. After 30 years the firm has changed its name and relocated to the heart of downtown. Stauffer discussed the recent changes and more from the Narrate conference room that faces the southwest corner of Sixth and Main Streets.

12 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

THIRTY YEARS IN BUSINESS MARKED A GOOD TIME TO EVOLVE ... It’s a big change. But it’s good. It feels right. It is an homage to the founders. We were founded on the idea of storytelling, so to transition to a name like Narrate is perfect. They are excited about that change as well, which is really fun and exciting. We wanted to do something different and bold, and that could represent this place for the next 30 years and beyond as people will come and go.

AS THE BOARD CHAIR FOR FOUNDATION FOR TULSA SCHOOLS, SHE HELPS RAISE MONEY, BUT THAT’S NOT HER ONLY GOAL ... One of the big things for me, personally, is to tell the good news of TPS. There are a lot of sound bites that are very negative. That is not my personal experience at all. There are a lot of fantastic things happening in this district that I think just get lost in the noise.

ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS ARTRAGEOUS, A FUNDRAISING EVENT THAT FEATURES ART CREATED AND PERFORMED BY STUDENTS. THE NEXT ONE IS MAY 11 ... Holy cow! I had no idea the students in TPS fine arts programs were that great. It was just such a fantastic celebration. I’m excited to do it again. That’s just showcasing art. I think we can do that in all areas, and people would be shocked at how talented TPS students are. tp

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CITY DESK

CHANGEMAKERS

Helen Lazarin, mobile services coordinator, at a recent distribution event

The good life New center consolidates and expands services for local senior agency.

STORIES BY ABIGAIL SINGREY

F

or the LIFE Senior Services leadership team, the new Roma Berry Center for Seniors represents a culmination of years of dreaming.

When President and CEO Eileen Bradshaw joined the organization in 2019, the need to combine its scattered services under one roof was already apparent. When she stumbled across the perfect listing in 2020, it seemed like destiny.

The late Ruth Nelson, a longtime supporter of LIFE and a well-known community philanthropist, made it possible for LIFE to purchase the property at 4821 S. 72nd E. Ave. with a generous donation, allowing the nonprofit to begin planning for a capital campaign.

The 9-acre campus has mature shade trees and a 39,000-square-foot building built in 1974 that had formerly served as Bates Elementary School. The size of the campus allowed LIFE to build an additional 10,000-square-foot activity center, along with walking trails and pickleball courts.

Opening this month, the Roma Berry Center for Seniors will bring three of LIFE’s programs to one campus — the active senior center, the adult day health program and the LIFE PACE program, which provides services to allow seniors

14 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

to safely stay under their own roof and to access medical care.

“This new space synergizes a lot of our programs,” Bradshaw says.

The remodeled building will feature a state-of-the-art clinic with eight exam rooms and a pharmacy. While the existing clinic in north Tulsa will remain open, this additional location will allow LIFE to double its patient load. The adult day health program, for those who cannot be left home alone all day or who need more interaction, also will have a more spacious layout.

“This gives us the space to better refine our services and offer activities tailored to several levels,” Bradshaw says.

Since her generous donation for the purchase of the property made the whole project possible, Nelson was given the opportunity to name the new center. After careful consideration, she decided to pay tribute to Roma Berry, the very first friend her mother, Kate Kaiser, made when the family immigrated to the United States.

Berry dedicated numerous years to teaching in Tulsa Public Schools and remained a cherished family friend until her death.

“Given the educational history of the building, this seemed especially fitting,” Bradshaw says. “It’s a lovely tribute.” tp

Delivering hope Emergency Infant Services’ new mobile unit is providing a lifeline. The program launched this past April to give EIS a way to better serve families across Tulsa.

“For many families, finding transportation or money for gas to visit our downtown Tulsa location was a barrier to receiving services,” says Helen Lazarin, mobile services coordinator. “The mobile unit means we can reach families that we never could before by coming to them ... Everyone has been so grateful.”

The mobile unit goes out four to five times a week and has supplied up to 175 families at one time with: 50 diapers per child or 100 for newborns; 1 package of wipes per family; and about 50 ounces of formula per child. Each family is eligible to receive help from EIS up to eight times a year.

This program meets a critical need, as over 30% of local children under 6 years old live below the poverty line, according to EIS. As part of the organization’s mission, every family in crisis receives immediate help, because a young child cannot wait. The mobile program is funded by various charitable foundations, corporations and individual donors, which allows EIS to reach an average of 150 new families a week, bringing diapers, wipes and formula to more of the Tulsa metro area.

EIS has divided the Tulsa metro area into zones, identifying partner distribution locations such as another nonprofit or a library in each one. This helps them make their services accessible to everyone.

Learn more at eistulsa.org. tp

GREG BOLLINGER

LIFE Senior Services President and CEO Eileen Bradshaw outside the new Roma Berry Center that opens this month.

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Grandfather’s Clock Gallery was opened in 1987 by Harley and Mary Hunter and the store has been located at 31st and Yale in Tulsa for the past 36 years...until NOW! Store owners Talitha and Travis Grether are excited to announce they are now open at the corner of 11th and Rockford on 11th Street.

“We are pleased the new store enables us to expand our offerings of clocks, fine gifts and music boxes, and have a larger service department,” noted Talitha. “And we are very excited the store is located in the Meadow Gold District, on Route 66, amongst a great group of stores and small businesses,” added Travis.

The owners encourage past and future customers to come visit the new store, and attend their grand opening event on January 6, 2024.

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The team at Grandfather’s Clock Gallery includes, left to right: Alan Wolff, horologist; Megan Kane, store manager; Travis Grether, co-owner and horologist; Kailey Coffelt, sales & marketing; Talitha Grether, co-owner and horologist; Jordyn Winett, horologist; and Mike Ruttgen, horologist.

Topdog/Underdog, a full-length drama, is a premiere for Tulsa during African American History Month, which complements recognizing playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002, as the first African American woman to receive this reward. The play chronicles the adult lives of two AfricanAmerican brothers as they cope with poverty, racism, work, women, and their troubled upbringings.

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY TULSA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER | LIDDY DOENGES THEATRE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT TULSAPAC.COM OR 918-596-7111

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)

1416 E. 11TH ST. SUITE 4 | TULSA, OK 74120 TulsaPeople.com 15

CITY DESK

Tulsa transplant Shae Haning is the owner of Tallgrass Tailor, 1640 E. Third St., Suite A. The shop not only caters to all sewing needs — from pants to prom dresses — but also provides livable wages and flexible work schedules to immigrant mothers and women.

Tailor−made A Tulsan’s sewing business is also the perfect fit for employing female immigrants and refugees.

BY JULIANNE TRAN

S

hae Haning passionately lives and breathes her beloved craft: sewing.

“I can’t explain the draw (to sewing). It’s a total obsession. I’ve loved it my entire life,” Haning says. “I built welded pieces with my dad (growing up) and the one thing I struggled with was that though I love and appreciate art, I wanted more function.”

So, she turned to sewing. “What better way to display art than to put it on,” Haning

16 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

says. “It’s a craft that you get to build on forever and see every step of the process, the journey you traveled along the way.”

Haning, a Pennsylvania native, studied design and product development in New York City where she met her husband, Garrison Haning — then a West Point cadet and now an Army Major and the founder of safety tech start-up Safety Radar.

No matter where her husband was stationed, people needed her sewing help.

“Everybody always needed something.

There’s always (items to) patch, always a pant to hem.”

And when they landed in Tulsa nine years ago, Haning found herself altering and tailoring clothing at all points in the day when she wasn’t working her full-time job.

“When people find out that somebody sews, the trickle begins. Somebody brings in a pair of pants, and then somebody brings in a suit and then somebody brings in their daughter at lunchtime with her prom dress,” Haning laughs. “And I realized, ‘this could be a thing.’”

So, she started a sewing and tailoring business in her garage.

“It’s just really grown exponentially in a way that I didn’t initially think could be possible,” Haning says.

Her shop, Tallgrass Tailor, now occupies an 1,800-square-foot space and employs women from all walks of life, many of whom are immigrants and refugees.

“Sewing has been out of the schools for a bit now (in the United States), which makes it very difficult to hire. And at the same time, we were getting a large influx of Burmese coming into the country who are extremely talented at garment production, as garment production is one of the biggest exports of their country,” Haning says.

Haning now employs many Burmese, Afghan, Venezuelan and Mexican immigrants, namely mothers and women. She developed a system to pay each employee based on the time and complexity per piece, so they can choose how much work to take on each week depending on their family, homelife and financial needs.

This system allows her to pay her employees between $15 and $40 per hour, much more than the state minimum wage.

“They have the ability to perform a really needed skill in their home while they have small children at home and while they’re acclimating to a new country,” Haning says.

“The diversity I’ve been able to experience, specifically in a community of women, has been the most incredible, unforeseen aspect of this business,” Haning says. “Maybe language is still a barrier, but these are things we can work around. They do hard things well.”

Whether it’s fixing a dress to fit correctly or providing employment for an immigrant mother, Haning takes pride in her work.

“Every day, we’re able to provide a service that actually impacts somebody else’s life. I love that.”

Learn more at tallgrasstailor.com. tp

GREG BOLLINGER

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CITY DESK

COMMUNITY

Toni Foster recently joined Downtown Tulsa Partnership as an outreach coordinator to aid Tulsa’s unsheltered community.

Helping hand Pilot program seeks to support those experiencing homelessness in downtown.

BY KRISTI EATON

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cross Tulsa County, 1,133 people are experiencing homelessness — an increase of more than 6% from 2022-2023 — according to Tulsa Housing Solutions’ annual point-in-time survey.

A new outreach coordinator with the Downtown Tulsa Partnership — a local nonprofit whose mission is to provide a prosperous, vibrant and inclusive downtown — seeks to help support those who are unhoused in downtown Tulsa.

Toni Foster was hired in mid-2023 to address the mental health and housing needs of the unsheltered in the downtown vicinity through DTP. Originally from Kansas, Foster moved to Tulsa and was a certified nurse assistant for many years before pivoting to working for a senior nutrition program in Tulsa.

Foster says she has two goals for her new position: loving people where they are and meeting their needs right now.

For example, “If someone needs water, I’ve had people donate water so I can pass it out,” Foster says. As the coordinator, Foster is also able to interact and get to know the

18 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

individuals experiencing homelessness and connect them to other resources that exist in the community.

Brian Kurtz, president and CEO of DTP, says the pilot program is funded

by Ascension St. John Medical Center. If successful, DTP wants this to become a permanent part of its program and services.

“We wanted to provide an additional resource for individuals experiencing homelessness and those who are unsheltered,” he says. “Toni’s goal is to help meet immediate needs such as food, water, bedding, transportation and providing a listening ear. Bringing Toni on board allows us to have that closer touch point.”

Kurtz also adds that she cannot only mitigate issues but also be a point person for the unhoused who may need support. He says the idea for this role came from the needs in downtown and mirrors similar programs and positions seen in other downtowns across the country.

For more information or to request assistance, call 918-202-4093 or visit downtowntulsa.com. tp

In January 2015 TulsaPeople named its Tulsan of the Year: Steadman Upham.

As the president of The University of Tulsa, Upham was recognized for leading the institution through a remarkable renaissance — new buildings, campus upgrades, advanced programs, a partnership with the City of Tulsa and Gilcrease Museum, the establishment of the Mary K. and John T. Oxley College of Health Sciences, and a comprehensive service initiative called True Blue Neighbors.

Upham, who earned his Ph.D. in anthropology from Arizona State University, retired from TU in 2012 only to return that same year to his role as president at the request of the Board of Trustees. He retired again in 2016 and planned to return to teach in the anthropology department.

In 2016, Upham and his wife, Peggy, established an endowment fund in association with the Chapman Legacy Society to support TU’s general operations. Three supporters named endowments in the Uphams’ honor: The Steadman and Peggy Upham Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund, The Steadman and Peggy Upham Endowment for Community Service and Outreach, and The Steadman Upham Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Upham died July 30, 2017, from complications following surgery. His passionate service and contributions toward elevating TU as a dynamic educational institution live on.

— ANNE BROCKMAN

GREG BOLLINGER

COVERS REVISITED

CITY DESK

NEWSMAKERS

Tomasino, second from right, made the deliveries in October with the humanitarian group Medical Life Lines Ukraine.

Former Tulsan Luc Tomasino recently visited Tulsa after traveling to Ukraine from his home in France to deliver medical supplies.

Emergency response Former Tulsan delivers medical supplies to benefit Ukraine’s war efforts.

BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

TOMASINO: GREG BOLLINGER; MLLU: COURTESY LUC TOMASINO

A

s an international growth executive for 30 years and the son of parents with deep European roots, former Tulsan and Holland Hall graduate Luc Tomasino has spent over half his life abroad. In October, Tomasino set out from his home in France on a journey organized by London-based humanitarian group Medical Life Lines Ukraine to deliver ambulances and supplies to Ukraine. For Tomasino, the arduous trip of more than 1,500 miles through several countries was well worth the effort and the risk.

“During the trip, the war’s presence was seen and felt everywhere we went by the flowers, photographs, tombstones and crosses — so many of them,” Tomasino recalls. “All the Ukrainians we met had been affected by the war. I saw strength in how unified and committed they remained. There

is no question in their mind that they will continue resisting Russia. There is no debate on that at all, and they expressed enormous gratitude for the support of France, Europe, the U.S. and all of our partners.”

Tomasino was part of a convoy of five ambulances that traveled from London through eastern Germany and Poland before arriving in Lviv and Kyiv, from where the vehicles and supplies would be distributed to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and a couple of charities for use throughout the country, primarily to high-risk areas. The group was accompanied by a team leader and several Ukrainians who helped them navigate border crossings and customs, often a four-hour process. Prior to Tomasino’s trip, MLLU had delivered 47 ambulances in 2023. The organization will continue to do so as long as they are needed.

Tomasino will continue to help.

“I remain connected to MLLU and will do another trip (in 2024),” he says. “I’m also connected to people who are involved in planning for Ukraine reconstruction programs, very similar to the U.S. Marshall Plan that kicked in at the end of World War II. I aim to be involved with that.”

As a nod to his Oklahoma roots, Tomasino delivered a flag from Oklahoma’s Thunderbird 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, an Oklahoma National Guard unit known for helping liberate the concentration camp at Dachau, Germany, at the end of World War II, to the director of the main Ukrainian military hospital in Kyiv. It was a personal mission for Tomasino, separate from his volunteer efforts on behalf of MLLU. “I’ve always been proud to be from Oklahoma. I feel it’s made up of extraordinary people who are smart, committed, kind and progressing, maybe not as fast as others, myself included, would like, but we are steady and consistently moving forward,” he says.

“I can’t stand it when people say Oklahoma is a ‘fly-over state,’ or that we are a ‘fly-over people.’ We’re not perfect, but we matter, and we make a positive difference in more ways than people realize. When I come back to visit Tulsa, I feel really secure, happy and at peace. I love Tulsa and miss it.”

Back in France after a visit to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving, Tomasino reflects on a very busy fall.

“I’m happy to be home, but I still think of the Ukrainians every day and the hardships and sacrifices they are making. We were stressed just being there a week. They live with it every day.”

For more information on MLLU, visit medicallifelines.org.uk. tp TulsaPeople.com 19

CITY DESK

MUSIC NOTES

Brad Harris

BEHIND THE MUSIC

Two-steppin’ good time Monthly music-and-dance series welcomes guest performances.

STORIES BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

W

hen Oklahoma musician JD McPherson moved back from Nashville last year, he brought one of his favorite Music City traditions with him. The “Tulsey Town Two-Step” — an evening of classic country music and dance McPherson began at Tulsa’s VFW Post 577 in November — is loosely based on “Honky Tonk Tuesdays,” a well-known community event at the American Legion in east Nashville. The monthly Tulsey Town event features a full band, a host of special guests and are already gaining a loyal audience.

McPherson coordinates Tulsey Town with house bandleader Jesse Aycock and describes it as a “fast-moving variety show, with multiple guest singers.” Those guests have included everyone from “Reservation Dogs” creator Sterlin Harjo and Austinbased singer-songwriter Melissa Carper to Tulsa’s own Kalyn Fay, Jacob Tovar and John Fullbright.

The evening kicks off with free dance lessons, which McPherson believes is key to its success.

“Dance lessons at the top of the night are essential,” he says. “It’s important to me

20 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

that everyone feels welcome, and having dance lessons provided really entices curious newcomers to check everything out.”

Tulsey Town also has given McPherson an easy way to reintegrate into the local music scene.

“It’s been the best possible icebreaker. I would occasionally see Tulsa musicians here and there at festivals, and it always made me homesick. I can’t say the Nashville music community isn’t welcoming, but it’s so large and the hustle is so prevalent that this kind of event would not feel the way that it does here,” he says. “Tulsa’s musical community is smaller and more nurturing — and funnier!”

Tulsey Town house band drummer Paddy Ryan agrees.

“What makes this a fun hometown gig is the buzz around it,” he says. “It’s no secret that it’s more fun to play to a packed room, and looking out and seeing all the dancers and the timeless atmosphere of the VFW while playing new (to me) songs makes these nights really special.”

For more information on the next Tulsey Town Two-Step, visit Instagram @tulseytown2step. For more on McPherson, visit jdmcpherson.com. tp

WHAT SURPRISES PEOPLE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? Almost any show takes 8-10 hours to set up. It doesn’t matter who they are. National or regional, it takes all day to set up. People see that stage, and they think nothing of it, but that took six hours to build.

WHAT DOES YOUR JOB ENTAIL? Once the contract is signed, I become the facilitator for the artist. From that point on, I’m the person they want to talk to to get stuff done — from labor, lodging and catering to logistics and sound and lights. I have to keep all of that running in smooth order.

CAIN’S TURNS 100 IN 2024. WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THE VENUE? The history and the vibe. You can feel it when you walk in the door. It’s brought so many people together and so much happiness. I’ve met so many people in my travels who have heard of Cain’s Ballroom. It’s great to hear that, feel that and be a part of it. tp

GREG BOLLINGER; HARRIS: PHIL CLARKIN

Dance lessons during a recent Tulsey Town Two-Step night at Tulsa’s VFW Post 577, 1109 E. Sixth St.

A familiar face to anyone who’s been to Cain’s Ballroom, Brad Harris has been the venue’s production manager for 19 years. A native of Idaho, Harris served nine years in the Marines, Air Guard and Reserves before moving to Tulsa to pursue a career in aviation.

When the 9/11 attacks derailed those plans, Harris picked up some music production gigs, eventually landing his job at the historic venue where he often puts in 16-hour days. It’s both a challenging and rewarding job, and Harris loves it.

CITY DESK

MUSIC NOTES

Medicine Horse

MARSH: PHIL CLARKIN; COURTESY MEDICINE HORSE

METAL MAGIC Cherokee Nation citizen and chef Nico Albert Williams weaves her Indigenous identity into everything she does, including her creative work as vocalist and a founding member of Tulsa-based metal band Medicine Horse.

Formed during the pandemic, the band released its self-titled debut album in September. In addition to Williams and her guitarist husband, Kyle Williams (Otoe-Missouria, Ponca and Ioway Nations), Medicine Horse includes lead guitarist Travis Rowe, Chris West on bass and Garrett Heck on the drums.

Having a female lead vocalist and an Indigenous perspective make Medicine Horse an anomaly in a predominantly white- and male-dominated genre.

“There are a significant number of Native metal bands; it’s a whole scene.

There are also truly inspiring female vocalists in metal who I think are getting a lot of long-overdue attention, but our being a combination of Indigenous and feminine representation in heavy metal music does feel like new ground,” Williams notes. “With our music, I want to tell Indigenous stories that will resonate within our own community and with non-Native people as well. The doom and sludge aspects of our sound really help convey some of those darker and thematically heavier narratives, but then we have these really bright crescendos that I feel allow us to keep a positive and hopeful message about our future too. I want our music to make our people feel empowered.”

Visit facebook.com/medicinehorse918 for more. — JULIE WENGER WATSON

Whether by joining other Tulsa performers or jazzing it up with his own band, Bishop Marsh brings the soaring sounds of the trumpet across the city.

Taking risks Trumpeter makes music across the city.

BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

T

wenty-five-year-old trumpeter and 2017 Booker T. Washington High School graduate Bishop Marsh is a fi xture on Tulsa’s music scene. You may have seen him performing with Mike Cameron at LowDown’s twice-monthly “Free Energy: All-Ages Jazz Jam,” or as a member of King Cabbage Brass Band.

Born in Atlanta, but mostly raised in Tulsa, Marsh learned to play trumpet in his sixth-grade band class in Butte, Montana, where his family lived for a time. Although his fi rst choice had actually been the tuba, Marsh quickly grew to embrace the instrument. Over a decade later, it’s hard to imagine his life without it.

Marsh’s dad, who worked with a number of jazz musicians in his own job as a bartender, fostered his son’s musical passion early on, encouraging him to not only listen to great trumpeters like Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, but to also explore all kinds of music.

“My dad saying that made me realize it’s OK to like the music that I like to play, as long as I’m keeping my ears open to other things,” Marsh says. “That allows your brain to be able to understand different situations that you wouldn’t otherwise normally understand.”

Marsh tries to bring that philosophy to the students at Tulsa Community College, where he volunteers with the music department several days a week.

“I really try to make sure that the kids all know that it’s not wrong to be yourself. It’s not wrong to want to listen to other types of music than jazz and to let that cross over into the music that you create,” he says.

“Music can be about joy. It can be about happiness. It can be about greed. It can be about jealousy. Music is an all-telling thing.

Everybody can speak on their own human experience with it.”

For Marsh, life, like jazz, is about finding your own voice.

“Ultimately, you choose your own destiny. You should be able to say and do whatever it is you want,” he says. “To me, as someone who plays jazz music, I think it’s very important to take risks. I think taking risks is part of the development of the human experience, and especially, of your own individual thoughts — of being your own person.”

For more information on Marsh, who has a new album in the works with his Bishop Marsh Quintet, visit facebook.com/ bishop.konopkamarsh. tp TulsaPeople.com 21

CITY DESK

MEET AND GREET

THIS MONTH AT

Circle Cinema FALLEN LEAVES Opens for daily screenings Jan. 5 Two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a Helsinki karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles.

This tender romantic tragicomedy, directed

by Aki Kaurismäki, is a timely reminder of the potency of movie-going.

SHARED LEGACIES 6 p.m., Jan. 11 “Shared Legacies” tells the story of the coalition and friendship between the Jewish and African American communities during the Civil Rights Movement. Pivotal events come alive through a treasure trove of archival materials, narrated by eyewitnesses, activists, Holocaust survivors and leaders of the movement. Pre- and post-show events.

Pop to it OKPOP’s new director familiar with Sooner State history.

BY MATTHEW ENDACOTT

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amed executive director of OKPOP Museum in September, Jake Krumwiede is no stranger to the Oklahoma Historical Society, the state agency that manages the forthcoming museum.

The Claremore native started his career with OHS as a volunteer in 2003 and later as an intern at Claremore’s Will Rogers Memorial Museum, where he eventually became assistant director. Most recently, he served four years as executive director of the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid.

WHAT IS THE VISION FOR THE MUSEUM? It’s exploring Oklahoma’s influence on popular culture by exploring the idea of creativity.

And so in some ways this is a museum of creativity, as well. Everything that we do with the exhibits we’re building, from the time people walk through that door, is to inspire. We want to make people feel like they can achieve the things that all these great Oklahomans have done.

22 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE THIS YOUR LIFE’S PATH AND TO SHARE OKLAHOMA HISTORY WITH OTHER PEOPLE? I think the best way to say it is that Oklahoma’s history is complicated.

There are parts of our shared history that are inspirational, and there are parts that are challenging, too. So the better we all understand our story, the better we can progress.

We all want to make the world a better place. This is how I help do it.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS TO DO IN TULSA? Music has always been the thing that I’ve loved about Tulsa. I grew up in this Tulsa area going to different local music shows since I was 15 years old — gosh, even younger. I had the great pleasure of seeing John Moreland play at the age of 15 to a room of about five people. It was such a great experience growing up in this area and hearing the music I got to hear when I was younger. Music is a big deal to me, and Tulsa has always been a good place to experience it. tp

THE WIND (1928) 11 a.m., Jan. 13 In this month’s Second Saturday Silent Series, see Lillian Gish in the romantic tragedy “The Wind.” A frail young woman from the East moves in with her cousin in the West, where she causes tension within the family and is slowly driven mad.

FULL CIRCLE Open for daily screenings Jan. 12; special screening with The Center, 2 p.m., Jan. 14 In 2014, Trevor Kennison’s life was forever altered by a broken back — for worse and for better, in equal measures. Barry Corbet, a skier, mountaineer, explorer, filmmaker and Jackson Hole legend, broke his back in a helicopter crash in 1968. Their stories mirror each other, connected through time and space by common locations and motifs; but also, through their shared resiliency and refusal to let their passion for life be limited by their injuries.

DRIVING MADELEINE Opens for daily screenings Jan. 26 Madeleine, 92 years old, calls a taxi to take her to the retirement home where she will live. Charles, a disillusioned driver with a tender heart, agrees to drive by the places that affected Madeleine’s life. Through the streets of Paris, her extraordinary past is revealed.

Compiled by Circle Cinema’s Ryan Thomas.

Visit circlecinema.org for pricing and more information.

GREG BOLLINGER

“I kind of cut my professional teeth on what we call the grandfather of Oklahoma popular culture, Will Rogers,” says Jake Krumwiede, executive director of OKPOP.

COMMON GROUND Opens for daily screenings Jan. 12 By fusing journalistic exposé with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, Common Ground unveils a dark web of money, power and politics behind our broken food system.

CITY DESK

BERYL FORD COLLECTION, ROTARY CLUB OF TULSA, TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY, AND TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Edward Calkins

Enthusiastic advocate Edward Calkins survived the Civil War and a dynamite mishap before winning Tulsa’s first mayoral race.

BY MICHAEL OVERALL

A

newcomer to Tulsa in the late 1800s once asked Col. Edward Calkins, the city’s first mayor, if he had lost his arm in the Civil War. The aging colonel looked at her wearily.

“Must an old solider relive all that?” he asked.

Calkins didn’t like talking about it, but he never lied about his injury. The truth is: He

survived the war with both arms intact and suffered an accident only after moving to Indian Territory in 1894, three decades after leaving the Army.

Calkins went fishing one day with a friend and grew frustrated after not catching anything with a hook and line, so he began to throw sticks of dynamite into the pond.

Upon lighting the second stick of dynamite,

however, he didn’t throw it quickly enough and was lucky to only lose an arm.

Born in 1836, in Burlington, Pennsylvania, Calkins volunteered for the Union Army when he was 27 years old and served two years as an officer in the 7th Regiment of the Indiana Cavalry.

He was 58 years old when he arrived in Tulsa to open the city’s first law office. And he became one of 10 local pioneers who signed the city’s charter of incorporation in December 1897, allowing Tulsa to form its first municipal government.

The same group of founders nominated Calkins for mayor. And, with nobody running against him, most people assumed Tulsa wouldn’t have to actually bother voting on him. But Calkins insisted.

He obtained a ballot box from a local blacksmith, who simply attached a brass padlock to a cigar box and cut a slit in the top. The town went through the motions of having a mayoral election in April 1898.

Calkins’ duties included chairing City Council meetings and overseeing minor court cases. And he began collecting Tulsa’s first property taxes. His most notable infrastructure project was having Main Street plowed to remove tall weeds and fill in deep ruts, making it easier for horses and buggies to navigate. Unfortunately, little else is known about Calkins’ administration because all the records, kept in a single midsized journal, went missing not long after he left office.

R.N. Bynum, the great-great-grandfather of Mayor G.T. Bynum, succeeded Calkins in 1899. Then Calkins ran for mayor again in 1900 as a Republican, drawing opposition from Democrat Lewis Poe, who was also an attorney. Calkins lost by just 31 votes.

While he never ran for office again, Calkins remained an enthusiastic advocate for Tulsa. He was one of several local leaders who rode aboard the famous “Royal Tulsa” booster train that traveled to New York and back in the spring of 1908, stopping at more than two dozen cities along the way to promote investment in the city.

Calkins died in 1911 at age 74. News reports after his death remembered him as a “courtly gentleman” and “a good story-teller” who “on occasion became very earnest and indulged in eloquent flights of oratory.” tp TulsaPeople.com 23

CITY DESK

BENEFITS

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ART PARTY Tulsa Girls Art School held its annual fundraising event on Nov. 3 at Tulsa Country Club. The 200 guests in attendance mingled with the student artists, listened to their stories of growth and had the chance to bid on their original artwork. This year’s party took inspiration from the prolific Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama — “the Princess of Polka Dots” — as guests were encouraged to wear polka dots and colorful attire. Guests also were able to spend the night dancing to local musicians like Stephanie Oliver and Zingo the Band, while dining on food from Tulsa Country Club. Thanks to attendees, Tulsa Girls Art School raised 50% of its annual operating budget, which provides year-round art and youth development programming.

5 1. Karla Hoose, left, Tulsa Girls Art School committee member, and Taheerah Salim, owner of Sound Mind Sound Body Pilates 2. Tulsa Girls Art School Executive Director Adrienne Duffy, center, with board member Janieire Hagen, right, and committee member Betina Cavalcante 3. Bob Zinke, Tulsa Girls Art School board member, and Dr. Brooke Esteves, committee member, pose with a model styled by Ihloff Salon and Day Spa, wearing a one-of-a-kind fashion created by Tulsa Girls Art School students. 4. Tulsa Girls Art School teacher Tim Todd with Art School senior Tiah Gray, left, and Art School graduate Lily Williams, right 5. Work from student artists was auctioned at the event.

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MOVERS AND SHAKERS Movers and Shakers, presented by Food on the Move, helped celebrate FOTM’s partners that help fight food insecurity along with them. FOTM focuses on food distribution, educational programs, workforce development, health assessments and innovative solutions. Taking place at OKPOP on Nov. 11, 430 guests attended the organization’s inaugural gala, which featured performances by Full Flava Kings/Black Wall Street Collective and cuisine from PartyServe. 1. From left, Zac Hanson, Kate Hanson, Taylor Hanson, founder of Food on the Move, Natalie Hanson, Isaac Hanson and Nikki Hanson posing for a photo before the after-party hosted by Taylor 24 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

5 Hanson. 2. Taylor Hanson; Marissa Jeffery, recreation coordinator of Tulsa Parks; Nicole Brannon, park manager for the City of Tulsa; Kevin Harper, CEO and president of FOTM; and Kacy Termini, morning DJ for 106.9 FM. 3. Attendees Darlee Chaloupek and Kaci Skidgel 4. From left, attendees Jamie Taylor, Marlow Perkins Sipes, Bobby Darby, Karen Darby and Kim Pool pose for a photo at the GRAMMY-themed event. 5. Taylor Hanson and DJ Ed play some music to a packed crowd at the after-party.

ART PARTY: GREG BOLLINGER; MOVERS AND SHAKERS: TOM GILBERT

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CITY DESK

BENEFITS

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LEFTOVER LAST WALTZ Five hundred guests gathered Nov. 19 at the historic Cain’s Ballroom for an evening of live music and a festive feast catered

by Mac’s Barbecue, all in support of the Foundation for Tulsa Schools. Featuring musical stylings from Paul Benjaman, John Fullbright, Sarah Frick, members of the King Cabbage Brass Band and many more, the event helped continue the grand tradition that was started in 2014 by Matthew Schultz, benefiting a

different charitable organization each year. This year’s event was organized by Greg Bollinger. 1. The musicians played excerpts from the soundtrack of the 1978 documentary, “The Last Waltz, “ which featured the musical act The Band. 2. Paul Benjaman, center left, and Sarah Frick, center right, cover the classics from the film’s soundtrack. 3. Ryan Hatcher of King Cabbage Brass Band performs

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2024

Charitable Events Calendar Published in association with the Tulsa Community Foundation C OM P I L E D BY M A D I S ON WA LT E R S

January

February

8 Modus Monday: Sponsor a Ride

modustulsa.org

3 The Big Show Off

thebigshowoff.org

11-12 Beyond Awareness Educational Summit

thedemandproject.org 12-14 Dream Meet

aimhighgym.org/dream-meet 19 Trivia Night

casciahall.com/trivia 22 Eat, Drink and Be Giving

tulsacenter.org/event/ edbgduet 24 Designer’s Choice

tulsagardenclub.org 27 Toyland Ball

toylandball.org Trivia Night

bishopkelley.org

26 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

4 Dinner with Pat Gordon

tulsabotanic.org/ botanic-events 9 Big Casino Night

bbbsok.org 10 Bringing Broadway Home

craftproductions.org/ fundraisers CASA Casino

tulsacasa.org Cooking Up Compassion

cceok.org 10-11 Galentine’s Tea Party ­ jltulsa.org 15 Lived United Awards

tauw.org 17 Ancient Trail Trek

facebook.com/ keystoneancientforest

Pink Stiletto

komenoklahoma.org Sowing Seeds for our Future

educationforscholars.org/ events 20 Bingo Night

bridgestulsa.org/ bingonight2024 24 Riverfield Rocks the Cain’s

riverfield.org Splash!

okaquarium.org TBH Junior Women’s Association Buttercup Bash

tulsaboyshome.org/ buttercup-bash 27 BEERthoven

signaturesymphony.org/ beerthoven 29 TBH Women’s Association Bingo Night

tulsaboyshome.org/ bingo-night

March 2 Brainiac Ball

brainiacball.com Sapphire Celebration

riverfield.org/give/ sapphire-celebration

21-April 22 Tulsa Botanic BLOOM

tulsabotanic.org 23 Raising Hope Blue Tie Gala

thedemandproject.org 28 Pinnacle Awards

ywcatulsa.org

5 William Booth Society Gala

salvationarmyaok.org

30 Opera Ball

tulsaopera.com/operaball

8 Street Party

streetpartytulsa.com

TBD Legacy Luncheon

lindseyhouse.org

9 Candy Ball Havana Nights

candyball.org

April

Dance of the Two Moons: Mardi Gras

ihcrc2moons.org 16 Red Ribbon Gala

redribbongala.org Runway Run

tulsamuseum.org St. Patrick’s Day Run

sook.org

4 Back Roads Bash

bridgestulsa.org Global Vision Gala

tulsaglobalalliance.org Mentorship Matters ­ jltulsa.org Oysters and Ale

hospiceofgreencountry.org/ oystersandale

CONTINUED ON P. 28

CONTINUED FROM P. 26

The Spring Gala

thespringok.org TBH Women’s Association Spring Luncheon

tulsaboyshome.org 5 Celebrate Cascia

casciahall.com

12-13 SpringFest

tulsagardencenter.org

Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards

okcnp.org

Walk MS Tulsa

events.nationalmssociety. org

13 Icons and Idols: Legends of Pop

iconsandidols.org

ZooRun

tulsazoo.org

29 Wish Upon a Par Golf Tournament

wish.org/oklahoma

Mini-Laps

littlelighthouse.org

25 Raise the Roof

tinyurl.com/raisetheroof24

St. Jude Dream Home Tickets on Sale ­

stjude.org

Pranks and Paws: Trivia Night

tulsaspca.org

25-May 19 Designer Showcase

tulsahba.com

5-7 Art in Bloom

philbrook.org

Waffles for Wishes — A Celebration Lunch and Silent Auction

wish.org/oklahoma

25-27 Philbrook Wine Experience

philbrook.org

6 Carnivale: Neon Symphony

bestpartyintown.org

16 Aquarium Run

okaquarium.org

26 Taste of Tulsa

bbbsok.org

GLOW Gala

global-gardens.org

19 The Bubbly Bash

rmhctulsa.org

Hall of Fame

willrogersfoundation.net

Grandslam Gala

youthatheart.org/gala

Showing for Tulsa!

tulsagardenclub.org

VOLUTE

voaok.org/volute

Spring Sip and Stroll

tulsabotanic.org

Women of the Year Luncheon

tulsapanhellenic.org/ 2024-women-of-the-year

11 ARTrageous

foundationfortulsaschools. org Glamp Fire

tulsacampfire.org 12 The Monarch Ball

themonarchball.com 28 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

20 Bishop Kelley Auction

bishopkelley.org Go Girl Gala

gogirlgala.org Heart Walk Tulsa

heart.org

Tulsa Play for JA Outerspace Bowl ­

oklahoma.ja.org 27 Hunger in your Backyard Gala

hungerinyourbackyard.com Llamapalooza

riverfield.org Mad Scientist Ball

discoverylab.org Overture Gala

signaturesymphony.org/ overture Shoot for The Center

tulsacenter.org

TBD Breakfast with the Bunny

tulsazoo.org Founders Dinner

irongatetulsa.org Party for the Planet

tulsazoo.org Spring Fundraiser

owassohelps.org

May 1 Newsmakers

awctulsa.org 3 Second Chance Prom

yst2ndchanceprom.com Sip for Sight Gala

vizavance.org 4 Brewed for Gilcrease

gilcrease.org Illuminating Hope: Memory Gala 2024

memorygala.org Kaleidoscope. Colorful Minds. Bright Futures.

unionfoundation.org

Garden Party

littlelighthouse.org Run for the Roses

tulsaboyshome.org Superhero Challenge

cansuperherochallenge.org 7 Appetite for Construction

tulsahba.com 10 Patron Recognition Event

tulsagardenclub.org 11 Garden Tour

tulsagardenclub.org Tour de Neighbors

tourdeNeighbors.com 17 Conservation on Tap

tulsazoo.org 18 Garden Gala

anewleaf.org 18-June 22 St. Jude Dream House Open House ­

stjude.org 19 Lager Land Festival

philbrook.org 30-31 Annual Symposium ­

jhfcenter.org

CONTINUED ON P. 30

NOT SURE HOW TO HELP THE HOMELESS? If you walk or drive past people on the street who need assistance, you can rest assured that there are dozens of organizations in Tulsa who have oneon-one relationships with the chronically homeless. While giving money directly to individuals can be problematic, your gift to the Tulsa Day Center is fully tax-deductible and will go directly to providing shelter, medical care and rapid re-housing assistance to those at risk of homelessness.

Since January 2023, the Day Center has helped:

416 1,932 22,346

people avoid homelessness through prevention services people who visited the clinic, preventing 322 ER visits people who needed an overnight shelter to stay off the streets

Start 2024 with a donation to the Tulsa Day Center by scanning the QR code or by going to tulsadaycenter.org/donate.

CONTINUED FROM P. 28

31 The Party: Just Wear White

thepartyok.com 31-June 6 Just for Kids Festival

okmmusic.org TBD Great Plains Journalism Awards

tulsapressclub.org Madam President

lwvmadampresident.com

June 1 Every Moment Counts Walk and Run

clarehouse.org Inspire: A Night of Entertainment

nighttoinspire.org 2-8 National Garden Week

tulsagardenclub.org 6 Through the Looking Glass: Reflecting a Decade at Reading Partners

readingpartners.org 7-9 OKM Music Festival

okmmusic.org 14 Celebrate LIFE and All That Jazz

events.readysetauction.com 21 Links to Independence

abilityresources.org 30 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

23 St. Jude Dream House Winner Announcement ­

stjude.org

July 1-31 Sharklahoma

okaquarium.org 19 Giveback Golf Classic

es. owassohelps.org 23 Bowl for Kids’ Sake

give.bigoklahoma.org TBD Knock Out Violence

dvis.org/kov

August 2 Summer Arts Festival

tulsaboyshome.org 3 Shining the Light

braininjuryrecovery foundation.org 9 Pickleball Smash Classic

hospiceofgreencountry.org Ringmasters Golf and Gala

tulsastatefair.com 24 Maker Faire Tulsa

tulsa.makerfaire.com

27 Frank Rhoades Golf Classic

tulsaboyshome.org 31-Sept. 2 Lemon-Aid

thelemonaidproject.org TBD Bingo Bash

tulsaspca.org

September 5 Vision Dinner

tccfoundation.org 6-15 Restaurant Week

okfoodbank.org 12 Flight Night

tulsaflightnight.org Western Days

saintsimeons.org 13 Day of Caring

tauw.org WALTZ on the Wild Side

waltzonthewildside.org 14 Rock Paper Scissors

thepencilbox.org/rps 19-Oct. 31 Autumn in the Botanic Garden

tulsabotanic.org 21 Race for the Cure

komenoklahoma.org

Stacked Deck

resonancetulsa.org Street Party ­ stjohnstreetparty.com Walk to End Alzheimer’s

tulsawalk.org 21-22 Home Remodeling Showcase

tulshba.com 26 Cooking for a Cause

irongatetulsa.org

5 Tulsa Dog Run

tulsadogrun.com 7 Pro.Am Golf Tournament

rmhctulsa.org Tulsa Hall of Fame

tulsahistory.org/hof 11 Hues For HOPE

huesforhope.org

27 Divas 4 H.O.P.E.

hopetesting.org

12 Annual Charity Gala

goodsamaritanhealth.org

Wine and Roses

tulsagardencenter.org

Moonstruck

clarehouse.org

TBD The Center Experience

tulsacenter.org

18-20, 25-27 HallowZOOeen

tulsazoo.org

Community Conversation Series

clarehouse.org RAD Gala

usabmxfoundation.org

18, 19, 25, 26, 31 Hallowmarine

okaquarium.org 24 Boos and Booze

tulsahba.com

St. Jude Walk/Run ­

fundraising.stjude.org

25-Nov. 3 Care Card

carecardok.com

October

TBD Mutt Strut

dvis.org

1-Dec. 8 Toys for Tots

toysfortots.org

CONTINUED ON P. 32

Save the Date

SAINT SIMEON’S FOUNDATION PRESENTS

ESTERN

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

CONTINUED FROM P. 30

Optimism Walk

apdaparkinson.org

8 Dream Gala

tulsagirlshome.org/gala

25-Dec. 13 Gifts of Hope

yst.org

Porch Party

lindseyhouse.org

9 Boomtown Awards

typros.org

29-Dec. 30 Botanic Garden of Lights

tulsabotanic.org

19-21 Stories of Light 2024

wish.org/oklahoma

TBD Art Party

tulsagirlsartschool.org

Restore Hope Golf Tournament

restorehope.org Taste of Brookside

yst.org/taste-of-brookside

November 5 Tulsa AWARE Luncheon

awareok.org 7 House Party

rmhctulsa.org

21 Barbecue, Beer and Cigars

tulsaboyshome.org Books, Brews and BBQ

readingpartners.org Dinner of Reconciliation ­

jhfcenter.org

Bloomingdeals ­ jltulsa.org Gold Medal Night

aimhighgym.org Movers and Shakers

moversandshakersok. weebly.com Philbrook Festival

philbrook.org

December 3 Visions Awards

okcnp.org 6 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award

tulsalibrary.org 7 Art in the Park

artstulsa.org TBD ABATE Toy Run

abateoftulsa.com Women’s Auxiliary Fashion Show and Silent Auction

salvationarmyaok.org

Bunco for a Cause

baileyeducationfoundation. com Carols and Crumpets

facebook.com/tulsaherb Gifts of Hope Luncheon

tulsaboyshome.org Holiday Mart

tulsacenter.org Jingle Bell Run

jbr.org/tulsa

LEARN MORE

STAY UP TO DATE

32 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Join us for a brain-busting trivia event at Cox Business Convention Center featuring cocktails, dinner, dancing and more.

PRESENTED BY CYCLONIC VALVE COMPANY 918.600.3843 | brainiacball@fcsok.org | brainiacball.com

JOIN TULSAPEOPLE AND IRON GATE FOR OUR ANNUAL

Cooking for a cause The Tastiest Way to Help Feed the Hungry Cooking for a Cause features tasting menus prepared by outstanding Tulsa Chefs, plus more ways to help feed the hungry.

Thursday, September 26, 2024 THe Vista at 21 - 6pm Tickets: $150 per person Sponsorship Opportunities Available 918.879.1702 www.irongatetulsa.org To reserve today, contact Carissa at cgutierrez@irongatetulsa.org

TulsaPeople.com 33

Young person visits a Safe Place location at QuikTrip

Modus Volunteer picks up client at Youth Services of Tulsa

Reading Partners volunteer tutors elementary student

Friday, May 3 | Cain‘s Ballroom

Join us at the inaugural YST 2nd Chance Prom benefiting at-risk and homeless youth

AN EVENT FOR EVERYONE 21+ EVENT

ZOORUN | APRIL 20, 2024

CONSERVATION ON TAP | MAY 17, 2024 21+ EVENT

WALTZ ON THE WILD SIDE | SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

HALLOWZOOEEN | OCTOBER 2024

VI SIT T U L S A ZOO.O RG / E V E NT S 38 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

MAKE MUSIC WITH US

PARIS A N

T H E

E V E N I N G

V O L U T E

I N

E X P E R I E N C E

F R I D AY, A P R I L 1 9 , 2 0 2 4 6:00 PM

NOVEMBER 1ST, 2024

THE MAYO HOTEL

Sponsorship or questions contact Regan Leake, Development Director reganl@foodonthemoveok.com

40 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

COX B U S I N E SS CO N V E N T I O N C E N T E R LEGACY HALL VA L E T P A R K I N G For event and sponsorship information, please go to www.voaok.org or call Susan Kenny at 918-307-3021.

SAVE THE DATE

SAV E

THE

DATE

April 27, 2024 • River Spirit Casino Resort

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 5, 2024

J O I N US

SAT URDAY M AY 4 , 20 24

2 - 5 P. M .

222 N . D ETR OI T AV E .

13 LOCAL BR EWER IES JUSTIN TH OMPSON CATER ING F o r ti c kets and m o r e i nfo , s can the Q R co d e o r g o to b i t. l y /B f G 20 24

42 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

COMING IN FEBRUARY Beginning February 1st, TulsaPeople readers will be invited to nominate their favorite Tulsa businesses to the 2024 A-LIST in these five areas: DINE LOCAL • FUN FOR ALL • SERVICES • HEAD TO TOE • SHOP LOCAL

NOMINATIONS ROUND: February 1-18 A-LIST VOTING ROUND: APRIL 1-14 A-LIST ISSUE: JUNE

For information about A-LIST Nominations Round digital packages, please contact adservices@langdonpublishing.com by January 19th.

NEW YEAR NEW CONNECTIONS Make a resolution to give back and build meaningful connections.

A B OUT TOWN • A-LIST FOOD + DRINK • CALENDAR L IF ES T Y L E • D IR EC TO R IES & M O R E !

Join us in creating a positive impact.

FI N D M O R E O F TU L S A PEO PLE AT

R

www.mealsonwheelstulsa.org TulsaPeople.com 43

Venue & Catering Guide When planning an event – large or small – there are many details to coordinate.

From finding the right space to choosing catering options and amenities, the to-do list can be overwhelming. We hope you will find the TulsaPeople Venue and Catering Guides to be a helpful resource for your planning.

Visit TulsaPeople.com/directories for the updated 2024 Venue Guide, Catering Guide and other informative directories.

LUDGER’S CATERING & EVENTS 1628 S. Main St. (918) 744-9988 ludgerscatering.com Catering Capacity: 20 person minimum with no max Additional information: Drop-off to full-service catering, service staff, bartenders, cash bars, linens, centerpieces and floorplan design.

RIBCRIB 9 Tulsa Metro Locations 918-712-7427 ribcrib.com/catering Catering Capacity: 5-5,000+ Additional Information: Slow-smoked BBQ and plenty of it. All packages are buffet style and include setup. Free delivery on all caters over $100.

SOCIETY 3 Tulsa Metro Locations 918-712-7427 societyburger.com/catering Catering Capacity: 5-250* Additional Information: Burgers, salads, and pasta. All packages are buffet style and include setup. Free delivery on all caters over $100. *We can customize larger caters with notice.

44 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

JUSTIN THOMPSON CATERING 1115 S. Lewis Ave., Suite A (918) 779-6333 TulsaCatering.com Catering Capacity: We can cater any sized party!

Additional Information: Featuring elevated cuisine and beverages inspired by concepts within the Justin Thompson Restaurant Group.

MCNELLIE’S GROUP CATERING 608 East 3rd Street (918) 442-2993 catering@mcnellies.com Catering Capacity: Unlimited Additional information: McNellie’s Group Catering is Tulsa’s go to catering service that offers full-service catering and event planning that specializes in weddings, corporate events, special events, and non-profits.

VENUES & CATERING 108 CONTEMPORARY

ANDY’S BOWL SOCIAL TULSA

108 E. Reconciliation Way, Tulsa OK 74103 (918) 895-6302 • 108contemporary.org Event rental contact: laurel@108contemporary.org Capacity: Standing capacity for 100 people

8711 S. Lewis Ave. (918) 299-9494 bowlandybs.com Event rental contact: Ryland Bristow Capacity: 600

GAST EVENT CENTER

GATHERING PLACE

GLASS CHAPEL WEST Modern & luxurious

HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO TULSA

LAFORTUNE STUDIO AT THE TULSA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

LIVING ARTS OF TULSA

110 E 2nd St. • 918-596-7111 tulsapac.com/lafortune-studio Event Rental Contact: tfaith@tulsapac.com Capacity: 200 Available for rehearsal dinners, receptions, and parties.

307 East Reconciliation Way (918) 585-1234 livingarts.org Event rental contact: Gallery Manager, info@livingarts.org Capacity: 260

LOWDOWN

MARRIOTT TULSA HOTEL SOUTHERN HILLS

108 N. Detroit Ave., Level B lowdowntulsa.com Event rental contact: info@LowDownTulsa.com or fill out a private event form on the website.

Capacity:140

1902 E. 71st Street (918) 493-7000 Marriott.com/TULSE Event rental contact: sales@tmsh.net Capacity: 1441

MARGARITAVILLE TULSA

MEADOW LAKE RANCH

MOTHER ROAD MARKET

ONEOK FIELD - HOME OF THE TULSA DRILLERS

1429 Terrace Dr. (918) 744-6997 gasteventcenter.com Event rental contact: Sara Gonzales Capacity: up to 200

12361 S 49th W Ave, Sapulpa, OK 74066 glasschapelwest.com • (918) 346-9094 Event rental contact: glasschapelwest.com Capacity: 200

8330 Riverside Parkway, Suite A (918) 995-8080 margaritavilletulsa.com Event rental contact: kristalw@margaritaville.com Capacity: 30-800

1124 S. Lewis Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104 motherroadmarket.com Event rental contact: events@motherroadmarket.com Capacity: Mother Road Market has dedicated space for intimate small gatherings to large festive parties.

RUFFIN EVENT CENTER

1950 E 71st Street (918) 523-3580 | ruffineventcenter.com Event Rental Contact: recinfo@tmsh.net Capacity: 60,000 sq ft.

THE CAMPBELL HOTEL & EVENT CENTERS 2636 East 11th Street (918) 744-5500 EventsAtCampbell.com Event rental contact: Diane Morrison Capacity: 225

2950 S. John Williams Way gatheringplace.org Event rental contact: info@gatheringplace.org or fill out a private event form on the website.

Capacity: Varies on location

777 West Cherokee Street Catoosa, OK 74015 (918) 384-5946 hardrockcasinotulsa.com/amenities/meeting-and-events Event rental contact: Laura.asbil@hardrockcasinotulsa.com Capacity: 900

3450 South 137th West Avenue, Sand Springs (918) 494-6000 • meadowlakeranch.com Event rental contact: Susie Warren, manager@meadowlakeranch.com Capacity: Up to 200. Indoor & Outdoor Venues.

201 North Elgin Avenue (918) 744-5998 tulsadrillers.com Event rental contact: events@tulsadrillers.com Capacity: 10 – 8,000+

STATION 13

3924 Charles Page Boulevard (918) 810.6765 station13tulsa.com Event rental contact: Jackie Potter, info@station13tulsa.com Capacity: 500 Indoor/Outdoor

TULSA ZOO

6421 East 36th Street North (918) 669-6605 • tulsazoo.org Event rental contact: Nicolas Stolusky, Amy Watson Capacity: 160 indoor; 4,000 outdoor TulsaPeople.com 45

modern & luxurious www.glasschapelwest.com

46 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Jennifer Jezek also serves on the Broken Arrow Economic Development Corp. board of directors as a past chair.

48 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Jennifer Jezek Vice president/Oklahoma division manager for VSC Fire and Security, and the 2024 Tulsa Regional Chamber chair

BY MARNIE FERNANDEZ

J

ennifer Jezek’s office is freshly painted and there is new signage hanging throughout the building. It has been a year of significant change for Jezek and her company, York Electronic Systems, which was founded in 1984 by her parents, Steve and Judi York, and bought in 2012 by Jezek. The company was acquired last summer by VSC Fire and Security, which specializes in fi re suppression and detection systems, fi re sprinklers, alarms and security systems.

Jezek (Cherokee) is now the vice president/Oklahoma division manager and is excited about the new opportunities being a part of the VSC family will provide. In addition to the recent changes in her career, she brings that same enthusiasm to her new role as the chair for the Tulsa Regional Chamber.

MICHELLE POLLARD

AS CHAIR OF THE TULSA REGIONAL CHAMBER, WHAT IS YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS FOR 2024? There are so many exciting things that are happening at the Chamber right now — with tourism, economic development, education, tribal relations — I want to build off that momentum from my predecessor as we continue to advance our city and region. I think our biggest asset is our quality of life.

It separates Tulsa from other places — and we need to continue to tell that story.

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE AT THE CHAMBER MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY? I have been involved with the Chamber for over 10 years in various capacities, from chairing resource development, government relations, education and community development, just to name a few. The Chamber has provided me with many amazing opportunities I wouldn’t have been afforded otherwise. As my dad

always says, “You get out of it what you put into it,” and this is my chance to use what I have learned from my experience to give back. I am grateful for this opportunity.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FOR THE CHAMBER IN THE COMING YEAR(S)? Making sure we are aligning our community assets and not duplicating efforts. It’s very easy for people, organizations and companies to operate within their own silos. We need to work together to break down those silos, take the next steps to collaborate and bring forces together. I look forward to bringing people together for the greater good.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT FOR 2024? I am thrilled to be a part of the inaugural State of the Tribal Nations this coming April. As a Cherokee Nation citizen, I am delighted to see the Chamber taking the initiative to recognize the significant contributions the tribes make for our community. I look forward to working with all the tribal organizations and fostering connections for continued economic growth.

I also am excited to be a part of the team helping with economic development opportunities and site selection visits for our region — being a part of the momentum, contributing to our bright future, meeting new people. I look forward to all of it!

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR CAREER WITH YORK AND THE DECISION TO CHANGE TO VSC. My parents started York Electronic Systems in 1984 in our house on Newport Avenue. I started working there while I was in high school until I graduated from college. I left for a few years to work at other places, but I

came back to York and ended up buying the company when my parents retired in 2012.

In 2022, we had an opportunity to partner with VSC Fire and Security, a 65-year-old family-run company. We had similar goals, cultural values, and it was just a good fit. I am still extremely involved with the day-today operations of our business — protecting people and property is our mission, and I still love it after all these years.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR FREE TIME? In 2022, I was honored to be appointed to Board of Regents for Tulsa Community College. TCC is a special place to me. I had such great engagement with my professors and for someone who hated school, I ended up loving college. The Tulsa Achieves program is a treasure for our community and provides numerous opportunities for so many students. I am thrilled to be able to give back to a place that gave me so much.

I don’t have much free time in 2024! I have a new grandbaby arriving any day now, a daughter who just graduated from college, and a daughter graduating high school in May. On top of that she is also in competitive dance, so I spend a lot of weekends on the road going to her competitions. However, I do like to play golf. Maybe in 2025 I can make it back to the golf course.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT TULSA? The community spirit. I don’t think you find this sense of community and belonging just anywhere. I love the fact that no matter where you go, you will see someone you know. I also love the six degrees of separation that exists in almost every conversation you have. Tulsa is truly a special place and I’m proud to call it my home. tp TulsaPeople.com 49

Lives Well Lived We honor here significant Tulsans who died this past year.

They worked in business, entertainment, arts, medicine, athletics, education, news and religion.

They were social activists, nature conservationists, patriots, historians, trailblazers and philanthropists. They were devoted to their families. They built wealth, they volunteered and they baked cookies. They made the Tulsa community a better place.

James Edwin “Jim” Barnes

Richard C. “Dick” Carson Jr.

MARCH 2, 1934-OCT. 23, 2023 Tall, handsome, mustached and charming, the epitome of an accomplished businessman (MAPCO Inc.), avid outdoorsman and active civic leader (Tulsa Area United Way, Tulsa Regional Chamber). Supported arts (Tulsa Opera, Philbrook Museum of Art) and education (Oklahoma State University Board of Regents, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education). Named among “Corporate America’s Most Powerful People” by Forbes Magazine in 1992.

NOV. 11, 1942-DEC. 2, 2022 Th ird-generation Tulsa impresario and box office expert involved in more than 7,500 public event and performances, from concerts to rodeos. Carson Attractions brought stage entertainment to Tulsa audiences, supervised ticket sales for Elvis Presley concerts, presented the Harlem Globetrotters across the country and managed ticketing for the Tulsa State Fair. He introduced computerized ticketing to Tulsa entertainment and athletic facilities.

“Jim was a well-respected business leader in Tulsa. His performance leading MAPCO was very effective. He was also an active and dedicated leader in the Tulsa community with his wife, Mary.

His legacy will continue through their foundation.”

— Ramez Hakim, retired partner, Deloitte and Touche LLP

“Dick Carson took over the family-owned business in 1965, presented and sold tickets for Elvis Presley, James Brown, Broadway shows, the Ringling Brothers Circus and other popular shows, then sold tickets for Tulsa venues. Under Dick’s management, Carson Attractions handled millions and millions of dollars with never so much as a penny missing.”

— John E. Scott, retired director, Tulsa Performing Arts Center

50 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Casey Cooper

JAN. 20, 1942-NOV. 12, 2023 Deeply dedicated to his community as a member of nonprofit boards spanning diverse interests — including chair of the Mervin Bovaird Foundation — he was inherently focused on helping Tulsa and the people who live here. A lawyer for 50 years, he began his career in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

“Casey Cooper was a leader within a vanishing breed of lawyers. A committed and exceptional advocate, he embodied civility and treated all with respect, including staff and opponents.

Casey knew it was an honor and a privilege to be a lawyer, a partner in a law firm and a community leader. He also recognized the duty arising from those roles. We need more lawyer-leaders like him and will greatly miss him.”

— Graydon D. Luthey Jr., shareholder, GableGotwals

BARNES: OKLAHOMA HALL OF FAME ARCHIVES; CARSON: COURTESY VOICESOFOKLAHOMA.COM; COOPER: COURTESY GABLEGOTWALS

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

Phil Dessauer Jr.

DESSAUER, DILLARD: TULSAPEOPLE ARCHIVE; DETRICK: COURTESY NINDE FUNERAL AND CREMATION; DICK: COURTESY TULSA COUNTY; DORNBLASER: COURTESY; VAN ELLIS: TIM LANDES

AUG. 25, 1948-MAY 31, 2023 Longtime executive director of Community Service Council of Tulsa whose cutting-edge thinking addressed social issues in the community he loved through spin-off agencies: Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Tulsa Day Center, Child Abuse Network, A Way Home for Tulsa (a coalition of agencies to end veteran and chronic homelessness) and more. Former educator and administrator of Tulsa’s first alternative school, he was committed to support services for youth.

“As a community visionary and diplomat, Phil tirelessly brought diverse leaders and advocates together to activate data-driven health and human service investments founded on the premise that every person is valued. He helped build veteran, Hispanic, and maternal and child health coalitions, and so much more.”

— Laura Dempsey, former senior planner and director, Tulsa Area Alliance for Disabilities

Herschel Sheldon “Shel” Detrick

MAY 18, 1936-OCT. 12, 2023 A real estate broker who famously said, “I’m not in the real estate business, I am in the people business.” That attitude quickly propelled him from real estate salesman to owner of Detrick, Realtors — which was once the largest real estate company in Tulsa. Dedicated OSU alumnus instrumental in commissioning the campus’s life-size “Spirit Rider” bronze statue symbolizing the university’s Western heritage.

“Sheldon Detrick was wonderfully successful as a residential real estate broker/owner and salesperson in Tulsa. He possessed tons of energy.

Shel was so knowledgeable about homes and neighborhoods in our city … knowledge gained from a career that began in 1960 in Tulsa. I truly enjoyed every conversation with Shel … and learned much from him. Shel Detrick had a good heart, was a wonderful family man, and achieved great success.”

— Peter Walter, Walter and Associates

Robert N. “Bob” Dick

SEPT. 21, 1939-SEPT. 26, 2023 A legend in Tulsa public service who initiated groundbreaking community service programs. After Navy service he joined the Tulsa Police Department and earned a law degree from The University of Tulsa. He made his name in law enforcement as chief of police and Tulsa Police and Fire commissioner, reshaped the city when elected Tulsa County commissioner and was instrumental in securing the BOK Center, a new Tulsa County jail, and a modernized Expo Square.

“He was committed to the safety of the general public and opted to dedicate his life through his police work for that purpose. He served both in an elected capacity and as an appointed one with dignity and honor.”

— Robert “Bob” LaFortune, former Tulsa mayor

Hughes Van Ellis

Ernestine Dillard

AUG. 23, 1941-FEB. 16, 2023 Spectacularly talented gospel singer of operatic grandeur, widely known as “the voice who helped heal a nation” for her electrifying rendition of “God Bless America,” which closed the April 23, 1995, Oklahoma City Memorial Service honoring the victims of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing. The self-trained singer left a 33-year career as a registered nurse to tour the world singing full time.

“I knew her from the Jazz Hall of Fame and her singing at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Her voice still rings in my ear. That memory will never die. She sang the soul of the melody.”

— Rebecca Marks Jimerson, community arts advocate

John Douglas Dornblaser

DEC. 23, 1951-JULY 1, 2023 Everybody was better for knowing him.

Embraced his work as Senior Star senior vice president as an opportunity to make a difference in an important industry. Valued his volunteer work including American Heart Association and Alzheimer’s Association, chaired Dementia Friendly Tulsa and instrumental in First Baptist Church’s Memory Cafe.

“John’s zest for life was happily seen in his annual excursions to take a part in the nation’s tradition-filled MLB spring training. Just as he loved seeing new young players’ careers begin to blossom, John also took a keen interest in mentoring aspiring young people new to business, creating lifetime bonds. (There was) no one more kind or thoughtful.”

— Bill Thomas, Senior Star co-owner

JAN. 11, 1921-OCT. 9, 2023 The survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre was just months old when he and his family escaped the violent destruction of Greenwood. He served in an all-Black combat unit in World War II, was a mechanic at what is now Tinker Air Force Base and spent his latter years seeking justice and reparations. “It isn’t a footnote in a history book for us,” he testified to Congress in 2021.

“Affectionately known as ‘Uncle Redd,’ he was an international treasure, a staunch justice advocate for Greenwood and a community pillar. He inspired all who came in contact with him, offering words of wisdom and hope for a unified America. His motto was, ‘WE ARE ONE.’ We will continue to work in his honor to make his words ring true.”

— Tiffany Crutcher, executive director, Terence Crutcher Foundation TulsaPeople.com 51

“George was a great college pitcher at OU and was almost unhittable, which is why he made it to the big leagues. After his retirement and while living in Tulsa, he helped many young players by giving them pitching lessons. And when he owned his sporting goods store, he wouldn’t charge a kid for needed equipment if the boy or girl didn’t have the money to buy it. He would say, ‘If you want to play sports, I’m going to help you.”

— Bob Shirley, former college and MLB teammate with St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees

Nicholas Vincent “Zeke” Guagliardo

JAN. 9, 1925-AUG. 8, 2023 The last-known surviving WWII submarine veteran in Oklahoma, joined the Navy at age 17 and served on the USS Mackerel and USS Loggerhead. Graduate of Spartan School of Aeronautics and Technology, lifelong employee of American Airlines, founding member of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. In retirement, he was active with Muskogee War Memorial Park, home of USS Batfish submarine.

“Until the day he passed, he had nothing but good wishes for our submarine. He was always the No. 1 man on our list. He came here as much as he possibly could. I think he would have cut off his right arm if he thought the submarine could have used it.”

— James Erb, curator, Muskogee War Memorial Park

William Adrian Hamill, O.S.A

FEB. 7, 1937-MAY 2, 2023 Augustine priest, mathematics teacher, football coach and administrator at Cascia Hall Preparatory School, worked as an IBM analyst on the NASA Apollo Program in Houston, taught at TU. Held B.S. and M.S. degrees in mathematics, and a Ph.D. in computer science. In 2014, The New York Times photographed him center court at Chesapeake Energy Arena giving the invocation before an Oklahoma City Thunder game against the New York Knicks.

“Although never formally assigned to Resurrection, he served as a regular priest celebrant from the early days of the parish when it met at Memorial High School and before it owned its own building (from 1968 to present) … celebrated a Mass or two a weekend and was known for his intelligent and timely homilies.”

— Fr. Michael Knipe, J.C.D., pastor, Church of the Resurrection

Thomas Jefferson Hughes

Helen Jo Hardwick

JULY 8, 1939-FEB. 19, 2023 Iconic public relations/marketing director of Resonance Center for Women honored with a slew of awards: Women in Communications’ Saidie Award winner for lifetime achievement, Tulsa Women’s Foundation Pinnacle Award and TU Distinguished Alumna Award. Active in numerous nonprofits and a stellar baker known as the Cookie Lady, she dispensed cookies like fairy dust.

“The most diplomatic person I’ve known with the ability to be completely honest. I don’t know anybody who didn’t like Helen Jo. I learned from her.

She could work with everybody. Good at marketing, funny, personable and persuasive. Sometimes people would say, ‘I’m only doing this so I can get Helen Jo’s banana bread.’”

— Penny Painter, former executive director, Resonance 52 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

MAY 10, 1933-OCT. 18, 2023 After college and the U.S. Marines Corps, joined Hughes Lumber Co., a family business begun in 1901 as a hardware store in Indian Territory. Known for his love of family, business and community, he served on boards of the BOK Financial Corp. and Bank of Oklahoma, Tulsa Regional Chamber, Holland Hall and First Presbyterian Church.

“When I moved to Tulsa 18 years ago, Tom was one of the first former Chamber chairs I met. He was always super engaged and continued to offer sound advice to Chamber leadership right up until his passing. He was an exceptional and dedicated business leader, an outstanding family man, and a gentleman who was devoted to his church and his country.”

— Mike Neal, president and CEO, Tulsa Regional Chamber

Michael P. Johnson

JUNE 21, 1947-JULY 12, 2023 Dedicated to a life of impact, faith and leadership values, he set the standard as an exemplary human resources professional. Williams senior vice president and chief administrative officer, chairman of Williams Foundation, board chair of Foundation for Public Schools and trustee of OSU-Tulsa. Honored by Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, Boy Scouts of America and 100 Black Men of Tulsa.

“Michael will always be remembered as a visionary business leader at Williams, and as a passionate champion for diversity, equity and inclusion. We will also remember him as a wise advisor, trusted friend and committed community leader who touched countless lives. His contributions to Tulsa are legendary, leaving us with deep gratitude and inspiring us to keep his legacy alive.”

— Nancy Day, former executive director, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice

FRAZIER: TULSAPEOPLE ARCHIVE; GUAGLIARDO, HUGHES: MICHELLE POLLARD; HAMILL: COURTESY CASCIA HALL; HARDWICK: COURTESY RESONANCE CENTER FOR WOMEN; JOHNSON: TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM

George Frazier

OCT. 13, 1954- JUNE 19, 2023 The New York Yankees held a moment of silence in memory of the former Major League Baseball player (10 seasons for five clubs including two World Series). A talented pitcher famous for his powerful fastball and popular television color analyst (nearly three decades) for the Colorado Rockies known for his “witty, insightful and uniquely entertaining perspective of the game.” He coached and mentored young players.

JONES JR.: HARVEY PAYNE, COURTESY THE NATURE CONSERVANCY; KIRCHNER: COURTESY OKLAHOMA HALL OF FAME ARCHIVES; LANGENKAMP: COURTESY; MAUERMAN: COURTESY THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA; MCDONALD: MICHELLE POLLARD; METEVELIS: TULSAPEOPLE ARCHIVE

Jenkin Lloyd “Jenk” Jones Jr.

JUNE 24, 1936-AUG. 23, 2023 Dyed-in-the-wool newspaperman (third-generation) and the last editor and publisher of the Tulsa Tribune who said, “We put out a hell of a good paper for a long time.” He could be found in the middle of the newsroom wearing his trademark turquoise bolo tie, buzzing with indefatigable energy, encyclopedic knowledge and passion for politics, sports and travel.

Loved and promoted Oklahoma landscape and history, nurtured young journalists, taught at TU and OSU. “We all loved Jenk. My favorite boss ever.

And I had lots of them.”

— Mike Sowell, former Tulsa Tribune sports writer, author of baseball books including “The Pitch That Killed”

George S. Mauerman, M.D.

APRIL 6, 1937-OCT. 2, 2023 Devoted longtime TU team physician, Phi Beta Kappa football scholarship graduate of Vanderbilt University, M.D. from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, celebrated orthopedic surgeon who set the benchmark for sports medicine. Provided student-athletes with dedicated medical and moral support, established an endowed scholarship for athletic training at TU where the sports medicine center is named after him. “‘Doc’ has been synonymous with TU athletics on the benches, sidelines and training rooms, providing care for thousands of TU studentathletes for over five decades. No other universities’ student-athletes were better cared for than Golden Hurricane athletes under Dr. Mauerman, a TU icon.”

— Rick Dickson, TU vice president and director of athletics

King P. Kirchner

R. Dobie Langenkamp

NOV. 18, 1927-SEPT. 19, 2023 A Perry farm boy who co-founded Unit Drilling Co. (later Unit Corp.) in 1963 with three rotary rigs and three employees and saw it grow to become one of the largest oil and gas companies in Oklahoma and a NYSE publicly traded company with a $3 billion market capitalization. Aviation was a passion. He owned hundreds of airplanes and held multiple pilot ratings. The message on his grave marker is “Gone Flying!”

AUG. 14, 1936-JAN. 21, 2023 Lawyer, Department of Energy official in two presidential administrations (Carter and Clinton), higher education teacher, writer, poet, enthusiast of life. Wrote his own obituary, as colorful as his zestful personality, with bromides of wisdom, including: “Do some good while you are here; Never confuse wealth with virtue or status with worth; Eschew pomposity; Never vote Republican.”

“King Kirchner’s entrepreneurial spirit, strong work ethic and knowledge of the oil and gas business made him one of the most successful Oklahoma businessmen of his generation. King loved Unit. As its founder, he never retired from actively following the company and its people.”

— Phil Frohlich, Prescott Group Capital Management

“A rare breed — an intellectual first and an oilman second. Fascinated with the world and the people in it, he was a perceptive observer of what he saw.

Lawyer, oilman, professor, government administrator, Dobie was the archetype of the old-fashioned Tulsan who mastered whatever world he entered.”

— Rodger Randle, former Tulsa mayor and Oklahoma Senate president pro tempore, currently director of University of Oklahoma-Tulsa Center for Studies in Democracy and Culture

Nancy Ann McDonald

JUNE 4, 1936-OCT. 24, 2023 Indomitable activist who broke barriers and built support for racial and gender equality, she was a force for change. Mother of four; Tulsa Public Schools author of “Partners in Education” promoting volunteerism in public schools; led integration at Booker T. Washington High School; founded Tulsa Chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; steady board president of Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma through the tragic camp murders in 1977.

Community builder who left a request for people to bring homemade cookies to her funeral reception.

“I considered Nancy my lifetime mentor. On every topic and policy issue, she offered such sage advice. Her impact on the whole community cannot be understated. She never forgot to give comfort and aid to each and every one.”

— Dennis Neill, co-founder and first president, Oklahomans for Equality

Marina Ann Metevelis

MARCH 25, 1922-JAN. 14, 2023 Tiny, energetic and irrepressible, an original Rosie the Riveter World War II female defense factory worker who built B-17 bombers. Proud of her Greek heritage, devout Eastern Orthodox Christian, Tulsa Community College archivist and librarian, honored by the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, she loved Big Band music, was swing dancing in her 80s, rarely missed a dance or lunch at the VFW. “… a legend in Tulsa because of her love for our community and her lifelong commitment to the U.S. Armed Forces. Those of us at Tulsa Community College who worked with her during her nearly 50-year career here remember her love for all people, feisty sense of humor, and many stories about her extraordinary life.”

— Greg Stone, TCC associate vice president of academic and campus operations TulsaPeople.com 53

DEC. 2, 1935-JAN. 25, 2023 Philanthropist and social activist of signature compassion who modestly and fearlessly championed public housing (Tulsa Housing Authority), women’s education and health care (Planned Parenthood), quality of life (The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges), Bryn Mawr College and more. Tiny, impeccably tailored in heels and blue eye shadow, she was a William Faulkner fan, expert scuba diver, avid tennis player, Latin teacher, independent oil and gas producer, witty raconteur and George Kaiser’s older sister.

“Ruth was a pillar of Tulsa philanthropy. Her giving was mission-driven, most often done very quietly. Her leadership, nonprofit board service and mentorship of a generation of executives were given not for recognition, but for the knowledge that during her life she had made a positive difference in her community.”

— Judy Kishner, trustee, Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation

J. David Nunneley

MARCH 19, 1953-NOV. 19, 2023 A man of great moral conviction, he soared to celebrity as a charismatic preacher and gospel singer with his 6,000-member megachurch Higher Dimensions Family Church before spiraling to professional ruin by denouncing the concept of Hell. Declared a heretic by the Pentecostal church leadership that had consecrated him as bishop, he was resolute: “I know what God spoke to me.”

His life was the subject of a film, a public radio program and a book.

“David created the statue of Daniela and me in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ that is now outside our main entrance. I love that he immortalized, with his work, a special moment in our lives … from a picture of us dancing to ‘Romeo and Juliet’ right after we got married. It depicts a moment in life that, if not for his artistry and dedication, would have been long forgotten. Instead, it will live for many more decades through his art.”

— Marcello Angelini, artistic director, Tulsa Ballet

“He broke so many barriers with his message of unconditional love and was a beacon of hope for many people who felt they had been told that God doesn’t love them for one reason or another. His theology of universal love and acceptance resonated deeply with the members of All Souls and me and what this church stands for. It was a beautiful, courageous message.”

— Marlin Lavanhar, senior minister, All Souls Unitarian Church

James Allen Rodgers, M.D.

JUNE 25, 1946-MAY 3, 2023 Versatile Tulsa music legend and educator whose father was a 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre survivor and business owner. Public schoolteacher and television producer, he opened a historical museum on Greenwood Avenue to showcase the area, but music was his soul. He toured with Ernie Fields’ Royal Entertainers and other bands and inspired young musicians with his character and work ethic.

“My father was a kind, hardworking father who loved helping others. He touched many lives through his practice of medicine, which he loved, but he also had a deep passion for music. Through our parents’ vision in 2002, we were able to restore it to one of the top live music venues in the world.”

— Chad Rodgers, general manager, Doc Roc Productions and Cain’s Ballroom

“Leon Rollerson was a magician with a bass guitar.

From bop to swing to R&B and every musical genre before, after, and in between. He made everyone he played with better because he was so damn good.”

— John Hamill, writer and musician

Sherman Ray

MAY 5, 1921-SEPT. 24, 2023 The man who called himself “just a little Polish tailor,” survived three German concentration camps, immigrated to the United States, became Tulsa’s legendary master tailor to the city’s most prominent citizens for almost half a century, won the St. John Senior Olympics at age 85 bench pressing 195 pounds, forced into retirement by the COVID pandemic. His motto, “Never give up.” Died at the age of 102.

“What stood out to me was his strength, both literally and physically. Most Holocaust survivors carry themselves in a way that makes their resilience obvious, Sherman was no exception. He gave me the firmest handshake I have ever received. He said in the years leading up to the Holocaust you could ‘feel something in the air’ — a message of listening to warning signs.”

— Sofia Thornblad, director of collections and exhibits, Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art 54 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Carlton D. Pearson

MAY 20, 1936-FEB. 5, 2023 Multifaceted artist whose business interests ranged from pharmaceuticals to pizza parlors, and hobbies from fly fishing to harmonica playing. Created bronze statues for the United States, Canada and Mexico, including the mule mascot at West Point, an American bald eagle at Indian Nations Council of Boy Scouts and Sequoyah at Gilcrease Museum. He and wife, Marilyn, were lifelong supporters of Will Rogers High School.

SEPT. 1, 1951-MAY 17, 2023 Renowned neurosurgeon and co-founder of the Tulsa Spine and Specialty Hospital, a successful physician-owned hospital.

Filled his surgical operating room with music, nicknamed “Doc Roc” for his love of rock ‘n’ roll. Bought and revitalized Tulsa’s legendary Cain’s Ballroom saying it was a labor of love to fi x up and maintain the historic music venue.

Leon Rollerson

NELSON: MICHELLE POLLARD; NUNNELEY, PEARSON: TULSAPEOPLE ARCHIVE; RAY: VALERIE WEI-HAAS; RODGERS: GREG BOLLINGER; ROLLERSON: COURTESY KEITH D. BIGLOW FUNERAL DIRECTORS INC.

Ruth Kaiser Nelson

James Kavin Ross

ROSS: TULSAPEOPLE ARCHIVE; SAGER: GREG BOLLIGER; SANDITEN: COURTESY; SKRZYPCZAK: COURTESY MONICA SKRZYPCZAK; STARR: COURTESY SAINT SIMEON’S SENIOR COMMUNITY; TURNBO: VALERIE WEI-HAAS

JUNE 18, 1962-MAY 8, 2023 Champion of Tulsa’s Black heritage, educator, photographer, journalist and chair of the Public Oversight Committee on a quest to find the graves of the victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, helping archaeologists and forensic anthropologists.

For a quarter of a century, he interviewed massacre survivors in a study commissioned by the Oklahoma State Legislature. Son of former state Rep. Donald Ross.

“Kavin was the center as well as the forerunner for this work. He was beloved, and we miss him very much.”

— Cassia C. Carr, deputy mayor of Tulsa

Michael Edgar Charles Sager

AUG. 9, 1946- JAN. 12, 2023 He dreamed big dreams and lived big adventures: rodeo rider, restaurateur (Carmichaels), entrepreneur, beloved mentor to young professionals. A real estate developer who imagined the Blue Dome District into reality, transforming a drowsy part of downtown into vibrancy with businesses and an arts festival. He fi lled the city with his luminous personality.

“My dream was to open a gift shop called Dwelling Spaces … a fun and quirky gift shop (downtown) that also sold furniture. Michael believed in me and my vision. In 10 years he never once raised my rent.

He knew the retail business wasn’t the easiest biz to be in, but he saw my passion. His big spirit will always be with me.”

— Mary Beth Babcock, owner, Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66

Keith Raymond Skrzypczak

JAN. 19, 1955-FEB. 11, 2023 Gregarious and confident publisher and editor of Urban Tulsa, an alternative newspaper from 1991-2013. Native Tulsan who earned a hockey scholarship to Niagara University, then returned to graduate from TU. Ardent fan of music, baseball, hockey, journalism, backpacking in Europe, his family and his Roman Catholic faith.

“He was a free spirit who always wanted to be his own boss, and he always thought he knew best.

He’d worked for the Tulsa Tribune and advertising agencies, but starting a newspaper gave him the freedom to do what he wanted to do — highlight the bands playing in new places, review opening restaurants.”

— Monica Skrzypczak, sister, Saint Francis Hospital chaplain and department of religion coordinator

Wilfred Ivan Sanditen

OCT. 20, 1928-MARCH 15, 2023 Philanthropist and investor who loved to dance and crack jokes. After college began working for OTASCO, a family business started in 1918 in Oklahoma by three Jewish Lithuanian immigrant brothers; later launched a commercial real estate business.

“A dedicated patron and volunteer … he was honored at our 40th anniversary gala for his extraordinary commitment to the Jewish community and his dedicated generosity and leadership toward the museum. He was particularly proud of his and Jean’s gift of four stained glass windows in loving memory of their son, Scott.”

— Tracey Herst-Woods, deputy director, Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art

Steve Turnbo

Eugene Eldee “Gene” Starr

APRIL 30, 1926-JAN. 18, 2023 Versatile architect of residences, schools and churches, his work ranged from a lavish 20,000-square-foot French chateau private home in Tulsa, to an ultra-modern residence to the traditional country English All Souls Anglican Church. An avid tennis player, he also was architect for the Tulsa Tennis Club where he was a past president.

“The work of his that I most admired was his house in Forest Hills built in 1959. It fully embodied the principles of the American School of Architecture under Mr. Bruce Goff. It was designed in a crescent shape with a fully expressed structure in the interior, an open floor plan and a full glass exposure to the backyard. Gene embodied the legacy of the genteel architect — always ready to politely listen to the client’s thoughts and then execute those thoughts elegantly in three dimensions of quality and grace.

— Ted A. Reeds II, AIA

SEPT. 26, 1945-NOV. 15, 2023 The TU graduate started his career as sports information director for the school and shifted to advertising and eventually public relations where he made his name.

With mentor Chuck Schnake he founded Schnake Turnbo and Associates, working with executives, the media, nonprofits and municipalities to become the state’s preeminent PR fi rm. He was passionate about his work in civil rights and social justice, serving in many capacities for Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice.

“Steve Turnbo genuinely loved people … and loved being around people … reasons why he was so good in the public relations profession. I admired his ability to always turn things in a positive direction.

Steve did not have a negative bone in his body, he was truly a positive thinker and doer, a person who consistently found the good side. Of course, he loved Tulsa to the point others respectfully referred to him as ‘Mr. Tulsa.’ I greatly admired Steve.”

— Burt Holmes, co-founder, QuikTrip TulsaPeople.com 55

“A Shelter Records musician and a Tulsa treasure who left a magical mark on The Church Studio’s heritage and graced the world with his unique blend of rock and pop, making our city proud. His timeless melodies and emotional lyrics continue to resonate, reminding us that Tulsa is a place where music legends are born, nurtured and celebrated.”

— Teresa Knox, owner, The Church Studio

WE ALSO REMEMBER DAVID BERNSTEIN May 6, 1932-Aug. 17, 2023 Director and leader of Tulsa Mental Health Association, Community Service Council, Jewish Federation of Tulsa ROBERT CORR “BOB” BREITENSTEIN April 8, 1943-March 13, 2023 University of Tulsa and professional football star MARY WHEELER PREWITT BROWN March 5, 1941-Feb. 9, 2023 Active volunteer Sistema Tulsa, Tulsa Ballet, Circle of Care Ministries, Oklahoma Methodist Foundation PATRICIA ANN MCCUNE CLARK Dec. 27, 1956-Feb. 26, 2023 Former owner of The Farm Shopping Center, philanthropist, avid reader, loved animals (her cats and dogs and the visiting wildlife) JAN COBBLE July 12, 1941-Sept. 25, 2023 Dentist, avid tennis player, loved quail hunting and reading BEVERLY MCKEE RODOLF DALE March 26, 1924-Sept. 4, 2023 Trendsetter in fashion, interior design and entertaining, businesswoman, TulsaPeople home editor, Junior League of Tulsa, Philbrook, Ruskin Art Club 56 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Patricia Wilson Wheeler

Joseph H. “Joe” Williams

JUNE 25, 1926-JUNE 30, 2023 Petite, blonde, glamorous widow of Roger M. Wheeler, mother of five and a dynamo as her own woman in business and civic affairs. A devout member of the First Presbyterian Church, generous volunteer and donor to Tulsa arts and education organizations. A world traveler who saw the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and transversed the Old Silk Road to China.

JUNE 2, 1933-APRIL 27, 2023 Visionary energy industry leader (Williams Cos.) committed civic leader, avid conservationist on state and national levels. He loved nature and people with equal passion, generous to both with his praise and steadfast support. A Life Trustee of Yale University and a man of personal warmth and humor, he liked quail hunting, E. E. Cummings poetry and sunrises.

“She was a wonderful board member — engaged, reliable, hardworking and dedicated to our mission.

A powerhouse fundraiser with a delightful personality. When she chaired the Cinderella Ball, she set a record, raising more money than any fundraising event in the Philharmonic’s history at the time.

I really enjoyed working with her.”

— Nancy Sies, former executive director, Tulsa Philharmonic

“Joe was the ultimate conservationist, passionate about conservation and conserving our natural resources … in Oklahoma and throughout the world. He did not want any publicity or accolades; he did it for conservation purposes only. He was especially passionate about the tallgrass prairie and that is why it is now named the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.”

— Harvey Payne, community relations coordinator, The Nature Conservancy tp

FERNÁNDE “FERN” GALINDO (BETHANY CHRISTINE SOLER) Oct. 8, 1985-Oct. 12, 2023 Compassionate and prominent organizer in Tulsa’s LGBTQ+ community, Tulsa Intersectional Care Network co-founder YIELBONZIE CHARLES JOHNSON Aug. 26, 1952-June 2, 2023 Artist, teacher, ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, founded Church of the Restoration, organized Black Artist Collaborating-Tulsa LARRY BAILEY LIPE July 11, 1951-Feb. 7, 2023 Honored propane and natural gas litigator, mentor to younger attorneys, philanthropist instrumental in Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tulsa WAYNE MCCOMBS Sept. 10, 1952-Dec. 8, 2023 Former executive director of Claremore’s J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum, sports historian ELIZABETH “BETSY” MCCORMICK May 29, 1963-July 7, 2023 Lawyer, academic, pioneer in immigration justice work, associate dean TU School of Law, founder Immigrant Rights Project and Tulsa Immigrant Resource Network THOMAS RICHARD MEDLOCK, M.D. June 6, 1940-March 15, 2023 Physician and nephrology specialist, started first kidney transplant program in Oklahoma at Hillcrest, continued medical practice St. John’s Medical Center until retirement

WILLIAM J. “BILL” O’MEILIA, M.D. Jan. 2, 1922-June 4, 2023 Internal medicine private practice for 60 years, served at St. John’s Medical Center and Saint Francis Hospital, founding member Church of Saint Mary WAYNE BANES RUMLEY July 13, 1934-May 19, 2023 Chemical engineer, entrepreneur, cattleman, Western art collector, director National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and Gilcrease Museum R. THOMAS “TOM” SEYMOUR July 13, 1942-May 27, 2023 Trial lawyer, Marine Corps, board president Tulsa Opera and longtime board member All Souls Unitarian Church JACK EVERETT SHORT Feb. 28, 1941-Oct. 1, 2023 Accountant, Jenks Public Schools Foundation co-founder, past Southern Hills Country Club president, arts and civic nonprofit boards MARY AGNES “MAG” BOUDREAU SULLIVAN March 2, 1938-Jan. 1, 2023 Third grade teacher, director of Madonna House, Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma GAYLE WISE Nov. 2, 1951-July 25, 2023 Caterer, legendary hostess, restaurant reviewer, owner of The Cheesecake Lady Catering Co. NANCY ADAIR MCCORMACK YOUNG Aug. 29, 1945-Feb. 25, 2023 Staple in renowned family business Bob McCormack Photography, Trinity Episcopal Church, Women’s Association of Tulsa Boys’ Home

TWILLEY: PHIL CLARKIN; WHEELER: COURTESY FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF TULSA; WILLIAMS: HARVEY PAYNE

Dwight Twilley

JUNE 6, 1951-OCT. 18, 2023 Tulsa-born pop/rock singer and songwriter known for power pop style with two Top 20 hit songs and more than two dozen albums.

Inspired at age 16 by The Beatles, he and Phil Seymour began writing and performing together, went to Los Angeles at 23 and signed with Shelter Records, and was featured on American Bandstand. “I’m on Fire” in 1975 was praised as “best debut single by an American rock ‘n’ roll band ever.”

TULSAN OF THE YEAR

STANDING UP FOR STUDENTS Inside the fight to protect Tulsa Public Schools

BY TIM LANDES

MICHELLE POLLARD

W

hen Stacey Woolley (Choctaw) approaches someone, they can learn a lot about who she is without her saying a word. There are brightly colored beaded earrings dangling inches from her denim jacket that is covered in buttons and patches with slogans like “Make our planet great again” and “Fear no love.”

Once the denim jacket comes off there’s a striking blue jay feather tattoo on her left forearm. The colors are so fresh and vibrant because it’s the newest addition. This one just might mean the most and say the most about her.

“It is not my first tattoo, but it is the only tattoo I have in a place of prominence on my body as I want to be able to see it as a reminder in challenging times,” Woolley, 47, says. “Blue jays are intelligent and fearless protectors who stand their ground in the face of imminent danger.

They are considered protectors of the small birds.”

Since 2019 the mother of five, which includes three TPS students, has represented District 1 on Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education.

Schools in her district include Wayman Tisdale Fine Arts Academy, Clinton West, Council Oak, Eugene Field and Robertson elementary schools, and Webster Middle and Webster High School.

In 2021 she became president of the board — a title she continues to hold after winning re-election this past April. That was when she planned on getting the tattoo, but her work got in the way.

In recent years TPS has been under attack from state politicians, political activists, special interest groups and some parents. It’s the largest and one of the most diverse public school districts in the state with 33,873 students and 78% of those being nonwhite.

From the COVID-19 craziness to political pushes for book bans and a whitewashing of Oklahoma history to ongoing political attacks veiled as educational crusades that have resulted in TPS’s accreditation being threatened and its long-tenured superintendent resigning, Woolley has led the board through it all.

She’s been a vocal opponent of Ryan Walters, state superintendent of public instruction, in a showdown that has continued intensifying since last spring and by all accounts will continue into the spring as the state board looks to overhaul and take control of the accreditation process.

TULSAN OF THE YEAR Stacey Woolley TulsaPeople.com 57

RAISED ON THE CHOCTAW NATION RESERVATION To really get to know Woolley, it begins with her roots. She comes from a large family spread across southeastern Oklahoma. Her mom moved around a lot, but much of that side of the family resides in Valliant. Woolley’s dad, a Choctaw Nation citizen, was from Hugo. Woolley was born in Chickasha, the

third of five children. They lived in Anadarko before settling in Durant — the Choctaw capital.

“I was the middle child that always behaved as if I were the oldest,” she says. “I actually probably was the one of my siblings who looked most Native American.”

Woolley spent lots of time during the first few years of her life under the care of babysitters who went to Riverside Indian School. “I was around very Native American kids, culturally and physically,” Woolley says.

Her grandfather attended a boarding school, which she believes caused her father to disconnect from his Choctaw ancestry and ways until he was in his 40s. When she was about 4 her family moved away, and it was at a Thanksgiving gathering with her mom’s side of the family when she had a revelation: when her dad wasn’t able to make it, it made her the only Brown-skinned person in the house.

“I started crying. My mom asked what was wrong, and we started talking. I vocalized to her I was upset because I was the only Brown person there. And this is a 4-year-old, who knows nothing about the greater world,” Woolley says. “But just the idea that we, as 4-year-olds, internalize things like that and get upset about not feeling a place of belonging. It just reiterates to me how important it is for the kids who we serve to see people they look like in their schools, to have teachers, to have principals who look like them. We serve a very diverse group of kids. That’s just something that always I think back on.”

In 1993, 83 of 1,000 Indigenous teenage girls ages 15-19 gave birth across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Oklahoma overall, about 40 out of

A capacity crowd attends the Dec. 14 Tulsa Public Schools board of education meeting. Later that night the board voted to make Ebony Johnson the first Black superintendent in TPS history.

58 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

1,000 teenage girls between the ages of 15-17 gave birth. It was not the optimal path for future success.

At 17, Woolley became a single mom and heard the naysayers loud and clear. Her future was now supposed to include commodity cheese and day-long visits to the Indian clinic. A crying baby and a federal government dependency. She wasn’t having it.

“That was hugely important on the trajectory of my life because if nothing I am stubborn, and there were many people who didn’t think I could do things because I was a single mom,” says Woolley three decades later.

Woolley married and had her second child the summer before her senior year of college at Southeastern State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication. She next obtained a master’s in speech language pathology from University of Central Oklahoma.

“I moved to Cincinnati and did everything but my dissertation toward my Ph.D. and decided I had had enough,” Woolley says. “I had two kids, I was working full time. I was working on my doctorate and realized that as a speech pathologist, a doctorate wasn’t going to open any doors other than academia. And after my experience as a student at a research school, I didn’t feel like there was any way I would have interest in working in academia.”

LEADING THE SCHOOL BOARD Ask anyone who has dealt with Woolley, and they will tell you she speaks her mind and tells it like it is. She agrees with that, describing herself as “naturally outspoken.” Watching Woolley in action at a school board meeting, she doesn’t have to say anything to show what she’s thinking. Her facial expressions run the gamut from a serious inquisitive look with a raised eyebrow to a sudden explosion of laughter, often in response to a comment made by board member Jerry Griffin.

It’s Nov. 14 and the board is holding a special meeting to discuss what to do about the superintendent vacancy. There are more members of the media present than there are citizens. Months earlier the room was at capacity with parents, family members, students, activists, politicians and media, as well as then Superintendent Deborah Gist — a longtime target of Gov. Kevin Stitt and Walters, who for many months was both state secretary of education and state superintendent of public instruction.

On this Monday night, however, the six of seven board members in attendance match the number of those from the public in attendance to listen to their voted-in representatives talk in circles about what to do about the vacancy currently filled by interim Superintendent Ebony Johnson, who is seated to Woolley’s right. Board member E’Lena Ashley, formerly of Army military intelligence according to her bio, states she believes the interim title means Johnson has a limited scope of work she can do. Ashley is informed that as acting superintendent Johnson can do the job as if she is the contracted superintendent.

TIM LANDES; FAMILY PHOTO: COURTESY

In November, Woolley sat down and rested her forearm on a cushion as a tattoo artist dabbed a needle in blue ink and filled in the feather.

“I chose to get it because it has deep meaning for me, and I believed it would help me ground myself when times are hard,” she says. “To remind me that I do hard things, not for me, but for the kids I serve — for the kids who need protecting because they are different in some way.”

Woolley stands up for Tulsa, and most importantly for all of the children in our community. It started when she moved to Tulsa and became involved in her childrens’ school. Then four years ago with the voters in her district supporting her and her vision for TPS. And then again when the school board voted for Woolley to lead them through some of the most challenging times in the district’s history. She’s fighting for public education. She’s fighting for the future of our city.

These are the reasons she’s our Tulsan of the Year — a badge that can be added to her jacket next to the Choctaw Nation seal and blue jay buttons.

The reason she wears all of these things is easy.

“I want people to know who I am and what I represent,” she says.

This is the first time any of these board members have had to fill the superintendent position.

Gist, who had been in the role since July 2015, resigned on Aug. 24 amidst accreditation threats from Walters. Everyone on the board agrees a lengthy national search would be hard to do as they fight for their continued independence from state control. After a couple of hours the conversation ends, and they are mostly where they were before it started.

Woolley could have been at home that night.

Having three school-age children means lots of school and after-school activities. She could have still been a PTA mom, which is how she got started being involved when her middle child was in kindergarten at Zarrow. She could have been relaxing on the couch watching fellow southeastern Oklahoma gal Reba McEntire coach singers on “The Voice.” But she wasn’t; she was leading the board through another tough meeting.

What drew her to the board in the first place?

“I’m a believer that there are two types of people: There are people who complain and do nothing except complain, and there are people who get active and try to help. I’m the second of the two,” she says.

There had been what she calls “board normalcy” for her first year of the four-year term, then suddenly it was the endless days of the COVID-19 pandemic and to mask or not to mask, distance and hybrid learning models, Zoom meetings, conspiracy theorists and on and on. As that was subsiding the board was constructing and implementing a new district strategic plan for success.

It was exhausting work.

Woolley is a volunteer who is paid $25 a meeting, as is everyone else on the school board. She says she devotes over 40 hours a week to it. That translates to about 63 cents-an-hour pay.

It would have been easy to call it quits, but she knew she couldn’t do that. She had to file and run again in early 2023 because the truth was in the numbers.

“I SUPPORT ALL STUDENTS, WHICH MEANS I SUPPORT ALL STUDENTS FOR WHO THEY ARE. NOT SOME OF THEM OR ONLY IF THEY ARE WHO I THINK THEY SHOULD BE.” —STACEY WOOLLEY

THE MORNING AFTER It was Nov. 9, 2022, the morning after statewide elections where Walters had defeated Jena Nelson to become state superintendent.

“I called one of my good friends, who is kind of a data nerd, and asked her if she could help me pull all of the voting information from all of the precincts within TPS boundaries,” Woolley says. “If Ryan Walters is what Tulsa wants, then I wasn’t going to run because I am diabolically opposed to Ryan Walters. We looked in TPS precincts and Jena crushed him. She crushed him. And I said, ‘OK, I can’t let that happen.’”

On paper Woolley ran against and easily defeated Jared Buswell in April 2023 with 68% of the 2,213 votes. But to Woolley, her real opposition lay elsewhere.

“I didn’t run against my opponent. I ran against Ryan Walters,” says Woolley, who also won her first election in 2019 with 68% of votes cast, but then from only 811 people. “On the campaign trail, those were the discussions.”

Stacey and Eric Woolley with children Dace, Ryan and Reid. Not pictured are adult children Tyler and Gavin.

In her previous run it was questions about things like school names and her thoughts on Gist.

“This time on the campaign trail I had people asking me all the time, ‘Will you ban books?’ ‘Will you fight against banning books?’ ‘Do you support LGBTQ students?’ ‘Do you believe in inclusivity?’ I answered them honestly,” she says. “I support all students, which means I support all students for who they are. Not some of them or only if they are who I think they should be. So that’s why I ran. I mean, how can I not?”

‘ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE’ A month after Woolley won re-election the school year was coming to an end, which means there were graduation ceremonies for board members to attend and speak to students. Ashley went off the script and said a prayer at East Central’s ceremony. Woolley received more feedback than ever before from upset parents, many religious like her, pushing for separation of church and state.

She sent an email to the board telling them the importance of sticking to the script. Woolley and TPS also issued a statement about the incident that stated: The U.S. Constitution and U.S. Supreme Court rulings are clear: district officials may not lead prayer or promote religious views at school-sponsored events. By adhering to the law, we strive to uphold religious liberty and ensure that no student or family feels excluded at school events — particularly graduation, a once-in-a lifetime celebration.

Our focus remains on the important work of improving academic achievement and preparing all Tulsa students for success.

Walters responded in defense of Ashley and held a press conference on July 24 in front of the TPS Education Service Center, where according to radio station KWGS, he said, “At the next board meeting we have next month, we will be looking at Tulsa Public Schools’ accreditation for all their violations, fiscal mismanagement in this district, and we are going to make sure that religious liberties are protected in Tulsa Public Schools.”

“That’s when all hell broke loose,” Woolley says.

In the following weeks the conflict generated news coverage as if the local reporters were war correspondents. It was a constant stream of political rhetoric and TPS defending itself in response as shots were fired back and forth. Woolley wrote a Tulsa World op-ed defending our city’s right to maintain control.

A major storm had already blown through Tulsa in June and caused major destruction. With temperatures rising outside and in the board rooms, after weeks of silence on the issue from the mayor’s office, a summit was called at City Hall on Aug. 18 in hopes of preventing another outside force from causing problems in our neighborhoods.

In attendance were Walters and Woolley; Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum; John Croisant, TPS board vice chair; and Donald Burdick, state board of education member.

Woolley says Walters was very polite behind closed doors with lots of “yes ma’ams” and telling her “we’re gonna work great together,” which conTulsaPeople.com 59

trasts with his demeanor in front of media. “In the public domain he is intimidating and demanding,” she says adding he reminds her of Eddie Haskell on “Leave it to Beaver.” She says Bynum, who had stayed quiet on the conflict throughout the summer, asked lots of questions about student outcomes and his stance was “We have to do a better job.”

She says she told him she “wholeheartedly agrees” and that means everyone in Tulsa needs to do a better job for TPS to reach optimal success.

“Until society actually does the things society needs to do in order to help kids be successful, our schools are going to have a hard time actually getting them there,” says Woolley about a district where 80% of its student body is economically disadvantaged. “We live in a city that is one of the top in evictions. A lack of stability for our kids who need stability the most, who have very little stability in every other area of life, that matters.

What can we do as a city to change that? We have to do a lot of things that are much bigger than public education to be successful.”

Bynum issued a statement in regard to a takeover supporting TPS remaining under local control, stating “the City of Tulsa does not seek this, we do not want it and we do not need it.” Less than a week later, Gist was out.

One of Walters’ accusations, along with a debunked conspiracy theory about Chinese state-sponsored involvement in the school system, has been the mismanagement of funds after TPS self-reported Devin Fletcher, a former administrator, embezzled $603,992. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 30 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The district has recovered some of the money and insurance should cover the rest. Woolley says the problems Fletcher created go beyond the bank account.

“He has been hugely detrimental to our students and opened some doors for vulnerabilities that will 60 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

further potentially negatively affect kids,” she says.

“It’s a white-collar crime. I assume that means he’s made a deal that isn’t going to feel satisfactory at all, but at least there’s something, right?”

It’s one small victory in a heated battle that continues to escalate despite its long-time leader falling on a sword in an effort to bring stability back to TPS. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? In late October, Woolley attended a conference in San Diego for the Council of the Great City Schools, of which she serves on the executive board. In attendance were school board members and administrators from 79 urban school districts.

“Everyone I met, they read my name tag and were like, ‘Oh, you’re from Tulsa. I’m sorry. Keep up the good fight. We’re here for you,’ which is kind of like ‘thoughts and prayers.’ No offense but what are you doing about it in your blue state?” she says.

A month later at the Nov. 30 state school board meeting, interim superintendent Johnson announced during a mandatory monthly status update that TPS is seeing improvements as it makes personnel changes and looks at another round of school consolidation in response to a directive from the state board of education. Moments later Walters announced a plan to reform the accreditation process by linking accreditation to academic outcomes on state testing. This could go into effect following a 60-day period for public comment and a board vote.

On Dec. 5, Bynum once again chimed in by sending a letter to the TPS board encouraging the members to hire Johnson full time because “local control of Tulsa Public Schools hangs in the balance.” Two days later, Walters sent a letter to the TPS board and Bynum that stated a national search must be conducted because current leadership isn’t working fast enough to fix problems.

Woolley and many others believe Walters is

It’s Dec. 11, and the TPS board of education meeting is at capacity with more people in a nearby overflow room watching the proceedings as each board member votes on whether to remove the “interim” from Johnson’s title.

After hours of contentious discussions, public comments and an executive session it comes to down to this moment.

Six votes have been cast when Woolley leans into the microphone and says “aye.”

The room full of citizens jump to their feet as they cheer on Johnson.

After a 4-3 vote a new leader emerges ready to guide the state’s largest public school district to improved outcomes, while retaining local control.

The fight is on. tp

TIM LANDES

TPS Board President Stacey Woolley, center, listens to board member E’Lena Ashley, right, during a TPS school board special meeting on Nov. 14 to discuss the superintendent vacancy after Deborah Gist resigned in August.

using his position as a campaign platform for governor and a hostile takeover remains in the cards.

“I think he will take over the district. I think the only thing he’s waiting for right now is what he thinks is best for this gubernatorial run,” she says.

“I think the biggest thing that keeps him from doing anything yet is that he doesn’t want accountability. If he pulls the trigger too soon and takes over the district and nothing changes, when he’s up there saying we should be able to show changes in two months or whatever, then that doesn’t help him. If he waits long enough, then he doesn’t have accountability for it.”

Regardless of the reasons, Woolley sees a takeover causing irreparable damage to the youth and future of our city.

“Where I see this going is a total breakdown of what public schools are supposed to be, where we actually end up in a place where there is even greater division amongst the haves and have nots,” she says. “Those kids who are left behind in a gutted public school system are going to be the same kids who have always been neglected by our society.”

This is why she continues fighting, why she continues leading.

“Everything in my body believes that public education is essential for a healthy democracy,” she says. “I believe education is the great equalizer, specifically public education. I believe public schools have a lot more work to do specifically around kids who have traditionally been marginalized in our society.”

While no one knows for sure what the future holds for public education in Tulsa, Croisant, a former Edison Prep educator for 12 years and TPS board vice chair, says he believes in the Tulsan of the Year leading the district and Tulsa through the challenges that await.

“As a leader Stacey has been fair and willing to listen to those who agree with her and those who she doesn’t agree with. I have consistently seen her do what she thought would be best for students,” he says. “Whether it be fighting for Tulsa students against the attacks and rhetoric of Ryan Walters, making tough decisions with Dr. Gist or Dr. Johnson over the direction of the district, or just keeping the focus of the TPS Board of Education on helping TPS students, Stacey is never afraid to stand up for our students and for Tulsans.”

Lifestyle HOME

HEALTH

TRENDS

READ MORE ABOUT THIS HOME ON P. 62.

In the DETAILS

TONY LI OF THE TONY LI PROJECT

A

kitchen is often the heart of the home, and this spacious layout in a recent Brookside new-build by Wolff Construction and Mitchell Wall Architecture sets the bar high with luxurious design and finishes.

Elite Cabinets of Tulsa created a cohesive look with a built-in JennAir Obsidian refrigerator flanked in matching cabinetry, all complementing Eleganza’s countertop slabs. tp

TulsaPeople.com 61

LIFESTYLE

HOME

Mitchell Wall Architecture and Wolff Construction custom built the dining room’s wine fridge and fireplace, creating a completely one-of-a-kind look for the 4,237-square-foot home.

The homeowners found a sleek dining table and buffet from RH Modern and chairs at Moe’s Home Collection.

Something from nothing A new home in Brookside delivers on contemporary style for a busy family.

A

s all builders will tell you, minimalism as an architectural practice is actually the most difficult to achieve because straight, clean lines hide no mistakes. But home builder Stephen Wolff of Wolff Construction and his wife, Bailey, were well-prepared for the challenge.

With both spouses coming from exacting career fields — he’s a Major with 22-plus years’ experience in the military and she’s a mechanical engineer who is a co-founder and COO of XRG Technologies within the oil and gas industry — the characteristics of discipline, discernment and attention to detail are on full display in the couple’s striking, streamlined three-story home in Brookside.

As busy parents of a 3-year-old, the couple wanted a house fit for a family that mixed “cozy contemporary” and “livable luxury” with a good balance between form and function. The most prominent chal62 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

lenge they faced was how to maximize the 6,741-square-foot lot without sacrificing any of the 4,237-square-feet of livable interior space.

“Due to our proximity to so many wonderful amenities we were content with a low maintenance zero lot line dwelling,” Bailey says, adding that they chose mostly hardscaping and a pool so they could enjoy their property rather than spending time mowing and maintaining the grounds.

The Wolffs enlisted architect Thomas Wall of Mitchell Wall Architecture based out of St. Louis, Missouri, to flesh out their desired concept and structural details, such as how to make the two-car garage-dominated front elevation profound enough to capture attention.

In addition to the high form and function standard, the challenging building techniques — like cantilevering the structure — are technical feats.

“We framed the house with both metal and wood for structural support because wood alone can’t carry the required loads,” Stephen says. “Because the different floors were offset, meaning not stacked one on top of the other, the load bearing components, combined with the long runs, required steel framing in certain parts of the house. We also had to use steel beams to achieve the cantilevered balcony, which gives the house some character and helps break up the square lines, resulting in a cool architectural effect.”

Armed with the architectural road map, the couple spearheaded the general contracting for the build of the home and the interior design themselves, utilizing their ingenuity to create high-end value without going over budget.

“The process for this home was pretty artistic in the sense that a lot of our creativity came about spontaneously and organically out

TONY LI OF THE TONY LI PROJECT

BY NICCI ATCHLEY

Clockwise from top left: Low maintenance was key for this busy family of three, which meant lots of hardscaping on the property. Outdoor living in the winter is tolerable with amenities like a custom-designed fireplace and creature comforts like plenty of cozy seating by Terra Outdoor. ‘Cozy contemporary’ and ‘liveable luxury’ define this three-story home in the heart of midtown. In the living room, Moe’s Home Collection chairs are flanked by couches from local retailer Fifteenth and Home with a coffee table by RH Modern. The homeowners sourced this vintage fireplace from a local estate sale.

of need to improvise and problem solve due to the logistical challenges happening at the time. We had disagreements throughout the process. Neither of us are shy about injecting an opinion,” Bailey says with a smile.

“Whoever came up with the best idea won the argument,” Stephen adds. “We are most proud of our ability to reverse value engineer, a tremendous benefit of having Bailey on the team as an engineer. It allowed us to incorporate luxury details throughout at reasonable prices.” For instance, with the custom wine fridge, the Wolffs drastically reduced the cost by sourcing all the individual components and building it themselves, as opposed to sourcing from a custom wine fridge company.

“We came from a house that required a lot of upkeep so an ease of living has been a priority in the construction of this house.

We tried to use one paint color — Benjamin Moore’s Collingwood — throughout the entire house. We selected high quality, durable yet low maintenance materials,” Bailey says.

Elements of the sleek interior such as darker tones of the materials, the abundance of glass and metal, sexy and sophisticated mood lighting and the floating industrialstyle staircase are offset by the family’s bright yellow freestanding midcentury fireplace, ever growing book collection and eclectic original art. Not to mention an errant toddler’s toy here and there. tp

The design team worked with Tulsa’s own Dugger Steel to create a floating staircase and railing to access the other floors.

TulsaPeople.com 63

LIFESTYLE

STOREFRONT RIBBONS

10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday 3525 S. Peoria Ave. 918-743-7599

Lisa Delametter

SHOP FAV O R I T E S

Style staple Ribbons boutique in Brookside still going strong

BY KENDALL BARROW

Custom beaded purse strap and purses by Tiana, $40-200.

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64 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Game-day sweaters, $145.

Mahjong game set, $198 and up.

MICHELLE POLLARD

early 40 years ago, four friends with great taste and the drive to own their own business opened Ribbons in Brookside. What started out as a tiny shop selling sterling silver jewelry and gifts has now grown into a women’s clothing boutique known for its trendy yet affordable styles.

Cherie Poyas, Gae Bachle, Rentia Shofner and Patsy Vosburgh chose the Brookside neighborhood for their shop when they opened in 1985 because of the fun, local vibe, says Lisa Delametter, Poyas’ daughter. In the early 2000s, Delametter partnered with her mother in the business and today the pair are the two co-owners of the store.

Delametter says what sets them apart is their carefully curated selection of merchandise.

“We truly seek out brands that are not commonly found in other Tulsa stores,” she says. “We are always looking for colors and styles that are fresh, fun and flattering, and we are always proud that we find items that are reasonably priced.” She is quick to credit her lead apparel buyer, Marcy Reed, for the shop’s offerings. “Marcy loves fashion and makes sure we have styles that are current.”

In addition to women’s clothing, the store still carries plenty of giftable items as well as clothing and gifts for babies. “If you come into Ribbons it’s usually because there is something fun going on in your life — you’re going to an event or a baby shower or having family pictures taken,” Delametter says. “We love that we get to be a part of it.” tp

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2803 SOUTH HARVARD | 918-624-2600 OPEN MON.–SAT. 10-6, SUN. 12-5 TulsaPeople.com 65

NEW YEAR, GAME TIME NEW YOU! N

Courtney Wilson and Lindsay Gray, both standing, are the founders of The Mahjong Social Club. Learn about upcoming events, like this recent social at American Solera, on Instagram @themahjongsocialclub.

Tulsans teach others the game of mahjong.

Hello, 2024.

As we welcome a new year, we seek advice from local experts on new hobbies, recipes, exercise and more.

66 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

othing says “New Year, New You” like learning a new skill set and amping up your friend group.

Enter the Mahjong Social Club.

Founded in July 2023 by Tulsans Courtney Wilson and Lindsay Gray, the two provide lessons, host parties and even offer board and supply rentals for those just getting into American mahjong, a tile-based game which evolved from the traditional Chinese version.

After learning the game while visiting a friend in Dallas, Gray says she began hosting lessons in her home because she wanted more of her close friends to learn the game. “Th is sparked a love to teach because I knew the result would be many years of socializing with these women over a fun game,” she says.

Wilson picked up the game during a long weekend at the lake. The two women knew each other through volunteering at their children’s school, but became better friends through many mahjong sessions.

“Lindsay was already teaching friends casually and I thought she was really good at it. I followed several teachers in Dallas but did not see anyone teaching in Tulsa,” Wilson says. “I thought it was a void that we could fi ll.”

Neither quite expected the response their business received. “Tulsa has become

mahjong obsessed,” Wilson says. “There isn’t a day that goes by that it doesn’t come up in conversation — it really appeals to everyone.”

The pair’s main business is providing beginner and follow-up lessons, but they also have started hosting open play events for players to attend and connect with other mahjong enthusiasts. If you want to host a mahjong party in your home, they can help with that, too.

Wilson and Gray also are ambassadors for a Dallas-based company called The Mahjong Line, which sells brightly colored tiles with original, hand-painted artwork that are larger in size than traditional tiles.

“We own several full sets and can rent those if you want to try them before you buy. We have tiles, racks, mats and National Mahjong League cards available — everything you need to play,” Wilson says.

Traditionally, mahjong is played with four people. “The game has a lot of rules, and you have to really strategize to win. It definitely keeps your brain sharp,” Wilson says. Gray agrees the process of playing keeps your brain “on its toes,” but for her, the appeal lies elsewhere. “The socialization within a community of people and the game itself bring an entertaining, screenless escape for a few hours,” she says. “It’s a simple delight.” tp

MICHELLE POLLARD

BY KENDALL BARROW

YMCA of Greater Tulsa

T

he YMCA of Greater Tulsa is all about building better communities.

And that starts with a community of one...you. Understanding your goals and aspirations helps us create programs and activities built around a collective of shared ambitions. From sports activities to social interaction to ongoing health education, we’re here for you and for all.

The YMCA of Greater Tulsa is more than simply a recreational center, it’s a community center at heart - committed to improving the health of our community. Experts guide attendees through programs like diabetes prevention and education, blood pressure self-management, Parkinson’s cycling program, smoking cessation programs and community health assessment days.

Learn new skills in youth sports, spark passion through social responsibility in the new teen program, find your quiet place during yoga

or share coffee after taking a class. Find your community at the YMCA in new ways.

Spirit. Mind. Body. These three pillars have been part of the YMCA’s mission since its earliest beginnings. They’ve been the guiding force behind all the programs and activities that YMCA offers. And while these pillars focus on the individual, the heart of the YMCA is community. See, as we work to improve ourselves, we also improve our communities. Which makes us more than a recreational center. We’re a community greatness center.

YMCA OF GREATER TULSA Join in January and enjoy $0 Joining Fee, that’s a $60 savings!

14 locations throughout Green Country, including Bixby, Broken Arrow, Okmulgee, Owasso and Tulsa | ymcatulsa.org

SPECIAL SECTION

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

Let’s get cooking Tulsa chef offers ways to help step up your kitchen game in the new year.

BY NATALIE MIKLES

“Food is ingredient-driven. Find an ingredient you haven’t seen before, haven’t cooked or tasted. If it looks weird, find out what it is. Bring it into your cooking,” she says.

Conley has taught many people over the years who tell her they’re still making the foods she taught them to make.

“My intention was always to teach people to cook at home and enjoy it. That’s what I intended to do, and I’ve done it,” she says.

Th is fresh, delicious salad is perfect as a side dish or for lunch. Beginner cooks will have fun learning to shred cabbage, slice cucumbers and julienne a pepper.

Candace Conley’s recipe is one she created after eating the popular ramen noodle cabbage slaw.

“I like to think this is the healthier version,” she says. “Even if it isn’t, it’s delicious.”

ASIAN SLAW Serves 8 For the slaw: 1 head napa (Chinese) cabbage, shredded 1 small English cucumber, sliced lengthwise then thinly cut across into half-moons 5 green onions, sliced on an angle 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Asian slaw

C

andace Conley is a big fan of fresh starts.

She understands the idea of reinvention, whether in small ways like learning to cook something new or in big ways like deciding to become a professional chef at mid-life — like she did at 50.

First taking classes from chef Scott VanTuyl, Conley has since owned a restaurant, catered and taught cooking classes through her business The Girl Can Cook.

She says she’s in her third act — an act worth a standing ovation.

68 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

January is the perfect time to add something fun or try something new. Conley has taught many people over the years — from those who “didn’t know how to boil water,” to gourmet cooks who just want to fine-tune their skills. She says January is a great time to learn and experiment in the kitchen.

“People are intimidated by cooking.

Their knee-jerk reaction is ‘I could never do that,’” she says.

For those who have never cooked or have an aversion to cooking, Conley suggests looking at ingredients with a fresh mindset.

In a large bowl, combine slaw ingredients.

Set aside.

In a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine ginger, garlic and brown sugar.

Stir with a small spoon to blend then add soy sauce and sesame oil. Add vinegar and oil and shake until well blended. Taste for seasoning and add pepper as needed.

Into a large bowl, pour half of the dressing. Add slaw ingredients and toss. Add additional dressing to taste/preference but salad should not be over-dressed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. tp

MICHELLE POLLARD

For the dressing: 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, unseasoned 1/2 cup canola oil or other flavorless oil Salt and pepper, to taste

“Volunteering for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is “one of the most rewarding experiences that anyone can go through in their life.”

— Betty Robinson

BETTY ROBINSON AND JO ANN WINN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

THE LATE HOMER ROBINSON AND BETTY ROBINSON

BETTY, STEPHANIE AND JOHN COLE

BETTY ROBINSON AND THE LATE JEAN BOYD

Fabulous Betty!

BETTY ROBINSON

Betty’s commitment to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is nothing short of extraordinary.

With over 50 years of dedicated volunteering, Betty has remained steadfast in her commitment to our mission of finding a cure for all people with CF. Betty’s journey with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation began in 1970 when her son, Greg, became friends with a child in his class. This child, Chris, had cystic fibrosis. Chris’s father pressed for Betty to get involved and join the board. Back then, Betty knew very little of what it meant to be on a board, but she dove right in. Betty and her husband got involved in every avenue of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s mission and even saved money to make generous donations.

Chris soon became like a family member, as Greg and Chris grew up together, became college roommates, and even joined a fraternity together. Chris’s passing at the age of 35 only solidified her commitment. Betty’s bond with Chris’s family extended through the years, with his younger brother visiting her recently for a weekend of shared memories.

Throughout Betty’s time at the Foundation, she’s been close with her community. She’s celebrated birthdays, attended graduations,

What a treasure to know her…. at 99 years of age, Betty Rob is still as dedicated as ever to finding a cure for CF. The Eastern Oklahoma Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is proud to have her support and we honor her service.

— Jo Ann Winn, Executive Director

and her husband even dressed as Santa Claus for children with cystic fibrosis (a tradition that carried on, as her son-in-law stepped up and did it afterwards). Betty describes the Foundation’s work as “a lot more personal than other organizations” and has seen firsthand the profound impact it has had on countless lives.

In Betty’s own words, volunteering for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is “one of the most rewarding experiences that anyone can go through in their life.” Betty’s contributions to the Cystic Fibrosis community have been immeasurable. She continues to be a dedicated

board member at the Eastern Oklahoma Chapter, event volunteer, and mentor, always ready to share her infectious energy and sense of humor.

Betty embodies the heart and soul of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, demonstrating that a single individual’s commitment can change lives and bring us closer to a cure. We cherish and celebrate her for the incredible person she is, and we are forever grateful for her tireless efforts and boundless spirit in the fight against cystic fibrosis.

We are so thankful for Betty and all of the supporters of the CF community.

Eastern Oklahoma Chapter 2123 S. Atlanta Place, Suite 100 Tulsa, OK 74114

To donate to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in honor of Betty, scan the QR code.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact Jo Ann Winn or Coby Wells at eastern-oklahoma@cff.org.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has unrestricted financial reserves of about 10 times its 2023 operating budget. These reserves are largely a result of the Foundation's successful venture philanthropy model, through which we have raised and invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help discover and develop breakthrough CF therapies. These funds and any future revenue from our model are reinvested into the Foundation’s mission to cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all people with CF the opportunity to lead long, fulfilling lives. To obtain a copy of our latest Annual Report, visit https://www.cff.org/about-us/annual-reports-and-financials, email info@cff.org or call 1-800-FIGHT-CF.

SPECIAL SECTION

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

A new groove 3 classes to spice up your workout.

BY KIM BROWN

ZUMBA AT LAFORTUNE COMMUNITY CENTER Christy Hays discovered Zumba to motivate her colleagues to exercise when she worked as an HR director at Family and Children’s Services.

“I found a Zumba class I loved and several people who went with me said, ‘If you taught a class, I’d go,’” she says. “This is my 16th year teaching.”

Zumba has been going strong since it was founded in the 1990s as a Latin-cardio dance infusion.

“I think what makes Zumba so fun is that people love music,” she says. “Zumba was intended to feel like you’re going out dancing.”

Hays says she’s proud to have created a strong following at her classes at LaFortune Community Center gymnasium, 5202 S. Hudson Ave., with members from all age groups. And she infuses the traditional Latin music with popular tunes, including Taylor Swift.

“The hardest part is walking into a new place for the first time,” she says. “So we welcome them, show them a good spot, and tell them not to worry if you don’t know the steps at first.”

Hays teaches at 6 p.m., Mondays and Thursdays, and at 10 a.m., Saturdays. The first class is free; then it’s $5 a class. You can purchase a punch card with six classes for $25. For more, visit letszumbanow.com.

Left, Christy Hays leads a recent Zumba class; above right, Nicole Peltier of Raven Yoga; below right, Club Pilates

I

t’s a tried-and-true tradition — with a new year comes new fitness goals. But fitting into your pre-holiday jeans isn’t the only benefit.

According to a 2023 study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, adding just 75 minutes a week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise could help you lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and lower your risk of an early mortality.

Whether you’d like to dance Zumba to Taylor Swift or practice yoga to the sounds of TOOL, these Tulsa area fitness offerings will benefit your body and mind.

RAVEN YOGA Nicole Peltier has been sharing her love of yoga with Tulsans for more than 23 years, and she is 70 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

known for offering classes that are unconventional and fun.

“We have a lot of men who have never done yoga but love heavy metal, and TOOL is an entry for them,” she says of the heavy metal band. “Music can pull you out of a hard time.”

Peltier also teaches a nondenominational All Rise Yoga Service, which she calls a “Sunday gospel revival kind of yoga.” And she leads yoga retreats all over the world.

“Yoga is not only a workout; it’s a work-in,” she says. “You start to notice your thought patterns, your defects, your tendencies.”

Peltier’s classes vary in costs, many less than $20, and she offers free online classes. In-person classes take place in various locations throughout Tulsa. You can find out more about her schedule and locations at ravenyoganation.com.

MICHELLE POLLARD

CLUB PILATES Pilates offerings in Tulsa have come a long way — now you can attend group classes featuring the reformer machine, which isolates muscles for a full body, low impact workout.

“Reformer Pilates is resistance training utilizing spring tension and slower paced, controlled movement. It focuses on the core and each muscle group,” says Becky Aucoin, lead instructor for Club Pilates midtown location, 3230 E. 21st St. Each class is choreographed to follow specific breakdowns appropriate to each of four levels.

Beginners take an introductory class to learn how to use the equipment before they start. The small class size (12 maximum) allows ample observation and coaching with the certified instructors.

“It increases flexibility, and it allows us to really connect with the body, stretching and lengthening for that longer, leaner look,” says Aucoin, adding that many are surprised at what their bodies can do after attending for a few months.

“You’re breathing and mentally connecting and taking that time for yourself; clients have said it can be like self-therapy,” she continues.

Club Pilates has three locations in the area and offers a free first class. Packages of classes are available starting with a four-class package. For more, visit clubpilates.com. tp

Brookside’s Concierge Wellness Club 918-578-9077 www.theiso.club

Jessi Brewer, Owner and Nurse Practitioner

Primary care for women including hormone, nutrition and weight loss therapy.

4146 S. HARVARD AVE. SUITE F6 TULSA, OKLAHOMA 74135 918-716-9717 | BALANCEDWELLNESS.HEALTH

Cutting Edge Fitness Holistic Wellness

Rooted in wellness, ISO is a private community that is more than a gym - it is a mindset where members find balance through a blend of active performance and rejuvenating recovery.

TulsaPeople.com 71

LIFESTYLE

BEYOND CITY LIMITS

Meow Wolf in Grapevine, Texas

NEEDING A BREAK Regional destinations perfect for a spring break getaway.

A

s we brave January’s brutal winter temperatures, thoughts of fleeing to warmer locals inevitably sneak in. Th is year, spring break is March 18-22, and it’s the perfect time to take a trip to celebrate the changing of the seasons. Tulsa’s centralized location provides many fun destination options without having to deal with the rigmarole of air travel or the sea of humanity that flocks to more traditional spring break destinations.

The DALLAS METROPLEX may not have a beach, but it has several unique cultural experiences that make for an unforgettable trip. Meow Wolf Grapevine, a sister location to Santa Fe’s famous exhibition, opened this past year and has quickly become an experiential hotspot. Built within a shopping center and spanning more than three dozen artistically realized rooms, the complex encourages creative exploration for the whole family. For something a little more traditional, Great Wolf Lodge brings the waterpark fun to your hotel room door and pairs it with other

72 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

activities from a ropes course to arcade games. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science offers five stories of natural history and interactive exhibits. For a quieter, more intimate way to see the city, look into taking a trip up the Reunion Tower. The observation deck provides a 360-degree view of the Dallas skyline; seeing a sunset from here is quite stunning!

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, is just a little farther of a drive, but it’s a vastly different cultural experience. For a snapshot of Louisiana culture and history, spend some time at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum.

The Red River cuts through the heart of the city and serves as the backdrop for its vibrant riverfront district, which includes several casino resorts, a bounty of restaurants for every kind of foodie and a great selection of things to do. The Waterworks Museum showcases a facility that was built in 1887 — it’s a fascinating, educational experience for young and old alike. Agora Borealis is a combination art and handmade goods market that attracts artisans

from around the region. For a no-frills but authentic local dining experience, stop in at Herby-K’s, which has been serving Creole food since 1936. If you can’t make it down for spring break, April brings the annual Holiday in Dixie celebration that includes a parade, live music, rides and more.

If you absolutely must spend some time on the sand, LAKE OF THE OZARKS has you covered. Sunrise Beach offers a sandy entry into the massive reservoir, which is nicknamed “the Missouri Dragon” due to its snake-like shape. As you might expect, there are a great number of lakefront grills, vacation rental properties and outdoor activities nearby to fi ll your time. The large footprint of the lake also means it’s easy to create a custom itinerary for just about any taste. A canopy zipline tour in Camdenton offers a unique way to see the region and is fun for all ages. The nearby Bridal Cave was rated as one of the most scenic caverns in America; tours last about an hour and CONTINUED ON P. 74

PHOTO BY KATE RUSSELL, COURTESY

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Clockwise from top left, the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana; Bridal Cave in Camdenton, Missouri; American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri; Bull Shoals Lake in northern Arkansas

the guides give an up-close-and-personal look at some of Missouri’s most beautiful rock formations. Osage Beach has gained some notoriety thanks to the Netfl ix series “Ozark,” but rest assured this resort town has not let that go to its head. The Main Street Music Hall reopened in 2023 and is continuing its legacy of family entertainment. If you’re spending spring break with a significant other or a group of friends, there are multiple wineries and breweries here to build your own tasting tour. The Ozark Distillery and Brewery in particular has a great selection of local spirits, and you can even take a tour of their operation.

Looking for a getaway that’s less urban?

Head in another direction and spend a little time in the ARKANSAS OZARKS. Floating the Buffalo River is one of the Natural State’s most scenic destinations and spring break is not too early to enjoy the cool waters. In fact, this time of year brings peak waterfall viewing. Check out the Tyler Bend Recreation Area for a taste of the region and 74 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

then graduate to a hike or a float along the river for a fuller experience. Booking a stay at Bull Shoals Lake may bring the added bonus of an encounter with a bald eagle.

There are multiple resorts and camping options whether you’re looking for days packed with activity or a relaxing weekend in a scenic location.

KANSAS CITY is another not-too-distant Spring Break destination that will give you a lot of variety. Have you ever been to a cat cafe? Check out Whiskers Cat Cafe and Coffeehouse, a delightful caffeine-and-kitty experience that helps connect felines with forever homes. Don’t worry — adoption is not required to enjoy the lounge but advance reservations are recommended. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is an educational and spirited journey through the history of African American baseball teams and notable players from the sport. It’s situated next to the American Jazz Museum and part of the 18th and Vine district, which also offers great local cuisine and several venues

to enjoy the city’s modern sound. Although opening day isn’t until March 28, a Spring Break trip can include a tour of Kauffman Stadium — one of the oldest fields in Major League Baseball. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is nationally renowned for its diverse collection of art. The facility prides itself in providing an “ongoing experience” so that every visit holds something new. Its extensive collection extends outdoors into a sculpture garden — the giant badminton birdies on the lawn make for one of the city’s most iconic photo ops! One of the most unique museum destinations in the Midwest is the Arabia Steamboat Museum.

It chronicles the sinking of the Steamboat Arabia in 1856 and the 1988 recovery of its contents. The 200 tons of preserved cargo give a unique view into life on the American frontier through the everyday objects that have been recovered. As you tour the collection, you can even watch preservationists actively restoring pieces from the collection. tp

BULL SHOALS, RED RIVER: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; BRIDAL CAVE, AMERICAN JAZZ MUSEUM: COURTESY

CONTINUED FROM P. 72

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Immerse yourself in the lively pulse of downtown where eclectic shops, captivating entertainment and a thriving arts scene awaits. If it’s birdwatching you’re into, check out the exhibits at Dickerson Park Zoo, or take in a ballgame with our favorite birds, the Springfield Cardinals, the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

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them local favorites. You know what’s also just a short drive away? BigShots Golf, where people of all skill levels can play the interactive driving range games at over 50 bays! Test your sense of adventure at Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium where wildlife comes to life with breathtaking aquariums and immersive dioramas.

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LIFESTYLE

MUSINGS

In the bleak midwinter

I

f there’s one thing I can be sure of, it’s that my DIY projects won’t turn out as I imagine them.

Take the current one, for example.

Th is time of year, with short days, long nights and cold temperatures, I don’t care what I said about the garden in late August, now I miss it.

Anticipating this remorse, in midsummer I embraced a simple craft project intended to later lift my sunshine-deficit winter blues. The craft directions were simple: dry some blossoms from the garden, put them in a jar and label it “Summer of 2023.” Makes charming winter table decorations, the directions said, sweet takeaways to delight your guests.

I followed those directions to a T. The finished jars are supposed to be enchanting.

Mine are brown and drearier than a pressed corsage from the high school prom.

Oh, when I think of my other craft and decorating projects that went south: lamp shades glued with fringe, hand-crafted bookmarks, curbside-found furniture painted by my very own self. For holiday gifts one year I made vinaigrette dressing with herbs from my garden and labeled the bottles “Connie & Herb.” Sadly, when I listed all of the herbs, I misspelled two of them.

I spend January and February in front of a space heater remembering a summer 78 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

so big and bright I couldn’t see around it.

July days were like a great pail of possibility either to be sipped and savored or gulped from a dipper with the goodness of summer dripping down my chin.

I think back to October, the month of spectacular sunshine and Edward Hopper shadows in Oklahoma. That’s the month I baffled my step-grandsons by mailing them Halloween cards. They’re in college and evidently had never seen a paper envelope without a check in it.

I think brilliant Oklahoma October is the season poet Frank O’Hara was describing when he wrote “the day came fat with an apple in its mouth.”

I find my greatest solace always in language. I collect bits of good writing like some people collect stamps. Fragments of poetry and prose inspire and amuse me. I’m almost consoled to read that Thoreau called this season “that grand old poem called Winter.”

The phrase stuck in my head is “in the bleak midwinter.” Probably because I heard it recently as a Christmas carol. The Christina Rossetti poem, published in 1872, holds the unforgettable image of a season when the “earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.”

The poem was set to music as a carol by Gustav Holst in 1906. In 2010, choirmasters voted composer Harold Darke’s 1909 version the best carol in the world.

Icing the cake of fame with popular culture, Tommy Shelby uses the phrase several times in “Peaky Blinders.” To WWI survivor Shelby it is a reminder that every day of life is a bonus with the possibility of a second chance.

I try to think positively of winter by reading author Donna Ashworth’s view that we are “wintering” and that nature is pulling us to slow. “It is winter, you’re wintering. And you are right on time.”

After such exuberant growth, the earth has earned a rest and so have we.

I hold a thin dream of spring. Nashville nature writer Margaret Renkl writes “this is what the world does best. New life.

Rebirth. The greenness that rises out of the ashes.”

I try not to worry about politics, democracy, homelessness and the economy. I will savor the quote from Indian author Arundhati Roy entreating us to “never, never to forget … another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

However. I am not a poet. I am a simple person. In the bleak midwinter I wear extra socks, sweaters and scarfs and brood over my solitary New Year’s resolution: master downtown parking.

Maybe I’ll rethink that. After all, I’m wintering. tp

ASHLEY GUERRERO

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

McGraw Realtors

LauraBryant

918.693.2961 lbryant@mcgrawok.com

THANK YOU TULSA!

57 HOMES SOLD AND OVER 32 MiLLiON iN SALES iN 2023! LET ME HELP YOU BUY OR SELL iN 2024!

*Photos reflect Laura Bryant’s 2023 listings

84 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

1121 S LAUREL AVENUE, BROKEN ARROW 4 BED | 3 BATH | 3,069 SQ FT | $469,000 SALTWATER POOL & SPA, WOOD FLOORS, PLANTATiON SHUTTERS THROUGHOUT, INTERiOR SAFE ROOM, DOG RUN

LOTS 16 & 17 BLOCK 1 CROSS OAKS, SKiATOOK | $69,000 READY TO BUiLD ELECTRiC & WATER ON SiTE 1.34 ACRES TOTAL

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSiNESS iN 2023, I LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT 2024!

2411 E 34th Street

4247 S Madison Place

6 Beds | 8 Baths | 13,712 sq. ft | $4,790,000

4 Beds | 5 Baths | 3,800 sq. ft. | $999,000

Midtown mansion on over an acre, built in 2010, boasts open rooms, entertainment spaces, vaulted Primary Suite, second kitchen, Meile Coffee center, game room, finished basement, pool, spa, outdoor living, and advanced automation systems, including an elevator and security.

Luxury contemporary Midtown construction with two main level bedrooms with private baths, vaulted Primary Suite, game room, and open area on the second level, Butler's and Catering Kitchen, 3-car garage, on a corner lot just blocks from Riverparks and Brookside.

4241 S Madison Place

2524 E 12th Street

4 Beds | 3 Baths | 3,300 sq. ft | $849,000

4 Beds | 4 Baths |3,025 sq. ft.| $464,000

Contemporary luxury in Midtown, near Riverparks and Brookside with vaulted ceilings, fireplace, 3-car garage, and an outdoor living space; the primary suite features a spacious bath and walk-in closet, with a game room upstairs—impressive finishes and attention to detail throughout.

Desirable Midtown location with immaculate glass staircase, hardwood floors, granite countertops, LG W/D, tankless water heater, and two primary bedroom suites, complemented by a professionally landscaped backyard and privacy fence.

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TulsaPeople.com 85

McGraw Realtors

HAPPY NEW YEAR! WiSHiNG YOU HEALTH, HAPPiNESS AND SUCCESS iN 2024. LET'S GET YOU MOViNG!

McGraw Realtors

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SHERRI SANDERS 918- 724-5008 ssanders@mcgrawok.com

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Diana Riley Patterson (918) 629-3717 dpatterson@mcgrawok.com

Call any of the Luxury Property Group Realtors about one of these homes, or any property that you have an interest in.

We will provide you with superior personal service with the highest integrity.

JENKS WEST Gated 10+ acres near 91st & Highway 75 So next to Jenks West Schools. Quality home nestled in the trees with amazing hilltop views. Multiple outbuildings. Perfect setting for horses, RV/Boat storage or a car collection. Convenient location close to shopping, medical & new road frontage to property is currently being constructed on Maybelle Ave with new direct access from 91st to 81st at Tulsa Hills. 833 W 91st St. $2,500,000

SIGNAL HILL

This newly renovated home sits on an acre of land that overlooks mature trees, private backyard, swimming pool & is located in a gated community. It includes 5 bedrooms (2 down), 5 bathrooms, a chef's kitchen, large butler's pantry, game room, formal dining, breakfast nook, 2 wood burning fire places, dog washing station, and a 20+ car garage! This is a home that you don't want to miss, it is spectacular. 5011 E 84th Street. $1,850,000

CHARLANE ESTATES Ranch style home with walk-out basement located in charming Charlane Estates in midtown!

Wood deck covers back of house. Open kitchen, 4 bed, 3.5 baths, 2 car garage. Master has floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking backyard with tree top views. New roof installed in October 2023. 3228 S Delaware Place. $769,000

CARLISLE AT YORKTOWN Stunning home in Carlisle at Yorktown! Elegant entry, Stone Fireplace in the Great Room, gourmet kitchen & luxurious master suite. Second suite on level one.

Two bedrooms with private baths upstairs + Theater Room.

Oversized 3-car garage with custom cabinetry. Covered Patio overlooks greenbelt and walking trail. Neighborhood amenities include a pool, pond, basketball court, and playground. Bixby West Elementary. 215 E 127th Street. $695,000

Enjoy the Luxury Lifestyle you desire 86 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

NORTH POINT Exceptional custom lake home at The Lodge in North Point on Grand Lake, featuring a grand entry with 24-foot vaulted ceilings, New York state bridge timbers, a river rock fireplace, and special chandeliers.

Designed for a large family, the home boasts two main suites, an office, Wolf oven and range in the kitchen, a game and theater room in the walk-out basement, and a 3slip covered boat dock. Enjoy luxury living with unique bedrooms, ample storage, and a screened-in porch. This lakefront haven is move-in ready for your enjoyment!

4040 North Point Loop. $1,777,500 MIDTOWN This English styled home was built in 1926 and professionally remodeled to todays standards.

Hardwood floors, granite counters in the kitchen and a newer master bathroom are just a few of the modern features.

Enjoy the close by private schools, Utica Square shopping center and St. John's Hospital!

2120 E 24th Street. $669,000.

RIVERSIDE The Riverparks Trails are right across the street from this 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo. Enjoy the year round beauty of this fully remodeled condo!

A one car garage is very convenient for safety - it opens into the home! Upstairs is a kitchen, living room, and bedroom w/ bath. Front and rear balconies.

1125 sq ft.1505 Riverside Drive. $250,000.

DINING

FOOD

DRINKS

TIKI TONIC

J

ust like biting into a fresh Fuji apple, the Apple Drop ($6) is one of several nonalcoholic concoctions available at Saturn Room. Served over ice, it’s a refreshing mix of pineapple and lemon juices with vanilla and ginger syrup, Clean Co. nonalcoholic vodka (which amps up the apple notes), cinnamon and aromatics. tp 209 N. Boulder Ave. • 918-794-9422 saturnroom.com

MICHELLE POLLARD

LEARN MORE ABOUT SATURN ROOM AND ITS MOCKTAIL AND TIKI DRINKS ON P. 95.

TulsaPeople.com 87

TA B L E TA L K

DINING OUT

Posh noshes Dining is elevated — literally — at Tulsa’s newest boutique hotel.

BY NATALIE MIKLES

Rusted Roots salad features roasted heirloom carrots, red onions and beets over greens with a rosemary aioli.

88 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

MICHELLE POLLARD; HOTEL: TIM LANDES

H

oward Wolf had a vision for a hotel with fine dining and a bar with views of downtown Tulsa when he purchased an old apartment building that has since become Brut Hotel. Opening in late summer, the hotel has quickly become known locally for its rooftop restaurant and bar, Soma.

The transformation from a building that was once so easy to ignore to what is now a welcoming space is pretty amazing.

Soma, the rooftop restaurant, was actually constructed on the ground, next door to the hotel. It was taken up by a crane, piece by piece, and fastened together until the entire space, with a nearly 360-degree view, was complete.

We found a mix of hotel guests and locals dining when we visited for brunch and later for dinner. Weekends are more crowded with hotel guests, though many locals also have found out about Soma — including the great breakfast menu.

Breakfast is served 8-11 a.m. with a menu including chilaquiles, avocado toast, breakfast tacos and a blueberry pineapple pancake with coconut syrup. Wolf worked on the menu with Rob Stuart — owner of Chimera Cafe — for two years. What they settled on is a superb menu of small plates, entrees and a bar menu that bends toward locality but with a touch of that getaway, luxury feel.

Stuart’s influence can be seen throughout the menu, with several meatless and vegan options, as you would find at Chimera. One of those highlights is the tofu scramble on greens with grilled vegetables, avocado and served with a cashew butter toast. Another amazing breakfast option is the French toast with whipped goat cheese, berries, orange zest and date syrup.

Soma’s dinner menu is an impressive mix, starting with classic steak frites with garlic parmesan fries. Th is dish comes with a salad, which we loved. The tanginess of the vinaigrette is perfect with the salty umami flavor from the steak frites.

The dinner menu is printed seasonally and has some variation. The evening we visited, we tried a seared salmon with jasmine rice, grilled bok choy and red cabbage. It was a great combination of flavor and had a beautiful presentation.

Soma’s fresh pasta is well worth checking out. We sampled a fresh linguine tossed in a dreamy sauce of lemon, garlic and parmesan with asparagus, peas and shiitake mushrooms.

Each day Soma has specials and plantbased options, like curry and avocado toast.

Soma’s lunch menu is perfect for business meetings or lunch with friends.

Attention is given equally to aesthetics as to flavor, as we found in the pomegranate hummus. Another gorgeous dish is an ode to farm-to-table chef Alice Waters. The A. Waters’ Salad features ruby grapefruit, avocado and parsley.

Lunch sandwiches include a club on sourdough, a Cuban and a grilled portobello sandwich with cotija-stuffed peppers and a chipotle aioli on brioche. Perfect for cold weather is the grilled cheese with fontina cheese, bacon, avocado and a cilantro sauce on sourdough. Always in season is the Black Angus burger with sweet onion marmalade and herbed cream cheese on a brioche bun.

Maybe one of the best features at Soma is the mezza bar menu. Th is is perfect for late nights or a quick pre-show dinner.

Served with crudites and flatbread, you can choose between many small dishes including arugula pesto, mozzarella with garlic confit, olive tapenade, cured meats, pomegranate hummus, kimchi, mixed olives and seasoned nuts. A mezza plate with drinks from the bar and fabulous views of Tulsa sounds like a five-star night.

Drinks include classics like a Maple Ridge Martini and signature cocktails like an Uptown Manhattan with rye, herbal tea infused vermouth and bitters, or Holiday Armistice with rum, allspice dram, cinnamon bark and bubbles.

Soma also has live music on Thursdays and a great outdoor space with seating for around 80 people. Wolf expects this to be a popular spot in the spring. tp

SOMA 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday-Sunday Rooftop of the Brut Hotel, 1840 S. Boulder Ave. 918-619-6665 • somatulsa.com

A. Waters’ Salad — with grapefruit, avocado and parsley — is a nod to the pioneer chef.

Sea Wolf is a lemon dill salmon patty sandwiched with arugula, tomato, pickle and rosemary aioli on an onion roll.

Sunrise Sando breakfast sandwich comes on sourdough with ham, bacon, greens, avocado and more.

The nine-floor Brut Hotel opened in September.

It features an exterior of 1950s brutalist architecture with clean, serene and natural elements inside.

“Our design is one of comfort and ease and it shows through the space,” Owner Howard Wolf says.

Alysia Elliott is lead designer for the Brut Hotel project.

Wolf says the project continued to grow as development took place, with the addition of a pool, a spa and an outdoor space. The ground-level patio is accessible to biking and walking trails, making it nice for guests who want to explore on foot or bike.

The boutique hotel features spacious rooms with small kitchen spaces. The bunk rooms, with space for parents and a separate bunk bedroom for kids, are perfect for families either traveling or looking for a staycation.

TulsaPeople.com 89

TA B L E TA L K

WHAT’S COOKING?

PREP UP YOUR GAME

A

new year gives us a chance to look at the past months to see what worked and what didn’t, what was a success and was a miserable failure — including in the kitchen.

One thing that worked in my own kitchen was to create some systems to stretch the food I made on the weekend throughout the week. It’s not a novel idea.

Books have been written on it, TV cooking shows have been made on it. Many home cooks use this idea without thought. But it’s worth a reminder.

Cooking smarter, not harder, can save you time and can ensure you’re eating something decent and not a frozen dinner or fast food. Make-ahead, meal prep, batch cooking, weekend warrior cooking — whatever you want to call it, it will give you some relief on weeknights when everyone’s tired from work, school and life.

— NATALIE MIKLES Th is one’s almost too easy to call it a recipe.

But it’s a quick way to make a bunch of shredded chicken. Use the chicken for tostadas you can load up with avocado, cheese, tomato, cilantro, jalapeños and lettuce. Th is chicken also is great for tacos, rice bowls or a taco salad.

Slow cooker shredded chicken is ideal for dishes like tostadas, rice bowls, tacos and more.

90 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

Place chicken in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning, then top with tomatoes and green chiles. Pour broth around the chicken. Cook, on low, about 4 hours or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken to shred, then return to slow cooker and stir to combine with any remaining liquid to heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

MICHELLE POLLARD

SLOW COOKER SHREDDED CHICKEN 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 packet taco seasoning 1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained 1/2 cup chicken broth or water Salt and pepper, to taste

Th is pork tenderloin is great as-is, with roasted potatoes and a salad. Make a double portion and use the other for a pork stir fry or pork stew later in the week.

MARINATED PORK TENDERLOIN 1 (1 1/2-2 pound) pork tenderloin Marinade: 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons sherry or chicken broth 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon dry mustard Whisk together ingredients for marinade.

Place tenderloin and marinade in a plastic bag to marinate a minimum of 6 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place tenderloin in a baking dish. Bake 25 minutes or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees.

If you have a house with a lot of veggie eaters, roast a couple of pans of vegetables on the weekend so you’ll have them ready to go for the week. Having your vegetables already roasted takes away the temptation to skip your veggies. These are great on a salad, over basmati rice or wrapped in pita bread spread with hummus.

WEEKEND ROASTED VEGGIES 10-15 small potatoes, quartered 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 large parsnip, peeled and sliced 1 yellow onion, cut into small chunks 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 garlic cloves, smashed 5 thyme sprigs 5 rosemary sprigs 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss to coat vegetables (except onion) with oil, garlic, thyme and rosemary sprigs, salt and pepper.

Spread on a large baking sheet. Roast 30 minutes. Remove from oven, toss vegetables and add onion. Cook another 30 minutes, checking for doneness. Time will depend on the size of your vegetables, but veggies should be cooked through with golden edges.

Remove from oven, and sprinkle with parsley. tp

Roasted vegetables can be made on the weekend for use throughout a busy work week for sides and easy ways to incorporate vegetables into your meals.

TulsaPeople.com 91

TA B L E TA L K

WHAT’S COOKING?

SUNDAY BURGER NIGHT

Desiree and Dave Knott

WHAT THE ALE

Ambergers at Oren

It’s important to Amberg that families feel welcome.

“I have three kids myself. I always wanted this to be a family restaurant. The Sunday thing was definitely conceptualized around family. Nobody wants to cook on Sunday night. And nobody wants to make big decisions. You come here and your only decision is whether to have the hamburger or the chicken,” he says. — NATALIE MIKLES

Here are some no-brainer ideas to consider when you’re stumped on where to start with dinner plans for the week.

ROAST CHICKEN: Roast one yourself (or buy a rotisserie chicken) on the weekend and then chop or shred it for use in endless ways throughout the week such as in chicken enchiladas, chicken noodle soup or chicken fried rice.

MASHED POTATOES: Make from-scratch mashed potatoes to have for the week. Sometimes starting with a side dish makes weeknight cooking easier. Once you have the potatoes, roast some vegetables for a meatless Monday or saute a piece of fish for an easy dinner. Or take some of those leftover mashed potatoes for potato pancakes. Serve topped with applesauce for a real treat!

MEATBALLS: Bake a sheet pan of meatballs on the weekend, and you’ll be happy to have them for the week. Everyone will love a dinner of meatball subs with jarred marinara sauce and slices of provolone and mozzarella cheese. Spaghetti and meatballs is also always a winner, or how about a pizza with mini meatballs? Buy a premade crust, top with your favorite ingredients plus the mini meatballs for a killer weekday dinner.

PORK ROAST: Season your roast with whatever flavors you like. The pork roast can take on flavors from Mexican spices to Italian herbs. Then shred it for pork tacos or quesadillas. Crisp the pork pieces for the ultimate carnitas. Barbecue pork sandwiches are always good; top with coleslaw from the grocery store deli for extra deliciousness. — NATALIE MIKLES 92 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

BREWING IN THE NEW YEAR This year marks 20 years in business for High Gravity Fermentations and its owners, Dave and Desiree Knott.

A homebrewer for a dozen years prior, Dave met Desiree and shared a love of beer. “It brought us together,” Desiree says. “It really did.”

When the store opened, it focused more on making beer and wine but has since expanded to all things fermentable.

The store, located at 6808 S. Memorial Drive, Suite 146, sells supplies to make beer and wine, as well as ferment vegetables or make your own kombucha, sauerkraut and pickles.

“We added cheese-making probably about 16 years ago. It was our goal to focus on DIY fermenting cultures-type products that we can bring into the store.

It’s more wide-ranging now. You can do more than just brew beer, and you can do more than just make wine. You can make nonalcoholic stuff. You can make cheeses and buttermilk and sour cream and all kinds of stuff,” she says.

The on-site taproom lets guests try out Dave’s beers and wines.

The Knotts say the new year is a great time to start up a new hobby like fermenting, and they have the goods at their south Tulsa storefront, along with the knowledge.

In honor of the store’s 20th anniversary, High Gravity plans to collaborate with local breweries for several events.

Learn more at highgravitybrew.com.

— TOM GILBERT

MICHELLE POLLARD; WHAT THE ALE: TOM GILBERT

There’s a new spot for hamburgers in town, and it’s at a place you might not expect.

Ambergers is the new Sunday night pop-up at Oren Restaurant, 3509 S. Peoria Ave. Named from owner and chef Matt Amberg, Ambergers is a take on hamburgers, the American classic, from 5:307:30 p.m., Sundays.

Amberg has experimented with different ideas on Sunday nights. His prix fixe Sunday suppers were popular for years, but Amberg got bored with it, and began thinking of other ideas for the space.

“We’ve been kind of throwing around the idea of hamburgers, and we just decided ‘Why not? Let’s have some fun with it,’” Amberg says.

Hamburgers are certainly a change of pace for Oren, a fine dining restaurant serving New American food with a global influence. But Amberg says he’ll treat hamburgers much like other foods on the menu.

“We’re going to have a very standard hamburger, but we’ll do it very well,” he says of the classic with white cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles.

Along with beef burgers, the Ambergers menu has veggie burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, French fries, onion rings and root beer floats. A junior burger, called the Son of a Burger, is available for kids.

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TA B L E TA L K

A LA CARTE

GLUTEN-FREE MENU These five restaurants — winners of TulsaPeople’s annual A-LIST Readers’ Choice Awards — are tops when it comes to gluten-free dining.

CHIMERA 212 N. Main St. 918-779-4303 chimeratulsa.com BIG AL’S HEALTHY FOODS 3303 E. 15th St. 918-744-5085 bigalstulsa.com

Silver Skillet

Just like Mom’s When it comes to soul-warming comfort food, Tulsa has some tasty options.

BY NATALIE MIKLES SILVER SKILLET describes its food as “good home cooking,” and we agree. This from-scratch country cooking restaurant is known for its chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken. It also has some harder to find comfort foods like pot roast with mashed potatoes and brown gravy, liver and onions, and hand-breaded and deep-fried pork chops. Breakfast is served all day, so if your comfort food of choice is biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls or pancakes, they’ve got you covered. 8228 E. 61st St., Suite 114 • 918-940-3888 • facebook.com/silverskilletfamilydiner

Tulsans have been flocking to BROS. HOULIGAN since 1987 for a dose of over-the-top comfort dishes. We’re talking chicken fried steak, chicken tenders and steak fingers, along with hand-cut steaks, burgers and more. Craving gravy? This is the place. And don’t skip a side of green beans, cottage fries and other tasty treats. 4848 S. Yale Ave. • 918-254-1086 • broshouligan.com 94 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

LAMBRUSCO’Z DELI 1344 E. 41st St. 918-496-1246 lambruscoz.com QUE GUSTO 105 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

918-851-2989 quegustotulsa.com Chimera

Fixins Soul Kitchen

Bros. Houligan

MICHELLE POLLARD

Fried chicken can hardly be beat. But have you had it smothered in brown gravy? It’s one of the top dishes at FIXINS SOUL KITCHEN. Cornmeal-crusted catfish with corn fritters, peach cobbler, banana pudding and deep-fried deviled eggs — these are the foods you want when you need to eat your feelings. Here food is served like love. Crispy, salty, creamy and sweet, it hits all the notes your tastebuds are craving. 222 N. Detroit Ave., Suite 110 • 918-818-7685 • fi xinssoulkitchen.com

NEFF BREWING 321 S. Frankfort Ave. 918-367-0640 neffbrewing.com

TA B L E TA L K

TRY THIS!

Scott Laureano and the Apple Drop

SLY JANUARY

Acai bowl from EDIBLEND 2050 Utica Square • 918-991-1717 • ediblend.com

MICHELLE POLLARD

SUPER FOOD The Original Acai Bowl starts with a base of blended acai, coconut milk and fruit, all topped with granola, freshly cut pineapple and strawberries, blueberries and a drizzle of honey. Three other acai bowls — tropical, chocolate, and peanut butter and jelly — round out this portion of the menu.

FRESH START Cleanses are especially popular this time of the year, and Ediblend has one-day and three-day options to help you jump-start the new year. All of the cafe’s recipes boast whole foods and are plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free and made without added sugars or artificial ingredients.

THAT WAS EASY Hit the grab-and-go case for prepared juices, blends, salads, snacks and more.

We’re especially partial to the hummus bowl and kale salad for a quick, healthy lunch. tp

Having mocktails and nonalcoholic mixed drinks on the menu is pretty common these days at Tulsa’s best bars, and downtown’s Saturn Room is no different.

“With tiki bars, there’s a reason people come in — the experience,” says Scott Laureano, a longtime bartender who has been slinging drinks at Tulsa’s only tiki bar for more than nine months.

There’s the overall vibe of the bar, as well as the flavors, flair and garnishes one can only find at a place like Saturn Room, which has been open for more than eight years.

Tropical drinks are sweet while tiki drinks have a bite, Laureano says. He’s the creator of the bar’s Apple Drop, which he says he created on a whim, but it has quickly become the bar’s most popular NA drink.

Other creations popular for those looking for fun without booze are the Palomita — featuring nonalcoholic tequila, grapefruit, lime and orgeat — and the Titan — a nonalcoholic version of the classic Saturn tiki drink. Saturn Room’s mocktails are created using Clean Co. nonalcoholic spirits. There’s tequila, gin, rum and vodka, the last of which Laureano says carries a hint of cinnamon, making it perfect for his Apple Drop recipe.

He’s in the process of creating a new mocktail recipe to compete in the first Sober Sips NA Festival Mocktail Competition happening Jan. 13 at Mother Road Market. With free admission, the festival is a great opportunity to sample a number of nonalcoholic beers, wines, spirits and, of course, mocktails. — ANNE BROCKMAN TulsaPeople.com 95

LAST LOOK

TULSA TIME WARP

1920s image of Public Service Co. of Oklahoma power plant located on the northwest corner of West First Street and South Cheyenne Avenue. The company shared the facilities with People’s Ice Co. It remains a substation today despite many changes over the years.

Powering Tulsa

T

ulsa’s first electrical generating station was activated in 1905, under the operation of People’s Gas and Electric Co. The facility not only produced electricity but was a successful ice house operated by People’s Ice Co. By 1913, the Public Service Co. of Oklahoma acquired the Cheyenne Street power plant in Tulsa. At the time, less than 6% of Tulsa used electricity.

PSO struggled to keep up with the overall growth of the city and its usage rates over the following years, leading to power 96 TulsaPeople JANUARY 2024

outages or intermittent service at times.

Aging electrical equipment often needed repair, or alternately was replaced with the newest technology.

By 1920 construction began on a newer high-capacity electrical power station on the west side of the Arkansas River, supplying all towns within a 50-mile radius of Tulsa.

It was the most complete power plant in the state at the time.

Within a year, the Cheyenne Street power plant was regulated as a substation and was utilized for much more specified locations in

downtown. However, the 250-foot smokestack that towered above the substation inadvertently became a Tulsa landmark and a popular spot for taking aerial photographs of downtown during the 1920s and ’30s.

The smokestack would eventually come down, but People’s Ice Co. would remain on-site until the early 1950s, and the substation continued to supply electricity to a number of direct current-powered elevators in downtown until the late 1950s. Today, it remains a principal source of electricity for downtown Tulsa. tp

TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM

STORY AND COMPOSITE IMAGE BY PATRICK MCNICHOLAS

IT’S TIME TO TULSA Ordinary is expected. At Hard Rock Hotel Tulsa, we’re not in the business of status quo. We’re at our best helping you discover yours. Let’s talk.

CONTACT US FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING, EVENT OR GOLF TOURNAMENT. 918.384.5946 | MEETINGSTHATROCK@HARDROCKCASINOTULSA.COM

Know your limits. Gambling problem? Call 800.522.4700.

When it’s TRUE LOVE only a TRUE JEWELER will do TM

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