TulsaPeople July 2019

A DAY IN THE LIFE: 5 TULSANS, 5 DIFFERENT JOBS July 2019

THE BUSINESS ISSUE

Third-generation owners and brothers Greg and Bret Mock

SADDLE UP THE FAMILY BUSINESS LIVES ON AT MOCK BROTHERS SADDLERY

ESSAY: MR. RAY AND ME

SPACE TALK WITH NASA’S JIM BRIDENSTINE

TULSANS RECOUNT THEIR FIRST JOBS

Jordan

saintfrancis.com/childrenshospital

World-class care for kids. Right here in Tulsa.

Working hand-in-hand with the team at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, our physicians and staff make it possible for children diagnosed with cancer and blood disorders to receive world-class care closer to home.

The St. Jude Affiliate Clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis in Tulsa provides the latest treatments and access to more clinical research trials than any other pediatric facility in Oklahoma. St. Jude groundbreaking trials are leading to new and advanced treatments that improve pediatric hematology and oncology care.

Our children deserve the full concentration of the best medical minds and technology available—found only at Oklahoma’s only St. Jude Affiliate Clinic.

The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis 6161 South Yale Avenue | Tulsa, OK 74136 918-502-6000

Get your step back!

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JULY 2019 | VOLUME 33 ISSUE 9

Merry maker

Go west

P. 18

P. 38

P. 130

Macramé is knotty fun.

Third-generation owners at Mock Brothers Saddlery

Neighborhood JA.M.’s espresso martini

An out-of-this-world Route 66 landmark. Where to catch summer tunes. Launching Black Women Business Owners of Tulsa.

Tee time. Four recent benefits.

34 RISE UP After the destruction of historic flooding, Tulsans lend a hand to their affected neighbors.

BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

36 TARGET IN SIGHT Jim Bridenstine, a Jenks High School graduate and former congressman, leads NASA as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and looks to the future of space exploration.

BY TIM LANDES

38 SADDLE UP

4

TulsaPeople JULY 2019

A new neighborhood jam. French impressions in south Tulsa. Five favorite coffee shops.

BY JOHN TRANCHINA

51 MY FIRST JOB

SPECIAL SECTION 55 Faces of the 918

Tulsans recall the ups and downs of their earliest gainful employment.

BY STAFF

A DAY IN THE LIFE: 5 TULSANS, 5 DIFFERENT JOBS July 2019

107 LIFESTYLE A trip to Wichita. What $500,000 buys in Tulsa real estate. Patriotic patronage. Connie Cronley welcomes home a robot.

THE BUSINESS ISSUE

A Tulsan learns a dying art form from the Polish tailor Sherman Ray.

BY SHAELYNN HANING

Some of Tulsa’s most taxing vocations are some of the most interesting, too.

JULY 2019

40 ESSAY: MR. RAY AND ME

127 TABLE TALK

TULSAPEOPLE

Longtime Western gear and Western wear store Mock Brothers is in its third generation of business.

BY SCOTT WIGTON

43 A DAY IN THE LIFE

THE BUSINESS ISSUE

Third-generation owners and brothers Greg and Bret Mock

SADDLE UP THE FAMILY BUSINESS LIVES ON AT MOCK BROTHERS SADDLERY

ESSAY: MR. RAY AND ME

SPACE TALK WITH NASA’S JIM BRIDENSTINE

TULSANS RECOUNT THEIR FIRST JOBS

PHOTO BY VALERIE WEI-HAAS Third-generation owners and brothers Greg and Bret Mock

VALERIE WEI-HAAS

11 CITY DESK

Wake up

Heart care close to home Connected to a national network of specialists

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Trust your heart with one of our advanced care specialists: Cardiovascular Surgeons:

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© Ascension 2019. All rights reserved.

WHAT’S ONLINE TULSAPEOPLE.COM Follow us on Twitter @TULSAPEOPLE

Find us on Facebook FACEBOOK.COM/TULSAPEOPLEMAG

Follow us on Instagram @TULSAPEOPLE

#TULSASUMMERFUN We were blown away by the response to our Tulsa Summer Fun Scavenger Hunt in May! Here are some of our favorite entries:

TULSAPEOPLE.COM/A-LIST Readers named their favorite businesses in 105 categories.

BEST NON-HUMAN PARTICIPANT

@mostlymose

MOST DRAMATIC

@bayleighzakulathe1st

THE 2019 TULSA GUEST GUIDE IS ONLINE! The Guest Guide is a great resource for both Tulsans and visitors!

Harjo named Poet Laureate AWESOME FAMILY PARTICIPATION

@befitandeatchocolate

On June 19, Tulsan Joy Harjo became the first Native American to be named U.S. Poet Laureate. Listen to our recent Tulsa Talks conversation with her, and others, at TULSAPEOPLE.COM/PODCAST.

THE FACES AND STORIES BEHIND A VARIETY OF LOCALLY-OWNED COMPANIES AT TULSAPEOPLE.COM/FACES. 6

TulsaPeople JULY 2019

SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT TO OUR WINNER!

@karenhutch724

Watch a video about this month’s cover story, the third-generation Mock Brothers Saddlery, at TULSAPEOPLE.COM. Never be bored in Tulsa again.

TULSAPEOPLE.COM/CALENDAR

JOY HARJO: KAREN KUEHN

PLUS

CAPTU RE , SHARE # UTICASQUARE

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UTICASQUARE .COM

CUSTOMIZE YOUR DAY Friends visiting from out of town. Impressing clients. Impromptu happy hour.

More than a destination, you want an experience.

FROM THE EDITOR

1 scoop vanilla, 1 pump hot fudge.

Volume XXXIII, Number 9 • ©2019 All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

1 scoop vanilla, 1 pump caramel.

Half scoop vanilla, half pump hot fudge,

TULSAPEOPLE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY 1603 South Boulder Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119-4407 • 918-585-9924 • 918-585-9926 Fax

half pump caramel.

1 small scoop salted pecan halves.

Cherry on top.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? I had a newspaper route throwing the Tonkawa News.

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNITY RELATIONS Susie Miller

I was a cashier at Petty’s Fine Foods.

That’s the simple recipe for a Big Bopper “Take Me Back” sundae, now-useless information that has taken up my brain space for the past 18 years. If only I could remove it and make room for more helpful info, like where I left my sunglasses.

Alas, the Bopper is part of me now — as it was then, since I consumed quite a few — a remnant of two years slinging frozen custard at Shakey’s (later called Shake’s) in Broken Arrow and Tulsa. It was my first job at age 16, and I can still smell the vanilla extract and bleach in the back of the house; still hear the 1950s tunes on the speaker and the clang of the drive-thru bell; still feel the cold, unwieldy bag of cream sloshing in my arms as I climbed the step ladder and poured it into the custard machine.

“Take Me Back,” indeed.

I recently came across a 2017 article for The Atlantic by author and researcher Jean M. Twenge titled “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” In the article, and in her book on the subject, Twenge points to several declines in teen behavior since the late 1970s. Fewer teens are driving, fewer are dating, and fewer are working and managing their own money. Shifts in the economy and parenting play a part, Twenge theorizes, as does a little invention called the iPhone.

After re-reading my teenage diaries, let’s just say I’m thankful I made it through those years pre-smartphones and social media. I’m also thankful to have had parents who provided me a late-model Toyota Celica and told me to “get a driver’s license and get a job.” Two years scooping custard taught me a lot about integrity, hard work and customer service. And about the shelf life of various ice cream toppings.

Read about other Tulsans’ first jobs in our feature on p. 51 (and here in the masthead, our staffers share theirs). Doing so might just take you back, as well. TP

Morgan Phillips CITY EDITOR At age 16 at Shakey’s Frozen Custard 8

TulsaPeople JULY 2019

I was a barista at Stonewood Coffee and Tea in Broken Arrow at age 15.

I was a high school stringer for the Oklahoman and Times.

At age 19 I worked as a cashier/waitress at NYC Pizza.

EDITOR Anne Brockman CITY EDITOR Morgan Phillips DIGITAL EDITOR Anna Bennett Tim Landes ARTS & BENEFITS EDITOR Judy Langdon EDITORIAL CONSULTING Missy Kruse, The Write Company

CREATIVE DIRECTOR ART DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHER CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER VIDEOGRAPHER

Madeline Crawford Georgia Brooks Morgan Welch Michelle Pollard Valerie Wei-Haas Greg Bollinger

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Andrea Canada Steve Hopkins Betsy Slagle In the summer at age 15, I loaded and hauled hay for a penny per CONTROLLER Mary McKisick bale. Biggest day was 1,100 bales. It only took 11 hours.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Gloria Brooks DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall INTERNS Kaylie Cotten Madeline Ewing

I worked in a grocery store bakery preparing for the next day and filling orders for deep-fried chicken.

I assisted my sister in cleaning our parents’ local newspaper office every Sunday afternoon.

We each made a whopping $10 a month!

I started at Shoe Carnival the week I turned 16, working as a sales associate and cashier.

I was 15 and worked at the LaFortune Tennis Club as the attendant.

At 16 I was an after-school care provider for 1-year-olds in Broken Arrow.

MEMBER:

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.

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.

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S AY N O T O H A T E

GOLDEN RULE AWARD PRESENTED TO LESA CREVELING

Tulsa County Bar Association’s award holds professionals to rigorous standards and recognizes competent and ethical conduct.

Trust Company of Oklahoma (TCO) is proud of executive vice president and board member Lesa Creveling for her well-deserved Golden Rule Award. The honor, presented by the Tulsa County Bar Association, recognizes professionals who exemplify the attributes of professionalism, trustworthiness, civility and dedication to the rule of law.

Lesa has been with TCO since 1999. She is dedicated to serving families and organizations with unbiased, independent asset protection and trust management advice. Before joining TCO, Lesa practiced law in the private sector, concentrating on estate planning, taxation and probate.

“Lesa is an outstanding professional commited to the highest fiduciary standards,” said chairman and CEO Thomas W. Wilkins. TCO is the largest and oldest independent trust company in the state. Founded in 1981, the firm provides clients with a range of financial solutions, including serving as trustee for most types of trusts.

TrustOk.com | (918) 744-0553 Protecting Your Assets Growing Your Wealth Advising You For Life

C A L E N D A R + C A U S E S + C U LT U R E

MAKING IT BIG

W

ith his piercing blue eyes and rugged good looks, the 21-foot-tall space cowboy outside Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios, 1347 E. 11th St., can’t be missed. The namesake’s arrival this spring was a dream come true for store owner Mary Beth Babcock, who first envisioned him while at Dwelling Spaces, the popular downtown boutique she operated from 2006-2016.

Buck is a “Muffler Man,” a large, fiberglass sculpture originally used as advertisement in the 1960s. Working with Joel Baker, whose

company American Giants restores and documents Muffler Men, artist Mark Cline of Enchanted Castle Studios in Virginia and Tulsa sculptor Chris Wollard, Babcock brought Buck to life. Funding came through a variety of sources, including a GoFundMe page, commemorative brick sales and donations.

In the end, it’s all about community.

“I realize it’s going to help with Route 66 and tourism in Tulsa, but I love the community,” Babcock says. “If we bring people together, maybe more magic will happen in our great city of Tulsa.” TP

FOR MORE ON WOLLARD’S LARGE-SCALE ART, SEE P. 20.

VALERIE WEI-HAAS

Buck Atom’s launch party on May 11

TulsaPeople.com

11

JULY

C OMPIL ED BY JUDY L A NGDON “LayUPs2Stand UP WhyNot?” 11 The comedy show, hosted by the

Tulsa Tribune staff writers in the 1950s

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, features comedian Demetrius Deason at Cain’s Ballroom.

Cinema’s popular 11-15 Circle Film Festival is this

week, where you can get an up-close view of the newest movies and documentaries and meet the people behind them.

The Tribute” brings the 12 “1964: spirit of The Beatles back to the

Tulsa Performing Arts Center for one performance only. Presented by Celebrity Attractions.

Are you ready for some summertime funk? Get down at the downtown VFW Post 577’s Tulsa Funk Festival, with performances including Collidoscope, Groovement, Cherokee Rose and more.

1-31

Bring a lawn chair or blanket to hear rock/country/pop band House Party at the First Friday evening concert in LaFortune Park Gardens.

Start your Independence Day with patriotic music at Signature Symphony’s “4th on the 3rd” at the VanTrease Performing Arts Center for Education.

anime and pop culture expo at Broken Arrow’s Stoney Creek Conference Center, offers a cowboys versus aliens theme this year.

America at Folds 4 Celebrate of Honor Freedom Fest at

Historical Society 1-31 Theand Tulsa Museum’s exhibit

River West Festival Park and Veterans Park with live music, food trucks and a plethora of activities, culminating with a large fireworks display over the Arkansas River at dusk.

(See next page for more area holiday events.)

“TRIBUNE: The Story of a Newspaper” highlights the story of Tulsa’s former evening paper, the Tulsa Tribune, and the family who published it from 1919-1992.

The museum is open Tuesdays-Saturdays.

the Tulsa Drillers take 4-7 Watch on the Northwest Arkansas

A music legend’s artwork, “Bob Dylan: Face Value and Beyond,” is on exhibit at Gilcrease Museum through Sept. 15.

the Kendall Whittier Mercado 6 Shop at East Admiral Boulevard and North

at Hard Rock Hotel and 3 TheCasinoJointwelcomes legendary Don McLean, composer of “American Pie” and “And I Love You So.”

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TulsaPeople JULY 2019

Naturals at ONEOK Field, followed by fireworks Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Lewis Avenue for brightly colored clothing and other handmade wares. Also July 20.

to the islands with Starlight 9 Head Concerts’ “An Island Celebration” at Guthrie Green.

6

BOB DYLAN: PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARK SELIGER IN 1997; TRIBUNE: COURTESY TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM; MERCADO: VALERIE WEI-HAAS: FREEDOM FEST: PROPELLER COMMUNICATIONS

in Tulsa, 12-14 Tokyo Oklahoma’s largest

Return to the Land of the Arabian Nights when Theatre Tulsa’s Broadway Bootcamp presents “Aladdin Jr.” at the Tulsa PAC.

CHARITABLE E VENTS

and 12-21 “Disney Cameron

8 Tulsa Herb Society Educational Speaker Benefits Tulsa Herb Society.

Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical” floats into the VanTrease PACE.

918-496-8019

15

Pop crooner Michael Bublé returns to the BOK Center.

(Enter to win concert tickets at TulsaPeople.com/giveaway.)

24

Bring your pooch to Yappy Hour on the Patio at Gathering Place. Dogs must be on a leash and are not allowed in buildings or on playgrounds.

27-28

25-27 Choregus Productions

presents its Exchange Choreography Festival with “600 Highwaymen” and Chicago’s Giordano Dance at the Tulsa PAC.

11

much do you know 26 How about early Tulsa’s

downtown history? Join the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum’s Downtown Tulsa Walking Tour.

Reservations are required.

Philbrook Museum’s Movies on the Lawn features Tulsan Tim Blake Nelson’s 2000 crime comedy, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” for some late-night laughs. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.

27-28

Celebrate Oklahoma’s Native American cultures for two days at the 67th Tulsa Pow Wow at the Cox Business Center.

15 20th annual Boys and Girls Charity Golf Tournament Benefits the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Tulsa.

SALARMYTULSA.ORG 15-19 Children’s Summer Camp Benefits TSHA (Tulsa Speech and Hearing Association).

TSHA.CC 18 Odyssey de Culinaire Benefits Oklahoma ProStart Program.

MMS.OKRESTAURANTS.COM 20 Somewhere in Time Gala: ’60s Magical Mystery Tour Benefits Retired Senior Volunteer Program of Tulsa Inc. RSVPTULSA.ORG / SOMEWHEREINTIME

MORE TULSA-AREA FIREWORKS

DEASON: CLEAR PICTURE PRODUCTIONS; POW WOW: POGIE DAWN

3

BROKEN ARROW’S “COOKOUT AT THE CREEK”

7 p.m. Parkview Sequoyah Creek, 2800 S. First St., Broken Arrow. Food trucks, inflatables, games, live music, fireworks show.

4

BROKEN ARROW’S “PATRIOTS IN THE PARK”

10 a.m.-11 p.m., Broken Arrow Events Park, 21101 E. 101st St. Face painting, inflatables, games, obstacle course, water park, live performances, fireworks finale at dusk.

4

JENKS’ FREEDOMFEST

4

OWASSO’S “RED, WHITE AND BOOM”

10 a.m.-4 p.m., downtown Jenks and Commons Park, 220 E. A St., Jenks. Food trucks, music, face painting, games, fireworks over Arkansas River at dusk.

Fireworks launched from Owasso Golf and Athletic Club, 13604 E. 84th St. N., Owasso, beginning at dark.

25 Malicious But Delicious Benefits the Nature Conservancy.

NATURE.ORG 26 Raffle for Independence Benefits Ability Resources.

ABILITYRESOURCES.ORG 27 The Best Medicine: A Night of Comedy Benefits Project TCMS (Tulsa Charitable Medical Services).

THEBESTMEDICINETULSA.COM EDITOR’S NOTE: TULSAPEOPLE IS A SPONSOR OF THE HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS.

TulsaPeople.com

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WHERE TO …

Duet Jazz

Catch SUMMER TUNES Enjoy music festival and jazz club vibes close to home with these three chances to see a concert this summer.

Summer’s Fifth Night

H.A. Chapman Green

Enjoy a summer evening under the stars at Utica Square during Summer’s Fifth Night. Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. (except for July 4) local bands perform on an outdoor stage.

For fans of alternative country, Mary Cogan will perform on July 11. The Usual Suspects will bring their unique blend of rock ‘n’ roll, dance and blues to Utica on July 18, and the July 25 concert will feature Western swing band the Tulsa Playboys.

“It’s a great event to gather friends or family, find the perfect picnic spot, and sit back to enjoy the beautiful weather and fun concerts,” says Cassandra Montray, property manager of Utica Square.

Those wishing Mayfest’s blend of art and music lasted longer won’t have to wait until next May. Thanks to a grant from the H.A. Chapman Foundation, the H.A. Chapman Green has received landscaping updates and will be the site of programming from June through December.

“While Tulsa Mayfest makes such a big impact over three days in May, we hope to spread the arts to a broader audience by hosting multiple events across six months,” says Heather Pingry, executive director of Mayfest.

All That Jazz, an evening of live jazz music and live art inspired by the music, is planned for July 13.

1709 UTICA SQUARE UTICASQUARE.COM/EVENTS/SUMMERS-FIFTH-NIGHT

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TulsaPeople JULY 2019

605 S. MAIN ST. FACEBOOK.COM/TULSAINTERNATIONALMAYFEST

Duet Jazz

Located in the basement of the historic Archer Building, Duet Jazz seats 140 with cabaret-style seating and a full-service bar. Upstairs is a modern American restaurant with eclectic dishes created

by Executive Chef Nico Albert.

Jeff Sloan oversees programming at Duet, which will host saxophonist Grady Nichols on July 6, Leon Rollerson on July 11 and a two-part farewell send-off for the Mike Cameron Collective on July 19-20. See the website for a full slate of July performances.

“Duet Jazz is a unique state-of-the-art listening room that features local jazz, comedy and national touring jazz acts Wednesday through Saturday nights,” Sloan says. “We are now part of a missing link for touring acts between the East and West coasts.” TP 108 N. DETROIT AVE. | DUETJAZZ.COM

SUMMER’S FIFITH NIGHT: VALERIE WEI-HAAS; CHAPMAN GREEN: COURTESY TULSA MAYFEST; DUET: PHIL CLARKIN PHOTOGRAPHY

BY ABIGAIL SINGREY AND MORGAN PHILLIPS

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NOTEBOOK

BY MORGA N PHILLIP S

A festival-goer plays a painted piano at Tulsa International Mayfest.

Sonny Dalesandro, part-owner of the Tulsa Athletic, and Jack Drouillard, a student of the new Tulsa Athletic Academy

Athletic kicks off

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

PIANO POP-UPS Brightly painted pianos can be found around town, thanks to “Play Me, Tulsa!” — a project of Saied Music Co. in partnership with Tulsa Mayfest and Anchor Paint.

Twelve public school art departments were invited to paint a dozen upright pianos provided by Saied Music Co. The pianos were debuted at Mayfest 2019 and afterward were relocated to outdoor public spaces.

In preparation for this project, Saied Music collected pianos for over a year. Local public school art departments (including Tulsa, Bixby, Jenks, Union and Broken Arrow) submitted their own design ideas. Anchor Paint provided the paint for the pianos.

Locations hosting pianos include Gathering Place, Kendall Whittier Square, ahha Tulsa, the Jenks Riverwalk and the H.A. Chapman Centennial Green. Pianos will be available to the public to view and play at these locations through the end of July. A full list can be found at playmetulsa.com.

Voices of Oklahoma “For most of us, you work hard on it, you give it the best you got, you entrust your best effort to God, and it either happens for those who hear it or it doesn’t happen and it’s gone. It’s like stepping into a river, a different river next Sunday, the water’s still moving.

And I felt that symbolically, that said how I really understand preaching.”

— The Rev. Mouzon Biggs Jr., former senior minister at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church.

He retired in 2013.

“Voices of Oklahoma” is an oral history project founded by John Erling in 2009. Visit voicesofoklahoma.com.

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TulsaPeople JULY 2019

Tulsan’s photos to be preserved More than 19,000 photo negatives and digital images by the late Jerry L. Cornelius, a professional photographer in Tulsa for more than 50 years, will be preserved by the Oklahoma Historical Society.

OHS recently acquired the Jerry L. Cornelius Photography Collection from the Cornelius family. Its images are primarily of people and places in Tulsa and the surrounding area from the 1950s through the early 21st century.

The collection will be archived by the OHS, and through the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture (OKPOP), the collection will remain with the Tulsa community. The OHS eventually will digitize and catalog the negatives, making it possible for the collection to be searchable at gateway. okhistory.org.

A third-generation professional photographer, Cornelius owned and operated Cornelius Photography and Cornelius Photocraft. He died in 2016.

“We are thrilled that the OHS will preserve our father’s historic photographs,” says Jamie Danias, one of Cornelius’ three daughters. “Our father, photography and history had always gone together; when he took a photo he saw himself as creating a piece of history.”

PIANOS: GREG BOLLINGER; TULSA ATHLETIC: MORGAN PHILLIPS; CORNELIUS: JERRY L. CORNELIUS PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION/ OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

This fall the Tulsa Athletic semi-professional soccer team will launch the Tulsa Athletic Academy for youth ages 11-19, with the goal of creating a new pathway for Tulsa’s top players. Pre-competitive and introduction to soccer also will be offered for ages 4-10.

In addition, Tulsa Athletic has joined the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) with a U20 (under 20) club as a further mechanism for development. The UPSL was founded in 2011 and has more than 350 teams nationally, including in Oklahoma City and Bartlesville.

“It’s a way for kids and young adults to play at a higher level and for us to retain them as players,” says Sonny Dalesandro, part-owner of the Tulsa Athletic.

Players will practice at the Union Soccer Complex, 3801 S. 136th E. Ave. For more details, visit facebook.com/ tulsaathleticacademy.

Jerry L. Cornelius and his undated photo of downtown Tulsa

LOCAL TALENT

Renaldo Works as a tailback for the University of Oklahoma Sooners

Pigskin to

PETROLEUM

Natasha Ball, center, teaches workshop participants the art of macramé at her Retro Den studio.

MERRY MAKER Textile artist takes joy in teaching her crafts.

BY HEATHER KOONTZ

I

f you are searching for ways to weave a little personality into your home, check out a workshop with House Sparrow Fine Nesting.

Along with custom and ready-made goods, the Tulsa-based handmade home textiles company hosts a variety of in-house and online workshops fit for the aspiring DIYer. It’s the creative vision of Natasha Ball, a fifth-generation Tulsan for whom handmade craftsmanship runs in the family.

“I spent a lot of time as a child with family members who made things with their hands,” Ball says.

“Their commitment to making things by hand for the people they loved and for their homes captured my imagination from a very early age.”

This interest went with her to Oklahoma State University, where she studied the history of textiles while pursuing a degree in American Studies. And in early 2015, Ball turned her passion for handcrafting into House Sparrow Fine Nesting.

Each workshop and e-course offered by House Sparrow teaches the basic skills of various textile

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TulsaPeople JULY 2019

traditions — from dyeing to macramé, the art and craft of knot-tying — and allows attendees to leave with something uniquely handmade.

According to Ball, some of these workshops are one day, while others last multiple weeks. Inperson workshops take place at Ball’s Retro Den studio, 1216 S. Harvard Ave., or at her home in west Tulsa. But all serve an even greater purpose.

“It’s more than just teaching someone to knit, tie knots or use dyes,” she says. “It’s the transfer of ancient techniques and traditions, as well as the chance to add our own voices to that history.”

This July, Ball will offer an e-course that teaches participants to make a hammock. Designed to be as fun and relaxing as the product itself, the course aims to build each crafter’s confidence while fostering a sense of community. TP To learn more or register for workshops, visit housesparrownesting.com.

LOCAL TALENT: VALERIE WEI-HAAS; RENALDO WORKS: OU ATHLETICS

B

efore starring at tailback for the University of Oklahoma, Renaldo Works grew up in Tulsa, one of three sons of a fireman and a postal worker. “I can remember my dad working two jobs,” Works says. “They did everything they could to make us strong, independent men, and I love them for it.”

Works attended Carver Middle School and Booker T. Washington High School, where he interacted with great athletes like De’Mond Parker, who preceded him in Norman. “I can remember seeing De’Mond Parker running, and I just wanted to emulate him,” he says.

After one season in the NFL playing for the Miami Dolphins and the Houston Texans, Works decided to return to OU, where he completed his bachelor’s degree and an MBA. For the past 11 years, he has worked for ConocoPhillips. He says he doesn’t regret his decision to leave professional football but misses the sport and the team camaraderie.

Works spent the past two years in Midland, Texas, as a facilities supervisor before a recent transfer back to Houston for a director position in the real estate facilities group.

At press time Works, his wife, Ashley, and their 13-month-old son, Alexander Renaldo, had just finished house-hunting in Houston. “I have no complaints. They (ConocoPhillips) have allowed me to reach a few of my career milestones,” Works says.

“I’ve had some good mentors.”

Anytime he and his family return to Tulsa, there are several places he must visit. “I have to go to Elmer’s BBQ. I have to go to Coney Island,” Works says. “I’ll stop by Lot A Burger, as well. Those are staples.” — STEPHEN HUNT

Spend the summer at Holland Hall!

With more than 150 one-week classes & camps designed for both fun & education, Holland Hall has tons of options for 3-year-olds to adults.

PROGRAMS INCLUDE: • academics • sports • music • games • ACT prep • philanthropy • cooking • driver’s ed • acting • science • arts & crafts • robotics • computers • much, much more!

8 One-Week Camp Sessions May 28 – July 26, 2019 9am – 12pm & 12:30 – 3:30pm Choose between morning or afternoon sessions ... or sign up for both & stay all day!

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Chris Wollard welds on a sculpture in his Tulsa fabrication shop.

Paul W. Cooper

A BIG DEAL

Chris Wollard is at home creating large-scale art.

BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

“I

T His latest project, however, is the rocket cradled in the arms of the recently installed Buck Atom, a 21-foot fiberglass space cowboy towering over Route 66 gift shop Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios, located at 1347 E. 11th St. For Wollard, this artistic undertaking was meaningful in many ways.

“I’ve got a real attachment to Route 66,” he says. “Any time I get to travel it, I do, so it’s close to my heart. It’s amazing that I actually got to contribute to a roadside attraction. I’ve always wanted to do that. It’s a dream come true.” TP

TULSANS WIN UK’S HIGHEST THEATER HONOR Jay Krottinger and Ryan Jude Tanner of Tulsa-based Square 1 Theatrics, an international production company, are producers of the award-winning “Come From Away” musical currently playing on Broadway and in Toronto, London and Melbourne, Australia.

In April the show received four Olivier Awards — which recognize excellence in professional theater and are the highest honor in British theater — for Best New Musical, Outstanding Achievement in Music, Best Theater Choreographer and Best Sound Design, with nominations for Best Actress and Actor in Supporting Roles.

Based on events following 9/11, “Come From Away” is centered on the true story of 38 planes with 6,579 passengers that were stranded in a remote town in Newfoundland, where locals opened their hearts and homes.

The musical opened in February 2019 in London. Its tour is scheduled to make a Tulsa stop in July 2020. Visit celebrityattractions.com for more information. — MORGAN PHILLIPS 20

TulsaPeople JULY 2019

hree-time Emmy Awardwinning screenwriter Paul W. Cooper recently returned to his native Tulsa.

“Four decades in Hollywood was exciting,” says the graduate of Nathan Hale High School and the University of Tulsa. “This just seems like the right time to get back to the family and friends I know and enjoy being around.”

Cooper’s work — which includes TV hits “The Waltons,” “Little House on the Prairie” and “Murder She Wrote” — has aired on CBS, ABC, NBC, the Disney Channel, Showtime, Animal Planet, the Hallmark Channel and more. Cooper also wrote the feature motion picture “Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored,” based on the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book by Tulsan Clifton Taulbert.

Cooper’s latest screenplay, “Mingo Road,” recently took top honors at the 14th annual Kairos Prizes for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays.

Cooper says he will continue screenwriting and will share his Hollywood skills and experience by teaching a screenwriting course at Northeastern State University. — MORGAN PHILLIPS

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: VALERIE WEI-HAAS; COOPER: PHOTOS BY COOPER DESIGN

’ve been gearing up to do public art for the last 20 years,” says Tulsa artist Chris Wollard, who spent the past two decades as an art collections manager for a private collector.

A talented sculptor set loose in a fabrication shop, Wollard creates large metal pieces with specialized tools, many of which he has modified or built himself to bring his creations to life.

Wollard made the three interactive arches for the green space near West Archer and South Main streets. Installed in 2017, the sculptures have LED lights that illuminate as people pass through.

A fan of art cars, Wollard created “Autonomous Dancing Disco Bot,” a giant, drivable robot.

The bot made an appearance at last year’s annual Burning Man arts event in Black Rock City, Nevada, and won the prestigious Mayor’s Cup at the Houston Art Car Parade in April. Occasionally, you can even catch it on the streets of downtown.

Wollard also has been commissioned to create two sculptures for the Gathering Place lawn.

SCREENWRITER COMES HOME

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BIZ WHIZ Charity Marcus and Aszurdee Sade, co-founders of Black Women Business Owners of Tulsa

MEET AND GREET

Tulsa entrepreneurs launch Black Women Business Owners of Tulsa.

BY BRIA BOLTON MOORE

“I

’m the only one. There’s just me.”

Aszurdee Sade and Charity Marcus each said these words of their shared experience: being in a room full of people but being the only black female business owner.

Sade is founder and CEO of Realty Stylist, a real estate company, and founder and CEO of the Fashion Cruiser, a mobile boutique. Marcus is the president and CEO of Avenu Consulting and CEO and senior publicist for Avenu PR. The duo started Black Women Business Owners of Tulsa in November with a mission to provide African American women entrepreneurs with the resources and connections needed to have a successful business.

According to Black Women Business Startups, a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, “recent growth in the rate of business ownership by black women has been faster than any other group in the nation. From 2002-2012, the number of businesses owned by black women increased 179% compared with 52% for all womenowned businesses and 20% for all businesses.”

The report details challenges many black women entrepreneurs face, like limited support

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TulsaPeople JULY 2019

systems, difficulty accessing credit and a lack of mentoring and business knowledge. “It was so interesting that after we really looked at the report, one of the solutions was to create ecosystems for black women entrepreneurs to get resources, and essentially, that’s what we’ve done here in Tulsa,” Marcus says.

BWBOT has four levels of membership, ranging from free general membership to $250 annual business membership.

“An entrepreneur is someone who will jump off a cliff and assemble an airplane on the way down, but for black women entrepreneurs, we do it with only a toothpick and a napkin,” Sade says. TP

Black Women Business Owners of Tulsa will host a Women’s Business Expo from noon-6 p.m., Aug. 10, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tulsa, 616 W. Seventh St. The expo will feature 40 businesses owned by local black women, free headshots for the first 25 guests, as well as speakers and panel discussions.

Free and open to the public; $100-150 for black women entrepreneurs to be vendors. bwbotulsa.com

On the Day Center’s transition from “day shelter” and “night shelter” to “housing transition shelter”: We average 280-300 people coming into our day shelter on a daily basis. We average 115 people in our night shelter. We are becoming a “housing-focused shelter,” which means we engage our clients to work on getting housed as soon as possible. We have government and private funding called Rapid Rehousing that focuses on assisting people to overcome re-housing barriers.

We assist with state IDs, birth certificates, bus tokens for work, employment interviews and medical appointments. Our free clinic triages anywhere from 30 to 40 clients daily for primary health care, and we averted over 350 EMSA calls. We also have a clothing room available to anyone who walks through our doors.

On its 2019 capital campaign: We will start remodeling the Day Center this summer for better function with several needed upgrades. Additional space will be added for administrative purposes.

We will still be open during the phases of construction. I’ve already begun looking at new programs to better assist our clientele. — JUDY LANGDON

BIZ WHIZ: ROBERT PERRY PHOTOGRAPHY; MEET AND GREET: GREG BOLLINGER

STRONGER TOGETHER

NAME: Mack Haltom AGE: 63 KNOWN AS: the new executive director of Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless, where he has worked for 20 years, first as a case manager and later as associate director. Haltom replaced Sandra Lewis in December when she retired.

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PASSIONS

BARKS AND BLOOMS

Shop dogs make business more enjoyable for florist.

BY JAMIE RICHERT JONES

W

hen Nikki Argo took ownership of Mary Murray’s Flowers five years ago, she made one immedi-

ate change.

“My husband, Jeff, and I always talked about how cool it would be to take our animals to work with us,” Argo says.

Every day since, the couple’s two dogs, Dub and Koda, have made the shop at 3333 E. 31st St. their second home.

Koda is a purebred pit bull they rescued from breeders five years ago. “She’s super protective,” Argo says. “Her bark is an alarm to let us know a new person is in the store.

“If you do something she doesn’t like, she’ll turn her back to you and lift her head. She’s just like a teenage girl.”

They usually keep Koda away from customers “because people have been misled about the breed,” Argo says. “We hope that with more socialization and education, she will be able to roam the store freely.”

That’s a benefit given to Dub, a Labrador mix named after the 43rd president, George W. Bush. The dog has a noticeably different 24

TulsaPeople JULY 2019

demeanor than his counterpart. “Dub is like wallpaper, you never even know he’s there,” Argo says. The family rescued him from the SPCA seven years ago.

After graduating from Northeastern State University several decades ago, Argo’s original career plans looked very different. “I had planned to go to law school and get into politics,” she says.

“I was going to be the first female president.”

But love got in the way. “I met Jeff one night, and we were married three months later,” Argo says of her husband, who oversees the finances of Mary Murray’s Flowers.

Just before they were married, Argo went to work for Mary Murray, who founded the flower shop in 1963. She died in 2014 at age 87.

“Th is was my fi rst and only job, so I’ve worked here forever,” Argo says. “Mary hired me and trained me because I didn’t know anything about the floral business. She taught me every aspect of the business.”

When asked why they bring their dogs to work every day, Argo smiles. “More than anything it gives Jeff and me a sense that our family is all right here.” TP

When TulsaPeople chose Pete Churchwell, then CEO of Public Service Co. of Oklahoma, as the January 2001 Tulsan of the Year, he maintained offices at both ends of the turnpike.

His retirement dream was golf, gardening and 365 days of fishing. In 2004, Churchwell and his wife, Sandy, moved from Tulsa to Grand Lake with their Labrador, Amy. Now they have been married 46 years and have two labs, Brady and Lola. But he doesn’t get to fish every day. “I just can’t say ‘no’ to opportunities for public service and volunteering,” says the 74-year-old.

Churchwell has long served as chairman of the Grove Municipal Services Authority, and in 2013, former Gov. Mary Fallin appointed him to the Grand River Dam Authority Board of Directors. “With my utility background and lake residence, it has been a great fit that I enjoy immensely,” he says.

He also spent 11 years on the Har-Ber Village Foundation Board of Directors, is active in the local Rotary Club, and the couple recently led a major expansion of their church. The parents of three grown children, they travel extensively, including visits to see their seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

“Although I live outside Tulsa now, I will always consider Tulsa my home,” Churchwell says. “I am so proud of the growth, development and renewal that is happening across Tulsa.”

— JUDY LANGDON

PASSIONS: VALERIE WEI-HAAS

Nikki Argo with her dogs, Dub and Koda. The canines come to work with her every day at Mary Murray’s Flowers.

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THEN AND NOW

FAIRWAY TO HEAVEN Tulsa public golf course receives updates.

BY JOSEPH PRICE

A

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TulsaPeople JULY 2019

LaFortune Park’s par-3 golf course in the 1960s. Above, the course today. It was renovated in October 2018.

used to all run north and south, but now most run diagonally. It’s a completely different hole with modernized greens.”

Although the park and the golf course have undergone many expansions and improvements, McCrate says it has remained recognizable through the years.

New lighting around the par-3 course allows golfers to play later than they could at many courses. “I don’t know of another lighted course like this in Oklahoma — there aren’t many in the country,” McCrate says. “Since the renovation,

attendance has resurged. I’m very proud that this is Tulsa’s public golf course. It’s a good place for kids, for adults, for everyone.”

Growing up with the sport, McCrate describes himself as a product of public golf and is proud of LaFortune’s efforts to bring the sport to Tulsans.

“We wanted to encourage people to learn how to play, so we instituted a free club rental policy,” he says. “If one of your excuses is that you don’t have clubs, we’re taking that away. We want Tulsans to learn the sport. It’s a game you can take with you for life.” TP

GREG BOLLINGER; INSET: COURTESY LAFORTUNE PARK

mid the multitude of new sights and places of interest in Tulsa, LaFortune Park remains an essential landmark.

With over 270 acres in midtown, the county park features walking and jogging trails, picnic areas, a community center, playgrounds and its iconic golf course. The latter is comprised of two 18-hole courses, the Champion Course and the par-3 course.

“In the ’60s, this was on the outskirts of town,” says Pat McCrate, director of golf for LaFortune Park.

The first nine holes of the par-3 course originally opened in 1963 and expanded to include 18 holes by 1966. As part of LaFortune’s Vision 2025 project, a $3 million renovation of the turf, accessibility and lighting were completed in October 2018.

Local architect Randy Heckenkemper designed the course renovation. “One of the responsible things was to do as much as possible to make sure that a ball wouldn’t go off the property by adjusting the angles,” says McCrate of Heckenkemper’s design. “Almost all of the holes

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MOW Mixer The 245 guests who attended the April 26 MOW Mixer benefit for Meals on Wheels enjoyed music from Desi and Cody, Charlie Redd and the Full Flava Kings, and DJ Lee of DJ Connection, who spun favorite retro hits.

The Hyatt Regency Downtown was the setting of the event planned by Rumbledrum and Bob Beard of Meals on Wheels. Messages Floral Design created the floral arrangements.

The MOW Mixer raised $143,000 to continue Meals on Wheels’ mission of preparing and delivering warm, fresh meals each week to seniors who are homebound in the Tulsa metro area.

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VALERIE WEI-HAAS

1. Guests Eli and Andrea Huff and Calvin Moore, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels 2. Musician Charlie Redd 3. Emcee Karen Larsen of KJRH 2 Works for You 4. Guests Terrance Johnson, Natalie Harris, Tina Johnson and Pat Johnson, site coordinator for Meals on Wheels 5. Chef/caterer Myles McClanahan prepared the dinner.

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Whimsical Fashion Show

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1. Olivia Alverson gives modeling tips to model Alex Wineland.

2. Mary Robinson, owner of Not Just Cakes, at her desserts table 3. Model Jessica Cook 4. Model Hailey Wineland 5. Model Melissa Beaver

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CHRIS GARRETT

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Living Arts of Tulsa was the scene for the first Whimsical Fashion Show and silent auction April 27, a benefit for the Huntington’s Disease of America — Oklahoma Chapter. The national organization was begun by Marjorie Guthrie, widow of Woody Guthrie, who died from the disease.

The whimsical theme included fashions from local stores, resale shops and boutiques, as well as catered foods

by Not Just Cakes Inc., Strawberry Kotoure and Panera Bread. A mirror photo booth was provided by Cocoa Events and Marketing, and event planners were Alexis Alverson and Andrea Garrett.

Twenty guests attended the intimate event, which raised $1,541 for Huntington’s Disease research, support groups and education and awareness events.

CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS 2019 Medicine Graduates Graduates 2019OU-TU OU-TU School School of of Community Community Medicine

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www.OUTUSchoolofCommunityMedicine.com www.OUTUSchoolofCommunityMedicine.com The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

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CAN Superhero Soiree

Botanical! Passport Dinner

The inaugural Superhero Soiree was April 27 at the Tulsa Club Hotel. The hero-themed benefit for Child Abuse Network was attended by 250 guests — many dressed in masks and capes — and featured a cocktail hour with a silent auction, dinner with a live auction, and a live music and video entertainment experience.

Take Heart Events planned the evening to support CAN’s mission of reducing trauma experienced by children and their families when undergoing a child abuse investigation.

Award-winning guest chef Jamie Bissonnette of Boston took 375 Tulsa guests on a virtual tour of the Iberian Peninsula with his six-course Passport Dinner on April 26 at the Tulsa Botanic Garden. The event was part of the Garden’s “Botanical! A Weekend of Culinary Wonder!” fundraiser. Students and faculty from the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology’s School of Culinary Arts assisted in the kitchen and dining room.

Additional weekend highlights were Saturday’s “Viva la Vida,” featuring mixologists and sommeliers from Tulsa and Lisbon, Portugal; and a Sunday afternoon tasting with talks from Bissonnette, cookbook author Gabriella Opaz and garden CEO Todd Lasseigne, among others. Event co-chairs were April Faudree Moore and Julie Nickel.

1. Emcee Neile Jones of KTUL NewsChannel 8 and event co-chair Carrie Williams 2. Jeremy Owens and CAN board member Camille Owens 3. A table setting 4. Taheerah Salim, a member of the event committee, and guests Tara Sutherland and Krystal Hejtmanek

1. Chef Jamie Bissonnette, left, serves from his giant paella pan and talks to guests at Viva La Vida.

2. Sommelier Tony Collins shares the list of Spanish and Portuguese wines at the Passport Dinner with Bob Franden.

3. Passport Dinner guests Steve and Marla Bradshaw 4. A sample of more than 30 small bites created by Chef Jamie Bissonnette and his culinary team 5. Tulsa Botanic Garden board member Janice Chevaillier and guest Mary Lee Townsend

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BOTANICAL! PASSPORT DINNER: BROOKE ALLEN; CAN SUPERHERO SOIREE: SARAH ELIZA ROBERTS

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EXCEPTIONAL Senior Living: Minutes from downtown, Miles from ordinary Nestled on 50 secluded acres just outside downtown, Saint Simeon’s has been exceeding expectations in senior care and living since 1960.

Residents love the state-of-the-art wellness center, therapeutic indoor pool and enjoying time with friends. Their families enjoy the park-like grounds, feeding the peacocks and watching the grandkids on the playground. But the real difference is our outstanding care. With Saint Simeon’s, families have peace of mind.

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NEWS FROM ADVERTISERS

On May 3, Hillcrest South celebrated its 20th anniversary with a reception and activities for employees at the hospital, 8801 S. 101st E. Ave. Pictured are Kevin Gross, Hillcrest HealthCare System CEO; Tony Young, the first CEO of Hillcrest South (formerly Southcrest); and Bennett Geister, Hillcrest South CEO.

Senior Star again named a Great Place to Work Senior Star, a Tulsa-owned senior living provider, has been certified by Great Place to Work for a second consecutive year.

Great Place to Work, an independent research and consulting firm, evaluated more than 1,000 surveys from Senior Star employees. The surveys measured employee pride in the organization’s community impact, belief that their work makes a difference and feeling their work has special meaning.

“Senior Star’s goal is to exceed the expectations of our diverse group of associates,” says Anja Rogers, Senior Star CEO. “By creating an environment of inclusion — where every person feels like they belong and are valued — positivity permeates everything we do. We ask associates to commit to a promise: To do for each other with love. I believe the Great Place to Work certification is a reflection of our associates’ dedication to upholding that promise: to each other and to the seniors and families we serve.”

Senior Star fosters employee well-being through a mentorship program that creates a path for career growth and wellness programs to encourage healthy habits.

The company owns and operates 15 senior living communities across the country, four of which are in Oklahoma: Burgundy Place and Woodland Terrace in Tulsa, and The Arbors and Plantation House in Okmulgee. Living options include independent living, assisted living and memory support.

For more information about Senior Star, call 918-592-4400 or visit seniorstar.com.

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TulsaPeople JULY 2019

Kynlee Schultheis, who plays Jane Banks; Michael Fling, Craft Productions artistic director; and Dannon VanDeLinder, who plays Michael Banks

‘Mary Poppins’ floats into TCC PACE this month The Mollie Craft Foundation and Signature Symphony, in collaboration with Craft Productions of Oklahoma, present “Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins” from July 12-21 at the Tulsa Community College VanTrease PACE, located on TCC’s Southeast Campus at 10300 E. 81st St. The musical will mark Craft Productions of Oklahoma’s inaugural production.

Leading a company of nearly 60 local actors and students will be Broadway veterans and northeast Oklahoma natives Kennedy Caughell as Mary Poppins and Cody Davis as Bert. Caughell, originally of Bartlesville, has appeared on Broadway in the original cast of “Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812” as well as “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” She also has national tour credits of “Wicked” and “American Idiot.” Davis, originally of Tulsa, has appeared on Broadway in the revival of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” in addition to the national tours of “Bright Star” and “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.”

“We are thrilled to welcome both Kennedy and Cody back to Oklahoma to star in ‘Mary Poppins’ this summer,” says Michael Fling, artistic director of Craft Productions. “Bringing top-tier Oklahoma talent home to entertain audiences and educate young performers is central to our company’s mission.” Fling will direct the show, which will feature choreography by Chelsey Elam and a live orchestra under the direction of Jim Gregory.

Founded originally as Theatre Arts Productions in 1994, Craft Productions of Oklahoma is a 501(c)(3) organization. Under the leadership of Shari Lewis as executive producer and Fling as artistic director, Craft Productions fosters an environment in which children can learn the craft of professional theater in a one-of-a-kind Broadway-quality experience.

“Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins” is based on P.L. Travers’ original stories and the 1964 Disney film. The musical boasts original songs from the film as well as new songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The visual effects for the production are designed and executed by ZFX of Las Vegas.

Tickets are $15-$49. Call 918-998-3376 or visit craftproductions.org for details.

COURTESY

Hillcrest South celebrates

2019 SEASON 2018 JUNE 21SEASON - JULY 19

JUNE 22 – JULY 20

CHANGES O F H EA RT

Presenting 25+ Performances at Inspiration Point in Eureka Springs and Venues Across Northwest Arkansas

VISIT opera.org FOR TICKETS & INFO 16311 Hwy. 62 West / Eureka Springs, AR (479) 253-8595

TulsaPeople.com

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Numerous volunteers assisted in clean up along River Parks in early June.

After the destruction of historic flooding, Tulsans lend a hand to their affected neighbors.

BY JULIE WENGER WATSON 34

TulsaPeople JULY 2019

COURTESY RIVER PARKS

Rise up

L

ong after the floodwaters recede and the chaotic spring weather is replaced by the hot days of summer, Tulsa-area communities and many of their residents will continue to face ongoing recovery from the devastating consequences of May’s storms. After the debris is cleared and the river is back within its banks, much remains to be done.

According to Joseph Kralicek, the executive director of the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency (TAEMA), close to 600 homes in Tulsa County were affected. Over half of those were in west Tulsa’s Town and Country neighborhood, most of which had 3 or more feet of water. At most, 25% of those homes had flood insurance, according to Kralicek. Parts of the area are in the 100-year floodplain, others are in the 500-year floodplain. Kralicek believes it will take years to recover from the damage.

“I always want to stress to people that this isn’t something that is going to be fi xed in a matter of days or even weeks,” he says. “You’re looking at about one year of recovery for every day of disaster. Some of these homes were under water for a week, which means some of these homeowners and some of these families will not be back in the position they were prior to the disaster for seven years.”

Beyond the short-term plan for debris cleanup, TAEMA has coordinated a long-term recovery committee comprised of government agencies, civic organizations, volunteer groups and disaster relief philanthropies to continue the efforts. A fund has been created through Tulsa Community Foundation, in partnership with United Way, to receive donations. Support can be directed online to vast.bank/floodrelief.

Although Kralicek was impressed with the city and the community’s response to the event, he believes the recovery will still be long and costly. “Th is isn’t over at all. The response has ended, but the work hasn’t. It has changed its shape and appearance,” he comments. “I was working 18-hour days at one point, and I’m going to continue to work massive amounts of hours to help get these folks back to where they were before this happened.”

Damage from the storms has displaced many families, and it has also brought an unexpected financial burden. The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma is working to ensure these families have enough to eat.

“I’ve been at the Food Bank for seven and a half years,” says its executive director, Eileen Bradshaw. “Th is is the largest disaster event I’ve been a part of.”

The Food Bank is distributing special Disaster Relief Food Boxes, which include more readyto-eat products. Bradshaw encourages Tulsans to volunteer their time by signing up for a shift on the organization’s website okfoodbank.org.

Hosting a food drive and monetary donations also are great ways to show support.

“It’s just the community serving people because that’s how we get the food out, through the community,” she says. “Th is is really neighbors taking care of neighbors. It just passes through our doors.”

The river itself and the parks and trail system were greatly impacted, too. Although repairs will be ongoing for some time, most of the public areas are up and running, thanks to the hard

FLOOD INSURANCE 101

Several portions of River Parks were submerged due to flooding of the Arkansas River, which reached 23.41 feet on May 29, the highest since Oct. 5, 1986, according to the National Weather Service.

work of the River Parks Authority, volunteers and other organizations.

According to Tony Moore, executive director of Tulsa’s Gathering Place, that park is fully opened. “We did have some erosion in the areas of the park that are closest in proximity to the river, and we did have some flooding on our sports courts,” he notes. “But as far as guest experiences, minimal to no impact.” The park was closed for four days during the flooding event. As of press time, two of the six courts remain closed.

Matt Meyer, executive director of the River Parks Authority, says the stabilization of the riverbanks will be a long-term project. It will be funded through a number of sources, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). At press time, engineering assessments were underway.

“We’ll have hundreds of feet of bank stabili-

zation to do to protect our trails,” he says. “Some of it could be riprap (a rocky material), which is cheaper, and some of it could be cabled concrete.”

As the sun shines again, most Tulsans return to “normal life,” but it’s important to remember the ongoing challenges that remain. “I have to remind people that this was a very catastrophic month of May for most of Tulsa County,” TAEMA’s Kralicek says. “Most people probably know at least one person who is impacted by this.

If you really want to help, reach out to that person and help however you can. Help them with pulling carpet out. If they need a place to stay, give them a roof over their head, even cook them a meal. Give them a friendly ear.

“There are a lot of people in our community who are hurting right now and could use a friendly shoulder. I urge everybody to be that friend.” TP

May’s catastrophic weather, overflowing rivers and ear-piercing sirens were a stark reminder of the destructive power of Mother Nature. Although you can’t control the weather, you can take steps to mitigate its consequences.

Flood losses aren’t covered by most homeowner insurance policies. Purchasing coverage for your home and its contents through the federal government-backed National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is something to consider.

Tulsans are eligible to buy the insurance. It’s available to homeowners, as well as renters if the property owner hasn’t purchased it. The City of Tulsa has a discount of up to 40% on flood insurance for homeowners living in a Special Flood Hazard Area (100-year floodplain) and a 10% discount for all others. Homeowners are required by law to buy flood insurance if they have a federally backed mortgage and live in a high-risk flood area. This insur-

ance provides a maximum of $250,000 for repairs and $100,000 for damaged contents, and it’s available for purchase through any agent who participates in the NFIP. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), no home is completely safe from flooding, and as little as an inch of water in a home can cause more than $25,000 in damage. Statistically, more than 20% of flood claims come from properties outside of high-risk flood zones. Without flood insurance, those costs are out of pocket to the homeowner. Even when an area receives a Presidential Disaster Declaration — as Tulsa recently did — making it eligible for FEMA disaster grants, those grants pay only $5,000 per household on average. By comparison, the average flood insurance claim is closer to $30,000.

In light of Tulsa’s devastating spring storms, it might be a good time to take stock of your risk, as well as your coverage. For more information, visit floodsmart.gov.

TulsaPeople.com

35

Target in sight Jim Bridenstine, a Jenks High School graduate and former congressman, leads NASA as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and looks to the future of space exploration.

F

ifty years ago this month, NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong famously planted his size 9 ½ boot on the surface of the moon, ending a decade-long space race while captivating a worldwide audience of 600 million people as he took those fi rst steps on July 20, 1969.

There were five additional Apollo moon landings before the program was cut short in 1972.

No one has walked on the lunar surface since.

That will soon change, according to Vice President Mike Pence, who announced March 26 that American astronauts will return to the moon in 2024 by “any means necessary.”

Once the lunar lander’s engines are disengaged — and, this time, a female astronaut steps off the ladder — it will be one small step for NASA as it prepares for the giant leap of manned missions from the moon to Mars.

“When the vice president made that announcement it reminded me of John F. Kennedy’s moment to announce we’re going to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade and return them safely to the Earth,” says Tulsan and NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine. “That was a bold kind of declaration, and what we saw the vice president do recently was a similarly bold declaration. I can tell you, folks at NASA are extremely excited.”

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TulsaPeople JULY 2019

It has been just over a year since Bridenstine was sworn in to be NASA’s 13th administrator.

He’s the fi rst former congressman to be put in charge of the agency that employs 17,000 scientists, engineers, technicians and more.

To attain the position, Bridenstine had to go through “a very difficult” confirmation process during which even some of his allies questioned his credentials and capabilities since most of the previous administrators had extensive scientific backgrounds. In contrast, Bridenstine’s background is varied. The 1998 Rice University graduate served in the Navy from 1998-2007. He earned an MBA from Cornell University in 2009.

But Bridenstine also had many supporters.

“I think even at the time if you go back and look at his past, the things he invested in, his work even as a college student and the way he committed himself to study and be prepared, he was always preparing himself for a task like this, and when the opportunity came along, he was ready,” says Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who spoke in favor of Bridenstine on the Senate floor during the confi rmation process.

Bridenstine was confi rmed April 23, 2018.

Bridenstine was born June 15, 1975, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Two years later, his family briefly relocated to Wisconsin before moving to Arlington, Texas, when he was 4.

It was around then Bridenstine started dreaming of becoming a pilot. His bedroom walls were soon completely covered with airplane posters.

He and his father often attended air shows at Carswell Air Force Base in neighboring Fort Worth. As a kindergartner, he drew a picture of himself in front of a plane that stated, “I want to be a pielot.” Years later he made it. His mom presented him the forgotten self-portrait at his winging ceremony as a Naval aviator.

At 15, his family relocated to Tulsa and Bridenstine attended Jenks High School, where he graduated in 1993. After completing a triple major (economics, psychology and business) at Rice University, Bridenstine became a Naval pilot, flying E-2C Hawkeyes in Afghanistan and Iraq following 9/11. After returning stateside, he flew F18 Hornets for three years at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in Nevada, which is the parent command to Top Gun, the Fighter Weapons School.

In 2007, he and his wife, Michelle, had recently become parents when he took a job in Orlando, Florida, flying fl ight simulators for the Navy down the road from the Kennedy Space Center.

Their time in Florida was brief as they soon relocated to Tulsa to be closer to Michelle’s

NASA/BILL INGALLS

BY TIM LANDES

GREG BOLLINGER

family. Bridenstine became executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum.

“What really brought us back was that I loved Tulsa when I was there. My wife was born at Saint Francis Hospital and her whole family was there,” says the 44-year-old whose wife and three children continue to live in Jenks, while he spends most of his days in D.C. In 2012, Bridenstine was elected to represent Oklahoma’s 1st District in the House. He ran unopposed in the next two elections. Due to his current role, Bridenstine declined to talk about his motivations to run for office. Of his 2016 win, the Tulsa World quoted Bridenstine as saying, “I will continue my work to promote economic freedom, national security and constitutional integrity over the next two and a half years.”

Following his election, he was named to the Strategic Forces Subcommittee on the Armed Services Committee, which deals with the national security space capabilities. He served on the Space Subcommittee of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, which oversees NASA. He also chaired the Environment Subcommittee on the Science, Space and Technology Committee, which oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

About 40% of NOAA’s budget encompasses space-related activities.

In 2016, the culmination of that work was his introduction of H.R. 4945, also known as the American Space Renaissance Act. “It was probably the most comprehensive space reform bill that has ever been written,” says Bridenstine. “It was over a hundred pages long, and it touched every bit of commercial space, civil space and national security space ... What we wanted to do is have this repository of the best space reform ideas, and then when bills came to the floor that we knew were going to pass, we could make amendments and/or embed in those bills provisions that we thought were important for America’s space agenda.”

Bridenstine says he believes it was his work on H.R. 4945 that put him on the radar of Pence, who chaired President Donald Trump’s revived National Space Council.

“I think there were a lot of folks in the space community that had seen my work as a member of Congress who had made the recommendation.

I know there were members of the Senate who had seen my work and made the same recommendation,” he says. “As far as what all went into it, I don’t know. I’ll just tell you this: I’m thrilled, and it’s the honor of a lifetime.”

One of his biggest supporters was Buzz Aldrin, a legendary member of the Apollo 11 crew. He co-authored a glowing op-ed endorsing Bridenstine for the position. In it, he compared the then-congressman to legendary NASA administrator James Webb, who oversaw NASA during the Apollo program.

“It’s pretty amazing, actually. He’s a national treasure,” Bridenstine says of Aldrin. “Everybody knows Buzz Aldrin. He actually came out to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum when I was

the executive director there. We did a big event for the museum, so I knew him from before.

He knew where my heart was, and certainly he understood what I was trying to achieve. It was really amazing to have a guy like him support my confi rmation.”

A little over a year after his 50-49 Senate confi rmation, Bridenstine returned to Capitol Hill to speak to many of those senators, but this time it was to discuss what it will take to accomplish the ambitious mission in five years.

NASA devoted around $20 billion to the Apollo missions. That is what it costs to annually operate the space agency today. The cost to send astronauts back to the moon in the next five years will cost NASA considerably more. However, in his May 1 testimony, Bridenstine said it will cost less than the reported additional $8 billion annually to fund the program.

“He’s doing a great job, and all the people who were his detractors early on are now supportive of him,” Lankford says. “They’ve seen him do a nonpartisan job trying to advance NASA and science. They’ve been very, very impressed with what he’s done as administrator.

“Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), unsolicited by me, came up and said, ‘Th is guy from Oklahoma is really doing a remarkable job for NASA, and I think you oughta know it.’”

TULSA CELEBRATES THE APOLLO ANNIVERSARY

It has been eight years since an American astronaut launched from American soil.

Bridenstine says by the end of year NASA will resume manned launches from home to the International Space Station. The crew has been selected for that mission, but not yet for 2024.

He says there is a “very diverse astronaut corps from which to select” when the time comes.

From there, training will intensify until they are buckled in and the countdown hits zero. Then the next stop is the south pole of the moon, “where there are hundreds of millions of tons of water ice, which represents life support,” he says.

“It’s also rocket fuel. Hydrogen and oxygen is rocket fuel. It’s the same rocket fuel that powered the space shuttle, and it’s the same rocket fuel that will power the Space Launch System — which is the largest rocket ever built — that we’re developing right now,” Bridenstine says.

“We’re not just going to the moon, we’re going to the moon sustainably, we’re going to utilize that life support capability. We’re going to stay at the moon. The way we’re doing it now is entirely different than we’ve ever done it before, but it’s equally, if not more, bold.

“My goal is to achieve the president’s vision of a woman on the moon by 2024. Th at’s what we’re working to achieve.” TP

An Apollo Command module is one of many elements in the upcoming “Apollo: A 50 Year Celebration” at Tulsa Air and Space Muse um and Planetarium.

In July, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a temporary exhibit highlighting local contributions to the famed mission.

“Everyday Tulsans played a role in putting a man on the moon, and we want to honor their efforts,” says Kevin Meeks, TASM communications director. “For example, parts of the Saturn 5 rocket were made here (in Tulsa) at North American Aviation, which became Rockwell.”

The exhibit, “Apollo: A 50 Year Celebration,” will begin by detailing the space race and the Gemini and Mercury missions. On display will be an Apollo Command module and two large Master Command Control consoles, as well as a large model Saturn Rocket.

The exhibit also incorporates the story of Astronaut William Pogue, who was born in Okemah and raised in Sand Springs. He became an astronaut in 1966 when chosen as part of the Apollo Program’s Group 5.

In the months leading up to the launch of Apollo 11, Pogue worked in a support role to help Buzz Aldrin prepare for the historic moon landing. On launch day, July 16, 1969, Pogue worked in the command center, playing a key role in pre-launch. Pogue would go on to spend 84 days in space as part of the Skylab program, a record that stood for two decades.

TASM, located at 3624 N. 74th E. Ave., plans to display the exhibit for the next six months.

TulsaPeople.com

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Bret Mock owns Mock Brothers Saddlery with his brother, Greg. The brothers are the third generation to carry on the family business, which has been around since 1941.

Longtime Western gear and Western wear store Mock Brothers rides into its third generation of business.

BY SCOTT WIGTON Greg and Bret Mock inside their store, Mock Brothers Saddlery is located at 177th West Avenue and the Keystone Expressway.

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VALERIE WEI-HAAS

SADDLE UP

T

o hear the Mock brothers tell it, they weren’t saddled with the family business.

Bret and Greg Mock are the third generation carrying on the family tradition at Mock Brothers Saddlery, a sprawling retail outpost located just west of Sand Springs off the Keystone Expressway. It’s the kind of place that oozes authenticity and old-school craftsmanship that seems sorely lacking these days.

One of the first people you’re likely to meet after arriving at the Old West-themed building is Bret Mock, more the PR guy of the two brothers. He looks the part, too, with a brushy salt and pepper handlebar mustache and a stubby, unlit cigar clenched in his teeth, as he reminisces about his early years in the business.

“We pretty much grew up working in the store,” Bret says. “Dad started us out cleaning saddles.”

Back then, the store was located at the Tulsa Stockyards in Sand Springs (now the site of Yaffe Cos. scrap metal yard). Mock Brothers moved to is current location in 1976.

“We started as kids and during the summers it was real hot. There was no air conditioning. The flies were thick. I wish I had a nickel for every fly I killed,” Bret says with a chuckle.

Co-owner and younger brother Greg is the more taciturn one, but only just. While Bret works the front of the 8,800-square-foot store, Greg plies his expertise in the back, making custom saddles and a wide array of other cowboy accoutrements, along with a highly skilled team that includes his wife, Deanna Mock.

For Greg, running the family business wasn’t exactly the career he was dreaming about during the early saddle cleaning, fly swatting days.

If the

BOOT FITS Work is done by hand on countless leather goods, including belts, wallets, guitar straps and saddles.

VIDEO

at TULSAPEOPLE.COM

The west lives on at Mock Brothers Saddlery.

“Yeah, I’d get into trouble at school and they’d make me come here and work,” Greg says. “I used to hate this place. By God, I wasn’t going to spend my life working here.”

But fate and family had other ideas, and decades later he finds himself still working on saddles, if not having to swat too many flies in the back of the air-conditioned building.

His attitude is classic cowboy — a quiet pride expressed in a few simple, direct words.

“It’s about carrying on a family tradition.

That’s what it means to me.”

That family tradition dates to 1941, when Great Uncle Claude Mock started the saddlery business in Sand Springs. He had built saddles up in Elgin, Kansas, and later worked in Fort Worth, Texas, doing the same.

Claude brought in his brothers Archie and Albert to help, and the business operated out of the stockyards until the mid 1970s, when the allure of a Western-themed shopping center (it never panned out) tempted Mock Brothers down the Keystone Express-

way to its current location. In 1984, the generational torch was passed when Bret and Greg bought the business from their uncle, Richard. Their dad, also named Albert, who owned the store with Richard, had taught the two younger men well, especially when it came to making custom saddles or any other leather product that requires the skillful use of razor-sharp tools.

“Lesson No. 1 was, ‘Don’t bleed on the saddle!’” Bret says with a laugh. “If you cut yourself using the tools and you bled on the saddle, the stain wouldn’t come out. My dad wasn’t worried about the cut, just the leather.”

What does the future hold for Mock Brothers? Will it stay in the family? Bret mentions two sons, one a lawyer, the other a Sapulpa firefighter. Will they or some other family member take over? For now, there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer. But after a visit to Mock Brothers, you might get the sense that Bret and Greg don’t seem ready to saddle up and ride off into the sunset just yet. TP

CITY SLICKERS BEWARE. You run the risk of getting roped into a new lifestyle if you visit Mock Brothers Saddlery.

For cowboys, ranchers, rodeo veterans and lovers of all things equine, Mock Brothers has it all: shining rows of saddles, endless stacks of cowboy hats and enough boots to outfit a cowboy army.

There is a host of other accoutrements, too: spurs, bridles, belts, scabbards, holsters, knives, tack and more. Plenty of Western wear for men and women.

And the pungent smell of leather saturating it all.

In other words, Mock Brothers has everything you might find in Cowboy/Cowgirl Heaven and then some. By now, you probably have a good idea of its clientele.

Co-owner Bret Mock says their customers are mainly ag-oriented people — those with acreage and animals of some sort.

Customers are greeted like longtime trail buddies. Grant Ellington has been gearing up at Mock Brothers since he was a kid. Now he’s a 38-year-old Tulsa firefighter who does competitive calf roping and also operates a horse-training business on the side with his girlfriend.

“This is my go-to place,” Ellington says. “This is where I come to get my saddles fixed, get boots, supplies, anything horse related. I love that it’s family run. You get treated right.”

He’s not alone. Rodeo royalty like Terry Don West, Austin Myers, Hank Thompson and James “Quick” Tillis, the Fightin’ Cowboy (he was once a heavyweight boxer) also have darkened the doors of Mock’s.

A fair number of country music celebrities have shopped Mock’s, including Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Brooks and Dunn, and Reba McEntire.

What they’re after is the kind of personal craftsmanship that is becoming a rarer commodity in today’s world. “Our calling card is definitely our hand-done work,” Bret says.

That means everything from hats and belts to saddles, wallets, even guitar straps are crafted, shaped or repaired by hand to meet the exact needs and preferences of the customer. Along with a near mindboggling selection of saddles, hats, boots and other items, there’s plenty for the rodeo hero, rancher or even the city slicker who wants to get his “country and Western” on for a change.

“We’ve got about 250 saddles, hundreds of hats and boots. If you can’t find it here, chances are you don’t need it,” Bret jokes.

TulsaPeople.com

39

Shaelynn Haning and Sherman Ray inside his midtown tailor shop

E S S AY

Mr. Ray and Me A TULSAN LEARNS AN ART FORM FROM THE POLISH TAILOR SHERMAN RAY.

BY SHAELYNN HANING 40

TulsaPeople JULY 2019

VALERIE WEI-HAAS

T

he bird almost looks like it flutters when Mr. Sherman Ray flexes his fingers.

Etched into the middle of his left forearm, it appears suspended over the top of a fainter tattoo of faded ink and vivid memories.

As the needle slides through to the other side of the woolen jacket cuff he’s holding, I think about how this local tailor spends his days; always working with his hands. As he reaches for this or picks up that, I imagine what the little bird’s wings discreetly cover. I think about how long he has lived and how he got here.

If you ask him, he’ll tell you. He explains it simply, in the same words his father used; “If you have a skill, you’ll survive.” And survive he has.

Mr. Ray, “the little polish tailor” he dubs himself, is in fact the only survivor of his family. His father taught him the trade he still utilizes every day: the art of clothing construction. Mr. Ray’s art narrowly guided him through an unimaginable war and two prison camps long before the plains of Oklahoma were on his horizon. By the time he arrived in Auschwitz, his siblings and parents were already gone. With his craft as his only protection, Mr. Ray continued his work tailoring military uniforms, whiling the cold days away, needle and thimble in hand.

He remembers the day the war ended and carrying his father’s words forward with him as his new freedom gave way to new opportunity, but only for those who were employable.

Twenty-six families of survivors found their way to Oklahoma City, where professionals, especially trained tailors were sorely needed.

Once more, his craft provided, making him nearly $100 a week in 1954, nearly enough to provide for his young wife and himself as they made their new home in America.

Over the years his business has always soldiered on, from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, surviving as he knew it would. At 98, his heart is still deeply invested in the trade that saved his life, as he works in the shop bearing his name at the corner of East 31st Street and South Jamestown Avenue. There sits a little wooden stool where I’ve taken to listening, when he’s in the mood to share about his past or present.

There are so few left in the trade that I’m lucky for every second this master tailor lets me perch here and badger him about forgotten but still essential techniques in our shared art. Though one can learn many things in our modern world by typing them into a search box, YouTube doesn’t hold a candle to Mr. Ray when it comes to lowering a suit jacket collar.

Let’s rewind. How did I end up at Mr. Ray’s?

I used to have a normal job. A job that people expected me to show up at every morning and that ended when I left each night. But that wasn’t always the case.

I grew up a creative. A maker. A builder. A welder. And eventually, a tailor. I always figured someday I’d find my way back to that life again.

After six years as a military wife, my husband and I relocated to Tulsa from our last duty station at Fort Sill. We moved into a little place on 31st, just down the street from Mr. Ray’s shop.

Sherman Ray, 98, was born in Bialystok, Poland and is a third-generation tailor.

As a young teenager, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland. His family was shipped to a concentration camp. He escaped en route but was recaptured and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the extermination camp. He survived by tailoring uniforms for the S.S. troops.

After doing hard labor in both Auschwitz-Monowitz and Dachau, when the war ended in 1945, he weighed 75 lbs. His entire family was gone.

He struggled to survive in Germany and England before coming to the U.S. in 1949.

He was 28.

Eventually he settled in Tulsa, where he married and had two children. Ray was a full-time tailor by day at downtown menswear stores and a private tailor at night. In 1968, he opened his own tailor shop with no sign, no telephone and no assistant because nobody measured up to his standards. Specializing in handcrafted suits, his clientele has included some of the city’s most prominent citizens. Often he worked 70 hours a week. Ray’s Tailor Shop is still in business at 3107 S. Jamestown Ave.

With a degree in apparel design and development, I dragged my sewing machine with us from military base to military base, but we only stayed long enough for me to sew on his rank and sometimes new shoulder bars.

In Tulsa, as a permanent resident for the fi rst time in my adult life, I drove by Mr. Ray’s every day wondering if the time had come to make the leap and start stitching together a sewing business.

Every day I vowed I’d go in to meet him. The man with an incredible reputation in this newto-me city whom I’d heard so much about. And every day I drove by and continued on to my normal job.

But then word got out that I knew how to sew.

And well-intentioned friends started to guide those in need of a little tailoring and some alterations my way. They called and texted and piled on until that normal job’s demands got harder to meet and my emotional quota was met every night and every lunch break that I snuck home to cut the hem off an obscure vintage dress and insert it into a side panel so my latest client would be uniquely well dressed for a wedding that weekend.

Mr. Ray’s was the fi rst place I went after I left that normal job.

I finally crossed the threshold and barely introduced myself before asking, “Could I just watch you for a while?”

He didn’t know me. He didn’t know (or, presumably, care) why I was there. But he didn’t miss a beat when he responded, “It’ll take a lifetime to learn.”

So I pulled up my stool, and our visits began.

I try to catch him in the mornings when the shop is quiet. I come in with my coffee, take up my perch and bring him things as he asks for them, maybe a needle or silk button thread, or fi ll the water dish for his tailor’s sponge used in dampening and pressing the woolen suits he’s working on that day.

I watch and pester him with questions and he launches into his usual spiel: “You don’t want to get into this business. I only say this because I care about you. Don’t get into this business.” But if I nod and agree and just sit quietly long enough, that’s when I get the good stuff.

“Open this drawer,” he says. “I have a tool I want you to see.” It’s an exquisite and impossible-to-find piece of hardware. A steel and bronze buttonhole press with various blades and keyhole punches, all aligned on different knobs to turn and adjust to create just the right size cut for the job. There’s a reason it’s so hard to find. It was made in Germany in a time when the United States was not receiving imports from Germany.

He holds the tool and turns the dials and I watch the bird’s wings flutter again.

Sewing allowed him to survive, and the tattoo covers the reason he does.

As a budding tailor with a mere 15 years under my belt, I am painfully aware that I know virtually nothing when I watch his fingers slowly feel their way along the shoulder seam, mapping out the alteration needed for this particular suit and this particular client.

Th is assessment is one of the many reasons I keep coming. I lean a little closer and ask him; how do you lower that collar … how do you shorten that cuff ... how do you take in the seat of that pant.

The answer is always the same.

“With my hands,” he says.

But that doesn’t ever answer my questions.

For a while I thought this was a facetious answer as he begins each visit trying to convince me to go into another trade, telling me to do something useful, like become a nurse or a teacher. I tell him the die is cast, I’m too far gone, so he’ll just have to show me.

Begrudgingly and thoughtfully, he eventually gives in but never through words, only ever with his hands. That’s the trick with this craft.

“You’ll never learn by only watching, you just have to do it,” he warns.

And finally I understand his answer.

There are no tricks, no shortcuts, no Google search that will make a master tailor overnight.

I ask him questions as if I hope he’ll spit out a clear, concise Wikipedia page response, but the only true answer is that in the end you’ll have to dig deep, spend the time and just do the work “with your hands.”

“That is all for today,” he says as if class is dismissed, acknowledging that I’m here to learn whether he likes it or not.

“Maybe I could come by again?” I ask, anxious not to lose this living link to our dying art. I can see every year he’s earned around his squinting eyes when he concedes, “OK.” TP TulsaPeople.com

41

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Stange Law Firm, PC was founded in 2007. Since 2016,

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Law Firm 500 has recognized the firm as one of the fastest growing law firms in the country. Members of the firm have been given awards and/or recognition from organizations such as Super Lawyers Magazine, the National Trial Lawyers, Lead Counsel and others. Attorneys from the firm also present on family law topics for other legal professionals through organizations such as the Missouri Bar, the National Business Institute, myLawCLE and others.

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A day in the life

What’s it like to walk a day in someone else’s professional shoes? Some of Tulsa’s most taxing vocations are some of the most interesting, too.

TulsaPeople profiles five Tulans whose jobs help us, inform us and provide a city full of opportunity and experiences.

BY JOHN TRANCHINA

TulsaPeople.com

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For the past year, meteorologist Katy Kramer has provided NewsChannel 8 viewers with weather coverage — a challenging task in Tornado Alley.

From Kramer’s perspective, weather reporting in Tornado Alley is a plum job. “It’s a meteorologist’s dream to come down and work here in the plains,” says the Indianapolis native, who has been at Tulsa’s ABC affiliate, NewsChannel 8, since June 2018.

Kramer has been a meteorologist for about nine years, first in Columbia, South Carolina, then Champaign, Illinois, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. In Tulsa, the weather is unpredictable and more interesting.

“It’s very active,” she says. “For some people, their meteorology focus is more hurricane-based, so they want to be on the East Coast. Others, it’s winter stuff, so they want to be up north.

“But for most, you’ll find they are most curious about thunderstorms, tornadoes — stuff that you get here in the heartland and the central portion of the country. And Oklahoma is the prime area for that.”

Kramer loves the job’s challenging qualities, such as forecasting. “Constantly, things change — you’re always going to see something different. And that makes it difficult, too; it’s a very challenging job. The challenge, the volatility of it, the variety of things that I get to look for and look at, that’s fun.”

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Her shift runs from the wee hours to mid-morning.

When severe weather occurs Chief Meterorologist Dan Threlkeld calls on the weather team to assist with coverage, but Kramer says everyone is dedicated to keeping viewers informed.

Here is a breakdown of Kramer’s typical work day: 1 A.M.: Alarm goes off. “The most difficult part of my day is probably rolling out of bed,” she says.

2:30 A.M.: With makeup in tow, she arrives at the station in sweatpants. For the next hour and a half, she will “forecast, look at models, look at numbers, update websites, do radio.

We record a radio segment in the morning,” she says.

4 A.M.: Dons her on-air look.

4:30 A.M.: On air with “Good Morning Oklahoma” until 7. “Throughout the show I’m constantly updating stuff, doing Twitter, doing Facebook, changing out graphics because I don’t want to use the same forecast every time because that’s boring.”

7 A.M.: After the show is over, records a couple of “weather hits” that will run during the national “Good Morning America” broadcast.

7:30 A.M.: A little break in the day for lunch.

8 A.M.: Reviews the new weather models that usually come out at this time, “just to see if anything dramatic changes.”

She also prepares for the guest interviews that she will conduct during the upcoming “Good Day Tulsa” show.

8:30 A.M.: Show meeting for “Good Day Tulsa.”

9 A.M.: On the air again as “Good Day Tulsa” begins.

10 A.M.: Show wraps; Kramer updates Facebook, Twitter and changes a few graphics if necessary, and her shift is pretty much done.

10:30 A.M.: Go home. Any station-sponsored duties or community event opportunities, such as public appearances or severe weather education workshops, tend to occur after her shift is over.

VALERIE WEI-HAAS

Katy Kramer

KTUL NEWSCHANNEL 8 METEOROLOGIST

Rebecca Mejia

EMSA PARAMEDIC

7 P.M.: Shift begins. A pre-shift check of all equipment and the truck already has been performed, ensuring all equipment and drugs are stocked, as well as making sure the cot and other components are clean.

7:05 P.M.: While traveling to first “post” of the night, there’s a Priority 2 medical call, which means it’s not urgent enough to warrant utilizing the lights and sirens.

7:09 P.M.: While still en route to the call, another call comes in, re-routing them to a Priority 1 emergency because they’re closer than any other ambulance. Another crew is assigned to the first, non-emergency call. Now, lights and sirens are activated.

7:14 P.M.: Arrive on scene of Priority 1 call, where Tulsa Police have already arrived and are tending to the patient.

VALERIE WEI-HAAS

7:29 P.M.: Begin transporting patient to the hospital.

FAST FACTS

Mejia regularly encounters patients on the worst days of their lives. Her job is to get them the help they need, often in life-and-death situations.

With another team member, Mejia responds to emergencies and provides emergency medical care on-site, and, when necessary, transports the patient to the hospital. Now 27, she has worked for EMSA for seven years, upgrading from an EMT (emergency medical technician) to a paramedic about four years ago.

“Every day is different,” Mejia says. “I don’t like mundane, repetitive things. Every day is a new adventure.”

Some days are busy, with call after call after call, and on others, hardly anything happens, but she loves her job.

“It’s either feast or famine,” Mejia says. “And things can turn on a dime. Always bring your food, and never pass up a chance to use the bathroom. Those are key lessons I’ve learned.”

Currently working the overnight shift, Mejia’s schedule assignment usually changes every six months. She also is assigned an EMT partner for the six-month period. She and her current partner, Jasob Henderson, have become close friends after spending so much time together. They work 12-hour days, four days a week. She likes working with the overnight staff, but she says her body prefers the day shift.

Each EMSA crew has one EMT and one paramedic. The EMT is primarily the driver of the ambulance, but occasionally the paramedic takes the wheel.

Below is an excerpt of a recent workday:

A post is a strategic place for the ambulance to wait for a call, as determined by the time, day and location of previous incidents. // Tulsa has 55 EMSA trucks total — not all are on the road each shift. // Each EMSA crew consists of a paramedic and an EMT (emergency medical technician). // Priority 1 calls initiate lights and sirens.

Rebecca Mejia has worked for EMSA for seven years — first as an emergency medical technician and now as a paramedic.

She received her paramedic training at EMSA’s in-house paramedic program. In her job, each day is different.

8:21 P.M.: Arrive on scene; patient is an older woman who has fallen. “She was very nice and feisty,” Mejia says.

and her partner attempt to watch the previous episode of “Game of Thrones.”

8:37 P.M.: Begin transporting patient to the hospital.

10:06 P.M.: New Priority 1 call comes in. They drive with lights and sirens, or as they call it, “running hot.”

7:39 P.M.: Arrive at hospital. Transfer patient’s care to the emergency department staff and complete patient care documentation.

8:54 P.M.: Arrive at hospital and put on “bed delay,” meaning the hospital either didn’t have space or staff available right away to care for the patient. In these cases, Mejia and her partner remain, overseeing patient care until resources become available.

7:59 P.M.: Leave hospital, assigned to new post just east of midtown.

9:31 P.M.: Patient’s care transferred to hospital; paperwork completed. Assigned to post just east of midtown.

8:10 P.M.: Arrive at post, then receive new Priority 2 call.

9:38 P.M.: Arrive at post. With a little downtime, Mejia

10:10 P.M.: Arrive at scene. After providing a breathing treatment to the patient, she decides she doesn’t want to go to the hospital.

10:55 P.M.: Finish with patient. Assigned a new post in midtown. … And on it goes until the shift is over at 7 a.m. the next morning.

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Gary Shepherd

HEAD GROUNDSKEEPER, TULSA DRILLERS

Shepherd takes his job maintaining the playing surface at ONEOK Field just as seriously as the athletes who play on it.

His most complex task is coordinating the transformation of the field from baseball for Tulsa Drillers to soccer for Tulsa Roughnecks (and back again). Since the two clubs share the stadium and their seasons are concurrent, Shepherd usually performs the conversion 8-10 times a season.

Typically two matches occur per conversion, but occasionally there is only a single game. Pre- and post-baseball season soccer matches might see more field uses.

Shepherd, who joined the Drillers in 1993, has been the club’s head groundskeeper since 1999. “I knew immediately when I first started working out here, that I would want to do this on a full-time basis for a long time,” he says. “There’s nothing else I’d want to do.”

The conversion from baseball diamond to soccer pitch makes for a long day, but five years since the Roughnecks began, Shepherd has the process down to a science.

The work begins immediately after the final out of the last Drillers game of the series: 10 P.M.: Once the baseball game ends, Shepherd and his grounds crew of six remove the top quarter-inch of conditioner from the infield dirt. “That’s guys with rakes and shovels and utilizing our utility vehicle to remove it and then put it in a pile down here in our storage area,” Shepherd says. They also have other typical post-game duties, such as covering the bullpen areas and the pitcher’s mound with a tarp, among other things.

11 P.M.: Home for the night.

7:30 A.M.: The next morning, Shepherd coordinates with a private company, JonesPlan, which handles much of the grass overlay. With about six to eight of its own employees, JonesPlan begins preparing the infield, taking some more dirt off the edges, to eventually blend the new grass in with the existing outfield grass. They also lay down a barrier on top of the infield dirt. “It’s called a geo-textile material — it’s real thin, but it’s permeable so water can get through but not dirt or sand, so that the soil from the sod will not mix with our infield dirt,” Shepherd says.

8 A.M.: While JonesPlan works on the infield, Shepherd and his assistant take care of the pitcher’s mound area.

The retractable mound drops into the ground. Eight pie-shaped pieces of solid foam material levels off the mound, which Shepherd tops with a tarp, and then 2-3 tons of sand on top of that. “That levels everything out to the existing grade of the infield,” he explains.

Gary Shepherd has been the head groundskeeper for the Tulsa Drillers since 1999. He leads his team in the conversion of ONEOK Field from a baseball diamond to a soccer pitch for the Tulsa Roughnecks.

11 A.M.: Once the sand is in place on the pitcher’s mound area, a layer of that thin fabric is put down to prepare for the installation of the grass on top of it.

as well as the pitcher’s mound area and some small sections of the outfield warning track where the soccer field also extends. “They lay the sod because it comes in big rolls, 40 inches wide and 150-feet long rolls, so it’s huge,” Shepherd says. “And you need equipment to lay it out, which we don’t have.”

While JonesPlan installs the sod, Shepherd follows behind them and begins hand-watering the areas already down. He also sets string lines to prepare for painting the soccer field markings afterwards.

NOON: Truckloads of fresh sod grass arrive, and JonesPlan starts laying it down on the prepared infield,

5 P.M.: When the sod is down and the grass is watered, JonesPlan leaves, but Shepherd still has a few other

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tasks. Next, he’ll get out a big, 1-ton roller and drive it all over the sod to secure it. “That firms it up a little bit and then we top dress it, putting a ton and a half of sand on top of the sod to help keep it in place,” he says.

6:30 P.M.: “Sometimes it needs to be mowed, sometimes it doesn’t,” Shepherd says of the newly installed sod, which he has to blend in with the already-existing outfield grass.

7:30 P.M.: Shepherd paints the soccer field lines onto the field, or perhaps he’ll wait, depending on how much time there is before the next soccer game.

QuikTrip Store Manager Erin Muller begins her work day at 4:45 a.m. Her day is filled with making sure customers have what they need during their visit to the convenience store.

VALERIE WEI-HAAS

Erin Muller Muller puts a lot of time and effort into preparing her store for a customer experience that averages about 3 minutes.

The Wichita, Kansas, native has been in Tulsa for about a year and a half, with the past five months as the manager at the QuikTrip at the corner of West 23rd Street and Southwest Boulevard. She has worked for QT for about 15 years. She has been a store manager for five years and worked for QuikTrip in Wichita; Greenville, South Carolina; and Phoenix before coming to Tulsa.

“What I love most about the job are the relationships I get to build with my customers, and also with my employees, to be able to watch them grow,” says Muller, who has 22 employees, including four assistants.

She oversees the store and works Monday through Friday, 5 a.m.-3 p.m. “I like coming in early,” Muller says.

“Sometimes it’s hard to wake up that early, but once you get going, I’m just, boom, in the zone.”

Here’s a typical day for Muller:

4:45 A.M.: Arrives a little early before the breakfast rush to get a head start on the day. “First thing I do, I go through and make sure the store is perfect, per se — ready to go for our first rush of customers,” she says.

“They start coming in almost as soon as I get here, and we’re selling food like crazy. So I’ve got to make sure all that is ready to go, and then from there, we just have to maintain it.”

9 A.M.: Volume of customers dies down; she orders supplies and catches up on some paperwork.

10 A.M.: “Everything that needs to be done in the morning has to be done before 11, because otherwise we will get our butt kicked,” she says. “If not, then we’re chasing our tail.” Muller and her team tackle trash, restocking coolers, wiping and cleaning the store, writing orders for food and any action items that arise through the shift.

STORE MANAGER AT QUIKTRIP An assistant manager works with Muller four days of her work week.

11 A.M.: The lunch rush starts, so there are a lot more customers to serve. She’s keeping eyes on what’s happening in the store while also doing her best to monitor the activity at the pumps.

1 P.M.: With the lunch traffic slowing, “We can just touch up little things that we started to do in the morning, like merchandising chips or sandwiches or something like that,” Muller says. “And then after that, it’s kind of like smooth sailing, just have to maintain it.”

2 P.M.: On Tuesdays, Muller writes up the following week’s clerk schedule.

3 P.M.: Time to go home.

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Terry Ball has worked for the City of Tulsa for about 25 years and oversees the streets and stormwater department.

Terry Ball CITY OF TULSA DIRECTOR OF STREETS AND STORMWATER Along with a seemingly never-ending series of meetings, Ball supervises four major divisions and 351 employees.

These workers hold jobs most of us don’t even think about: in refuse and recycling, traffic engineering, stormwater management and street maintenance. They cover everything from trash and recycling collection, setting traffic light timing and road striping, responding to water drainage issues, street salting and snow plowing during weather events, and pothole repair.

So there are a lot of areas demanding Ball’s attention.

“It’s fun,” says Ball, who has been in his current position four years. He has worked for the City for about 25 years since graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s in engineering. “What I like the most is just the ability to help people through some of the activities that we do.

“That’s a neat part of it. You’re hoping at the end of the day, you’ve made somebody’s life a little bit easier, a little bit better.”

Theoretically, Ball works a fairly standard 8-5 shift, but it doesn’t always work out that way, especially during severe weather. He spearheads the city’s response, either to possible flooding or winter precipitation.

Here’s what his day might look like: 7:30-7:45 A.M.: Arrive at work a bit early and start going through emails, responding to any issues. “You’re pretty much doing emails any time of the night,” he says, because “you never know when something needs a response that night.” These emails come from the mayor, councilors, other department managers or citizens.

8:30 A.M.: Reviews, pays and approves department bills.

9 A.M.: Meetings, meetings and more meetings throughout the day, including a regularly scheduled stormwater group meeting. “Our stormwater group, with engineering and operations, gets together once a month for a focus time, where all we talk about is any stormwater-related issues that have come up over the last month. Sometimes it’s long-term projects that we’re continuing to work on.”

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WHEN DISASTER STRIKES 10 A.M.: Another meeting. “We had a bi-monthly coordination meeting, and then we’re having a meeting with our development team to talk about temporary use of streets and closing of sidewalks,” Ball says. He also attends city council committee meetings that might impact his divisions, or the Tulsa Authority for the Recovery of Energy, or the monthly IT strategic planning meeting, or the monthly “walkability” meeting with BPAC (the Bicycle Pedestrian Access Committee), where they discuss current city projects that might impact more bike and pedestrian access.

1 P.M.: More email. “At some point in the day, I work on whatever has come into my inbox,” Ball says. “I’ve got two different contracts that we’re working on — renewals — so I’m working through that, making sure it’s ready to go, proofreading it and getting it ready to be presented to the board for approval.”

2:30 P.M.: More meetings, including standing meetings for the Vision projects being implemented by the City.

5 P.M.: Go home, unless there are weather-related issues or public meetings, which are held a couple of nights a month. TP

Terry Ball’s department is responsible for cleanup from tornado damage and stormwater flooding response.

During May’s historic flooding event, Tulsa had all stormwater crews working in two 12hour shifts, which allowed 24-hour response, Ball says. The Refuse and Recycling and Street Maintenance divisions worked 6 a.m.-6 p.m. to cleanup debris from the two tornado events and also perform road repairs due to the heavy rains.

Ball was stationed at the Emergency Operations Center from midnight to noon, and ended up working approximately 14- to 16-hour days, leaving only to get some sleep, he says.

From there, he was able to coordinate needed efforts from his department for the overall city response, including barricade setup and sandbag duties.

“We are now in the recovery response of repairing roads, repairing stormwater systems that were damaged from the flooding and finishing the debris pickup from the two tornadoes,” he says.

Christmas in July!

Morgan Stanley is proud to congratulate

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Elizabeth Carson, CFP,® CPM,® ChFC® and Sanford Roberds, CFP,® CPM®

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Named to Forbes’ 2019 list of America’s Best-in-State Wealth Advisors Being named to Forbes Magazine’s list of America’s Best-in-State Wealth Advisors is a testament to your experience, professionalism and dedication to your clients.

Thank you for the work you do each day and for carrying forward the culture of excellence at our firm.

The Carson Roberds Group at Morgan Stanley Elizabeth Carson, CFP,® CPM,® ChFC® Senior Vice President Financial Advisor

Sanford Roberds, CFP,® CPM® Senior Vice President Financial Advisor

2200 S. Utica Place, Suite 300 Tulsa, OK 74137 918-744-4667 thecarsonroberdsgroup@morganstanley.com advisor.morganstanley.com/thecarsonroberdsgroup Source: Forbes.com (Feb. 2019). America’s Best-In-State Wealth Advisors ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors pay a fee to Forbes or SHOOK Research in exchange for the ranking. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com.

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Your first paycheck might have been earned for throwing newspapers, flipping burgers, lifeguarding, working in the family biz or another minimum-wage gig, but it mostly likely involved paying your dues and learning the value of that hard-earned dollar. Here, Tulsans recall the ups and downs of their earliest gainful employment.

BY TULSAPEOPLE STAFF

G.T. BYNUM

COURTESY

Mayor of Tulsa

MY FIRST JOB WAS: as a maintenance man at what was then called The Commons on Lewis Avenue (now called Chateau 68) at 68th and Lewis. As the low man on the pole, my job was to do what the other guys on the maintenance crew didn’t want to do. Lots of sweeping, picking up trash and hedge trimming.

enough yet that summer (it was for sale for about $1,200). The one that got away.

I WAS: 16.

LESSONS I LEARNED ON THE JOB: Probably the greatest lesson was just the pride that comes in fixing something that is broken, in cleaning up a space so it looks nice for the people who live there. And what a disgusting nuisance cigarette butts are.

All the cigarette butts that people threw out their car windows on Lewis would end up in the bar ditch in front of the complex, and it fell to me to clean them up. You can’t sweep those up because they’re too small. So I had to pick up every single one by hand. To this day, when I see someone thoughtlessly toss a cigarette out a car window it makes me angry because I think of the person who is going to have to clean it up.

THE BEST PART OF THE JOB WAS: the other guys on the crew. They were hilarious, had great stories and could fix just about anything.

One of them had this clunker truck that he refused to trade in. It was just ancient — sky blue with rusty bullet holes in the side of it. One day the engine caught on fire during his drive to work, but he didn’t pull over. He kept driving and made it into the parking lot with the engine on fire, and managed to extinguish it with a fire extinguisher we kept in the maintenance shop.

By the end of the day, he finally conceded it was time to trade it in. I wanted to buy that truck so badly, but I couldn’t afford it. I hadn’t saved up

THE WORST PART WAS: dead animal detail. That was one of the jobs the other guys didn’t want to handle so it rolled downhill to me. There were a lot of cats in that complex, and I usually had to dispose of a couple every week.

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Owner, Ihloff Salon and Day Spa MY FIRST JOB WAS: a summer civil service job working for the U.S. Bureau of Mines (now the U.S. Department of the Interior) in Bartlesville.

My duties were to file well logs in the giant basement filing area. These were paper files as there were no digital files in 1964.

I WAS: 17.

THE BEST PART OF THE JOB WAS: I got to dress professionally and had great supervisors. It was the first job other than babysitting and odd jobs that I had.

My uncle worked in the lab at the Bureau of Mines and found out about the summer position. Even though the summer job was an entry-level one, I still had to sit for the Civil Service exam before I could even interview.

That was an interesting experience.

THE WORST PART WAS: I was working while my friends were at the pool.

LESSONS I LEARNED ON THE JOB: That hard work and respect for co-workers and supervisors is rewarded. In order to avoid getting too bored with the repetitive duties of the job, I developed my own little prep system and organized the files on the cart by their destination areas.

I also worked to be efficient with my time and understand the scope of the tasks. I got so efficient that I had time on my hands and ended up reorganizing the office area and also the office supply closet. I very much liked the two full-time employees I worked with, but they did take me aside one day and asked that I hold back because they would still be there after I left and didn’t need more duties.

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— Kim Kuehler, concessions sales manager, Tulsa International Airport

I was a houseboy (cleaned up stuff) in Saudi Arabia, when I was 13. It paid in riyals, so converted to dollars it was about 10 bucks an hour in 1979. Trash does not smell good at 120 degrees, by the way. I was using the money to buy an enlarger for my darkroom.

We were there because my dad was working for the Corps of Engineers as a geologist.

— Tom Gilbert, chief photographer and beer blogger, Tulsa World

As a 16-year-old student at Nowata High School, I was hired as a window trimmer and worked in all departments of McCrory-McClellan Five and Dime in downtown Nowata. I priced stock in the basement stockroom, learned to cut window shades in the hardware department and worked the cash register, where we had to make change manually. I changed the window displays every few weeks, first cleaning the plate glass with only alcohol, which I hated because it was so hard to get them streak-free. Setting up the display of dishes was hard because of the glass shelves that had to be balanced or disaster ensued.

— Connie Cronley, TulsaPeople columnist

I got paid for farm work and kept my own money for selling and hauling firewood. My first job when I was 16 was at Subway making sandwiches. It was back when you had to cut a V in them. My 5- and 8-year-old boys think I still make a pretty good sandwich.

— Andrew Storie, self-employed artist, farmer and teacher

I started working at Skateland when I was 14. I’d still do that job if I could afford to live on teenager wages for the rest of my life. I still love to skate, and I do it as much as possible. I take my family to Skateland as much as I can, although it isn’t quite the same as back when I could skate into the office/DJ booth and choose the next song.

— Leanna Reeder, public relations professional

I worked at the Wendy’s in Bartlesville the summer after I turned 16. With my name, they were probably afraid not to hire me. I started working the salad bar and worked my way all the way up to cashier at the drivethru window.

— Wendy Thomas, executive director, Leadership Tulsa

I worked for Braniff Airlines in the Lima, Peru, airport.

I worked in accounting and translated and even interpreted with what British English I knew. They were looking for bilingual students and came to our high school and selected three of us. I worked there only a year because I moved to the U.S. — Tina Peña, associate professor of Spanish, Tulsa Community College

I worked at my uncle’s meat market at age 15. I worked the register and stocked shelves and avoided the meat freezer in the back at all costs as to not subject my eyes to the deer that met their demise.

— Ginny Hensley, vice president of communications, Housing Authority of the City of Tulsa

GREG BOLLINGER

MARILYN IHLOFF

At 16 I started at Stein Mart at 51st and Harvard in the accessories and men’s departments. Kind older gentlemen would walk in and ask me to pick out their clothes since they “had no clue,” which is funny because I clearly didn’t either as a 16-year-old. I’ve always loved working, and enjoyed my time there.

MONIQUE WASHINGTON Co-owner, Physiques by Monique

MY FIRST JOB WAS: working as a hostess at a restaurant in Eastland Mall called Garfield’s. I had to memorize the table numbers so I could seat our customers without overseating a server in a certain section. I answered the phone, helped bus tables and maintained the cleanliness of the front of the restaurant.

I WAS: 16.

THE BEST PART OF THE JOB WAS: I was the youngest person on staff, so it was fun working with people in their 20s. I loved working there in the summertime because I had a lot of hours.

DON THORNTON

WASHINGTON AND THORNTON: COURTESY

Owner, Don Thornton Automotive Group

MY FIRST JOB WAS: in Wilmington, North Carolina. The summer after my senior year of high school, I worked for the classified ad manager at the Wilmington Morning Star (now called the Wilmington Star News). They needed someone to pick up the car dealers’ ads. I had a few grocery stores and Belks, too. I did it and loved it.

Most car dealerships were downtown. I would ride the bus out there and would see the sales manager.

We’d walk the lot and see what cars he wanted to advertise. I’d write the copy for the ad and take some pictures. That was the beginning of my career in the auto business. I made 40 cents an hour at the newspaper.

At the same time, I had another job as a lifeguard at Wrightsville Beach. There I made $5 a day, which was a lot of money.

THE WORST PART WAS: Nothing. I loved everything about that job.

LESSONS I LEARNED ON THE JOB: I learned how to interact with customers, how to communicate with others on staff, problem solving, and it also taught me accountability.

My parents wouldn’t let me work during the week because of school and track practice. I’ll never forget after working there for a year, I went to my manager and asked if I could have a raise. I walked out of her office with a huge smile on my face because she gave me a quarter more an hour. That put me at a whole $4.50 an hour. I was living the dream.

I WAS: 17.

THE BEST PART OF THE JOB WAS: going to the dealerships. My folks had never had a new car because they couldn’t afford a new one. We always had used cars.

So to walk in and see the shiny new cars on the floor … The sales manager would sometimes let me drive a car around the block.

I’m often asked what was my first new car and it was a 1957 Chevy. I didn’t get my first new car until after graduating from the University of North Carolina while I was in flight school in the Air Force.

THE WORST PART WAS: rejection. I didn’t have any sales training. We had four used car dealerships. When I’d go in and say, “I’ve designed these ads for you …” The worst part was when they’d say, “Business has been slow. I don’t have the money to advertise this week.”

LESSONS I LEARNED ON THE JOB: Good advertising works. The neatest part was when I’d write an ad and call the dealership afterward and ask if it pulled in some traffic. The sales manager at Billy Black Cadillac would always call me and tell me, “That damn ad worked,” or if he thought we’d missed the mark. TP

I was 16 and got a job flipping burgers at the brand new Burger Street opening at 21st and Harvard. Minimum wage was $3.35, which is what I got paid. I worked there about a year, but left the following summer to work at Godfather’s Pizza because they paid a whopping $3.50 an hour.

Those were good jobs for high-school kids in those days. You made enough to put gas in your car, pay your car insurance, have a little spending money, and you got an employee discount on the fast food you would be eating regularly anyway.

— Ed Sharrer, Destination Districts program manager, INCOG

At age 11 I was straight-commission selling University of Tulsa programs on 11th Street at football games and selling soda at Oiler Park. I learned to yell, “lucky number programs” and “ice cold pop.” I got the soda-selling job by hanging out at the ballpark. I would ride my bike there and hang out all day. They had to hire me to do something.

— Michael Patton, executive director, Land Legacy

We grew up performing as a family, playing the violin and singing for churches, retirement homes, weddings, etc. It was a lot of work but always seemed like a great way to make money. My first “real” job was working at Freddy’s Frozen Custard in Wichita a couple summers during college — at one of the original locations, where Freddy himself would come and visit.

— Tara Rittler, web and social media editor, TulsaKids Magazine TulsaPeople.com

53

AWA R D -W I N N I NG! TulsaPeople is proud of our award-winning team of writers, photographers and graphic designers who were recently honored with 14 new awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Oklahoma Pro Chapter. The magazine received more awards than any other magazine in the state.

and Pearson ding, Day Michelle om, stan Tulsa Halt rson at the Mack guests eless. Pea ter’s visit withfor the Hom of the Cen ing Center om are part team, work for and Haltmanagement t housing case permanen riencing to find iduals expe s. snes indiv homeles

apartment complexes, in which the chronically homeless live side-by-side with people who have not experienced those challenges. Not only does it help the previously homeless integrate into society, Haltom emphasizes that many people who have homes struggle with the same things that the homeless do — mental illness, substance abuse — but these challenges are less visible because they have homes.

When she’s not working a case, Pearson dedicates time for outreach, which means going out and visiting a person who is homeless to begin building a relationship to assist that individual.

“I recently outreached an avid meth user,” Pearson says. “I visited him three months in a row just to build his trust. By working with him, we were able to get his warrants recalled and got him into treatment. That’s just one example of many.”

Haltom says there is a stigma for those who are homeless, but he says most people are one paycheck away from being in the same situation.

“It can happen to anyone,” Haltom says. “Our role is to support people. We’re their family. We’re on their side. We want to help them become self-sufficient and successful in life.”

THE REV . JEF Res

While tore Hop F JAYNE from many org S e Min the anizati istr to kee streets ons wor ies into p k to homeles more vete housing mo , emerg s. “We do rans and Restore Hove people oth enc ing for y rental so by pre ers from pe works venting becom Jaynes, families on assistance ing the verg and finaneviction wit Built Restore h e of hom cial cou for Zer Hope’s preven elessne nselexecut o beg packin ted 2,136 an in 201 ive directo ss,” says people 5, Res r. or on g up their tore Ho “Since the stre lives in our com NOE RODRIGUEZ and mo ets.

“In munity pe has Mental Health Association Oklahoma ving familie doing so, from into a she costs s, we hav we have not Rodriguez is a rapid-response homeless outlter associat e helped onl Erin spo y reach coordinator for Mental Health Association ed our Commun Willis hel nse to with those with hom communityped those works ity Service Oklahoma. As part of his job, Rodriguez provides In in eles planningon coordina Council and onl2017, Res housing cris sness and save the mobile street outreach to individuals and families tore and impl ted entr Below, our reHope is.” success y five of y the experiencing homelessness wherever they may be, those with Ed, Rev. Jeff ementation. assisted al ave rate of 99 Jaynes had a such as under bridges or in encampments in the 852 housed who was rag mee and cro e of 70 percent com shelter stay people, through nearly sixsuccessfully ts woods. Through regular contact, he builds trust per Tulsa’s ss-checked cent. Th pared to . That’s a Homelesthe Day Cenyears ago and relationships while connecting them to essenose stat the nat ter s and thro adminis master ionRestore for the s are tial community services.

Home ugh the ava tere Hope.

Jaynes’ d by the less Ma A Way Ho ilable Through its housing and recovery programs, nag Comm me first a hig exp the Mental Health Association gives for people exunity ement Sys for h Noe Rodriguez is on the front lines of addressing the immediate needs of Tulsa’s homeless population, whether that’s helping them Ser vice for the school volu erience tem, housing ingto start with a new pair of socks and hand warmers, or connecting them to essential community services. with periencing homelessnessnen an t opportunity Co nte Ho ous pov unc er at Christ meless erty il. perma id Reh from living the new lives as they findsuccessfully Raptransition in dire ian faith led . He says tha Tulsa Da came as is to to ugh lstreet we on the theirthe own4.homes where my father and hurting people like my mother, esprovides a standardized and fair way for individneed t experie y Cen ause they can thro eir goa of hou to his passion Eve in 201 cient. as m bec ualsbecomedself-suffi nce and ter and pecially those living on the streets of Tulsa right uals and families who are homeless or at risk of day. Ththrive for hel perien ry person sing. individ ich launche ing progra sed as fast in of who ping his s ever ce tha see peoplereh living should ous in places now,” says Rodriguez, who also is an ordained homelessness to access housing and support serthose m,“Iwh houno one live wor at risk ctho the ple t or son ks the stic se stor peo in per havestar toted call home,” says. “Th arere doProgra Baptist minister. vices based on their level of vulnerability. eless ny Rodriguez h a “fun would y of a ma ks with him this field andeymo e hen a as ma “W are homl is to reac housing n has an lthi getbest ing their tosay survive on er the streets on a s. “W living Rodriguez is proud of the work he and the By using a common assessment tool to triage who an extr be homeles named Ed . For Jayn re le, hea exted tobasis,ltom , it those s. Their goa re are mo es, it wandaily , wh is amazing Ha so itmo other organizations are doing to help those and direct referrals, individuals and families have re stab ”to see their faces rs agowhen Day emely cold s until he assist in e sible,” on.to anfou r yea died o everyone was Center, er to ing homeles means the d them. y are their . Ththe icti posthey nig key apartment for who are homeless. “Currently, A Way Home for equal access to all the resources, regardless of here thehanded on the from said se,are where ht, Ed me add launched individuals t succame fros stre becom zero,” whichuals who neeionally and veteran a hou first time or 812 even decades.

It is an Tulsa agencies are on a great course to providing where they first present for services. oveinrcomonths, ncies to con tbite. Du the staff found she ets. On gram yearsfor percen averly to of age onic and 82 to tional n individ both nat chronic andst at-risk es processanand like helped lter at honorcetothe be apro part hom of this share a streamlined process through coordinated entry, “It’s most often analogized to an emergency al that lition progra nect him ring that o, chr tha the him Sin m has nation sed for tim , a coa t to end What was with units lt for Zer on ending are mo ed 484 momentvid with them.” which means there’s no wrong door when someroom,” says Willis, who serves as lead coordinator with m. At the rs ago Progra than the the Da e, the staff recover mp hou sa. d ple pro Bui focused ividuals get ingneed time, “At All ter hasRodriguez’s ousing hree yeaer in an atte ss in Tul 385 peo g har stayin passion those came one is ready to get off the streets,” Rodriguez says. foraCSC’s Doors Open. “If someone presents is CSC, assisted ting into ese ind es. there y Center’ was able is betto help se sne id Reh ich workin prom ned as ent. bas it’s Tulsa, sness. Th st resourc s was the Rap the togeth homeles ject to hou has resulted him are hou wh ic defi p , line ourand another person presfrom situations involving his mother father.

“I am looking forward to collaborating to help end with a gunshot a cos progra humanwound em and ple finan t rate “Th focuse cess is to hel y are t asso sing r placthe uals homelesuire the mo five peo s to stream er in an e beli m, so cess veteran -year pro effort tha righ corperson d a migraine, the His father from War chronic and veteran homelessness in Tulsa.” ents and Edat move cially. s afte 80. Sucreturned eth g ivid Vietnam Restore ciated two and by efwith liveswith inte . that the most rventio t,the was and req following re Tulsan work tog month wit ke asure part of ageaofPurple h ind Starma meets and is admitted ongoin housed d as a hou Hope almost with and Bronze Jaynes has bee providfirst, acute regardsa is ns and ks a Silver e to six Heart, The “I conneedstre and serviced ny mo tion and our city. n intende ed into an Tulsans Zero Tul munities ngt and to fficiency. Shereduces woruntreated ing housing is e ma 00 his famsays. “In factsuccessfull six years Star,thre but also a job post-traumatic rma sness in less ofside how long hen the personsolu with a s,migraine has rsonwithand tion lly tance -su org ly lt for Pea 70 com k-based duastress has turn than 1,0 s. y hou alongsidshare info anizati r myself luckour comm ago ERIN WILLIS we can sing, he grastruggled eles approa to self thenHe sing typical re Health ily and Yor ject Buimore than now, disorder and an alcoholh addiction.

Heroe been waiting.” uni nent now got a job sed eve in mo local pro New s. She cesses, t to end hom as Zero Anoth on that alig y to be able ty,” Wi save find hou cessful pat at first, housing ch that Community Service Council ve of of the Association volunte , reconne r since,” llis sayfor than living in substandard by the month housFor the past five ns years, worked er face suc 20 years The thus rier Rem RSON for more flow for peo prioritiz withWillis tohas ir initiati in 2015 weekly k for six Vilattemp are known ers wit work cted s. on a serv to es pro of CS my beli for yea housing d ple ional dson Four years ago, Willis began working with veterans witHome ividuals many ing with unreliable utions. ova ist the CSC, which lead agency for A Way clients electricity LLE PEA wee and no gas. Finally, pursue ing as They h an units. lead 12-step h the Me with a nat with launche unity Sol eless ind a plat experiencin viding per other at a time. opened Hu Manyatofrisk of homelessness. She says she spent months (BRRX4Ve l Residen C’s operati efs.” gh MICHE Homeless been rs, people Not onl ntal he built up therycourage to ask Veteran Affairs ts. for Tulsa. form life. Th personal groups e for Supfor AND wh sober that wasfit Comm 6,500 hom y. Althou c homeit to eves 15 cases y Center h 60 uni portive ts) progra ce Exchan on is the goals from g homeles mais app s. Cas at one y LTOM ter for the has worked ted uall for yea o have bee y has Ed oni ran trying desperately to fi nd solutions for the veterans, and m assistance; the VA took care of him until his death sne Da ple Th e organization’s direct role in Built for Zero wit Jayn whi HA use ge dle roa Ser Bar for tha nonpro ximatel lters ann e face chr Housing vete ss, need imp s the ch ch is for Vet star han n in Ed been sob vice for plex t is by 3, the ling quickly realized how challenging it was to naviltom MACKTulsa Day Cen Tulsa es served rs, too.”

Hothrough Appro sa she som tment of up er. years later. comes coordinated entry er rary inte eransand live bef basic nec guided by rove their they can ’s gro less. He nagtwo In 201 rtment com occupied dents in fi but ded planning usin Veteran fun s, Ha and Bui as cha help Tul er gro up hav ations, par He say arewith mental irman apa struggled decade the Home case ma r. Rodriguez’s rvention g FirsCSC resi Familiesby as gett ore attendi essities like the belief quality of and togate through official channels to find success. lt for implementation. also manages thethe Homeless low-inc t e ents to through porary situ to the De D), the latt continuVA assist opthealth las, anmomrtm ions rly two ter for oming a e directo ing ng and shomodel to tha foo ome n nearly s the day Zero dur for A Wa grant. that sub ite Thkat feeling of helplessness during a crisis stuck conditions and heroin ons addiction for facing Management System, se apa ally providea database care 10 years, y Ho veteran Information are tem s. According pment (HU has bee least four For neasa Day Cen ore bec s associat stance a job, bud to anythin d and a t peort-t ing its of the refu It wor tho are me eventu bef healthalong the way. alsowith tempofamilies erm assi fi first tion across “I hon sed to spe - and helped her facilitate the creation and her, Oklahoevic ere led tomamany which andngdowns is used to stan keep track of those Her use issues. geting pro g less crit place to nagersupsfindi lessnes an Develo ditions andyear or at ers the Tul front desk the center’ ker and a, wh in 18 organizations press rst two yea for estly ak. to pro ical who ce to ma. perly a those wor Americ as manag couagencies confere esays tha career can rs. did bility, in life of All Doors Open. The programAcc with are “Itle is mydisa mission veterans like very whom the nties connect. and Urb bling con at least out or add , such nagers implementation at the he serves s. to help loft case of re stab as a case nce, he are wid dthrough homeles disa though y expecta not believe ty ma ter’s ressing er area s for through use vation t with eac be highly Home ording to sness years. faces me Today rson started VolunteersTulsans secu d to case out nor s or in oth Day Cen er proper plexes edlessnes the Nat homelespast three to homeles abuse, people , because tions,” Jayn we could me, me to help the h success stressful, es, Pea theast of mix ce, Day MARCH 2018The ctor forrs helping she returne 38sa TulsaPeople acc s, Ho us oth we ously ent com stor but Wi t lead resourc e dire in the violen using ional All Tul my dou in our com needed es says. “I omplish 37 numero in apartm proponent each morable next person y comes llis times e issues tha domestic financial es, 2018 iance becam ked 13 yea f hiatus, e at the First with munity those goa did spe person mome bts wer eople.com big the sing , d off brie a eve TulsaP is Fit tim to “Th ak, hou Willis, a hom nts occ erty the stre motiry goa ls — now e sho needed staff this she wor . After a draine s Greer and Built vide Haltom is hav eless End ets. ied: pov that hundre l at eve wn to 2016, ement peosay a hom because sa to the vete whose first ing a plac ur every assisbe ly var ditions housingement in 0 manag Tulsa. week, “For more,” for Tul in order s the stre ds of vete ry step alon false. We e — and come rans pro role at CS e to call a case the 300-35 e each rans ical con blems and Way Homethis, and manag player ets exc hom with gra g togeth C of rag among pro “I am or in she and others the way, eeded er and m. “It insp was wor e,” says legal oman of A cause of iety of teamhomeless Center. two are with many ter on ave lter hou wh so pro find last ires me king wit Zero “Be These o work y Cen ud to for years. o have bee sing chairw o Tulsa. a wide var es with at h to see ing solu issu e wh of the that tim have the Da n on is tions.” folks e for Zer the issues, these of nin o utilize hel 2016, truly case manag and to che ped lead address Zero: Tulsa, wor tackle ple wh er for called ded to perma ked mir ers and fron on the her Built for inially y Home g togethis nee uals.” acle nent Wa housing s to mo t-line wor oic work o, orig individ lt for Zer ted by A ons workin ve ker .” our nei TP s lita zati Bui ghbors who organi ject faci into one proincludes 24 which

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TulsaP eople.com

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TULSA’S

FI V E I N DI V I DUA LS WOR K I NG TO HOUSE THOSE EX PER I ENC I NG C H RON IC HOM ELESSN ESS

TO HOWK A PAC LER COO

Make thes trip, then e snacks ahead contain pack in individu of your snack ers to car camping ry on al bags or while rec fi hikes or to ycled have a

camping’t to be don going night, one you’re one ose 1 // If e than with ler. Cho for moron the coo with a lid lated skimp well insu that’s seal. lers. ng a stro two coo inbringing to pull out n sider ope Con r is one 2 // will only The othe uently freq One you ts for meals. more ed fruit dien ning gre ks, slic with be ope you’ll r, soft drin the cooler en For froz bee . for snacks cks, use keep and cold ks and sna of ice, to ead the drin les, inst bott water ing cold. g the everyth go, brin or re you age, attic gar day befo n sit3 // A out from the t it has bee bag a cooler r warm spo fill it with re any othe n it up and a cold befo extr ting. Ope make it in it. to of ice e any food the plac stay you d to So that nee ked first. r of pac Foods be // a laye 4 should t with e ice, coldest king, star then mor pac ts, s, then mea when add ler ble food ice, then e perisha Keep the coo top mor on. the so then ring ice and brim, laye el to keep more to the kitchen tow a filled and with ice campair out. d the reache lers in the you’ve coo Once sign for OFFER both Open” Make PERS 5 //THE , keep n’t CAM ls.

ED P IN ground Make a “Do the mea” sign for SEA SON FOOD PRE shade. ler holding Snacks TIP S FOROUT DOORS. the coo Drinks and ld GRE AT a “Co r cooler. filling othe and the y are tastbut they take patoes ng, 1 // Pot day of hiki k over a camtrip, a r after time to coo e for you toes a long ore you leav ook pota ler n-c fire. Befave or ove p in the cooand microw tender. Kee then slice with , until just dy to use packets or ch rea in a Dut until re in foil over fi and bacon cook onions sliced the “tiea oven. tried ever ch for e you up approa Hav ends tree” // 2 itably down. to the the bag e can? It inev r or torn hamgarbag knocked ove laundry for a -up a pop trash bag getting a along Bring line it with h can. per and portable tras ved MBER 2018 belo eople SEPTE aTulsaP sturdier is cakes 62 on a camping pan ning er the 3 // Mak t the mor cake batt into star it way to up your pan, and pour it’s n site. Mix re your trip le. Whe e bott squeez day befo ketchup easily You n a clea breakfast, hot griddle. s: r for you with egg time er onto then thing the batt the same your eggs, This mble can do bottle. and scra water s without Crack a clean rt egg in place can transpo g shells. akin way you g about bre if you t, but worryin ’t be bea the kitchhas ores can ws on 4 // S’m marshmallo chocolate fect r left the nter or you ple and per ady en cou try this sim bably alre ’ll pro nts you melted, . You’ve ingredie mix. Core dessert the two l trai ked dot with and pac l mix, apples have with trai ry if you les need: le, fill luxu app ping the app t an Bake hea (a cam butter wrap in foil. in indirect er. it) and campfire or until tend the over ut 20 minutes 2018 for abo MBER

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BY TIM LANDES 36

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BY NATALIE MIKLES

EVERYTHING TASTES BETTER AROUND A CAMPFIRE. There’s something about the smoke in the air and the openness of the great outdoors that heightens our senses — and our appetites.

In Tulsa, we have many options for great campgrounds within 30 minutes to a couple of hours away. Even if you’re not going too far from home, it’s a good idea to plan meals so that you’re not just eating junk food.

Camping isn’t about comfort or convenience. It’s about adventure and creating memories, which can include memorable meals. Taking some time to plan a special breakfast or dinner cooked over piping hot coals will make your campout extra fun.

TulsaP eople.com

Noe Rodriguez is a rapid-response homeless outreach coordinator for Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

TulsaPeople.com

61

59

First Place, News writing: Tim Landes

First Place, Reader Service: Natalie Mikles

“Tulsa’s ‘Zero Heroes’”

“A Camping Cookbook”

A story about five individuals working to house those experiencing chronic homelessness.

A special feature with recipes and tips for outdoor adventures.

A D DITIO N A L S PJ H O N OR S : Second Place, News Writing Morgan Phillips, “Protecting the Most Innocent Among Us”

Second Place, Reader Service TulsaPeople staff, “In the Know”

Third Place, Profile Natalie Mikles, “Jumbo Gumbo Gathering”

Third Place, Page Design Madeline Crawford, “One Love, One Tulsa”

Second Place, Column Writing Connie Cronley, “You'll Never be the Same Again”

Second Place, Photo Story/Essay Michelle Pollard, “Cooking for a Crowd”

Third Place, Photo Story/Essay Valerie Grant, “Jumbo Gumbo Gathering”

Third Place, Cover Madeline Crawford, Michelle Pollard & Anne Brockman, September 2018 edition

Second Place, Profile Scott Wigton, “Hometown Heroes”

Second Place, Best Magazine TulsaPeople staff

Third Place, General Photography Valerie Grant, “Think Big”

EVERY BUSINESS HAS A STORY TO TELL. “Faces of the 918” is a special sponsored editorial section that tells the stories behind a variety of locally owned businesses serving “the 918.” Each profile features owners and/or employees of 45 Tulsa-area companies with a description of their business. We hope you find this presentation informative and useful.

Each company represents a select business category and single-page profiles are organized alphabetically by category.

Addiction Recovery / 12 & 12 Inner Solutions

Credit Unions / Tulsa Federal Credit Union

Medical Marijuana / Seed Cannabis Co.

Barbecue / RibCrib

Elite Air Travel / Omni Air Transport

The Office of the Future / ImageNet Consulting

Boutique Hotel / Ambassador Hotel Tulsa, Autograph Collection

Family Entertainment / Andy B’s

Payroll & Tax Processing / Southwestern Payroll Service, Inc.

Burgers / Society Burgers

Family-Owned Auto Dealerships / Chris Nikel Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram-Fiat

Business Banking / Security Bank

Family-Owned Jewelry Store / Moody’s Jewelry

Pet Boutique / Dog Dish

Cancer Care / Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Fencing / Empire Fence Company

Pharmacies / Freeland Brown

Chiropractic Care / Active Approach Chiropractic

Financial Planning / Northwestern Mutual Fireworks / The Castle of Muskogee

Property Management / McGraw Property Management & Leasing/ Winfield Property Management

Cleaning Maintenance Supplies / Murphy Sanitary Supply Clock Sales and Repair / Grandfather’s Clock Gallery Commercial Insurance / Insurica Tulsa/Joe West Co. Commercial Real Estate / McGraw Commercial Properties Community Banking / First Oklahoma Bank Computer Services and Support / Jackson Technical Cosmetic Dentistry / Hope Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry (HRCD)

Fundraising / Fund Your Org Glass Services / Whitacre Glass Heating, Air Conditioning, Electric and Plumbing / Airco

Pest Control / Arrow Exterminators

Reproductive Medicine / Tulsa Fertility Center Residential Real Estate / McGraw Realtors Sustainability / American Waste Control

Healthcare / Saint Francis Health System

Title and Escrow / Titan Title & Closing

Health Insurance / Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma

Tree Service / We B Trees Wealth Management / Commerce Bank

Hearing Loss/ The Scholl Center for Communication Disorders

Wellness / Functional Medical Institute

Home Cleaning / MaidPro Tulsa Kitchen Design / Kitchen Ideas

Wine & Spirits / Ranch Acres Wine & Spirits

the face of

ADDICTION RECOVERY

12 & 12 INNER SOLUTIONS Founded in 1985, 12 & 12 Inner Solutions provides an individualized holistic approach to substance abuse disorders and addiction for insured or selfpay clients. The facility and its dedicated team of professionals look at the whole person and work to create a treatment and recovery plan that gives the affected individual the best opportunity for success.

“We offer lifesaving tools for adults suffering with addiction or co-existing mental health and substance abuse disorders to achieve individualized recoveries,” says CEO Bryan Day. Treatment facilitators look at the full mental health picture, treating all disorders that could be a stumbling block for clean living and a new life.

In partnership with the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences’ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, 12 & 12 Inner Solution’s holistic treatment approach offers traditional, best-practice methods such as individual, group and family counseling, as well as evidence-based interventions. These interventions include Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), yoga and meditation, mindfulness based relapse prevention and music therapy. OSUCHS also operates an Outpatient Addiction Medicine Clinic on-site, which provides medical and clinical treatment of opiate addiction.

Don’t know where to start to help yourself or a loved one? Staff guide patients and families through the necessary steps toward help. Many times the admission process can begin within 24 hours. Medically supervised detox is available.

Along with its partnership with OSU-Tulsa, 12 & 12 Inner Solutions worked with the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Police Department to create the Tulsa Sobering Center, which is an alternative to going to jail for public intoxication. In its first five months of operation, the Tulsa Sobering Center served 277 participants. After completing their time at the Center, 13% accessed detox or treatment services at 12 & 12.

6333 E. Skelly Drive | 918-664-4224 | 12and12.org

COO Tricia Mason, CEO Bryan Day and Director of Nursing Brandie Herren

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HEALTHCARE

SAINT FRANCIS HEALTH SYSTEM With more than 10,000 employees and 1,000 physicians, Saint Francis Health System is Oklahoma’s largest healthcare provider. Locally founded, we remain locally led and locally focused on serving the medical, psychological and spiritual needs of our neighbors in eastern Oklahoma.

As a private, not-for-profit health system, we are guided by our mission: To extend the presence and healing ministry of Christ in all we do. This mission has led to the creation of a comprehensive healthcare network that includes Warren Clinic, Oklahoma’s largest privately owned physician group, which serves the primary and specialty care needs of families at 95 locations—from Tulsa to Vinita to McAlester and all points in between.

The health system also includes The Children’s Hospital

918-488-6688 | saintfrancis.com

at Saint Francis—the region’s only children’s hospital and Oklahoma’s only affiliate of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital—and Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital, home of the internationally recognized Laureate Eating Disorders Program. And it includes state-of-the-art hospitals and facilities dedicated to delivering the region’s most advanced cardiology, trauma and emergency, and oncology care.

The healthcare industry continues to evolve, but our neighbors will always be our neighbors. That’s why Saint Francis Health System is committed to remaining steadfast in our mission and adapting as needed to ensure that this healing ministry is here to serve our entire region for generations to come.

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HEARING LOSS

THE SCHOLL CENTER FOR COMMUNICATION DISORDERS The Scholl Center is an award-winning hearing, balance and tinnitus clinic that provides comprehensive audiology services by doctorate level professionals.

“Finding out about a hearing loss can seem overwhelming for anyone,” says Dr. Jacqueline Scholl, founder of The Scholl Center. “Yet, it is natural to want to learn the causes and implications of this loss. The hearing system is remarkable and complex and hearing loss, tinnitus and balance disorders can be intermixed making treatment and diagnosis difficult. We are skilled and experienced in comprehensive testing and management to let people get up on their feet and back into life.”

It is widely accepted that a hearing loss separates a person from others. The sheer fact that communication becomes so difficult means many people withdraw from a once social and active life and experience loneliness and depression. This, along with loss of auditory stimulation to the brain, is the perfect recipe for cognitive decline.

Research is mounting on the close connection between

untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline and today it is accepted the two go hand-in-hand.

“Many individuals with hearing loss wait years before doing anything about it, and because most hearing loss is progressive, it will only get worse,” noted Dr. Scholl. “As with anything, the earlier the intervention and treatment, the more successful the outcome will be.”

The Scholl Center is dedicated to providing all available options in treating hearing loss which includes surgical options, as well. “We don’t just sell hearing aids, we provide intelligent, knowledgeable, and comprehensive hearing solutions for life,” Dr. Scholl added. One should just call 918-508-7601 to schedule and appointment.

Dr. Scholl received the “Practitioner Of The Year, Oticon Focus On People Award” in 2010; and was the 2018 winner of the ADA’s National Leo Doerfler Award recognizing outstanding clinical services to the community. Additionally, the clinic was a 2019 TulsaPeople Magazine A-LIST winner.

3105 S. Harvard, Suite 105 l 918-508-7601 l theschollcenter.com

The team at The Scholl Center includes, left to right, Dr. Jennifer Chikar, Kerri Finnell, Marcie Arnold, Nancy McMahan, Dr. Jacque Scholl, Dani Knight, Dr. Stephanie Winfield, Mary Allen Maddie, Dakota Najera, and Dee Foote.

Austin Boyce and Chase Boyce

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HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING, ELECTRIC AND PLUMBING

AIRCO SERVICE Airco is a “one call does it all” service company.

With the largest service company in Oklahoma, Airco Service provides customers with the highestquality products and services available in the areas of heating, cooling, electrical and plumbing.

The company’s technicians are certified, trained, knowledgeable service professionals with excellent customer service and workmanship skills. Plus, Airco offers free estimates on product replacements.

Fifty-eight years in business have earned the third-generation, family-owned Airco a reputation for reliability, and the trust of Tulsa customers who count on the company for excellent service, honesty and integrity. “We are fully committed to finding customers the best solutions and quality products for their home,” says owner Tom Boyce. “We also provide 24/7 service since we know not all emergencies happen during business hours.”

Airco, “the company you know,” is known for its maintenance plans, which provides routine maintenance for a residence’s heating and cooling system.

This allows the system to operate efficiently, safely and reliably for the expected life of the unit. Routine maintenance not only extends the life of the equipment, but can have dramatic effects on a home’s utility bills.

Additionally, Airco is one of the top dealers in North America with Lennox, and was voted Best Workplace in Oklahoma. Other accolades include TulsaPeople’s A-List Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Best of the Best, an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and the designation of “Super Service” on Angie’s List.

The company now has three locations — Tulsa, Oklahoma City and the Grand Lake area. Airco Service supports the local community through events such as Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the Tulsa Run, Rooster Days, Tulsa International Mayfest and many others. Multiple employees serve as Chamber members throughout the state of Oklahoma.

11331 E. 58th St. | 918-252-5667 | aircoservice.com Oklahoma City Office: 405-715-2665 Langley Office: 918-782-2263

Tulsa Pitmaster Josh Snead

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BARBECUE

RIBCRIB Decades ago, the best barbecue could be found only in remote shacks and roadside trailers. But it was worth the drive, even if you had to wait in line or eat standing up.

RibCrib BBQ had similar humble beginnings in 1992 when founder Bret Chandler opened in Tulsa with little more than a shack, a stack of hickory wood, and a smoker.

“Twenty-seven years is a proud milestone for our team,” says Bret. “This would not have been possible without our shared vision for serving customers mouthwatering barbecue without having to pull over on the side of the road or go off the beaten path. Our food has been more art than science, and we are always chasing barbecue perfection.”

ribcrib.com

RibCrib has grown to more than 60 restaurants in seven states, including 32 across Oklahoma. The PigMen team has been named Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion in several competitions and received countless top-ten finishes, including the prestigious American Royal World Series.

RibCrib serves its communities by hosting fundraisers and dishing out meals to those in need. In 2016, the RibCrib Pitmasters Golf Tournament raised over $100,000 for charity.

Join RibCrib in celebrating 27 years of Smokin’ the Good Stuff.

The Ambassador Hotel Tulsa, Autograph Collection is located in the heart of downtown Tulsa.

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BOUTIQUE HOTEL

AMBASSADOR HOTEL TULSA, AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION Originally an upscale housing property for oil barons and wealthy families, the Ambassador retains its historic character and extravagance with Mediterranean-inspired architecture and European interiors.

Since 2015, the 55-room, pet-friendly boutique hotel has retained its AAA Four Diamond rating. The hotel also boasts its on-site restaurant: The Chalkboard. This family-owned restaurant creates a culinary dining experience serving toptier cuisine for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.

Since joining Marriott’s Autograph Collection, the hotel received Marriott’s award for No. 1 Full Service Hotel Globally in Guest Satisfaction Scores for 2016 and was

1324 S. Main St. | 918-587-8200 | AmbassadorTulsa.com

named Marriott Hotel of the Year in the Distinctive Premium Category for 2017. Recently, Marriott gave Ambassador the Guest Excellence Award and again named it Hotel of the Year for Franchises in North America. Ambassador made TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Hotels in the U.S. two years in a row.

“We are proud of these accomplishments as we strive each day to exceed every guest’s expectations,” says General Manager Nora Miller.

Team members are invested and empowered to deliver a customized experience that will leave guests looking forward to returning. “We are your home away from home as well as your Ambassador to all that Tulsa has to offer,” Miller says.

Garrett Mills, president and CEO of Chandler Hospitality Group

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BURGERS

SOCIETY BURGER In June 2018, the folks behind Society Burger set out to create a restaurant known equally for incredible burgers as well as its friendly, neighborhood atmosphere. Society Burger is all about food and fellowship.

“We wanted to create a place where people felt welcomed and comfortable, where they can savor an incredible burger, an ice-cold beer or cocktail and just enjoy each other’s company,” says Garrett Mills, president and CEO of Chandler Hospitality Group, which owns Society Burger. Along with a menu bursting with burger bravado, Society has an awesome selection of Oklahoma beers from multiple breweries. Many diners flock to the Cherry Street location’s allseason patio, where live music is played every Thursday

1419 E. 15th St. | 918-392-7667 | societyburger.com

and Friday night during the spring and summer months.

Along with its line-up of burgers and brews, Society’s menu features chicken and veggie sandwiches, as well as killer salads. “We are focused on quality and experience,” Mills says. “We make as much as we possibly can from scratch.” Fried chicken is breaded by hand and fried to order. Sauces are made in-house. Shakes are hand dipped with locally made Rose Rock Creamery ice cream. Society’s proprietary beef blend creates juicy, flavorful burger patties.

“We’re constantly evaluating, testing and pushing ourselves and our menu to be the very best it can be for our guests,” Mills says.

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BUSINESS BANKING

SECURITY BANK Security Bank takes pride in building relationships and communities. Located centrally at East 51st Street and Highway 169, one can be assured the bank and its experienced team members are all about Tulsa. Security brings customers the highest level of attention and service, hometown convenience, and local decision-making.

“We are a locally-owned community bank that is committed to providing exceptional customer service and finding banking solutions for business customers,” said Eric Bohne, chairman and CEO. While the bank brings customers cutting-edge accounts and modern technology, “we are still old-fashioned in our desire to put our customers first.” Security bankers are empowered to provide financial advice and support to small business customers, including those with unique requirements. “We partner with the Small Business Administration to offer loans specifically designated for small or growing businesses,” added Bohne.

“Our focus on the small business segment comes from our

10727 E. 51st St. | 918-664-6100 | sbtulsa.bank

belief that the success of small businesses is important in building local economic vitality and shaping our community for the better,” noted Dawne Stafford, president and CFO. “We offer a full suite of Treasury Management Products for businesses, allowing each to utilize cash in a manner which is consistent with the overall strategic objectives of one’s company.”

At Security Bank, the team values a long-term relationship and desires to earn consideration to provide each customer’s banking solutions. “Our commitment to Tulsa exceeds business banking. Investing in Tulsa is part of the fabric of Security Bank,” emphasized Bohne.

The bank and its employees take pride in partnering with local businesses to support nonprofit organizations and charitable endeavors that make a difference, and enhance life and work within the community. “We are here when you need us…that’s what ‘security’ is all about,” added Stafford.

Theodore Pollock, D.O., F.A.C.O.I.; Sagun Shrestha, M.D.; Asha Karippot, M.D.; Issam Alawin, M.D.

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CANCER CARE

CANCER TREATMENT CENTERS OF AMERICA The modern era of cancer treatment is constantly evolving, with new breakthroughs and discoveries changing the course of care at a rapid clip. Deciding which combination of treatments is right for you is critical. It can also be overwhelming. That’s why it is important to turn to doctors who treat every stage of cancer.

The Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) in Tulsa team of oncologists includes board-certified specialists with advanced training and expertise in many cancers — including breast, lung, prostate, colorectal, melanoma, throat, cervical, ovarian, pancreatic, lymphomas and more — as

10109 E. 79th St. | 800-515-9610 | cancercenter.com/tulsa

well as the wide array of treatment options available to fight them. These medical specialists are just some of the experts delivering comprehensive care at CTCA in Tulsa.

Each patient’s care team is assembled according to that patient’s needs. Some members of the care team, like the medical or radiation oncologist, are dedicated to treating the cancer. Others, such as the dietitian or the pain management physician, help the patient manage the side effects of cancer, to reduce the risk of treatment delays and improve quality of life.

Dr. Cale Ashlock

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CHIROPRACTIC CARE

ACTIVE APPROACH CHIROPRACTIC Active Approach Chiropractic offers patients the opportunity to get better. Dr. Cale Ashlock, a board-certified chiropractor and owner of Active Approach Chiropractic, performs adjustments to realign the spinal column, which relieves pressure on spine and muscles, enhancing the body’s ability to move, develop and heal.

Chiropractic care is used to treat common issues like spinal stenosis, scoliosis and sciatica, to promote healthy organ function and much more. “Our patients have seen dramatic improvements and relief from a variety of ailments, including migraines and headaches, seizures and persistent pain,” says Ashlock.

Ashlock consults with patients one-on-one to understand

their specific problems and concerns. He uses information from the consultation in addition to state-of-the-art digital X-ray equipment to determine the causes of the patient’s pain or discomfort. He then performs a comprehensive exam to create a tailored treatment plan specific to their needs.

“I became a chiropractor to provide personalized, highquality care to address patients’ underlying problems, not just their symptoms,” says Ashlock, who treats a wide variety of patients from newborns to seniors.

Chiropractic care is covered by most health insurance plans. The practice also offers discounts to active-duty military members and veterans.

3701 S. Harvard Ave., Suite D | 918-938-6801 | activeapproachchiro.com

Jeannie Murphy

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CLEANING MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES

MURPHY SANITARY SUPPLY A visit to Murphy Sanitary Supply quickly reveals why the business has been a success for nearly 17 years: Founder and president Jeannie Murphy is enthusiastic about her business, its employees and customers.

“I love the people side of being in business,” Murphy says.

“It’s interesting and fun to develop business relationships, knitting things together to come up with solutions for customers that are cost effective and that work.”

Murphy Sanitary Supply distributes a complete line of

cleaning chemicals, janitorial products, commercial paper and cleaning equipment. The company also facilitates customized training, and maintains an equipment and repair division for industrial, institutional, commercial and retail customers. The company serves a 13 county area from its 15,000-square-foot facility in northeastern Oklahoma.

“We work very hard to offer the highest quality products and service, and believe in going that extra mile for our customers,” Murphy says.

13105 E. 61st St. S. | 918-461-2200 | murphysanitary.com

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CLOCK SALES & REPAIR

GRANDFATHER’S CLOCK GALLERY A clockmaker or “horologist” is a practitioner of a timeless art form encompassing not just a love of craft and history, but a genuine passion for people and the precious memories their heirlooms represent. In 1987, Harley and Mary Hunter set out with this idea to open Grandfather’s Clock Gallery and Clinic.

Today, the Hunter’s legacy of passion and craftsmanship is carried on by a new generation. At the time the couple was looking to retire in 2017, Travis Grether, then a young assistant manager and clock repairman in the store, expressed his desire to own the business. Grether grew up watching his grandfather, a professional clock repairman in Porter, Oklahoma, and spent three years working for him part-time.

3105 S. Winston Ave. | 918-742-1400 | tulsaclocks.com

In 2011, Grether stepped into Grandfather’s Clock Gallery looking for a job repairing clocks, and the Hunters hired him. It placed him in the ideal position to purchase the business six years later. Talitha, a fellow employee and clockmaker, was Travis’ fiancée at the time. “We fell in love with clocks first, then we fell in love,” she says. Now they own and run the business together and clocks remain their second love.

“We invite people to come explore our expansive gallery collection which is home to hundreds of unique and wonderful clocks, music boxes and fine gifts,” Travis says.

“And, of course, we appreciate receiving each and every heirloom brought to us for repair or regular maintenance,” Talitha says.

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COMMERCIAL INSURANCE

INSURICA TULSA/JOE WEST CO. There are new “faces” at INSURICA Tulsa/Joe West Co. as the insurance producers serve customers in Owasso, Tulsa, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Stillwater and northwest Arkansas.

“We have added new team members as we make a commitment to grow our business by recruiting and hiring quality professionals who will support and assist us in growing our footprint,” says Joseph Sanchez, the company’s local president. “We plan to grow the company through acquisitions and hiring exceptional professionals.”

The insurance agency, founded in 1919, specializes in the areas of manufacturing, schools and municipalities, energy, financial institutions, aviation, professional liability, foodrelated industries, and employee benefits for large and small groups.

406 S. Boulder Ave. | 918-660-0090 | insurica.com

New faces at INSURICA/Joe West Company include: Bill Zodrow, Owasso Property & Casualty producer; Mike Lawson Stillwater Property & Casualty producer; Matt Neighbors, Owasso Property & Casualty producer; Nelson Votaw, Tulsa manager of Employee Benefits ; and Jeff Sanford, Northwest Arkansas Property & Casualty producer.

“Our team of insurance professionals is uniquely skilled and ready to assist clients with all commercial and personal needs,” says Tim Driskill, the company’s local CEO. “We provide risk management services to all of our customers, and we do this by first understanding their individual businesses. Once we understand a business, we then access markets that offer competitive and comprehensive insurance programs — along with claims and loss control services — that best relate to the business.”

The INSURICA/Joe West Co. goal is to uncover solutions that lead to improved coverage and savings. “We know we are charged with protecting what matters to our clients,” Sanchez says, “and treat them to an exceptional service experience.”

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

MCGRAW COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES McGraw Commercial Properties, the commercial division of McGraw Realtors, was founded in 2008 and specializes in buying and selling commercial properties including office, retail, restaurant, service, industrial, investment, municipal, nonprofit, multi-unit residential and vacant land. McGraw’s Commercial Property and Property Management divisions work together to deliver comprehensive commercial real estate solutions, ranging from tenant and landlord representation to facilities and property management.

“This approach forms successful long-term relationships rather than one-off transactions,” Broker Manager Neil Dailey says. “Our longevity and know-how make McGraw Commercial the area’s go-to for commercial real estate

and property management services.” McGraw Commercial Properties has grown to a team of 14. Their commitment is to help commercial real estate investors find the right property to profitably expand their portfolio.

McGraw Commercial Properties’ growing Multi-Family Sales Division will benefit from the recent merger of Winfield Property Management by having the ability to offer investors a reliable means of protecting their assets after a sale or purchase.

McGraw CP has acquired the most sought-after listings in the greater Tulsa and enjoyed success putting commercial buyers and sellers together across Oklahoma, Arkansas, and North Texas.

4105 S. Rockford Ave. | 918-388-9588 | mcgrawcp.com Kayla Sharp, Dilon Argo, Gary Krisman, Lisa Brandes, Warren Stewart, Ryan Gorman, Dick Alaback, Carey Velez, John Gray, Susan Walker

First Oklahoma Bank President and Co-CEO Tom Bennett III with Chairman and Co-CEO Tom Bennett, Jr.

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COMMUNITY BANKING

FIRST OKLAHOMA BANK First Oklahoma Bank was established on Nov. 4, 2009, with the dream of achieving quality growth by creating a better bank for Tulsans.

First Oklahoma bankers believe that building a better bank is about building a better future for local residents.

They are passionate about serving others, listening, following through on commitments, and helping clients solve their financial challenges. Their overarching value is to treat others the way they want to be treated.

With those principles at the forefront, it’s no surprise that in a little over nine years First Oklahoma has become the fastest-growing community bank in Tulsa County and the fastest-growing new bank in the history of Oklahoma.

Locally owned and operated, First Oklahoma provides the same high-quality products as regional banks and more — like free ATM services around the world, the best CD rates in the market, concierge-level services through its private banking division. The full-service bank is a leader in local deposits and Treasury services.

“We understand our local economy and make our decisions locally. We can adapt to the needs of our customers without all the bureaucracy of big banks,” says President and Co-CEO Tom Bennett III. First Oklahoma Bank invites residents to “Move up to Better Banking” by calling or visiting either its midtown Tulsa location or its iconic six-story location in Jenks.

4110 S. Rockford Ave., Tulsa | 100 S. Riverfront Drive, Jenks | 918-392-2500 | firstoklahomabank.com

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COMPUTER SERVICES AND SUPPORT

JACKSON TECHNICAL At Jackson Technical, computer consultation services are the core of a business designed with the objective of supporting the success of clients, whatever their industry.

“Our staff has years of experience with up-to-date skills in the latest technologies,” says Tim Jackson, founder and president. “We offer complete computer systems management and maintenance with a proactive approach to prevent problems before they occur.”

Jackson is most proud of the culture and attitude of the team he’s assembled. “I try to find highly skilled experts who have the technical skills required for the career, but don’t have the arrogance or condescending demeaner that is often associated with I.T. specialists.” He followed with “I’m looking for that helper mentality.”

611 S. Elgin Ave. | 918-585-8324 | jacksontechnical.com

Jackson Technical combines information technology service with strong client relationships to create a soughtafter customer experience.

“We listen to needs, then we recommend, plan and implement,” says Jackson. “Our team of experts can provide a company of any size with computer and communications solutions.”

The 20-year-old company moved into a new facility in December 2017, a three-story, 19,500-square-foot building in downtown Tulsa. The building’s open and inviting industrial-style look was created by the McIntosh Group and constructed by Thompson Construction.

“We have stressful jobs that often require after-hours work, so we do like to have fun when time permits!” says Jackson.

Jerome Cha, DDS, AAACD, FICOI (far left); Mark Gaches, DDS (far right) and HRCD Team

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COSMETIC DENTISTRY

HOPE RESTORATIVE AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY (HRCD) A smile is a beautiful gift we can share with the people around us. Being self-conscious of one’s smile can prevent us from sharing this simple yet powerful gift. The HRCD dental team does not take their work for granted. They know that their work of restoring smiles restore one’s hopes and dreams. At HRCD, the science of dentistry is elevated to an art form. The 26-year-old practice provides comprehensive restorative and cosmetic dental services, including dental implants, general dentistry, IV sedation, facial esthetics, sleep apnea, and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) treatment.

HRCD doctors are a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), and Dr. Cha is the only accredited cosmetic dentist in Oklahoma by AACD and a fellow of International Congress of Oral Implantologists.

Although HRCD provides full dental services, doctors at HRCD genuinely shine when it comes to complex esthetic and restorative cases. HRCD employs the latest dental technologies, including CT scan, in-house ceramic lab, muscle scans, and cad-cam technology to ensure that the restorations are beautiful, functional, and long-lasting.

9445 S. Mingo Road | 918-286-7776 | HopeRestoredDental.com

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CREDIT UNIONS

TULSA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Since 1943, Tulsa Federal Credit Union’s membership has grown from six to over 56,000 and counting, $780 million in assets and 14 branch locations across Green Country.

Their vision to “serve and enrich the lives of others,” is a simple statement but a main goal in everything they do.

Every choice they make and product they offer is designed to enrich the lives of others: members, employees and their communities.

As a community-chartered, not-for-profit, Tulsa FCU is able to turn its profits into benefits for its members instead of payouts to a small group of shareholders. They serve their members throughout their financial lives by supporting them and offering financial products designed to help them,

9323 E. 21st St. | 918-610-0200 | tulsafederalcu.org

not to meet a sales quota.

Tulsa FCU’s commitment to its employees’ personal and professional development is what fosters their core values of trust, integrity and teamwork. Engaged, motivated and well-trained employees are the key to their member-focused culture. From service to security, employees are what make Tulsa FCU exceptional.

Tulsa FCU strives to inspire community involvement through partnering with organizations like United Way and the Tulsa Federal Credit Union Tulsa Run because they both make significant contributions to community programs and services that make the areas they serve a better place.

To learn more visit tulsafederalcu.org.

Jeff Lane, Director of Operations; Melissa Herron, Director of Marketing; Caleb Benner, Director of Maintenance; Mike Skow, President; Ernest Howard, Director of Finance; Dan Burnstein, CEO; Jasper Athwal, Vice President of Business Development; and Chris Deslongschamp, Vice President.

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ELITE AIR TRAVEL

OMNI AIR TRANSPORT Omni Air Transport is a family owned company founded by Stan Burnstein in 1983 and prides itself as being in the top 1% of all flight safety accreditations. The Tulsa-based company, now headed-up by Dan Burnstein, boasts the most modern charter fleet in Oklahoma, composed of 10 late-model jets all with full wireless internet capability. While the company holds fast to its original mission of being a safe charter service, it has also grown to meet the needs of the private aviation industry by offering aircraft management, brokerage and acquisition services to the elite air travel community.

Omni also has locations in Nashville, Dallas and Houston.

It offers 24/7 scheduling and a sales department. It has “the

most flexible membership program in the industry” called SkyPass. The company’s brokerage wing, Omni Aircraft Sales, has overseen more than 30 transactions in the last two years. “We provide an end-to-end service supporting the full life cycle of aircraft ownership,” says Mike Skow, company president.

Still, at its heart, Omni Air Transport remains the charter business that Stan Burnstein started — just bigger and better than ever. “We are proud of our long presence of being a family business here in Tulsa,” says Dan Burnstein, “and we’re not planning to go anywhere.”

3217 N. Sheridan Rd., Hangar 38 | 918-836-3131 | FlyOmni.com

New General Manager Ryland Bristow and Andy B’s team members

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FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

ANDY B’S Let the games begin. Play. Bowl. Drive. Dine. And more.

At Andy B’s, one can let loose and truly create the good times we all need in life.

“We are a place where friendly competition and great food and drink converge for a memorable time out,” says Andy Bartholomy, founder and owner of the family entertainment center that bears his name. “We’ve packed our place with a mix of social games and attractions bound to stir up plenty of exciting fun and healthy competition for persons of any age.”

We’re talking refined bowling, an arcade, escape rooms, go-karts and laser tag. And big-screen videos, high-energy music, plush couch seating and a bar. There’s a large

8711 S. Lewis Ave. | 918-299-9494 | andybtulsa.com

selection of arcade games with “fantastic” redemption prizes. Andy B’s chef-created menu lets patrons eat and play in one place with plenty of delicious options. “The menu features the familiar classics as well as some unexpected twists — all delicious — as well as bar service with a broad selection of cocktails and domestic and local draft beer,” says Ryland Bristow, general manager. The center is perfect for hosting birthday parties and corporate events.

“When life calls for a little kick-back, let us be your go-to entertainment destination,” Bartholomy says. “Order up, let loose, and get your game-face on. It’s time to live it up at Andy B’s!”

Dallas Nikel, General Manager; Tina Nikel, Vice President; Mitch Nikel, Service Manager.

Inset, Chris Nikel as a Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award recipient.

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FAMILY-OWNED AUTO DEALERSHIPS

CHRIS NIKEL CHRYSLER-JEEP-DODGE-RAM-FIAT One of Oklahoma’s largest automobile dealerships began as a used lot with only five cars. The business, named Chris Nikel’s Auto Haus, is now Chris Nikel Chrysler-Jeep-DodgeRAM- Fiat. The humble car lot that opened in May 1973 by Chris Nikel and partner Karl Schmid now sits on 12 acres with an inventory of over 1,500 cars and trucks.

“My dad was raised in Austria,” says daughter Tina Nikel, vice president of the dealership. “He arrived in Tulsa in 1971 to be the general manager of the Tulsa Datsun BMW franchise.

After opening Chris Nikel’s Auto Haus, he acquired the Alpha Romeo franchise and Renault line and later the AMC Jeep product lines.” The growing dealership was located at 3737 S. Memorial Drive (still home to Oklahoma’s largest used Jeep store, Chris Nikel Used Jeeps) before moving to the Admiral and Mingo Circle and then to 11th and Lewis with the purchase of the Cox Chrysler Plymouth dealership. The move

to Broken Arrow off 145th and the BA occurred in 2005.

“My grandfather is still very much involved in the business” says Dallas Nikel, now the general manager of the dealership, “he is a mentor to all of us. As his success in business grew, so did Chris Nikel’s loyalty to his company’s employees and his appreciation of the dealership’s customers.”

The dealership recently finished Phase One of a major renovation to its service drive, with Phase Two of the sales and customer lounge slated for completion at the end of 2020.

“We really believe the customer experience is important,” Tina says. “One thing that will never change here is Chris Nikel’s passion for customer service and satisfaction.”

The Chris Nikel dealership’s mission statement says it all: “Making it hard on ourselves to make it easy on our customers.” Where you always get your Nikel’s worth!

2920 N. Aspen Ave., Broken Arrow | 918-355-5000 | chrisnikel.com

Celebrating 75As Tulsa’s Hometown Jeweler YEARS

Michael Guillory, Utica Square store manager, with Kyle Armstrong, Abbey Milstead, Tony Wilson, Laura Cunningham and Tyler Jones, president of Moody’s.

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FAMILY-OWNED JEWELRY STORE

MOODY’S JEWELRY A broken clock led to the founding of Moody’s Jewelry.

Young Ernest Moody Jr. took the clock to a watchmaker neighbor, who showed him how to fix it. This sparked Moody’s desire to become a watchmaker.

In 1944, the young Tulsan opened a shop in Whittier Square, and then opened a small shop at East 12th Street and South Harvard Avenue. Moody then moved the business across the street to a larger building where the flagship store still remains.

This year the company is celebrating “75 years as Tulsa’s hometown jeweler.”

Seven Store Locations | 918-834-3771 | moodysjewelry.com

Today, the business has seven stores in metro Tulsa, and is still owned and operated by members of the founder’s family. The company is also very dedicated to giving back to the community throughout the metro Tulsa area.

Moody’s store locations and managers are: Harvard at 12th, Dave Pfeifer; Lewis at 71st, Susan Sights; Sheridan at 51st, Arman Varolian; 68th at Memorial, Lisa Smedley; Kenosha at 145th in Broken Arrow, Thomas Stoltzner; Utica Square, Michael Guillory; and 71st Street at Highway 169, Kevin Elias.

Empire Fence Vice President and General Manager Nathan Nelson with President Bob Richison, his grandfather.

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FENCING

EMPIRE FENCE COMPANY Things are solid as a fence post at Empire Fence Company.

Owner Bob Richison, who established the business in 1955, continues to lead Empire as president with grandson Nathan Nelson as vice president and general manager. “Our business is still located at East Admiral Place and North Garnett Road,” says Richison. “We offer all types of fencing from wood to chain link to ranch rail.”

Richison credits the company’s success to the way Empire does business. “We are committed to a foundation of integrity by offering customers quality products and

22 N. Garnett Road | 918-437-1671 | empirefence.net

excellent service at a good price,” says Richison. “We do business the old-fashioned way because we are not the only fence company in town.”

“I am very proud that Empire Fence has been selling and building fences for nearly 60 years,” says Nelson, who at age 38 muses that he has over 20 years of experience, since he started hanging around his grandfather’s business at age 12.

Richison hopes his grandson has an equally long run.

“With the blessing of good health, he will be around to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary in 2058.”

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A CAREER IN FINANCIAL PLANNING

NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL Looking for a change of career? At Northwestern Mutual, one can receive comprehensive learning and development and ongoing support with a chance to pursue a leadership role and business ownership. “We offer an award-winning training program that helps professionals get off to a fast start and maintain high performance over time,” said Lance Franczyk, managing partner of Northwestern Mutual’s offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. “It is an ideal opportunity to grow and develop a career through learning paths designed to guide a person along the way, including pursuing advanced professional designations and certifications.”

Northwestern Mutual offers professionals continuous opportunities for advancement through specialization in areas like disability income, long-term care, annuities and investments. Opportunities include becoming a financial advisor or a wealth management advisor.

Bottom: Lance Franczyk and Sam Stoia.

Top: Bob Skaggs with associate advisors Janelle English and Kristen Nylander; and Noah Parris.

Bob Skaggs, Noah Parris and Sam Stoia are examples of financial representatives who have excelled at Northwestern Mutual after coming to the company from different professions. Skaggs joined NM in 1985 from an account executive position at Capital Publishing Company.

Parris joined the company in 2010 after transitioning from a career in the telecommunications and tax/accounting software industries where he was primarily involved in business development and strategic selling. Stoia has represented Northwestern Mutual since 1990 after spending 4 years coaching college football. He was an OU football letterman on Barry Switzer’s teams in the early 1980’s.

“Northwestern Mutual is a wonderful company and our culture is one of support and growth,” Franczyk said. Persons interested in knowing more about a career at Northwestern Mutual should email lance.franczyk@nm.com.

201 S. Denver Ave., Suite 500 | 918-496-8721 | tulsa.nm.com

Jeff Hiller and Matt Hiller

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FIREWORKS

THE CASTLE OF MUSKOGEE The Castle of Muskogee guarantees that you’ll have a blast this summer. After all, it’s fireworks season at the Castle.

This year customers can expect an expanded selection of everything from novelties to multi-action displays, all in a 37,000-square-foot air-conditioned facility. Customers can even shop online and reserve their items for in-store pickup at the Castle.

The Castle of Muskogee is more than just fireworks. For 25 years, it has served as a “Gateway to Another World.”

More than 250,000 people visit the Castle each year for a variety of events, including the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival, the Castle Zombie Run, the Halloween Festival, the Boare’s Head Feaste and Castle Christmas, plus weddings and private and corporate gatherings.

The Castle of Muskogee is a family-run business. Owners Jeff Hiller and his son, Matt Hiller, are proud of the special magic they bring to events and festivals of all kinds. There are many event centers in eastern Oklahoma, but only one of them has a castle.

3400 E. Fern Mountain Road, Muskogee | 918-687-3625 | okcastle.com

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FUNDRAISING

FUND YOUR ORG Fund Your Org is an event fundraising company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma that has raised over $30 million for nonprofit organizations over the past 10 years. Rick Miller founded Fund Your Org based on his success in advising nonprofit leaders, planning committees and leadership boards on how to create and execute a strategic fundraising plan.

“Actually, 90 percent of the event success happens before anyone ever shows up,” says Miller. “Fund Your Org adds value by collaborating with your organization and understanding the mission and goals for the event.”

Fund Your Org is not just an auctioneering company, but also positions itself as an integral part of the fundraiser’s planning. “Our experienced staff and auction teams have doubled and even tripled the event fundraising goals at more

than 300 events,” says Miller, who has conducted hundreds of benefit auctions and raised millions for charity since he began his auctioneer career.

Fund Your Org’s innovative fundraising strategy centers around the P.I.E. Method: People, Items and Energy. By focusing on these elements, Miller believes organizations can implement fundraising strategies that maximize revenue generation. Using the P.I.E. Method, Fund Your Org effectively reverse-engineers the event, helping the nonprofit exceed its fundraising goals.

The Fund Your Org team understands what it takes to make an event a success. The company takes a hands-on approach with every organization to create the best fundraising event possible for each of client.

400 Riverwalk Terrace, Jenks | 1-800-532-6016 | fundyourorg.com

Jack Whitacre, founded Whitacre Glass in 1935. Today the company continues the family tradition with (left to right) nephew Sam Little; son David Whitacre; Jackson Whitacre, Jack’s son and second-generation owner; and Jessica Whitacre, Jackson’s wife and business partner.

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GLASS SERVICES

WHITACRE GLASS The legacy of Jack Whitacre lives on as Whitacre Glass enters its third generation of serving Tulsa and the surrounding area.

Founded in 1935, Whitacre Glass specializes in installing high-quality residential glass products like frameless glass shower doors, shower and tub enclosures, insulated glass, glass tabletops, mirrored walls, beveled mirrors and glass handrails. Commercial glass services include architectural aluminum storefronts and doors, and curtain wall systems for larger buildings. The staff at Whitacre Glass is trained to help customers throughout the design and installation process, and can assist in finding the perfect hardware

8177 E. 44th St. | 918-366-6646 |whitacreglass.com

combination to accent the glass work.

As technologies advance and customers’ needs change, the Tulsa company remains committed to its core. Just recently, they expanded into a 30,000-square-foot facility that features a showroom to give customers the ability to see first-hand some of the options that are available.“We have combined the latest manufacturing processes with good, old-fashioned craftsmanship and are able to bring our customers the finest quality products with friendly, responsive service,” says owner Jackson Whitacre. “Our mission is to exceed the expectations of every client who calls on us for glass design and service.”

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma Legal Team Left to Right: Bobbie Gwinn, Wendy Binkley, Lesley Richer, Roni Rierson Stacklin, Jamee Campbell, Susan Walker

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HEALTH INSURANCE

BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF OKLAHOMA As the state’s largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma (BCBSOK) is committed to supporting the health and well-being of all Oklahomans, including their more than 860,000 members. Behind the company’s innovative health care solutions is the first all-women legal department in the company’s 80-year history led by Roni Rierson Stacklin, General Counsel.

Health insurance is a heavily regulated industry with regulations at both the state and federal levels. The BCBSOK legal team helps the company stay in compliance by reviewing the latest health care laws and regulations and implementing policies to support the company’s health care financing, access and delivery. Through collaboration with BCBSOK leaders, the legal team works with physicians, hospitals, employers, federal and state regulators and

1400 S. Boston Ave. | 918-551-3500 | bcbsok.com

community-based health organizations to develop better health care solutions for its members.

“At BCBSOK, our members are the focus of the company and the priority of the legal team,” says Stacklin. “It’s our role to implement and operationalize regulatory requirements and standards which help safeguard members from prohibited practices in the healthcare industry.”

As leaders at BCBSOK and in the health care industry, they are proud to help serve as role models for other women in the legal profession. “Our team is another example of the success women can achieve,” says Stacklin. “Together, we can help effect change for future women leaders and continue to help pave the path towards greater opportunities for generations to come.”

Greg Ford, CEO of MaidPro Heartland, and a few of his happy staff.

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HOME CLEANING

MAIDPRO TULSA Creating clean houses is the top priority at MaidPro, a local company that specializes in delivering personalized, precise cleaning services to homeowners in the Tulsa area.

“We are proud to be Tulsa’s premier residential home cleaning service,” says Greg Ford, owner of the business since 2005. “We are our customers’ ally in the battle to keep one’s home clean the easy way — by letting us do the work, whether that means a weekly clean or just a one-time sprucing-up.”

MaidPro customizes services to meet the specific needs and budget of each customer. “We offer a full range of

cleaning services and use a 49-point checklist to ensure a home is cleaned correctly,” says Ford. “Kitchens, bathrooms and dusting are our specialties, but we also focus on specific areas desired by the homeowner.”

MaidPro cleaning professionals undergo thorough background checks prior to employment and are bonded and insured. Each receives extensive training to clean at the highest level. “We strive to help our employees work to their greatest ability, making sure we provide the tools to enable them to enjoy what they do,” says Ford. “If you are stepping on LEGOs, call MaidPro.”

12801 E. 31st St., Suite F | 918-270-2800 | maidpro.com/tulsa

Michael Thorp, Kelly Thorp, Marc Wells, Janae Harris, Lesley Shollmier

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KITCHEN DESIGN

KITCHEN IDEAS Kitchen Ideas has been revolutionizing local kitchen design since 1976.

Founded by Roger Shollmier, Kitchen Ideas has garnered a reputation for successful kitchen design with innovative yet functional application.

“Here at Kitchen Ideas we are dedicated to bringing your kitchen or bathroom vision to life,” says owner Michael Thorp. “We understand that it’s not just about how the space looks, but also about how it functions and the importance of using quality materials and trustworthy professionals.”

A skilled team of designers, craftsmen and project

5313 S. Mingo Road | 918-494-0621 | kitchendesign.com

managers helps customers from start to finish. Projects range from remodeling of existing spaces to new construction. Professional services are catered to each individual project.

Each client’s lifestyle is thoughtfully examined to ensure the kitchen or bath design is exactly what is needed, while reflecting the style and personality of the homeowners.

The Kitchen Ideas showroom is located inside Metro Appliances and More, providing customers and clients a real-life perspective of the design styles with modern and state-of-the-art appliances.

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MEDICAL MARIJUANA

SEED CANNABIS CO. Improving lives starts with a single seed.

Medical marijuana is the business of Seed Cannabis Co., a new venture that sells cannabis products and a full-line of cannabis and CBD-only products.

“We have built one of the most welcoming, patient-friendly dispensary environments in the state, ensuring that patients who have never used medical marijuana, as well as those with knowledge of marijuana products, all feel comfortable in their experience,” says Taras Filenko, CEO. The Oklahoma-owned company is dedicated to having the highest quality product and the most knowledgeable staff, providing education about products and practices to help patients obtain the best medical outcomes. In addition, Seed Cannabis will continue to work with key partners in the industry, and soon will be harvesting and processing its own niche products, ensuring that commitment to quality truly starts with the highest quality seed and continues through to products that can make a difference in patients’ lives.

The management team consists of corporate executives and entrepreneurial experts, as well as legal, medical and branding specialists who have come together to create a medical marijuana business that will be in Tulsa for the long term.

623 S. Peoria Ave. | 539-867-1880 seedcannabisco.com

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THE OFFICE OF THE FUTURE

IMAGENET CONSULTING Dreaming of an office with minimal clutter, few papers, colorful digital display walls, simple-to-use technology and maximum efficiency? That dream office may not be as far away as it seems.

In today’s constantly changing world of business technology, it is critical that companies adapt and leverage technology for sustainability, market growth, competitive advantage and cost savings. A common misconception is that technology is costly, complicated and takes away from the bottom line. “We are here to shatter that misconception and share that ImageNet’s products and services allow companies to leverage cutting-edge technology at affordable rates with unmatched support and service levels,” says Alan Webb, Oklahoma Market president.

ImageNet’s engineers, technicians and consultants are

focused on becoming a trusted business partner. “We are here to listen and understand your business challenges and provide solutions to help transform your organization,” says Ben Berghall, Tulsa sales manager. “Our vision is to provide state-of-the-art information technology solutions to improve each clients’ bottom line.”

“From managed print service, managed IT, software for document management, print devices, 3D printers, to digital signage and AV solutions, we’ve got it covered,” Webb says. “Let us share how we can help you create the ‘office of the future’ in your environment while adding to your bottom line. It’s possible!”

7231 E. 41st St. | 918-359-8602 | imagenetconsulting.com

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PAYROLL & TAX PROCESSING

SOUTHWESTERN PAYROLL SERVICE, INC.

Nicola Daubert and Rachel Terry with Darin Alred, the leadership team at Southwestern Payroll.

Southwestern Payroll Service has been a well known and trusted Tulsa company since its founding in 1955. The firm provides payroll and payroll tax processing, human resource software, time and labor management, garnishment administration and much more as part of the company’s unified workforce management solutions.

“We continue to grow as the largest independent payroll provider in the region,” said owner Darin Alred, “and the company is now even stronger through our partnership with CloudPayroll, LLC.”. The partnership affords Southwestern access to greater resources, including the growth of a new proprietary payroll platform. As an officer of CloudPayroll, Alred also works with a national team to enhance products, increase efficiency through shared services, and enhance the resources for the entire enterprise.

Southwestern Payroll has 40 highly-skilled employees, many longterm at the company. Rachel Terry, Director of Operations, has been an integral part of Southwestern Payroll for more than 20 years. She manages most daily operations. Nicola Daubert, Director of Employee Development, joined the company in 2018 and uses her 20 years of experience to recruit, train and retain an outstanding team, and create an enhanced company culture based on mutual respect and personal accountability.

Darin Alred is a business executive who is committed to our community. He is a founding member and President of The Reed Community Foundation (reedcf.org) which provides love, caring and leadership for at-risk youth in Tulsa. He has also served on numerous boards and committees at Holland Hall, where he is Past President of the Alumni Association. Additionally, he has served The Boy Scouts of America and other organizations with a focus on the well being of children and youth in our community.

11008 E. 51st St. | 918-587-3321 | swpay.com

A few of Arrow’s family of team members, (left to right, top row): Joseph Hall, sales; Farrah Fulps, director of business development; Brent Thompson, lawn division manager; Eddie Robertson, technician; Kenya White, CSR Broken Arrow; (bottom row) Jessica Ison, CSR Tulsa; Mark Gray, Sentricon sales; Brooke Brady, CSR Sentricon.

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PEST CONTROL

ARROW EXTERMINATORS Arrow Exterminators is Oklahoma’s oldest pest control company. “Aimin’ To Please!” since 1952, the company has grown into a statewide entity with offices in Broken Arrow and in Oklahoma City.

The experienced pest control company can handle nearly any nuisance, including termites, bed bugs, ants, mosquitos, moles, snakes, bees, mice, fleas, ticks, bats and more. The company also has added lawn and landscape management to their list of expertise.

“My Papa, J.W. ‘Bud’ Fulps, started this company one house and one business at a time and spent many years in professional training,” says Farrah Fulps, Bud’s

granddaughter and Arrow’s business development and marketing manager. “We don’t believe in tricks and gimmicks and there really are no secrets. We just work hard to get the job done right, the first time, which is why we can guarantee our services.”

Some of Tulsa’s greatest treasures — including Philbrook Museum of Art, Gathering Place and the Tulsa Garden Center — put their trust in Arrow Exterminators.

“Trust the company that has been around the longest, is still family-owned and -operated, and is still part of the Main Street Broken Arrow charm, in the same place where it originally started in 1952,” says Fulps.

801 S. Main St., Broken Arrow | 918-258-9669 7701 Broadway Extension, Suite A-6, Oklahoma City | 405-912-4337 | nomorebugs.com

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PET BOUTIQUE

DOG DISH Question: Why does a store like Dog Dish devote much of its store space to bags and cans of food for dogs and cats?

Answer: Healthy pets are happier pets.

“We believe good nutrition will improve the quality and longevity of a pet’s life,” says Emily Bollinger, owner of the popular store in Utica Square. “Feeding a pet food with quality ingredients and controlling portion size are factors that can extend a dog or cat’s life. And proper nutrition can prevent common ailments such as ear infections, allergies and tear stains.”

Dog Dish carries kibble and canned pet food, as well as frozen and freeze-dried raw diets for dogs and cats that are

continually growing in popularity. The store offers a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee on all foods.

Dog Dish, now in its 17th year of operation, is also known for its bakery case filled with a large variety of special treats for dogs, plus selections of pet toys, collars, quality beds, accessories and apparel.

“We strive to be a complete store for dog and cat lovers,” added Bollinger. “The favorite parts of my job are getting to know our customers and their pets, scouting new products that are useful and fun, and educating about healthy dog food and treats.”

1778 Utica Square | 918-624-2600 | thedogdish.com

Emily Bollinger with Spencer in the Utica Square store.

Bree Chahanovich, Willette King, Melissa Clark, Jessica Przybylski, Kendal Wolfe, Stephen Strong, Emily Stover, Maggie Kohler, and Andy Kohler, owner of Freeland Brown.

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PHARMACIES

FREELAND BROWN PHARMACY In 1963, back when pharmacists took a genuine interest in its customers, Freeland Brown Pharmacy opened its doors. Serving the greater Tulsa area as the longest independently owned pharmacy in Tulsa, the pharmacies of Freeland Brown put customer care and service as its first priority. Over the past 56 years, the pharmacy’s philosophy has evolved to be about more than just filling prescriptions.

“Today, the pharmacies of Freeland Brown continue to put customer care and service as our first priority while focusing on whole home care,” says owner Andy Kohler.

Freeland Brown carries medical equipment like rollators, toilet seat risers and compression stockings. It also carries

hard-to-find items like ostomy products and catheters and the accessories that make active living possible.

Kathy Wilson and Julie Carson carry 30-plus years with Freeland Brown and can guide you to the right product for your situation and help you with the insurance, too.

Stephen Strong, at 41st and Peoria, and Kendal Wolfe, at Crystal City, are the head pharmacist and can answer your medication questions. They also can coordinate care with your doctor whether it be the need for a compounded medication or dose packaging for compliance.

“We look forward to caring for you and about you,” Kohler says.

4112 S. Peoria Ave., 918-743-4491 | 4227 Southwest Blvd., 918-986-8644 | freelandbrown.com

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PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

MCGRAW PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & LEASING / WINFIELD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT McGraw Realtors and Winfield Property Management have merged to offer “top tier property management services to current and future clients”. The merger was formed this June.

Winfield Property Management, established in 2005, has implemented effective and efficient sales plans for over 2,000 apartment units in the Tulsa area under the leadership of founder Amy Bors. “We are excited about the merger because the McGraw name is one that people know and trust,” she said. By partnering with McGraw, Winfield will be positioned for additional growth in Tulsa, and have the support to expand into additional markets.”

“We are extremely excited about our new partnership with Amy Bors and the team at Winfield Property Management,” said Bill McCollough, president of McGraw. “Winfield’s strong reputation and a proven record of success will be an amazing benefit for our company.”

Founded in 2011, McGraw Realtors Property Management and Leasing, under the leadership of Director Kim Cavin, manages over 360 doors. Their mission continues to be to help property owners find the right tenant and manage

their properties to make a profit. They are also committed to helping people find the right home to rent and manage their property the right way.

McGraw Realtors began its Commercial Property Management department in 2017, lead by Director Susan Walker. Since 2017, the division has increased occupancy from 66.7% to 95.7% while growing the managed portfolio by 350,000 square feet. McGraw Commercial Property Management currently manages nearly 600,000 square feet of commercial space.

Collectively, the companies that share the same roof share the same commitment to property management services to their clients. “Taking on the responsibility of the day-to-day operations of investment properties can be time-consuming and overwhelming,” Susan Walker shares, “That’s where we come in. We handle every aspect of managing the asset and the owner enjoys peace of mind and the profits.” As of June 2019, their portfolio under management - which includes residential, commercial, and multi-family properties - totals almost 3 million square feet. The multi-faceted company continues to serve Northeastern Oklahoma and beyond.

4105 S. Rockford Ave | mcgrawpropertymanagement.com | 918.388.6133

winfieldliving.com | 918.995.2950

Row 1: Kim Henderson, Ong Xiong, Kim Cavin, Susan Walker, Amy Bors, Janie Easley, Jonna Martinez Row 2: Danielle Spann, Krista Sands, Chris Fowler, Linda Hughes, Kimberly Schellhorn, Loretta Rankins Row 3: Brian Scarbrough, Ryan Gorman, Gary Krisman, Carey Velez

Dr. Stanley Prough and Dr. Shauna McKinney

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REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE

TULSA FERTILITY CENTER With a caring staff, compassionate doctors and a state-of-the art facility, Tulsa Fertility Center specializes in making baby dreams come true. As the only clinic in northeast Oklahoma with a full-service IVF lab, Tulsa Fertility Center is well equipped to handle a variety of fertility needs, all from the comfortable and convenient location near downtown Tulsa.

For many Tulsans with barriers to becoming parents, “hope starts here,” with treatments ranging from intrauterine (a.k.a. “artificial”) insemination, surgery for

115 E. 15th St. | 918-584-2870 | tulsafertilitycenter.com

underlying fertility problems, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and much more. TFC also offers an egg donor program and postvasectomy fertility treatment.

Since 1983, Dr. Stanley Prough and Dr. Shauna McKinney and their dedicated staff have been passionate about building families. “Our greatest accomplishment is the growing number of families that have achieved pregnancy,” says McKinney. “They were finally able to put infertility behind them.”

Leadership Team Members: Rachel Hicks, Jenna Majors, Holli Woodward, Kathy Stacy, Bill McCollough, Heidi Williams, Rodger Erker, Lindsey Schlomann, Kim Cavin

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RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

MCGRAW REALTORS Tulsa-based McGraw Realtors has been proudly serving the real estate needs of Northeast Oklahoma for over 80 years. And as the top-ranking independent real estate company in Oklahoma, McGraw shows no signs of slowing.

“I am excited that I will see McGraw celebrate 100 years during my career,” says Bill McCollough, company president.

“It is truly rare to see any company succeed in business that long, especially one that stays true to its principles over the years.”

McCollough emphasizes that McGraw, which now has five offices in the Tulsa area, has been built on a commitment to excellence, ethics and high standards. “The company has always been an industry leader in terms of recruiting and retention, adaptation to technological advances, and providing employees with the tools they need to give clients a stress-free and memorable real estate experience.”

4105 S. Rockford Ave. | 918-592-6000 | mcgrawrealtors.com

McGraw Realtors is also a founding member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. This membership provides McGraw’s customers who are relocating with a unique connection to the worlds’ largest network of independent real estate companies, helping ensure a smooth transition to and from the Tulsa area.

“I am honored to be associated with the finest real estate company in Oklahoma,” says founder Joe McGraw. “The contributions of many have made the business successful since our beginning in 1938. I am proud of our culture which inspires enthusiasm, innovation, devotion and a strong regard for the honor of all.”

McGraw Realtors has been embedded in the Tulsa community for over 80 years and the company’s commitment to helping clients succeed in the real estate process continues to be the company’s driving force into the future.

Kenneth Burkett

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SUSTAINABILITY

AMERICAN WASTE CONTROL Kenneth Burkett started in the waste and recycling business in 1970 with one used truck and a few residential customers. Today, American Waste Control has a fleet of over 135 trucks, more than 250 employees, and operates its own recycling center and waste-to-energy landfill.

“For me, business is all about people. Helping others and building them up,” Burkett says. “There is no question, American Waste Control’s success is because of our people.

I owe it all to them and our fiercely loyal customers.”

In 2017 Burkett was inducted into the National Waste and Recycling Association Hall of Fame. Burkett’s family of companies are known across the industry for providing employees with some of the best benefits among waste companies.

Part of the benefits include providing comprehensive health insurance to all its employees and family members free of charge. Burkett is known for launching the Mr. Murph recycling campaign with the famous smiling recycling mascot.

Today, Burkett’s renewable energy landfill in Sand Springs provides power to over 20,000 Oklahomans and is home to over 1 million honey bees at its bee farm and boasts its own landfill honey and lip balm, which are given to customers.

American Waste Control believes in giving to the community. An example is the company’s sponsorship of the annual Tulsa Christmas Parade, which last year attracted 50,000 spectators to the downtown Tulsa event. “We love Tulsa and supporting our community,” Burkett says.

1420 W. 35th St. | 918-446-0023 | americanwastecontrol.com

Robert Butler and Jason Hadrava

Commercial Team: Jacqueline Falkenberry, Carla Hall and Denette Layton

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TITLE AND ESCROW

TITAN TITLE AND CLOSING Titan Title and Closing is a full-service escrow company offering a comprehensive suite of services that include residential closings, commercial closings, refinance and 1031 exchange.

Titan’s knowledgeable and experienced staff is poised to help clients with any need or question. “We’ve proudly built our team upon five pillars,” says co-owner Robert Butler.

“Those pillars are: Integrity, experience, employees, focus and service.”

As a full-service escrow company in Oklahoma, Titan

combines an expert team with innovative technology solutions to offer its clients peace of mind. They can rest assured that their escrow transaction will be completed quickly and accurately, regardless of its type. “We are committed to offering our clients the most comprehensive suite of services available,” says co-owner Jason Hadrava.

In June, Titan Title and Closing opened its new Commercial Division location in south Tulsa where Jacqueline Falkenberry, Carla Hall and Denette Layton assist commercial clients.

Commercial Office, Tulsa: 5502 E. 101st St. | 918-527-5700 Jenks: 110 E. A St. | 918-299-2300 Owasso: 9455 N. Owasso Expwy | 918-376-4600

Broken Arrow: 2422 W. New Orleans St. | 918-893-6992 OKC: 6301 Waterford Blvd., Ste 325 | 405-600-9495 titantitleok.com

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TREE SERVICE

WE B TREES We B Trees provides professional tree care for established trees in the greater Tulsa area. Services include deep root fertilization, pruning and preservation, diagnostics, tree removal, stump grinding, cabling and bracing, tree selection and much more.

For more than 30 years, the company has provided quality tree care that aligns with homeowners’ goals. In fact, We B Trees has secured a coveted A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Company management values transparency and honesty with the customer above all else.

“We will be honest in whether or not a tree is in good health,” says Tim Nall, owner/president and certified

arborist. “We don’t let our equipment dictate what we recommend for your trees.”

After receiving his degree in forestry from Oklahoma State University, Nall began his career working for several companies as an operational engineer. He went on to work for the City of Tulsa Urban Forestry Department, where he became a Certified Arborist through the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).

In addition the Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa, We B Trees also is a member of the Tree Care Industry Association and the International Society of Arboriculture.

Nall is a proud member of Downtown Rotary Club.

PO Box 9563, Tulsa, OK 74157 | 918-446-3473 | webtrees.com Left to right: Devon Holmes; Duwaylon Barre; Dylan Nall, Certified Arborist; Tim Nall, Certified Arborist; William Alexander; and Omar Caracheo.

Leslie Mobley, Matt Farris, Chris Hamm and George Foldesy

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WEALTH MANAGEMENT

COMMERCE TRUST COMPANY Since 1906, Commerce Trust Company, a division of Commerce Bank, has been the leading provider of investment management, financial planning, trust and private banking services.

With Commerce Trust Company, clients feel confident and secure about their family’s future. A customized investment portfolio starts with a conversation about the client’s goals and follows with objective advice and recommendations suited to their family’s needs.

“We take a full-service approach to wealth management and simplify their complex financial life,” says Matt Farris,

Senior Vice President. “Our proactive team takes the time to understand each client’s personal and financial goals.

We develop a customized plan specific to their wealth management needs and work with them to ensure success.”

Today, Commerce Trust Company administers more than $52 billion, and serves clients in all 50 states and 25 countries. Commerce Trust Company offers a comprehensive approach to wealth management, a dedicated team of experienced specialists and a strong fiduciary relationship with its clients.

5314 S. Yale Ave., Suite 606 | 918-477-3610 | commercetrustcompany.com

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WELLNESS

FUNCTIONAL MEDICAL INSTITUTE At Functional Medical Institute, the focus isn’t on disease management; it’s about healing. As the region’s premiere functional medicine clinic, FMI specializes in fat loss and muscle enhancement.

Led by a husband-and-wife wellness team, FMI focuses on disease reversal and prevention, hormone therapy, DNA analysis with unique implementation, and custom lab analysis to optimize the health of each person. “We look at each individual’s unique health needs,” says Dr. Michele Neil-Sherwood, founding physician of FMI. “We aim to obtain the highest level of overall function and maintain it through a collaborative and educational approach involving doctor and patient.”

Functional Medical Institute treats patients who have a healthy vision for their lives and want to adopt a lifestyle to maintain long-term wellness while working toward weight loss goals.

Numerous patients have lost nearly 50 percent of their body fat — with maximum muscle retention.

“Our testimonials speak for themselves,” says Dr. Mark Sherwood. “We are confident we can help any client with their healthy fat loss goals.”

6048 S. Sheridan Rd. 918-748-3640 | FMIDR.com Dr. Michele Neil-Sherwood and Dr. Mark Sherwood

Mary Stewart, Emily Stewart and Truman.

the face of

WINE & SPIRITS

RANCH ACRES WINE & SPIRITS Since prohibition was repealed in Oklahoma in late 1959, Ranch Acres Wine & Spirits has been in continuous operation at the original location in the Ranch Acres Shopping Center.

Owned today by Mary Stewart, the store is well known for its wide variety of wines, beers and spirits, and excellent customer service offered by a friendly and knowledgeable staff. A recent remodel has given the 58-year-old business an updated look.

3324 E. 31st St., Suite A | 918-747-1171 | ranchacreswine.com

“We specialize in pairing wines and helping our customers put together dinners, parties and celebrations,” says Stewart. “We also take pride in our recently expanded beer and spirit selection.”

Throughout the year, Ranch Acres hosts many events, allowing local brokers to feature their products. Customers are encouraged to sign up for the store’s email newsletter to learn about special happenings and receive discount coupons.

BOB DYLAN: FACE VALUE AND BEYOND

Explore the many facets of Bob Dylan’s artistry through his renowned Face Value portrait series and ephemera exclusive to The Bob Dylan Archive® collection.

05.10 09.15.19 BOB DYLAN CENTER

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TU is an EEO/AA institution. TU#

T R AV E L + H O M E + T R E N D S

Summer blues Beat boredom with these fun finds.

GREG BOLLINGER

BY KENDALL BARROW

Clockwise from top left: Toysmith rainbow water slide, $30; light-up rail twirler, $9; confetti beach ball, $20; Bling2O swim goggles, $24; Cotton Kids flag romper, $54; Floss and Rock rocket jigsaw puzzle, $18; Innobaby July birthstone ring teether, $12; daBomb amazeballs toy-filled bath fizzers, $28; Imagination Space build-your-own solar system kit, $12.50; Plus Plus building set, $7.50; Slant beverage napkins, $8, and party cups, $14; Cotton Kids flag dress, $62; Bogg Bag, $50; and Twisty Pets sunflower unicorn, $11, all from Ribbons on Peoria, 3525 S. Peoria Ave. TulsaPeople.com

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STOREFRONT Liberty Flags’ specialty?

Selling flags made on U.S. soil. The store carries a variety of sizes. A 3-foot-by-5-foot indoor ceremonial flag is priced at $108. Ceremonial flags also can be custom ordered.

Let your patriotism shine bright with a solar light that attaches to the top of a flagpole. $70.

From sea to shining sea LIBERTY FLAGS FOLLOWS THE AMERICAN DREAM.

BY ALLY LIGHTLE

W

hen it comes to patriotism, one fi rst-generation American business owner is hard to top. Charlotte Jones owns and operates Liberty Flags, a shop specializing in flags made in the U.S.A. The business began over 30 years ago when her father, Art Zakharian, quit his corporate job to become an entrepreneur. “For him, the business wasn’t just about selling flags,” Jones says. “It was about relationships. He liked talking to customers and talking with anyone who wanted to visit.”

Zakharian was born in Russia and contracted polio shortly before deportation to Iran. During his time in Iran, Zakharian befriended many American soldiers. “He gravitated toward the troops,” Jones says. “These guys were his role models.”

After several conversations with U.S. soldiers, Zakharian discovered he wanted to pursue a better life in the United States.

“My dad, he was a sponge,” Jones says. “He absorbed everything. He learned English quickly from speaking. He had such a desire to learn and become an American.”

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Zakharian eventually found his way to the University of Arkansas around the age of 21, where he met his wife at a basketball game. The couple settled in Tulsa, where Zakharian worked in accounting and purchasing for several organizations.

“He left his job after I graduated from high school,” Jones says. “He wanted the American dream: to someday own his own business.”

Liberty Flags began in 1982 as a home business and grew little by little each year. Today, the store has customers spanning coast to coast.

Although Zakharian died in 2004, Jones runs the business along with her sister Rosanna; husband, Jeff ; and stepson, Kyle.

“My favorite thing about working here is working with my family,” Jones says. TP

Liberty Flags 5634 S. MINGO ROAD | 800-322-3524 | LIBERTYFLAGS.COM 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday

For honoring a fallen soldier, veteran or first responder, grave markers double as a flag holder. Starts at $29.

Want to show off your Tulsa pride?

The Tulsa flag is available in multiple sizes and prices.

The staff at Liberty Flags are experts on flag etiquette, as well as installation. The store carries commercialand residential-grade hardware as well as flagpoles with a selection of finishes. Hardware ranges from $1-$700.

If you are ready to decorate for Independence Day, look no further than made-in-theU.S.A. buntings of different sizes. $16-$49.

VALERIE WEI-HAAS

Charlotte Jones

Flag cases also are made in the U.S.A. and memorialize the American flag. These indoor boxes are a great way to honor someone who served the nation who is deceased. Cases start at $105.

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BEYOND CITY LIMITS

Worth it in Wichita PLENTY TO SEE AND DO IN KANSAS’ LARGEST CITY

BY RHYS MARTIN GROWING FROM A SIMPLE COW TOWN ON THE CHISHOLM TRAIL TO A NATIONAL HUB OF AVIATION PRODUCTION, THERE’S PLENTY TO SEE AND DO IN WICHITA THAT MAKES IT WORTHY OF A DAY TRIP OR A WEEKEND AWAY. KEEPER OF THE PLAINS, 650 N. Seneca St., is a sculpture placed where the Big and Little Arkansas rivers converge in downtown Wichita. The metalwork was designed by KiowaComanche artist Blackbear Bosin and was installed in 1974. The surrounding area has a dedicated interpretive plaza that talks about various aspects of Native American culture. At night, several flaming torches are lit around the base of the statue.

The nearby EXPLORATION PLACE, 300 N. McLean Blvd., is a great family-oriented science center that also includes the largest dome theater in the state, a miniature golf course and a wetlands-themed outdoor park. The OLD COWTOWN MUSEUM, 1865 Museum Blvd., west of the Keeper of the Plains sculpture, provides a view into the frontier life around Wichita during the days of the Chisholm Trail.

OLD TOWN WICHITA, between East Douglas and Central avenues and North Santa Fe and Washington 100 North streets, is a great place to wander, as it’s full of restaurants and shops. The MUSEUM OF WORLD TREASURES, 835 E. First St., is a world history museum known for its diversity. Exhibits range from dinosaur skeletons to Egyptian mummies to World War II artifacts. If you’re in town on Saturdays between April and October, the central square is home to a farm and art market.

If you are taking the quickest highway to and from Wichita from Tulsa, you’ll pass by Wellington, Kansas, on I-35. There’s a great little restaurant not far from the highway called PENNY’S DINER that’s worth a stop. Penny’s, 1104 E. 16th St., is one of a limited chain of 1950s-style diners with a chrome exterior. The burgers are hand-pattied and breakfast is served all day. TP

THE ORIGINAL PIZZA HUT 135

OLD COWTOWN KEEPER OF MUSEUM THE PLAINS

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OLD TOWN

ZIGGY’S

The Original Pizza Hut Museum, 2090 Innovation Blvd., is on the Wichita State University campus and is occasionally open for visitors. However, it’s not an active restaurant. If pizza is your thing, check out Ziggy’s. It’s family owned and operated and one of the city’s best-loved eateries with three Wichita locations.

KEEPER OF THE PLAINS: RHYS MARTIN; CLIFTON SQUARE/ZIGGY’S: VISIT WICHITA; MAP: GEORGIA BROOKS

Northwest of downtown, near Wichita’s North High School, is the beautiful MINISA BRIDGE, across the Little Arkansas River. The span features unique decoration made from Carthalite, a material locally made from colored concrete and cut glass. The flagpole at the high school features similar ornamentation, too.

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PRESENTING SPONSOR MAJOR SPONSORS Harold & Edna White Foundation, John Steele Zink Foundation SUPPORTING SPONSORS The Bailey Family, Frederic Dorwart, Lawyers PLLC, Helmerich & Payne, Inc., LandPlan Consultants, ONEOK, Osage Casino & Hotel, Lynn & Barbara Owens, Radiology Consultants of Tulsa, Hannah & Joe Robson The Robson Companies, Holly & Andrew Ryan, TTCU Federal Credit Union, Tulsa World Media Company, Staghorn Petroleum ASSOCIATE SPONSORS Jim & Susannah Adelson, Advanced Body Scan of Tulsa, LLC, Bank of Oklahoma, Dr. Joyce Bumgardner, Capital Advisors Inc., Claremont Corporation, Cox Communications, GableGotwals, George Kaiser Family Foundation, The Anderson Hutchison Family, Kent & Sandy Harrell/ Mike & Amy Harrell, Jenny & David Lamb, Legacy Insurance Advisors, Edward & Kathleen Leinbach, Adam & Bertie Lesher, Magellan Midstream Partners, Julie & Sanjay Meshri, Modern Woodman Fraternal Financial, Steve Moyer – Shelter Insurance, Oklahoma Chiller Corporation, ONEGas, The Oxley Foundation, Price Family Properties, Sandy & John Stava, Selser Schaefer Architects, Kari & Ed Taylor, Western Specialty Contractors, Williams, World Travel Service CONTINUED SUPPORT

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

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HOME

What $500,000 will buy in Tulsa

BY LAURA DENNIS

I

n some housing markets, half a million dollars can buy you a mansion in the hills; in others, it can buy you a 400-square-foot studio apartment with two roommates. Fortunately, the Tulsa housing market offers prospective homebuyers significant value for their investment. So with more bang for your buck, what can you expect to buy for $500,000?

From quaint and quiet neighborhoods to the bustle and busyness of midtown, Tulsa provides its residents with myriad options when it comes to real estate. Here’s a look at what potential homebuyers can expect to find.

EDITOR’S NOTE: 1424 E. 43RD COURT HAS SOLD. THE REMAINING HOMES ARE ON THE MARKET AS OF JUNE 5.

ADDRESS: 12029 S. Toledo Ave. NEIGHBORHOOD: Wind River Crossing SQUARE FEET: 3,637 BEDROOMS: 4 FULL BATHROOMS: 3 HALF BATHROOMS: 1 LIST PRICE: $499,000 BROKER AGENCY: Coldwell Banker Select

ADDRESS: 1424 E. 43rd Court NEIGHBORHOOD: Brook Towne SQUARE FEET: 3,351 BEDROOMS: 3 FULL BATHROOMS: 2 HALF BATHROOMS: 1 LIST PRICE: $479,000 BROKER AGENCY: McGraw

This full-brick home in Lexington Estate welcomes you into its circle drive with a manicured landscape. Inside, you’ll find a study, a formal dining, a chef’s kitchen with granite countertops and an island that overlooks a large family room with a brick fireplace. The master suite boasts a walk-in closet and its own door to the backyard. Fresh paint throughout. The upstairs includes a game room and a custom theater, which is perfect for entertaining. Relax in the backyard’s screened-in porch.

Used as a model, this never-beforelived-in home has all of the bells and whistles. The two-story house features dark hardwood floors, custom lighting and floor-to-ceiling windows throughout.

The master suite is spacious with a large walk-in closet and built-in shelves while the master bath offers a dual vanity and soaker tub. The exterior includes a threecar garage and a simple, easy-to-maintain landscape. Those who like to entertain will enjoy the covered back patio and sizable backyard, which leaves plenty of space for an in-ground pool.

Built in 2000, this home sits in a gated community in the heart of midtown. Its coveted location offers the convenience of exclusive boutiques, art galleries and dining options while providing the luxury of high-end living. Cathedral windows in the main living space bring bright, natural light to its open floor plan. Animal lovers will appreciate the large utility room with a built-in dog shower. This home sits on a corner lot that includes a covered back patio and fenced-in backyard.

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ADDRESS: 8611 S. Maybelle Ave. NEIGHBORHOOD: Maybelle Estates SQUARE FEET: 3,281 BEDROOMS: 4 FULL BATHROOMS: 3 LIST PRICE: $525,000 BROKER AGENCY: Keller Williams This Scandinavian-farmhouse style dwelling in west Jenks School District pushes the boundaries of traditional home design. White oak wood floors, custom iron accents and scissor truss beams on vaulted ceilings complement clean lines and stark white walls, which give the space a luxurious feel. The twostory house features a spacious kitchen with marbled quartz countertops and a living area with a floor-to-ceiling quartz fireplace. Outside, this home offers a side-entry garage and a front-circle drive with plenty of parking space for guests. TP

COURTESY

ADDRESS: 4826 E. 112th St. NEIGHBORHOOD: Lexington Estate SQUARE FEET: 4,591 BEDROOMS: 4 FULL BATHROOMS: 3 HALF BATHROOMS: 1 LIST PRICE: $499,900 BROKER AGENCY: Chinowth and Cohen

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HEALTH

First-person account TULSA JOURNALIST RECOVERS FROM MALARIA AND REAFFIRMS HER CAREER PATH.

BY ANNA HOLTON-DEAN

T

ulsa journalist Kristi Eaton was wrapping up a three-week assignment for the Fistula Foundation in Zambia this past October when she began to feel ill.

The foundation reached out to Eaton after seeing an Associated Press article she had written about a soccer program in Jharkhand, India, that empowers young women.

During her trip to Zambia, Eaton met and interviewed women who suffer from fistula, a childbirth injury largely eradicated in the developed world but still devastating women in the poorest countries. Th is issue is treatable with life-transforming surgery, the mission of the Fistula Foundation.

“I wrote about 15 stories while in Zambia that will be published to the foundation’s website,” Eaton says of her project.

On the last few nights of her trip, Eaton experienced nausea, chills and vomiting. Brushing it off as a reaction to the heat, food or possibly the flu, she flew home to Tulsa as scheduled. She then went to Urgent Care, where tests confi rmed she had contracted malaria.

As an experienced international traveler, she thought she had taken the necessary precautions to prevent the illness: drugs, bed nets, mosquito spray, covering exposed skin.

Over the next three months, her treatment and recovery would prove to be harrowing.

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SINCE 2017, THE FISTULA FOUNDATION HAS DONE THE FOLLOWING WORK IN ZAMBIA: Free fistula surgeries provided: 545 Hospitals around the country participating in the countrywide network: 6 New fistula surgeons trained: 3 Number of people reached via outreach activities: 118,222 SOURCE: FISTULA FOUNDATION

Hospitalized three times over about a month, she remembers trying to text friends from her bed and being physically unable to type.

“It was frustrating because I wanted to communicate so badly,” Eaton says. “Later, one of my friends commented on my typos, so she knew it was affecting my abilities. I also had trouble walking.”

Between hospitalizations, she stayed at her parents’ house, where she struggled to do everyday tasks. She returned to the hospital because of the fear she might hurt herself by tripping or falling.

Initially Eaton received malaria-fighting medication and three blood transfusions. During the third hospitalization, a neurologist determined

she now had encephalitis, which required injections of medication to strengthen the body’s natural defense system.

During that stay, she began to feel less ill, yet she still struggled with basic skills. Th rough physical therapy she relearned how to walk, text, type and even drive.

“It was like my legs just wouldn’t work properly; I would walk crooked or trip over my own feet,” she says. “It was very frustrating.”

Since her last physical therapy session in January, Eaton is doing much better. A longtime freelance writer for TulsaPeople, she also freelances for local and national publications and is a Tulsa Artist Fellow, examining the criminal justice system in Oklahoma.

Since recovering, she has started looking at ways to help spread awareness of malaria, including writing about her own experience. Despite her ordeal, she says she would definitely consider returning to Zambia and other parts of the world.

“Reading the stats has been eye-opening,” Eaton says of malaria information from the World Health Organization. “In 2017, nearly half a million people died from malaria, and there were more than 200 million cases. More than 90 percent of the deaths were in Africa.

“There are a handful of initiatives providing much-needed life-saving tools, and I’m looking at how my skill set can best help them out.” TP

VALERIE WEI-HAAS; INSET: COURTESY KRISTI EATON

Kristi Eaton contracted malaria while in Zambia on assignment for the Fistula Foundation, an organization that works to eradicate a childbirth injury. During her three-week assignment, she interviewed and interacted with families in villages (inset). Once she returned home to Tulsa, she was diagnosed. She has now recovered and continues her work with the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. She is pictured wearing a chitenge dress made for her by a Zambian seamstress.

BEAUTY & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT With the kids at home for summer, how can I maximize my beauty time with the biggest bang for my buck?

The BA Med Spa is the perfect place to capitalize on value and time to get ready for summer. We will be offering our “Annual 12 Days of Christmas in July” sale, where you will find a wide selection of savings from injectables to laser services, Coolsculpting and Emsculpt. All of your favorite products and services are heavily discounted all July long! We understand that your time is just as valuable as the savings you are craving during the summer months.

Call today to rejuvenate your skin on your schedule and still pamper yourself the way you deserve. You can reach us at 918-872-9999 to find out what Santa is leaving in your summer stockings.

Malissa Spacek and Dr. James Campbell

How do you describe a commercial cleaning company that has been in business for 34 years in 1 word?

Blessed.

Here’s to the next 34 years!

BA Med Spa & Weight Loss Center 510 N. Elm Place • Broken Arrow, OK 74012 918-872-9999 • www.baweightspa.com

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Am I assessed an early withdraw penalty on a premature withdrawal (before age 59 ½) from my inherited IRA? If you are a surviving spouse and roll the proceeds to your IRA, a penalty could apply if a distribution prior to age 59 ½ is taken. Should a rollover to an inherited IRA be elected, no penalty would apply to distributions prior to age 59 ½, but a distribution must be made each year thereafter.

If not a spouse, the inherited IRA or lump sum distribution applies, but no penalty is incurred. If the person leaving the IRA was over 70 ½ at the time of death, a required minimum distribution must be made.

J. Harvie Roe, CFP, President AmeriTrust Investment Advisors, Inc. 4506 S. Harvard Ave. • Tulsa, OK 74135 918-610-8080 • hroe@amerad.com

VETERINARIAN Can I trust information from the internet regarding pet care?

In a time when information and opinions are readily available on the internet, I advise everyone to use caution when searching any given topic.

Some websites are trustworthy while many are created by people who have not been educated in veterinary medicine. Stick to credible sources only (such as information provided by universities and government organizations) and always consult your veterinarian before making medical choices for your pet.

Kara Herrington, DVM

ARE YOU ON OUR LIST? Don’t miss out on our

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15th Street Veterinary Group 6231 E. 15th St. • Tulsa, OK 74112 918-835-2336 • www.15thstreetvet.com TulsaPeople.com

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MUSINGS

RUBY THE ROBOT

H

ere’s a question for you. If anthropomorphism is the word for ascribing human qualities to animals, what’s the term for attributing lifelike features to inanimate objects? Machines, to be exact.

Whatever it is, I’ve got it. I never expected this to happen to me. I avoid owning gadgets and gizmos and doodads and thingamajiggies.

It’s almost a phobia. The word for this is technophobia: fear or dislike of technology and complex devices.

Sometimes it is a problem. I don’t have a smartphone or an app, which means I can neither order an Uber nor use my fl ip phone for the new downtown parking meters. The last bit doesn’t bother me because we change downtown parking often.

In my opinion, everything is becoming too automated. All in the name of efficiency and data gathering. One doctor’s office I frequent requires not one but two gadgets — at the same time — to confi rm an appointment. While I’m confi rming it on the computer, their office sends me a code by phone to use to confi rm that I’m the one doing the confi rming. Why? A personality thief wants to sneak in and take my bone density test?

Sometimes the magic “Open Sesame” is a birthdate. In Tucson, my sister tells me, the water department won’t talk to her until she gives them her birthdate. She’s even crankier about this than

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I am. “Look,” she said to them, “you’ve got my phone number, my home address and my account number. What is so significant about my birth date? Am I the only person in Arizona born on this date?” The water company hung up on her.

Recently I felt the need to flee from the intrusively automated, data-hungry world and retreat to a comforting place. I took a deep dive into Anthony Trollope. First, the mini-series “The Way We Live Now” on Amazon, and when that didn’t satiate me, Trollope’s 511-page novel “Barchester Towers.” Th is is not avoidance of life, it is life at a remove — avarice, pettiness, cunning, greed, desperation and betrayal, but in pretty Victorian fashions and Church of England clerical attire. Mankind’s dark characteristics seem less upsetting when seen at a distance.

With my gadget avoidance syndrome, imagine my surprise when I bought a Roomba. A round robotic vacuum. With gadget avoidance and a robot, I’m living somewhere between “The Flintstones” and “Star Wars.”

But she has become more than a machine to me. I humanized her by naming her Ruby. Ruby the Roomba. I am not the only one who names our Roombas. Eighty percent of us Roomba owners do this.

I push the button that says “Clean,” and off she goes humming and vacuuming. It is enormously rewarding to lie napping or sit reading and hear

Ruby bustling through the house happy in her work. She is my own little automated staff of one.

I like the erratic way Ruby moves. She does not roomba mechanically back and forth; she dashes here and there, to and fro, like a squirrel in the road. Th is makes her seem more lifelike. When I can’t find her, I call her. “Ruby, honey, where are you?”

Some days she behaves like a pack animal, just like the dogs in my house. On those days, Ruby wants to be wherever I am. In the same room.

Underfoot. Doesn’t want to leave my side, whatever her darling little sensors tell her.

Ruby is industrious in her work and always of good cheer. She doesn’t swear at the dog hair like I do. She doesn’t weep in despair when she sees the dirt and leaves the dogs have tracked in. Not that she’s invincible. Sometimes she gets stuck under a chair and I have to rescue her, but I identify with that. When my leg was broken, I got my walker tangled in the recliner and thought someone would have to rescue me. Take it from Ruby and me: furniture isn’t as innocent as it looks.

So here we are. One happy family: two dogs, one cat, Ruby the Roomba and me. Our family is complete.

But wait. I just read that robotic lawn mowers are available. I’ll name him Larry, the lawn robot.

Is this how civilization is lost? One robot at a time? TP

GEORGIA BROOKS

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1335 E. 11th St. Suite E., Tulsa, OK 74120 located on historic Route 66 jenkinsandcotulsa

SAVE THE DATE 13TH ANNUAL

SEPT. 6- 1 5

Restaurant Week is a delicious opportunity to experience some of Tulsa’s best restaurants at a great price and help fight hunger in Oklahoma.

BENEFITING: Fighting Hunger, Feeding Hope

Community FOOD BANK of Eastern Oklahoma

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CHARITABLE EVENTS SUPPORTED BY LAUGHTER IS...

A NIGHT OF COMEDY

Saturday, July 20, 2019 6:00pm River Spirit Casino Resort • 8330 Riverside Drive Tulsa

BENEFITTING RSVP of Tulsa Retired Senior Volunteer Program Sponsorship / Ticket Information: Annette Poston • 918-280-8656 www.rsvptulsa.org/events/somewhereintime-2019

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The Lemon-Aid Project Will Celebrate 25 Years With 100 Lemonade Stands to Raise Money for the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless!

FREE LEMON-AID KITS will be made available to the first 100 volunteers who sign up to sell lemonade around Tulsa over Labor Day weekend. All money raised will benefit the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless.

Volunteers will receive enough lemonade for 50 glasses, cups, t-shirt, poster and instruction manual.

Donate your time, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit over Labor Day Weekend. Then join the 25th anniversary celebraton on Labor Day at Guthrie Green!

Sign up at thelemonaidproject.org to volunteer.

Remember: It’s Free. It’s Fun.

IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO! 118

TulsaPeople JULY 2019

- JU LY 27, 2019 -

T UL S A P E OP L E .C OM GI V E AWAY S Visit TulsaPeople.com to register for our $250 Summer Dining Package!

“In a town with so much history, I love being a part of what’s yet to come.”

Angela Byers Owner, Byers Creative

Celebrate summer with dining gift certificates for Molly’s Landing, The Chalkboard and The Wild Fork!

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tulsachamber.com/partnersinprosperity

EROKE

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Martha Berry - “Sageeyah Gold: Honoring the Pollinators & the Humans Who Protect Them” (textile) Culture Keeper Award

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McGraw Realtors

LUXURY

TIM HAYES

918-231-5637 thayes@mcgrawok.com

PROPERT Y GROUP

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A T M C G R AW R E A L T O R S

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

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

GRAND LAKE Picturesque setting on 17 acre property located on South Grand Lake. 1,652 feet of shoreline, many mature trees, and a protected 3-slip dock with maintenance-free decking. The primary residence has 3,113 s.f. of open living space, a large kitchen featuring granite, hardwoods and tumbled wall tile, 3 BR, 3.5 BA, a stunning fireplace, attached 2-car garage. $2,750,000

SEQUOYAH HILL II 11523 S Oswego Avenue - Jenks Exquisite former Parade home.

Superior craftsmanship & the finest appointments through-out. Master & Guest Suites down. 2 beds up with Gameroom & Theatre room. Extensive moldings, Granite Kitchen with Comm Appliances, Private lot with pool, waterfall, spa, kitchen and Cabana. $1,449,000

MIDTOWN 2619 E 33rd Street, Tulsa This custom build home sits on a beautiful Midtown Street at 33rd & Birmingham. Master bedroom downstairs with a private patio. 4 bedrooms, a large game room & an additional laundry room upstairs.

Kitchen opens to family room that looks over swimming pool. $1,350,000

FOREST HILLS 1840 E 27th Street - An exquisite home in Forest Hills built in 1992.

Features include formal living and dining rooms, kitchen combined with family room, game room, and study. Master bedroom w/ en-suite luxury bathroom on first floor, 3 bedrooms upstairs with 2 bathrooms. 4,904 square feet.$1,299,000

ONE ACRE MIDTOWN 4303 S Lewis Ave - One Level Contemporary on one acre in Mid-town! Study, Formal Dining, Game/Media Room, Mud-room and Prep-kitchen. Great room opens to chef’s kitchen & nook. Master with spa bath. 3 additional En-suite bedrooms.

Hardwoods. Oversized 3 Car. Fabulous modern finishes throughout. $1,260,000

FAIRWAY ESTATES III 2921 E 56th Place, Tulsa Impressive remodel in Fairway Estates.

Huge covered back patio looks over the new swimming pool/spa. Master bedroom down with large closet and dressing area. The brand new kitchen opens up to a family room and looks out over the covered patio. $810,000

GLENOAK

GRAND LAKE Views you will not believe from this well-maintained Country French custom built lake home. This stucco and red tile roof home has 3 beds, 3.1 bathes, and comes completely furnished with very little exclusions. Covered boat dock is just a golf cart ride and tram away in a protected cove with trex decking, encapsulated foam and offers one 45’ and 30’ slip and dock storage. $695,000

5802 S Indianapolis Avenue - Kleinco Construction built this home in 1996 for the present owner. Vaulted & beamed ceiling living room. Study with wet bar w/ half bath. Remodeled granite countered kitchen open to family room w/ gas log FP. Spacious master bedroom w/ dual closets. Upstairs are 2 beds, 2 baths, game-room, exercise studio, and office. $775,000

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918.625.6260

nkavanaugh@gmail.com

McGraw Realtors

Nancy Kavanaugh-Gotcher

Debra Adamek 918.695.4945

Crown Jewel Collection

Debbie.Adamek@gmail.com DebAdamek.com

3047 E. 38th Pl. in Midtown, Ranch Acres 4 / 5 Bedrooms, 5th is currently being used as an office, 2 Living, 3.5 Baths, Formal Dining, lots of beautifully redone hardwood floors, New Master with high ceilings, New Master Bath, Spacious Kitchen with large island. Gorgeous backyard and pool with fabulous landscaping. $790,000

10574 S 93rd East Avenue, Tulsa - Legends II 5beds/3full&2half baths/3car garage. GREENBELT, POND & small POOL = private backyard living. Gather at the exterior fireplace & enjoy good times, natural wildlife, outdoor TV & sound system. Huge 1st floor (3756 sf) has 3 beds + study w/wet bar. Main areas overlook pond. Upstairs (1245 sf) boasts 4th bed + 2 additional living areas. Indoor safe room. $735,000

3223 S. Florence Ave. in Midtown, Ranch Acres 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, Formal Dining, 3 Living Areas, 2 fireplaces, Large windows, hardwood floors, large spacious bedrooms, remodeled bathrooms, newer deck, huge yard, 2 Car Garage plus extra parking spaces. Clean, Neat and well maintained. $589,000.

3148 E 58th Street, Tulsa, Fairway Estates I. Beautiful home centered in middle of Tulsa, across from SHCC. 4 spacious bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, 2 living rooms, large open kitchen, Newly remodeled Master Bedroom and Bath ,beautiful outdoor living space plus gorgeous pool.

Lots of storage! Must see! $559,000.

5908 E 139th Street N, Collinsville - Hollow Creek.

4beds/2baths/3car garageCountry living at it’s finest. Spread out on this .61 acre corner lot on culdesac. 1-level. 10’ ceilings in main living areas.

Corner fireplace. Center island kitchen has large eating area + vaulted formal dining/study. Private master suite. Laundry room located in bedroom corridor. Extended back patio, fenced yard & storm shelter.

Security system. $265,000

9012 S College Avenue, Tulsa - Delaware Crossing Condos.

Completely updated one level, 2nd floor condo in Jenks schools. Front door covered parking. Wood burning fireplace. Quartz countertops throughout. Subway tile backsplash. Solid surface flooring includes driftwood look laminate and tile. Fresh paint. All appliances including washer/dryer/fridge remain. Community pool, Clubhouse and nightly Courtesy Patrol. $79,900 TulsaPeople.com

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2531 S Cincinnati Avenue | $549,000

Stately Sunset Terrace home w/ 3 bed 3.5 bath on a double lot.

Kitchen Ideas Bill Powers designed kitchen and master bath remodel.

Beautiful hardwoods, 2 downstairs living areas, spacious vaulted master bedroom retreat. 4 car total garage. Natural light throughout.

Large park like yard. Old Master bedroom could be 4th bedroom or upstairs living area. Walk to Council Oak Elementary.

2943 E 56th Place | $309,500

Stunning one level home with 3 bedrooms plus study. 2 or 3 living rooms. Very open floor plan. In ground diving pool. Vaulted ceiling.

Gorgeous landscaping. Beautiful large master suite. 2 car rear entry garage. Large living room with vaulted ceiling. Sprinkler system. Pool.

Mobile: 918.850.2207 Mobile: 918.850.2207 Mobile: 918.850.2207 ajacobs@mcgrawok.com ajacobs@mcgrawok.com Tulsa’s Top 100 Realtor ajacobs@mcgrawok.com Allison Allison Allison jacobs jacobs jacobs 41054105 S. Rockford ave. tulsa, 74105 S. Rockford ave. tulsa, ok 74105 4105 S. Rockford ave.ok tulsa, ok 74105

allisonjacobs.com mcgrawrealtors.com mcgrawrealtors.com mcgrawrealtors.com

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3112 E 88th St, gated Wellington South neighborhood. Stately home with 6 large bedrooms. Master wing with study & large closets. Spacious living areas, media room, game room, office. Half acre, circle drive, incredible pool. $998,000

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1426 E 37th Place, Clean & move in ready! Brookside, newer construction.

Jay Rambo Cabinets. Granite. 2 beds up, 2 beds down. Master Bath retreat!

Outdoor Fireplace. Transitional to Modern Flair. $649,000

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H 10625 S Irvington Ave, 5 beds, gameroom, 4 car garage w/ storage space & storm shelter. Repainted + new carpet, spacious kitchen & 3 living areas, formal dining room + breakfast nook. Office & master bed downstairs. Large backyard. $525,000 122

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2101 S Boston #6. Midtown charmer at its finest! Truly one of a kind Condo. Backs to the Midland Valley Trail. Close to Riverparks & Gathering Place. $190,000

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1004 E 17th Place. Historic corner lot in the heart of Maple Ridge North. Built in 1995, all new siding, new plaster in salt water pool, new paint inside & out. $650,000

McGraw Realtors

3849 S. Atlanta Place $675,000

246 E. 27th Street $1,375,000 Amazing new listing in sought after Bolewood the house has been completely remodeled within the last 6 years. Beautiful entry with lots of natural light opens to formal living and dining room. The Great room has a vaulted ceiling and fireplace. The kitchen as a unique layout with top of the line appliances and lots of storage. Familyroom with dual access to beautiful outdoor living. Master suite is separate from the other bedrooms. Private office. Large closet and luxury bath. 3 additional bedrooms on the first floor. Lower-level apartment area with sitting room, bedroom and bath. Private. Additional land is available. Call for more details.

Beautiful new listing with lots of charm and unique touches. Spacious formal living room has wide planked flooring and fireplace the room opens to a private patio. Dining room opens to second outdoor living space. Large kitchen with lots of cabinets and original indoor BBQ. 2 bedrooms located on the 1st floor each having private baths and walk-in closets.

Office on first floor with lots of shelving and decorative fireplace. Family room with vaulted ceiling, wall of built-ins and fireplace. 2 additional bedrooms and bath located on the second floor. Lots of landscaping.

11619 S Hudson Place $425,000

2132 E 60th Street $189,000

Gated area in South Tulsa is a beautiful listing that was custom built by the current owner.

Open formals having hardwood floors and vaulted ceilings. Butlers pantry with storage and sink. Kitchen has been updated with new appliances and granite. Master suite located on 1st floor. Office with French doors and hardwoods. 2 additional bedrooms. Sun room.

Beautiful grounds.

918.808.4780

mkeys@mcgrawok.com

6311 E 105th Street Amazing estate home on approx 1.1 acres in Gated Rockhurst. Located in highly desirable Jenks SE Schools. 6 Ensuite beds + 2 bed quarters that have access from the home & also a separate outdoor entrance. Entertainers dream w/2 game rooms & theater, diving pool, private pool bath, hot tub, outdoor living/kitchen & indoor basketball court w/separate entrance. Stunning details throughout. All rooms w/ incredible scale and fantastic natural light. Custom built one owner with meticulous attention to detail. $2,980,000

Gated Garden Park- Located all on one-level with open living area with beamed ceilings and fireplace. Spacious eat-in kitchen with beautiful cabinetry. Master bedroom with sitting area, walk-in closet and spacious bath. 2nd bedroom also has walk-in closet and full bath. Garden Park offers residents two pools, walking-trails, on-site manager and 24 hour security.

Real Estate, Real Results!

Tulsa Top 100 Realtors

8231 S Kingston Avenue Beautifully updated home in gated Stonewall Estates; 1.65 acres with mature trees & heavy landscaping; 2 large bed down, 3 up, each with walk-in closet & private bath. Game room, theater, office & gym. Outdoor living with kitchen, Fireplace, pool, spa & tree house. $2,490,000

4344 S Lewis Place Custom home in gated Greenhill. Beautiful finishes, impeccable detail. 4 bed, 3.5 baths, beautiful hardwood floors; kitchen/ family room combo w/stone fireplace opens to outdoor entertaining space including fireplace & spa. Oversized garage w/storage. 929,000

5405 E 119th Street Open floor plan on 2/3 acre in Hampton Oaks; Large Master down along w/2 other en-suite bedrooms; 4th bed up w/large Game room and internal expansion space; Beautiful Outdoor living w/pool, spa, water feature and full kitchen. 5 FP’s; limestone floors. $875,000

2631 E 14th Street Updated house in desirable Renaissance Heights. 2 living areas, 3+ bed & updated kitchen and baths. Just built 2 car garage with storage and inviting pool and patio out back. Great entertaining home! $344,900 TulsaPeople.com

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Marsha Hackler 4118 E 41st Pl.

Fab home in Patrick Henry has been updated with new kitchen, paint and floors. You will be spending a lot of time outdoors by the gorgeous pool and landscaping. $345,000

8403 E 83rd St

918.260.9455 mhackler@tulsarealtors.com 124

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6613 E 99th St.

New Listing in Jenks school district. Master bedroom and office downstairs.

New carpeting throughout. The covered patio will draw you outside for a quiet evening. $215,000

2735 Pittsburg Avenue

Updated condo in gated Honey Creek has new paint and carpeting. Master Midtown location for this three bedroom, one bath, office and flex room. bath has walk-in jetted tub. Enclosed patio with arbor for summer evenings. Huge, fenced backyard. First time home buyers and rental owners. Only 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. $175,000 $119,000

Quietly going about the business of selling real estate for over 25 years.

McGraw Realtors

4425 S Birmingham Avenue $1,599,000

Wow! High end custom contemporary.

Fabulous setting, wonderful spaces. Gated & private. Amazing windows & light.

Custom kitchen w/22’ counter island. Spectacular living, dining. Brazilian Hardwoods.

Kitchen opens to covered porch, overlooking 1.2 Acres & pool. Luxurious Master. Split bedroom. Separate Den/Game room. Fantastic house!

Gini Fox 625-5102

gfox@mcgrawok.com

Bovasso & Beal Team Sharna Bovasso

(918) 605-2995 | sbovasso@mcgrawok.com

Dee Ann Beal

(918) 688-5467 | dbeal@mcgrawok.com

1701 S. Rockford Ave Gorgeous Swan Lake updated home. Recently remodeled Chef’s kitchen w/ large granite island, subway tile, stainless appl., & tons of storage/ countertop space. Master w/ walk-in closets and en suite bath. Refinished hardwoods throughout.

All new interior paint w/ designer colors. Fantastic curb appeal w/ professional landscaping on corner lot. Garage w/ quarters.

Location! $535,000

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6825 E 105th Street Custom home on almost 2 acres w/exquisite craftsmanship & woodwork.

Remodeled w/new wood & travertine floors. New granite, center island & SS appl in Chef’s kitchen. Breathtaking great room w/floor to ceiling windows. Master suite w/ spa-like bath. Park-like yard w/pool. 4 car garage! New price! $749,500

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Private Gated Estate on 26 Acres - Broken Arrow 5412 E Princeton Street, Impeccably maintained private gated Estate on 26+ acres. Attention to every detail. Breathtaking grounds with manicured gardens. All bedrooms with private baths. 2 masters down.

Pool & spa. 15 car heat/cool garage. 4 attached/11 detached. Outbuildings/ Paddocks. $3,795,000 TulsaPeople.com

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GOODW ILL COMMUNITY

Burger beauty A

VALERIE WEI-HAAS

lthough MAD Eats’ menu is bursting with brunch fare, its Double Double burger ($11) wins high praise for its flavor and classic ensemble. Two patties are seared on the flattop and dressed with American cheese and grilled onions. Pickles, lettuce and tomato are served on the side, along with a helping of tots, sweet potato fries or Asian slaw.

Give into temptation, and make it a real diner experience with one of MAD Eats’ eye-catching milkshakes. The Chester Coffee Pot and Bonuts ($10) is especially tantalizing. The coffee milkshake is a boost of flavor while the warm bonuts — a cross between a biscuit and a doughnut — served atop the glass are a perfect balance of sweet flavor and airy texture.

MAD Eats, which stands for modern American diner, opened earlier this year in the new Seven6Main development in downtown Owasso. TP 201 S. MAIN ST., SUITE 100, OWASSO | 918-401-4353 | MADEATSOK.COM

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CHEERS! Blueberries Over Blue Dome

July is made for milkshakes. Cold and sweet and — let’s face it — more fun than a smoothie, shakes are the perfect summer (PRICES: $: LESS THAN $10 $$: $10-$15 $$$: $16-$25 $$$$: OVER $25) drink that doubles as dessert. — NATALIE MIKLES

Freckles Frozen Custard

Smashburger

We love these milkshakes, made with Haagen-Dazs ice cream, at Smashburger. Our top picks are peanut butter, Oreo and salted caramel. Shakes are served in glass mugs that aren’t quite big enough to hold all of the shake, so you get the mug and the ice-cold stainless steel container and tall spoon used to make the shake.

7392 S. OLYMPIA AVE., 539-777-2082 | 9168 S. YALE AVE., 539-777-1755 10830 E. 71ST ST., 539-777-0380 $

Specialty shakes at Freckles are next-level good. Try the Golden Hurricane, a mix of vanilla ice cream blended with fresh blueberries and bananas. You can blend any number of toppings with vanilla or chocolate ice cream into a shake. Here’s another good one if you’re looking for something delicious: vanilla ice cream blended with pecans and toffee bits.

5138 S. HARVARD AVE. | 918-749-5663 $

THE TULSAN TAKES BLUE DOME

Fat Guy’s Burger Bar

Braum’s

Burgers and fries at Fat Guy’s have reached Tulsa legend status. But the milkshakes are lesser known. More need to hear about these creamy shakes because they are great. These oldfashioned shakes in chocolate, vanilla or strawberry are just like you remember from childhood.

Braum’s thick milkshakes are so good, they’re sometimes a firststop for those who’ve moved out of state and are craving the blend of sweet milk and ice cream. Classic chocolate and vanilla are excellent here. For something with a little more texture, try a cookie dough shake.

140 N. GREENWOOD AVE. | 918-794-7782 7945 S. MEMORIAL DRIVE | 918-893-2232 $

LOCATIONS ALL AROUND THE TULSA AREA $

DoubleShot Coffee Co. 1633 S. Boulder Ave. | 918-280-9243 | doubleshotcoffee.com

Starbucks Multiple locations | starbucks.com

Shades of Brown Coffee and Art 3302 S. Peoria Ave. | 918-747-3000 | shadescoffee.com

918 Coffee 2446 E. 11th St. | 918-949-3221 | tulsa918coffee.com

The Coffee House on Cherry Street 1502 E. 15th St. | 918-779-6137 | chocstulsa.com

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LOCAL COFFEE SHOP These coffee institutions — the winners from TulsaPeople’s annual A-List Readers’ Choice Awards — have mastered the art of caffeinated beverages.

A LA CARTE, CHEERS: GREG BOLLINGER; A-LIST: VALERIE WEI-HAAS

T

he Tulsan has taken up residence in a building you’ve likely strolled by many times. Until recently, it was a private studio for several local artists. As a bar, it beautifully maintains the “art space” feel with bright splashes of turquoise and a handmade wooden bar.

Sage-green succulents dot each table, and verdant foliage drapes the walls.

The taps pour local brews, and shelves of spirits — with a heavy offering of bourbons — tower above the space. The bartender recommended the signature drink Blueberries Over Blue Dome, and it is perfect for a steamy July night. Blueberry vodka is mixed with lemon juice and simple syrup, completed with a splash of red wine and topped with fresh blueberries. The mix of red wine and fruitiness creates a sangria effect, with the red wine adding an understated dazzle.

The Tulsan Bar, 412 E. Second St., is open daily from 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Check it out on Instagram (@thetulsanbar) for upcoming events such as cigar-rolling classes, yoga and jewelry making. — ANGELA EVANS

JOIN THE FIGHT FOR ALZHEIMER’S FIRST SURVIVOR. A CASUAL EVENING OF BOOKS, BARDS AND BITES BENEFITING TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY’S RUTH G. HARDMAN ADULT LITERACY SERVICE

FEATURING AUTHORS

LIV CONSTANTINE, JULIET GRAMES AND EBONY ROBERTS

AND DELECTABLE APPETIZERS FROM SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES

THURSDAY, SEPT. 5 • 6:30 P.M. HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY • 8316 E. 93RD ST. $50 PER PERSON

For sponsorship information or to make reservations, visit www.TulsaLibrary.org/Chapters or call 918-549-7494.

At the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®, people carry flowers representing their connection to Alzheimer’s — a disease that currently has no cure. But what if one day there was a white flower for Alzheimer’s first survivor? What if there were millions of them? Help make that beautiful day happen by joining us for the world’s largest fundraiser to fight the disease.

Register today at tulsawalk.org.

Walk to End Alzheimer’s - Tulsa Veterans Park September 21 Party starts: 7:30 am Ceremony/Walk starts: 9 am

The 2019 Tulsa Guest Guide is available 24/7 at

VISUAL STORYTELLING

TulsaPeople.com!

Bringing you Tulsa’s best.

A DAY IN THE LIFE: 5 TULSANS, 5 DIFFERENT JOBS July 2019

TULSAPEOPLE JULY 2019

THE BUSINESS ISSUE

Third-generation owners and brothers Greg and Bret Mock

THE BUSINESS ISSUE

SADDLE UP THE FAMILY BUSINESS LIVES ON AT MOCK BROTHERS SADDLERY

ESSAY: MR. RAY AND ME

SPACE TALK WITH NASA’S JIM BRIDENSTINE

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The Guest Guide is a GREAT resource for both Tulsans and visitors.

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DINING OUT

Cascarones are made with rice flour and coconut, deep fried and then drizzled with honey and powdered sugar.

WAKE UP Three smoothies are on the menu: Power Greens, Strawberry Banana and Mango Pineapple.

NEW BREAKFAST AND LUNCH SPOT PLANS SUCCESS IN THE SHOPS AT WARREN PLACE.

BY NATALIE MIKLES

The Okie Benny

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VALERIE WEI-HAAS

J

ust before 8 in the morning on the Friday after Neighborhood JA.M. opened, the place was packed.

The largest table in the restaurant was full of nurses and hospital staff, likely just off their overnight shift at Saint Francis, across the street. They were having more fun than anyone else, maybe because some of them had ordered the signature Brunch Punch.

The front of the restaurant does feel in some ways as much like a bar as a place for brunch.

Many people were ordering Bloody Marys and coffee cocktails with their breakfast.

But if the party was in the front, it was more like business in the back, or at least slightly more subdued. Moms and toddlers were eating pancakes, and others were sipping coffee and reading the newspaper.

Neighborhood JA.M. is the latest project by the Hal Smith Restaurant Group, which many know as the group behind Charleston’s, Mahogany and Red Rock Canyon Grill, among others. This is the third Neighborhood JA.M. location; the others are in Oklahoma City and Norman.

The restaurant’s hours are 6:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., so the expansive menu is heavy on breakfast and brunch with a few more traditional lunch items, like cheeseburgers, chicken pot pie and a Reuben.

We started with an order of Monkey Bread ($9.50), which is under the menu heading “for the table.” The large portion of bread was plenty to share among four people. The homemade biscuit dough was sweet and cinnamony with a sprinkle of caramelized nuts. Other featured items “for the table,” were candied bacon, biscuits and jam and cascarones — a fried bread with coconut and honey.

One of the most popular menu items is the avocado toast ($10.25), which is beautifully presented on whole wheat toast with sliced avocado,

VALERIE WEI-HAAS

roasted Campari tomatoes, eggs and an arugula salad with Champagne vinaigrette.

You’ll find six options for eggs Benedict.

Beyond the traditional, there’s the Okie Benny ($11), a riff on biscuits and gravy, and the El Jefe ($12), a spicy layered dish of corn tortillas with green chile pulled pork, poached eggs and green chile hollandaise. We really liked the Crab Cake Benny ($22) with big chunks of crab meat served with tomatoes and asparagus.

Also popular is the Hot Jam Biscuit ($9.75), which is jalapeño peach jam, a fried chicken breast, bacon, egg and cheese sandwiched between a biscuit. The flavors of sweet and savory, smoky and creamy make it arguably the best thing on the menu.

Neigborhood JA.M. has a whole section of pancakes and sweet breads that we’ll be returning for next time. At the top of the list are the Pineapple Bourbon Cakes ($9), which are buttermilk pancakes with caramelized pineapple, pineapple bourbon sauce and a caramel drizzle. The Lemon Poppy Cakes ($9) also look delicious, topped with house-made lemon curd, lemon cream swirl and a poppy seed glaze.

The only thing that didn’t get praise from our table were the cheddar grits ($3.50), which had a strong chicken broth flavor and were lacking in cheesiness.

For omelet lovers, choose your favorite fillings or pick from a great-looking selection, including arugula, wild mushrooms, prosciutto, pico de gallo and many others.

Kids will love the smoothies, which are made with fresh fruit and greens, if you want to pack in the vitamins.

Michael Kraft, creator and proprietor of Neighborhood JA.M., says he hopes the restaurant becomes the first place Tulsans want to bring their out-of-town friends and family. The idea for the restaurant, he says, was to create a real neighborhood feel, a place where people might think, “That’s my jam.” That, and the focus on homemade biscuits and jam, is how the restaurant was named.

Kraft says the location was chosen because it’s in the same center as Mahogany and Pub W, two of the Hal Smith Group’s most successful restaurants.

“There really wasn’t a great breakfast place over here,” Kraft says. “This is a place where you can go for a basic breakfast. But you don’t have to get eggs or biscuits and gravy. If you want a healthy lunch, we have that, too.”

Even if you opt for something healthier, don’t miss out on the big buttermilk biscuits, which are made from scratch. In fact, Kraft says, they have a kitchen staffer who rolls out biscuits from open till close because they sell so many. TP

Neighborhood JA.M. is the latest project by the Hal Smith Restaurant Group, the company behind Charleston’s, Mahogany and Red Rock Canyon Grill.

Mimosas

Monkey Bread

Neighborhood JA.M. 4830 E. 61ST ST., SUITE 300 | 918-508-7744 THATSMYJAMOK.COM/LOCATIONS/TULSA 6:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Monday-Sunday TulsaPeople.com

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W H AT’S COOK ING? The buzz on Tulsa’s tastiest products, restaurants and events

BY NATALIE MIKLES

F

resh, locally grown fruits and vegetables are the greatest gifts summer bestows.

Yes, we have a little spinach, potatoes and herbs scattered throughout the year, but summertime brings us the mother lode. Whether it’s from the grocery store, farmers’ market or our own backyards, this is the time when the squash, berries, corn, green beans, melons, peaches, cucumbers and tomatoes are abundant. But all this culinary treasure won’t last long.

This is the time for cold watermelon wedges, hot buttered corn on the cob, tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with feta cheese. Think about what foods you loved from summers past, and then go ahead and make that blackberry cobbler or grilled zucchini or whatever it might be.

The recipes we’ve included will give you a jump start for your cooking plans. Our variation on green beans and new potatoes might be an old favorite for you. But corn pie? That may be one you’ve never tasted. This Southern dish is good at brunch with eggs and biscuits. Or it’s good at dinner with grilled meats and veggies.

Knowing how to make a pound cake will take you far in the summer. It can be topped with fresh fruit, ice cream or whipped cream. We love this version with blueberries and peaches folded right in.

Serve these green beans and new potatoes with cornbread.

COUNTRY-STYLE GREEN BEANS AND NEW POTATOES Serves 4 8 new potatoes, quartered 1 pound fresh green beans 3 slices bacon 1 onion, sliced ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped Salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender. Remove from heat, drain and cool.

Trim green beans by snapping or cutting off ends. Place green beans in a saucepan, cover with water and boil until tender. Remove saucepan from heat, drain and place in an ice bath to immediately stop cooking. Remove from ice, and set aside.

In a large skillet, fry bacon strips for 3 minutes.

Add onion. Continue to cook bacon and onions until bacon is done and onions are transparent.

Add potatoes and beans to skillet and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

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Country-style green beans and new potatoes

This is a pie without a crust, and could hardly be called a pie at all except that it’s baked in a pie pan.

This cake is good as it is, but it also is pretty with a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of icing.

CORN PIE Serves 8

BLUEBERRY AND PEACH POUND CAKE

8 ears fresh corn (or 4 cups kernels) 3 large eggs 1 ½ cups milk 1 tablespoon sugar Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon grated onion ½ cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Slice the corn from the cob and place in a bowl.

Butter a deep-dish, 10-inch glass pie pan.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and foamy. Add the milk, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and beat until well blended. Stir in the onion.

Combine the corn with the egg mixture. Pour into the pie pan. Pour the cream on top of the corn mixture and dot with butter.

Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Serves 10 1 stick butter, softened 1 ¼ cups sugar 3 eggs ¼ cup milk 2 ½ cups cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 2 ¼ cups peeled and chopped fresh peaches 2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer, cream butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Beat in milk.

In another medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in peaches and blueberries.

Pour into a Bundt pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

DIRECTORY

Le Louvre French Cafe

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Some of the prettiest food in Tulsa is flying under the radar at Le Louvre French Cafe. Yakham N’Gom and his wife, Micheline, came to Tulsa from Paris and opened a true French bakery in south Tulsa.

Pastries are little works of art. Tarts with pastry cream and berries, tarts with chocolate mousse and an apple tart with artfully sliced apples and almonds are particular beauties.

Croissants are as good as the best you’ve ever had and come in three flavors: traditional butter, almond or chocolate.

Le Louvre also draws a brunch and lunch crowd with a nice variety of salads and a pretty asparagus soup. Other great lunch options are the croque monsieur or croque madame, quiche or a croissant with ham, cheese and bechamel.

8313 S. MEMORIAL DRIVE | 918-286-6019

Lost restaurants of Tulsa

Pennington’s Drive-In 4235 S. PEORIA AVE. 134

TulsaPeople JULY 2019

Archie and Lola Pennington entered the restaurant business in the mid-1930s with a small diner in Broken Arrow. By 1951, the rise of the automobile led them to open their most popular venture: Pennington’s Drive-In. Along with partner Waller C. Miller, the Penningtons ran Tulsa’s most happening spot on the “Restless Ribbon” of South Peoria Avenue for decades. Over 60 stalls were perpetually full while people enjoyed shrimp baskets, burgers and the restaurant’s famous Black Bottom Pie. Its revolutionary Order-Matic speaker system would later be adopted by another famous Oklahoma carhop stop: Sonic Drive-In. Kids simply called Archie’s place “‘Tons” and cruised the Restless Ribbon, driving slowly and crowding the lots. Several businesses along the Ribbon employed the services of off-duty law enforcement to help manage traffic. Officer Jake Biggs was a fi xture at Pennington’s, often seen walking the lot to make sure rowdy teenagers behaved themselves. It also wasn’t uncommon to see famous locals like musician Leon Russell stop in for dinner.

Over half of the restaurant burned in a 1973 fi re, but it was quickly rebuilt. The drive-in remained popular until fast food chains took over the landscape. It closed for good in 1987.

— RHYS MARTIN

PENNINGTON’S: COURTESY MARK MESSLER; LE LOUVRE: GREG BOLLINGER

Restaurants might come and go in Tulsa, but many have made their mark on our city’s history for their food, service, owners and atmosphere. Here’s one serving of Tulsa’s gastronomic history from “Lost Restaurants of Tulsa.”

RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF TULSA

Mc D A Z Z L E F U N B A L L 2019

featuring

NICHOLS, CHRISMAN & FORD 6:00 pm THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 29TH COX BUSINESS CENTER TULSA This year’s McDazzle gala event will be celebrating heroes helping families light a path of hope for their hospitalized children, on Thursday, August 29, 2019, at 6 p.m. at the Cox Business Center!

Please join Honorary Chair Paula Marshall and event Chairs Dave and Kim Owens & John and Lucia O’Connor as we honor everyday heroes.Lighting the path of hope for a hospitalized child is best achieved when the family can be together.

By supporting the 2019 McDazzle Fun Ball, you too can be a hero for hospitalized children and their families.

rmhctulsa.org

TULSA TIME WARP

Float preparations are made for a 1920s parade along the east side of the Tulsa Paper Co. building, now the Henry Zarrow Center for Arts and Education at 124 E. Reconciliation Way.

TULSA PAPER CO. T

he Tulsa Paper Co. was founded by Alphonse Jochem in 1917, originally at 21 W. First St. It later moved to a new building at 124 E. Brady St. (now called Reconciliation Way). The company supplied paper products and newsprint for a variety of newspapers, most notably the Tulsa Tribune, published only a block away from this new location.

The warehouse, owned by businessman and Sand Springs founder Charles Page, was conveniently located near the tracks of the Sand Springs Railway, which Page also founded.

Between the 1930s and ’60s, the Paper Co. twice expanded its operations; in 1958 a new

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TulsaPeople JULY 2019

warehouse was added to span the entire block to Boston Avenue. The Tulsa Paper Co. was eventually sold in 1980 to the Mead Corp., which moved its operations to southwest Tulsa. Shortly after, the building became the Mathews Automotive Warehouse.

In 2007 the George Kaiser Family Foundation purchased the building and transformed it into what is now the Woody Guthrie Center, 108 Contemporary art gallery and the Henry Zarrow Center for Arts and Education. The National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior deemed the building a “certified historic structure” in 2010. TP

COURTESY TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM

STORY AND COMPOSITE IMAGE BY PATRICK MCNICHOLAS

Float Coat™

“Why does watching a dog be a dog fill one with happiness?”

– J.S. Foer SUMMER GOODIES come see our seasonal toys and dog fashion!

Do you need a reason to spoil your pet?

1778 Utica Square 918-624-2600 Open Mon-Sat, 10-6