Lodge Scott and his girlfriend Anna Wager spent several hours decorating the window downtown.
The Christmas Display is dedicated to the memory of Lodge’s grandfather,
Steve “Choo Choo” Chatham.
Every year Steve would set up the window display during the Christmas season.
In addition to books, the Waurika Public Library also has movies on DVD and Blu-ray available for checkout. Recently we’ve added ‘God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness’ to our collection. This third installment of the popular God’s Not Dead series follows Rev. Dave Hill as he faces an unexpected setback when his beloved church burns down — prompting the officials at the adjoining university to try and kick his congregation off campus. Battle lines are quickly drawn between the church and the community as the reverend now finds himself at odds with his longtime friend — the president of the school. Facing a legal battle, Hill soon seeks help from his estranged brother — a big-city lawyer and atheist — in a fight to help rebuild the church.
The FRIENDS of the Waurika Public Library Fall Used Book Sale is almost here! On Saturday, October 20th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., we will have a wide selection of used books for sale at the annex across from the library. Hard cover books are $1, paperbacks are $.50, and movies start at $2. Proceeds from the Used Book Sale support programs like Summer Reading, Dr. Seuss’ Birthday, Santa’s Workshop and more. If you would like to volunteer for events and programs or make a donation, visit the library or call us at 580-228-3274 for more information.
Story Time is held every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. for children and toddlers. Each week we read stories, and have games and puzzles for the children to play with after reading.
For information about events, activities and more, visit our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaurikaPublicLibrary/
Quote of the Day– Security mostly is a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. -Helen Keller
Terral First Baptist GA’s- We will have our Valentine’s day party on Friday, Feb. 14 in the church basement at 7:00 p.m. dinner will be served promptly at 7:00 p.m. Fun and games will follow dinner. Once you arrive you cannot leave the building unless accompanied by an adult or parent. All kids will ve taken home after the event is over.
Happy Birthday to You- Charlie Barrett III will celebrate on the 31st.
Happy Anniversary to You- Martin Carrie Villarreal will celebrate on the 27th.
Community Prayer List- Tom Smith, Tooter Alsup, Joni Collins, Mark Hoffman, Lonnie Wells, Teresea Sexton, A.R. and Martha Jane Goates, Wayne Wyler, Pat Bussry, Tony Rodriguez, Scotty Day, Sue Linton, Martin Villarreal, Sr.., Joe Martin, Adam White, Mary Loo Duke, Virginia Tanner, Darlene Hall, T.k. Delaney, Manuel Villarreal, Shawna Reed, Hardy Johnson and our military stationed around the world- Kurtis Morgan, Scott Mclver & Chris Cox.
Our Prayer is for God to keep you in his loving care.
Everyone is invited to attend the 5th Sunday Singing this Sunday evening beginning at 6:00 pm at the Presbyterian Church across from the Post Office in Waurika. Refreshments provided by the First United Methodist Church of Waurika.
We are so blessed around here. We’ve had several pretty good rains this past week. We’ve been so fortunate not to have any really bad weather around here. You drive north on Hwy 81 up to Duncan, and look at the trees and branches that have been either uprooted or broken off of trees. I don’t know when they had winds that did all of that damage in the park across the street from Homeland Grocery store. There was a big tree laying across a creek there in that park. If we had winds here in Ryan, I must have slept through them.
I missed the hamburger/hot dog feed they had at our county barn this past Saturday afternoon. Ricky Martin was hosting this event to display the barn that they built. They worked hard on it to get it done, but they did a good job. I’m sure Ricky had his hands in on it, too. Ricky, along with his county employees, are all very hard workers.
Kim invited me to attend a church service with her Sunday over at Corum Assembly of God Church. She and I joined Lynn and Joyce Plant, Calvin Hampton, and Stacy Dalton, in Waurika to ride the rest of the way to Corum in their van. When we got to the church, Kay and Jim Shults were there. They have been members of this church since October. Jim played his electric guitar, and later in the service, they sang a song together. It was a blessing to get to listen to their talent, as well as some young girls that sang. Calvin played the piano for the service and he is blessed with a terrific musical talent, too. The main reason I wanted to go though, was that Kim told me that she was going to give her testimony during this service. She got up and did such a great job. Her dad, Rash, was there to witness her during this special occasion. Kim has given her life to Christ, and what an inspiration she is. I wish there had been more young people present for this service to hear her talk about the life she left behind, to find a new life that has been filled with the Holy Spirit. Kay told me that she has retired from teaching now, and looks forward to getting to spend more time with Jim. Kay has been a special education teacher for the Ryan Public School for many years. I hope that they find someone that is as dedicated to their profession and most importantly, that loves and cares about the students as much as what Kay has. It certainly takes a special person to teach students that have special needs. Prayers to Kay as she begins her retirement.
This past week, Ryan teachers had a retirement get-together to honor Frank Holland. He has been a janitor for Ryan Public School for many years. Prayers for Frank as he begins his life of retirement.
This next Monday is Memorial Day and our banks, post office, Ryan Drug Store, Ryan Medical Clinic, Ryan Family Care clinics, and Ryan City Hall will all be closed that day.
On Friday, June 1, our local merchants will be having a sidewalk sale. How long has it been since Ryan had a sidewalk sale? A long time.
This Saturday afternoon, Brionna and I will be going to attend the wedding of Morgan Good and Jim Roberts in Henrietta, TX. Congratulations and God’s blessings on their marriage.
If you missed the Royal wedding this past Saturday morning, it was fantastic. What a wedding! They said that there were more people watching this wedding than did Prince William and Princess Kate’s, or Princess Dianna and Prince Charles’s weddings. Megan was a beautiful bride. It’ll be interesting watching their lives together unfolding over time. She is 36 and Prince Harry is 33. They are very excited about starting a family together.
Kim’s news for this week:
I am blessed to be able to have coffee at the Cowboy College Table.
Taking care of a horse or a cow, sitting there, one can learn how.
Thanks Mollye for riding with me Sunday to Corum to give my testimony. I was also glad to see my dad.
Everyone have a blessed week. Pray for rain and for each other.
Oklahoma Rural Rehabilitation Corporation (ORRC), located in Stillwater, has completed processing scholarships to Oklahoma farm and rural students who graduated from high school this spring. Of the 248 applications received, 168 scholarships totaling $75,400 were approved to assist students entering college or a technical school in Oklahoma. ORRC began its scholarship program in 1968 and a cumulative total of over $3.7 million has been awarded to students.
Oklahoma Rural Rehabilitation Corporation is a non-profit corporation established by the federal government in 1934 to assist farmers and rural communities.
The corporation has been self-sustaining since then by investing in loans to assist farmers and ranchers. Profits from these loans have been used for the scholarship program,
a community development grant program, grants to the Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program and other programs to assist farmers, ranchers and rural communities.
The ORRC is assisted with its scholarship program by the USDA Farm Service and USDA Rural Development Agencies, as well as various participating banks. We at ORRC would like to extend sincere thanks to these agencies for their participation in organizing the collection of applications and distribution of scholarship funds.
You may have seen several groups of unfamiliar faces wandering up and down Waurika’s Main Street over the course of 3 days last week and wondered what they were up to.
No, they weren’t from the tax office looking to raise your bill. They weren’t investors looking to buy Main Street. But they definitely DID come to invest in Waurika!
Staff members of the University of Oklahoma’s Institute for Quality Communities and design students from the Gibbs College of Architecture brought their considerable observation, design and analysis talents to downtown to engage with our community as a unique part of our ongoing Waurika rejuvenation efforts. And engage they did!
The visits began last Tuesday as 7 team members arrived at the Main St. office of Brickstreet South, Jacob Eck’s website and graphic design studio. After brief introductions, the group of 3 IQC staff members, 4 design students and Chamber board members Jacob Eck and Lauren Nitschke launched out on a 75 minute walking tour of Main Street that included our new Farmers Market space, The Lawn, the County Courthouse and Sorosis Park. Our visitors were particularly intrigued by our local ranch-sponsored benches, the large metalwork cattle mural on the north face of Sorosis Park and by our art deco inspired, and largely original, 1931 Courthouse. Interestingly, architect Ron Frantz noted that one of the architects listed on the cornerstone was also involved in the design of the Oklahoma State Capitol building!
Following a lunch meeting at the Circle D Café where several community stake-holders gathered to share their thoughts about various downtown planning subjects, the OU group returned to Jacob’s office to begin compiling comments and observations into meaningful topics for the evening’s public workshop at City Hall.
The workshop did not disappoint! Over a dozen residents convened Tuesday evening for a lively session filled with opportunities to learn more about our downtown from “fresh eyes”, and to participate in several interactive work areas where topics included everything from fleshing out information about our calendar of community events, to voicing opinions about favorite places to enjoy downtown, to what we see as real needs on Main Street and beyond. The evening concluded with reports from several attendees who had been led on a quick tour of our outdoor downtown gathering places during the meeting time. There was so much to be shared, it was challenging to bring our conversations to a close for the night!
Wednesday morning, the IQC group huddled again in the Brickstreet South office, working feverishly on their lunchtime presentation at Doc’s Place to another group of stakeholders. They presented relevant statistics such as daily traffic counts on Highways 70 and 81 (over 3000 vehicles each!) and how many residents live and work in Waurika versus those who live here and work elsewhere and vice versa. Maps and overlays were shared, as well as numerous photos, sketches and interesting observations about our beautiful town. Attendees were informed of the next steps the IQC study group will be taking toward the goal of presenting their findings and recommendations at a public meeting in early 2019.
Round 2 of IQC’s Waurika study took place on Saturday morning as 28 Environmental Design and City Planning students plus 2 of the same IQC staffers arrived on Main Street to undertake a unique historic building architectural survey. It began with the large contingent touring 4 blocks of Main Street with Jacob Eck and Lauren Nitschke providing historical context and other information about many of the buildings. Several downtown building owners were so generous to allow the team access inside their properties and the group was delighted by what they found: high ceilings with other design features that allowed for natural air flow, original, stained wood trim, high light-emitting transom windows on storefronts that had long since been covered over with huge awning structures, gorgeous wood floors and cavernous spaces just waiting for new uses.
The group was also treated to the Brickstreet Classic Car Show taking place on the north end of Main, along with the accompanying burger lunch and Volunteer Fire Departments’ BBQ Cook-Off.
The architectural survey work took place after lunch with the team breaking into small groups targeting the various structures. The results of their survey
work and extensive historical research will also be presented early next year and will provide the type of documentation necessary if Waurika leaders and property owners decide to pursue state and national historic designation opportunities.
Another benefit of IQC’s partnership with Waurika is their ability to help us locate and match grant possibilities to our unique architectural and city planning situations. We look forward with great anticipation and excitement to their upcoming presentation next year and are very grateful for the encouragement and help they are providing our community.
Waurikans can be very proud of the efforts undertaken over previous months in our town to make such a positive impression on this large group of design- and historically-savvy individuals. It was heard quite a few times over the past week the enthusiastic exclamations of “I want to live here!” and “This is such a cool town!”. As the final day wrapped up, doctoral candidate Petya Stefanoff lavished praise on Waurika’s progress so far on creating a beautiful city and our ability to work together so well toward the greater goal of “community”. She further encouraged us by exclaiming, “Keep up the good work, Waurika!”
And with our amazing community of creative, energetic and involved residents, we’ll do just that!
It’s been a really awesome week. We’ve had more rain, our grass is green, and lawns are in desperate need of being mowed (at least my lawn is). I got on my riding lawn mower Sunday afternoon and mowed a 15 foot strip beside my driveway before the mower died. I couldn’t get it started again after numerous tries. It would turn, but, it just wouldn’t start. So, it is still sitting where it died. I moved it about 4 feet off the patch of grass it was sitting on so that I could mow it with my trusty push mower. It makes from a 3 hour job riding to an 8 hour job pushing. I will call Sears and get them to come out and get it going, but, that usually takes about 2 weeks to get that scheduled and I would have a jungle before then. I am getting it done, anyway.
This weekend is the wedding day for Macie Wright and Austin Masoner. Their wedding is to take place just outside of Marlow on Saturday evening.
Ryan has lost another one of our great legends. Raymon West passed away Sunday morning. Raymon was a part of our community for I don’t even know how many years. He served in the military, taught school, and became an administrator in the Ryan Public School, then was employed at ASCOG after he retired from his job as the superintendent of Ryan Public School. Raymon had some very interesting things to tell about what all he went through regarding his life. He fits into the same highly respected class, along with Bob Givens, in my opinion. Even after Raymon’s mind had been invaded by the Alzheimer’s disease, I had gone to visit him while he was a resident of the Cherry Street Assisted Living Facility in Nocona, and he had a photo album in his room that he showed me. He was so very proud of all of his accomplishments and his children and grandchildren, and great grandchildren. His celebration of his life will be Wednesday this week at the First Baptist Church in Ryan. Prayers to the West family during their loss.
I am still being hopeful that someone might want to come into this community and take over my pharmacy so we won’t even have to close our doors at the Ryan Drug Store. I will ask for folks to please be in prayer that the Lord will take care of this situation for this little community. I keep moving the date of closing, thinking that there will be an answer to my prayers, and I will continue to be patient during this time.
Kim’s news for this week:
This week I can’t complain, because of all the needed rain.
Every morning Foxy & I go to the barn together and ride in the nice cool weather.
Summer weather has almost parted and shorter days and longer nights have started.
Everyone have a blessed week. Pray for rain and for each other.
Diabetes affects as many as one in four older adults with Medicare. It costs hundreds of billions of dollars to treat and results in the loss of tens of thousands of lives every year.
If we could better control diabetes, we’d be taking a huge leap toward creating a healthier America.
Diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t respond to the insulin it does make. Insulin is what your body uses to process sugar and turn it into energy.
When too much sugar stays in your blood, it can lead to serious complications and even life-threatening problems, including heart disease, strokes and kidney damage.
Medicare is committed to fighting the diabetes epidemic.
If you’re on Medicare and at risk for diabetes, you’re covered for two blood sugar screenings each year at no out-of-pocket cost to you. Risk factors include high blood pressure, a history of abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, obesity or a history of high blood sugar.
If you’re diagnosed with diabetes, Medicare will help pay for blood sugar self-testing equipment and supplies, as well as insulin and other anti-diabetic drugs. In the event of diabetic foot disease, it will also help pay for therapeutic shoes or inserts as long as your podiatrist prescribes them.
Because living with diabetes can pose day-to-day challenges, Medicare covers a program to teach you how to manage the disease. With a written order from your physician, you can sign up for training that includes tips for monitoring blood sugar, taking medication and eating healthy.
If you’d like to learn more about how to control diabetes, visit Medicare’s website at www.medicare.gov or call Medicare’s 24/7 help line at 1-800-633-4227 and visit with a counselor.
In addition to the 30 million Americans with diabetes, another 86 million live with a condition known as pre-diabetes, where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis.
Pre-diabetes is treatable. But only one in 10 people with the condition will even know they have it. Left untreated, one in three will develop the full-blown disease within several years.
Confronted with those statistics, Medicare is ramping up its efforts to prevent diabetes among the millions of Medicare beneficiaries who are at a heightened risk of developing it.
Several years ago, Medicare partnered with YMCAs nationwide to launch an initiative for patients with pre-diabetes. The pilot project showed that older people could lose weight through lifestyle counseling and regular meetings that stressed healthy eating habits and exercise.
About half of the participants shed an average of 5 percent of their weight, which health authorities say is enough to substantially reduce the risk of full-blown diabetes. Through adopting a healthier lifestyle, people diagnosed with pre-diabetes can delay the onset of the disease.
Based on the trial program’s encouraging results, Medicare is now expanding its coverage for diabetes prevention. Using the pilot project as a model, it will help pay for a counseling program aimed at improving beneficiaries’ nutrition, increasing their physical activity and reducing stress.
If you have Medicare’s Part B medical insurance and are pre-diabetic, you’ll be able to enroll in a series of coaching sessions lasting one to two years and conducted by health care providers as well as community organizations like local senior centers. There will be no out-of-pocket cost.
Medicare is currently recruiting partners to offer the program so that it will be widely available to beneficiaries.
Diabetes can be a terribly debilitating disease. It can mean a lifetime of tests, injections and health challenges. Every five minutes in this country, 14 more adults are diagnosed with it. And in the same five minutes, two more people will die from diabetes-related causes.
If we can prevent more diabetes cases before they even start, we can help people live longer and fuller lives, as well as save money across our health care system.
OKLAHOMA CITY, May 17 – The 91st class of outstanding Oklahomans have been selected for induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. These accomplished Oklahomans will join the 691 individuals who have been inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame since 1928. The Honorees were officially announced at a luncheon on May 17th, hosted by the Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum. New inductees were presented to a roomful of past Oklahoma Hall of Fame Honorees.
“It’s incredibly inspirational to be surrounded by such an accomplished group of people who have literally created our history,” said Shannon L. Rich, president and CEO of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and Gaylord-Pickens Museum. “The Oklahoma Hall of Fame announcement luncheon gives past inductees the first opportunity to congratulate the new class.”
The 2018 Oklahoma Hall of Fame Honorees are: Paul Allen, Enid; Mo Anderson, Waukomis; Ree Drummond, Pawhuska; David Rainbolt, Oklahoma City; Jon R. Stuart, Tulsa; Carrie Underwood, Checotah; and Charlie Christian, Oklahoma City, will be inducted posthumously. The 2018 Class will be formally inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 15, in Tulsa.
The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 with the purpose of honoring Oklahomans in their lifetime with the state’s highest honor and educating Oklahoma’s youth on our rich history. The Gaylord-Pickens Museum, home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, opened in 2007 with the intent of giving the public access to the stories of these and other inspirational Oklahomans.
“Being inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame is Oklahoma’s Highest Honor” Rich said. “The recognition of our state’s greatest asset – our people – is the foundation upon which our organization was created.”
Along with being honored at the formal induction ceremony, the 2018 Honorees will be recognized in November with the unveiling of their portraits at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. In addition, their biographies, photos and videos will be accessible through interactive exhibits in the Museum.
The 91st Oklahoma Hall of Fame Banquet & Induction Ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 15, at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center. In celebration of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame’s 91stinduction ceremony, past inductees Becky Dixon and Jane Jayroe Gamble will serve as emcees.
For more information about the Oklahoma Hall of Fame Banquet & Induction Ceremony or making a nomination to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, contact Brenda Schwartz, director of Honoree Relations, at 405.523.3209 or bbs@oklahomahof.com. Tickets and table sponsorships for the event will go on sale August 24. For more information about the Oklahoma Hall of Fame or Gaylord-Pickens Museum, call 405.235.4458 or visit OklahomaHoF.com.
Biographical information on the 2018 Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductees:
Paul Allen | Enid
Born and raised on the family farm in northeast Nebraska, Paul Allen worked on the farm until leaving for the University of Nebraska. After earning his business degree he was hired by the George A. Hormel Company, working in Fremont, Nebraska and Austin, Minnesota, before relocating to Oklahoma City in 1967 to manage the Hormel production plant.
Seven years later he and Dave McLauglin co-founded Advance Food Company in Enid, quickly making the community home. The company was sold in 2010 with approximately $800 million in sales and 2400 employees. Today the business is owned by Tyson Foods.
Allen’s contributions to Enid include $1-million to launch Enid Public Schools’ $90-million bond issue; supporting Forgotten Ministries, a home for newly-released, non-violent offenders; the relocation and renovation of Enid Symphony Hall, our state’s longest-performing symphony; leading a $4-million capital campaign for the YMCA; the creation of a $2-million scholarship fund for Enid-area graduating seniors; and the construction of The David Allen Memorial Ballpark, dedicated to their late son. The $3-million ballpark annually hosts the National Junior College Division II World Series.
Allen has been inducted to the Enid Hall of Fame and received the Pillar of the Plains Award. He remains in Enid with his wife Joan and has two sons, seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
Mo Anderson | Waukomis
The youngest of five born to tenant farmers in rural Oklahoma, Mo Anderson was the first in her family to earn a college degree. She taught elementary school before entering the world of real estate. Her first Century 21 franchise quickly rose to the third-highest producing of the company’s 7,500 locations in North America. She served on the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission, including two terms as chairman, and convinced Keller Williams Realty Co-founder Gary Keller to expand outside of Texas. Anderson became the regional director for Oklahoma and the co-owner of two local market centers. In 1995, she became president, CEO, and partner of Keller Williams Realty and in 2005 was named vice chairman of the board where she continues to focus on nurturing and growing the company’s culture.
As author of A Joy-filled Life: Lessons of a Tenant Farmer’s Daughter who became a CEO, Anderson currently is touring North America speaking about her book in a presentation called 7 Pillars of a Joy-filled Life, encapsulating the lessons she has learned over her lifetime. She also has launched MoAnderson.com, an on-line community allowing her to fulfill her dream of mentoring others. Splitting her time between homes in Edmond and Austin, Texas, Anderson is actively involved in both communities.
Ree Drummond | Pawhuska
An award-winning blogger, photographer, and celebrity chef from Bartlesville who first grew a fan base around her award-winning blog, “The Pioneer Woman,” Ree Drummond launched her career when she began writing about life as a cattle rancher’s wife on their Osage County cattle ranch. As her content grew, including a food section filled with recipes, so did her fan base—eventually attracting over 20 million page views per month. This led to cookbook deals and her first televised appearance on the Food Network’s Throwdown! With Bobby Flay in 2010, where she beat the celebrity chef in a Thanksgiving-themed cooking contest. The following year, her successful television series, The Pioneer Woman was launched.
In 2016, Ree opened the The Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, home of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Known as “The Merc,” the 25,000-square-foot historical building, purchased and renovated by the Drummonds, includes a two-level restaurant, retail store, and bakery. The Merc attracts visitors from all fifty states, and many countries, to Pawhuska and the surrounding area. Earlier this year, she opened The Boarding House—a three-story, eight-room hotel right down the street from the Mercantile, and will open a pizza restaurant, event space, and steakhouse in Pawhuska later this year. Ree lives on the family ranch with her husband Ladd and their four children.
David Rainbolt | Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City’s David Rainbolt graduated from the University of Oklahoma and the Tulane University Graduate School of Business. After starting his banking career in Texas, he moved back home to Oklahoma in 1982 and began working to modernize the state’s banking laws. He was CFO of the founding management team of United Community Corporation and, in 1992, became chief executive officer of BancFirst, its successor company. During his 25 years as CEO, the company went public, expanded into metropolitan areas, and closed 34 acquisitions, growing from less than $700 million to over $7 billion at the time he became executive chairman in 2017.
Outside of banking, Rainbolt has been active in nonpartisan reform efforts, including civil justice, criminal justice, and common and higher education issues, most recently including Step Up Oklahoma. His civic involvement includes chairing the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce, Last Frontier Council of Boy Scouts, United Way of Central Oklahoma, the Children’s Center Foundation, Downtown Oklahoma City Incorporated, and Oklahoma Bankers Association. He is currently chairman of the Dean McGee Eye Institute.
With his wife Kim, Rainbolt has three sons, making him a little league baseball coach for 24 years, and two grandsons.
Jon R. Stuart | Tulsa
Adopted as an infant in Norway and brought home to Tulsa, Stuart was educated in Tulsa, and at the Culver Military Academy, the University of Oklahoma, and The University of Tulsa. As chairman of the board and chief executive officer of First Stuart Corporation, Stuart is continuing in the family business. He also is the managing partner of Jon R. Stuart Interests, L.L.C., its primary focus on energy, and is a trustee for the Stuart Family Foundation.
Appointed by His Royal Highness King Harald VI of Norway, Stuart serves as the Royal Norwegian Consul for Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. He served on the City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority Board for more than 25 years, including five years as chairman. The Port of Catoosa’s Maritime Park is named for him. He has served on the Gilcrease Museum National Advisory Board and the Committee of 100—Tulsa, as a trustee for Boston Avenue United Methodist Church and Philbrook Museum of Art, as well as the Falcon Foundation in Colorado Springs, and served two terms on the University of Oklahoma’s Board of Regents.
He and his wife, DeeDee, continue to make their home in Tulsa. Stuart is a third-generation inductee, following his grandfather W. G. Skelly, inducted in 1939, and his father, Harold C. Stuart, in 1983.
Carrie Underwood | Checotah
Carrie Underwood emerged from the promise of her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, and film. A seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner, she has sold 64 million records worldwide and recorded 26 #1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote. In 2013, the Grand Ole Opry member starred as Maria von Trapp in NBC’s three-hour holiday blockbuster, the Emmy®-winning The Sound of Music Live!, whose airings attracted 44 million viewers.
Her latest platinum studio album, Storyteller, produced four #1 hits. 2017 marked her fifth season as the voice of primetime television’s #1 program, Sunday Night Football, and last November, she co-hosted the CMA Awards for the tenth consecutive year. Earlier this year, she released the hit event anthem “The Champion” featuring Ludacris, which she co-wrote to open Super Bowl LII and was incorporated into NBC’s coverage of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Her sixth studio album, “Cry Pretty,” will be released on September 14, 2018, on Capitol Records Nashville. She recently premiered the powerful title track and first single from the album, which she co-wrote and co-produced.
POSTHUMOUS
Charlie Christian | Oklahoma City
Born in Bonham, Texas, Oklahoma City became Charlie Christian’s home at the age of two. From a musical family, Christian first began playing the trumpet and at age 12 was playing a cigar box guitar he made himself. When his father and brothers formed a quartet, Christian received his first real guitar as a member of the group. They played Oklahoma City clubs, including those in historic Deep Deuce, before Christian’s reputation spread and he began touring across the United States before moving to California at the age of 23.
Christian had changed the way the guitar was played, he brought it to the forefront as a solo instrument, amplified its sound, and changed what it could do with his single-string solo technique. Christian played with the greats—including Jimmy Rushing, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman. Even today, courses on and the techniques of Christian are taught in universities and studios worldwide.
Carlos Santana has talked about the influence Christian had on him; B. B. King said he just wanted to be able to play like him, but never could; and the Jazz at Lincoln Center curator said he changed the sound of music forever. Who would have ever imagined that at the time of his death, at only 25, young Charlie Christian would be respected worldwide as the “Father of Bebop” and an inspiration to the greats that followed?
