OurStory - Oklahoma City Community Foundation

OurStory
Celebrating 40 Years
of Helping the Community
Welcome
We have always known that the story of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation is best told
through our donors and their own stories. It’s their passion, generosity and thoughtfulness that
make what we do possible.
Since our founding in 1969, we have been fortunate to work with thousands of donors who want
to help their community through charitable giving. In this publication we are sharing a selection
of donor stories from our first 40 years as a way to illustrate the impact of a single gift on the lives
of many. May these stories serve as examples of how future donors can realize their charitable
dreams through the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and become part of Our Story.
Nancy B. Anthony
Executive Director
Contents
1969
1
The Nineties
2
John & Susan Frank
Jerry Cooper
Classen ’55 Scholars Award
Sally Jo Langston
Jim & LaVerna Cobb
John & Eleanor Kirkpatrick
The Seventies
Muriel H. Wright
George & Ruth Bozalis
Doug & Peggy Cummings
The Shirk Family
Maimee Lee Browne
The Eighties
Curt Schwartz
Mary & Spencer Sessions
Roberta Eldridge Miller
Barth & Linda Bracken
Tom & Gladys Seale
The New Century
8
Judge Eugene Mathews
Charles & Mary Lou Miles
John & Joy Reed Belt
Dean Wild
James & Virginia Meade
14
22
Our Story
1969
John & Eleanor Kirkpatrick: Our Founders
Our Story begins in the 1960s when John and
Eleanor Kirkpatrick asked attorney Don Ellison to
investigate the benefits of a community foundation
for Oklahoma City. A concept that has been around
since the early 1900s, community foundations were
growing as popular alternatives for charitable giving
as new tax laws began putting restrictions on private
foundations and individual gifts to charities.
The Kirkpatricks, longtime philanthropists,
understood the importance of a community entity
through which individual donors could support
nonprofit organizations and projects. They wanted
to provide an entity with its own systems of checks
and balances over which no one faction could gain
control. They also envisioned an organization that
would have the flexibility to adapt to changing
needs in the community and that would preserve a
donor’s original intent. For several years, Mr. Ellison
and Mr. Kirkpatrick examined the workings of the
country’s most successful and respected community
foundations and began slowly building the framework
of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
Banker Jack Abernathy, a longtime friend of Mr.
Kirkpatrick’s and one of the founding Trustees said
of his initial experience on the board: “I didn’t see
how this thing would ever get off the ground. John is
a very hard person to say no to but he never seemed
to have any doubts whether it would work.” Mr.
Abernathy would go on to say that the early success of
the organization was due to the degree to which donor
wishes were honored and also to the Kirkpatricks’
John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick with attorney Don Ellison.
ability to enlist volunteer manpower and financial
support from a wide variety of the public.
There is no question that without the Kirkpatrick
family’s vision, leadership and generosity, the
Oklahoma City Community Foundation would not
be the organization it is today. But just as John and
Eleanor Kirkpatrick had hoped, it is through the
gifts of many donors that we are able to make a
significant impact on the community and will for
many years to come. Our Story is but a reflection of
the unique and generous donors, organizations and
businesses with whom we have been honored to
work with since 1969.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 1
2 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Our Story
The Seventies
Muriel H. Wright: Preserving History
Proud of her Choctaw heritage, Muriel H. Wright devoted her life’s work to
preserving our state’s American Indian history. Born prior to statehood in
Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Ms. Wright’s mother was a Presbyterian
missionary teacher and her father was a notable Choctaw politician and
physician. She was educated at Wheaton Seminary in Massachusetts, returned
to Oklahoma and completed a teacher education course in 1912 at East Central
Normal School, later East Central University in Ada. Ms. Wright taught English
and history, and served as principal at various Oklahoma public schools during a
time when it was a rarity among women.
Preserving her biracial identity played a primary role throughout Ms. Wright’s
career. She proudly boasted that her lineage included passengers aboard the
Mayflower as well as a principal chief of the Choctaw Nation who is credited with
suggesting the name Oklahoma for the state. She was very active in the Choctaw
Nation, holding many offices and participating in tribal policymaking.
Her passion for Oklahoma history led her to publish various articles and books on the subject, including
three textbooks that were used in Oklahoma public schools. In 1923, Ms. Wright began writing for The
Chronicles of Oklahoma, the quarterly journal of the Oklahoma Historical Society, and in 1943 took over
editorial duties for the publication although she was not officially named editor until 1955. Throughout her
writings she emphasized topics such as the influence of Indian history on the state, biographies of notable
women and historic preservation.
“It is a shame that all the old-timers are not interviewed before they pass on,” said Ms. Wright. “For when
they go, much of the history of the Indian Territory and early days in Oklahoma will be lost.”
It was her objective to preserve and promote public awareness of the unique history of our state. In 1951, her
book “A Guide to the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma” was published and remains a standard reference material
today on the subject of American Indian history. Ms. Wright also conducted most of the initial research for
the Oklahoma Historical Society’s historic marker program that identifies historical sites across the state. She
established a notable career in historical literature at a time when it was almost exclusively dominated by men.
Honors she received included the University of Oklahoma’s Distinguished Service Award, an honorary doctorate
degree from Oklahoma City University and induction into the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame.
Upon her retirement in 1972, the Oklahoma Historical Society established the Muriel H. Wright Heritage
Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to support an annual publications award. Following her
death in 1975, memorial contributions further funded the endowment ensuring that this great Oklahoman’s
legacy will long be remembered.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 3
The Seventies
pHOTO COURTESY OU hEALTH SCIENCES CENTER
George & Ruth Bozalis:
Supporting Their Community
Dr. George and Ruth Bozalis established an endowment
in 1976 to benefit allergy research.
Dr. George and Ruth Bozalis
George Bozalis was a quiet, dignified and dedicated
doctor. His wife, Ruth Russell Bozalis was an outgoing
and gracious woman who loved people and never wanted
to miss a function. “My daughter-in-law said it best when
she described mother as ‘the ultimate party girl with not
enough parties to go to’,” shared Dr. John Bozalis, the
couple’s eldest of their three children. “Dad was very
bright but very private, a real behind-the-scenes person.”
Married for 58 years, the couple believed in giving back
to their community.
Born in 1910, George Bozalis earned undergraduate
and medical degrees from the University of Oklahoma.
Following post-graduate study in St. Louis, he served as
the chief resident of the St. Louis Municipal Contagious
Disease until he joined the Army Medical Corps in 1940.
During World War II, Col. Bozalis served in the Third Army
under Gen. George S. Patton and was awarded five battle
stars and a Bronze Star Medal. He returned to Oklahoma
City to practice medicine and in 1954 founded the
Oklahoma Allergy Clinic.
Ruth Russell’s parents made the Oklahoma Land Run
in 1889. Born in 1911 in McAlester, Ruth moved with
her family to Oklahoma City in 1917 where she attended
Classen High School. A graduate of the Oklahoma
College for Women, she married George Bozalis in 1937.
While George was a reserved individual, Ruth illustrated
her interest in the community through involvement in
numerous civic and arts organizations, never seeming
to tire. “At age 95, she could cover more ground than
people my age,” John Bozalis said of his mother. “She
had just an amazing level of energy.”
Longtime friends of John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick,
Dr. and Mrs. Bozalis established an endowment at
the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in 1976 to
benefit allergy research at the University of Oklahoma
Health Sciences Center. George Bozalis died in 1995 but
his work continues at the Oklahoma Allergy Clinic now
under the direction of his son, John. Ruth Bozalis died
in 2009, the day after her 98th birthday.
4 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
pHOTO COURTESY boy scouts america - last frontier council
Our Story
The Boy Scouts of America - Last Frontier Council is one of several organizations Doug and Peggy Cummings support through
their advised fund.
Doug & Peggy Cummings: Giving Back to Help Others
Oklahoma native Doug Cummings
grew up in the oil patch. His father was
an oil field foreman and during Doug’s
early childhood, his family frequently
moved from one job site to another
throughout Oklahoma and Kansas. He
met his wife, Peggy, after moving to
Crescent. They both graduated from
Crescent High School and attended
the University of Oklahoma, where
Doug received his bachelor’s degree in
Doug & Peggy Cummings
geological engineering.
Doug and Peggy were married in 1951 and shortly
thereafter Doug served two years as an officer in
the U.S. Army, where he was stationed in both
Japan and Korea. After returning home, he joined
Kirkpatrick Oil Company where he worked for
18 years as a geological engineer. In 1972, he
established the family business, Cummings Oil
Company, in Oklahoma City and still runs the
company today along with his two
sons, Brent and Sean.
In 1974, Mr. and Mrs. Cummings
established an advised fund at the
Oklahoma City Community Foundation
through which they support a number
of charitable organizations, including
the Boy Scouts of America - Last Frontier
Council. “Growing up in a small town,
I never really had the opportunity to
participate in Boy Scouts,” says Doug. “I
was always disappointed that we weren’t
able to get a group established, and I
want to make sure that every young man can have that
experience I missed out on.”
Additionally, the couple has made grants to a variety
of charitable programs including a gift to support
collaborative performances of Ballet Oklahoma,
Canterbury Choral Society and the Oklahoma City
Philharmonic Orchestra.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 5
The Seventies
The Shirk Family: Preserving a Family Legacy
Former Oklahoma City mayor George Shirk
the Oklahoma City Council of Camp Fire Girls, a
was devoted to his community. During his
position she held until her retirement in 1979.
tenure as mayor, beginning in 1964, he
Both George and Lucyl were passionate about
worked to redevelop Oklahoma City and
Oklahoma history. George served as president
helped shape downtown into the area we
Carrie Shirk of the Oklahoma Historical Society and
know today. Mr. Shirk’s efforts to advance the
authored several books and articles detailing
city eventually led to the construction of the
the state’s history, and Lucyl published a
Kerr-McGee Tower, Liberty Tower and Myriad
history of Oklahoma City that was used in
Botanical Gardens. He was also instrumental
Oklahoma public junior high schools.
in the creation of the Historic Preservation
Commission which is credited with saving the George Shirk In 1970, George and Lucyl established the
Carrie Shirk Memorial Fund at the Oklahoma
city’s historic neighborhoods and buildings
City Community Foundation in memory of
including the Colcord building, Overholser
their mother. The fund supports the Fund for
Mansion and Harn Homestead.
Oklahoma City which addresses the changing
A first generation Oklahoman, George’s parents
needs and opportunities in the community. Upon
John and Carrie came to Indian Territory in
Lucyl Shirk George’s death in 1977, a bequest in his estate
1903. He and his sister, Lucyl, followed in their
further supported the fund, as well as a variety
father’s footsteps and attended the University of
of charitable organization endowments. Following
Oklahoma. George passed the bar exam in 1936 and
Lucyl’s death in 2008, memorial contributions
joined his father’s law firm of Shirk and Danner. Lucyl benefited the fund, ensuring the Shirk family’s legacy
was a teacher in the Oklahoma City public schools for and devotion to Oklahoma City will continue to impact
several years and in 1956 became executive director of our community well into the future.
Maimee Lee Browne: Making Dreams a Reality
Maimee Lee Browne was a lady who
truly lived her life to the fullest.
Armed with a positive attitude and
contagious enthusiasm, Mrs. Browne
dreamed of doing things that had not
been done and she did them.
education classes in Oklahoma City schools and later
helped to establish the city’s Planned Parenthood
Federation. A few years later, she organized and served
as president of the first chapter of the Oklahoma City
Women of Rotary. And through her tireless efforts, the
Redbud was named the official state tree in 1938.
Married for 62 years to Virgil
Browne and the mother of six children, Mrs. Browne
served many existing causes and initiated just as
many new ones. While living in Texas and Louisiana
she started a college savings program for public
school children. In 1922, she established the first
formal citizenship ceremony that remains the model
for our country’s naturalization ceremony.
“With her brilliant mind and unlimited energy, her
mind and hands never stopped. I don’t believe she ever
lost a moment of time in her life,” wrote her husband
in the introduction to a book of her poetry the family
published several years after her death in 1963. Not
long after the establishment of the Oklahoma City
Community Foundation in 1969, Mr. Browne established
an endowment in his wife’s memory. Fittingly, that
endowment supports the Fund for Oklahoma City which
is used by the Trustees to support innovative programs
and projects that benefit the overall community.
After the family moved to Oklahoma City in 1923,
she directed her attention toward starting parent
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The Seventies Donors Our Story
(The donors listed below contributed gifts to permanent endowment funds.)
1970
Jasper D. Ackerman | Jack T. & Gillette Conn | B.D. Eddie | Mr. & Mrs. Jean I. Everest | Edward King Gaylord
Jane & James G. Harlow Jr. | L.A. & Pansy E. Macklanburg | Oklahoma City Opera Association | Margaret K. Replogle
Carrie Shirk Memorial | Mr. & Mrs. M.A. Swatek Memorial | Mr. & Mrs. R. A. Young
1971
Luther T. Dulaney | Kerr-McGee Corporation | Dr. George Miksch Sutton | Herman & Mary Wegener Foundation
Florence Ogden Wilson
1972
Harold I. Josey | The Joullian Family | Norman A. & Emilie Morse | Mr. & Mrs. Morrison G. Tucker
1973
Jack H. Abernathy | Mamie Lee Browne | Pearl H. Crickard | Harvey P. & Ruth J. Everest | Sylvan N. Goldman |
Bruce H. & Frances R. Johnson | Hobart F. Landreth Memorial | Darwin & Eleanor J. Maurer | Mr. & Mrs. Dean A. McGee
Leonard H. Savage | Muriel H. Wright | Hosie C. Wynne
1974
Fisher & Jewell T. Ames | An-son Corporation | C. Wayne Barbour Memorial | David Blair Benham | Webster Lance Benham
Douglas R. & Peggy J. Cummings | Mr. & Mrs. C. Richard Ford | Christian K. Keesee | William M. Kilpatrick Memorial
Sarkeys Foundation | George & Sharon Seminoff | Ben Shanker & Bernard Shanker | Earl & Cornelia Sneed
Soroptimist Club of Oklahoma City | Berrien Kinnard Upshaw | Leon G. Voorhees Memorial | Ben C. & Addie Mae Wileman
1975
Jack D. & Anita Dahlgren | Mr. & Mrs. John Kilpatrick Jr. | Lucille E. Little | William B. & Virginia Morris
Charles & Alleyne Schweinle | Michael C. Thomas Family
1976
Dr. & Mrs. George S. Bozalis | John R. & Betty Browne | Virgil Browne | Yvonne Chouteau & Maria Tallchief
Tullos O. & Margaret L. Coston | R. L. Eldridge Memorial | Fred & Mary Eddy Jones Foundation
Robert S. & Grayce B. Kerr Foundation | Mr. & Mrs. John Bole Kirkpatrick | Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Kunc | Mary Macklanburg
William F. & Sally McNutt | Jerry & Vettye Morton | Helen Eason Murphy Memorial | Stephen B. Payne | William T. Payne
Pilot Club of Northwest Oklahoma City | Alice Sias Pippin | Ray & Pat Potts | Clarence & Beulah Roberts | John & Velma Roring
Willard & Lucille Scott | Seminoff Bowman & Associates | William F. & Pam Shdeed | William H. Taft Memorial
1977
Bachelors’ Club of Oklahoma City | Horace K. & Aileen Calvert | Logan W. Cary Memorial | Fern K. & R. Boze Cooper
Jack & June Durland | Florida M. Knight Trust | Perry A. & Mona S. Lambird | Robert E. & Jane Lee | Dorothy A. Paul
F.M. & Thelma Petree | Mr. & Mrs. W. T. Richardson | Morris & Libby Singer Foundation | Melvin & Dena Spencer
Charles & Lois Stuart | Mrs. R. T. Stuart | Guy B. & Louise Treat | Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence V. Van Horn | Roy G. & Alta Woods Memorial
1978
Mr. & Mrs. R.J. Clements | Richard & Mary Clements | William Rowe & Gretchen S. Cook | O. K. Detrick Foundation
Earl Q. & Lucile R. Gray | Dow Gumerson Memorial | Wann & Clara Langston | George H. Shirk | R. Emery & Mary Lee Smiser
Paul & Lillyanne Smith | Roy P. & June W. Stewart
1979
Marle & Kathleen Abshere | Tom S. & Marye Kate Aldridge | Marcus & Anne Barker | F.G. Blackwood | V. Ross Brown
C.B. Cameron Memorial | William B. & Helen P. Cleary | Bess M. Crane | James L. “Mike” & Pauline Early | Richard & Adeline Fleischaker
Mr. & Mrs. Carl S. Ford | Gosset/Boyer | Richard D. Harrison | Judge Robert Hefner Family | Mr. & Mrs. H.A. Hewett Jr.
Sarah & Dan Hogan III | Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Hoover Jr. | Walter Hunzicker | Mrs. Guy James | Emma Jordan Memorial | Lloyd Minter |
Don & Willadean Ramsey | Records-Johnston Family Foundation | Maxey & Norman Reynolds | J. B. Saunders | J. B. Saunders III
Richard E. & Geneva T. Swan | Mr. & Mrs. Jimmie C. Thomas | Tom A. Thomas Jr. | Dr. O. Alton & Dorothy Watson | Jerome Westheimer
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 7
pHOTO COURTESY Wendy lutz/lyric theatre
Two Thelma Gaylord Academy participants perform in Follow That Happy Ending, an original creation written by academy staff.
8 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Our Story
The Eighties
Curt Schwartz Lyric Theatre Scholarship Fund:
Encouraging Young Performers
Curt Schwartz was a performer. A commercial real estate developer by
day, the married father of two fueled his passion for theatre and live
performances through Lyric Theatre productions and as part of a two-man
comedy team.
Armed with a fine arts degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1960,
Curt quickly became active in local, state and national arts and cultural
organizations and served on numerous boards including the Arts Council
of Oklahoma City and Lyric Theatre. But performance was his calling.
With his close friend Larry Bledsoe, they created the comedy team
Schwartz & Bledsoe and performed across the country. He also appeared
in memorable leading roles in several Lyric Theatre productions
including Bye Bye Birdie and The Music Man and was the television and
radio spokesperson for a local car dealership for many years. Curt always
attributed his success as a performer to Maybelle Conger, his drama
teacher at Central High School.
When Curt died in 1985 in a commercial airline crash at the age of 46,
friends and family established a memorial fund at the Oklahoma City
Community Foundation to benefit the Lyric Theatre Academy. Each year
the academy, now known as the Thelma Gaylord Academy, offers classes
in acting, music, dance and theatre technology to more than 300 children,
ages 5-18, as well as adults. The Curt Schwartz Lyric Theatre Scholarship
Fund provides scholarships for children who would not otherwise be
able to attend the academy, thus encouraging the love of performance for
future generations.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 9
The Eighties
Mary & Spencer Sessions: Honoring a Couple’s Impact on Their Community
Education played a significant role
in the lives of Mary and Spencer
Sessions. Mary, a Guthrie native,
taught in the Guthrie Public Schools
for 18 years, and her husband
Spencer served on the Guthrie Board
of Education for 14 years, twice
holding the office of board president.
Originally from Texas, Spencer moved to Guthrie in the
1920s to work for a local bank and the two met while
Mary was attending the University of Oklahoma. They
were married in 1926 and Mary continued teaching in
the community until 1944. Mr. Sessions bought part
interest in Loy’s Hardware, later renamed Sessions
Hardware and Gifts. Following Spencer’s death in
1962, Mary continued to run the store to help support
her sons through college. After their youngest son’s
graduation, she sold the store and continued to remain
very active in the Guthrie community,
serving as a founding member of the
Logan County Historical Society. Mary
died in 1988.
In 1989, their sons John and Don
Sessions established the Mary
and Spencer Sessions Teaching
Award Fund at the Oklahoma City
Community Foundation in honor of their parents’
commitment to education. This fund supports an
annual award to the Guthrie Teacher of the Year for
curriculum, academic materials and training.
“These were two people who loved Oklahoma and
we wanted to do something to honor them,” says
Don Sessions. “They both had such an impact on
the people of Guthrie during their lives, we hope to
continue their legacy through this award.”
Roberta Eldridge Miller: A Passion for Art and her Community
As a child, Roberta Eldridge
Miller developed a deep passion
for art, and from her father,
a wealthy businessman, she
learned the importance of giving
back to the community. These
two factors would influence
Mrs. Miller’s charitable giving
throughout her life.
Born in Binger, Okla., where her parents owned several
businesses and oil and gas interests, Roberta Eldridge
studied art at Oklahoma City University. Married to
Navy officer Oscar H. Miller, M.D., the couple lived
in California until moving back to Oklahoma City in
1951. Once settled, Mrs. Miller returned to her love of
painting. An accomplished painter in her own right,
she encouraged new artists and would often purchase
their works. Mrs. Miller became a patron of art shows
throughout the country including the annual Prix
de West show at the National Cowboy and Western
Heritage Museum. She established the museum’s
10 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Robert and Grace Eldridge Gallery in memory of her
parents and supported many other museum activities
over the years.
Throughout her life, she used her Eldridge
inheritance to support varied organizations and
charities that were close to her heart, and to help her
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren
achieve their educational goals. “My mother, as far
back as I can remember, always taught me that if you
have been able to provide for yourself and your family
with what you need and you have something left over,
you should share your good fortune with those who
still have needs that can’t be met,” says Martha Miller
Evans. “It was and is an important life lesson.”
Mrs. Miller died in November 2007. A longtime donor to the Oklahoma City Community
Foundation, she left the assets of a revocable trust to
the Roberta Eldridge Miller Legacy Fund, ensuring
the support she had so lovingly and generously given
to her community over the years will continue.
pHOTO COURTESY Variety care
Our Story
Variety Care provides maternal and child health care to low-income families and is one of several nonprofit organizations Barth
and Linda Bracken have supported through their advised fund. Variety Care is the former Variety Health Center.
Barth & Linda Bracken: One Gift Benefits Many
Working with the Oklahoma City Community
Foundation in 1981, Barth and Linda Bracken found a
way to make a difference in their community that didn’t
require a significant outlay of cash. The couple assigned
part of the working interest from an oil and gas lease and
established an advised fund. Since then, earnings from
this one gift have allowed the couple to recommend an
annual grant from the Barth and Linda Bracken Fund to
a worthy organization or charitable project.
“It gives us an opportunity to support a cause
or organization we’ve become aware of during
the year,” says Linda Bracken. “It’s been a great
investment on our part and we’re just so glad we did
it.” Barth Bracken echoes his wife’s sentiments. “It’s
really an easy process,” he says. “All we have to do is
decide which organization we want to help out.”
Both Barth and Linda grew up in Okmulgee but
raised their family in Oklahoma City where their
company, Bracken Exploration, is headquartered.
The couple became involved in the community and
volunteering their time and support to a variety
of youth-based and arts projects. Since 1981,
the couple has recommended grants to several
Oklahoma City-based organizations including Youth
Services for Oklahoma County and Variety Care as
well as nonprofit groups near the family’s 400-acre
ranch in eastern Oklahoma.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 11
pHOTO COURTESy Boys & Girls Club of oklahoma county
The Eighties
The Boys & Girls Club of Oklahoma County offers many programs including homework assistance.
Tom & Gladys Seale: Making a Difference in Children’s Lives
Married in 1932, native Texans Tom and
Gladys Seale moved to Oklahoma City
when Tom accepted an engineering job
with a small independent oil company
named Kerr-McGee.
Known as a hard worker and shrewd
engineer, Tom played a key role in
designing and building the world’s first offshore drilling platform outside the sight of
land in 1947 in the famed Block 32 located 11 miles off the
coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. According to
an American Heritage article, Tom believed in working
24 hours a day and he would often go hunting for his
men. “Hiding from Seale on days off became a feature of
working for Kerr-McGee,” the article states. Tom’s work
philosophy would influence the oil industry’s workweek
for many years. Later in his career he would serve on the
company’s board of directors.
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Married 56 years, Tom and Gladys built
a life together in Oklahoma City that
included socializing with their many
friends, attending social events and
traveling. Although childless, Tom
and Gladys Seale loved children. The
couple established a donor advised
fund at the Oklahoma City Community
Foundation in 1986 to support a
number of youth-serving organizations including
the Boys & Girls Club of Oklahoma County.
A school teacher prior to her marriage, Gladys would
continue to support these groups following Tom’s
death in 1989. A dedicated bridge player and antiques
hunter, Gladys was 99 years old when she died in
2006. Thanks to a bequest in their estate, the Tom
and Gladys Seale Fund will continue to support the
organizations they cared about as a couple.
The Eighties Donors
Our Story
(The donors listed below contributed gifts to permanent endowment funds.)
1980
Barth W. & Linda Bracken | Melva Byer | T. Winston Eason Memorial | Roger Givens Trust | David Kenworthy Kerr Memorial
Stanley & Jerry Lee | Gene E. McCollum Jr. Memorial
1981
Ora Ashwell | Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Bowers | Dana Anthony Burns | Crowe & Dunlevy | Thomas Thadeus & Anna L. Eason
Patty Mullins Hall Memorial | M. G. McCool Memorial | James L. Rainey | Willie Elizabeth Shipley | John W. & Jo Tarr
Vose Foundation
1982
David W. & Catherine Mae Bardwell | Grace F. Eldridge Memorial | Daniel E. & D. Jean Hayes | The Midland Group
Dr. Oscar H. Miller Memorial | Roberta M. Eldridge Miller | Robert & Harriette Orbach | Frederick & Jayne Quellmalz
R.L. & Jeannette F. Sias | Carol Daube Sutton | Robert E. & Martha Turner | D. & C. Wygant
1983
Ann Simmons Alspaugh | G.T. & Elizabeth Blankenship | Sam J. & Sandra Cerny | Mark Allen Everett | Alfred & Monte Goldman
Max & June Knotts | Donalene Moody | Richard G. Taft Jr. Memorial | J. Eugene Torbett
1984
John M. Beard | Judge Fred Daugherty
1985
Christine Holland Anthony | Guy M. Anthony Jr. | Guy Mauldin Anthony | Bob and Nancy Anthony | Robert D. Hutchinson
Linda Jennings | Kerr Foundation | Kirkpatrick Foundation
1986
Ethel C. Benedict | Jack R. Durland Jr. | Broneta Evans | James D. & Margaret E. Fellers | Pat & Nancy Gillespie
Mr. & Mrs. E. H. Masonhall | Carla & Nelson Pickrell | Edison A. & Helen Reber | Curt Schwartz Lyric Scholarship
A. Tom F. & Gladys Seale | Philip E. & Vivian S. Smith | Stifel Nicolaus & Company | Janet M. Taliaferro
Pendleton & Robin Woods | Electra Marie Woody
1987
O. June Allen | William E. & Margaret H. Davis Family | Tom Dulaney | A.D. & Helen V. Erdberg | William M. & Janet S. Johnson
Jack & Gladys London | James P. & Roselle MacKellar | Sister Antoinette Morry Memorial | Oklahoma Gas & Electric Foundation
Clarence E. Page | Alice Pratt | Sister Hildegarde Roan Memorial | Paul Michael Rockne Memorial | Mr. & Mrs. E.M. Stanley
1988
Ray & Lucille Ackerman | Cole & Reed P.C. | Dana Corporation | Dolese Foundation | Raymond H. & Bonnie B. Hefner
H.C. Hitch Jr. | Sam Noble | Olga Pellow | Dr. John Records | Mr. & Mrs. Joseph F. Rumsey | Harold C. & Joan S. Stuart Foundation
1989
Virginia Stuart Foster | G. Ed Hudgins | Kirkpatrick Family Fund | Dr. E.E. Kirkpatrick Memorial | Mary and Spencer Sessions
Gustave R. Woerz Trust
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 13
pHOTO COURTESY regional food bank of oklahoma
John and Susan Frank are longtime supporters of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma that provides many programs including
Kids Cafe, an afterschool and summer program for chronically hungry children.
14 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Our Story
The Nineties
John & Susan Frank: Sharing With Their Community
Longtime supporters of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
and other charitable organizations, John and Susan Frank truly
appreciate the value of giving. “We have nothing of our own,
but are given all that we have,” says John. “To not share would
be embarrassing. The emotional rewards of sharing must be
experienced rather than described.”
An Oklahoma native, John graduated from the University of
Oklahoma in 1967. Originally from Indianapolis, Susan graduated
from Purdue University and moved to Oklahoma in 1974 for a job
opportunity. The two were married in 1976 and have established
successful careers in Oklahoma City, John owns an accounting firm
and Susan is the development director at Westminster School.
In 1993, the Franks established both Legacy and Express Funds at
the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to provide vehicles
for continued and regular giving to charitable organizations and
programs in the community.
“The Oklahoma City Community Foundation allows us to provide continued support of the programs
we care about,” says John. “We feel comfortable knowing that our charitable wishes will be carried
out through our estate plans, so that we may continue to help future generations.”
One of the many charitable programs the Franks support is the Regional Food Bank’s Kids Cafe
program. An afterschool and summer program, Kids Cafe provides food, mentoring, tutoring and a
variety of other activities to approximately 850 chronically hungry children at 16 sites in central and
western Oklahoma. Through the support of donors such as the Franks, the organization is able to
better fight childhood hunger and, as a result, the children served show improvements in behavior
and school performance.
“Children living in poverty have to do without a lot of things – we believe food should not be one of
them,” says Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. “Thanks to
many generous donors, the Regional Food Bank’s Kids Cafe program provides at-risk children with a
safe after-school environment where they can get help with their homework, enjoy healthy activities
and receive a nutritious snack or meal. Were it not for Kids Cafe, many of these children would have
no place to go and nothing to eat after school.”
Additionally, John and Susan support other charitable organizations through their advised funds
including World Neighbors, Infant Crisis Services, Heritage Hall and Hospice Foundation of Oklahoma.
Thanks to their generous spirit and selfless giving, they are truly making a difference in our community.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 15
The Nineties
Jerry Cooper Marching Band
Scholarship: Helping the Music Play On
pHOTO COURTESY the university of oklahoma marching band
Jerry Cooper may have lived and
worked in “the capital of the
world” for nearly two decades but
he delighted in returning home
to attend University of Oklahoma
(OU) football games and watching
the marching band perform at
halftime.
The “Nebraska (game) was a must,” says his mother,
Barbara Cooper. “He couldn’t understand why so
many people leave their seats at halftime.” Jerry loved
music and realized a dream when he earned a place
in the OU marching band playing baritone.
A journalism graduate, Jerry held a variety of reporting
jobs before moving to New York City where he initially
worked as a freelance writer. He was hired by a
hospitality trade magazine and worked his way up
the editorial ladder before accepting the job of senior
editor at Interior Design Magazine, the position he held
when he died in 1989 at the age of 34.
Described by his co-workers as a crackerjack editor
who was sensitive and forward thinking, it comes
as no surprise that before his death Jerry asked
The Jerry Cooper Marching Band Scholarship provides awards his parents to establish an endowment that would
to deserving OU band members.
provide a scholarship each year for a member of the
OU marching band.
“He wanted others to have the kind of positive
experience he had,” his mother says. Since 1993, the
Jerry Cooper Marching Band Scholarship endowment
at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation has
helped other OU band members realize their dreams.
“The scholarship makes it possible for us to reward
deserving students for their outstanding service to the
Pride of Oklahoma,” says Brian Britt, band director.
“We are truly grateful for the Jerry Cooper Marching
Band Scholarship and are a better organization as a
result of the scholarships provided by the fund.”
16 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Our Story
An appreciation for the education they received at Classen High School inspired the Class of ‘55 to create an endowment to
award scholarships to students now attending the Classen School of Advanced Studies.
Classen ’55 Scholars Award: Connecting the Past with the Future
Classen High School, located at the corner of
Northwest 19th Street and Ellison Avenue in central
Oklahoma City, was constructed following the close
of World War I and is the city’s oldest high school
building. The 6.3 acres on which it was built was
part of an area owned by real estate developer Anton
H. Classen. Initially opened as a junior high school
in 1919, the school was converted to a high school in
1925, graduating its first senior class in the spring
of 1926 and its last in 1985. In 1994, Classen became
a magnet school for grades 6-12 and renamed the
Classen School of Advanced Studies.
During its first 60 years, the school graduated more
than 20,000 students, many like Don and Carolyn
Zachritz who recall with great fondness their time
spent as Classen Comets. The couple and many
of their fellow 1955 graduates wanted to both
recognize their connection to the school and reward
a current student with a scholarship. In 1997, the
group established the Classen ’55 Scholars Award
at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation that
provides an annual scholarship to a graduating
senior based upon financial need, scholastic or
artistic merit and good character.
“Like all students fortunate to have attended Classen
High School, we remember with appreciation the
great education we received,” says Don Zachritz.
“That’s why it was important to our class of ’55
to assist other students with their education by
establishing the scholarship endowment.”
The Classen graduating classes of 1945 and 1954 have
followed the lead of the 1955 class and established
similar funds also for the benefit of current
Classen students. In addition, the Classen Awards
Foundation endowment provides scholarships to
graduates of the school.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 17
pHOTO COURTESY american red cross of central oklahoma
The Nineties
Because of the support of donors like Sally Jo Langston the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma was able to assist
thousands of people affected by the 2007 ice storm.
Sally Jo Langston: Helping Others in Need
Sally Jo Langston believed that
a home was the heart for every
family. Together with her
husband Wendell, they created
custom homes for dozens of
families for more than 25 years.
The daughter of Oklahoma jewelry
business pioneer B.C. Clark, Sally
Jo also understood the importance of giving back to
the community. Throughout her life she focused her
charitable giving on organizations that give a “help
up instead of a hand out” especially those groups who
provided assistance during an unexpected crisis like
the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma. For
many years, Sally Jo made regular contributions to the
organization’s endowment fund at the Oklahoma City
Community Foundation. Her longtime support and
18 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
the support of others like her helped the organization
meet the needs of the thousands of families who were
impacted by the December 2007 ice storm in central
Oklahoma. Thousands of individuals sought refuge at
the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma
City and were served by more than 100 volunteers
who provided meals as well as medical attention.
“Without our donors we would have no hope of
fulfilling our mission. It is only through the generosity
of our donors and volunteers that we are able to serve
others,” says Vince Hernandez, chief executive officer
of the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma.
Sally Jo died in 2008 but thanks to her thoughtfulness
and concern for others, her support of the American
Red Cross of Central Oklahoma and other charitable
organizations will continue to benefit others for many
years to come.
Our Story
Jim & LaVerna Cobb: Giving Back Through Scholarships
Jim Cobb’s love for his alma mater combined
with his sincere appreciation for the education
he received led him and his wife LaVerna to help
students pursue their dreams of a college education.
“My college education did a lot for me,” says Jim.
“When I got out I made a promise to myself if I ever
had an opportunity to give back I would.”
Originally from Norman, Jim received both
his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil
engineering from Oklahoma State University
(OSU). He and LaVerna met in Stillwater and
were married in 1956. Upon Jim’s graduation, the
couple moved to Oklahoma City where Jim joined
Cobb Engineering Company, which was founded
by his father, Fred, in 1921. Jim bought the family
business from his father in 1971 and today serves
as director of the company.
Jim’s support of his alma mater began soon after
his graduation. In 1965, he and four other OSU
alumni established the OSU POSSE, a fundraising
organization for the OSU Athletic Department that
today boasts 8,200 members. He was inducted into
the OSU Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2008,
is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award
and is a member of the OSU College of Engineering,
Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame.
In 1990, Jim and LaVerna established a charitable
organization endowment fund at the Oklahoma City
Community Foundation to support scholarships
at the OSU School of Civil and Environmental
Engineering. Later, they added to the endowment
with distributions from their retirement plans,
continuing their support for the education of future
engineers at the university so dear to their hearts.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 19
The Nineties Donors
(The donors listed below contributed gifts to permanent endowment funds.)
1990
Cain’s Coffee Company | James D. & LaVerna L. Cobb | Oklahoma City Economic Development Foundation | Quail Creek Bank
George J. & Nancy Records
1991
Margaret Annis Boys Trust | Frank & Merle Buttram String Awards | Jerry Cooper Memorial | Jon Ronald Elm Memorial
Friends of Music United Fund | E. Phil & Roberta L. Kirschner Trust | Colin & Brooke Lee | Dr. Bertha Levy
McCasland Foundation | Oklahoma City Future Fund
1992
C. R. Anthony Foundation | Charles F. & Carol Ann Blackwood | Thomas & Patricia Dix Brewer | B.C. Clark Family Fund
Nancy Payne Ellis | Rex & Janet Fryar | James L. & Carol M. Hall Family | Donald S. Kennedy
Grace LaMar/Epworth United Methodist Church | David W. & Lynn Lee | Mr. & Mrs. R.W. Lee Memorial | Malzahn Family Fund
Marilyn B. Myers | Oklahoma Natural Gas | Jerry A. Reed | Allie P. Reynolds | James R. Tolbert III | Marie Welch Scholarship
Carol Elizabeth Young | Don T. & Carolyn T. Zachritz
1993
Anna Andrash | Clay & Louise Gaylord Bennett | R. K. Black | Ben Brown | The Everett Foundation | John Erich & Susan R. Frank
Genevieve & Bentley Frayser | Robert D. & Blanche H. Gordon | Historical Preservation Inc. | Blanche & Mildred Holland
Bill Larson | Raymond Long/ Words of Jesus Foundation | Lt. Felix Christopher McKean Memorial
James C. & Virginia W. Meade | Mary and Milton Meier | Peter G. & Virginia M. Pierce | Robert & Judith Raulston
Mary Baker Rumsey | Roy & Jo Thein | Justin E. & Marguerite E. Vogt | Carl Busch | Kathleen Wilcox
1994
Ray T. Anthony | William “Bill” Bevers | Charles & Cassandra Cavins Bowen | Thomas D. Carey | T. Ray Cox | Robert Y. &
Kathryn E. Empie | Alice Allen Everett | Marguerite S. Fitzwilliam Fund | Mex L. Frates | Bill & Josephine Goff
Dr. & Mrs. Charles Haunschild | Gary & Betty Huckabay | Imke Family | Fred Jones Industries | Michael P. & Peggy Madden
Thomas O. McCullough | Howard & Merle Francis Melton | Betty Skogsberg Milam | Edgar R. Oppenheim Family
Deborah R. Parker Scholarship | Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation | Robert C. Saunders | Carl & Beth Shortt | Olive May Steward
Tom Swyden | Kathleen Everett Upshaw
1995
Angie Hester | Ms. Anita Hill | Kathleen Lister | Thomas Marshall Rogers Meredith Memorial | James Morris Family Fund
H. E. & Jeannine Rainbolt | Jack D. & Evelyn B. Trachtenberg
1996
Dr. Berlin B. Chapman | Mr. & Mrs. B. C. Clark Jr. | Sue Dowling | James A. Embry Jr. | Gamba Family Fund | Gary Good
Greenberg Family | Diane Gumerson Memorial | Edward J. Harvey | Herschel & Frances Hobbs
Carlolyn Young Hodnett Memorial | John and Claudia Holliman | Dr. & Mrs. J. William Hood | Jana Lee Johnston
Sally Jo Langston | Edward P. & Norma Leslie | Elizabeth Melton | Merrick Foundation | Donna Nigh Foundation
Mary E. and Paul B. Odom Jr. | Rosary Home & School Association | St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
St. John Missionary Baptist Church/Waltine Lynette Jackson | Sheetmetal Workers/Valerie Koelsch Scholarship
Janice and Joe L. Singer | Peter S. White
20 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Our Story
1997
Oral Ann Bown/Vera Muschany Memorials | Richard Coyle & Carolyn Berry Families | David & Pam Fleischaker
J. Landis Fleming Memorial | Irene P. and Samuel F. Frierson Educational Trust | J.C. Gardner/Gardner Investments
Hospice Foundation of Oklahoma | Dorothy Detrick Kendall Memorial | Roger & Mary McAllister | Jane McMillin Memorial
Lillian Frances Watts Meador | Robert and Jane Milsten | John E. Orr | Lee & Janice Segell | Ruby Mae Smith
J. Edwin Laura Ross & Jim Thomas Family Trust | Anne Eleanor Venters Memorial | Harley Eugene Venters Jr. Memorial
1998
Arneson Charitable Foundation | Betty L. Baker Memorial | Gene & Ed Barth | Richard & Leah Beale | Jerry & Jackie Bendorf
M.R.”Dick” Brackin Jr. Memorial | Bernice Butkin | Garvene Gouch Hales Cutchall | Conn Family Fund
Annette Karchmer Friedlander Memorial | Friends of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School | George & Dorothy Gibson
Robert J. Gilmore | Bill & Susan Grana | Hankins Foundation | W.H. Crucus Fund | Hospice of Central Oklahoma
Khader & Cecelia Hussein | William O. & Ann Johnstone | Betty E. & George B. Kaiser Foundation | Aaron & Gertrude Karchmer
Frederick H. & Lois Kate | John S. & Donna J. Kiser | Levita Adams Land Memorial | Lawton Retail Merchants Association
Albert & Freda Marottek Scholarship Fund | Judge Eugene H. Mathews | Kent A. Mauk | Harry & Hedra Merson
Leo & Kay Morrison | Norick Investment Company | Oklahoma City Retailers Foundation | Francis & Mary Rardin Foundation
Bert R. Reed Jr. | Robinet - Smith Foundation | Marcus C. & Elizabeth A. Rowland | Bill & Kim Schlittler | Ann Gordon Singer
Paul L. & Helen I. Sisk Charitable Trust | Smith & Kernke Funeral Homes and Crematory | Rose Karchmer Sugarman Memorial
Frank Swan | Larry & Mary Trachtenberg | Jack E. & Jeanine Turner | Tyler Family Fund | Marvin A. & Martha Weiss
Allen & Jacque Wright | M. Blake Yaffe | Rob Zaslaw Memorial
1999
Sulie H. Andres | William H. & Martha E. Atkinson Foundation | James H. & Marilyn Bonds | Dahl P. Brown & Dahl P. Brown Jr.
Lt. General (Ret.) Richard A. & Sally F. Burpee | David & Mary Beth Busby | Judge Nancy L. Coats | Robert & Caroline Dennis
The Eberly Foundation | Bernard & Daisy Radley Fudge Jr. | Dr. & Mrs. Gilbert C. Gibson
Hudiburg Auto Group/David and Lezlie Hudiburg | James Hurley | Evelyn Seagrave Janeway | Perry & Jeanie Klaassen
Tom and Judy Love | Marie George Travis Steve & Kym Mason | Pearl Means | Dr. Gary M. Moore | Virginia Sewell Norville
Althea Notson | Oklahoma City Jewish Community Foundation | Raina & Stan Pelofsky | Mark Wayne & Brenda Gayle Powell
Winona S. Presley Fund | Mr. & Mrs. Bob Roberts | David & Anna-Faye Rose | Julian J. Rothbaum
Kermit Schafer/Braden Park L.L.C. | Phyllis T. Shelton | Southwest Homebuilders Association | Robert H. & Lynnie Spahn
Mary Deane Streich | Bill & Wanda Swisher | W. G. “Bill” & Marsha A. Townsend | Thomas Utterback
Bill & Lucy K. Westerheide Memorial
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 21
pHOTO COURTESY legal aid services of oklahoma
Judge Eugene Mathews established an endowment to benefit Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, a nonprofit law firm that aids
low-income families with civil legal issues. The organization helped Jessica and her son, Trevor, escape from an abusive
household. Now in a safe home environment, Jessica hopes to be a paralegal one day to help others like herself.
22 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Our Story
The New Century
Judge Eugene Mathews: Encouraging Social Justice For All
Judge Eugene “Gene” Mathews was passionate about two things: his family and
social justice.
Born in 1928 in Oklahoma City, Gene began his law practice in 1954 and early
on was a vocal leader in the struggle for racial equality in the community. At
a time when few white professionals were speaking out against segregation,
he stepped forward and offered legal representation at no cost to people who
had participated in sit-ins and demonstrations against Jim Crow laws or who
pressed to segregate the Oklahoma City public schools.
In 1966, he and his wife, Doli, began a movement known as “Thirty Families”
that encouraged 30 white families, beginning with their own family that
included five daughters, to move into an area of northeast Oklahoma City that
had been affected by white flight.
“Gene had a deeply held conviction of the integrity of each person, regardless
of their race, religion or bank account,” says Doli. “This conviction was at
the root of his concern for those who suffered discrimination or injustice; a
concern that fueled his work and really his life.”
Gene continued to practice law until 1988 when he was appointed judge of the
Oklahoma District Court Bench, a position he held for 11 years until his retirement.
In 1999, Judge Mathews established a charitable organization endowment
fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation for the benefit of Legal Aid
Services of Oklahoma, a nonprofit law firm that assists eligible low-income
individuals and seniors with civil legal problems, a cause close to his heart.
Following his death in 2005, memorial gifts from friends and family were
directed to the endowment, ensuring that Judge Mathews’ passion for social
justice will continue.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 23
The New Century
Charles & Mary Lou Miles: A Legacy of Learning
Charles and Mary Lou Miles credit their education with
bringing them far from their humble beginnings.
Growing up in Fairfax, Charles attended the town’s
only all-black elementary school and moved to
Tulsa to finish high school. After serving in the Navy
during World War II, he earned a bachelor’s degree
in industrial arts from Hampton University in
Hampton, Va. Mary was familiar with the challenges
of receiving an education as a black student during
segregation. Originally from Buford, Ga., she
was sent to attend Stillman Boarding School in
Tuscaloosa, Ala. She earned her bachelor’s degree
in English from Clark College, now Clark Atlanta
University in Atlanta.
Charles and Mary Lou met as teachers in Gainsville, Ga.
and were married in 1948. After moving to Oklahoma
24 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
City, they both obtained master’s degrees in 1955 and
taught for nearly 40 years at various middle and high
schools throughout the community. Now retired, they
continue to instill the value of education in their family.
Their oldest daughter Gayle Miles-Scott is a CPA and a
retired accounting professor, and daughter Vicki MilesLaGrange is the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for
the Western District of Oklahoma.
“Education was a way up and a way out for my
parents,” says Vicki. “Because of the challenges of the
time, they were forced to continue moving further
away from home to receive a quality education.”
In 2007, the Miles family established a scholarship
fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in
honor of the couple’s 60-year marriage and to ensure
that their family legacy of learning will live on.
Our Story
John & Joy Reed Belt: Helping to Preserve the Paseo District
With its rich history dating
back to the 1920s, the Paseo
District is a truly unique
neighborhood located
in central Oklahoma
City. Its Spanish revival
architecture stucco
buildings were once home
to jazz clubs in the 1950s
and the counter culture in
the 1960s. It was during
the 1970s that the area
began its transformation
into a vibrant artist haven
that today is home to nearly 20 galleries as well as
restaurants and boutiques. Its annual arts festival,
held each Memorial Day weekend, attracts a wide and
varied crowd.
For over 30 years John and Joy Reed Belt have led
the charge to revitalize the area and make it a
desirable neighborhood in which to live and work. John, who has served as the General Counsel of
the Oklahoma City Community Foundation since
1984, owns a majority of the commercial space in
the Paseo District. In addition to her career as an
executive recruiter and corporate consultant, Joy
works to promote local and regional artists through
her Paseo gallery, JRB Art at the Elms. John was also
the founder of Harding Fine Arts Academy, a charter
high school located near the Paseo District.
In 2007 the couple created a Legacy Fund at the
Oklahoma City Community Foundation, ensuring
their support of the Paseo District and other artsrelated and beautification projects continues well
into the future.
The Paseo Arts District is home to nearly 20 artist galleries as
well as restaurants and boutiques.
“The many years of experience I have had with the
Oklahoma City Community Foundation as well as
several other foundations, enables me to say that it is
the most efficient and certain way of achieving a donor’s
charitable goals that I have seen,” John said.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 25
The New Century
Dean Wild: Finding Fairness For All
In 1956, segregation was prevalent throughout the
country but in Frederick, Okla., head football coach
Dean Wild recognized athletic talent, regardless of skin
color. His decision to integrate the high school team
was more about giving young men a fair chance than
about politics. That year he teamed 12 players from
the town’s black high school with 27 white players.
Together they would go undefeated and become the
first integrated team to win a state championship, a full
10 years before Frederick schools would be integrated.
Mildred & Dean Wild
“It was tough, real tough,” Dean’s wife Mildred says
of the 1956 season. “Dean always said the saving
grace was the fact the team beat everybody.”
Born in 1912 near Granite, Okla., Dean Wild was the
youngest of six. He graduated from Southwestern
Oklahoma Teacher’s College and would coach and
teach mathematics for more than 30 years before
serving as the vice principal at Putnam City West
High School soon after the school opened in the
1968. As an administrator, Dean would bring the
same fairness he used as a coach and quickly earned
the respect of the students and faculty.
As a trailblazing coach, Dean Wild earned many
honors. What may have meant most to him though
was the scholarship fund established by the Putnam
City West Alumni Association in his honor at the
Oklahoma City Community Foundation. “It was one
of the few times I’d seen him at a loss for words,”
says Mildred, who had been married to Dean for 69
years when he died in 2008 at the age of 95.
Coach Dean Wild, Frederick High School
26 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Joseph Mills Photography
Our Story
Jim and Virginia Meade are longtime supporters of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. At right, the Meades with one of their
five daughters, Virginia Meade Fox (left), and niece Elizabeth Meade.
James & Virginia Meade: Enriching the Art Community
A successful oil and gas producer, James Meade and
his wife, Virginia, are longtime art collectors who
share their passion with the community through their
longtime support of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Mr. Meade, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Mrs.
Meade, who was born in Mexico City, moved to
Oklahoma City in 1958 when he was transferred
by Snee and Eberly, an Appalachian oil and gas
producer, to oversee drilling throughout Oklahoma
and the Arkoma Basin. Today the company operates
as the Meade Energy Corporation.
During the time Mr. Meade was growing the
company, the couple began acquiring their varied and
vast art collection and became involved with the art
museum. Over the years, Mr. and Mrs. Meade as well
as their eldest daughter, Virginia Meade Fox, have
held leadership positions on the museum’s volunteer
board. In fact, Mr. Meade was the museum’s first
board president and remains a lifetime Trustee.
Glen Gentele, museum director, says the Meades’
leadership and commitment to the museum has
made a difference in its development. “They share
their collections, personal resources and knowledge
in so many ways,” he says. “Whether it be hosting
Evenings in the Homes of Collectors or lending
superb examples of antique pistols, marine paintings
and 18th-century English and American silver
for exhibitions, or establishing endowments and
providing operating support, their philanthropy
inspires our work and the community.”
In 2007, the couple established the James C. and
Virginia W. Meade Collections Fund at the Oklahoma
City Community Foundation to assist the museum
in acquiring art for its permanent collection. “As an
art collector, I believe an appreciation for the arts is
important to Oklahoma City,” Mr. Meade says. “We
were a little behind our neighbors like Dallas and
Tulsa and my wife and I wanted to do something to
make up the difference.”
The Meades have been donors to the Oklahoma City
Community Foundation since 1993. “We have a high
regard for the purpose of the community foundation
and the way they conduct business and keep donors
informed,” he added.
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 27
The New Century Donors
(The donors listed below contributed gifts to permanent endowment funds.)
2000
Brad R. Corbett Memorial Scholarship Fund | Judge Dick Lynn Memorial | Mr. & Mrs. Aubrey McClendon
Marilyn M. & K.T. “Bud” Meade Jr. | Warren Rice Memorial | Scott & Geneva Smith
2001
Guyton Anderson III | Florence & Russell Baugh | David Berry Memorial | Annie and Issac Bloom Educational Scholarship
Cobb Engineering Company | Sam & Rita Combs | A.C. & Ruth Commander | Richard & Linda Farris | Barbara G. Feiler
Roger & Virginia Gohrband | David W. Gorham | D. Allan & Dorothy Harmon | Mrs. Pauline Jackson | Walter Kann Foundation
Diane Neal Kremm | Katherine D. Lacy | Karyl Gean Lee | A.G. “Bud” & Lena Bruckner Magerus | McGee Foundation
Ruth Mershon Fund | Edna Ratliff Fund | Dr. Bob Rutledge | Robert S. & Tammy Weiss | Deral E. Willis Scholarship
2002
Philip E. Daugherty | Jack & Mary Ann French | Jim Gunter Memorial | David & Lucinda Huffman | Medical Center Volunteers
Shannon & Wanda Murchison | Michael A. & Brooke S. Murphy | Gary L. Nelson/Advanced Financial Solutions
Tracy & Suzanne Silvester | Stephen L. Stark Memorial Fund | Pete and Lela Stavros | Walter Stiller |
Don R. & Mary Louise Symcox | Sherril & Viola J. Williams | Dr. Nazih Zuhdi
2003
Steve & Karla Boone | Brenda Brown | Carballo Family Foundation | Clinton High School ‘52 Graduates | Lolly Compton
Everett & Jean Dale | Emanuel Synagogue | Michael Adam Everett Trust | Maida Parr Frensley | Jack and Pauline Harper Family
Heritage Trust Company | Holocaust Resource Center | Omer Gene Hosier | Huston & Lexy Huffman Jr.
Harry E. & Donna J. Kornbaum | Howard Meredith Memorial | Marvin & Jeanne O’Neil | Ken & Gae Rees Family
Treva M. Reimink | Al & Susan Salomone | Satori Trust - Zero to Hero Scholarship
2004
Clyde Albright | Hal Almen | Anderson Family | Branan Family | BSO Ivy Foundation | Melvin and Bobbie Gragg
Andrew and Judi Gregory | Edward A. and Barbara N. Krei | Jack and Johanna Price | Brig. Gen. William Rex Wilson
Dorotha Wolfe
2005
Brenda Brown Trust | Alton L. Fritts | E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation | Melvin and Bobbie Gragg | Kay Jewell Scholarship
John and Sadhna Kelly | William J. and Gladys O’Hare | Pick Family Fund | Milton H. Schonwald
2006
Stella V. Anderson | Christopher Baranano & Christine Anthony | Joy Reed & John Lampton Belt
H. Blanton Brown & Dr. Faith L. Phillips Family | Kirkland & Julia Hall | Coyle & Berry Families | Everett & Jean Dale
Charles & Ann Dungan | Glenn A. & Suzanne D. Foster Jr. | Franklin Family | David W. Gorham | Habluetzel Family Foundation
Byrdell Hardeman | Terry & Vickie Hill | Lynn & James H. Holloman Jr. | Janet Kennedy | Harry & Rosemary Koelsch
Dorothy Goodman Langsam Memorial | Joe C. & Karen L. Moehlenhoff Leonard | James A. Logan Jr. | Mike & Jenna McIntosh
B.G. & Sylvia McPherson | Trina and Bob Medley | Paul M. Milburn Foundation | Newchurch Ministries/Jeffry Rogers Memorial
Fr. Lee O’Neil Sister Mary Dennis and Sister Catherine O’Neill Memorial | Oklahoma Speaker’s Ball
Col. (USMCR-Ret) Homer and Ramona Paul | Mr. & Mrs. William G. Paul | Plater Family Fund | G. Jeffrey Records Jr.
John C. Ross | Steve & Becki Seay | Skirvin Hotel/Marcus Corporation Foundation | J. Eugene & Marilyn Torbett | Tyler Family
Zarah L. Virgin | Charles Scott Waldrop | Steve & Pamela Westerheide | Tom & Jane Ann Workman
28 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Our Story
2007
Albers Family | John K. Baldischwiler | Thomas D. & Charlene Barbour | Scott & Dyana Bishop | Mary Jane Brogan
Betty C. & James W. Bruce Jr. | Robert H. & Sody M. Clements | Cleo Cross Memorial | Dortha Dever
Nicholas V. & Margaret G. Duncan | Scott Duncan | Shaun & Kathryn Frankfurt | David Glenn | Robert A. Herring Trust
Herman & Kathleen Himes | Joe & Marci Hogsett | Frances Helen Crockett Holbird | Jennifer Lambird Memorial
E.R. “Bud” & Pauline Morrison Ledbetter | Charles Thomas Lewis | Larry & Donna Miles | Stuart C. Miller Trust
Bob Mooneyham | Jane R. Mullaly | Marjorie J. Norick | Ronald J. & Margaret Norick | Dr. Ellen R. Oakes
Dorothy N. & Wilbur Patton | Marion Phillips | Sharline Reedy | Jimmie & Janet Rogers | Eric & Kaely Rosel
Edward J. Ruscha | Steve & Elizabeth Schatz | Joseph R. Shaw Foundation & Ann M. Shaw Trust | Fern Sullivan
R. Clark & Jane Taylor | Robert & Shirley Wasserman | Paul S. & Conna D. Woolsey
2008
American Fidelity Corporation & Foundation | Steven L. Barghols Family | Nell Stapler Bradshaw II
Chesapeake Energy Corporation | Clements Food Foundation | Robert & Talita DeNegri | Durham Supply
Lawrence & Molly Holder | Lynn & James H. Holloman Jr. | Ina Hopper | Larson R. Keso DDS | Bill & Martha King |
Dorris & Louis Loeffler Jr. | Mahone Family Foundation | David Mahone | James Kelly Mahone | Pat Mahoney & Paul Middleton
John G. Markley | Charles C. & Mary Lou Miles | Stuart C. Miller Trust | Mitchell Family Fund | Moore Family Charitable Fund
Doris Morava Legacy Fund | Mark & Cathy Nestlen | Steven & Rhonda Regier | Donald W. Reynolds Foundation
Clyde Riggs Construction | Elizabeth A. Rolen | Joe B. Smith Trust | Dwight & Peggy Wehr | Leah & Larry Westmoreland
Robert E. & Viola M. Wild | Bill & Joan Yinger
2009
Russell Lee & Carolyn Sue Adams | Emily Bell | Howard K. Berry Jr. | Oklahoma County Bar Foundation-Howard K. Berry Sr. Fund
Paul & Colleen Bicket | Blue & Gold Sausage Co. | Henry W. Browne Foundation | Kim & Steve Bruno
Jackie R. & Barbara Cooper | Allen D. & Sherron S. Evans Family Fund | Brunel DeBost & Christiane Faris Lisa J. and David J. Flesher Jr. | Frates Family | Dr. Paul & Rebecca Gillum | Louis B. & Anna R. Horn Heritage Fund
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores | Maplewood Foundation | William & Jacqueline Medley | Jasmine & Melvin Moran
Oklahoma Greenhouse Growers Association | Eloise Rodkey Rees | Rozin-Funk Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund
Our Story: Celebrating 40 Years of Helping the Community | 29
OurStory
Discover how to realize your charitable goals and
become a part of
Our Story
by contacting us at
405/235-5603 or [email protected].
30 | Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Contact Information
1000 N. Broadway Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
P.O. Box 1146 73101-1146
Phone | 405/235-5603
Fax | 405/235-5612
Web Site | www.occf.org
E-mail | [email protected]
P.O. Box 1146 Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1146
Confirmed in Compliance with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations
non-profit org.
u.s. postage
paid
oklahoma city, ok
permit no. 255