the December issue here.

The Oklahoma Publisher
Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association
Vol. 85, No. 12
20 Pages • December 2014
www.OkPress.com
www.Facebook.com/okpress
INSIDE
PHOTO ID PRESS
CARDS: OPA business
member newspapers may now
order Photo ID Press Cards for
their staff members.
PAGE 11
PART II – ONF INTERNS:
Read the stories of ONF interns
who worked at Oklahoma
newspapers this summer.
PAGE 12
OPA PAST PRESIDENTS
REPORT: Catch up with the
past presidents of the OPA and
hear what they’re doing today.
PAGE 15
DONATE TO ONF to receive
this Will Rogers print. Details at
OkPress.com/will-rogers.
OPA-OSU trust celebrates 30th anniversary
For 30 years, the OPA-OSU
Print Journalism Endowment
Fund has helped students pursuing a newspaper career.
Don Ferrell, former publisher of the Lincoln County News
in Chandler and then president
of the Oklahoma Press Association, signed the document creating the trust on Nov. 21, 1984.
The trust was created to support print journalism programs
associated with Oklahoma State
University’s School of Journalism and Broadcasting (now
known as the School of Media
and Strategic Communications)
including capital improvements, special projects, faculty
support, student scholarships
and equipment purchases.
Seed money for the fund
came from a $100,000 donation
to the OSU journalism school
from Paul Miller. Members of
the Oklahoma Press Association were asked to match that
fund by making donations. By
October 1982, $95,000 of the
$100,000 had been raised for
the Paul Miller matching fund
grant.
“I served several years
on the OPA-OSU Journalism
School Committee, which
served as the liaison between
OPA and the university,” said
Ferrell. “The endowment fund
looked like an excellent way to
express OPA’s sincere effort to
help give the school concrete
support.”
The market value of the
endowment as of July 30, 2014,
was $380,726.88. Endowment
funds provide approximately
$25,000 annually for scholarships or other needs for SMSC
at OSU.
The plan was to allow the
original endowment of around
$200,000 to be invested by
the OSU Foundation and earn
interest. After retiring as director of the journalism school in
1996, Marlan Nelson called new
OPA Executive Vice President
Mark Thomas to report that the
Endowment Fund had indeed
grown but no funds had yet
been spent.
Trust bylaws called for the
committee to be composed
of two members of the OPA,
the director of the journalism
school, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and
a representative from the OSU
Foundation.
Thomas notified the OPA
board. The board appointed
two OPA representatives to
serve on the committee to hear
recommendations on possible
uses of the operating funds.
Ferrell and Rick Bellatti were
the first two OPA members to
serve on the committee. Fol-
lowing the death of Bellatti, his
father, Jim Bellatti, was appointed to the committee. Ferrell
served on the committee until
2003. When he resigned, Sean
Dyer was appointed.
Derina R. Holtzhausen, professor and director of SMSC,
said the OPA-OSU Print Journalism Endowment Fund has
made a tremendous impact on
journalism education at Oklahoma State University, particularly through its involvement
in the student newspaper, The
O’Collegian.
“It is the largest endowment
fund in the School of Media &
Strategic Communications and
therefore contributes the largest scholarship amount to the
school annually,” she said.
The focus of the scholarships
has changed over the years.
“First it focused on encouraging freshmen scholars to
join the journalism program
but in recent years it has been
used to encourage outstanding students already enrolled
in the school to continue their
high level of performance,”
Holtzhausen said.
The five $5,000 scholarships
awarded are the largest in the
school.
Dyer said OSU students
working at The O’Colly are eligible to apply for the scholar-
ships “because of the vision of
the publishers who started this
fund 30 years ago.”
“Without their commitment
there would be no OPA scholarships. I am honored to serve on
this OPA committee. The OSU
faculty and staff express their
gratitude each year we meet to
evaluate the students and scholarship funds they receive,” said
Dyer. “We, OPA, make a difference and help educate future
journalist in our part of the
world, and that is a good thing.”
Holtzhausen said the list of
scholarship winners now read
as a Who’s Who of young journalistic talent from Oklahoma.
“Several of these students
served as editors-in-chief or in
other editorial positions,” said
Holtzhausen. “Because involvement in The O’Colly is so time
consuming the scholarship
allows students to spend more
time in the newsroom and less
time to find work elsewhere to
support themselves.”
The endowment has made
life a lot easier for hard-working
students, said Barbara Allen,
adviser of The O’Colly.
“For student journalists
working at The O’Colly, pressures are even greater, because
aside from being full-time students, they are expected to be
Continued on Page 3
2
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
NEWS
OPA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
analysis
FRI., JAN. 9, 2015
ONF - APPLY TO HOST AN INTERN
by OPA President JEFF FUNK, Publisher of the Enid News & Eagle
From linotypes to laptops, how we
do what we do changes regularly
While attending the funeral for longtime Hobart, Okla., newspaper publisher Joe Hancock, I had one of those
“ah-ha” moments of clarity.
Many great stories were shared
about Joe, a former president of the
Oklahoma Press Association and a
truly great community newspaperman.
But, one description that struck me was
how Joe kept his values while changing
with the times. And, wow, look at how
much the art and craft of “producing
a newspaper” has changed in the last
several decades.
Joe, who was 85 when he died earlier this month, was raised in a newspaper family. While earning his degree
from the University of Oklahoma, Joe
was a linotype operator, both at the OU
Daily and filling in during staff absences at many Oklahoma newspapers.
Being a linotype operator was a
highly valued skill, although you had to
wear a thick canvas or leather apron to
protect yourself from searing, molten
lead being squirted at you if the type
slugs did not fall properly into place. An
itinerant linotype operator could always
find work back then and could make
good money.
But technology changed. In the
1960s, molten lead gave way to “cold
type” as the preferred way to set newspaper stories, ads, pages and press
plates. In a matter of just a few years,
linotype operators saw their esteemed
skill, their lifelong occupation, made
nearly worthless as type was being set
on what was essentially a sophisticated
electric typewriter. That was a painful
time for many journeyman printers.
But, many of these printing craftsmen adapted – and have continued to
adapt time and time again as newer
and better printing technologies were
developed.
I was never a linotype operator, but
I got a dose of that being cast aside by
technology. When I was 20 years old, I
learned the meticulous art of making
color separations while working at the
Hutchinson (Kan.) News.
We used a costly and sophisticated
Berkey photographic enlarger to take
color slides and break the image into
red, yellow, blue and black portions
for printing. It took about two hours of
work, much of it in complete darkness,
to produce separations for a single
color photo.
Today, of course, that same process
can be done much better and in just
seconds with a couple of keystrokes
on any desktop computer using Adobe
Photoshop.
So, I didn’t make a career of being a
photo technician.
Back then (mid 1970s), wire photos
were mounted on a rolling drum and
transmitted over phone lines at about 5
minutes per photo. Now, such photos
move as an email attachment in just
seconds and at MUCH higher quality.
I’ve used an AP LeafScan negative
scanner, shot Veloxes of photos, and
cut color on large acetate sheets of
Rubylith or Amberlith. Darn, I’m old,
but I bet many of you in the newspaper
business today can relate.
In just 50 years, the tactics for putting together a newspaper have gone
from metal and mats, to photographic,
to digital. So, how many of these trigger a memory or two? Galleys. Punch
tape. Compugraphic 7200 typesetters.
Dektol and D-76 developers. Stop bath.
Microtek, Harris or Hendrix terminals.
CompuWriter, Atex and Crossfield.
Tegra. Waxers and pasting up. Horizontal cameras for “shooting pages.”
ECRM and Panther imagesetters.
From Olivetti Underwood typewriters and “glue pots” to PCs and
MacBook Air laptops. From 4x5 Speed
Graphic cameras to iPhones. Yes, to
stay successful, we’ve had to become
masters of change.
Yet all the while we’ve had to
remember – as Joe Hancock did – that
these are merely tactics to achieve our
higher calling – producing a successful newspaper full of stories, photos
and ads that will engage readers, unite
a community, motivate shoppers and
voters, and make us all a little smarter
with each issue.
Get connected with a student who wants to work at an Oklahoma newspaper
this year. Host newspaper applications to the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation
internship program are due Jan. 9. At least 18 newspapers will receive funding
to host a journalism student for eight to 10 weeks in summer 2015. For more
information and to download an application, go to OkPress.com/internships.
JAN. 9, 2015
DEADLINE FOR BNC CONTEST ENTRIES
All entries in the 2014 Better Newspaper Contest must be postmarked by
Jan. 9, 2015. The contest rules and events are available to view online or
download in PDF format at www.OkPress.com/opa-better-newspaper-contest.
If you have questions, call (405) 499-0020 or 1-888-815-2672 (toll-free in
Oklahoma). This is also the deadline for entries in the Digital Media Contest,
Print Quality Contest and the Joseph H. Edwards Outdoor Writer of the Year
Award, as well as the deadline for nominations for the OPA Quarter Century
Club and the OPA Half Century Club. For more information on all contests, see
www.OkPress.com/awards.
THUR., FEB. 12, 2015
Oklahoma City
OPA LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT AT STATE CAPITOL
All OPA members are encouraged to meet at the State Capitol on Thursday,
Feb. 12, to discuss issues with their House and Senate members. Members
will discuss proposed legislation and issues of concern to every Oklahoma
newspaper. Check www.OkPress.com/legislative-summit for updates.
FRI., FEB. 20, 2015
ONF - APPLY FOR AN INTERNSHIP
OR SCHOLARSHIP
The Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation awards several internships and three
$1,500 scholarships to Oklahoma journalism students each year. Applications for
the 2015-16 school year are due by Feb. 20. University of Oklahoma students are
also eligible to apply for the Breeden scholarship. View eligibility requirements
and download all applications at www.OkPress.com/ONF.
THUR., APRIL 30, 2015
OKLAHOMA JOURNALISM HALL OF FAME
INDUCTION CEREMONY
Come support your fellow journalists at the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame
annual induction ceremony on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in
Edmond.
JUNE 4-6, 2015
Sheraton Hotel, Downtown Oklahoma City
OPA ANNUAL CONVENTION
The OPA Education Committee is making plans for sessions and events at the
annual convention. Mark your calendar and make plans to attend.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the OPA website at
www.OkPress.com or contact Member Services Director Lisa (Potts) Sutliff
at (405) 499-0026, 1-888-815-2672 or email [email protected].
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
Ex-SPJ treasurer
receives deferred
sentence
The former treasurer of the
Society of Professional Journalists
Oklahoma Pro Chapter recently
received a 10-year deferred sentence for embezzling over $43,000
from the organization.
Scott Eric Cooper pleaded
guilty in August to the embezzlement charge.
At the request of the SPJ
Oklahoma Pro Chapter board of
directors and Cleveland County
Assistant District Attorney Zach
Simmons, Judge Greg Dixon
sentenced Cooper to a 10-year
deferred sentence, four subsequent weekends in Cleveland
County jail beginning Nov. 14,
2014, and a restitution of $350 per
month until the chapter is paid
back in full.
SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter
President Jaclyn Cosgrove said
she was grateful this day had
come and that the organization
was moving on with its goals.
The Oklahoma chapter’s board
of directors was first alerted that
funds were missing in April 2012,
after a check made out to the
Petroleum Club in Oklahoma
City, which had recently catered
the chapter’s awards banquet,
bounced due to insufficient funds.
An internal investigation by
the group found that Cooper had
begun unauthorized withdrawals
from the account shortly after
being elected as treasurer of the
chapter in 2009.
In May 2012, Cooper admitted
through email that he had embezzled some funds from the local
and national SPJ boards, where
he had served as Region 8 director over Oklahoma and Texas.
Later findings showed Cooper
had actually embezzled more than
twice the amount he originally
disclosed.
Despite many challenges, the
SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter continues to uphold the values and
principles of the organization by
pushing and inspiring journalists
across the state to be better, said
Cosgrove.
“Scott Cooper took away so
much potential for good for aspiring and working journalists,” Cosgrove said. “We believe Cooper’s
repayment will be the best way to
get our chapter back on its feet so
we can continue moving forward
in fulfilling our mission.”
OPA-OSU Trust Continued from Page 1
full-time journalists as well,” said Allen.
“Many of them simply could not afford
to attend college and work at the paper
at the same time. They need a steady
paycheck to make rent, eat and afford
tuition. This endowment has provided
much needed reward and relief to our
top-performing students, allowing them
to concentrate on becoming better journalists while attending school by practicing daily journalism for The O’Colly.”
Thomas said it has been interesting
to see “the changing needs of the newspaper industry, the university and the
students over the years.”
“When we first met in 1996, the journalism school desperately needed computer equipment, desks and chairs for
labs. We bought those. Funds also were
allocated to remodel student lounges to
create a better environment. Students
needed a better place in the journalism
school to congregate, brainstorm and
relax,” said Thomas.
Dr. Paul Smeyak, director of the journalism school at the time, identified
new technology trends. He asked the
endowment to buy equipment so students would be prepared to enter the
workforce.
“It’s funny now to think flatbed scanners, digital cameras and computerassisted reporting were in their infancy,”
said Thomas. “We were buying Nikon
Coolscans to convert film strips to digital
files, QuarkXpress labpacks, Photoshop,
digital cameras, Dreamweaver licenses
and laser color printers. All of those purchases were becoming commonplace at
newspapers. In addition to writing, editing and selling skills, students needed
those skills, too.”
Smeyak also worked with the endowment committee to offer scholarships to
freshmen, hoping to entice a few promising new students to the journalism
school each year. Tim Ahrens, Jaclyn
Cosgrove, John Estes, April Marciszewski and Shannon Muchmore, all now
working journalists in Oklahoma, are
just some of the OSU students who
received scholarships their freshman
year.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE
OPA-OSU ENDOWMENT FUND
Send checks made out to the
OSU Foundation stipulating it is for the
OPA-OSU Print Endowment Fund and mail
to Craig Jackson, P.O. Box 1749,
Stillwater, OK 74076-1749. Donations may
also be made online at www.osugiving.com
Eventually, scholarships were added
for upper class students. At this point in
time, the endowment funds five scholarships of $5,000 each to students working
at the O’Colly.
“We’ve talked about ways to grow
the endowment. OSU supporters should
really be looking at making contributions to this fund. It really has demonstrated tangible evidence of industry
assistance and growth for the students
at OSU,” said Thomas. “Thirty years
ago, publishers didn’t know what technology they would need but they had
enough foresight to set up a fund for
those future needs. We should have that
same vision.”
Holzhauzen said she appreciates the
OPA’s involvement and relationship with
SMSC.
“The OPA community is a vibrant
one and in many ways sets an example
to similar communities in other states
on the meaning of community journalism,” she said. “Like the OPA, OSU is
a uniquely Oklahoma institution and
we take our land-grant mission very
seriously. Our first obligation is to provide future employees and leaders for
Oklahoma’s news professions. Oklahoma truly is the thread that ties our two
institutions together and of that we are
very proud.”
Ferrell said he is glad the trust survived and is still supporting the OSU
journalism print training efforts.
“The future of our industry certainly
needs a supply of eager, motivated and
well trained people,” he said.
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The
Oklahoma
Publisher
ISSN 1526-811X
Official Publication of the
Oklahoma Press Association
PUBLISHER
Mark Thomas
[email protected]
EDITOR
Jennifer Gilliland
[email protected]
OPA OFFICERS
Jeff Funk, President
Enid News & Eagle
Robby Trammell, Vice President
The Oklahoman
Gloria Trotter, Treasurer
The Countywide & Sun
Mark Thomas,
Executive Vice President,
Oklahoma City
OPA DIRECTORS
Jeff Mayo, Past President
Sequoyah County Times
Dayva Spitzer, Sayre Record &
Beckham County Democrat
Brian Blansett,
Shawnee News-Star
Ted Streuli, The Journal Record
Ray Dyer, El Reno Tribune
Mike Strain, Tulsa World
John Denny Montgomery,
The Purcell Register
3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499
(405) 499-0020
Toll-Free in Oklahoma:
(888) 815-2672
www.OkPress.com
[email protected]
www.Facebook.com/OKPress
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4
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
OPA receives business membership
application from The Examiner in Hugo
The Examiner, a weekly newspaper,
has applied for a business membership
in the Oklahoma Press Association.
The paper is published in Choctaw
County and entered in U.S. mails at
Hugo, Okla.
The Examiner, located at 104 N.
Broadway in Hugo, lists John M. Brewer as publisher, Susan Brewer as editor and Shawn Mims as circulation
manager.
The application lists the phone number as (580) 326-3926 and a website at
www.ExaminerNewspaper.net.
The paper’s periodicals mailing permit, which was attached to the application, shows it has been effect since
Nov. 27, 2012.
The OPA Board of Directors will
vote on the applications at their meeting on Feb. 12, 2015, at the Oklahoma
State Capitol in Oklahoma City.
Written protests must be received
at the OPA by Jan. 30, 2015. Protests
may be mailed to OPA Executive Vice
President Mark Thomas, Oklahoma
Press Association, 3601 N. Lincoln
Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105, or
emailed to [email protected] or
faxed to (405) 499-0048.
Any current member filing a written protest at least 10 days prior to
the board meeting will be entitled to
be heard at the time the application is
considered by the board.
Good samaritans help out carrier
Help erase your risk. Protect you and your family
from secondhand smoke’s deadly effects.
Learn more at StopsWithMe.com.
Five days a week, Willis Daniel Johnson delivers newspapers to over 84
homes and businesses on Route 71 in
Sapulpa.
He has worked for the Sapulpa Daily
Herald for 10 years and has become a
dependable face within the community,
missing only two days of work throughout that time.
Johnson goes above and beyond for
his customers making sure every newspaper is placed on the porch near the
door before hopping back onto his bike
for the next house.
It took him less than two hours to
complete his route. That is, until his
bicycle was stolen.
“It was taken around 4 p.m. in the
middle of the week,” Johnson said. “It
was under the carport at my sister’s
house. My mom and I had walked up the
street to the store and we were just gone
for half an hour.”
Johnson did not let the theft keep him
from his Herald duties. He set off on
foot for the three hour walk to deliver
the papers.
Customers of the paper started to
take notice of the missing bike and were
saddened to hear it was stolen.
They told Herald Circulation Manager Lynette McCaslin of their intention
to fix the situation because they were
impressed by Johnson’s work ethic.
“I was walking up to the building,”
Johnson said. “Lynette came running
out hollering at me. I thought I was in
trouble. My heart sank. I thought people
had been complaining about slow delivery.”
However, it was just the opposite.
Johnson’s customers went out and purchased a brand new bike for him, but
asked to remain anonymous.
“I had to tell him he wasn’t in trouble,
and that his customers had called us and
had already bought him a new bike,”
McCaslin said. “I think it is a wonderful
thing that we still have caring people in
our community.
Johnson was very thankful for the gift
and said the replacement is far better
than his old bike.
OKFB names Journalists of the Year
Paul Laubach, Caleb Brabham and
Herman Thompson were recognized
with Oklahoma Farm Bureau Journalist
of the Year awards during the OKFB
73rd Annual Meeting Nov. 14 in Tulsa.
Laubach and his wife, Maria, are the
owners and publishers of four newspapers – The Hennessey Clipper, Okeene
Record, Canton Times and Dewey
County Record – in western Oklahoma.
Laubach is also a rancher raising
registered Hereford cattle near Okeene.
Brabham is a writer for the Bristow
News, a weekly newspaper.
Thompson and his wife, Patsy, are the
owners and publishers of The Morris
News, also a weekly newspaper.
The three newspaper journalists were
honored for accurately reporting about
Farm Bureau news, agricultural issues
and the importance of these to Oklahoma and the nation on a regular basis.
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
DEATHS
MAC LEONE BRADLEY,
longtime journalism instructor, died Nov. 17, 2014, at
her home in Blackwell. She was 87.
Bradley was born in Sherman, Texas,
on Jan. 15, 1927. At the age of two, her
family moved to Oklahoma where they
lived in Oklahoma City, Muskogee and
Blackwell.
She attended Classen High in Oklahoma City until her senior year and graduated from Muskogee Central. Bradley
received her bachelor’s degree in journalism at Oklahoma State University in
1948 and become graduate editor of the
“Redskin,” the university yearbook.
In 1948, Mac married Kenneth L.
Bradley of Muskogee. After Kenneth
completed his degree at OSU, the pair
moved back to Muskogee. While there
Mac worked as a reporter for the Muskogee County News and as society editor
for the Muskogee Daily Phoenix and
Times Democrat newspapers.
In 1961 Bradley was hired at Northern Oklahoma Junior College in Tonkawa to take charge of the school’s public
relations. She later taught journalism
classes. Teaching additional classes in
English led to a full-time position and
a requirement for an advanced degree.
Bradley earned her Master’s degree in
English Literature at Oklahoma State
University and continued to sponsor the
college newspaper and other publications.
Bradley is survived by her sons,
Tommy Lee Bradley of Bartlesville
and Brooke Bradley of Oklahoma City;
brother Richard Ramsey Hefton and
wife Rhonda of Oklahoma City, and
three grandchildren.
WALTER JOE HANCOCK,
publisher of
the Hobart Democrat-Chief, died Dec.
3, 2014. He was 85.
Hancock was born on April 10, 1929,
in Hobart. He graduated from Hobart
High School in 1947, and, except for
his college years at the University of
Oklahoma and two years of active duty
in the U.S. Army, he lived his entire life
in Hobart.
He attended the University of Oklahoma, graduating in 1951 with a degree
in journalism. During his college years,
Hancock worked to make ends meet at
OU’s student newspaper and at many
area newspapers as a linotype operator.
He was a member of ROTC in college
and after graduating attained the rank
of second lieutenant and joined the U.S.
Army on active duty. On Sept. 1, 1950, he
married Neville Lavon Reeder.
The Hancocks lived in Mannheim,
Germany, for two years while he was on
active duty in the Army. After two years,
they returned home and Joe began
working with his father, Ransom Hancock, at the Democrat-Chief, which has
been owned by the family since 1944.
Joe Hancock served as sports editor,
advertising manager, editor and, since
1974, as publisher.
He served on the board of directors
of the Oklahoma Press Association and
was the president in 1991-92. Hancock
received the highest honor given by the
Oklahoma Press Association in 2007,
when he won the H. Milt Phillips Award.
In 2013, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame for his
many years of dedicated service to the
journalism industry in Oklahoma.
After release from active military
duty, Hancock joined the U.S. Army
Reserves. He retired in 1978 with the
rank of colonel.
Hancock was involved in many activities in Hobart. He was on the board
of directors of the Hobart Housing
Authority when it formed in 1965. He
became president of that board in 1972,
a position he held until his recent retirement. He was a longtime member of
the Hobart Kiwanis Club, and a lifetime
member of the First United Methodist
Church, serving on its board of directors for many years. He was a member
of the Board of Education Hobart Public
Schools for 10 years, was on the board of
directors of Easter Seals and was on the
advisory board to the athletic department at the University of Oklahoma.
A faithful fan of the Hobart Bearcats
and Oklahoma Sooners, Hancock hadn’t
missed an OU home game since the
1956 season until this year.
Hancock is survived by his wife,
Neville, of the home; daughter Mollie
Nagel and husband Britt; two sons,
Walter Joe Hancock Jr. and Todd Ransom Hancock, both of Hobart; brother
Bill Hancock and wife Nicki of Prairie
Village, Kan.; four grandchildren; one
great-granddaughter, and several nieces
and nephews.
GLORIA DEE LEATHEROCK,
former
owner and publisher of The Konawa
Leader, died Nov. 18, 2014. She was 83.
Leatherock, who was born on Jan. 15,
1931 in Enid, graduated from Perry
High School in 1949 and then attended
the University of Oklahoma. That same
year she married Wesley A. Leatherock.
The couple moved to Oklahoma City
where Wesley was a reporter for The
Oklahoman. Later they became owners
and publishers of The Konawa Leader.
They lived in Dallas, Austin and St.
Louis before returning to Oklahoma
City where they resided for more than
50 years.
Leatherock is survived by her husband,
Wesley; son Jeff and wife Lisa, and five
grandchildren.
PENDLETON WOODS,
an Oklahoma
journalist, died Dec. 1, 2014. He was 90.
Woods was born in Fort Smith, Ark.,
on Dec. 18, 1923. He began his journalism career as editor of the University
of Arkansas Traveler and the student
newspaper.
He later served as a reporter, editor
and columnist for the Southwest American at Fort Smith.
Woods served in the military for 42
years of active and reserve service. During this time, he spent four months as a
prisoner of war until he escaped in April
1945. He retired as a colonel in 1983 and
was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame in 2002.
In 1948, Woods married Robin Freeman and they moved to Oklahoma City
where he accepted a job with Oklahoma
Gas and Electric. He spent 21 years as
editor for The Meter, the company’s
magazine. He was inducted into the
Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in
2001.
Woods is survived by his son, Paul
Pendleton Woods of Stillwater; daughters Margaret Robin Woods of Oklahoma City and Nancy Lois Cox and her
husband Danny Lee Cox of Pearland,
Texas; and two granddaughters.
LISA ROLLINS, a former journalism pro-
Chronicle. She also worked at the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram as an entertainment writer.
She earned a master of science
degree in mass communication, with
an emphasis in media management and
cultural theory, as well as an education specialist degree from Middle Tennessee State University. Rollins taught
journalism and served as the director of
broadcast communication for 14 years
at MTSU. She received her Ph.D. from
Capella University and then served as
the chairwoman of the communication
program at Langston University. Rollins
was a member of the Society of Professional Journalists since 1987.
She is survived by her son, Dakoda
Rollins of Guthrie, and her mother Marianne Rollins of Denton.
fessor at Langston University in Guthrie
died Nov. 13, 2014.
Born in Denton, Texas, Rollins graduated from Denton High School in 1983.
She majored in journalism at the University of North Texas where she worked at
the student newspaper.
Rollins was a music columnist and
page editor for the Denton Record-
5
THANK
YOU
to the following individuals and
organizations for their recent
donations to the
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation:
In memory of
Nancy Phillips,
Don Millirons, Helen Ferguson
& Joe Hancock
THE HENNESSEY
CLIPPER
In memory of
Joe Hancock
ANDY & KAREN RIEGER
A donation to the Oklahoma Newspaper
Foundation will support its efforts to
improve the state’s newspaper industry
and quality of journalism.
ONF’s programs include training and
education for professional journalists,
scholarship and internship programs for
journalism students, and Newspaper in
Education efforts.
ONF relies on donations and memorial
contributions to fund these programs.
If you would like to make a donation,
please send a check to:
OKLAHOMA
NEWSPAPER
FOUNDATION
3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
In Memory of Our
Friends & Colleagues
Rollie Hyde
Nov. 11 2013
Thomas R. Hartley
Dec. 19, 2013
6
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
Oklahoma publisher sworn in as senator
Roger Thompson, owner and publisher of the Okemah News Leader and
Tri-County Herald, was sworn into the
Oklahoma Senate on Nov. 18.
Thompson decided to run for the
state Senate after state and federal regulation started making things harder for
small businesses. He wanted to give
rural Oklahoma a strong voice.
“In rural Oklahoma it is not so much
about being a Democrat or Republican,
it is about the differences in rural and
urban,” Thompson said. “Rural is struggling in many areas as the population
continues to migrate to the cities. I
believe that with my experience in life,
I can make a difference for the district
and the people of Oklahoma. It should
be about the government serving the
people instead of the people serving the
government.”
Thompson relied on print to get information about his campaign to voters.
He ran several ¼ page ads as well as
3x5 ads in all newspapers in District 8,
which includes the top half of Okfuskee
County, all of Okmulgee and McIntosh
Counties and the lower third of Muskogee County.
“I had comments from constituents in
all four counties regarding the newspaper ads,” Thompson said. “I do think it
helped to win the election.”
In addition to newspaper advertising,
Thompson used direct mail.
“The direct mail pieces complimented
and expanded the newspaper advertising,” he said.
Being a senator and a newspaper
owner is no easy task. To balance his
duties, Thompson has named his daughter, Kay Thompson, as publisher of the
Okemah News Leader; his son, Lynn
Thompson, is publisher for the Tri-County Herald. Thompson’s wife, Pamela, is
also helping with more of the day-to-day
activities at the paper while operating
two of her own businesses, Pamela’s
Flowers and the Okemah Office Supply.
The Thompsons also added a reporter
to help cover sports and Roger Thompson still hopes to write for the paper,
although he’ll have to balance that with
his legislative duties.
Thompson began his newspaper
career selling advertising in the mid
1970’s for the Muskogee Phoenix. His
career took him on a different path
until 2008 when Thompson and his
wife, Pamela, bought the Okemah News
Leader from Guy and Joyce Mason. The
Masons decided to retire after owning
the paper for over 30 years. In 2012,
Thompson also purchased the Meeker
News, now the Tri-County Herald.
Thompson’s newspaper experience is
one of the preeminent factors in his life.
“I see newspapers as a very important source of information to the communities where they serve,” he said. “I
believe that as newspaper items come
to the forefront of the Senate on various
issues, my colleagues will ask for my
input.”
This election was Thompson’s first
state race, although he has always been
interested in politics and pubic service. He has served as president of the
Okemah Chamber of Commerce and
is currently president of the Okemah
Community Improvement Association.
From 1992 to 1994, he was appointed
to the Professional Responsibility Commission.
Thompson graduated from Muskogee High School in 1978 and has a
Doctorate of Theology from Southwestern Bible College and Seminary.
In the mid-1990s he served as the
president and CEO of Good News International Foundation and operated a
Biblical eduational training school in
Donetsk, Ukraine.
Dale Brendel
named publisher
of News Press
Stillwater News
Press has promoted
veteran newspaper
executive Dale Brendel to publisher.
His promotion is
effective immediately.
Brendel has been
editor and general
manager for the News Press since 2013.
In his new role, he will be responsible for all newspaper operations and
related publications as well as the
paper’s website, www.stwnewspress.
com. He will continue to serve as the
paper’s editor.
Brendel’s experience did not start at
the News Press. He was general manager and executive editor of the Leavenworth Times in Kansas for nearly
four years. He also served as executive
editor and general manager of the Independence Examiner in Missouri, and
as managing editor of the McAlester
News-Capital. He graduated from the
University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Brendel said since coming to the
News Press, he has been focused on
serving readers with comprehensive
local news and sports coverage, and
aligning the newspaper with the community’s interests and expectations.
Shawnee News-Star names Cyril News under new ownership
Kim Morava as new editor
The Shawnee News-Star recently
promoted veteran reporter Kim Morava to the position of executive editor.
Morava replaces Mike McCormick,
who recently retired after 47 years.
Morava joined the News-Star as
a community reporter in 1998. She
earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism/news communication from the
University of Oklahoma.
Morava has covered many aspects
of Shawnee and the surrounding communities and has received numerous
awards and honors for her professional
work.
“I look forward to my new role and
I am excited about working with such
a dedicated newsroom team,” she said.
LEGAL ADVICE
is just one of the benefits of being a member of the Oklahoma Press
Association’s Legal Services Plan. Remove the worry of needing
professional advice by enrolling today. For more information contact:
OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION’S
LEGAL SERVICES PLAN
1-888-815-2672 or 405-499-0020
As of Oct. 1, 2014, the Cyril News is
under new ownership.
Robbie Snider is the new owner and
editor of the paper.
Snider, originally from Pittsburgh,
Penn., moved to Cyril in 1982. She has
lived there for the past 33 years.
Snider’s fascination with newspapers
began as a teenager. Her grandmother,
Roberta Beleele, was a news reporter
for her older brother, George Beleele.
Snider also spent the past 10 years
delivering The Oklahoman to the Cyril
and Cement area.
“I have a lot to learn about this business,” Snider said. “I am really looking
forward to it.”
The newspaper office is located inside
Snider’s home. To reach the paper, call
(405) 933-2356.
New staff member at Neighbor News
Neighbor News recently welcomed
Alana Justice as its new circulation and
marketing manager.
Justice has six years of experience
within the newspaper industry. She
started in the advertising field and was
hired as a marketing consultant at the
Wagoner Tribune in 2012. After one
year, she was promoted to senior marketing consultant.
Justice said she has a great ability to
make lasting relationships with people
and business and attributes her success
to her belief in community involvement.
“This position is all about community involvement and our community
papers having a face and presence in
our towns,” Justice said. “We have lots
planned this year and I am excited to
get to be a part of it. Our papers are
filled with amazing ads and offers from
local advertisers and are the direct news
source for news, community, sports and
education for our readers.”
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
7
Lessons I’ve learned from newspapers this year
To change the perspective, first
enlarge the working area so your final
creation has room to grow. Go to Image
> Canvas size and double the width and
height size. We’ll crop it back later.
Next, select the photo with the rectangle tool then go to Edit > Transform
> Perspective.
Click on a corner, for example the
bottom right, then go to the upper right
and drag. This will change the prospective of the photo. You can try different
corners if unexpected things happen.
Use undo and try all of the different
tools under Transform like Skew, Distort or Warp until you get the effect
you’re looking for.
To simply rotate the photo, select the
photo and move the curser outside of
the photo area until you see a curved
arrow. Hold the mouse button down
and rotate. This works in Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator.
Computer Notes
from the road
by Wilma Melot
[email protected]
As 2014 draws to a close, I want to
share some things I learned from the
road this year.
In Marlow we learned that cross training pays off and that a little paper book
with passwords really helps in a tight
spot. Many things went much smoother
at Marlow because John Hruby shared
his knowledge with his employees, and
taught them teamwork.
In Spiro we learned that all employees are capable of learning new skill
sets when needed. A good set of notes
with instructions can help when passing
knowledge from one employee to the
next. Leave a trail and cross-train.
Several papers learned the hard way
that servers are great until they crash
and you don’t have a backup. Hard
drives may not last as long as you think.
We had one server with dying hard
drives after only two years of service.
Back up all raid servers on and off site,
if possible.
A battery backup surge protector can
save hours of trying to restore a crashed
computer. Constant power is still a problem in many areas. APC makes a good
surge protector. I know spending $50
every year or two seems pricey but
the man hours spent to try to recover
or build a single, critical hard drive is
much more costly. Take a peek under
your desk at your surge protector. Is it
20 years old? This year I put new surge
protectors on two servers that were
plugged into ones that were at least that
old. Both those servers had crashed
hard drives. If you want to keep your old
computers alive, make sure you have
good surge protectors in place.
This year three newspapers learned
that new computers can come with big
problems right out of the box and may
have to be rebuilt in the first month. Just
because it’s new doesn’t mean it doesn’t
need to be backed up. This wasn’t just
Windows computers; there was also a
Mac.
Faster Internet is a great thing. New
AC routers and 1000 base T-switches
were installed at many papers this year
making everyone much happier. Several newspapers were rewired and, boy,
did we find some old cables. The new
statewide AT&T U-verse increased our
speeds, even though it was a hard transition at first.
If there is one statement I have heard
over and over this year, it is that “new
operating systems are not always an
improvement.” But we even made those
old DOSS programs work on some new
already a part of the system we use, it’s
just not widely used by the public. That’s
mostly because when we first tried it,
it didn’t work very well and we never
looked at it again.
Times have changed and now your
PC or Mac can do the typing for you.
The software leader in this arena is
Dragon Naturally Speaking, the top in
speech recognition software.
Windows built it into the newer systems. To use it, your computer must
have a microphone. Our iPhone and
Android smartphones can be controlled
by your voice so why not the computer?
HOW TO OCR TEXT
computers with the help of emulators.
As an industry, we need to get some of
those programs replaced before Windows 10 comes out on all new PCs.
Some newspapers tried leasing software and learned it is an all day process
to download the software every time. If
you have to do it once a month, you lose
12 days a year. If possible, buy the software annually so it’s not checking your
computer every month.
The most important thing I heard this
year is to promote your business as well
as your town. This ran like a theme in
my conversations with publishers. One
paper even started sponsoring events
using its name and it was successful.
All the T-shirt promotions and handing
out free newspapers to nonsubscribers
helped. New door signs and some paint
also helped. I also saw a resurgence
of Classified sections, promotions and
revamping the paper to attract more
attention. Promoting yourself seems to
work.
PHOTO PERSPECTIVE
A lot of people seem interested in
understanding how to rotate or straighten a photo.
I was even asked how to change the
perspective on a photo so it looked like
it was taken from a different camera
angle. This requires the full version of
Photoshop.
I keep running across people who
don’t know how to turned scanned text
on items like Christmas letters or legals
into text.
You may have an OCR program on
your hard drive but not know the name
of it. It could be Omni Page or Readiris.
For this example we’re going to use
Acrobat Pro X.
To turn your copy into text, scan
the typed copy into the computer. With
Acrobat Pro open the JPEG file you created when you scanned the text.
Now click the Tools button on the
left side of the screen and go down to
Recognize Text on the right. Click the
line that says “in this text”. Click “OK”
in the next box. Nothing changes in the
appearance of the file on screen but you
can now save it as a Word or text document. You can even select all the text
with the text tool, copy and paste it into
InDesign.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
Many people are saying nothing new
is coming in the way of computers and
that we have gone as far as we can with
them. I say we are just getting started.
Many new technologies are coming that
are exciting and will make using the
computer as easy as working with a
human friend.
Gesture based remote control of your
computer and TV is one of the new
things that should change the way we
work in a few years. Just like touch
screens made the world of tablets possible, we will soon be signing to the
computer. Maybe that’s why Apple never
adopted the touch screen computers;
they’re going straight to gesture based
and voice control – no track pad or
mouse needed!
Voice control of your computer is
To switch on Windows Speech Recognition, go to your Start menu on Windows 7 (or in Windows 8.1 search from
the charms menu) and in the search
box type speech recognition. Click the
option that pops up, and a window will
open where you can enable the feature.
A short text will appear to give Windows
an example of your voice. You can also
access the feature through the Control
Panel. Once everything is set up, a small
status box will pop up. You’ll use that to
switch Speech Recognition on and off.
To begin, just say clearly into the
microphone “start listening.” The app
then beeps and springs into action, waiting for your next command. You can tell
Windows Speech Recognition to pretty
much do anything on your PC. It can
open browsers (including new tabs),
apps and Microsoft Office documents.
Once you have a document open, you
can dictate text and it will instantly
appear. It will also read your email to you
on those bleary-eyed late nights or early
mornings.
On a Mac, it’s controlled under the
System Preferences > Speech. It works
much like Siri on the phone and can be
used to type text into any text block.
The tutorials are well worth going
through to learn the commands. Now
you’re off into the next new world of
computing.
OPA Computer Consultant Wilma Melot’s
column is brought to you by the Oklahoma Advertising Network (OAN). For more information
on the OAN program, contact Oklahoma Press
Service at (405) 499-0020.
8
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
Oklahoma Daily shows the power of print
W W W.O U DA I LY.C O M
The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
2 013 PA C E M A K E R F I N A L I S T
Clark’s Critique
by Terry Clark
Journalism Professor,
University of Central Oklahoma,
[email protected]
Who, what, when, where, why and
how do printed newspapers matter? The
gutty Oklahoma Daily answered all those
questions when it sued the University
of Oklahoma in November for open
records violations.
OU claimed FERPA exception on student parking tickets. Nothing new there
– universities everywhere use that as
an excuse to break the law – student
privacy.
Talk about results! The same day the
front page editorial appeared, Boren
released the records. You know and I do,
too, that the printed paper accomplished
more than if it had just been an online
“publication” or broadcast. Those media
are ephemeral – here and gone, but the
power of print is much more concrete.
Notice also the great layout – nothing
fancy – powerful black-and-white topography – simplicity and content. Fantastic
journalism that matters.
Hats off, and thanks, to the student
journalists and editorial board at The
Daily, and their great advisor, Judy
Gibbs Robinson, for having the courage to stand up against one of the most
powerful people in Oklahoma, and for
setting an example for the entire state
and country.
LOOKIN’EM OVER: Several of our papers
show other ways to matter. Here are
examples to follow. Nathan Thompson
at the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise
used state data to show that 333 students
– 5.5 percent of the school district – are
homeless. It’s one of 10 Oklahoma districts seeking grant help.
Tulsa World’s Managing Editor Mike
Strain wrote about the homeless in
downtown Tulsa, “Hiding in Plain Sight.”
W E D N E S D A Y , N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 14
WHY WE’RE JOINING A
LAWSUIT AGAINST OU
OUR VIEW: We’re turning to the courts to define the
FERPA was established in 1974 to protect the privacy of student education records in the midst of growing abuse of student records across the nation, according to the Student Press
Law Center website. The act defines “education records” as
Today, The Oklahoma Daily is suing OU for withholding
records that “directly relate” to students.
records that we believe are public under the Oklahoma Open
Since the law was established, universities and colleges
Records Act. We hope this lawsuit will serve as a precedent for have used it to withhold records related to students.
colleges and universities where administrators are misinterIn 1997, the University of Maryland cited FERPA when it depreting an important federal law which, in turn, keeps infornied its student newspaper access to students’ parking tickmation from the public.
ets. The Maryland Court of Appeals sided with the newspaper
The Oklahoma Open Records Act was created to provide
and ruled the parking tickets were not protected under the
citizens access to information about the government. The act act. A similar situation happened in 2010 when the University
states, “ … People are vested with the inherent right to know
of North Carolina’s student newspaper was denied access to
and be fully informed about their government.”
students’ parking tickets. The court sided with the newspaper,
Because OU is a public university funded in part — albeit
ruling the tickets were not educational records.
small — by the state government, many of OU’s records are
This lawsuit isn’t merely about finding out who is getting
open to the public. Journalists use open records as a reporting parking tickets — it’s about a public institution denying actool for stories, but anybody can request records through the cess to records and citing an act that does not apply.
OU Open Records Office.
While we don’t have a reason to believe OU has anything to
For example, we used open records to investigate comhide in these parking ticket records, there is
plaints about former Pride of Oklahoma director Justin
no way to know until the records are released.
Our View is
Stolarik in fall 2013. Through the Open Records Office, we
the majority
Student Press Law Center executive diopinion of
obtained letters about the band’s leadership that members
rector Frank LoMonte said in a March 2013
The
Daily’s
had sent to the President’s Action Line. Since members were
story that parking citations aren’t educational
nine-member
hesitant to voice their complaints to The Daily for fear of jeopeditorial board records because visitors can get them when
ardizing their positions in the band, the records provided inthey come to campus. Also, he said they arsight into their concerns.
en’t private records because they are publicly
Access to records is essential for journalists to successfully displayed on cars.
keep a watch on government and public institutions, and for
“A parking ticket is left stuck on the window of a car where
this reason The Daily is joining a lawsuit that was originally
passing pedestrians can look at it,” he said. “Would the colfiled by journalism senior Joey Stipek in May 2013. Stipek,
lege put your report card underneath your windshield wiper,
who is currently the special projects editor at The Daily, sued or a copy of your transcripts?”
OU President David Boren and the director of OU’s Open
We believe this denial of open records exemplifies how
Records Office when the director wouldn’t release students’
FERPA has been used to censor information from the public.
parking ticket records.
The U.S. court system exists to interpret laws, and because
Stipek filed a request for the records in fall 2012 to investiof the discrepancies about whether students’ parking tickets
gate whether the university was granting preferential parkare open records, we are turning to the courts to decide. We
ing ticket appeals to any individuals on campus. The Open
hope the court’s decision will set a precedent that will more
Records Office denied the request, claiming the records are
clearly define FERPA and when it actually applies.
protected under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy
Act, or FERPA.
Comment online at OU Daily.com
limitations of the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy
Act.
WHAT IS FERPA?
FERPA, or the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act, is a federal
law protecting the privacy of student
educational records.
FERPA gives parents or students
18 and over the right to inspect the
student’s education records.
The act allows students to request that
errors in their education records be fixed.
FERPA allows for non-consensual
disclosure of students’ directory
information, including name, phone
number, address, photo, honors and
awards, year and major, and degrees
obtained.
WHAT IS THE OPEN RECORDS ACT?
The Freedom of Information Act is
a federal law giving Americans the
right to access information about the
federal government. In addition to
the Freedom of Information Act, all
50 states have public records laws to
allow members of the public access to
documents pertaining to state and local
governments.
The Oklahoma Open Records Act
was passed in 1985 and is designed to
promote governmental transparency and
keep political power in the hands of the
people.
As explained in the Open Records Act,
“The purpose of this act is to ensure and
facilitate the public’s right of access to
and review of government records so they
may efficiently and intelligently exercise
their inherent political power.”
Go to OUDaily.com for a list of the
records we’re requesting.
To make a records request at OU, email
[email protected].
Anyone in Oklahoma can make a public
records request.
Find out how to make an open records
request in Oklahoma here at ballotpedia.
org/Requesting_copies_of_public_
records.
JANUX
MOVEMBER
TV resource enchances history class Stop shaving, raise
funds for research
OU teams up with the History Channel
to offer new online class through Janux
OU students start campaign to increase
awareness of fight against prostate cancer
PAGE JONES
News Reporter
@pageousm
MEGHAN WHITING
Students can earn general education credit and learn
about America’s past by taking an online class presented by
OU and the History Channel next semester.
OU and the History Channel have teamed up to offer an
online course through Janux, according to a press release.
Steve Gillon, an OU professor and a History Channel
scholar-in-residence will teach the course, titled “United
States 1865 to the Present,” according to the press release.
The course counts for three credit hours, and will last 16
weeks starting Jan. 12, according to the press release.
Students taking the course will participate in online quizzes, essays and discussions, just like they would in any other
course, according to the website.
However, this course will feature more video footage than
other online courses, said Erin Yarbrough, OU’s vice presiPHOTO PROVIDED
dent for Web Communications.
OU and the History Channel are teaming up to create an online class
SEE JANUX PAGE 2
next semester through Janux.
News Reporter
@heyitsmeghanw
Students of Lindsey + Asp Advertising and Public
Relations Agency are holding a No-Shave November campaign to raise awareness for prostate cancer — an issue that
hits them close to home.
Early in the planning stages of the agency’s campaign
for the awareness event, faculty adviser Robert “Pritch”
Pritchard announced to the team that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer, Pritchard said.
“I wanted to keep it low-key and not let it define me,”
Pritchard said. “But I thought it would be appropriate to
share, and I’ve been humbled with the amount of support
this whole campaign is getting.”
The Lindsey + Asp team put a lot of planning into various
events for No-Shave November, Pritchard said.
Press-Leader by Sheryl Orr
about a little girl with brain
cancer, “Who is Bridget?”
Jo Ann Jennings of the Broken Arrow Ledger reported on
efforts to keep pregnant girls in school
– a statewide problem.
Jeff Johncox of The Comanche Country Chronicle featured the people who
have to work on holidays, “Sometimes,
Thanksgiving is about work too.”
Nice to see: The Wilson Post-Democrat’s coverage of the town’s centennial
murals. The Geary Star’s bright layout.
Veterans Day coverage in The Kingfisher
Times and Free Press. Colin Murphy
at the Weatherford Daily News writes a
feature about international students at
SWOSU. Lots of earthquake coverage,
including the Guthrie News-Leader. Dramatic front page of The Tribune.
Both The Edmond Sun and The Journal
Record, headlined “Figuring the Odds,”
carried Ben Fenwick’s Oklahoma Watch
story on gambling addiction.
Unfortunately, I saw only three
papers with coverage of Pearl Harbor,
but they were done well – Mustang News
by Matt Montgomery, Eufaula Indian
Journal, and Bristow Record-Citizen by
Caleb Brabham.
SEE MOVEMBER PAGE 2
The Tulsa Business & Legal News carried a series on immigration, written
by Ralph Schaefer, and including Lesa
Jones’ interview of the president of the
Tulsa Hispanic chamber, headlined,
“Immigration executive action deemed
a small dose of medicine for a big problem”. Steve Belcher at the Clinton Daily
News reported that whites are only two
percentage points away from becoming
a minority in local schools.
Terrific coverage in the Frederick
N W
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Featured newspapers this month are The Oklahoma Daily, The Bethany
Tribune, Frederick Press-Leader, The Geary Star, The Wilson PostDemocrat, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, The Kingfisher Times and
Free Press and the Guthrie News-Leader.
HEAD ‘EM UP AWARDS: First place, The
Shawnee News-Star:
RAIN ON OUR PARADE
over a Lindsey Allen story and Ed
Blochowiak photo of holiday parade.
Second place, tie, Johnston County
Capital-Democrat
POT PLOT GOES ‘POOF’;
THREE IN CUSTODY
and The Oklahoman:
THRILL HILL
on the Bedlam game.
Third place, tie, The Country Connection News:
COTTON HARVEST IS A WHOLE
NEW BALE GAME
about round bales now made in the
fields, not gins, and Tulsa Beacon:
LOSING PROPOSITION
about 10 years of legalized gambling,
addiction problems and failure to bring
promised money to education.
Honorable mentions: “November
snow steals show,” The Ellis County Capital; “I smell a skunk,” on James Bridges’
front page column about choosing journalism, The Shawnee News-Star; “Music
for the tummy,” El Reno Tribune, on a
benefit concert; “Shop small Saturday,”
about small business week, Choctaw
Times; “Festive fog”, on Jessica Lane’s
photo of Christmas lights in fog, ChickaContinued on Page 9
The new multimedia ad program that is changing the way we connect.
OKPANOW2013
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
Clark’s Critique Continued from Page 8
The Wilson Post-Democrat
VOLUME 107
NUMBER 40
WILSON, CARTER COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, DECEMBER 4, 2014
(USPS 685-720)
PRICE 50 CENTS
Wilson to host Christmas
Parade, visits with Santa,
Community Christmas
Dinner December 6
The Christmas season officially kicked-off in Wilson
on Wednesday, December
3, with the Christmas tree
lighting. Wilson citizens,
young and old, gathered at
City Hall with city officials
and Wilson Ministerial Alliance members for the annual
lighting. The community
Christmas tree and decorations on the library lawn are
beautiful, as are the windows
in downtown businesses.
The Christmas season will
continue this Saturday, December 6, with the parade,
visits with Santa and Mrs.
Claus and the Community
Christmas Dinner.
Parade line-up will begin
at 2:15 p.m., on Eagle Lane,
which is the road that runs
in front of the Early Childhood Center. The Christmas
Parade, sponsored by the
Wilson Chamber of Commerce, will officially head
down Main Street at 3:00
p.m. Everyone is encouraged to build a float, ride in a
car or truck, or even walk in
the parade.
A LARGE MURAL DEPICTING DOWNTOWN WILSON, 1918, is painted on the side of the former location of The
Store. The mural depicts an old time car, school children and Wilson's founders, Jake Hamon and John Ringling, in each
of the three arches. -(Photos Submitted).
Wilson's Centennial Murals
The weekend before
Thanksgiving, Bob Palmer
and his talented crew of professional artists completed
the last of the six murals
depicting Wilson’s history
and its heritage. The first
two murals had been completed previously and work
had been done on the third.
One of the earlier murals
features "In God We Trust",
an American flag, and the
Oklahoma State flag. This
mural is located on the west
side of Wilson’s City Hall.
A second mural, on the east
wall of what for many years
was Mashore's, features an
oil scene, a train, the Wilson train depot, a truck with
Hewitt Oil Field written on
it, a pump jack and other
images. This mural captures what led to the founding and early boom days of
Wilson—the railroad and
discovery of oil. The third
mural that had been worked
on previously—but not finalized—is on the front of
Wilson Historical Museum
Annex, facing US Highway
70A. This mural features
an eagle, a train and an oil
derrick—as rendered on the
Wilson City Flag designed
by Sherry Gray.
The weekend before
Thanksgiving the third mural—on the Wilson Historical Museum Annex—was
completed and now feels
like it has the detail and authenticity needed. Then Bob
Palmer and his crew completed three more murals.
The fourth mural is located
on the west side of what was
formerly The Store. This wall
was unusual since it featured
three arches where—at one
Bean Family Pharmacy
sets up nicely-decorated
mailbox for Santa Letters
Hey all you moms and
dads out there, this message
is for you! Christmas Eve
is quickly approaching, and
we know all those good little girls and boys have been
making out their Christmas
Wish Lists for Santa.
This year, Bean Family
Pharmacy in Healdton has
decorated a mailbox specifically for those special Santa
Letters, so stop by Bean
Family Pharmacy to leave
the letters for Santa. Who
knows, maybe Santa will
share them with the newspaper for everyone to read!
time—customers could pass
from the building housing
The Store to a building—no
longer standing—that was
on the northeast corner of
US Highway 70A and 6th
Street. In one of the arches
the founders of Wilson, Jake
Hamon and John Ringling,
are depicted. Another arch
features school children
while the third arch, located
at the north end of the wall,
features an old time car. The
main feature of this mural
is a rendition of Wilson’s
Main Street as it looked in
1918—looking east from the
intersection of US Highway
70A and 6th Street. Thus, the
view depicted in this mural
is what you could have seen
in 1918 simply by stepping
out into the intersection by
the mural and looking east.
The fifth mural is located
close to the Wilson schools
on what was formally the
administration
building.
This mural features an eagle
on a blue background with
“Wilson” at the top left and
“Home of the Eagles” at the
bottom right. It seemed fitting to have this mural located on Eagle Lane where
people going to and from
the Wilson’s schools can see
that Wilson is indeed “Home
of the Eagles.”
The final mural—on the
largest building used for
Wilson’s murals—is located
on one of Hull’s Environmental Services buildings
as you approach Wilson
from the south on Highway
76. This mural has nine images of buildings from Wilson’s past. It has the original three-story New Wilson
High School, and the origi-
nal two-story New Wilson
South Ward School. It also
has the same two buildings
after their top stories had
been removed and additions
made—resulting in the Wilson High School and Wilson South Ward School that
many Wilsonites attended
over the years. This mural
also features the original
City Hall and Fire Station
(which became Dr. Noma
Rector’s Clinic for many
years before it burned), the
old Public Library (that was
located where the Carter
County Sherriff’s office is
(Continued on page 2)
Santa letters;
deadline Mon.,
December 15
Hey kids! It’s that time
of year again. Santa will
be heading to Healdton to
surprise all the good little
girls and boys on Christmas Eve.
So, don’t forget, letters
to Santa need to be turned
in to The Healdton Herald
office at 11204 Hwy. 76,
by Monday, December
15, in order for them to be
published in our Christmas
editions of The Healdton
Herald and The Wilson
Post-Democrat.
Letters can be faxed to
580-229-0132 or e-mail
letters to Jolly Old Saint
Nick at healdtonherald@
att.net. Letters can also be
mailed to PO Box 250 in
Healdton.
Following the Christmas Parada, Santa and Mrs.
Claus, with their Wilson
Homemaker elves, will visit
children at the Wilson Public Library. Youngsters will
have their chance to sit on
Santa's lap and tell him what
they want for Christmas this
year. The Wilson Homemaker elves will be handing out
goodie bags to all the youngsters who come to visit with
Santa and Mrs. Claus. Children and their parents will
need to come to the back
door of the Wilson Public
Library meeting room to
line up for their visit with
Santa. Parents are reminded
to bring their cameras so
that they can take pictures of
their little ones.
The festive day will conclude with the Community
Christmas Dinner, sponsored by the Wilson Rotary
Club. The dinner will once
again be held at the Wilson
Senior Citizens Center, from
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Thanks to the generous
(Continued on page 2)
The City of Wilson will
hold the Christmas Tree
Lighting at Wilson City
Hall on Wednesday,
Dec. 3, at 6:30 p.m.
George, Carole Pinches
to serve as Grand
Marshals of the 2014
Wilson Christmas Parade
When the 2014 Wilson
Christmas Parade rolls down
Main Street on Saturday afternoon, December 6, riding
in the seat of honor as Grand
Marshals will be George and
Carole Pinches.
The Pinches moved to
Wilson in 1998 to pursue a
family dream of writing a
history of Wilson and creating a Wilson museum.
Carole's dad, the late Lewis
Gandy, and uncle, the late
Carl Cumpton, put the idea
into their minds. Although
they have since moved to
Ardmore, and the dreams
have been altered along the
way, the reality has become
far more than the original
dream.
After meetings with the
Wilson City Council to see if
they were in agreement and
ready to offer their backing
in regards to a museum (and
the Wilson City Council
did), on November 5, 1998,
the Wilson Historical Society was established. In just
three short years the Wilson
Historical Museum opened
its doors on November 3,
2001, and as the saying goes,
"The rest is history."
The museum has grown
and flourished. With the
acquisition of the former
Junque Store, the Museum
Annex can now house some
larger items of Wilson's history that will not fit into the
museum building. The annex is currently a work in
progress.
Along the way, there have
been many other undertak-
GEORGE and CAROLE
PINCHES
ings which have only served
to improve upon what the
museum has to offer. The
Centennial cookbooks were
recently published, which
included hundreds of pages
of Wilson's history.
On November 5, 2014,
the City of Wilson celebrated its 100th birthday. The
birthday celebration turned
into a huge event due to
the joint efforts of numerous volunteers. However,
the Pinches were the guiding hand in all that occurred.
They also were behind the
current mural project, which
has brought lots of color and
highlighted some of Wilson's history to six buildings
in Wilson.
The Chamber of Commerce voted unanimously
on choosing George and
Carole as grand marshals of
the upcoming parade. Their
dedication to preserving the
history of Wilson and their
combined efforts and work
on the 2014 Centennial
(Continued on page 2)
16
Pages
November 12, 2014
Wednesday
No. 59 of the
126th Year
In Brief
Ed. town hall
set Monday
Fifty Cents
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Military service meant the world to Navy vet
Life’s dream to travel fulfilled aboard aircraft carrier
By Cindy Gruntmeir
three years and
eight months on
the ship,” Sanders said.
Sanders saw
the world including Japan,
Guam and Hong
Kong. He spent his
time repairing the hydraulics and structure
of aircraft when it was
needed.
“I had always liked
airplanes and I enjoyed
traveling throughout
the world,” he said.
“Where I was stationed
was a good fit, but I
learned of all the places
I saw, there is not place
like home.”
The ship housed
5,000 soldiers at one
time and was a city
within itself. The ship
was 896 feet long, just
shy of the length of three
IRRWEDOOÀHOGV
Modern ships, such
as the USS Ronald Reagan, are more than 1,000
feet long and house 8,000 soldiers.
Servicemen and women who
served on the USS Kearsarge reunite
every two years at a different location
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Sanders had been able to get away
to attend.
He was joined by 57 others who
had served at one time or another on
the ship, none of whom Sanders knew.
The state education department is hosting an Oklahoma Education Town Hall
at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17,
at the First Baptist Church
Connextion Building in
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Scheduled throughout
the state, the meetings are
open to parents, educators
and other community members to discuss education in
Oklahoma.
Among the topics to be
discussed is the Priority
Academic Student Skills to
be used in state classrooms
over the next two years and
how the loss of the No Child
Left Behind waiver will affect local schools.
“This is a great opportunity for people to learn about
VRPHVLJQLÀFDQWFKDQJHVLQ
Oklahoma schools. The
future success of Oklahoma
depends on a strong and vibrant education system, and
that can only happen when
communities get involved,”
outgoing state Superintendent of Public Instruction
Janet Barresi said.
OSDE representatives
will be on hand to answer
questions and gather input
on how Oklahomans envision the academic standards
that will be developed over
the next two years.
After graduation from Marland
+LJK 6FKRRO LQ .LQJÀVKHU·V
Rusty Sanders, owner of Sanders
Funeral Service, had two aspirations.
He wanted to be a basketball
coach and he wanted to travel the
world.
<RXQJDQGVLQJOHKLVÀUVWGHVLUH
was met when he joined the U.S.
Navy, sailing around the world two
times.
Sanders relived memories of his
military experience when he and his
son Chad attended his ship’s reunion
in San Diego, Calif., in September.
While there, the ship he was stationed on was decommissioned even
though it doesn’t exist anymore.
The ship has long since been
scrapped.
Sanders was assigned to the USS
Kearsarge CVA 33 attack aircraft
carrier which was converted from a
CVA to a CVS anti-submarine carrier
during his tenure.
He served in the U.S. Navy Air
as an aviation structure mechanic
SHWW\RIÀFHUVHFRQGFODVVEHWZHHQWKH
Vietnam and Korean wars from 1956
until Dec. 28, 1959.
“The military taught me to grow
XSUHDOTXLFN,ÁHZWR6DQ'LHJRIRU
boot camp and was picked up at the
airport by a cattle truck. I spent my
ÀUVWZHHNVWKHUH
“Following boot camp, I went
home for two weeks and was sent to
Bremerton, Wash., and boarded the
USS Kearsarge where I spent the next
County foots
cremation bill
City’s top development goal within reach
.LQJÀVKHU &RXQW\ FRP
missioners Monday approved routine financial
transactions, a request for
cremation expenses for a
Kingfisher resident who
died virtually penniless and
without relatives, a lease
agreement for space in the
courthouse annex for the
Office of Juvenile Affairs
and renewed lease-payment
agreements for road graders
for Districts 1 and 3.
After those actions, commissioners approved 16 permits for road crossings by
pipelines involved in oil and
gas company operations.
Eight of the permits were
for a 12-inch gas line for
Markwest Energy in District
3 beginning one mile west of
Loyal and extending north
before turning west and entering Blaine County.
Commissioners also approved a contract with Oklahoma State University for
extension services for county residents for the 2014-15
ÀVFDO\HDUWKDWEHJDQ-XO\
District 1 Commissioner Edward Wilczek asked
County Extension Director
Zack Meyer why commissioners didn’t receive the
contract in July. Meyer said
in Okfuskee County, where
he served previously, the
contract was approved annually in November. He
said that he would present
the document in July in the
future.
The contract renews the
same provisions that existed
the preceding year.
Oklahoma State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide
for the selection and salaries
or professional personnel
while the county provides
RIÀFH VSDFH DQG DQ DQQXDO
budget outlay of $108,198
to be disbursed as follows:
personal services, $77,316;
travel expense, $13,000;
maintenance and operations, $10,482, and capital
outlay, $7,500.
Commissioners agreed to
SURYLGH RIÀFH VSDFH LQ WKH
courthouse annex for the
2NODKRPD 2IÀFH RI -XYH
nile Affairs at a rent of $308
monthly.
Bert Gritz of Cordry-Gritz
Funeral Home in Hennessey
requested the county to as-
[See County Page 7]
7LPHV)UHH3UHVV6WDII:ULWHU
RUSTY SANDERS
proudly displays an
actual photograph of
the USS Kearsarge
aircraft carrier that
KDQJVLQKLVRIÀFHDW
left). A Navy veteran,
he spent three years
and eight months
stationed on the ship
IURPEHORZ
[Photos Provided]
Unfortunately, two of the guys he
had really looked forward to seeing
were unable to attend.
While in San Diego, Sanders and
his son visited the national veterans
cemetery where over 90,000 service and to Coronado Island.
To get to Coronado Island, they
people are buried. They also toured
went across the San Diego-Coronado
the Battleship USS Iowa Museum.
While in California, they traveled Bay Bridge, a 2.1 mile structure that
to Long Beach to see the Queen Mary
[See Sanders Page 7]
Plans to construct new hotel under way
LQFHQWLYHSOXVDÁDWUDWHRU
Kingfisher likely has a
reduced rate for building
new three-story hotel in its
permits and a commitment
future after city commissionto provide infrastructure for
ers gave the green light Monday night to an incentive
utilities.
package being negotiated
In a report presented to
by city staff with Oklahoma
the commission, Slezickey
City development company
said he projects recovering
Platinum Hospitality.
the cost of the incentive
City Manager Dave
package in slightly over
Slezickey said a special
two years from the day of
meeting will be scheduled
opening, based on sales and
later this month to approve
use taxes on construction
a resolution outlining the
materials, utility revenues
exact terms of the incentives
and occupancy taxes.
to be offered to developer
Commissioners voted
Harry Patel, who has been
unanimously at a previous
instrumental in building
meeting to approve a resosimilar hotels in Cushing and
lution identifying construcFairview, as well as larger
tion of a new hotel as the
facilities in Oklahoma City.
city’s number one economic
Patel is negotiating with +27(/'(9(/23(5+DUU\3DWHORI3ODWLQXP+RVSLWDOLW\WROG.LQJÀVKHUFLW\FRP development priority, givmembers of the Dorsey missioners that the Best Western PlusZKLFKKLVFRPSDQ\SODQVWRFRQVWUXFWRQ6RXWK ing the go ahead to city staff
Brown family to purchase 0DLQ6WUHHWZLOOEHVLPLODUWRWKLVRQHLQ&XVKLQJ[Photo Provided]
members to discuss possible
two acres behind Pizza Hut
incentive packages with powhich will have access to U.S. 81 for ÁRRUSODQZLOOEHVLPLODUWRWKH%HVW
The hotel also will include a pub- tential developers.
construction of a three-story Best Western Plus recently constructed in lic meeting room with seating for
Patel said his company will begin
Western Plus.
Cushing, containing 52 guest rooms 100 and an indoor pool and exercise working on construction plans and
Patel, who was present at the and six extended stay suites with room, he said.
anticipates an eight to 12 month conmeeting, along with Brown and kitchenettes and separate bedroom
The incentive package being struction process once actual work
other family members, said the and living areas.
proposed includes a $125,000 cash
[See Hotel Page 15]
U.S. Constitution trumps all, judge says
.LQJÀVKHU&RXQW\$VVRFLDWH'LVWULFW-XGJH5REHUW'DYLV
WROGWKH.LQJÀVKHU&RXQW\5HSXEOLFDQ:RPHQRQ0RQGD\
there is nothing more fundamentally important than the
Constitution.
As guest speaker at the club’s November meeting, Davis
explained that the Founding Fathers decided after the Articles
of Confederation were signed that they would not work. After
much debate, they were replaced with a federal government
under the U.S. Constitution.
“University professors are teaching that the Constitution is
no longer needed. That is bunk, it is needed more today than
100 years ago. With the amendments, it is correctible, making
it a living document,” Davis said.
+H VDLG WKH SUHVLGHQW VWDWHV LQ KLV RDWK RI RIÀFH WKDW KLV
responsibilities are to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.
“We are not teaching civics anymore and not insuring
that our teachers, students and legislators are knowledgable
about the Constitution. If we start ignoring and not applying
the Constitution, things will happen that shouldn’t,” he said.
Davis stressed the importance of legislators quoting the
Constitution and knowing their
role according to the Constitution.
“If we use the legislative process, we will get laws that are
workable and doable,” he said.
Debbie Parks introduced Davis
$662&,$7(',675,&7-XGJH%RE'DYLVFHQWHUODLGRXWWKHLPSRUWDQFHRIWKH86 at the luncheon.
Also at the meeting, the 2015
&RQVWLWXWLRQ0RQGD\DWWKH.LQJÀVKHU&RXQW\5HSXEOLFDQ:RPHQOXQFKHRQ:LWKKLP
DUH.&5:3UHVLGHQW$QQHQGD5H\QROGVULJKWDQG)LUVW9LFH3UHVLGHQW'HEELH3DUNV
D. SCOTT McMEEKIN, M.D.
[See Constitution Page 7]
Soldier statue dedicated at KHS assembly; details in Sunday’s paper
STEPHENSON CANCER CENTER
Local sculptor John Gooden with wife Jody and his statue of a World War I soldier based on local soldier Keith Lowry, who died in combat.
1,206 local earthquakes
VOLUME 122 • ISSUE 148
Saturday, December 6, 2014
ONE DOLLAR
Logan County has set
the record in the state for
the number of earthquakes
located this year, according to Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) research
seismologist Amberlee Darold. Darold provided information regarding the total
number of recorded earthquakes in Oklahoma so far
this year. This information
does, however, come with
the disclaimer that because
Meg Morgan/The News Leader
there were so many earthquakes, it was not possible
to record all of them, Darold said.
“With the rate of seisPictured above, Scott Routon helped customer Charmicity currently occurring
lotte Moniz Wednesday afternoon. Guthrie Post Office
in the state of Oklahoma
Postmaster Debra Nelson says it’s always best to think
and our limited resources
ahead during the holidays. “The sooner you send out
we are unable to locate all
your holiday mail, the better the chances are that they’ll
earthquakes. This list in
make it to their destination on time,” Nelson said.
no way represents the acPhoto courtesy of USGS
tual number of earthquakes
Pictured above, a chart from the USGS of earthquakes registering 3.0 magnitude or
throughout Oklahoma but
higher. This year alone 507 has been recorded through Dec. 3, 2014.
as a minimum we are working hard to locate all events above a magnitude 2.5. We hope to be going back through our data and locating these smaller events sometime in the future,” Darold said. According to the OGS, there were 4,871 cataloged earthquakes located
as of Dec. 5 in Oklahoma. Logan County had a huge percentage of those earthquakes and there were more recorded
At the Guthrie City Council meeting on Tuesday, the
earthquakes in this county than any other by far. 1,206 (of 4,871) earthquakes were located in Logan County.
council approved all items on the consent agenda, includThe next highest number of recorded earthquakes was 894 in Grant County and then 566 in Payne County.
ing the purchase of 13 wearable digital video systems for
On Dec. 3, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) released official information on the number of earthquakes City staff and the approval of the Highland Park House
recorded in Oklahoma at a magnitude of 3.0 or greater so far this year. As of Dec. 3, there have been 507 earthquakes Occupancy Agreement between the City of Guthrie and
See QUAKES, page 3
Police Chief Don Sweger.
After the meeting’s executive session, the council
Mail sooner rather
than later...
BRINGING OKLAHOMANS
TOGETHER. BUILDING A
BETTER STATE OF HEALTH.
Council does not
reinstate lieutenant
Lab “Trooper” lives up to his name
Abandoned
lab-mix
Trooper is certainly living up to his new name. It
all started during Logan
County’s first freeze on Oct.
28 when Coyle resident and
city employee Kelli Evans
said she received an alarming phone call.
“Our water assistant
Chris (Neilson) was doing
a reading and found the dog
in the backyard. He called
me – I’m a former police officer and did lots of animal
control – and thought the
dog was dead but then he
saw one of his ears twitch,”
Evans said.
They discovered that
the family formerly living
in the home moved about
Meg Morgan/The News Leader
mid-September and had left
Pictured above, abandoned pup Trooper is putting on weight with his new famthe dog in the backyard. He
ily in Coyle: Chris Neilson, Ashlee Munjoy, one-year-old Wyatt and four-year-old
was left with only a dog
Leeolli.
house, which might be why
he was not discovered sooner, Evans said.
“I went straight into the yard like I owned the place and was just appalled at the dog’s condition. It was lucky that
See TROOPER, page 3
See COUNCIL, page 11
Territorial Rider loves
“giving back”
Te r r i t o r i a l
Rider Vice-President and founding member Nick
Chamberlain has
been
involved
with motorcycles
longer than many
other hobbyists;
in fact, riding
could be said to
be a way of life
for him.
“I’ve
been
riding in some
form since I was
about
seven,”
Meg Morgan/The News Leader
Chamberlain said.
“I just love the act Pictured above, Territorial Ridof riding and get- ers Vice-President and Guthrie
ting the wind in resident Nick Chamberlain has
your face.”
been riding since about the age of
Chamberlain seven.
is originally from
the Bay area of California. He served in the Army in about
1970 before going into the construction business, he says,
and currently works maintenance at John Vance Auto
Group in Guthrie.
See RIDER, page 3
We’ve cracked open
the GNL safe!
And found... Dec. 9, 1953
Photo Submitted
Pictured left, Logan Johns, AFR/OFU vice president, Kristen Walters with AFR/OFU President Terry Detrick
and AFR/OFU Youth Advisory member Megan Trantham.
Walters places second in district speech contest
Guthrie senior Kristen Walters won second place in
the recent American Farmers & Ranchers/Oklahoma
Farmers Union (AFR/OFU)
Northwest District Speech
Contest held in Enid on Nov. 18. Walters was placed in the
Student Organizations Senior Division category.
“My speech was about how through the FFA, you can
become a powerful person and learn to set your mind to
anything,” Walters said. Because she won second place,
See WALTERS, page 3
sha Express-Star; “Tis the season…to be
scammed,” on publisher Loné Beasley’s
column, Ada News; “Sinking feeling,”
on James Beaty story, Kevin Harvison
photo of pothole, McAlester News-Capital;
“Let the fingers do the talking,” about
police fingerprinting all grade schools
students, The Sayre Record; “A Star is
Born,” Mike West story on opening
night, Sulphur Times-Democrat.
And, Merry Christmas.
Pictured above, the girls trio sang between acts of the
play “Happy Daze” presented by the freshman class
of Fogarty Junior High School Friday night. They are,
left to right, Norma Lee Lorenzen, Julia Flasch and
Marlene Woodul.
When Oklahoma
voters created the
Tobacco Settlement
Endowment Trust,
something amazing
happened. People
came together. They
joined forces for the
greater good and saw
the possibility of a
healthier future.
For more information,
visit tset.ok.gov.
TSET grants bring world-class
researchers to Oklahoma to create
new discoveries and provide
cutting-edge treatment. Thanks
to TSET funds, the Oklahoma
Phase I Clinical Trials Program at
the Stephenson Cancer Center is
serving patients statewide and is
one of the top ten programs in the
country. For every $1 TSET invests
in research, scientists leverage
an additional $3 in support from
other sources.
9
10
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
THE OG&E PHOTO CONTEST
“The Kiss” – Captain Hayden Jevellas kisses Ashley Youngwolfe, the 2014 homecoming queen,
during homecoming ceremonies at the football game.
Photo by JACK BUZBEE, Pawhuska Journal Capital, October 21, 2014
OCTOBER 2014 DAILY WINNER:
STEVE MILLER
Lawton Constitution
OCTOBER 2014 WEEKLY WINNER:
JACK BUZBEE
Members of Eisenhower High School JROTC raise the American flag Tagainst
the backdrop of the setting sun ahead of the Lawton High School vs.
Eisenhower High School football game at Cameron University Stadium.
Pawhuska Journal Capital
Photo by STEVE MILLER, Lawton Constitution, October 18, 2014
The October 2014 contest was judged by a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
View all winning photos at www.OkPress.com/OGE-Photo-Contest
ENTER AND WIN A $100 CHECK FROM OGE ENERGY CORP.
For more information about the photo contest, visit www.okpress.com.
It’s time … for OG&E’ss new SmartHours Price Plans.
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The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
11
PHOTO ID PRESS CARDS
AVAILABLE FROM OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION
For the first time, the OPA is
offering high quality photo ID Press
Cards to business member newspapers for $5 each.
These press cards are perfect for
reporters, photographers and any
other staff members at your newspaper.
The hard, plastic badges – usable
for a calendar year – feature your
mugshot, along with your newspaper’s name and phone number. A clip
at the top of the card makes it easy to
attach to a lanyard, clothing or camera bag. The back of the card has the
OPA contact information.
Orders must come from the publisher, general manager or editor.
Sustaining members and associate
members are not eligible for the
photo ID press cards. However,
standard cardstock non-photo press
cards are still available for free to
OPA members.
To order photo ID press cards
for your staff, download the form
at www.okpress.com/opa-photoid-press-cards. Press cards will be
processed quickly upon receipt and
payment.
Instructions follow on how to submit electronic mugshots.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ORDERING
PHOTO ID PRESS CARDS
1. Fill out form completely and legibly.
Names of newspaper and staff
members will be printed exactly as
you submit them. (Form is available
in PDF format at www.OkPress.com/
opa-photo-id-press-cards.)
2. Name mugshot files as follows:
File Name:
LastName,FirstNamePhoto.jpg (ex:
DoeJohnPhoto.jpg).
Cropping: Crop photo tight to show
face and neck (see Jeff Funk Press
Card at right for example).
File Size: Submit 300 DPI at least 2
inches X 2 inches.
Format: JPEG, CMYK or RGB
3. Submit mugshot electronically by
emailing to [email protected].
(If submitting multiple photos, send in
increments of no more than 2MB at a
time.)
4. Send completed form to OPA, 3601
N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK
73105 or fax to (405) 499-0048 or
scan & email to [email protected].
Editors join staff at Seminole Producer
The Seminole Producer recently welcomed two new editors to its team, Ken
Childers and Schahara Riffle.
Childers has been named as the
paper’s news editor.
“We’re glad to have Ken back home
and working back here at the Producer,”
said Stu Phillips, editor and publisher of
The Seminole Producer.
A Seminole native, Childers started
throwing papers for the Producer and
working weekends inserting supplements in 1976. He graduated from Seminole High School in 1982 and then studied journalism at Seminole State College and Northeastern State University.
While in school, he worked for Seminole
Collegian and The Northeastern News.
After a career in radio that took him
to Albuquerque and Houston, Childers
returned to Seminole in October 2014
and started working at The Producer as
a news writer.
Childers also is an avid musician
who plays guitar and drums. He was
lead guitarist for “The Rockin’ Relics,” a
Houston-based band that played mainly
private functions. The band was the
opening act for country star Mark Chesnutt on three separate occasions.
Riffle is taking on the role of city
editor. Riffle grew up in Seminole and
recently moved back to the area.
She is a graduate of Seminole State
College and attended East Central University where she worked on a double
major in History and Cartography.
“I have a passion for writing and history and a love for the city of Seminole,”
Riffle said. “I cant wait for the chance to
combine the two for a fun and challenging career at The Seminole Producer.”
12
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
PART 2: ONF interns share their experiences
This month, six more ONF
interns share their stories about
working at an Oklahoma newspaper.
The Oklahoma Newspaper
Foundation’s internship program placed 21 journalism students at Oklahoma newspapers
this year.
The paid internships were
PATRICK OSBORNE
made possible by a grant from
the Ethics and Excellence in
Journalism Foundation.
The ONF’s internship program promotes the value of
working at Oklahoma newspapers and benefits students
as they begin their professional
careers.
this. So thank you again to the Mustang
community and the Mustang News for
this wonderful opportunity and experience you provided me.
Oklahoma State University
Interned at Mustang News
Well, Mustang, it has been
a good run.
My internship
with the Mustang News has
ended, and it’s time for me to return to
Oklahoma State University.
I learned so much from this experience. Ryan, Ashleigh, Kyle and Kristen,
you all welcomed me with open arms
and took the time to help me learn all
sides of the newspaper business. I’m
incredibly thankful for all of you; you
made me a better writer this summer.
I came to the office expecting to write
solely about sports and work for Kyle,
my sports editor. Although during my
eight weeks I spent a majority of time
working under him, that was just the tip
of the iceberg. The office family took the
time to give me at least a week with each
of them so that I could learn their trades.
Ashleigh gave me my most unexpected opportunity to learn. She taught
me more than I ever expected to know
about how to edit pictures and design
ads from scratch. She made it all look
so easy and never got frustrated when I
had questions.
The last week of my internship, Ryan
and Kristen took me under their wings,
and gave me a chance to see the business side of running a successful newspaper. They let me tag along with them
selling ads, but taught me more than
how to just sell ads. They taught me how
to connect to people, my readers and the
community.
Finally, there was Kyle. He trusted
me and my abilities from day one, and
his trust never waivered. He gave me so
many opportunities to grow as a writer,
and I did my best to take advantage of all
of them. I was never treated as an intern
with him, but rather as a member of
his sports staff. He took the time every
week to sit down with me and not only
edit my mistakes but also discuss with
me why he was editing certain aspects
of my work so I could grow as a writer.
This was my first internship experience, and it’s one I will never forget.
I fully believe I can take all that I’ve
learned this summer back to Oklahoma
State with me as a launch pad to continue to grow as a writer.
I am beyond thankful that I was able
to write for my hometown newspaper;
not many people get the chance to do
CAELE PEMBERTON
Oklahoma State University
Interned at The Journal Record
I
applied
through ONF
because of Barbara Allen, the
advisor for the
O’Colly at Oklahoma State University. She recommended I apply and
told me to call some guy named Ted and
ask him to look at my resumé.
Several other OSU students interviewed at The Journal Record, which
made me incredibly nervous. These are
the people I’ve been working all year
with, the people I’ve really come to like.
All of a sudden, they’re competition, and
I’m very competitive.
In my interview, that guy Ted Streuli
asked me if I would say I’m a “lone wolf”
or a “team player.” I answered, quite
happily, “team player,” not knowing that
was not what he wanted to hear. I think
I redeemed myself a little with my “I
Photo by Patrick Osborne of Mustang baseball player Seth Selby demonstrating the proper form
for the Slip ‘N Slide drill at baseball summer camp.
write good” joke, which elicited a slight
chuckle.
I received an email from Streuli
informing me I was accepted. Fortunately, I made sure to misspell his name
in emails only after I’d accepted the
position.
My time at The Journal Record was
certainly not what I expected. Working
for a college newspaper involves quite
a bit of running around town, talking
to people I’ve already talked to a hundred times and whose numbers are programmed into my phone. There is also
a higher level of confidence, especially
when my stories are on the front page
day after day.
Coming to The Journal Record, I
was overwhelmed. They were not going
to hold my hand, Ted told me several
times. When he asked me that first day
what I was going to write about, I stammered, instantly wishing I’d chosen city
council meetings in some small town
instead.
But Scott Carter, one of the most
headstrong reporters I’ve ever met,
threw me an idea and that’s how I
started writing for The Journal Record.
Writing with a business angle for
every story was frustrating at times.
I’d written a few business stories that I
was proud of, but this was new. Every
day I had to think of the business side
of things and how it affected Oklahoma, and it pushed me to become a
much better reporter. If every O’Colly
reporter can get an internship like this, I
know we’ll continue to win the Sequoyah
award every year.
Continued on Page 13
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
13
Newspaper Interns Continued from Page 12
My time at The Newcastle
Pacer was beneficial to me in
many ways as a journalist. The
staff at The Pacer taught me
various ways to improve my
writing, editing and layout skills.
At The Pacer I was responsible for finding my own leads and
creating my own content for the
paper. I also had the opportunity
to write for and help design the
paper’s annual football magazine.
MAX TERRELL
University of Science and Arts
Interned at The Newcastle Pacer
KRISTY STURGILL
Oral Roberts University
Interned at The Claremore Daily Progress
Interning at
the Claremore
Progress has
been quite exciting. I am sure
that “exciting” is
not the adjective that many would expect
me to choose, because honestly how
action-packed is a daily newspaper for
a town with less than 20,000 residents?
Sure, the circulation may be modest and
the readership may not compare to that
of the Wall Street Journal or the New
York Times, but there is something truly
special about playing an active role in
the storytelling of this small part of the
world. There are powerful stories hidden within this town just waiting for the
right moment to be told.
This summer I witnessed the plight of
small town newspapers. There is a battle
between time and resources. Papers,
including the Progress, have to do more
with less. I have seen reporters, advertisers and administrators pour themselves into creating quality content on
strict deadlines. I have participated in
the integration of digital and print to aid
in the storytelling process and the production of news. I have watched reporters develop skills in website design and
management through mostly self-taught
methods. I have seen writers quickly fill
the void after losing a managing editor.
Team members have stepped up to do
the necessary jobs required to get a
paper to print regardless of whether or
not it was a part of their job description.
The team that gets the Progress published cares about the community. They
put an immense amount of energy, time
and passion into everything they do.
The “excitement” of the paper does
not usually come from breaking news,
crime stories or natural disasters. It
comes from meeting new people and
finding stories that need to be told, making the article and ads fit just right, and
reaching yet another deadline.
I have learned about what I call “the
hunt.” It is the time in which reporters
are looking for stories. I had this misconceived notion when I arrived that
the stories would just post themselves
to my desk. I assumed that I would just
receive assignments like homework in a
class and then I would work on the story.
This is by no means the case. Reporters
have to find their stories every week,
and while some stories walk through the
door most are hunted down.
I also learned that being a reporter
has a rhythm. I was mistaken when I
assumed there would be a constant flow
of news. News arrives in waves. There
is either an intense amount of news to
cover in one day or very little, but there
is never consistency.
This summer I had the honor of writing stories about some really incredible
people. I took photos after the primary
election, and had to summon up the
courage to stay at a watch party even
when the candidate did not win. I stayed
late into the night with the team making
sure the election coverage made it to
print for the next day, and even when
I left, reporters were still hard at work
laying out the paper and editing content.
Who would tell the story of Claremore
if there was not a paper? Sure, there are
stories that make it to the Tulsa World or
one of the major television networks, but
Claremore has more to offer than just a
The opportunities and teaching I received working for The
Pacer has prepared me for the
professional world.
This experience also taught
me that journalism is the path
for me. I appreciate the opportunity the Montgomery family has
given me and the help that the
other reporters, Darla and Clarence, offered me.
I loved my time at The Pacer
and the community I was fortunate to become a part of.
Photo by Max Terrell at a bi-annual Charity
Golf Classic sponsored by Riverwind Casino.
One of the groups to benefit was Cavett Kids,
a non-profit organization that provides special
camps for children with life-threatening
diseases.
few stories. The Progress has been the
one consistent source that provides the
community with relevant news.
As the paper continues its journey to
online integration I really hope the community supports this change, and understands the paper is on a learning journey
to provide a better media experience.
I also, hope the community supports
the paper by simply making an effort
to read the content on a regular basis. I
hope the community really understands
the importance of a local paper. It is an
advocate when necessary, it stands on
the front lines of free speech and it plays
a strong role in local government.
The number one thing I took away
this summer is faith that print media will
continue to survive despite all the naysayers who claim it to be nearing the end
of its life. I have this faith because I have
witnessed the sheer tenacity of the individuals who work in this field every day.
I am sure the concept of print news will
be ever evolving with the development
of new technology, but by no means do I
fear any demise of print news.
I set out to achieve several goals this
summer, and most of them I completed.
However, I am short just one goal and
Progress readers can help. This is how.
When I began the summer the Claremore Progress had a couple of Facebook pages, which made more work for
reporters who needed to link stories to
social media and for fans who needed
to know which one to “like.” With the
help of Salisha Wilken we combined the
duplicate pages and pushed the paper’s
“likes” from 5,000 to over 11,000. However, my goal was 12,000. So “like” the
Claremore Progress Facebook page for
updates on important stories in the community, and do not be afraid to engage
with us every now and then. We like to
know what the readers are thinking.
To be cliché for just one moment, I
do not believe in goodbyes. In others
words, until next time, Claremore Progress, it has been one exciting summer.
Photo by Kristy Sturgill of traffic accident involving a Chevy Silverado and a dump truck. A
woman was rushed to Claremore Hillcrest Hospital with numbness and pain in her legs, but no
other injuries were reported.
Continued on Page 14
14
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
Newspaper Interns Continued from Page 13
TARYN SANDERSON
Oklahoma State University
Interned at The Grove Sun
It’s not see
you later, it’s
goodbye.
A whirlwind
of emotions hit
me during my
last days interning.
Is this really the end?
I have to move again, this bites. And
the two and half hour drive back...with
my cat crying the whole way, can’t wait.
I seriously wrote that many articles?
Is it twisted that I’m going to miss the
constant intern teasing in the office?
I finally know how to get everywhere
around the lake, and coincidentally my
internship is over now.
While I would love to say “it’s not
goodbye, it’s see you later” to my coworkers, host family and sources I grew
fond of, I know the truth of the matter is
that life is a hectic, beautiful mess.
School goes on, graduation, job; then
husband, children or whatever else God
has planned for my journey on earth.
The chance of me returning to Grove is
unknown and while I’m excited to return
to Stillwater, Grove is a crucial part of
my professional experience that I will
hardly forget.
I’m not a lovey-dovey-squishingtouchy-feely kind of person; so I will
do my best to give the sappy comments
credit where it’s due.
My definition of Grove: a uniquely
charming town where everyone knows
everyone. And I mean everyone.
This is a foreign concept to your
average city girl, so my apologies to all
the strangers that have waved at me
while I’m driving and I looked at he/she
weird. I finally got the memo about half
way into the job.
All joking aside, this is just one of the
many things I liked about the closeness
of this town. Not only does everyone
Photo by Taryn Sanderson at the Third Annual Cars for Critters indoor car show benefiting Second
Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake Shelter. Nancy Garber adopted her two dogs, Molly and Meg,
from the shelter in January and brought them to the event to help greet visitors.
know everyone, everyone helps everyone. I’ve noticed how this community is
open to help each other and especially
strangers. I never felt unwanted or alone
throughout my work in the community.
Interviews turned into friendly conversations into additional story ideas to
JUAN RAMIREZ VELAZQUEZ
Southwestern Okla. State University
Interned at Weatherford Daily News
Working with
the Weatherford Daily News
for the past
two and a half
months was truly an awarding experience for me.
I was very impressed since the first
day I got to the newspaper. It was a
nice place to work. It had a peaceful
meeting more beautiful people. It’s been
a neat experience getting acquainted
with everyone I came in contact with
during my time here and I thank you all
for your kindness and making me feel
welcome in your lives.
The knowledge I’ve gained in the
newsroom is not what I originally expected from this experience, in a good way.
I learned how to work in a small space
with not only reporters but also advertisers, and loved the work relationships I
made with everyone.
I thought I knew how to multitask
and then I came to The Grove Sun;
environment. People there were very
friendly and helpful; it was a pleasure to
work with them. I have learned a lot this
summer from Phillip (Reid, publisher
of the Weatherford Daily News), Robin
and Safina, among other people. I have
to thank them for having patience with
me and helping me with everything I
needed.
The work place was very nice. Working for a small newspaper, I really got to
that’s when I really learned to multitask.
Switching gears from a college studentled newspaper to a community paper is
a big difference and it was a challenge
adapting to the environment but it was
beneficial.
The internship has also encouraged
see how a paper works. The best part
about working on this internship this
summer was having my own project to
work on. Thrills on Route 66, a magazine style book, is an official travel guide
to the many fun activities in Western
Oklahoma. My day-to-day tasks included
editing content and selling ads for the
magazine. I really got into the real working environment.
One thing I realized is that my professors in college gave me more time to
work on a project than the time I had at
the Weatherford Daily News. Therefore,
I have to be careful on how to manage
time. Another thing is, in this newspaper
everybody needs to know more than one
thing besides their main responsibilities.
This internship gave me a really good
me to take a photography class; I really
enjoyed shooting pictures for my stories
and I want to continue to better my photography skills.
Most importantly, I loved sharing
you, the readers, stories about the community. From worm poop fertilizer to
prescription abuse, I covered many
intriguing and beautiful stories this summer.
A few thank you’s need to be
addressed.
Thank you, Oklahoma Newspaper
Foundation, for assisting me in finding
a place to intern this summer. This has
been the most beneficial and productive
summer I’ve ever had.
Thank you to The Grove Sun staff;
I loved getting to know all of you and
sharing many ideas, laughs and pranks
with you all. I will miss our hilariously
random five, six, seven-way conversations.
A very big thank you to my wonderful
host family, The Scotneys. You invited a
stranger and her cat to live in an already
full home with delicious meals. I’m so
grateful for your endless generosity and
late night laughter. I will miss all of you
so much.
Lastly, much thanks to my boss lady,
Kaylea. It’s surreal looking back on my
first day and remembering how worried
I was that I wouldn’t impress you.
Thank you for being patient with me,
listening to my suggestions and giving
me crucial criticism without undermining my role in the newsroom. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed you humoring my innerparty planner self, newspaper dress,
bouquet and all. I hope you continue to
give yourself time off when you deserve
it and the success of the paper continues
to grow under your leadership.
Goodbye Grove. I hope to see you
later but in case I don’t, it’s been a
memorable summer and you are all to
thank for it.
chance to improve my skills on editing,
photography, and Photoshop, which I
will be using on future projects. Also, I
learned how to work with many people,
and made new friends. I love to do ads
and be creative. However, this industry
isn’t as easy as I thought. I learned to
be patient and have plenty of energy to
do creative work. I think when a new
project is underway, everyone becomes
super busy to get the project done.
Because most projects are rushed, problems could happen anytime if careful
planning is not done.
I was impressed with this internship
because it gave me the opportunity to
learn a real working job experience and
also the opportunity to learn from great
people.
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
O K L A H O M A
P R E S S
A S S O C I A T I O N
Past Presidents Report
NOVEMBER 2014
OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
The Oklahoma Press Association
compiles this annual
Past Presidents Report
as a way of recognizing
and keeping in touch
with those who dedicated
their time and efforts
to serve the press association.
15
“Sorry we are not attending the
dinner,” they wrote. “We moved this
month and are still settling in.”
1984
DON & SALLY FERRELL
Sally and Don will receive an
award for lifetime achievement from
Preservation Oklahoma on Nov. 6.
The Ferrells have been saving old
houses and commercial buildings for
nearly 40 years. Projects ranged from
a 1904 drug store building to a brick
outhouse.
Every three months the Ferrells go
to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
“Reports are good and we feel fine,”
they said.
Don and Sally attended this year’s
dinner.
“We regret that several old friends
we have always enjoyed seeing at the
Past Presidents Dinner will not be
here this year,” they said.
1986
JIM & BECKY MAYO
1974
JIM & MARIBETH PATE
The Pates regret they were unable
to attend the dinner this year but
wanted everyone to know how much
they “love those OPA memories,
families and friends!”
1975
DICK & RHONDA HEFTON
Dick and Rhonda are settled in their
“new” preservation home in Crown
Heights.
The Heftons took several trips
during the year to Santa Fe, Orange
Beach, Ala., and Crested Butte, Colo.,
and Dick enjoyed a “boys” week-long
Civil War battlefield and golf trek.
Rhonda just returned from New
York City with the girls for her old
friend Megan Mullaly’s opening night
in the Broadway play, “It’s Only A
Play,” that she’s doing with Matthew
Broderick and Nathan Lane.
Dick completed his 50th year in
Rotary and first year in the OKC Club
#29 with his daughter Hilarie doing
her 25th, and June ended Dick’s year
as Rose State College regent chair.
“Sad events we all are enduring
reminds me of the invaluable close
sense of family in this wonderful
association,” wrote Dick. “I
appreciated the friendships, support
and mentoring given so freely by
all among us today and those great
newspaper heroes so indelibly
branded in my memory.
“We look forward with a renewed
appreciation for what this association
has favored our lives with to the
coming Past Presidents Dinner!”
1979
KEN & PHYLLIS REID
Ken said Phyllis is now in her
third month at Corn Heritage Village
nursing home.
“Fortunately, it is a block from
our home and I get to help her with
three meals a day,” wrote Ken. “My
big three-acre lot is a godsend for me
and keeps me busy. We are blessed
with a close and loving bunch of kids,
grandkids and great-grandkids who
help.”
Ken went back to Yakutat, Alaska,
last August with the kids and
grandkids.
“Bad weather kept us out of the
ocean and Situk River. However,
our granddaughter saved the day and
caught enough nice salmon, halibut
and sea bass to take care of all of us,”
Ken wrote.
The Reids weren’t able to attend the
dinner this year.
“Enjoy your work; work hard; enjoy
your family and encourage your kids
often,” Ken advises. “We love all of
you and I thank God for good health.
Phyllis sends her love but is unable to
be with you. I will stay with her.”
1980
TOM MCCURDY
Tom had eye surgery on Oct. 20 and
will have further eye surgery on Nov.
10 so he was not be able to attend this
year’s Past Presidents Dinner.
Tom and his special friend Gaylene
are enjoying OU sports, and they plan
on attending the OU/Texas basketball
game in Austin this coming season.
Tom’s eight grandchildren are doing
very well, and he now has a greatgrandson, Noah Simmons, who is
a very big boy for 11 months. Tom
already has him groomed to be in
OU’s football recruiting class of 2031
…after he completes an outstanding
athletic career in all sports at Purcell
High School.
Tom plans to stay in great shape so
he can be around to watch Noah grow
up.
“I’m disappointed that I can’t attend
the OPA Past Presidents Dinner and
exchange great memories with so
many very special friends,” Tom
wrote.
1981
JIM & LOUISE BELLATTI
Jim and Louise will celebrate
their 67th wedding anniversary in
December.
They enjoy their daughters’ visits
and keeping up with all the grandchildren.
Their summer was spent in Estes
Park, Colo., at their cabin.
Life in Sallisaw hasn’t changed
much over the past year, reports Jim
and Becky.
“Nothing of interest to report. No
trips, no new grandchildren; we’re just
a year older and that’s about it,” they
wrote.
“We sure wish we could join
everyone for the big event, but we
can’t this year,” they said, adding,
“We will be back next year.”
1987
JOE & CAROLYN MCBRIDE
Joe and Carolyn are still busy at
the newspaper and Joe now drives
Carolyn to work nearly every morning
at 8 a.m.
Several health issues have plagued
Carolyn since 2012. She’s had surgery
on her lower back, which required
more surgery due to complications,
which was followed by a pacemaker.
In 2013, she had neck surgery and
then a hemicolectomy and right chest
medical port for chemotherapy.
“My cancer had not attached,”
wrote Carolyn. “I was very lucky.
The right colon was removed and I
decided to have a low dose of chemo.
My last treatment was Oct. 21.”
“I do what I want to do. I went
every other week for chemo and have
not been sick. If I feel well enough I
will be [at the dinner]. Joe says I’m
coming.”
Joe works every day. When he goes
Continued on Page 16
16
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
Seventeen OPA past presidents and retired OPA executive director Ben Blackstock
attended the Nov. 13 OPA Past Presidents Dinner at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma
City. Seated are Gracie Montgomery; Barb Walter; Blackstock; Gloria Trotter and Wayne
PAST PRESIDENTS REPORT
Continued from Page 15
out of town he has Paula or JoNell
take him and they have good chats.
Joe still goes to the OU home
games but gives the OU-Texas tickets
to Carla and her husband David, and
Paula.
A few months ago Joe climbed to
the top of Mount Scott in the Wichita
Mountains. Joe reports that his wife
was yelling at him but it did no good
and he was fine.
Joe Carolyn attended this year’s
Past Presidents Dinner.
1988
VICKI CLARK GOURLEY
(J. LELAND)
Joe was the topic of news in August
when The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel
wrote about him. For the first time in
64 years, Joe was going to miss an
OU football home game.
Neville said Joe heard from
university faculty, sports personnel
and many, many friends. But the
biggest surprise, said Neville, was
when Joe Castiglione called Joe
saying that he and Coach Stoops
weren’t sure they could win a game
without his presence.
1992/2005
JOHN D. & GRACIE
MONTGOMERY
“It has been a difficult year without
Leland,” wrote Vicki. “FRIDAY
continues to prosper.”
Vicki said FRIDAY reprints one of
Leland’s columns or editorials each
week and it’s still popular with their
readers.
“I have continued to travel with
family and friends on several trips that
Leland and I had planned,” said Vicki.
Vicki serves as a Cheetah
Conservation Fund-USA Trustee and
travels with that organization to raise
funds and awareness.
She enjoyed seeing everyone at the
dinner.
Since the last dinner, the
Montgomerys have welcomed their
second grandchild, Lane Elizabeth,
who was born Nov. 16, 2013. She
joins her big brother, Jack.
John D. and Gracie went to Boston
and Kennebunkport for a week in
June. While there, they went to a
Boston Red Sox Game, on a Duck
tour and other tourist attractions.
Son John Denny and wife Emily
sold their house in August and moved
in with mom and dad along with
Lane, Jack, and Gus, their pug. They
closed on a new house in late October.
Gracie and John D. enjoyed the
dinner and visiting with all their
friends.
1991
JOE & NEVILLE HANCOCK
1993
ED JR. & MARCIA LIVERMORE
Sadly, Joe Hancock died Dec. 3 at
Elkview General Hospital in Hobart
after a lengthy battle with pulmonary
fibrosis.
The Livermore family said they
greatly appreciated the condolences
and letters they received after Ed
Trotter. Standing are Rod Serfoss; Jeff Shultz; Steve Booher; Joe McBride Jr.; Tom
Muchmore; Rusty Ferguson; Dick Hefton; Jeff Mayo; Don Ferrell; Ray Lokey; John D.
Montgomery; Jeff Funk and Joe Worley.
Livermore Sr. passed away on April
26.
Ed Sr. was honored posthumously
this fall by OU’s Gaylord College of
Journalism & Mass Communication
as one of three 2014 Distinguished
Alumni.
“Many receiving this report knew
Dad over the years and we believe
in spirit he’ll attend the 2014 Past
Presidents’ dinner,” Ed Livermore Jr.
said. “Dad actually attended in person
in 2012 and enjoyed the evening
immensely.”
The Livermores’ other big news
this year was the transfer of daughter
Christy and her husband Paul from
Austin to Silicon Valley. Paul is an
electrical engineer and computer
chip designer with Soft Machines.
They left Texas on an icy day in early
February. The move was tough due to
the distance, but they’re now settled.
Ed and Marcia’s two granddaughters
have started school and are enjoying
the many sights and activities in
California. Christy is on staff at an
area public school district as a high
school testing psychologist. Among
the joys of West Coast life, she reports
the cost of living is “staggering”
compared with Oklahoma or Texas.
Son John, his wife Christi and
their three sons continue to live in
Frisco, Texas. John owns and operates
a software company and is also
involved in other software endeavors
as a consultant in north Texas.
Ed and Marcia were unable to
attend the dinner but wished each OPA
member a wonderful Thanksgiving
and Christmas.
1997
TOM & SHERRY MUCHMORE
Tom and Sherry report that their
kids and eight grandkids are doing
well and that they’re proud of each of
them.
Although they’re all scattered, they
find time to get together about twice
a year.
“Our grandson Chase, who had
been living with us this last year for
his freshman year at NOC, is now
attending OSU,” wrote Sherry. “So,
we’re empty nesters again.”
Tom is still on the media board at
OSU, a trustee for the OSU Wentz
Foundation and is involved with a
bunch of community activities.
Sherry still serves as president of
the Ponca City Herb Festival and is
now also president of the Friends
of the Pioneer Woman Statue and
Museum. She’s also still on the
Oklahoma Historical Society Board,
and involved with various garden club
and gardening activities.
“This is my 15th year writing my
weekly food page for the Ponca City
News and I also do a column for the
Tonkawa News,” she wrote.
The Muchmores will head to son
Blaine’s home in the Dallas area for
Thanksgiving with the whole family.
After that, they’re planning a short trip
to New Orleans in celebration of their
20th wedding anniversary, which was
Oct. 29.
The Muchmores’ daughter,
Shannon, is still writing for the Tulsa
World and loving it. Son Pat and his
wife Jenny are loving NYC and just
Continued on Page 17
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
PAST PRESIDENTS REPORT
Continued from Page 16
purchased an apartment there instead
of renting.
Two granddaughters graduated from
college this year. Alex graduated from
Colorado State and is now working as
an accountant for the Denver school
system; Taylor graduated from Texas
State and just finished her teaching
certification. She is now an accredited
teacher and is planning to teach in San
Antonio.
Granddaughter Syd has been living
in NYC and just moved to Brooklyn.
She works for an online news
service as their marketing person.
Granddaughter Gabby just graduated
from Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale and
has a job as a sous chef in pastry.
Tom and Sherry still have four cats
and a dog.
“Tassie the dog got blindsided by
a skunk about a month ago and came
running in at about 12:30 one night
through the dog door and rubbed all
over the rugs in the bedroom, under
the bed and then jumped on the bed.
You can’t imagine what we’ve had to
do to get rid of the smell in the house.
And, she still has a bit of scent on her
face – even though we had to shave
her. What a mess.”
Tom and Sherry enjoyed seeing
everyone at the dinner.
1999/2009
WAYNE & GLORIA TROTTER
Throughout the past year, the
Trotters have continued to work fulltime, although Wayne is somewhat
limited in what he can do with a
right hand that doesn’t want to work
right. “But that doesn’t keep him
from banging out award-winning
editorials,” Gloria said.
They enjoyed a great week-long trip
to Puerto Vallarta with Barb and Bill
Walter, even after they got stranded an
extra day due to weather. The Trotters
also made a trip to Mississippi this
summer for Wayne’s high school
reunion and a visit with his sister and
her husband. They have a couple of
trips lined up to celebrate their 50th
wedding anniversary on Dec. 26.
The Trotters experienced a
gratifying and humbling year,
beginning with Gloria winning the
Tecumseh Chamber of Commerce
Citizen of the Year award last
November, then the Beachy
Musselman Award at the OPA
Convention. The moment that topped
their year was when they both were
recognized by SPJ Oklahoma for
lifetime achievement.
“We were very touched by all
the above and thank our newspaper
family especially for their love and
appreciation,” the Trotters said.
The Trotters attended the dinner.
2000
JERRY & CAROL QUINN
Last year Jerry was diagnosed with
frontotemporal dementia and is in the
Claremore VA home. He is doing well
there. Carol volunteers at the VA and
enjoys being there with all the men
who are in the unit with Jerry.
She also spends a lot of her time in
Owasso where their daughter, Karen,
son Bob, and their families reside.
Carol was able to take her 90-yearold father and 85-year-old mother to
Rifle, Colo., to visit with her parents’
oldest granddaughter. While there,
they went to a cafe called Shooters
and appeared on national news the
next day. The girls that work there
carry loaded guns and Carol’s dad
thought it was great. He had to have
a picture with the girl who waited on
them. The family also visited a local
winery and enjoyed the local flavors
and views.
“It was a wonderful experience to
get to travel with my parents,” Carol
said.
The Quinns’ grandsons are growing
fast. The twins are in fifth grade this
year. Seth is involved in the Honor
Choir and Braydon made it into a
drum group for the school. They are
about to finish their last year in Cub
Scouts and move on to Boy Scouts.
They are also active in karate and
keep their parents very busy.
Quincy is in third grade and is
turning into quite an athlete. He was
on the Oklahoma All State Little
League team this summer in baseball
and is also playing flag football this
year.
Unfortunately, Jerry was unable to
attend the dinner, but Carol and their
son, Dave, attended.
2001
SEAN & DONNA DYER
Sean and Donna said they are
thankful for their faith as well as
family and friends who have helped
them through this difficult year.
“We lost Donna’s mother, our
precious 16-year-old grandson’s life
was taken in an auto accident on icy
roads, and Donna’s father passed
away the day of our grandson’s
funeral,” Sean wrote. “God has helped
us through it all and our family and
friends have helped us begin to heal as
well.”
The Dyers were unable to attend
the dinner but look forward to seeing
everyone next year.
2002
BARB & BILL WALTER
Selling the newspaper has been
a life-changing experience for the
Walters in so many ways.
“We look forward to seeing our
newspaper friends,” Barb said. “Time
doesn’t allow more comments. I am
still working this weekend on a voter
guide.”
The Walters attended the dinner.
2003
RAY & JENNY LOKEY
Not a whole lot has changed this
past year for the Lokeys. They are still
working, still have plenty of dogs and
still keeping busy.
Ray is having fun collecting stamps.
He bought a bunch, but is still looking
for his first sale!
They enjoyed having Ray’s brothers
and sisters attend the OPA convention,
including his oldest sister Margaret
Ann from New Orleans. All were
there to see Ray accept the Milt
Phillips Award.
Ray enjoyed seeing everyone at the
dinner.
2004
JOE WORLEY
After 27 years at the Tulsa World,
Joe Worley is retiring this month to
a part-time position as a staff writer.
Susan Ellerbach, who served with
Worley as managing editor for the
last 19 years, is now executive editor.
Mike Strain is promoted to managing
editor.
To celebrate retirement, Worley
decided to have back surgery. “I only
did the back surgery because the
doctor promised it would take four
strokes off my golf score,” Worley
said. He hopes to be back on the
course by the middle of January.
Joe caught up with his friends at the
dinner.
2006
DAVID & SAUNDRA STRINGER
Within the past year, the Stringers
have moved to Tyler, Texas. David
took a job as the vice-president of
advertising with the Tyler Morning
Telegraph.
“I’ve been there since August
and it’s been an incredible change,”
David said. “It’s a fourth-generation
publisher that leads our group and I
haven’t had this much fun at work in a
long time.”
Saundra also made a big change
17
when she started a job in sales with
Reliant Energy, which marks the first
time in 20 years she has not worked
for a newspaper.
The Stingers had planned a trip to
Myrtle Beach but it was canceled due
to the move. However, they were able
to take a trip to Las Vegas in February.
They Stringers were unable to
attend this year’s dinner.
2008
STEVE & SONYA BOOHER
Steve retired from The Cherokee
Messenger and Republican but didn’t
stay out of the newspaper business
for long. He’s now serving as OPA’s
postal and legal notice consultant.
The Boohers moved to Enid to be
closer to their children and grandkids.
Moving became their new hobby, but
they are ready to give that up.
Even a move didn’t stop them from
making their annual trip to Red River,
N.M.
“Our life is way too predictable,”
Steve said.
The Boohers enjoyed seeing
everyone at the dinner.
2010
ROD & JODY SERFOSS
The Serfoss’ have had a very busy
and fun-filled year with family and
friends.
The Help Hailey Foundation,
started after their granddaughter died
at the age of 2 to help children and
their families in the area that have
major health issues, had its biggest
fundraising event ever.
In September, more than 225
volunteers came together at the annual
Help Hailey Family Fun Night.
Thousands of children attended the
one night event that raised more than
$20,000.
To date, approximately $75,000 has
been raised and nearly 20 families
have been helped. The foundation
covers things like travel-related
expenses to take a child for care in
a metropolitan area and provides
specialized medical equipment for
children in need.
In one instance a girl needed to be
rushed to see specialists in Columbus,
Ohio, for brain surgery. Getting her
there was much easier than getting the
family there. Because they needed an
immediate flight, and it was during
the holiday season, airfare was very
expensive and the parents did not
have the money to make the trip. A
simple application for help was faxed
to the Help Hailey Foundation and
her parents’ airfare and lodging were
Continued on Page 18
18
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
Spouses of OPA past presidents attending the Nov. 13 OPA Past Presidents Dinner at the
Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City were: Seated John D. Montgomery; Bonnie Blackstock;
Sherry Muchmore; Joe McBride Jr. (past president) and Carolyn McBride.
Standing: Gracie Montgomery; Sally Ferrell; Bill Walter; Rhonda Hefton; Nanette Shultz;
Carol Quinn; LynnDe Funk; Jody Serfoss; Deana Ferguson; Wayne Trotter; and Gloria
Trotter.
PAST PRESIDENTS REPORT
educational materials to aid them in
coping with the delicate care of a
newborn.
Jeff and Nanette attended this year’s
dinner.
Continued from Page 17
booked within hours so they could
be with their daughter throughout the
ordeal.
Rod and Jody enjoyed seeing
everyone at the dinner.
2011
RUSTY & DEANA FERGUSON
The Fergusons say it has pretty
much been an “ordinary” life in
Cleveland, Okla., this year.
Their youngest, twins Landon and
Layne, are seniors at the University
of Oklahoma and are active leaders
on campus. Son Lincoln and his
wife, Lauren, live in Oklahoma City
where Lincoln is now the Deputy
Press Secretary for Attorney General
Scott Pruitt. Daughter Libby and her
husband, Sol, are both teachers in
Cleveland, “which gives us welcomed
opportunities to spend with a twoyear-old who has us wrapped around
his little finger, our grandson, Sully,”
said Rusty. “We’re excited that Libby
is expecting again in February.”
Rusty continues to serve as
chairman of the Public Library Board
of Directors and as chairman of the
Elders and Deacons at First Christian
Church. He’s also involved with the
Chamber (most recently directing the
community’s Pioneer Day… yeh, that
event he said he’d never undertake
again!).
Deana stays busy with her own
business, Celebrations Floral & Gift,
where she has just added a clothing
boutique. She is also the worship
leader at First Christian.
Both agree that there’s nothing
better than those special weekends
(that Rusty says don’t come around
often enough) when everyone
manages to be home at the same time
and every seat around the dining room
table is filled.
The Fergusons had a good time at
the Past Presidents Dinner!
2012
JEFF & NANETTE SHULTZ
The switch to a Friday paper last
year “has proved to be a good move,”
said Jeff and Nanette.
They are thrilled to announce that
their sons are now engaged. Son
Jon and his fiancé Kelly still live
in Madison, Wis. Jon continues to
work as a graphic artist and Kelly
just completed her teaching degree.
They are planning an October 2015
wedding.
Chris and fiancé Lauren live in
Oklahoma City and both work for
Apple. They have not set a wedding
date yet.
Their daughter, Liz, is still working
for the OKC Philharmonic. She
has been involved in facilitating a
permanent art program for students at
Plaza Towers and Briarwood in Moore
after volunteering to assist the children
in healing through art therapy after the
tornado.
Unfortunately, Nanette lost her
mother in March after a lengthy
illness. Nanette has been spearheading
the Click for Purple campaign in
Garvin County. The program works
to increase awareness of shaken baby
syndrome. Handmade crocheted
or knitted purple caps are given
to parents of newborns along with
2013
JEFF & BETH MAYO
Jeff was honored to serve as OPA
President, and has been adjusting to
his return to normal newspapering
duties. Beth and Jeff especially
enjoyed hosting the Board Retreat in
April.
“There is nothing more motivating
to clean a newspaper office and
pressroom than inviting peers to come
for a visit,” Jeff said.
During spring break, the family
went to Redmond, Wash., to visit
Jeff’s brother, Jack, his wife, Jen, and
their four children. It was a great trip
filled with skiing, snowboarding, day
trips to downtown Seattle and a boat
ride on the Puget Sound to Poulsbo,
Wash.
They also enjoyed a short vacation
in July to the Great Wolf Lodge in
Grapevine, Texas. Their children,
Madolyn and Maddox, thought it
should have lasted much longer.
While in Seattle, the Mayos
attended their first Maker Faire, which
led to attending another in Kansas
City and then Tulsa later in the year.
Maker Faires are expositions of
electronics, 3D printers, robots and
other DIY electrical inventions.
Eleven-year-old Madolyn is in the
sixth grade. She enjoys middle school
and has made honor choir, and plays
percussion and piano. She also enjoys
art, tennis and reading when not in
school.
Maddox is 9 years old and is in the
third grade. His fall soccer season
has been shortened by thumb surgery,
so he is the team’s #1 cheerleader.
Maddox is a WEBELOS with the
local Cub Scout Pack. He enjoys art,
rockets and robots.
In March, Jeff, Madolyn and
Maddox stayed overnight on the
U.S.S. Razorback in Little Rock, Ark.,
during a trip with Maddox’s Cub
Scout pack. Beth did not complain
about her weekend alone.
Jeff is serving as Cubmaster for his
third year and the pack is the largest in
the five-county district with 50 boys.
Jeff enjoyed seeing everyone at the
dinner.
RETIRED OPA EVP
BEN & BONNIE BLACKSTOCK
The Blackstocks are in good health,
Ben reports. Ben just turned 89 and
Bonnie will turn 89 in December.
Ben reads The Oklahoma Publisher,
which he describes as “excellent and
full of news.”
Son Sam continues as executive
vice president of the Family Health
Foundation of Oklahoma, and is doing
well. Daughter Melissa is looking for
a job.
Ben found an affordable medication
to help with the severe sciatic pain
he’s endured since an automobile
accident 15 years ago crushed two
vertebrae.
“I’m finally getting a good night’s
sleep,” he said.
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
Changes to circulation divisions in annual contest
The OPA Board of Directors recently
approved changes to the circulation divisions in the OPA Better Newspaper
Contest.
Rules for the 2014 Better Newspaper
Contest, which include the change, were
mailed in mid-December.
The OPA Board of Directors voted to
accept the recommendation of the OPA
Awards Committee to change the 2014
Better Newspaper Contest circulation
divisions as follows:
There are ten (10) divisions. OPA
Business Membership Newspapers,
Divisions 1-8, are determined by newspaper circulation and frequency shown
on the October 2014 U.S. Postal Service
statement of total paid circulation (PS
Form 3526, line 15C) plus the number of paid electronic subscriptions as
reported to OPA.
DIVISION 1
– Daily newspapers with
circulation of more than 8,000
DIVISIONS 2-7 will be determined when
all entries have been received. Entries
will be divided as equally as possible into
two daily and four weekly circulation
divisions. Select daily or weekly publication on the contest entry form.
OTHER DIVISIONS:
DIVISION 8 – Semi-, Twin and Tri-Weekly Newspapers
DIVISION 9
– Sustaining Membership
Newspapers
DIVISION 10 – College Newspapers
A list of participating newspapers
sorted by division will be emailed to
publishers and posted on the OPA website within one week after the contest
deadline. For divisions 2-7, a newspaper
may elect to compete in a higher circulation division of the same publication
frequency at that time, but may not compete in a lower division.
The contest rules also can be found
on the OPA website at OkPress.com/
better-newspaper-contest-rules.
All
information, including rules and events,
entry form, entry tips and contest labels
are available to download in PDF format.
CHANGES TO OPA WEBSITE CONTEST
The board also approved changing
the name of the OPA Website Contest
to the OPA Digital Media Contest. The
contest will now include websites, social
media and any other digital communication that serves a specific community
with news and information. Although
the Digital Media Contest is not part
of the Better Newspaper Contest, rules
and the entry form are included in
the Better Newspaper Contest packet
mailed this month. Also included in that
mailing is information on the Print Quality Contest, Outdoor Writer of the Year
Contest, and the Quarter Century Club
and Half Century Club.
19
OKLAHOMA PRESS ASSOCIATION
STAFF DIRECTORY
ADMINISTRATION
MARK THOMAS
Executive Vice President
[email protected] • (405) 499-0033
JEANNIE FREEMAN
Accounting Manager
[email protected] • (405) 499-0027
SCOTT WILKERSON
Front Office/Building Mgr.
[email protected] • (405) 499-0020
MEMBER SERVICES
LISA (POTTS) SUTLIFF
Member Services Director
[email protected] • (405) 499-0026
ADVERTISING
CINDY SHEA
Advertising Manager
[email protected] • (405) 499-0023
LANDON COBB
Are we rolling? Poke the bear again
That InterWeb
Thing
by Keith Burgin
[email protected]
My uncle once told me a story about
two hunters discussing whether it was
possible to outrun a charging bear.
The punchline of it was when one man
turned to the other and said, “I don’t
have to outrun the bear; I just have to
outrun you.”
Being a child and understanding
neither Darwin’s “On the Origin of the
Species,” nor its tangential impact on
base stupidity, I was only somewhat
amused. The older I got and the more
people I met the funnier I found it.
Today, I understand it on a different
level; I understand that it’s only funny
because it says a lot about who we are.
Today, I can imagine the first man
using a tree branch to poke the bear in
the eye just so he can upload footage of
his friend’s mauling to YouTube.
The spectacular growth of the unrest
in Ferguson, Mo., after the death of
Michael Brown can be directly traced
to a narrative driven by clicks, hits,
views and shares.
Protesters marched in the streets,
Tweeted, posted on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and more. Police
responded, perhaps poorly, but the
situation was still a local one. The bear
was… well, just riled.
Then interested parties arrived with
tree branches.
We know what happened next. The
bear raged. And Ferguson was mauled
while the interested parties stood back
with cameras and smartphones and
uploaded it all for our entertainment.
National media gobbled up social
media and social media fed on the
celebrity of national media exposure,
like a snake eating itself.
Oh, and don’t get me started on
snakes eating things for our entertainment.
I suppose you could say that technology had a hand in creating this situation
– live, 24/7, in-your-face, “get-it-firstthen-get-it-right,” “open-your-mouthlittle-birdy-here-comes-dinner,” news
coverage. In the sense that the tech
made it possible you could be right but,
in my opinion, ethics and a market for
sensationalism played a bigger part.
Don’t forget, too, that the consumers
of this tripe are largely from outside the
community and have no interest in the
people involved. The people who care
are looking for real coverage; they’re
looking for real news.
This is where your community news-
paper is strong. All of the tools used to
create the circus we saw in Ferguson
are available to you – and then some.
You have trained reporters and editors who look for corroboration before
telling the story. You have ethics and
professionalism and belong to a community of professionals.
Your newspaper has the trust of its
neighbors and a vested interest in keeping it, since you’ll be there long after
the slime merchants leave.
This all may sound a bit harsh.
But when a guy like me looks at 30
camera crews covering 12 protesters;
when he sees breathless reporters
making heroes of masked arsonists
posing for selfies in front of burning
businesses – well, a guy like me feels
proud to work for a newspaper association.
And he feels a bit angry at the way
some big media companies use the
technology he loves to create pornography.
And he wishes that sometimes the
bear would catch the guy with the tree
branch.
NEWSPAPER & PUBLICATION BINDING
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Email: [email protected] • www.AceBookBinding.com
Account Executive
[email protected] • (405) 499-0022
BRENDA POER
Advertising Assistant
[email protected] • (405) 499-0035
CREATIVE SERVICES
JENNIFER GILLILAND
Creative Services Director
[email protected] • (405) 499-0028
ASHLEY NOVACHICH
Editorial/Creative Assistant
[email protected] • (405) 499-0029
COMPUTER ADVICE
WILMA MELOT
Computer Consultant
[email protected] • (405) 499-0031
POSTAL ADVICE
STEVE BOOHER
Postal/Public Notice Consultant
[email protected] • (405) 499-0020
DIGITAL CLIPPING
KEITH BURGIN
Clipping Manager
[email protected] • (405) 499-0024
KYLE GRANT
Digital Clipping Dept.
[email protected]
JENNIFER BEATLEY-CATES
Digital Clipping Dept.
[email protected] • (405) 499-0045
MALLORY HOGAN
Digital Clipping Dept.
[email protected] • (405) 499-0032
GENERAL INQUIRIES
(405) 499-0020
Fax: (405) 499-0048
Toll-free in OK: 1-888-815-2672
20
The Oklahoma Publisher // December 2014
OKLAHOMA NATURAL GAS CONTEST WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE OCTOBER 2014 WINNERS
October Column: ED DARLING, The Duncan Banner
October Editorial: TED STREULI, The Journal Record
OCTOBER 2014 EDITORIAL WINNER
TED STREULI, The Journal Record
Congratulating the newlyweds
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it
would not hear any of the five same-sex marriage cases on appeal from lower courts. That
means the decisions in those cases will stand.
The five cases, including Oklahoma’s, stand
in favor of same-sex marriage. More accurately, they stand in favor of equal treatment
under the law.
To many people, marriage is a religious
union, and members of certain Christian
denominations are particularly affronted by
the judicial position.
Anthony Jordan, executive director of the
Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, on
Monday issued a written statement condemning the court’s decision.
“It is truly a shame that the courts of the
land have gone against God’s word, thousands
of years of tradition pertaining to the meaning
of marriage, as well as the will of the people in
this state and others,” he wrote.
Many have quoted Leviticus 18 denouncing
male homosexuality, but Leviticus 20 is cited
less often. That’s where God tells Moses that
homosexuality should incur the death penalty,
as should adultery and cursing your parents.
Society has wisely reconsidered its adherence
to most of those Old Testament decrees.
As a secular institution – one is not required
to be Jewish or Christian in order to marry,
after all – marriage must be regulated by the
laws of the land rather than religious doctrine. The freedom of religion the Founding
Fathers insisted upon was more a freedom
from religion, assuring there would be no
state churches, a significant sticking point
among Baptists and Presbyterians of the day
who feared state-sponsored Anglican and Congregationalist sects.
Christians and Jews whose denominations
follow the laws found in Leviticus are free to
ban their clergy from joining same-sex couples in holy matrimony. But they are not free
to impose those restrictions on judges or other
lawful wedding officiants.
Equal protection under the law, guaranteed
by the 14th Amendment, imagined that blacks
would have the same rights as whites following the Civil Rights Act of 1866. We later
considered that women should have the same
rights as men, and now, finally, that people
of all sexual orientations should be treated
equally, too.
It means that Mary Bishop and Sharon
Baldwin should be treated like all other Oklahomans.
Those two were brave enough to help
change the law, which we admire. Today, we
offer them our heartfelt congratulations – not
as pioneers, but as newlyweds.
Enter and Win
a $100 Check
from Oklahoma
Natural Gas!
The October Oklahoma Natural Gas
Column and Editorial Contest
was judged by a member of the
Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
1. Each month, send a tear sheet or
photocopy of your best column and/
or editorial to Oklahoma Natural Gas
Contest, c/o OPA, 3601 N. Lincoln Blvd.,
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-5499.
2. Include the author’s name, name of
publication, date of publication and
category entered (column or editorial).
3. Only ONE editorial and/or ONE column
per writer per month will be accepted.
4. All entries for the previous month must
be at the OPA office by the 15th of the
current month.
5. Winning entries will be reproduced on
the OPA website at www.OkPress.com.
Entries must have been previously
published. Contest open to
all OPA member newspapers.
Although Oklahoma Natural Gas Company
selects representative contest winners’
work for use in this monthly ad, the views
expressed in winning columns and editorials
are those of the writers and don’t necessarily
reflect the Company’s opinions.
Thank you for continued
support of “Share The Warmth”
Read the Winning Columns & Editorials on the OPA website:
www.OkPress.com (Under Contests)