Send us your Christmas photos and letters to Santa! It would not be an OKC FRIDAY Christmas issue without Santa letters and kids in Christmas costumes or all dressed up. We need your help. Elementary school chil-
dren can write letters to Santa Clause and email them to rose@okcfriday. com. We also want holiday pictures. Whether your little ones are in Christmas
Gifts, gifts and more gifts!
pajamas or dressed in their holiday finery, we want to see all of their smiling faces. Again, email to rose@ okcfriday.com. The deadline is Dec. 16.
Find ideas from our local merchants on Pages B1 & B2.
OKC FRIDAY Vol. 54 No. 30 • Two Sections • 18 pages December 4, 2020
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills, The Village, Quail Creek, The Greens and Gaillardia for 46 years
Stephanie Bice is elected class president
STEPHANIE BICE
Congresswoman-elect Stephanie Bice was elected by her peers to serve as Republican Freshman Class president during last week’s House orientation in Washington, DC. It is believed that Bice is the first female Republican class president in the House. Bice said she’s looking forward to
encouraging open communication between members of the freshman class. “I came to Congress to help find solutions to some of our nation’s largest problems,” Bice said. “Working with the new representatives of the freshman class and fostering relationships among members will enable all of us to work better togeth-
er to serve our constituents.” Bice is one of 16 Republican women elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, a new record. The House will have at least 28 Republican women serving in the 117th Congress, up from 15. Currently, there are 42 Republicans in the House freshman class.
Santa goes virtual By Rose Lane Editor Santa’s chair at Northpark Mall is empty this year, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be available to hear Christmas wishes in 2020. For nearly 40 years, The Shoppes at Northpark, located at NW 122nd and North May Avenue, has hosted the Northwest Oklahoma City Rotary Club’s annual Santa Claus, including a special needs and signing hearing impaired Santa for the holiday season. That tradition will continue this year, however in a virtual format due to COVID-19. “This year, due to the pandemic, we will be conducting our Santa Claus visits virtually,” said Jason Pierce, Santa Project manager for the Northwest Oklahoma City Rotary Club. “Families can enjoy a five-minute video chat with Santa from the comfort of their own homes and we are offering the visits now through Dec. 24.”
Visits are $25 each and can be scheduled online at virtualsantavisit.as.meschedule.php. “The Northwest Oklahoma City Rotary Club and The Shoppes at Northpark have been hosting the only mall charity Santa Claus for almost 40 years and we are so excited that we are still able to continue this tradition by bringing this great experience to families during this extraordinary time,” Pierce said. The Shoppes at Northpark have “joyously” hosted these special Santa Claus appearances each holiday season, Kevyn Colburn, vice president of Tom Morris Enterprises, the mall’s owner, said. “ “We are so appreciative of our longstanding partnership with the Northwest Oklahoma City Rotary Club and although this special occasion will be different this year, we are very honored for The Shoppes at Northpark to support this wonderful holiday tradition.”
OKC loses two great leaders MIKE McAULIFFE
Mike McAuliffe
Bill Gumerson
Community leader Mike McAuliffe passed away Sunday, a victim of COVID-19. He was just shy of his 65th birthday. McAuliffe was the founder of the Oklahoma Jazz Festival and OKC’s Christmas River Parade. With 25 years of perfect attendance, he served several terms on the Board of Directors of Rotary Club 29 and as secretary and
Community leader Bill Gumerson succumbed to COVID-19 on Thanksgiving Day. Gumerson was the founder of Bill Gumerson & Associates, a design-build firm, which focuses on new and historic properties in Central Oklahoma. He began his career when he joined his father, architect Dow Gumerson, in his
See McAULIFFE, Page 7
‘OKCMOA at 75’ now on exhibit Now open in Founders’ Hall at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, “OKCMOA at 75” traces the history of the museum from its founding through the present day. Through more than 40 newspaper clippings, photographs, letters, publications and the scrapbooks kept by the museum’s first director, Nan Sheets, the historical exhibition explores the Museum’s rich past. “OKCMOA at 75” is on view in the museum’s lobby and is free to visit. “This exhibition was fun to
The Santa seat might be empty at Northpark Mall, but the Jolly Old Elf wants all the kiddos to know that they can still talk to him virtually at virtualsantavisit.as.me-schedule.php.
put together since the Museum has such substantial archives to comb through,” said Dr. Bryn Schockmel, curator of the exhibition. “We can learn a lot about the Museum’s collection through the letters, newspaper articles, receipts and scrapbooks kept by previous generations. Nan Sheets’ meticulous records help us piece together the museum’s early history. I hope visitors leave this exhibition proud of Oklahoma See BEAUX ARTS, Page 3
BILL GUMERSON
See GUMERSON, Page 7
FRIDAY’s
Dog of the Week This is Astro, the French Bulldog. He LOVES to eat and will even bring you his bowl if you let it get empty. He loves eating so much he sometimes tries to eat the sticks and leaves from outside. While he is adorable, his nickname is Mr. Poopy because his gas can clear out a room. His human is Rebecca Mohajerin. Send Dog, Baby and Cat of the Week nominations to rose@okcfriday.com.
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