TulsaPeople January 2022

NEW DISCOVERY LAB OPENS

202 2 CHARITABLE E VENT S CALENDAR

LIVES WELL LIVED

January 2022

Local filmmaker spotlights Native Oklahoma a n d Tu l s a

TULSAN OF THE YEAR

STERLIN HARJO

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2022 9 A.M. TO 1 P.M. You’re invited to visit the Health Zone at Saint Francis on Saturday, January 15, for our annual Health and Wellness Expo. Join us for fitness classes, free health screenings, wellness education, a tour of the facility and more.

HE A LT H ZO N E F E AT U R E S A N D S E RVICES: • Two indoor saltwater pools

• Suspension training

• Steam rooms and saunas

• Premier cardio, weight training and strength equipment

• Year-round swimming lessons

• Kids Zone activity center

• Aqua Stand Up® paddleboard classes

• Indoor walking track

• Specialized kids’ programming

• Racquetball courts

• Grab-and-go deli

• Pickleball and basketball

• Membership discounts for Warren Clinic patients and seniors

• Zumba, barre and yoga • Pilates equipment studio • Indoor cycling studio • Boot camp

• R.I.P.P.E.D. and RUMBLE classes • Massage and spa services • Personal trainers

Visit our website saintfrancis.com/healthzone for complete event details.

5353 East 68th Street South | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 918-494-1671

May 2022 bless you with health, wealth, and happiness.

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South: 100 S. Riverfront Drive, Jenks | Midtown: 4110 S. Rockford Avenue, Tulsa

918-392-2500 www.FirstOklahomaBank.com

From tennis elbow to runner’s knee to that nagging joint pain you feel when you’re simply living life — the sports medicine specialists at Utica Park Clinic use the latest diagnostics and advanced therapies to help athletes and weekend warriors

Changing lives for the better.

turn “oww!” into “oh yeah!”. It’s time to get your game back!

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JANUARY 2022 | VOLUME 36 ISSUE 3

Sterlin Harjo

7 CITY DESK Tulsa Artists Coalition highlights local artists.

Game on at Tulsa Arcades.

New Women’s Business Center.

65 LIFESTYLE New Year, new you!

Home scents.

26 Q&A Kevin Gross, president and CEO of Hillcrest HealthCare System and 2022 Tulsa Regional Chamber chairman.

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

28 REWRITING THE HOLLYWOOD PLAYBOOK Sterlin Harjo, Tulsan of the Year

BY TIM LANDES 4

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

33 LIVES WELL LIVED

42 2022 CHARITABLE EVENTS CALENDAR

TulsaPeople remembers those we lost in 2021.

BY JANE ZEMEL

A round-up of this year’s fundraisers and special happenings.

BY AMANDA HALL

89 TABLE TALK

39 BUILDING FOR THEIR FUTURE The anticipated Discovery Lab opens this month at its new home along Riverside Drive.

BY JAMIE RICHERT JONES

ON THE COVER: Sterlin Harjo, Tulsan of the Year.

Photo by Shane Brown.

Mother Road Market updates.

Three places for fresh juice.

Dining out at Saffron.

STERLIN, CITY DESK: GREG BOLLINGER; TABLE TALK, LIFESTYLE: MICHELLE POLLARD

Connie Cronley finds hope in the kitchen.

Many reasons call us to care for you

At Ascension St. John, you’ll find nurses, doctors, caregivers and more who deeply care about you and your health. We have countless reasons for loving what we do: listening and caring for you — body, mind and spirit. Whenever you need care, we’ll be there with the right care, at the right place, at the right time. It’s our calling.

ascension.org

© Ascension 2022. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It’s no secret the January issue of TulsaPeople is one of my favorites.

I like it because of two signature features we

photography. A native of Oklahoma City, she

the Year and spotlighting notable Tulsans we lost

The decision of whom to hire for the position

present in the issue each year: naming a Tulsan of during the past year in Lives Well Lived. Each

feature uniquely embodies and reflects our magazine.

Congratulations to Sterlin Harjo, our “Tulsan

of the Year.” The fi lmmaker’s work is bringing

significant movie-making acclaim and projects to Tulsa and Oklahoma. As you will read in Digital Editor Tim Landes’ excellent profi le beginning on p. 28, Harjo’s fi lms and documen-

taries — including the dark comedy “Reserva-

came down to two fi nal candidates: an expe-

rienced photographer in Tulsa who possessed an impressive portfolio, and the less experi-

enced but clearly talented Pollard. The difference between the two candidates was a special

“spark” we recognized in Michelle. It earned

her the job offer. Clearly, a great hiring decision made for the magazine 22 years ago.

Other individual SPJ Award winners were

Tim Landes, News Writing; Ethan Veenker,

Column Writing; Connie Cronley, Column

debunked the Hollywood myth that there is no

Reader Service; Madeline Crawford, Page

interest in Native American stories. And, that

Writing and Profi le Writing; Natalie Mikles, Design; and Georgia Brooks and Madeline

an uber-talented professional doesn’t have to go

Crawford, Cover Design.

television industries. “You can do it at home with

TulsaPeople’s columnist

demonstrates that fact on his home turf at an

Cronley, on the publica-

to Tinseltown to find success in the movie and

your friends,” Harjo says, as he professionally award-winning level.

Our “Lives Well Lived” feature begins on p.

33. It shines deserved recognition on Tulsans who

enriched the Tulsa landscape for decades. The piece was coordinated by Editor Anne Brockman along with former Editor Missy Kruse, and written by Jane Zemel.

I’m proud to report to our readers that

TulsaPeople was recently honored with 12 awards from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

In addition to receiving two fi rst place awards for

Congratulations to

extraordinaire, Connie

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNITY RELATIONS Susie Miller EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR DIGITAL EDITOR ABOUT TOWN EDITOR

Anne Brockman Morgan Phillips Tim Landes Blayklee Freed

EDITORIAL CONSULTING Missy Kruse, The Write Company CREATIVE DIRECTOR ART DIRECTOR MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHER VIDEOGRAPHER

Madeline Crawford Georgia Brooks Michelle Pollard Greg Bollinger

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Andrea Canada Josh Kampf Rita Kirk CONTROLLER Mary McKisick DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall INTERN Deborah Laker

MEMBER

Life On Fire: Oklahoma’s Kate Barnard,” pub-

TulsaPeople’s distribution is audited annually by

lished by the University of Oklahoma Press.

A legendary early day reformist and politician, the fiery Barnard was the fi rst woman to be

elected as an Oklahoma state official and served as the state’s commissioner of charities and corrections from 1907-1915.

A copy of the book can be purchased at: Sweet

Tooth Candy and Gift Co., 3541 S. Harvard

“Best Photographer” in the state.

Ave.; or Magic City Books, 221 E. Archer St. TP

Michelle has received numerous awards over

1603 South Boulder Avenue Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119-4407 P: 918-585-9924 F: 918-585-9926

tion of her fi fth book, “A

news writing and page design, our photographer Michelle (Weeks) Pollard was honored as

TulsaPeople Magazine is published monthly by

desired to live and work in Tulsa (smart girl!).

tion Dogs” and feature fi lms “Love and Fury,” “Mekko” and “Four Sheets to the Wind” — have

Volume XXXVI, Number 3 ©2022. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, including created advertising in a proofed or printed stage.

Ave.; Tulsa Historical Society, 2445 S. Peoria

Langdon Publishing Company sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. This issue of Tulsa People was printed on recycled fibers containing 20 percent post-consumer waste with inks containing a soy base blend. Our printer is a certified member of the Forestry Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and additionally, meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards. When you are finished with this issue, please pass it on to a friend or recycle it. We can have a better world if we choose it together.

Disregard any TulsaPeople subscription solicitation that is not directly mailed from the Langdon Publishing office at 1603 S. Boulder Ave. Contact Langdon Publishing directly if you are interested in subscribing or renewing your TulsaPeople subscription.

the years for her skills — including other Photographer of the Year honors — since she joined the magazine in November 1999. I remember

interviewing Michelle for the job at TulsaPeople.

It was a few months after she had graduated from the University of Oklahoma with her degree in 6

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

Jim Langdon PUBLISHER

S AY N O T O H A T E

VIEW FROM ABOVE L GREG BOLLINGER

ocal fiber artist Taylor Painter-Wolfe is inspired by scenes of topography and the natural mosaics land creates when viewed aerially.

“I think more than anything I get inspiration from the material itself. It’s different every time,” she says. “Felting — and dyeing — is pretty unpredictable. … It can dictate the direction a piece is going to go, based on how the colors turned out, how the felt turned out, what kind of shapes, what kind of textures, that kind of thing.” TP LEARN MORE ABOUT PAINTER-WOLFE’S FIBER ART AT TULSAPEOPLE.COM. TulsaPeople.com

7

NOTEBOOK

BY MORGA N PHILLIP S

FIRST WHITE RHINO BORN AT TULSA ZOO

Greenwood to open Women’s Business Center National and local leaders gathered at Greenwood Cultural Center in mid-December to announce the launch of a women’s business center that will assist female entrepreneurs.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Greenwood Women’s Business Center will be located inside the GCC. “For phase one we’ve dedicated 5,000 square feet, but phase two will be 15,000 square feet of space and opportunity for women to grow Tulsa, to grow Oklahoma and to grow the region,” says Freeman Culver, president and CEO of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce.

Services offered at the center will include counseling, mentorship, training and technical assistance to help women start or build their businesses. Phase one is expected to be completed this spring.

“Women are the fastest-growing entrepreneurial segment with nearly 1,200 businesses started by women in this country every single day,” says Natalie Madeira Cofield, assistant administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership. Madeira Cofield noted the ramifications COVID-19 has had on women in the labor force, and says there is no better time than the present to increase women’s access to economic opportunities.

The Greenwood Women’s Business Center will be operated by U.S. Black Chambers Inc. with the Greenwood Chamber. Culver noted that 80% of business owners in the 100 Block of North Greenwod Avenue are women.

8

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

TULSAN APPOINTED TO HIGH COURT Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Tulsan Dana Kuehn to the Oklahoma Supreme Court on July 26, 2021. She succeeded Tom Colbert, the first African American to serve on the court, after his retirement Feb. 1.

Most recently Kuehn was a judge for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals from 2017 to 2021. Her previous positions also include felony prosecutor with the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office, associate district judge of Tulsa County, and chief of the Tulsa County Civil Division.

She has been inducted into the University of Tulsa College of Law Hall of Fame and received the W. Thomas Coffman Community Service Award and the Mona Salyer Lambird Spotlight Award. In 2017, the American Board of Trial Advocates recognized Kuehn as Judge of the Year for the State of Oklahoma.

GREENWOOD: MORGAN PHILLIPS; KUEHN AND ZOO: COURTESY

John Veal, Oklahoma district director for the U.S. Small Business Administration; Rose Washington-Jones, CEO of Tulsa Economic Development Corp. Creative Capital; Ron Busby, president and CEO of U.S. Black Chambers Inc.; Natalie Madeira Cofield, assistant administrator for the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at the U.S. Small Business Administration; and Freeman Culver, president and CEO of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, at a Dec. 8 ribbon cutting for the Greenwood Women’s Business Center

White rhinos are classified as a “near threatened” species with fewer than 20,000 left in the wild, so their birthdays are cause for celebration in the conservation community.

Born Nov. 27 weighing 127 pounds, Hodari is the first white rhino calf to be born at Tulsa Zoo. He and his mother, Sally, are visible to guests on warm days in the zoo’s Mary K. Chapman Rhino Reserve yard.

In July 2021, Tulsa Zoo welcomed another special bundle of joy: a Malayan tiger cub named Dara. There are fewer than 250 Malayan tigers in the wild due to threats such as habitat loss and poaching, according to zoo officials. Dara is the sixth Malayan tiger cub to be born at the zoo.

paradise never sounded So Good.

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BIZ WHIZ

Covers

Tulsa Arcades will move this spring from its current location near East 21st Street and South Garnett Road to the owners’ home near Tulsa Hills. Most of its business comes from the company’s website, tulsaarcades.com, and word of mouth. Owner JC Reynolds, pictured, says they almost always have a waiting list.

NEW WAY TO PLAY TULSA ARCADES RE-UPS THE RETRO GAMING BUSINESS.

BY LUCAS BRADLEY

A

t least one generation remembers feeding PacMan quarters, and JC Reynolds of Tulsa Arcades is helping bring those days back to living rooms.

In 2018, Reynolds and his wife, Michelle, both found themselves out of work due to health and financial woes.

“I was like, ‘What do I do?’ My wife was coming down with breast cancer and lost her job, so I was trying to figure out how to make some extra income,” Reynolds says.

He started buying arcade games, tricking them out and flipping them. That often means putting a custom control panel in an existing gaming cabinet.

“We do custom cabinets, maybe with different graphic wraps and things like that,” he says.

“They’re mainly multicades — they can play different games, Pac Man, all the different classics people love to play.”

The business took off quickly, with Reynolds estimating $15,000 in sales in the fi rst month.

10

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

Since then, he’s up to about $50,000 per month.

And talk about your bootstraps.

“I started buying arcade parts and accessories from a local vendor,” he explains. “I’d have problems with those parts and think, ‘How do I make this better? How do I make this work?’”

His solution was to buy a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) cutter. “I started from the ground up and learned from watching YouTube how to operate this machine,” he says.

It worked. Business boomed, and COVID-19 actually helped. “People were stuck at home, so what do they want to do? They want to play video games,” Reynolds says, adding that business is leveling off a bit now that more activities are open.

However, “Arcades are really popular,” he continues. “Retro gaming has come back. People have a desire to bring those childhood memories into their homes and share them with their kids.

I think there’s always going to be a demand for that.” TP

Many Tulsans know Robert “Hap” Fry for his highly decorated law practice that focuses on divorce and child custody litigation, but many others recognize him as the longtime walking companion of Badger, his fluffy black Aussiedoodle.

The pair has been a staple at Utica Square for years and stood out because of Badger’s custommade wheels for his hind legs. In fact, Fry and Badger were featured on the cover of TulsaPeople’s September 2019 issue as some of Tulsa’s most “familiar faces.”

In the article, Fry recounted how his children encouraged him to get a dog after the death of his wife in 2011. Finding Badger in 2012 was the start of a special friendship.

When a 2017 accident left Badger partially paralyzed, Fry spared no expense or effort to save him, traveling as far as North Carolina for experimental treatments. After his recovery, Badger and Fry were largely inseparable, with Badger even accompanying Fry to his law office.

With the help of the dog’s chariot, the two enjoyed their daily walk among the patrons and vendors of Utica Square, as well as special events like Summer’s Fifth Night. Badger’s favorite stop? The Dolphin Fine Linens, where his girlfriend Rosie, the resident shop dog, resides.

Rosie was TulsaPeople’s most recent cover dog in November 2022.

Badger died Nov. 17, leaving a hole in the hearts of Fry and all who knew the beloved pup. Fry says, “I want to thank the people of Utica Square — the store owners, employees and customers — for making Badger’s and my life so joyful, especially after his accident.”

— MORGAN PHILLIPS

GREG BOLLINGER

REVISITED

BLUEPRINT

TCC BLUEPRINT IS FOR STUDENTS & PARENTS/GUARDIANS 9:30 A.M., SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2022 TCC NORTHEAST CAMPUS You have a Blueprint for your child’s freshman year at college? Did you know if you live in Tulsa County, your graduating high school senior can go to TCC for almost free, which can save you tens of thousands in college costs?

TCC Blueprint teaches you everything you need to know about our Tulsa Achieves program. We’ll cover eligibility and program requirements, explore academic majors, college resources, and why TCC is the less debt, more value solution to college.

Good things start here.

Tulsa Achieves Week starts Feb. 14 For more information and to register, go to

TulsaCC.edu/BluePrint

COFFEE WITH

ABBY KURIN FMAC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHARES HER FAVORITE PROJECTS OF 2021.

PHOTO AND INTERVIEW BY TIM LANDES

I

t’s an unseasonably warm morning in December, but that doesn’t stop Abby Kurin from enjoying her steaming oatmilk latte with cinnamon. She’s poured it into her insulated pink cup as she sits inside Topeca Coffee, 100 E. Second St. Kurin is executive director of the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Art and Culture, which means she’s been busy despite the ongoing pandemic.

ON TULSA FMAC’S GROWING PRODUCTION SCHEDULE ...

It has been a wild year. We worked with 11 productions in 2017. In 2018 it jumped to 20, and then in 2019 it went up to 32.

Then when the pandemic hit, fi rst everyone was like, “What are we going to do?” Like taking care of everyone, making sure we can get back to work safely. Th roughout the pandemic, paired with state legislatures supporting the growth of the fi lm rebate, the County supporting the Tulsa County Film Recovery Program through CARES Act funding resulted in us working with 41 productions. So that absolutely shows the impact of people coming and making projects. That number just is going to continue to rise.

“RESERVATION DOGS” WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST HITS OF 2021, AND IT WAS FILMED HERE. ON WHAT ITS SUCCESS MEANS FOR THE FUTURE ...

Following Sterlin Harjo on Instagram, it’s so funny because you see him resharing all the “Reservation Dogs” promos, the taxi cabs, the billboards from all around the country. People around the world fell in love with “Reservation Dogs,” and they’re like, “Where was this?” It was right here in Oklahoma.

When we’re promoting fi lming to happen in the state and specifically in our region, the fi rst 12

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

thing we do now is tell the story how Sterlin Harjo’s “Reservation Dogs” was based and fi lmed here. And then the response is often like, “Oh, that’s incredible!” That’s such a great story to tell and such an incredible example to give that you can make your projects here.

WHEN SHE EMBARKED ON THIS CAREER, SHE FULLY BELIEVED SHE’D SOMEDAY BE HELPING FILMMAKERS LIKE MARTIN SCORSESE, AND SHE IS ...

We just have such an incredible statewide passionate group of individuals. No one person is responsible for the trajectory of this. It’s everyone involved, and it’s everyone continuing to get involved and advocating and wanting to be a part of the industry. So yeah, my bright-eyed, 23-year-old self that was like, “I want to work in fi lm” … I always knew this was only going to get better and better, and it just keeps getting better and better.

BESIDES “RESERVATION DOGS,” SHE’S ALSO OBSESSED WITH ANOTHER BIG TELEVISION SHOW ...

“Succession” is so good. Chuck (Foxen) and I celebrated our anniversary by cooking dinner and watching it. We’re really enjoying it. Oh, and “Ted Lasso.” I think every human should watch it.

WHEN IT COMES TO MOVIES ...

I loved “Spencer,” but I’m a huge Princess Diana fan. And “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” Loved it. So great. I also watched “Sound of Identity” for the second time. It’s a Kirkpatrick and Kinslow Production and such an incredible story.

I’m a huge fan of Lucia Lucas.

FMAC HELPED SUPPORT MORE THAN 600 LOCAL LIVE PERFORMANCES THROUGH THE PLAY TULSA MUSIC PROGRAM THIS YEAR. SPEAKING OF MUSIC, ABBY’S MOST-PLAYED MUSIC LAST YEAR ...

If I’m being fully transparent, I got three Taylor Swift albums, and I’m feeling pretty damn good about that. I really am. Oh, my gosh, it was the best. I love them all. I feel like at some point I need to be honest about my love for her.

A WOMAN’S GOT TO EAT. ON HER FAVORITE MEAL IN TULSA ...

My absolute new fave I can’t get enough of is Que Gusto. I am there once a week. They make a gluten-free empanada, and then their yucca fries ... holy moly! Sign me up. One day I danced out of there, oh, so happy, and I’m pretty sure the chef was like, “I don’t know about her, but OK.” TP

OUR FAMILY IS READY TO SERVE YOUR FAMILY

APPLAUSE

Tulsan Eugene Blake, left, has judged dog shows for more than 30 years. For a gallery of images from his career, visit TulsaPeople.com.

Kelli McLoud-Schingen

Starring John Burns and Mecca Marie, World Stage Theatre Co.’s 2020 production of “I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda” earned five TATEs (Tulsa Awards for Theatre Excellence).

LEADING ROLE

WORLD STAGE THEATRE CO. CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS.

BY BRANDON SCHMITZ

S

ince its founding in 2017, World Stage Theatre Co. has sought to bring more multicultural stories to Tulsa.

“It’s been an amazing past five years,” says Kelli McLoud-Schingen, founder and artistic director. “I never thought we’d make it this far, but I’m so grateful we have.”

Originally from Chicago, the director grew up around myriad theater groups from across the city.

She came to Tulsa in 2007 for her husband’s job.

“I’ve loved working in Tulsa, but I’d always felt as if something was missing,” she says. “I wanted to not only tell these different kinds of stories, but also bring international artists to Tulsa, as well as take Tulsa artists abroad.”

In spring 2018 the company partnered with Theatre Pops to debut its fi rst show, “Disgraced,” a play centered on sociopolitical themes such as Islamophobia and the self-identity of MuslimAmerican citizens in post-9/11 America.

From there, World Stage has taken its production abroad to countries such as the Netherlands.

14

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

Future travel opportunities include Ireland, France and Rwanda, McLoud-Schingen says.

Having secured its own rental space at 306 S. Phoenix Ave., World Stage also aims to offer classes for students who otherwise wouldn’t have such opportunities. Moving forward, the founder says she wants to continue fostering relationships with other Tulsa theater groups.

“We’re against the idea that it’s a competition among theater companies scrounging for scarce resources,” she says. “We have different audiences, and we want everyone involved to realize that the rising tide raises all ships.”

World Stage’s next shows are “The Song of Jacob Zulu” (Jan. 27-Feb. 6) and “The Revolutionists” (April 21-May 1), both at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

“Everything we do is driven by our mission to educate and provide access,” McLoud-Schingen says. “All the shows we select, the actors we hire — this is who we are.”

For more information, visit okworldstage.org. TP

After more than three decades judging dogs around the globe, 85-year-old Tulsan Eugene Blake has reached the pinnacle of his career.

This month, he will judge the illustrious hound group for the first time at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City.

At 18, Blake got his start bathing dogs at a Houston grooming shop and became enthralled with the world of purebreds. In 1957, he began showing dogs although he was not allowed, as a person of color, to stay in hotels or eat in restaurants with the other handlers. He also started a late-night dog training class in a Sears parking lot and quickly garnered a reputation as a top trainer. “People saw a gift I didn’t know I had, and it just came out,” he says.

As a professional handler, Blake piloted multiple breeds to No. 1 rankings. He handled a Saluki named Karim into the top 10 rankings of All-Breeds and won the Hound Group at Westminster in 1973 with an Afghan Hound named Apollo.

He began judging in 1990 and still judges 100120 dog shows per year. This is Blake’s second judging assignment at Westminster, America’s second-longest-running sporting event.

Judging is more objective than the public realizes, Blake says. “The American Kennel Club breed standard is written, and you follow the standard to come up with your winner,” he explains.

When he’s not on the road at dog shows, you can often find Blake at Aurora Kennel, 9721 E. 61st St., with his life partner, shop owner Julie Mueller.

— MORGAN PHILLIPS JAN. 24-27 146TH ANNUAL WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB DOG SHOW Televised on Fox Sports. Full schedule of events at westminsterkennelclub.org.

APPLAUSE: ANDREW NICHOLS; COURTESY EUGENE BLAKE

BEST IN SHOW

Let us entertain you SARAH COBURN JANUARY 29, 2022

Tickets on sale now!

STOMP February 18-19, 2022

PILOBOLUS DANCE March 24, 2022

SPECIAL VALENTINE’S DAY EVENT

BERNADETTE PETERS FEBRUARY 14, 2022

ROOTS

Cole and Allison Cunningham at their retail store, Mythic City, at the Shops at Mother Road Market.

Mythic Press makes custom apparel for Mythic City, businesses and other customers at its shop at East Third Street between South Lewis and Utica avenues.

Songwriters Jon Worthy, Kate Constentino, Sarah Moseley, and Katelyn and Derek Drye sold out Nashville’s notable venue the Listening Room Cafe for Songbird City’s inaugural event in October 2021. Moseley, who is from Tulsa, started the company in November 2020.

AUDIBLE HEIRLOOMS TULSA NATIVE EMPLOYS TEAM OF SONGWRITERS IN NASHVILLE.

BY TIFFANY HOWARD

F

ounded by Tulsa native Sarah Moseley, Songbird City is a Nashville-based company that specializes in putting words to speechless moments through custom song creation.

Singing and songwriting from a young age, Moseley grew up in choir and performing at local music events, like the Bixby Green Corn Festival and Mayfest. She graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 2007, attended Belmont University in Nashville and earned her degree in music business. Now, Moseley and her husband call Nashville their permanent home.

The idea for Songbird City grew out of Moseley’s wish to help other struggling Nashville songwriters when venues shuttered their doors during COVID-19. At the time, Moseley also was songwriting for fi lm and television, but as the fi rst and only custom song company based

16

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

in Nashville, Songbird City grew so rapidly that she now does it full time. Along with her team of eight other Nashville-based songwriters, Moseley is always ready to work with clients to create “audible heirlooms” for special moments, including anniversaries or other big events.

Though it’s not the only custom song company, Songbird City is the only one in which all songwriters currently reside in Nashville.

“We wanted our niche to be, ‘We’re Music City songwriters,’ which is so special because people travel from all over the country to experience the music of Nashville,” Moseley says.

“So why not have one write a custom song for you?

“It’s been so rewarding because it’s not just about me. It’s about helping the songwriters and the community, and getting to gift someone a custom song is just so special.” TP

Mythic Press has become a Tulsa staple known for designing and producing apparel that showcases the pride Tulsans have for their city. Cole and Allison Cunningham, native Oklahomans and owners of Mythic Press, launched their online store seven years ago. On Sept. 18 the popular brand opened its first retail store, Mythic City, at the Shops at Mother Road Market on Route 66.

Before owning their business, Cole ran a branding agency and began to screen print apparel on the side. The business took off much quicker than expected, and Cole began Mythic Press in 2015.

He began designing T-shirts to celebrate the new Tulsa flag design in 2017, and business has been booming since. Allison joined in 2018.

Cole’s background, paired with Allison’s previous experience in museum development and fundraising, led them to create a business model unique to their strengths. The couple felt strongly about giving back to the Tulsa community by giving customers the chance to participate in fundraising.

“We love Tulsa and are firmly invested in this city,” Allison says. “Every item sold includes a donation to a local organization. We’re doing our small part to promote and unite Tulsa.” To date, Mythic Press has raised over $50,000 for local nonprofits.

Mythic City is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m., TuesdaySunday, at 1102 S. Lewis Ave., Suite E. Its online store can be found at shop.mythic.press.

— HANNAH MARSHALL

ROOTS: COURTESY; GREG BOLLINGER

HOMETOWN pride

New Year, New Dog Dish!

We invite you to come see and enjoy our new store at 2803 South Harvard beginning January 3rd!

2803 SOUTH HARVARD | 918-624-2600 | OPEN MON.–SAT.

The store your pet deserves!

COMMUNITY

Ok, So storyteller GK Palmer, who won the July 2021 Best Story title

LIFE STORIES TULSANS BRAVE ENOUGH TO TAKE THE STAGE AT AN OK, SO STORY SLAM SAY IT’S LIFE CHANGING.

BY ALICIA CHESSER

J

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

Current Grand Slam title holder Rachel Ann Dennis; Ok, So founders Branda Piersall and Michelle Bias; and Best Story winner GK Palmer Visit oksotulsa.com for more information, and follow Ok, So Tulsa on Facebook for upcoming events.

from when she was 13 years old at a January 2020 event as a magical experience. “Ok, So is about telling stories that are true — that mean something,” she says. “Branda and Michelle have lovingly built a community of people who are so supportive. It only took a moment on stage for me to get comfortable and tell my truth.”

With storytelling workshops and other community offerings on the horizon, Ok, So is dedicated to empowering Tulsans to craft and share their experiences in a welcoming, diverse setting. “You never know what you’re going to get,” Piersall says. “Sometimes a story itself is less meaningful than watching someone go through the process of being brave enough to get up there.” The group also offers up storytellers to entertain at local events.

The next Ok, So slam Jan. 13 at Living Arts of Tulsa is themed “Mama Said,” and the group is holding a curated event Jan. 22 called “The Ties that Bind.” Stay tuned in February for the ever-popular “Attraction” event, followed by “Confessions” in March.

As Angela Evans, 2018 Grand Slam winner, explains, “There is something special about the vulnerability, the intimacy you feel on that stage.

Where else can you cackle so hard you’re crying one minute, and then be teary-eyed and covered with goosebumps the next? Once a month Ok, So makes a little magic, and it’s pretty cool that anyone can be part of it.”

“It’s these moments of community, of shared humanity,” Piersall agrees, “that make it so amazing.” TP

GREG BOLLINGER

onathan Lamorena had only been in Tulsa for a week, and he thought sharing a personal story at an Ok, So Story Slam would be an opportunity to connect with people in his new hometown. As it turned out, he not only made friends — this fi rst-time storyteller won second place in that night’s open mic in August.

“The experience was a personal lift, almost surreal,” Lamorena says. “I often listen to talks or speeches shared on YouTube, TED Talks and the like. The setting and temperature of the room felt like that. It was like checking something off your bucket list. I was surprised how good it felt after sharing my story.”

That feeling is a common denominator in descriptions of Ok, So events. The fi rst, held in 2013, came about when former high school acquaintances Branda Piersall, a hospice nurse, and Michelle Bias, a life coach and family constellations facilitator, reconnected and bonded over their love of storytelling. “I had discovered the Moth Radio Hour and solicited them to come to Tulsa,” Piersall recalls. “The producer said, ‘Tulsa’s kind of a small place for us to go. But there isn’t any reason why you can’t do something like this yourself. Just don’t call it the Moth.’”

Since then Ok, So has hosted monthly story slams, curated events and an annual Grand Slam competition at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. At the monthly open mics on second Thursdays, attendees put their name in a hat for the chance to tell a true story in front of the crowd. There’s no reading from a script — just a short, candid narrative.

“Storytelling is an underrated skill that takes a lot of practice,” Lamorena says. “I feel like when I share about my challenges and how I’ve grown because of them, I’m helping others in their journey.”

Current Grand Slam title holder Rachel Ann Dennis describes sharing her coming-out story

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MUSIC NOTES

Hutton Lowry

For more information, visit the band’s Instagram at @jasperwilderness.

LISTENER-DEFINED EXPERIENCE TULSA BAND REFLECTS ON 2020’S RELEASES. STORIES BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

T

ulsa-based, alt-rock outfit Jasper Wilderness has been together less than two years. The band’s fi rst single, “Cherish the River,” was released in February 2020 and has garnered over 300,000 streams on Spotify. The band’s five-song EP, “Coming Home to Silence,” debuted in November. Written and recorded during the pandemic, the EP music reflects that experience. “‘Coming Home to Silence’ was born out of a lot of artistic writing sessions that we wouldn’t have been able to have without the lockdown,” says lead singer Gabe Phillips. “We’re a pretty small, tight-knit group, so we were able to meet during the craziness and get some good creative energy and get on the same page about how we wanted to pursue music. Now it feels like we have a great foundation for stepping out and playing live.”

Bassist Sam Bowling agrees the unexpected time together allowed the band to coalesce. “Now we know what we’re supposed to sound like and how we’re supposed to present ourselves,” he says.

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Phillips, Bowling and dobro (a resonator guitar) player Jacob Brallier met as students at Oral Roberts University. Drummer Jeremy Pelotte, keyboardist Justin Scott and Bowling’s brother, guitarist Nick Bowling, round out the band. While Phillips notes all of them share Christian faith, their music isn’t overtly religious.

“We want to evoke a desire in people to be deeply human and to move deeper, closer to what it means to be themselves,” Phillips says. Even the band’s name is something the band wants listeners to define for themselves, Sam Bowling adds.

Bowling explains the messaging in the new EP starts with the title, “Coming Home to Silence.”

“Society as a whole has become very oversaturated with noise,” he says. “It feels like wherever you go, you can’t really find peace. We want to present a journey of what it looks like to live in a world without peace, and then at the end, offer a solution — to shut out outside noise and really find a place where you can start thinking for yourself. I believe peace and quiet is the way to find it.” TP

Rock band Tool returns to the BOK Center on Jan. 30. Formed in 1990, the four-time Grammy Award-winning group has maintained a large and loyal fan base for decades, despite large gaps of time between albums, infrequent tours and band members who border on reclusive.

Professional photographer Phil Clarkin, 38, has been a fan since high school.

“After a few times through their first two albums, it all clicked,” Clarkin recalls. “I was hooked from that point forward.”

He has seen the band live multiple times, including photographing them at a 2019 tour stop in Tulsa.

“They are a band that has always had a very strict photo policy, and even though I’m the lead house photographer at BOK Center, they only approved a couple of media outlets,” says Clarkin, who shot the concert for the Tulsa Voice.

Drummer Danny Carey’s talent stands out to construction professional Hutton Lowry, 37.

“Tool was one of a select few bands that influenced my pursuit of percussion,” says Lowry, who can’t name just one favorite song or album.

“These songs take the listener on a journey, each to a different place and time,” he explains.

“Most are dark, but each album has its own color.”

Shawn Emig, 50, has been a fan since ’92.

He’s been to 10 concerts, including a show at Tulsa Theater in ’96.

Over the years, his appreciation of Tool’s music has grown.

“Looking back, initially it was as simple as, ‘They’re dark, heavy, intense — I’m in!’ Over time though, it’s more about the uniqueness of what they do, the way they structure their songs, play around with different time signatures, use minimal guitar solos,” he explains. “No one else sounds like them, which is a rarity these days.”

Lowry agrees. “It’s heavy metal, progressive metal and alternative metal all in one,” he says.

“No one else has the same sound.” TP

JASPER WILDERNESS: COURTESY; LOWRY: GREG BOLLINGER

TOOL TIME

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Tulsa Yarn Dolls Gabriela Gonzalez, Audra Brulc, Kathleen Brulc and Linda Unruh

THREADS

The Tulsa Yarn Dolls meet from 6:30-8 p.m., every first and third Thursday, at Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 E. 93rd St. Show up to help or to donate yarn, and keep up with them on Facebook: @tulsayarndolls.

MORE THAN PLAYING WITH YARN NEEDLEWORK GROUP TULSA YARN DOLLS MEETS TO KNIT AND CROCHET FOR CHARITY.

S

eated around a massive table in a meeting room at Hardesty Regional Library, a group of women are nearly drowning in varicolored yarn. Every shade of the spectrum is represented. The women knit, crochet and chat, looking up now and again to check their patterns or hold their works-in-progress against the light.

The Tulsa Yarn Dolls, as they call themselves, began in 2017. Initially a faith-based organization creating prayer shawls, they are no longer affi liated with a church and stress that anyone is welcome. There’s no needlework discrimination either — all forms of craft are welcome.

“Anything that’s a craft,” says Yarn Doll Linda Unruh, said to be the group’s fastest worker.

“Bring your stuff and come sit. We chitterchatter and play with yarn.”

Modesty is well and good, but the Dolls do more than play with yarn. Although personal projects are allowed and the group is more than willing to offer help (or to teach newbies outright), its prime focus for years has been a higher calling: charity.

“At some point you run out of how many blankets and shawls and scarves and hats you can make for your family,” Unruh says. “We don’t sell them. Charitable gifting is what we do.”

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Tulsa Yarn Dolls donate projects including blankets, hats, shawls and dolls.

In fact, nearly half the meeting was spent trying to recall and list the group’s charity projects — hundreds of blankets, hats, shawls, dolls and more created and donated over the past few years — especially impressive for a group whose largest meeting boasted seven attendees.

These charitable projects include blankets and throws for patients at Rivercross Hospice; red hats to raise awareness of congenital heart disease through the American Heart Association;

blankets for children through Project Linus; and handmade children’s toys through the Child Abuse Network, to name only a few.

But there is another purpose for meeting: decompression after a long week in a contentious world.

“It gives me the time to kind of sit and be calm, and it settles my heart, so to speak,” Unruh says.

Fellow Yarn Doll Kathleen Brulc concurs, saying, “The sense of community and the sense of purpose are very intertwined for me.”

Brulc recalls a special memory. In late 2017, as Philbrook Museum of Art was deinstalling the many miles of yarn hung by artist HOTTEA (aka Eric Rieger) for the inaugural installation of the Zink Rotunda Art Project, the Tulsa Yarn Dolls were there to pick up the scraps. Literally.

They had been contacted by the museum and had been offered the yarn for their own charitable purposes. The Dolls set up shop there in the rotunda, knitting and crocheting away, when a woman from China, speaking through her daughter, asked if she could join. She produced some needlework tools from her purse and got right down to business with them, in that moment a Tulsa Yarn Doll herself, helping to give the art before her another life, for other people to enjoy. TP

GREG BOLLINGER

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ART SPOT

Tulsa Artist Coalition Gallery exhibiting artists include Dorris Levasheff (left), Cristiana Prado (above) and Tyler Griese (below). Visit TulsaPeople.com for more on these artists and their upcoming shows.

THE SOLOISTS T

BY BLAYKLEE FREED J A N UARY

Cristiana Prado

Prado specializes in 3-dimensional ceramic sculpture. She teaches art to all ages: elementary students at Tulsa Public Schools, students learning art fundamentals and appreciation at Tulsa Community College, and ceramics students at the University of Tulsa.

Her upcoming show “Offering and Guarding” connects back to her hometown of Salvador, Brazil, which includes a rich fusion of Indigenous, African and European cultures.

“Living in this country made me appreciate even more my culture back home,” Prado says.

“Because feeling homesick, always missing something, I value more certain things more now than when I was there.”

Prado will display colorful ceramic figures with varied texture and design inspired by Orishas, African gods and goddesses who serve as guardians, helping people achieve their destinies.

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

F E BRUA RY

Dorris Levasheff

At the time of writing, Levasheff was working on a 6-foot-8-inch painting in her quintessential contemporary style with bold strokes and colors. “Viktorea,” the larger-than-life acrylic piece on three-quarter-inch plywood, is modeled after her daughter of the same name.

The piece will be included among other paintings in her upcoming show about reflecting on how humans treat one another.

“To me, my art is about communication, and this particular show is going to be called ‘Reflections,’” Levasheff says. “It’s reflecting on how you see things, social things about the planet, how everyone should be treated equally with respect (and be) able to communicate with each other in a nice manner and to exchange ideas.”

That intention — communication — is also apparent through the material she often uses for jewelry-making: telephone wire.

MARCH

Tyler Griese

Before he moved to Tulsa in 2019, local artist and TCC professor Griese had his sight set on exhibiting at TAC Gallery.

“I love the space. I love how community oriented it is,” Griese says. “I love the traffic it gets, the diversity of shows, the diversity of artists — everything from representational paintings to installations.”

In March, Griese will show snapshots of life in detailed oil paintings at TAC Gallery. Those foundations, he says, are necessary for working in all artistic mediums, including his own of photography and figurative painting. Griese shoots all of the scenes he paints.

“I get inspired at times by mundane things being beautiful, and I think that’s what I try to incorporate in my work — the beauty of the mundane — in a sense that as many people as possible can relate to it,” he says. TP

GREG BOLLINGER

TULSA ARTIST COALITION GALLERY FOCUSES ON LOCAL TALENT.

ulsa’s art community is robust with talent, but local artists in the mid 1980s had a hard time finding venues to showcase their work. They formed Tulsa Artists’ Coalition in 1986 in a grassroots support effort and have been exhibiting art at 9 E. Reconciliation Way since 1996, according to TAC President Dean Wyatt.

“At the end of the day, it’s really about supporting local artists,” he says.

For 2022, TAC Gallery has a schedule packed with expressive artists eager to share paintings, sculptures, jewelry and more. For each month through March, one local artist shows a solo exhibition at TAC Gallery that opens on first Fridays.

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25

KEVIN GROSS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HILLCREST HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND 2022 TULSA REGIONAL CHAMBER CHAIRMAN

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

W

hat is the adage about history giving us the right leaders at the right time?

As the COVID pandemic continues to roil and surge, how timely that the incoming chairman of Tulsa Regional Chamber is health care professional Kevin Gross. As president and CEO of Hillcrest HealthCare System, Gross has frontline experience dealing with one of the toughest times in the city’s public health history. The place, the time and the leader: perfect match.

“I feel we have turned the corner,” Gross said in a November 2021 interview. COVID-19 will never go away “and for 2022 it’s anybody’s guess,” he says, “but with the number of people vaccinated, the number who have had COVID and the precautions we’ve taken,” he believes “we’ve got it under control.” That gives him the freedom to focus on other Chamber objectives.

“My wish for Tulsa is that we can have good, strong growth, but not lose our character — maintain the things that attract people to Tulsa.”

— KEVIN GROSS can achieve? What does the Chamber need to do to make that happen? Or, do differently to achieve real growth in the next decade?”

WHAT IS YOUR IMMEDIATE GOAL? As Chamber chairman, Gross is focusing on economic development, attracting and retaining businesses. It’s a very competitive marketplace out there, nationally and internationally, he says, but the timing is right.

“Everything took a bit of a pause in 2020 because of the pandemic and shutdowns, but things are reopening and there’s going to be a lot of activity,” Gross says. “Companies are back at expanding, looking at relocating, and we’re in the appropriate position to capitalize on that.”

AND SPEAKING OF THE FUTURE ... “I want to continue supporting TYPROS … the leaders of the future.”

TYPROS, the Chamber’s organization for younger people, provides an opportunity for leadership roles and networking among peers. Gross says, “Mentoring can’t be understated for young people. I was given an opportunity by one of my mentors to run a hospital when I was 30 years old.

Without that opportunity — somebody willing to take a chance on me — my career would be totally different.”

WHERE DOES THE CHAMBER START? “First, I want to continue to support the efforts of (outgoing) chair Rose Washington-Jones, moving toward being more diverse and inclusive as an organization,” he says. “The incoming board is the most diverse group of individuals the Chamber has had.”

Another goal is looking forward to the next decade. The 2020 census results indicate the Tulsa metro has surpassed a million people, “a big milestone,” so Gross is challenging the Chamber board and staff to anticipate the next census.

He asks, “What do we want Tulsa to look like in 2030? What kinds of things do we imagine we

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. It’s an election year at the state level and nationally there are mid-term elections. “Part of what the Chamber does is advocacy work, so we’ll be spending a lot of time looking at the issues, reviewing people who are running for public office and helping shape the agenda,” he says. “It’s important to have good leaders in public office.”

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WHAT ARE TULSA’S STRENGTHS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH? “The Chamber has a great economic development team and great success. Tulsa is a great place to live, raise a family and work. We have the tools we

need. That includes resources, places for companies to relocate and economic incentives.”

WHAT OTHER FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO GROWTH? Tourism and the economic impact of more than 7 million people who visited Tulsa last year, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants and shopping, contributing to Tulsa’s growth by spending more than $800 million. “An important part of what we do is to promote Tulsa as a place to visit. One of the highlights of 2022 is the PGA Championship in May, which will bring tens of thousands of individuals here for tourism. Thanks to our partners at Southern Hills Country Club, this will be a great opportunity to showcase Tulsa.”

YOU’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, HAVEN’T YOU? BOTH HERE IN TULSA AND AT THE CHAMBER. “I’ve come to Tulsa twice.” He was here from 2004-2006, with Hillcrest and the Chamber, and when his successor at the hospital system retired and he was invited back, “I jumped at the opportunity.”

WHY? “All the things we have to offer here. Tulsa is a very livable city, lots of things to do, easy to be involved in the community. A very comfortable place to live and work.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE IN TULSA? “That’s a hard one. Clearly, Gathering Place has put us on the map as a world-class recreational center for families, thanks to the George Kaiser Family Foundation and other donors that made it happen. Also, my list of top places includes the BOK Center, a great venue that attracts a variety of performers and performances, concerts and events from professional bull riding to ice skating.

“When I came to Tulsa in 2004, downtown was a totally different place and there was not much going on there after 5 o’clock at night.

That changed with the BOK Center at one end, ONEOK Field at the other and the infill of restaurants, museums and activities. Now, downtown is an exciting place at night with plenty of people and activity. The vision that developed the BOK was the spark that made the revitalization of downtown happen.”

Kevin Gross leads Hillcrest HealthCare System and is incoming chairman of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, a driver of regional and individual prosperity in northeast Oklahoma representing 2,000 member organizations and more than 170,000 workers.

GETTING PERSONAL KEVIN GROSS

MICHELLE POLLARD

WHO WAS YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN LIFE? “My father. He was the classic success story, the son of immigrants (from Ireland), didn’t finish high school, went off to World War II, returned and found a job as a salesman for a company that manufactured concrete, was with that organization for 32 years and retired as president of the company. He truly experienced the American dream and he shaped my life, my values and provided the opportunity for me and my two sisters to go to college. His work ethic and values shaped me to be the person I am today.”

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED? “Two rules: (1) If you take care of the big things, the little things will take care of themselves, and (2) there are no big things.” The advice was for running hospitals, but it applies to life. “In other words, there are a million things to do 365 days a year. You can’t do a couple of things and expect everything will work out; you have to do a lot

of things and do them consistently over a long period of time to be successful.”

WHAT WAS THE TOUGHEST TIME IN YOUR LIFE? “The last 22 months. I’ve been running hospitals for 36 years and never had a 22-month period like we’ve had with this pandemic. It has challenged everyone. A hospital is a 24/7 operation. We don’t close. We’ve never been through anything like this in the health care industry.”

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? “I work hard so I don’t have a lot of spare time, but I do enjoy fishing of all kinds.”

WHAT IS YOUR WISH FOR TULSA? “Other cities have grown but got challenged with congestion, high cost of living and high cost of housing. My wish for Tulsa is that we can have good, strong growth, but not lose our character — maintain the things that attract people to Tulsa.” TP

BORN: Philadelphia EDUCATION: Bachelor’s of science in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois; MBA from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania FIRST JOB: Recruited by Ernst & Young in Houston FAMILY: Wife, SUSAN GROSS; daughter DIANA BOOREN (husband SCOTT BOOREN is chief financial officer of Southern Hills) with three children, ages 6 months, 4 and 7; daughter ANDREA GROSS, physical therapist in Tulsa; and daughter JULIA GROSS, student at Kansas State University School of Veterinary Medicine PROFESSION: Gross leads the operations of the Hillcrest HealthCare System — nine facilities with 6,500 employees.

TulsaPeople.com

27

GREG BOLLINGER

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

TULSAN OF THE REWRITING

THE HOLLY WOOD

PLAYBOOK

STERLIN HARJO HAS DEVOTED HIS CAREER TO TELLING NATIVE STORIES, AND OVER THE PAST YEAR HAS MADE UNPRECEDENTED STRIDES IN NATIVE REPRESENTATION IN THE TOUGH-TO-CHANGE FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRIES. HE’S DONE IT FROM HIS HOME IN TULSA — AND WE RECOGNIZE HIM AS TULSAN OF THE YEAR.

BY TIM LANDES

Fifteen years ago, Cufe, a young Seminole/Muscogee man, left his hometown of Holdenville, Oklahoma, after his father’s death by suicide. He traveled to Tulsa, where he found a new start.

Six years ago, a Muscogee man named Mekko was released from prison and came to Tulsa, where he spent most of his time on the streets in the Kendall Whittier District, often posted up just outside Circle Cinema.

Their stories are intimate, known by few.

Then in fall 2021, four teenagers growing up in a small community on the Muscogee Nation Reservation just south of Tulsa captured America’s attention.

The dark comedic adventures of the “Reservation Dogs” have audiences laughing across the country as the show knocks down Hollywood barriers while garnering critical acclaim and awards, and in the process catapulting co-creator Sterlin Harjo to the next level of fame.

The 42-year-old Seminole/Muscogee filmmaker has grinded out a career focusing on local stories about Native families and communities. He’s realistically depicted Native life in Tulsa and Oklahoma through his films and documentaries and proved you don’t have to go to Hollywood to find success in the movie and television industries. You can do it at home with your friends.

Harjo’s work is changing the Hollywood playbook regarding how Native Americans are presented in film and TV. His show is the first to have an all-Indigenous writer’s room. He has debunked the longstanding Tinseltown myth that there is no interest in authentic Native stories being told. It also was the first scripted network television series to film the entirety of its season in Oklahoma.

For these reasons Harjo is our Tulsan of the Year.

“That’s the ultimate praise,” Harjo says. “If you can make people at home proud, then you really did something good. I didn’t leave here. I’ve only tried my best to bring the work here. We’ve brought a lot of money into town. It just feels really good to be recognized. I’m very proud to be Tulsan of the Year. It’s awesome.”

TulsaPeople.com

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FAMILIAR FACES FX Networks’ “Reservation Dogs” has a soundtrack loaded with music by Native musicians and artists with strong Oklahoma ties.

Sterlin Harjo has long supported the local music scene, says Tulsa roots country musician Jacob Tovar. So, when Harjo invited Tovar and his band to appear in Episode 7 of “Reservation Dogs,” Tovar, a cinephile himself, was thrilled.

“I’m really into films, so it was a great experience to be on the production side,” Tovar says. “He used ‘Three Good Reasons,’ written by Dennis Howard and me, as the upbeat song at the bar and ‘Cleveland Summer Nights,’ written by Wink Burcham and recorded by Isaac Hanson, as the slower, more emotional one that played several times in that episode and in the credits.”

Musician JD McPherson no longer lives in Tulsa, but he’s known Harjo since their film school days at the University of Oklahoma.

“Right before the show aired, Sterlin told me ‘Wolf Teeth’ was going to be in the second episode, and I flipped out,” McPherson recalls. “He told me it was in the scene, ‘There’s a rumble at the Indian clinic,’ and I just died laughing. I was surprised by ‘Lucky Penny’ in the other episode. I had no idea. I’ve never been prouder for a music placement.”

Oklahoma City Native rap duo and brothers Lil Mike and Funny Bone (“Mose” and “Mekko” in the series), have seen the popularity of their own music grow since being featured in the show.

“I think it’s dope they’re using all Indigenous artists, creators and music. I think it only strengthens the show,” Funny Bone says. “It also brings awareness to artists who normally wouldn’t have that push.

It’s been a plus for us because we are independent artists. There’s no big label behind us.”

Former Oklahoman and Muscogee Nation citizen Sten Joddi, a hip-hop artist (“Punkin’ Lusty” in the series), echoes these sentiments.

“Being asked to act on the show was cool, but being asked to send in a few tracks for possible use was the coolest thing for me. Music is my passion, and showcasing my music was incredible for me and my family,” he says. “All the artists featured in the series bring their swag of Oklahoma to the world — the bands, the singers, the rappers. I’m just thankful and grateful for being on something so groundbreaking and amazing.” — JULIE WENGER WATSON 30

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

BRINGING NATIVE STORIES TO LIFE

Harjo grew up in Holdenville, which had a population just under 5,000 when he graduated in 1998 and left for the University of Oklahoma to learn how to become a painter.

He had a little too much fun and found himself on academic probation. He quit for a bit, tried writing a script on his own, then returned and enrolled in an Intro to Film and Video Studies class taught by Misha Nedeljkovich that solidified his new career path.

Harjo grew up in a family of artists and storytellers. He enjoyed listening to the adults talk about past adventures as they sat around the table holding cups of coffee. They were simple, often funny, stories of life as Native folks in rural Oklahoma.

He also loved watching movies. There was “The Outsiders,” “Rumble Fish,” “Stand By Me,” “The Goonies” and whatever else he could watch on HBO after it was hooked it up illegally by a family friend. He and his dad, Brownie Harjo, would watch war movies like “Big Red One,” “Hamburger Hill” and “Platoon.” They’d also watch movies featuring outdated and stereotypical depictions of Native Americans full of errors because that’s all there was. When his dad brought home a copy of Michael Jackson’s short film for “Thriller” it was the first time Harjo had seen a making-of feature, which revealed the magic happening behind the scenes.

Harjo’s work in film school caught the attention of Sundance Labs, which had previously helped launch the careers of Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson and other Hollywood heavyweights. In 2004 he received a fellowship from the Sundance Institute, and the next year he premiered his short film “Goodnight, Irene” at Sundance Film Festival.

Next Harjo made his first feature, “Four Sheets to the Wind,” in Holdenville and his new home of Tulsa, then took the movie to Sundance in 2007, where it was nominated for a grand jury prize. He had found his voice and style, and he was making friends with other creatives that would change everyone’s lives after years of grinding out more movies and documentaries on micro budgets.

Shane Brown met Harjo at the Cherokee International Film Festival in 2005. They reunited years later at This Land Press, where Brown served as a photographer and Harjo made documentary shorts. In 2013, Harjo asked Brown to be cinematographer for his documentary “This May Be the Last Time.” In it, Harjo investigates the 1962 disappearance of his grandfather and examines the songs of encouragement sung by the friends and family who searched for him.

That was followed in 2015 with Brown back behind the camera taking Harjo’s direction to film “Mekko.” Brown says not only did he have a good chemistry working with his friend, but he, too, believed in the subject matter.

“At some point my career just became heavily involved with environmental and Indigenous issues, and I have Ryan Redcorn and Sterlin to thank for that,” says Brown, a Cherokee Nation citizen from Skiatook. “Those are stories I want to tell that are a part of American history and also just telling these stories in a different way.”

While nearly all of Harjo’s work has been done in Oklahoma, his documentary “Love and Fury” sent Harjo, Brown and other Tulsa-based crew across the country and into Europe as they followed Native musical and visual artists.

It premiered at the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY bought the distribution rights, then released it on Netflix in December 2021, making it Harjo’s biggest film launch to date.

‘SKODEN’

While at Sundance in 2004, Harjo met New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi and they hit it off. Over the years they traveled together, hung out and often talked about their childhood adventures. Waititi would talk about his

TOVAR: GREG BOLLINGER; PREMIERE: TIM LANDES

Jacob Tovar

Harjo is still trying to grasp the changes that have come with finding success by Hollywood standards. In the fall he presented at the Emmys and has given award acceptance speeches in New York City and Hawaii.

He’s sat on panels in Los Angeles with comedian and actor Marc Maron and appeared on his popular podcast.

His sunglassed smiling face constantly appears in Hollywood trade publications with the announcement of a new project in development.

As Harjo recently walked through a Los Angeles airport, a stranger recognized the filmmaker. That was a first.

When he’s at home in Tulsa, which is rare the past few months, he can no longer frequent his favorite coffee shop, bar or go anywhere in town without a stranger approaching him expecting him to be something bigger than he is, he says.

“In some ways it bowls you over like a giant bowling ball or drowns you like a giant wave,” Harjo says. “Then in other ways, it’ll probably hit me five years from now, but I definitely feel it, and I definitely wasn’t ready for it. It’s been a whirlwind. It’s kind of hard to process and really hard to reflect on because I’m still going through it.”

On Aug. 2, Harjo, along with many of the cast and crew, celebrated the Tulsa premiere of “Reservation Dogs” at Circle Cinema. Within days they repeated the process in LA. Then the FX show premiered Aug. 9 on Hulu and became an overnight success.

Harjo’s life changed in an instant after years of hard work. There was a quick announcement that the second season is official. There was the Sept. 19 red carpet walk into the Emmys and standing on stage with the cast to present an award. There were post-show selfies with Oscar winner Barry Jenkins and comedians Cedric the Entertainer and Conan O’Brien. There was his first NBA game sitting courtside in Oklahoma City and in-game recognition on the Jumbotron.

His social media accounts exploded with people following and tagging him as they shared their love for the show and his previous works.

Industry executives were finally interested in Harjo’s stories and ideas. There were meetings followed by announcements of more projects in development, including a Netflix project with basketball star LeBron James.

So when did it all sink in that his life has changed?

“I saw a young Native girl online dressed up as (‘Rez Dogs’) actress Paulina Alexis at the Emmys,” Harjo says.

“She wasn’t even dressed up as the character (Willie Jack) but dressed as the actress when she was at the Emmys. That blew me away because we all know how Halloween is tricky for Native people when you get all the people dressed up in fake buckskin and stuff. Not only did we see characters, but to see a young girl dressed as one of the actors from the show when they were at the Emmys — that really blew me away and made me very proud.”

Revisit our November 2020 episode with Sterlin Harjo.

Sterlin Harjo walks the green carpet at the Aug. 2, 2021, premiere of “Reservation Dogs” at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema. Audiences filled the screening rooms to watch the first three episodes of the groundbreaking series set in Oklahoma.

Maori heritage. Sterlin would share stories of his tribal upbringing in small-town Oklahoma. They realized they were on to something.

“We just hooked up through that and became friends over the years, and I think our friendship really developed just based on the fact that we came from completely different places on the other side of the world, separated by 200,000 miles, but that our experiences growing up were pretty much exactly the same,” Waititi told Entertainment Weekly in an August 2020 interview. “So all of our conversations always inevitably led to stories about where we’re from, and we related to each other deeply over those stories and our backgrounds.”

It was February 2020. Waititi had just won an Academy Award for his adapted screenplay for “JoJo Rabbit.” The gold statute laid on a bed between the Oscar winner and Harjo as they watched audition footage of teenagers vying for roles for their new show, “Reservation Dogs.”

FX had wanted to shoot the show in New Mexico, but Harjo pushed back for an Oklahoma set. He drove around small towns taking pictures of possible locations and emailed them to the executives with a message.

“I said, ‘When you’re doing a Native story, the land you shoot it on is the most important part. A lot of people survived attempted genocide to get here, and that’s who these characters are representing, so if we’re doing it in New Mexico, I need to change the story,’” Harjo says. “To their credit, they said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ Then the next question was crew, and I was like, ‘There are so many talented people here.’ We filled it with local crew, and it was a great experience.”

Abby Kurin, executive director of the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Art and Culture, says they were thrilled when

HARJO ON WHAT HE’D SAY TO THE 2007 HIM THAT APPEARED ON THE COVER: “I would say buckle up, because there’s going to be tons of things that feel like failure. But it’s all meant to be, and it’s all basically getting you ready for success. You’re going to learn a lot, and it’s not going to come as fast as you think it’s going to come.”

Harjo sold FX on making it at home because it sent a message to other local filmmakers they can stay home to create high quality content.

“To have somebody who’s so passionate about Oklahoma and Indigenous stories, and to bring those productions to the area is a huge opportunity,” Kurin says. “He’s really opening the doors for more opportunities for everyone. And bringing such a huge scope to stories of Oklahoma to a worldwide view. It’s a huge impact.”

Longtime collaborator Dylan Brodie came on board as associate producer, and more local crew helped on set. Harjo’s 1491s comedy troupe mates Dallas Goldtooth and Ryan Redcorn helped in the writer’s room, and Goldtooth appeared as Spirit, one of the show’s most popular characters.

“This project felt different and special,” says Brown, who served as set photographer. “I know there are probably a dozen, maybe two dozen or more people who would agree with me. It’s just there were so many friends that had worked together on other projects who came together to make the show. That’s the thing, Sterlin didn’t forget when Hollywood offered him an opportunity. He brought everybody else up with him.”

When it came to casting the teens, they hired D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as the lead, Bear Smallhill. He was joined by Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan Postoak, Paulina Alexis as Willie Jack and Lane Factor as Cheese, rounding out the gang that lives by the slogan, “Skoden” meaning “Let’s go then.”

They filmed eight episodes during spring and summer 2021, wrapping production in July. According to an Oklahoma Film and Music Office estimate, the production had an economic impact of over $10 million spent TulsaPeople.com

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directly in-state with the creation of over 800 local career opportunities.

When it came time to celebrate the Tulsa premiere, Woon-A-Tai was glowing with excitement as he posed for photos and talked about his experience.

“It’s surreal to think this all started with two guys sitting in the backyard thinking about it, then they brought in all these talented people to make it happen,” he says.

“Sterlin is a creative genius. Watching all this unfold and how he’s making cultural changes and how he’s comfortable with that when a lot of directors aren’t ... He’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of guy.”

Woon-A-Tai saw something critics agree with. The show has been praised for its authentic representation and depiction of Native youth. Hulu saw subscriptions increase in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona and then up through the plains states, as well as in Alaska, which Harjo says “incentivizes Hulu to do more Native content, which is the ultimate goal.”

Entertainment Weekly named it the best show of the year. Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, American Film Institute, New York Times and many more have ranked “Reservation Dogs” among the best shows of 2021. It picked up the Gotham Award for breakthrough series in late November to kick off an awards season that could bring more trophies to Harjo’s shelves.

“The work Sterlin Harjo and his team have done in bringing an authentic storytelling of modern Indigenous American life to a global audience will have an influential impact for years to come,” says Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill, who announced the creation of the Sterlin Harjo Scholarship to go toward a career path in the film

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

and television industries. “The impact on our Reservation, the city of Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma cannot be overstated. Representation matters, and for so long our people, and specifically our youth, have not been able to enjoy an accurate reflection of their daily lives on screen. The trail Sterlin has blazed will be followed by so many who know the fulfillment of their dreams is now possible.”

Harjo has a full slate. He has season 2 of “Rez Dogs” filming soon. He is co-developing “Rez Ball” for Netflix, adapting the book “Yellow Bird” for Paramount+, and then there’s a new heist miniseries for FX. Harjo says there are even more projects he can’t talk about.

After years of stressing about financing and getting projects made, the future is bright for Harjo and Native storytelling. It wouldn’t be possible without the success of his “Reservation Dogs.”

“I’m really proud of what it did, and what it’s doing.

It feels like it really has changed something,” says Harjo, who Hollywood Reporter named one of the most influential people in comedy. “We talk a lot about changing stuff, but it really does feel like something shifted with ‘Reservation Dogs.’ I’m very proud it has done what it’s done and is so popular because it really did break through, and it has crossed over.

“It’s something I knew could happen if given the opportunity to tell our stories the right way. It’s something I’ve gambled on my whole career, and honestly felt like I failed at a lot throughout my career because I made independent films. It’s easy to feel like there’s no audience ... A lot of things lined up, and we did prove there’s an audience for Native stories.”

Skoden, indeed. TP

“THAT’S THE THING, STERLIN DIDN’T FORGET WHEN HOLLYWOOD OFFERED HIM AN OPPORTUNITY. HE BROUGHT EVERYBODY ELSE UP WITH HIM.” SHANE BROWN

SHANE BROWN/COURTESY FX

Actors Paulina Alexis, Lane Factor, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Devery Jacobs in a scene from the first season of “Reservation Dogs,” which is nominated for a Golden Globe Award

Lives WELL LIVED There are never enough words to honor the notable men and women we lost this past year, yet here we celebrate their contributions to the spirit and character of the Tulsa community. We remember business, civic and military leaders; philanthropists and public servants; educators and legislators; musicians and performers; broadcasters and restaurateurs who enriched the Tulsa landscape for decades.

BY JANE ZEMEL

Averill’s life was music, including writing the score for American Theatre Co.’s musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” a production Tulsa theatergoers sold out annually for 44 years. He composed dozens of scores for ATC and arranged music for the New Christie Minstrels. Averill also arranged folk, Broadway, jazz and pop music.

Richard “Rick” Averill

AVERILL: COURTESY; BALLARD: MICHELLE POLLARD; BEATTIE: HARVEY PAYNE

NOV. 28, 1946-AUG. 29, 2021

“Rick was a musical genius. His knowledge of the structure of music, musicals and musical genres was flawless.”

— BOB ODLE, who wrote lyrics to Averill’s tunes; the Hammerstein to his Rodgers

JULY 23, 1949-SEPT. 28, 2021

Beattie was an outdoorsman. As the fi rst director of the Oklahoma Nature Conservancy, he helped acquire Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Black Mesa and Cucumber Creek, as well as caves and trails around Tulsa. His passion for long-distance running led to the founding of the Tulsa Run in 1978. And as someone who loved anything that barked, he was proud of establishing the off-leash Joe Station Dog Park along Charles Page Boulevard.

“Herb was an environmental warrior.

One of his greatest conservation lega-

cies is the part he played in establishing the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Osage County. Herb was the fi rst director of

Former Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Ballard was a powerful force in Oklahoma education as an advocate for resources for public school students and classroom teachers. At TPS, he helped pass a $415 million bond package and oversaw school consolidation. His highest compliment was to call someone a wonderful educator. After TPS, he returned to the classroom as a professor at University of OklahomaTulsa’s College of Education.

Keith Ballard

Herb Beattie

JAN. 2, 1935-AUG. 25, 2021

“Keith Ballard was a mentor, a dear friend, a lifelong educator and a relentless advocate for Tulsa teachers, children and families. His legacy can be felt in every corner of our district.”

— DEBORAH GIST, superintendent, TPS

the Nature Conservancy’s Oklahoma

Chapter that was created in 1986, and

only two years later the opportunity to purchase the historic 29,000-acre

Barnard Ranch presented itself. Herb and the founding board seized the

opportunity and pushed the Nature

Conservancy’s national office to take on

the $15 million project. Now at 40,000acres, the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is the largest protected

tallgrass prairie in North America, and the most aggressive attempt to fully

restore an example of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem with its fi re-bison interaction management program."

— BOB HAMILTON director, Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

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Former U.S. District Judge Brett served the Tulsabased Northern District for 24 years, including as chief judge from 1994-1996. He was a member of both the Tulsa and Oklahoma Halls of Fame. The hardest part of his job, as he described, was learning to listen, and he thought it important for litigants to leave the courthouse feeling they got a fair shake.

Clyde Cole

MAY 4, 1932-JAN. 21, 2021 As president of what is now the Tulsa Regional Chamber for 31 years, Cole was instrumental in such advancements as Leadership Tulsa, River Parks, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Tulsa Community College and University Center at Tulsa (now Oklahoma State University-Tulsa and Langston University-Tulsa). During his tenure, Tulsa also attracted such major employers as Whirlpool, Kimberly Clark, Hilti and American Airlines.

Thomas Brett

OCT. 2, 1931-FEB. 6, 2021

Civic pride guided Colwell. He was a Downtown Tulsa Rotary Club member for more than 40 years and served as its president. He also was president of Tulsa’s Public Relations Society of America chapter. As an awardwinning PR specialist, he established his own fi rm before finishing his career with the Williams Cos. The recipient of many awards, he also taught public relations at University of Tulsa.

“It is no overstatement to say that Tulsa would not be what it is today without the leadership of Clyde Cole. As head of the Tulsa Chamber, he helped develop our region economically, socially and culturally. He journeyed as far as Japan and Russia to elevate Tulsa’s visibility

“Judge Brett was an exceptional judge because of his great judgment, his kindness and compassion, his hard work, his amiability and his firm commitment to the rule of law.

He inspired future generations of lawyers and judges to achieve the highest level of professionalism, ethics, civility and excellence.”

— GREG FRIZZELL U.S. District Judge, Northern District of Oklahoma; former law clerk for Justice Brett

Tim Colwell

DEC. 17, 1952-JAN. 14, 2021

“For Tim, every day was an opportunity to find joy and celebrate life. He enthusiastically greeted friends, exclaimed their names and always had a big hug or sound handshake. Tim loved going to the ballpark, grabbing some hot peanuts and cheering the Drillers to victory. That’s how he was. He cheered everyone to achieve great things. His zest for life and generosity of spirit were contagious and an example for us all on how to live life to its fullest.”

— MELISSA CLARK former colleague and friend

and forge relationships with prospective employers. He also elevated our city’s

A longtime leader in the Oklahoma Legislature, Ford served 14 years in the House and 24 years in the Senate, helping to architecturally restore both chambers. He commissioned Oklahoma artist Wayne Cooper’s “Washington Irving Meeting the Osage,” an event that happened in his senate district. The painting is still on display at the Capitol.

As the founder of the Oklahoma Senate State Historical Preservation Fund, he raised more than $2.5 million for an art collection that tells the story of Oklahoma.

profi le in the sports world by attracting marquee events such as the PGA and U.S. Open championships. I knew Clyde well, as both a mentor and a friend. He modeled the value of thinking regionally, and of building deep relationships within the business community. More than anything, he loved this community and its people, and he never missed a chance to make Tulsa a better place.”

— MIKE NEAL president and CEO, Tulsa Regional Chamber

Charles Ford

AUG. 2, 1931-SEPT. 1, 2021 34

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

“Sen. Ford’s legacy is shared with thousands of students and visitors every year who learn about the notable people, events and landscapes of our state depicted in the artwork of the Oklahoma State Capitol. More than 100 works of art at the Capitol were made possible through his efforts to raise millions of dollars in donations.”

— AMBER SHARPLES executive director, Oklahoma Arts Council

BRETT: COURTESY OKLAHOMA HALL OF FAME ARCHIVES; COLE: COURTESY TULSA WORLD; COLWELL, LOGSDON: COURTESY TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY; EVERITT: COURTESY KEN BUSBY; FORD: COURTESY OKLAHOMA SENATE; HORNER: MICHELLE POLLARD; LIVINGOOD: COURTESY STREET SCHOOL

The arts were everything to Everitt — as an administrator, educator and performer. As executive director of the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa (now ahha) from 1977-1991, he created such long-running programs as Artists in Schools and Tulsa Chautauqua. Everitt also co-founded the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Tulsa (which expanded to Light Opera Oklahoma) and was often featured in leading roles.

John Everitt

NOV. 30, 1935-JAN. 7, 2021

“John was a creative and colorful champion of all things artistic. His efforts and leadership enhanced the legacy, presence and contribution of the Tulsa cultural community and the city’s national reputation for unusual excellence in the arts.”

— RON PREDL professor emeritus, University of Tulsa School of Music; retired executive director, Tulsa Symphony

After 29 years of practicing law, Livingood returned to his fi rst love: teaching. He was beloved at Street School — which combines education and therapeutic counseling for at-risk youth — from 2009 until the day he died, inspiring hundreds of students over the years.

Grateful for the education his own children received, he became involved with Tulsa Public Schools as a school board member and as president.

Matt Livingood

DEC. 18, 1951-MARCH 7, 2021

“His passion for our mission and commitment to our youth was the perfect combination. Matt listened, encouraged and mentored students. Our youth would gather around him to hear a joke, to talk with him about current events, or to just be heard.”

— LORI MCGINNIS-MADLAND president and CEO, Street School

Maxine Horner

JAN. 17, 1932-FEB. 7, 2021 “Trailblazer” is too tame a term for Horner, one of the fi rst two Black women elected to the Oklahoma Senate, where she served for 18 years. She also championed the cause of Tulsa Race Massacre survivors and co-founded the Greenwood Cultural Center. Most recently, she chaired a citizen committee overseeing the search for burial sites from the Massacre.

“The loss of my big sister was tremendous to our family, friends and loved ones, but also to the Tulsa community and the state of Oklahoma. She was truly a dynamic leader with vision and an incredible human spirit. A game

Logsdon shared a hometown with Woody Guthrie and was instrumental in getting Okemah to support its local son. She and her husband, Guy, worked unrelentingly to gain recognition for Guthrie’s Oklahoma roots. They sang regularly at Woodyfest in Okemah and supported the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa. She also sang with Tulsa Opera and her church choir, and spent thousands of hours as a docent at Gilcrease Museum.

Phyllis Logsdon

NOV. 17, 1935-AUG. 12, 2021

“In all she did, whether it was her accomplishments in education, her lovely musical talent, or her support and love for her family, Phyllis was the very definition of grace. We know that, while we miss her light in this world, she is singing along with her dear Guy, Woody, Bob Wills, and so many others in the bigger universe where the music never ends. If you listen closely, I think you can hear her taking the lead on the chorus of ‘Oklahoma Hills.’ Sing on, Phyllis.”

— DEANA MCCLOUD executive director, Woody Guthrie Center

changer! She received many honors and accolades as senator and as founder of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and the Greenwood Cultural Center, and from her leadership producing Juneteenth.

She had such humility and grace, but when needed could be as tough as nails.

Ask those who know about the ‘red shoes.’”

— CHUCK CISSEL brother and former CEO of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame TulsaPeople.com

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Greg McGill

Joseph W. Morris

Nelson Rogers

DEC. 1, 1949-DEC. 31, 2020

APRIL 8, 1922-NOV. 11, 2021

OCT. 23, 1936-DEC. 31, 2020

McGill was the ultimate restaurateur — from his college job at Steak and Ale, to Charlie Mitchell’s, to Full Moon Cafe, to the first McGill’s on East 21st Street, to the second on 61st, to McGill’s on the 19th floor of Catoosa’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. He believed he was in the people business first, and that if he took care of his staff, they would take care of the guests.

Morris received his law degree from Washburn University School of Law and an advanced degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He was a former U.S. District Court Chief Judge for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and his vast energy experience includes being the former vice president and general counsel of Shell Oil Co., and the former general counsel of Amerada Petroleum Corp. He also served as Dean of the College of Law at the University of Tulsa and taught oil and gas law and arbitration law for many years.

Rogers didn’t plan to join the family business his father started in 1929, but after a career in banking and finance, he returned to Tulsa to run Nelson’s Buffeteria from 1976 until it closed in 2004 in downtown at 514 S. Boston Ave. It was a popular downtown lunch spot — especially on Thursdays, when its signature chicken-fried steak headlined the menu. Rogers likened the restaurant business to inviting people into his home.

“Greg was a well-respected restaurateur and valued friend whose life influenced so many. His ever-positive attitude and conviction to customer service is remembered and admired by all who knew him.”

— HAL WALKER, business partner

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our shareholder, mentor and friend. Judge Morris leaves behind a great legacy.”

— JOHN DALE, shareholder and CEO, GableGotwals

“Nelson’s Buffeteria never changed, but Tulsa did.

Nelson was a hard worker, but what his friends most loved him was his spirit of fun. He made things brighter.

And he could make the best chicken fried steak in town.”

— RODGER RANDLE friend and former mayor of Tulsa

We also remember: LARRY MERRITT FEB. 10, 1951-SEPT. 26, 2021 Owner of Merritt’s Bakery BILL THOMPSON APRIL 19, 1934-JUNE 27, 2021 Former CEO of MAPCO who was a civic leader and supporter of the arts

Harry Stege

MAY 31, 1934-JAN. 30, 2021 As a young officer, Stege worked the 1970s version of CSI. During his term as chief of police from 1977-1983, Tulsa Police Department added the aviation unit; also, five of his officers died in the line of duty. After retirement, he became involved in the Tulsa Police Officers’ Memorial, a physical symbol of continuing respect for the sacrifices made by fallen police officers.

“Chief Stege was always a friend of the street cop.

Even after his retirement from his careers in law enforcement he co-founded the International Association of Cold Case Investigators. He was committed to making a difference.”

— MIKE HUFF retired TPD homicide unit supervisor 36

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

MARY WARNER NOV. 9, 1931-AUG. 5, 2021 Former Tulsa school board member who was a key supporter of voluntary integration ED WHEELER JAN. 22, 1938-AUG. 31, 2021 Army Brigadier General whose post-military life focused on advertising and corporate PR BILL WHITE JUNE 3, 1931-JAN. 2, 2021 Owner of Bill White Chevrolet and once one of the largest downtown landowners RONNIE WILSON APRIL 7, 1948-NOV. 2-2021 Founding member of iconic Tulsa music group The GAP Band

James M. Sturdivant

SEPT. 14, 1937-NOV. 24, 2021 Sturdivant received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Oklahoma. He served as counsel in hundreds of cases involving business disputes, antitrust, contracts, trade regulation, financing and securities. He was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Jim and his wife supported the Tulsa community through the Tulsa Area United Way and Tulsa Botanic Garden and leave behind a great legacy.

“Jim was member of the firm nearly 60 years and he had a distinguished litigation career. Jim was a major contributor to the growth and reputation of our firm and will be greatly missed by his family and law colleagues in and outside of our firm."

— JOHN R. BARKER shareholder of GableGotwals

For someone who started out in the Air Force, Thornton made his mark with wheels on the ground. He bought his first car dealership in 1971. Don Thornton Ford was the top volume store in Tulsa for many years. Eventually, he added Lexus, Land Rover, Cadillac, Audi, Jaguar and Volkswagen to the Don Thornton Automotive Group, which now employs and supports more than 300 Tulsa families.

Don Thornton

STEGE, VAUGHN, ZARROW: MICHELLE POLLARD; MCGILL: COURTESY HAL WALKER; ROGERS, THORNTON: COURTESY; MORRIS, STURDIVANT: COURTESY GABLEGOTWALS; YAZEL: COURTESY TULSA COUNTY

SEPT. 29, 1933-JULY 9, 2021

“Don Thornton began his career in the automobile business in his 20s and never looked back. Don connected with people easily and never forgot a name or a face. Throughout his entire career, he focused on the customer and tried to keep it simple.

He never looked back at past mistakes and always looked ahead for how to be better. He loved telling a good story and spoke often of his early years growing up in Wilmington, North Carolina, and his time as a navigator in the Air Force. He lived a life of faith and family and has left a legacy of hard work, integrity and courage to all he knew and loved.”

— TOM BLOOMFIELD son-in-law and general manager of Don Thornton Cadillac

Known as the dean of Tulsa television, Vaughn’s career covered 40 years, 30-plus of those at KOTV Channel 6 as news director, evening anchor and managing editor.

He worked for radio and TV stations in major markets — Los Angeles and New York — before settling in Tulsa. To no one’s surprise, Vaughn was inducted into the Oklahoma Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Clayton Vaughn

JAN. 12, 1935-MARCH 3, 2021

“Most never met him personally, but came to feel they knew him, and had learned they could trust him to report the truth.

Clayton held that trust with responsibility, pride and respect.

On behalf of all of us, I say what he said to viewers at the end of every newscast: ‘Thanks for sharing your time.’”

— GLENDA SILVEY former KOTV news anchor

Maxine Zarrow

JUNE 16, 1925-JUNE 14, 2021 Topping Zarrow’s list of philanthropic passions was her work with the Mental Health Association of Oklahoma, followed by Gilcrease Museum and Mayo Clinic. She was instrumental in establishing and expanding the Zarrow Pointe retirement facility. She and her husband built an ongoing legacy for Tulsa-area charities with the Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation, supporting mental health, children, education, arts and Jewish causes.

“Our lives are full of ‘influencers.’

We have teachers, family, friends, colleagues, confidants, etc., that help shape who we are. For me, Maxine was all of those and then some. Maxine believed strongly in “Tikun Olam”, the Jewish

Yazel understood a public servant’s job is to do the best they can in the best interest of the people they represent. First elected Tulsa County Assessor in 2002, Yazel went on to win re-election three times. As a Marine Corps veteran, he never backed down from a fight and, as the Tulsa World reported, “was known to pick one from time to time.”

Ken Yazel

FEB. 27, 1945-OCT. 4, 2021

“Ken displayed a resolute, decisive and direct manner to many.

However, those of us who worked closely with him saw a generous, caring, thoughtful individual who deeply loved and cared for his family members and was easily moved by the needs of others.

Growing up as a part of his family’s traveling circus, serving in the Marines, and being recommended and promoted to pursue a higher education, Ken had a diverse and interesting life. He exemplified his love of country and the principles upon which it was founded. He served as a mentor, a leadership example and most of all as a friend.”

— JOHN WRIGHT Tulsa County Assessor

tenant to repair the world, and it was exemplified in the way she lived her life.

Maxine would do the right thing simply because it was the right thing to do. She didn’t need to be told, nor did she expect fanfare. If something needed to be fi xed, she fi xed it. Whether she was standing right in front of me or in the back of my mind, I always wanted to be a better person because of her. I think anyone who knew her would say the same.”

— JIM JAKUBOVITZ CEO, Zarrow Pointe TP TulsaPeople.com

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Proud To Be the Electrical Contractor on the Discovery Lab Project.

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Designed by KKT Architects

TULSA,OK (918)-437-5802

SPRINGDALE, AR (479)-756-6777

OF TULSA’S

DISCOVERY LAB Now Open!

Discover more!

918.712.1441 38

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

420 S. 145th East Avenue, Ste. K, Tulsa, OK

D Building for their

FUTURE

THE ANTICIPATED DISCOVERY LAB OPENS IN EARLY 2022 AT ITS NEW HOME ALONG RIVERSIDE DRIVE.

MICHELLE POLLARD

BY JAMIE RICHERT JONES

iscovery Lab has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2007 as a museum without walls, then called the Tulsa Children’s Museum. In 2013, it found a more permanent home in the vacant Owen Park recreation center.

Now, 15 years later, the once nomadic science show is upgrading to a $52 million architectural masterpiece at East 31st Street and Riverside Drive.

Ray Vandiver, longtime executive director of Discovery Lab, is excited for Tulsans to finally experience a vision come to life.

“You’ll see a lot of the elements of Owen Park in the new space but made more grand and spacious,” he says.

One experience that fits that definition is the perennially popular “tape slide,” a series of tunnels and slides made entirely of packing tape that hung from the ceiling of the Owen Park location. Fans of that attraction will be delighted to know it got an impressive upgrade.

“We joke it’s going to be the Taj Mahal of tape tunnels,” says Anne Mannell, founding board member and director of organizational development. “We have 10 tape tunnels at the new site.”

“Basically they are suspension bridges, so I think it’s safe to say Discovery Lab has the longest suspension bridge made entirely out of packing tape in the world,” Vandiver adds.

Along with old favorites, Discovery Lab is widening the scope of its vision to incorporate new projects. With the help of $4.5 million from Tulsa Public Schools bond money, the building will now house the TPS STEAM Center.

The center consists of five state-of-the-art classrooms on the second floor, totaling about 4,500 square feet.

The custom design will enable museum staff to provide hands-on, project-based learning for thousands of TPS students each year. The STEAM Center will only take up half the capacity of the education center, allowing for visitation from other districts, as well.

In financial terms, the bond money only covered STEAM Center programming. Mannell and Vandiver initially pitched the audacious $50 million plan to their longterm funders.

“It was kind of a funny line to walk because you’ve got to still be funding the Owen Park location and the constant change-outs while you’re raising an additional $50 million off to the side,” Mannell says.

Both Mannell and Vandiver say plans to expand have been in the works for nearly a decade, but how those ideas would be brought to life took time to cultivate.

“The plan and the founders’ concept of putting together the Owen Park experience helped us establish not only our approach to exhibits and our educational philosophy, but our community partnerships with funders,” Vandiver says. “As we were demonstrating our success at Owen Park and demonstrating the need for expansion for the needs of Tulsa, those relationships had already been established and that trust had been built.”

With funding coming in and a blank slate of endless possibilities, it was time to bring the dream to life.

However, when your job is to inspire creativity and curiosity, where do you go for inspiration? The tight-knit community of children’s museums around the country played a key role in cultivating the vision.

“We traveled with KKT, our architectural firm, to inspirational sites across the country to be informed by best practices,” Vandiver says. “We visited Explora in

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

Discovery Lab’s Anne Mannell, founding board member and director of organizational development, and Ray Vandiver, executive director

The KKT team behind the new Discovery Lab, from left, standing: Jim Geurin, Jim Boulware, Bryan Sudbrink, Austin Drumm, Dawn Nichols, Caitlin Smith; from left, sitting: Brandon Hackett, Sarah Gould, Liz Rohrbacker

communication between the design team, the architects and the team at Crossland Construction.

Crossland preconstruction director Eric Lopp recognized the attention to detail the brick facade would require.

“Probably one of the first challenges we saw with the project was the design of the exterior brick and making sure we were able to bring the architects’ vision to life,” Lopp says. “We went through several mock-ups early on during design to help make sure we were creating that vision and then bringing it to life for the bidders throughout the process.”

Another unforeseen challenge has been current supply chain issues. “We thought we had finished the campaign almost a year and a half ago,” Mannell says. “The cost of concrete, steel and rebar has gone through the roof.

That’s what held us up on making an actual announcement date. The supply chain has given us some sleepless nights.”

Fortunately, the team was prudent in its planning and appropriated funds for the unexpected.

“We built in a $5 million operating reserve into our campaign just for potential issues down the road,” Mannell says. “It doesn’t do any good to open this beautiful facility and not have a plan for the future.”

That careful consideration carried through all aspects of the expansive project, which includes a 250-seat outdoor amphitheater, Hydro Lab, a toddler area, cafe and gift shop. In fact, each idea was curated with such care Vandiver and Mannell had difficulty deciding what aspect they were most excited for patrons to experience.

“I love the idea of that frenetic excitement that’s around challenge-based learning,” Mannell says. “I’m also really excited about our imaginarium space. It’s a projected reality space that is a seamless projection on all the walls and the floor of the space. It’s based on gaming technology and the experience is driven by sensors.”

Vandiver is enthusiastic about the exhibit called Ballapalooza. “It’s a ‘systems thinking’ experience that is loosely based on the oil and gas industry,” he explains.

“There’s a central geyser, and as soon as the plastic balls

MICHELLE POLLARD; RENDERING COURTESY DISCOVERY LAB/KKT ARCHITECTS

Albuquerque, Exploration Place in Wichita, Amazeum in Bentonville and the Thinkery in Austin. Our community of children’s science centers are really open and interested in sharing their best ideas. In some cases, they invited their architects to sit with our architects to tell us the things that were working and weren’t working.”

Through those collaborations, the team at Discovery Lab has created a one-of-a-kind, awe-inspiring educational super structure to ignite the wonder in people of all ages.

They finally broke ground in February 2020 but experienced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One unique aspect of the museum’s original philosophy was a perpetual cycle of new exhibits fabricated in-house. Adhering to that strategy, the design team focused heavily on the resources needed to create a continuous rotation of innovative exhibits.

“We spent a lot of money to make the space so incredibly flexible that you could wipe the slate clean in a couple of years and start over and you would have power everywhere you need it, you would have data everywhere you need it, drainage, water, pressed air,” Mannell says. “It is just this crazy tricked-out box we’ve made. The exhibits in there now won’t be there forever. We’ll constantly be changing and adding.”

The ability to design and fabricate all programming in house sets Discovery Lab apart from most of their peers.

“It’s unusual for a museum to have as robust of an exhibits department as we have,” Mannell says. “There are only a handful of museums across the nation that design, develop and build their own exhibits. We also design, develop and build for other museums, to be sold or leased.”

The revenue generated from exhibit design and fabrication for other facilities helps fund new programming for Discovery Lab. “As we move forward, our identity includes this ever-changing landscape of educational experiences and programming,” Vandiver says. “So all of the exhibits — while they are robust, rugged and solid with a permanent feel to them — they’re not designed to be permanent. So once we open, we will immediately start developing new exhibits.

“After they are retired here, they are packaged and sent around the country as part of our traveling exhibits program,” Vandiver says, adding Discovery Lab also gets exhibits on loan from other museums. “That allows us to remain relevant and connected with the cutting-edge best practices in our field.”

The exhibit department is so valuable to the spirit of Discovery Lab, the KKT team, including owner Sarah Gould, architects Jim Boulware and Austin Drumm, interior designer Liz Rohrbacker, project manager Brandon Hackett and structural engineer Jim Geurin, used the department’s concepts as the cornerstone of their design.

“In their own exhibits, one of their primary goals is to find new and unique uses for ordinary materials,” says Kate Cofer, KKT’s business engagement lead. “We thought that would be a great concept for the exterior of the building, as well. We took lots of cues from their organizational philosophies, as well as their current exhibit and design concepts to propose a unique building that was specifically representative for them.”

Their ambitious design includes an intricate, four-dimensional, brick exterior that creates the illusion of movement. The complex configuration required constant

A rendering of the exterior of Discovery Lab

The Central Gallery will be home to many of Discovery Lab’s exhibits, including the new tape tunnels and slides.

reach a critical volume there is an eruption showering them in all directions. It’s visually stunning, dynamic, lots of movement, and requires an interconnectedness with other guests and families to make it all happen. It’s a fun way to help children and families learn more about systems thinking, critical thinking and problem solving.”

Innovation isn’t limited to inside the museum. Located next door to Gathering Place, Cofer says KKT worked in tandem with MVVA, the Gathering Place landscape architects, to ensure the building would fit into the context of the park.

This includes artfully designed storm water gardens that filter rain that comes into the parking lot before it goes into the Crow Creek watershed.

“One of the great things about Gathering Place is there is always something new and different to discover,” Cofer says, “and we wanted to continue that through Discovery Lab.” Inspiration can be spontaneous, and that is how the rooftop veranda came to fruition. It provided another opportunity for sensory satiation and to delight in the breathtaking views.

The new Little Lab will be geared toward younger children.

“The roof terrace wasn’t originally part of the programmed building square footage,” Cofer explains, “but once our site was settled, we realized we would have a great view of the downtown Tulsa skyline overlooking Gathering Place, the Arkansas River and Riverside Park. We flew a drone up to the height of the desirable views and designed the third floor to that height. This space will both provide Discovery Lab with programmable space and also an extra revenue stream they hadn’t expected at the beginning of the project. The space is already being reserved for many events in 2022.”

The highly anticipated attraction has been a labor of love for the team.

“Our identity is rooted in Tulsa,” Vandiver says. “We are not only unique to Tulsa, we are uniquely Tulsa.”

“Every day when I go in its something different,” Mannell says. “It might be that I’m working on an exhibit or fundraising for that exhibit, but it’s so cool to have been involved during this time. I’m very thankful for that experience.” TP

BY THE NUMBERS 7.5-acre site 175 parking spaces 75,000-plus plants, trees, shrubs 250-seat natural stone amphitheater 57,000-square-foot building (3 floors, 1 elevator, 9 offices, 5 classrooms, 2 large open office spaces, 1 conference room, 1 breakroom, 1 event space, 1 gift shop, 1 workshop, 1 science lab) 700 tons of steel 3,300 cubic yards of building concrete 73,153 bricks

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2022 CHARITABLE EVENTS CALENDAR Published in association with the Tulsa Community Foundation COMPILED BY AMANDA HALL JANUARY 14 THE DREAM MEET Benefits Aim High Academy. aimhighgym.org 15 RIVERFIELD ROCKS Benefits Riverfield Country Day School. cainsballroom.com/event/ riverfield-rocks-2022

11 SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION Benefits Route 66 Native Arts Alliance. rt66nativeartsalliance.com

22 TOYLAND BALL Benefits Parent Child Center of Tulsa. toylandball.org

12 HEART BALL Benefits American Heart Association. heart.org

TRIVIA NIGHT Benefits Bishop Kelley High School. bishopkelley.org/trivia

13 WINTER CONCERT Benefits Tulsa Youth Symphony. tulsayouthsymphony.org

28 TRIVIA NIGHT Benefits Cascia Hall Preparatory School. casciahall.com

VALENTINE PARTY Benefits Power of a Nickel. powerofanickel.org

29 ICONS AND IDOLS Benefits Tulsa Ballet. iconsandidols.org FEBRUARY 3-4 BEYOND AWARENESS SUMMIT Benefits the Demand Project. give.thedemandproject.org 4 VOLUTE Benefits Volunteers of America. voaok.org/volute 9-10 K95 CARES FOR ST. JUDE KIDS RADIOTHON Benefits St. Jude Children’s Hospital. stjude.org 42

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

10 GIRLS NIGHT OUT Benefits Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. okfoodbank.org/womenscouncil/girls-night-out

19 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Benefits Dillon International. dillonadopt.com PINK STILETTO Benefits Susan G. Komen. komen.org/oklahoma 24 HEART OF HENRY Benefits Tulsa Day Center. tulsadaycenter.org/give-help/ charitable-events 25 MONARCH BALL Benefits DVIS. themonarchball.com 26 CANDY BALL Benefits Child Abuse Network. candyball.org

COOKING UP COMPASSION Benefits Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma. cceok.org/cuc GALA 2022: A MARDI GRAS GRAND BALL Benefits Youth Services of Tulsa. yst.org 26-27 NATUREWORKS ART SHOW Benefits NatureWorks. natureworks.org TBA FOUNDATION FOR TULSA SCHOOLS EVENT Benefits the Foundation for Tulsa Schools. foundationfortulsaschools.org MARCH 4 VINTAGE ’53: NIGHT AMONG THE STARS Benefits TSHA Inc. tsha.cc 5 ASCENSION ST. JOHN ZOORUN Benefits Tulsa Zoo. tulsazoo.org/run BRAINIAC BALL Benefits Family and Children’s Services. brainiacball.com SAPPHIRE CELEBRATION ANNUAL AUCTION Benefits Riverfield Country Day School. riverfield.org 8 LIVE UNITED AWARDS LUNCHEON Benefits Tulsa Area United Way. tauw.org

arockingtributebenefitting green country habitat for humanity

Save the date | October 29, 2022 6 PM | Cox Business Convention Center Join us for cocktails, dinner and a rocking musical tribute! rockthehousetulsa.org

Proceeds benefit Green Country Habitat for Humanity’s mission of providing financial education and affordable homeownership.

Learn more about our programs at greencountryhabitat.org

tulsa’s favorite new fundraiser that rocks the house

12 DANCE OF THE TWO MOONS: AN OTHER WORLD EXPERIENCE Benefits Indian Health Care Resource Center. ihcrc2moons.org FIESTIVALE: MY TACKY VALENTINE Benefits Eisenhower International School PTA. one.bidpal.net/ihearteis/ welcome RED RIBBON GALA Benefits Tulsa CARES. redribbongala.org ST. PATRICK’S DAY RUN Benefits Special Olympics Oklahoma. sook.org

25 FOUNDER’S DINNER AND AUCTION Benefits Eagle Point Christian Academy. epca.net 26 CARNIVALE Benefits Mental Health Association Oklahoma. bestpartyintown.org CASA CASINO: CASABLANCA Benefits Tulsa CASA. casacasino.org 30 BATTLE OF THE BANDS Benefits Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. okfoodbank.org 31 PINNACLE AWARDS Benefits YWCA. ywcatulsa.org/get-involved/ pinnacle-awards

Clarence Boyd, Emily Dukes and Glenda Love-Williams at the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards Alzheimer’s Association Mah Jongg for Memories Play-Day Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith; Phil Armstrong, project director for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission; and Tim Lyons, TTCU Federal Credit Union president and CEO, during Tulsa Area United Way’s Day of Caring

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TBA CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT Benefits Youth at Heart. youthatheart.org APRIL 1 AN EVENING TO REMEMBER Payne County Youth Services Inc. pcys.org CORONATION XIII Benefits Imperial Court of All Oklahoma. impcourtok.org/coronation 2 OPERA BALL Benefits Tulsa Opera. tulsaopera.com RAISING HOPE BLUE TIE GALA Benefits the Demand Project. give.thedemandproject.org 7 CLARY RUNWAY Benefits Community HigherEd. events.communityhighered.org/ clary-runway

OYSTERS AND ALE Benefits Hospice of Green Country. hospiceofgreencountry.org/ oystersandale 8 STREET PARTY Benefits Street School. streetschool.org WILL ROGERS HIGH SCHOOL HALL OF FAME GALA Benefits Will Rogers High School Community Foundation. willrogersfoundation.net WOMEN OF THE YEAR LUNCHEON Benefits Tulsa Area Alumnae Panhellenic. tulsapanhellenic.org 8-9 SPRINGFEST! Benefits Tulsa Garden Center. tulsagardencenter.org/ springfest

9 THE GLOW GALA Benefits Global Gardens. globalgardensglow.org OKLAHOMA NONPROFIT EXCELLENCE AWARDS (ONE AWARDS) Benefits Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. okcnp.org/page/one-awards 10 CAN SUPERHERO CHALLENGE Benefits Child Abuse Network. cansuperherochallenge.org 10-18 KNOCK OUT VIOLENCE Benefits DVIS. dvis.org 14 HEADLINERS Benefits Tulsa Press Club. tulsapressclub.org 15 GO GIRL GALA Benefits Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma. gogirlgala.org

MAH JONGG: COLE SAYRE; ONE AWARDS: TABOR WARREN PHOTOGRAPHY; DAY OF CARING: COURTESY TULSA AREA UNITED WAY

10 CELEBRATE LIFE Benefits LIFE Senior Services. lifeseniorservices.org

There’s no other event like the Tulsa Boys’ Home’s Annual Run for the Roses Kentucky Derby party!

All proceeds benefit Tulsa Boys’ Home to support troubled Oklahoma boys. We expect nothing short of a thrilling, sold out extravaganza for the 2022 Run for the Roses event; full of fun, food, prizes, horse racing, and more!

Our 18th Annual Run for the Roses will kick off at 1:30pm on Saturday, May 7th, at the fabulous Pavilion at Expo Square. Festivities will conclude at approximately 5:45pm after the running of the Kentucky Derby. Our guests will enjoy the sights and sounds of Churchill Downs, including a simulcast of all afternoon Derby Day races on giant screens, along with the opportunity to place bets on all afternoon races piped in live from Churchill Downs! Our guests will also enjoy fabulous food and refreshing drinks at our open bar, thousands of fresh red roses, more than a hundred exciting silent and live auction items, and much more!

Tulsa Boys’ Home provides the highest quality residential care to young boys needing placement outside their home, for the purpose of developing well-adjusted, responsible adults, and strengthening the family. Since 1918, Tulsa Boys’ Home has helped provide healing and hope for more than 13,500 troubled young boys from all 77 counties throughout the great state of Oklahoma. We focus on providing true healing and a new found sense of hope in the shattered lives of the young boys we serve. Forty of our residents are placed by the Child Welfare Division of the Department of Human Services (DHS). The other twenty-four are privately placed by parents or legal guardians.

For sponsorship or registration information regarding this year’s event, please contact Roxanne Cook at 918-245-0231, ext. 5004. You can also find event information on our website at www.tulsaboyshome.org.

Photos from previous Run for the Roses fundraisers may also be viewed at facebook.com/tulsaboyshome.

21 WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION ANNUAL SPRING LUNCHEON Benefits Tulsa Boys’ Home. tulsaboyshome.org

23 BEST OF BRUNCH Benefits DVIS. dvis.org GEM GALA Benefits Junior League of Tulsa. gemgalatulsa.com GEM GALA GOLF TOURNAMENT Benefits Junior League of Tulsa. gemgalatulsa.com

22 CELEBRATE CASCIA Benefits Cascia Hall Preparatory School. casciahall.com

SPRING CARNIVAL Benefits Tulsa Dream Center. tulsadreamcenter.org

CIRCUS BOWL Benefits Junior Achievement of Oklahoma. oklahoma.ja.org

VINTNER DINNER AND AUCTION — PHILBROOK WINE EXPERIENCE Benefits Philbrook Museum of Art. wine.philbrook.org

GRAND SLAM GALA Benefits Youth at Heart. youthatheart.org/gala GRAND WINE TASTING — PHILBROOK WINE EXPERIENCE Benefits Philbrook Museum of Art. wine.philbrook.org

WAFFLES FOR WISHES Benefits Make-a-Wish Oklahoma. wish.org/oklahoma

TCC President Emeritus Tom McKeon, current TCC President Leigh Goodson, TCC President Emeritus Dean VanTrease and Greg Stone, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Tulsa Community College Foundation Vision Dinner Country group Lady A entertains a virtual Tulsa Heart Ball audience.

Addison and her parents attend the Hydrants of Hope Spring Fling.

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25 WISH UPON A PAR GOLF TOURNAMENT Benefits Make-a-Wish Oklahoma. wish.org/Oklahoma 26 DREAM MAKER LUNCHEON Benefits Pathways Adult Learning Center. pathwaysok.org 28 RAISE THE ROOF Benefits Revitalize T-Town. tinyurl.com/raisetheroof2022 29 CONSERVATION ON TAP Benefits Tulsa Zoo. tulsazoo.org/tap GLAMP FIRE Benefits Camp Fire Green Country. tulsacampfire.org/events SHOT IN THE DARK GOLF EVENT Benefits the Arc of Oklahoma. thearcok.org

30 ELECTRIC LIME GALA Benefits Discovery Lab. discoverylab.org/electric-limegala GARDEN PARTY Benefits Little Light House. littlelighthouse.org

MAY 2 TEE OFF FOR TOWN AND COUNTRY Benefits Town and Country School. tandcschool.org/activities/ fundraiser/golf_tournament

TASTE OF TULSA Benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters. bbbsok.org

3 AWARDS LUNCHEON Benefits Goodwill Industries of Tulsa. goodwilltulsa.org/rsvp

WALK MS Benefits National Multiple Sclerosis Society. walkms.org

7 RUN FOR THE ROSES Benefits Tulsa Boys’ Home. tulsaboyshome.org

TBA PRANKS AND PAWS TRIVIA NIGHT Benefits Tulsa SPCA. tulsaspca.org/trivia-night

OVERTURE Benefits Signature Symphony. signaturesymphony.org 8 SPRING SERENADE Benefits Tulsa Youth Symphony. tulsayouthsymphony.org 10 EMPTY BOWLS Benefits Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. emptybowlstulsa.com

SPRING FLING: TIM LANDES; HEART OF TULSA, VISION: COURTESY

16 WHERE HANDS AND FEET MEET Benefits TSHA Inc. tsha.cc

SAVE THE DATE

LOCATION

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2022 COX BUSINESS CONVENTION CENTER EVENT CHAIRS

BECOME A SPONSOR

MARLA & STEVE BRADSHAW REDRIBBONGALA.ORG HONORING

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APPETITE FOR CONSTRUCTION Benefits HBA Charitable Foundation. tulsahbacf.com

GREAT PLAINS JOURNALISM AWARDS Benefits Tulsa Press Club Foundation. tulsapressclub.org

9 TOP OF THE TOWN Benefits Community Service Council. csctulsa.org

28 LITTLE LIGHT HOUSE GOLF TOURNAMENT Benefits Little Light House. littlelighthouse.org

14 AVIATOR BALL Benefits Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. tulsamuseum.org

SPRING FUNDRAISER Benefits Bit by Bit Therapeutic Riding Center Inc. bitbybitok.org

11 RELAY FOR LIFE Benefits American Cancer Society. relayforlife.org/tulsametrook

JULY 8 ROUTE 66 NATIVE ARTS GALA Benefits Route 66 Native Arts Alliance. rt66nativeartsalliance.com

14-JUNE 19 DREAM HOME TOUR Benefits St. Jude Children’s Hospital. stjude.org/give/dream-home/ tulsa.html 23 FRANK RHODES GOLF CLASSIC Benefits Tulsa Boys’ Home. tulsaboyshome.org TBA THE PARTY: JUST WEAR WHITE Benefits Family and Children’s Services. thepartyok.com

JUNE 2 JA CLASSIC Benefits Junior Achievement of Oklahoma. oklahoma.ja.org 4 TOUR DE NEIGHBORS Benefits Broken Arrow Neighbors. tourdeneighbors.com 6 SWING FOR SIGHT Benefits Vizavance. vizavance.org

18 TULSA FLAVORS AT ST. JOHN STREET PARTY Benefits Ascension St. John Foundation. stjohnhealthsystem.com/ foundation/street-party

9 ROUTE 66 NATIVE ARTS FESTIVAL Benefits Route 66 Native Arts Alliance. rt66nativeartsalliance.com TBA BINGO BASH Benefits Tulsa SPCA. tulsaspca.org/bingo-bash LIP SYNC BATTLE Benefits Pathways Adult Learning Center. pathwaysok.org

Laci Lynn Schwoegler was one of three live artists to auction their paintings at the end of the night to raise money for the Demand Project.

14 RESCUE LOVE PET PHOTO CONTEST Benefits Tulsa SPCA. gogophotocontest.com/ tulsaspca 20 JA CLASSIC Benefits Junior Achievement of Oklahoma. oklahoma.ja.org 27 MAKER FAIRE TULSA Benefits Fab Lab Tulsa. tulsa.makerfaire.com WILD BREW Benefits G.M. Sutton Avian Research Center. wildbrew.org

Maria Kimball, Angel Mendoza and Nikki Christian at 2020’s Western Days benefiting Saint Simeon’s Foundation

FESTIVAL: COURTESY PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART; RAISING HOPE: MIKE TEDFORD AND DEANA SPYRES; WESTERN DAYS: COURTESY SAINT SIMEON’S

A family makes s’mores over a fire pit at the 2020 Philbrook Museum of Art Festival.

17 TU UNCORKED Benefits Tulsa Chapter of the University of Tulsa Alumni Association. tualumni.com/uncorked

AUGUST 5 RINGMASTER’S GOLF AND GALA Benefits Tulsa State Fair Ringmasters. tulsastatefair.com/golf-gala

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Save T h e Date

Saint Simeon’s is a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma

9-18 RESTAURANT WEEK Benefits Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. okfoodbank.org/restaurantweek 13 WESTERN DAYS Benefits Saint Simeon’s Foundation. saintsimeons.org 16 HUES FOR HOPE Benefits Global Foundation for Peroxisomal Disorders. thegfpd.org WALTZ ON THE WILD SIDE Benefits Tulsa Zoo. waltzonthewildside.org

17 ROCK PAPER SCISSORS Benefits Pencil Box Tulsa. pencilboxtulsa.org

TBA TAPS AND TEES Benefits Tulsa Press Club. tulsapressclub.org

21-23, 28-30 HALLOWZOOEEN Benefits Tulsa Zoo. tulsazoo.org/boo

22 EVENING OF GIVING Benefits HBA Charitable Foundation. tulsahbacf.com

OCTOBER 6 COOKING FOR A CAUSE Benefits Iron Gate. irongatetulsa.org

22 FALL CARNIVAL Benefits Tulsa Dream Center. tulsadreamcenter.org

24 RACE FOR THE CURE Benefits Susan G. Komen. komen.org/oklahoma

8

BY YOUR SIDE 5K Benefits Parkside Psychiatric Hospital and Clinic. parksideinc.org

ST. JUDE RUN/WALK Benefits St. Jude Children’s Hospital. stjude.walkrun/tulsa WINE AND JAZZ FESTIVAL Benefits the Stonebrook Project. thestonebrookproject.org 30 WINE AND ROSES AT WOODWARD PARK Benefits Tulsa Garden Center. tulsagardencenter.org

18th annual Rib Crib Pitmasters Golf Tournament participants Andrew and Amanda Therrell, Derek Reiners, Dave Johnson, Phil Houchin, Micah Alexander, Eric Griffin and Garrett Mills A New Leaf’s Garden Party patrons Hank Spieker and Jennifer and Scott Rodehaver Salvation Army Maj. Mark and Maj. Jan Harwell with guest speaker Chris Gardner at the Salvation Army’s 28th annual William Booth Society Gala

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

15 FALL CARNIVAL Benefits Pathways Adult Learning Center. pathwaysok.org LEGACY OF LAUGHTER Benefits Zarrow Pointe Retirement Center. zarrowpointe.org

NOCHE DE GALA Benefits Hispanic American Foundation. haftulsa.org 23 MUSEUM GALA Benefits Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. jewishmuseumtulsa.org 28-NOV. 6CARE CARD Benefits Family and Children’s Services. carecardok.com

29 ROCK THE HOUSE Benefits Green Country Habitat for Humanity. rockthehouse.org TBA AVIATOR BALL Benefits Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. tulsamuseum.org HUMAN NATURE Benefits Up With Trees. upwithtrees.org MUTT STRUT Benefits DVIS. dvis.org STACKED DECK Benefits Resonance Center for Women. resonancetulsa.org/getinvolved/fundraiser

RIB CRIB: BRITTNEY ASHTON PHOTO; GARDEN PARTY: GRAMI PHOTO; WILLIAM BOOTH SOCIETY GALA: ACE CUERVO

SEPTEMBER 8 TULSA FLIGHT NIGHT Benefits Tulsa Flight Night. tulsaflightnight.org

Modus drives change Modus drives change 10,000 10,000times timesand andcounting. counting.

Modus, a Tulsa-based non-profit started as a Modus, a Tulsa-based started as a pilot program in 2017,non-profit recently celebrated program 2017, recently celebrated th ridein given to Tulsans facing itspilot 10,000 th ride given to Tulsans facing its 10,000 transportation barriers. transportation barriers.

Modus, which initially focused on filling a service gap Modus, which initially focused on filling a service gap for young people who needed to get to social service for young people who needed to get to social service agencies, has since expanded to offer life-changing agencies, has since expanded to offer life-changing rides to people of all ages seeking to access education, rides to people of all ages seeking to access education, employment or medical care. employment or medical care.

How Modus removes transportation barriers How Modus removes transportation barriers With the high cost of buying a car and long wait times With the high cost of buying a car and long wait times forfor public transportation, public transportation,Modus Modusoffers offersananinnovative innovative solution to put opportunities within reach. solution to put opportunities within reach. Modus Modus partners with local non-profits who enroll the partners with local non-profits who enroll the most most transportation-vulnerable individuals into the program. transportation-vulnerable individuals into the program.

Both riders and drivers are vetted Both riders and drivers are vettedtotoensure ensurea asafe safeand and comfortable ride.

Volunteer drivers are thoroughly comfortable ride. Volunteer drivers are thoroughly trained and given access totoModus’ trained and given access Modus’ride-schedule ride-scheduleapp app so so they cancan choose the they choose therides ridesthat thatfitfittheir theirschedule. schedule.

Rides areare often as as short asas fifteen minutes, Rides often short fifteen minutes,but butcan canbe beaa defining difference-maker peopleseeking seekingtotobetter better defining difference-maker forfor people their lives. their lives.

How help How to to help Learn more about volunteering modustulsa.orgororby by Learn more about volunteering atat modustulsa.org scanning code below.

Donationsare arealso alsobeing being scanning thethe QRQR code below.

Donations accepted purchase vehicles forqualified qualifiedindividuals. individuals. accepted to to purchase vehicles for

With the offer of a simple ride, Asia was able to complete CNA With the offer of aajob simple ride, Asia was training and start in the medical field.able to complete CNA training and start a job in the medical field.

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Learnmore moreabout about how how you you can can drive Learn drive change changewith with Modusby bydriving driving or or donating. donating. MODUSTULSA.ORG Modus MODUSTULSA.ORG

NOVEMBER 4 WALK THE RED CARPET WITH OPERATION HOPE PRISON MINISTRY Benefits Operation Hope Prison Ministry. ohpm.org 10 GIFTS OF HOPE Benefits Youth Services of Tulsa. yst.org/holiday-assistance 11 NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY Benefits Association of Fundraising Professionals. afp-eastok.org 12 CATTLE BARON’S BALL Benefits American Cancer Society. cancer.org

17 BARBECUE, BEER AND CIGARS Benefits Tulsa Boys’ Home. tulsaboyshome.org 19 THANKSGIVING EVENT Benefits Tulsa Dream Center. tulsadreamcenter.org 29 GIVING TUESDAY Benefits Revitalize T-Town. revitalizettown.org/ events/#givingtuesday DECEMBER 3 DARNABY ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW Benefits Darnaby Elementary PTA. darnabyartsandcraftsshow.com 4 TOY RUN Benefits Tulsa Dream Center. tulsadreamcenter.org

8 GIFT OF HOPE FUNDRAISING LUNCHEON Benefits Tulsa Boys’ Home. tulsaboyshome.org 12 12&12 DAY Benefits 12&12 Addiction Recovery Center.

12and12.org 17 CHRISTMAS EVENT Benefits Tulsa Dream Center. tulsadreamcenter.org TBA ABATE OF TULSA TOY RUN Benefits Toys for Tots. abateoftulsa.com PEGGY V. HELMERICH DISTINGUISHED AUTHOR AWARD GALA Benefits Tulsa City-County Library. tulsalibrary.org

CHECK TULSAPEOPLE.COM EACH MONTH FOR UPDATED EVENT LISTINGS THROUGHOUT 2022.

Patrons Christina Sampson, Jamie Gregg and Jamila Riggins attend a Boss Mom Crew’s Mix and Mingle.

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

Lauren “Rainbow” Lunsford wears her own look at Living Arts of Tulsa’s annual Champagne and Chocolate.

CHAMPAGNE AND CHOCOLATE: ADAM KOLOFF AND DESTINY GREEN; MIX AND MINGLE: PRIYA UPLAONKAR/PRETTY PIXELZ; WALTZ: KATE AND RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Tulsa Zoo’s WALTZ on the Wild Side patrons Nick and Ruth Holland

Art Show & Sale

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2022 SATURDAY: 10AM-5PM • SUNDAY: 11AM-5PM TULSA MARRIOTT SOUTHERN HILLS - 1902 EAST 71ST STREET

AMY LAY

UNION, OREGON

CHRIS WILSON MARIETTA, GEORGIA

FOR MORE INFORMATION - ARTSHOW@NATUREWORKS.ORG

natureworks.org

Tulsa nonprofit. Global impact.

Hues for HOPE Friday, September 16, 2022

The Historic Cain’s Ballroom // Downtown Tulsa Reserve your tickets: huesforhope.org

Hues for HOPE celebrates the beautiful children affected by a rare, terminal condition and raises funds to accelerate treatment options for peroxisomal disorders.

In 2022, we will bring together MORE families and MORE scientific researchers, volunteers and educators. Your support will make a difference in the life of a family affected by a peroxisomal disorder and the growing global community that supports them.

Benefiting:

2021 GFPD Patient Ambassa dor, Elijah with his family

#huesforhope

Live Auction & Silent Auctions | Dinner | Open Bar | Raffle Prizes | Live Art Entertainment

2022 EVENTS Please join us for one – or all – of our 2022 events to make a difference in the lives of Tulsa Tech students and our community!

Tulsa Tech Education Foundation would like to share our deepest gratitude with the major donors who have supported TTEF’s mission throughout the pandemic and recognize our most generous community partners.

H ALL OF FAME SPONSORS

Oklahoma Surgical Hospital Flintco & Construction Industry Friends EX EC UTI VE LEVEL SPONSOR

Techsico

Trivia for Fun People Feb. 17, 2022 Tulsa Tech Health Sciences Center, 3420 S. Memorial Drive

Swing for Success Golf Tournament April 21, 2022 GolfSuites Jenks, 600 Riverwalk Terrace

TEC HNI CI AN LEVEL SPONSORS

MEPO Oklahoma BizJet GH2 Architects

Concert for a Cause June 2022 TBA

APPRENTI CE LEVEL SPONSORS

Christian Brothers Automotive L&Y Group

Thanks to our donors, TTEF has provided more than 414 grants to deserving Tulsa Tech students who requested assistance with tuition, testing and competition fees, uniforms, supplies and other needs related to career training.

To learn more about Tulsa Tech Education Foundation, please visit ttef.net and follow us on Facebook at TTEFoundation.

1 IN 4 OKLAHOMA CHILDREN MAY GO TO BED HUNGRY. YOU CAN HELP.

EMPTY BOWLS A HUNGER AWARENESS DINNER

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2022 COX BUSINESS CENTER HONORARY CHAIRS RON BRADY & MIKE THOMPSON THANK YOU TO OUR EARLY SPONSORS* Mary K. Chapman Foundation

United Health Care

George Kaiser Family Foundation

GableGotwals

Ruth K. Nelson

Indian Health Care Resource Center

BlueCross BlueShield of Oklahoma

Jeanette and Terry Kern

Fiber Pad, Inc.

Lynn Jones and James Medill

McElroy Manufacturing, Inc.

Security Bank

QuikTrip

Northeastern Oklahoma

River Spirit Casino Resort Saint Francis Health System

Woodturners Association WaterWorks

*Sponsors as of 12/17/2021

SPONSORSHIPS AND TICKETS AT EMPTYBOWLSTULSA.COM

TULSA CASA PRESENTS

MARCH 26, 2022 — HYATT REGENCY TULSA DOWNTOWN CASA Casino is Tulsa CASA’s annual fundraising gala. Featuring dinner, a live auction, and casino games, CASA Casino directly benefits Tulsa CASA’s vital programs.

Join us for this magical night of fun, food, and fundraising!

High Roller Sponsor $10,000 • TWO preferred tables of 10 • VIP Cocktails • Live recognition at the event • Listing in all event publicity • Party favor for each guest • Complimentary champagne

Royal Flush Sponsor $4,000 • ONE preferred table of 10 • VIP Cocktails • Live recognition at the event • Listing in all event publicity • Party favor for each guest • Complimentary champagne

Jackpot Sponsor $7,000 • TWO preferred tables of 10 • VIP Cocktails • Live recognition at the event • Listing in all event publicity • Party favor for each guest • Complimentary champagne

Full House Sponsor $2,000 • TWO standard table of 10 • VIP Cocktails • Listing in all event publicity • Party favor for each guest

Pair O’ Dice Sponsor $500 • Preferred seating for 2 • VIP Cocktails • Listing in all event publicity • Party favor for each guest

Individual event tickets are also available for $200 per person.

For more information, contact Development Director Rachel Kolarik.

918-584-2272 | rachel.kolarik@tulsacasa.org | casacasino.org

It is Celebrate LIFE’s silver anniversary!

March 10, 2022 Honorary Chairs Leslie and Bob Pritchard

Please join us for a fresh take on a storied event!

Tickets on sale now www.LIFESeniorServices.org or call (918) 664-9000 ext.1213 COX BUSINESS CENTER | TULSA, OK

VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA OKLAHOMA PRESENTS

A N E W E V E N T C R E AT I N G M O M E N T U M

F R I D AY, F E B R U A R Y 4 , 2 0 2 2

COX BU S IN E SS CON V E N T ION C E N T E R BENEFITTING VETERANS, THE AGING, THE HOMELESS AND THE DISABLED

JOIN US!

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N V I S I T VOAO K .O R G / VO L U T E

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

BENEFITING THOSE SERVED BY CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022 AT 6 PM

$

250 PER PERSON | UNDER 35 $150 PATRON TABLES AVAILABLE

cceok.org/cuc

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We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 8, 2022

THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE, TULSA! TulsaPeople’s 15th Annual Restaurant Week was a great success thanks to Tulsa diners and the 49 restaurants listed below. More than $40,000 was raised to benefit the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma’s Foods for Kids programs. Special thanks to the George Kaiser Family Foundation for their generous gift of matching funds for the past 15 years and to Curtis Restaurant Supply for their continued support!

2021 FEATURED RESTAURANTS: Baxter’s Interurban Grill Biga Italian Restaurant

SEPT. 9-18, 2022

Bin 35 Bistro Bird and Bottle The Bistro at Seville

Created by TulsaPeople Magazine SPONSORED BY:

Roka

Juniper

Roppongi

La Tertulia

Sisserou's Caribbean Restaurant

The Local Bison

Society Burger (Cherry Street and South Tulsa)

Bramble Breakfast and Bar

McNellie's South City

The Chalkboard Daily Grill Dilly Diner Elgin Park Elote Fassler Hall

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

James E. McNellie's Pub

McGill's on Yale

Duet Restaurant and Jazz

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RibCrib (Harvard, Yale, Skelly and Sheridan locations)

Bluestone Steakhouse and Seafood (Broken Arrow, Jenks and downtown locations)

BENEFITTING THE COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA

In the Raw (Vu, On the Hill and Brookside locations)

Melting Pot

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe (Cherry Street and South Tulsa)

The Tavern

Oren

The Vault

Palace Cafe

Waldo's Chicken and Beer

Peacemaker Lobster and Crab Co.

Wild Fork

Prairie Fire Pie Prhyme: Downtown Steakhouse Queenie's Cafe

Yokozuna Blue Dome Yokozuna on Yale

WE PROUDLY CONGRATULATE OUR SPJ AWARD WINNERS! LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

MAN OF MANY WORDS For 10 years Booksmart Tulsa, the Tulsa Literary Coalition and Magic City Books have reinvigorated Tulsa as a literary city.

Tulsan of the Year Jeff Martin is to thank for that.

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

An inside look at the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Task Force

TIM LANDES

BY TIM LANDES

The intersection of North 19th and West Union streets in Collinsville. It was in this area where Rebekah Barrett was found unconscious in the street on April 23, 1995.

It’s dark outside the radius of the streetlight at North 19th and West Union streets in Collinsville.

A couple hundred yards to the east, another light: from the orange steeple of a church that sits just off the road. A row of lights illuminates the parking spots near the church entrance; then it’s darkness to the street.

“It was right in here that her body was found,” says Rick Lawrence, a Tulsa County Sheriff Office’s Cold Case Task Force investigator. He sits in the passenger seat of an unmarked TCSO SUV as it rolls into the light.

Sgt. Tressi Mizell, Task Force supervisor, brakes. “The suspect lived a block from here?”

“Just right up there on the corner,” responds Lawrence as the vehicle resumes rolling north back into the dark.

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First Place, News Writing: Tim Landes “Light In the Darkness”

First Place, Best Photographer: Michelle Pollard

First Place, Page Design: Madeline Crawford “Man of Many Words”

JULY 2020

2020 PORTFOLIO

JANUARY 2020

TulsaPeople was recently honored with eleven awards in the 2021 Society of Professional Journalists, Oklahoma Pro chapter awards.

In addition to the magazine’s two first place awards for news writing and page design, TulsaPeople photographer Michelle Pollard was honored as “best photographer” with first place honors as well! The magazine was also recognized with three second place awards, five third place awards, and TulsaPeople.com was recognized for online community engagement with second place.

We are proud of these awards which reflect the journalistic quality and excellence we strive for each day. Congratulations to our talented professionals.

Second Place, Column Writing: Ethan Veenker, “Pending pomp and circumstance” May 2020 • Second Place, Profile Writing: Connie Cronley, “Man of many words” January 2020 • Second Place, Reader Service: TulsaPeople Staff, “Get away!” May 2020 • Third Place, Reader Service: Natalie Mikles, “Bowling for flavor” February 2020 • Third Place, General Photography: Michelle Pollard, “Poof” October 2020 • Third Place, Page Design: Madeline Crawford, “Slice of heaven” November 2020 • Third Place, Cover: Georgia Brooks, Madeline Crawford, October 2020

SPONSORED EDITORIAL

W E D D I NG A N D E V E N T

Venue & Catering Guides When planning an event – large or small – there are many details to coordinate. From finding the right space to choosing catering options and amenities, the to-do list can be overwhelming. We hope you will find the TulsaPeople Venue and Catering Guides to be a helpful resource for your planning.

Visit TULSAPEOPLE.COM/DIRECTORIES for the updated 2022 Venue Guide, Catering Guide and other informative directories.

DISCOVERY LAB

3123 S. Riverside Drive Tulsa, OK 74105 (918) 295-8144 Ext. 2504 discoverylab.org Event rental contact: Tania Kerney Capacity: Rooftop Terrace ‘Thirty-One Twenty-Three’-450; Amphitheater-250; Exhibit Hall-500; Mezzanine-150

HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO TULSA

777 West Cherokee Street Catoosa, OK 74015 (918) 384-5946 hardrockcasinotulsa.com/amenities/meeting-and-events Event rental contact: morgan.kaio@hardrockcasinotulsa.com Capacity: 900

MARGARITVILLE TULSA

MEADOW LAKE RANCH

ONEOK FIELD - HOME OF THE TULSA DRILLERS

PINOT’S PALETTE

SHANGRI-LA GOLF CLUB & RESORT

STATION 13

TULSA AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM & PLANETARIUM

TULSA BOTANIC GARDEN

TULSA CLUB HOTEL, CURIO COLLECTION BY HILTON

3450 South 137th West Avenue, Sand Springs (918) 494-6000 • meadowlakeranch.com Event rental contact: Susie Warren, manager@meadowlakeranch.com Capacity: Up to 200. Indoor & Outdoor Venues.

Broken Arrow, Cherry Street and Riverwalk locations (918) 893-6447 (BA); (918) 794-7333 (CS); (918) 518-5433 (RW) pinotspalette.com Event rental contact: Contact desired location Capacity: Broken Arrow-56; Cherry Street-48; Riverwalk-60

3924 Charles Page Boulevard (918) 810.6765 station13tulsa.com Event rental contact: Jackie Potter, info@station13tulsa.com Capacity: 500 Indoor/Outdoor

3900 Tulsa Botanic Drive (918) 289-0330 tulsabotanic.org Event rental contact: events@tulsabotanic.org Capacity: Call for information.

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

2636 East 11th Street (918) 744-5500 EventsAtCampbell.com Event rental contact: Diane Morrison Capacity: 225

LIVING ARTS OF TULSA

307 East Reconciliation Way (918) 585-1234 livingarts.org Event rental contact: Gallery Manager, info@livingarts.org Capacity: 260

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THE CAMPBELL HOTEL & EVENT CENTERS

8330 Riverside Parkway, Suite A (918) 995-8080 margaritavilletulsa.com Event rental contact: kristalw@margaritaville.com Capacity: 30-800

201 North Elgin Avenue (918) 744-5998 tulsadrillers.com Event rental contact: events@tulsadrillers.com Capacity: 10 – 8,000+

57301 East Highway 125, Monkey Island, Oklahoma 74331 (918) 257-7714 • shangrilaok.com/groups-events Event rental contact: dana.able@shangrilaok.com Capacity: Conference Center Space - 9,000 sq. ft.; Outdoor Multiple outdoor patios, lawns, and rooftop available for events.

3624 North 74th East Avenue (918) 834-9900 tulsamuseum.org Event rental contact: info@tulsamuseum.org Capacity: 250

115 East Fifth Street (918) 582-5722 tulsaclub.com Event rental contact: Marianne McCann, ext. 7101 Capacity: up to 250 reception style

MCNELLIE’S GROUP CATERING CAFE OLÉ 3509 S Peoria Ave (918) 745-6699 cafeolebrookside.com Catering Capacity: 70 Additional information: Full service catering available.

OLIVETO 8922 S. Memorial Drive (918) 994-7000 olivetobistro.com Catering Capacity: 10-1,000 Additional information: Unchain yourself from the ordinary. A unique variety of fresh appetizers, salads, and pastas that are sure to make your next party special.

608 East 3rd Street (918) 442-2993 catering@mcnellies.com Catering Capacity: Unlimited Additional information: McNellie’s Group Catering is Tulsa’s go to catering service that offers full-service catering and event planning that specializes in weddings, corporate events, special events, and non-profits.

VINE FRESH GRILL 3523 South Peoria Ave (918) 747-9463 olvine.com Catering Capacity: 100 Additional Information: Full service catering available

EVENTS AT CAMPBELL

Discover how events at Campbell can change an ordinary evening into an extraordinary one.

Book yours today and experience a new latitude of style, class, and elegance.

2636 E. 11th St., Tulsa, OK 74104

855-744-5500

Luxury Hotel | Event Centers | Bar & Lounge

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@GLASS_CHAPEL

GLASSCHAPELTULSA.COM

GET MOVING NEW GEAR TO GET YOU UP AND OUT

LIGHTWEIGHT WATER BOTTLE, $20; from Salt Yoga, 1708 Utica Square.

ON CLOUDSWIFT RUNNING SHOES, $150; from Runners World, 3920 S. Peoria Ave.

COTOPAXI MARIVELES 32-LITER DUFFEL BAG, $40; from Gearhead Outfitters, 1948 Utica Square.

MICHELLE POLLARD

GARMIN FORERUNNER 35, $170, from Runners World

JADE FUSION YOGA MAT, $134 from Salt Yoga

BIOLITE HEADLAMP, $59.95; from Gearhead Outfitters

PATAGONIA RE-TOOL HEADBAND, $25; from Gearhead Outfitters

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NEW YEAR, NEW A healthier you I YOU! Jayvin Washington is the owner of BiteWay, a meal subscription service based in Tulsa. Find out more at bite-way.com.

MEAL PLANNING IS ONE WAY TO REACH HEALTH GOALS IN 2022.

Hello, 2022.

As we welcome a new year we seek advice from local experts on how and what to eat as well as tips on recent group exercise trends.

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f you’re one of the millions of Americans resolving to make healthier choices in the new year, a buzzworthy habit is meal planning.

It’s a habit familiar to Jayvin Washington.

A graduate of Texas Southern University with a degree in food and nutrition science, the Booker T. Washington High School alumna originally wanted to become a pharmacist. Working as a pharmacy tech in college, Washington realized many of her customers could get off medications for hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol by changing their lifestyle.

“I felt like I wasn’t going to be successful with changing someone’s life in that role,” she says.

After graduation she founded meal subscription service BiteWay in July 2018. She started with one customer, and now has nearly 450 individuals awaiting her brand’s relaunch later this month.

Washington and her business participated in the fi rst cohort of ACT Tulsa, an entrepreneurial think tank. It helped her expand her business parameters and goals as an owner and for her clients, which was the reason behind the brief hiatus. “Going into 2022 is going to be like nothing I’ve ever imagined,” she says.

BiteWay customers can choose from over 30 meals with various meal plan subscriptions, order at bite-way.com, and portioned and packaged meals will be delivered.

Washington’s recommendations for those considering meal planning in 2022: 1. TALK TO A PROFESSIONAL. Whether that’s your physician or a registered dietician, discuss what your goals should be.

2. SET A GOAL. “Figure out your why,” she says.

“We always have a reason or a why for what we do — is it weight loss; is it weight gain; or do you just want to eat healthier?”

Washington encourages to set a realistic goal — no one should be losing 10 pounds in a week.

3. MAKE A PLAN. “I encourage people to create a menu,” she says, recommending Pinterest or food blogs for meal ideas.

4. CREATE A BUDGET. A common reason Washington hears from those she’s helping is the cost associated with meal planning.

“Whether you’re single, or you have a family of six, you always can create a budget; it’s just taking the time to do it,” she says. “We make time for what we want to make time for.”

5. ADD MOVEMENT. Any movement — whether that’s walking around the block, having a dance party in the living room or taking part in a yoga class.

6. EAT THE DARN COOKIE. “We always try to restrict our favorite foods, but it’s just going to make us want to eat them even more and overindulge,” she says. Healthy eating is about moderation, she adds. TP

MICHELLE POLLARD

BY ANNE BROCKMAN

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WELLNESS REFRESHED AND RESTED Get your sleep routine back on track

+ COVID-19 complications linger for some patients Child socialization Tackling teeth sensitivity Addressing posture

is a great health resource you can access anytime, anywhere!

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Group EXERCISE IN-PERSON FITNESS CLASSES ARE BACK WITH UNIQUE OPTIONS AND POPULAR MAINSTAYS.

Row House

BY KRISTI EATON

ROW HOUSE

Offering a challenging combination of classes that incorporate resistance training, rowing and stretching, Row House is designed to help you build aerobic endurance and muscular strength in one workout.

Owner Megan Harlan recommends participating three to four times per week to get the full benefits. “Each workout produces maximum results by engaging over 86% of your body’s muscles, including legs, core, arms and back,” she says.

A drop-in class is $22, and four-pack, eight-pack and unlimited package offerings reduce the price per class.

“The technology used at Row House makes the experience even more powerful,” Harlan says, referencing the Row House app that tracks individual progress and collects stats each class. “In class, we use team-based metrics on screens to drive the crew toward outcomes — like lowering your split time or racking up more meters. The lights and music bring a high level of energy.”

4820 E. 61ST ST., SUITE 120 | THEROWHOUSE.COM

CYCLEBAR

CycleBar

CycleBar is high-intensity interval training on a stationary bike. It incorporates high-energy cardio classes to the beat of music with choreography and arm bar exercises.

Joanna Lundberg, owner of CycleBar in south Tulsa and midtown, recommends people attend classes two to three times per week, but she says one time a week is sufficient for someone wanting a good sweat session.

The workout is low-impact cardio that involves the full body. “What makes CycleBar so special is we are combining a sweaty atmosphere and cardio class and connecting that with the power of music, energy and emotional variances in every single class,” Lundberg says. “The instructors are part DJ, part emotional healer and truly the most amazing motivators for their riders.”

The first class is free to try, and there are various membership options and class packs, including a three-pack for new riders for $39.

“Come connect to music and sweat in a fun environment with our community,” Lundberg says.

1515 E. 15TH ST. AND 9110 S. YALE AVE., SUITE B | CYCLEBAR.COM

ORANGE THEORY

PLNK FITNESS

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

PLNK Fitness (pronounced plank) is an evolution Pilates-based workout that combines strength, endurance, cardio, balance and flexibility exercises in one 50-minute class.

“The Lagree Method that PLNK subscribes to uses a Megaformer machine to build strong, lean muscles without the harsh impact on joints,” says Brooke Meek, PLNK Fitness founder. “High-intensity with low impact, the workout manipulates time, tension, momentum and velocity to trigger an adaptive response in the body.”

Class sizes are small in number, and Meek affirms that PLNK classes are “set up to help you succeed no matter your fitness level.”

Meek recommends participants take part in at least one class a week. Drop-in classes are $30, and a variety of class packages are available. Private and semi-private classes also are an option.

1326 E. 35TH ST. | PLNKFITNESS.COM TP

MICHELLE POLLARD; ROW HOUSE: REAGAN RENFROE

Orange Theory

Orange Theory offers a high-intensity interval workout with five heart rate zones: resting, easy, challenging, uncomfortable and “all out.” The workout incorporates rowing, cardio and strength training, all in the same session.

The goal is to spend 12 minutes or more with your heart rate elevated in “The Orange Zone. ” This is believed to boost metabolism, and burn fat and maximum calories.

“We get people in here and coach them and give them a sustainable workout,” says coach Triston Trimble, who has been at Orange Theory for two years. “We try to coach based on you and what’s best for you.”

It’s recommended that people attend two to four classes per week for peak results. The first class is free, and there are various membership levels based on the number of classes.

1551 E. 15TH ST., SUITE 103; AND 9118 S. SHERIDAN ROAD | ORANGETHEORY.COM

DR. CLARK PLOST

The Plost Dental team is proud of the patient-centered, quality dental services they provide.

“Our primary focus is delivering ethical dentistry customized to each patient’s individual needs while creating an environment where patients feel right at home,” says Dr. Clark Plost. “At Plost Dental, we welcome new patients looking for a dental home and never want anyone to feel like they’re ‘just another patient.’”

Plost Dental offers preventive dental care, restorative services (including implant dentistry), cosmetic dentistry and full-mouth rehabilitation services.

Fees are fair and reflect the level of care and expertise with which they treat each patient.

Plost Dental offers an in-house membership plan for those without dental insurance. The plan provides 100% coverage on preventive treatment (cleaning, x-rays and exams) and offers discounts on all other dental services. It’s a great option for those without dental insurance.

The team is led by Dr. Clark Plost, who purchased the long-running practice in 2019. Plost is a lifelong Tulsan, who graduated with honors from the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. He then stayed at OU and completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency program where he received additional training as Chief Resident in complex dental treatment planning, cosmetic dentistry procedures and surgical techniques.

The highly talented and dedicated staff includes hygienists Shannon Bollinger (team member since 2014) and Gina Kach, assistants Misty Olson (team member since 1996) and Angela Salmon, and front office coordinators Lacy Carter (team member since 1998) and Lisa Vincent.

PLOST DENTAL 2738 E. 51ST ST., SUITE 120 PLOSTDENTAL.COM

Coming in February:

THE EDUCATION ISSUE To advertise in the February Issue, contact adservices@langdonpublishing.com.

ABOUT TOWN • A-LIST • FOOD + DRINK CALENDAR • L IF ES T Y L E • DIREC TOR IES & MORE! FI N D M O R E O F TU L S A PEO PLE AT

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Perks of PLANT-BASED TRYING TO BE HEALTHIER THIS YEAR? A WHOLE-FOOD, PLANT-BASED DIET MIGHT BE JUST WHAT YOU NEED TO CATAPULT YOUR WELLNESS JOURNEY.

BY DEBORAH LAKER CURRIED RED LENTIL SOUP Serves 6-8 Prep Time: 25 mins | Total Time: 1 hour SOUP

3 tablespoons coconut oil 1 yellow onion, diced 1 inch ginger, minced 6 cloves garlic, smashed 2 large carrots, diced 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced 3 cups torn kale 3 tablespoons curry powder 2 teaspoons kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon gochugaru chili powder (optional) 2 cups red lentils 1 14.5-ounce can coconut milk 4 cups water

SPICED CASHEWS

1 tablespoon coconut oil 3/4 cup cashews 1/4 cup pepitas 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon caraway seeds or fennel seeds 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (optional) 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon granulated sugar In a large pot over medium heat, add oil, onion, ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes, kale, curry powder, salt, pepper and gochugaru, and cook, stirring frequently, until kale wilts, about 3 minutes.

Rinse lentils in a strainer until the water is mostly clear. Add lentils, coconut milk and water. Bring to a simmer and reduce to medium-low heat.

Meanwhile, make spiced cashews: In a skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, cashews and pepitas and toast, stirring constantly, until cashews are lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add in all remaining ingredients and stir until fragrant, 2 minutes more.

Garnish soup with spiced cashews, mint, thyme and lemon zest before serving.

Recipe sourced from delish.com.

MICHELLE POLLARD

t the beginning of each year, millions of people set goals to become healthier.

One popular way to improve health is by eating a plant-based diet. Travis Colton Eden, a registered dietitian at Ascension St. John, has helped multiple patients transition from the typical American diet of highly processed food, refined grains and excessive fat to incorporating more fruits and vegetables in their meals.

Most New Year’s resolutions fail after a couple months because the lifestyle changes are not sustainable, according to Eden; instead, he recommends gradually adding more fruits and vegetables into the diet. He says to begin by asking yourself, “What are some non-starchy vegetables I enjoy?” Once you’ve compiled a list of some vegetables you enjoy, find out how you like to prepare them. Eating raw vegetables can become boring, so Eden suggests steaming, roasting, baking or sauteing them in a little oil.

“I do recommend trying to get at least 50%, if not get 75% of your diet, from vegetables,” Eden says.

There are numerous benefits to a plant-based diet. Eden emphasizes that not only are plants low-calorie foods, but they also are great for boosting fiber intake and improving gut health.

Plus, vegetables are rich in antioxidants that stimulate the immune system and potentially help decrease the risk for developing certain cancers.

Perhaps you want to start eating a whole-food, plant-based diet to lose weight, fight high cholesterol and improve your blood pressure. Eden recognizes that most doctors prescribe medication to treat issues like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Although conventional medicine is a lot to be thankful for, he focuses on addressing health problems with a more holistic approach.

“So rather than just taking all these medications, we need to really get to the root cause of the issue,” he says. “Th rough approaching health holistically, we really focus on your diet, exercise, sleep patterns and stress levels.”

Apart from making sure your health goals are holistic, it is important to be proactive and consistent in your desired behaviors. Meal-prepping, reading nutrition labels and keeping tempting foods out of your house are some of Eden’s suggestions to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, asking yourself whether you are eating out of boredom, anxiety or stress can truly guide you in making better food choices.

“I think as Americans, we tend to be very fast paced and task oriented so we may just shovel food into our body just to give us some fuel instead of eating mindfully,” he says. “We have to slow down, be more present and be aware of what we’re putting into our body.” TP

HOME

Tulsa Candle Co. owner Erin Patterson

Candles for all

1904 Harvard Avenue Avenue 1904 South South Harvard

TULSA TRANSPLANT STARTS A BUSINESS FOCUSED ON GOOD SCENTS, CLEAN PHILOSOPHY.

BY ANNE BROCKMAN

MICHELLE POLLARD

W

hen Erin Patterson began experimenting with making candles in her Seattle apartment, little did she know that seven years later she would find herself in Tulsa starting a candle company.

She moved to Tulsa with her boyfriend in September 2020 and left her corporate job at Amazon a few months later to start Tulsa Candle Co., a small-batch operation creating seasonal, soy-based candles.

“The heart and soul of this business is a transparent and clean philosophy,” says Patterson, who uses American-sourced soy wax that is all natural and burns cleaner and longer than other wax types. “There’s not a lot of heavy regulation in the industry regarding what can and can’t be used.”

She uses fragrance oils guaranteed not to contain parabens, carcinogens, reproductive toxins or other potentially hazardous chemicals.

She created her debut fall and winter collections by sampling different combinations of fragrance oils. “I try to come up with something totally original,” she says, adding that she conducts numerous tests and sniff assessments to perfect the scent.

So far, best sellers include Oakmoss and Amber, an earthy base complemented by amber, grapefruit, orange and sage; Log Cabin, inspired by the great outdoors with notes of evergreen, cedar, fir, cypress and moss with patchouli and smoke; and Fresh Snow, a fresh winter scent highlighted with juniper, pear, mint, eucalyptus and birch.

“Candles are very personal,” Patterson says. “Scents are tied to memories.”

Along with sustainability — like encouraging and instructing candle purchasers on how to recycle or upcycle the candle’s glass jars — Patterson strives to make her products affordable. “Candles should feel luxurious but be for everyone,” she says.

Right now the Made in Oklahoma member company has three sizes of candles — 4 ounce, 9 ounce and 18 ounce — and can be found at Ziegler’s Art and Frame and Midtown Hardware. Tulsa Candle Co. participates in shopping events such as the upcoming OKGO Market in March. Products also can be purchased at tulsacandlecompany.com. TP

Rocks Rocks

Watches Watches

Minerals Minerals

Jewelry Jewelry

Stones Stones

Repairs Repairs

CustomDesigns Designs Custom

6 N. LEWIS | 918.584.2217 zieglerart.com

• CUSTOM PICTURE FRAMING • FINE ART • HOME ACCESSORIES

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71

BEYOND CITY LIMITS

Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, Texas

Spring is coming FOUR DESTINATIONS TO CONSIDER FOR SPRING BREAK

As we trudge through the depths of winter, one can’t help but think of the approaching spring season. As we itch for somewhere to go, be inspired by these four drivable destinations worthy of a spring break road trip. Get packing.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Celebrate the heritage that makes Oklahoma what it is today in the capital city, just an hour and a half drive from T-Town.

In downtown OKC, Scissortail Park is a 70-acre expanse boasting an open field perfect for a picnic with a view of the city skyline. The 72

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

small lake offers boating, the “sprayground” will keep the kids entertained as the temperatures rise and a spin on the outdoor roller rink will be something to remember. Another can’t-miss park is Will Rogers Gardens, one of OKC’s oldest parks featuring a Victorian-inspired conservatory, an arboretum and a color garden that offers vibrant seasonal displays like irises, roses and daylilies.

One of the newest additions to the city’s attractions is the First Americans Museum, which opened in September and serves as the premier destination for learning about the 39 tribal nations that call Oklahoma home today. The grounds and the museum itself were designed to honor points of cultural significance. For example, the entrance faces east just as indigenous dwellings faced the sunrise to greet the day. FAM also offers robust programming for further engagement with tribal culture.

First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City

COURTESY WACO CONVECTION AND VISITORS BUREAU; COURTESY VISITOKC.COM

BY RHYS MARTIN AND ANNE BROCKMAN

Winter sports in Breckenridge, Colorado

Hungry for more history? Cheever’s Cafe in the Uptown 23rd District not only serves great food, but also has a great story. The first child born in OKC, Oklahoma Belle Cunningham, married Lawrence Cheever and moved into the Belle family home at 2409 N. Hudson Ave. The Cheevers added a deco storefront to the house and opened a flower shop in 1938. The flower shop closed in the 1990s, and the place has been known as Cheever’s Cafe for more than 20 years.

The restaurant retains many elements of the building’s original purpose, including a flower case displaying desserts and wine. The menu specializes in comfort food with a Southwestern flair — try the shrimp and grits.

VISITOKC.COM

Kansas City, Missouri

VISITKC.COM

Waco, Texas

Just a six-hour drive from Tulsa is a shopper’s dream: Waco. First founded in 1849 by the Huaco tribe, today Waco has grown into a bustling metropolis home to Baylor University, the Dr. Pepper Museum, a riverfront park and the epicenter of all things Chip and Joanna Gaines, HGTV stars and owner of Magnolia Market at the Silos.

Opened in October 2015, the Magnolia Silos is a hub for shops and activities related to the Gaines. In 2020, the Silos expanded to include six new shops, a historic church, whiffle ball field and a new food truck area. In March, check dates for the Spring at the Silos festival, which will feature a large vendor fair, live music and much more.

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri

History buffs should check out the Waco Mammoth National Monument, a 100-acre setting on the Bosque River where archaeologists have uncovered the fossil remains of Columbian mammoths, dwarf antelope, a Western camel, a giant tortoise and other creatures from the Ice Age. Several craft breweries and distilleries call Waco home, including Balcones Distillery, which began production in 2009 and has since won numerous awards for its Texas whisky.

WACOHEARTOFTEXAS.COM

Breckenridge, Colorado

Live the high life in Breckenridge, which sits at 9,600 feet above sea level and is a nearly 12-hour drive from Tulsa. Breckenridge Ski Resort is known for its expansive layout — more than 2,908 acres — with plenty of easy runs and challenging treks for skiers and winter sport lovers of all abili-

ties. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and the introduction of a new chairlift on Peak 7, the resort will not have a mountain reservation system in place this season, meaning lifts and gondolas will be at normal capacity. Reservations will be needed for on-mountain restaurants with proof of COVID-19 vaccinations required.

Main Street beckons those looking for food, nightlife and fun. More than 200 boutiques and storefronts have set up shop in Breckenridge — everything from sporting goods and clothing to fine art, housewares and books. Beer and bicycle lovers will love a fat bike beer and distillery tour.

There are plenty of local favorites for food, too.

Soupz On features a robust list of house-made soups and has numerous vegetarian and vegan options. For postcard-worthy views and high-end fare, book a table at Traverse inside the Lodge at Breckenridge.

GOBRECK.COM TP

BR MAGUIRE/BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT; VISITKC.COM

The young and young-at-heart have myriad options when it comes to fun in Kansas City.

Attractions like LegoLand Discovery Center and Sea Life Aquarium can easily fill the day (and combo tickets are available for these neighboring downtown sites).

Sports fans welcome spring with the season opener for the Sporting KC professional soccer team and the 2015 World Champion Kansas City Royals. Kansas City also is home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, a treasure trove of sports and American history.

Grab a selfie outside the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art with its iconic shuttlecock sculptures. Inside, Edgar Degas’ pastel “Rehearsal at the Ballet” is still on view with several contemporaries in the exhibit “Encore Degas! Ballet, Fashion and Movement” through Nov. 22.

Kansas City, a short four-hour drive from Tulsa, might as well be known as the city of museums rather than fountains, as numerous institutions are located there. Check out the Harry S. Turman Presidential Library and Museum, the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank, the stateof-the-art College Basketball Experience, the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, the American Jazz Museum, and the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

Located deep within the rocky, forested terrain of the Missouri Ozark Mountains, Big Cedar Lodge is a remote haven of natural beauty that brings conservation to life.

Explore tucked away, cozy accommodations, immersive wildlife attractions and breathtaking views. b i g c e d a r. c o m

SPONSORED EDITORIAL

Adventure Awaits at Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium As society becomes increasingly disconnected from the natural world, it’s more important now than ever for people to reconnect with activities like hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation so future generations are inspired to continue the conservation of our planet’s fish and wildlife. Connecting people with nature, along with a lifelong passion for conservation, is what Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium was built on.

Established partnerships with more than 40 conservation organizations have helped Wonders of Wildlife grow into the most valuable and respected nature-based museum and aquarium in the world.

Located in the heartland of America in Springfield, Missouri, it’s the largest, most immersive fish and wildlife attraction ever to exist. The 350,000-square-foot facility and 1.5-mile trail inspires more than a million visitors each year and showcases 35,000 live animals, including fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals.

As you explore the Aquarium Adventure, you sail around the world through oceans, rivers, lakes and streams. The fun and exciting experience includes a passage across a swinging bridge amongst towering cypress trees hanging high above an alligator-filled swamp.

Visitors plunge to the depths of the deep blue sea, pass through fishfilled underwater tunnels, and experience the thrill of touching live stingrays.

Back on dry land, artifacts and exhibits showcasing our nation’s first conservationists, Native Americans, set the stage for a unique adventure in discovering our past while showcasing the importance of protecting our wildlife and habitats today. The expansive Wildlife Galleries take visitors around the globe as state-of-the-art 4D dioramas surround guests with the sights, sounds and smells of the world’s wildest places and wildest things.

Adjoined to Bass Pro Shops’ National Headquarters, Wonders of Wildlife is the centerpiece of America’s Conservation Capital. Come visit and see why it was awarded “Best New Attraction in America” by USA TODAY when it opened in 2017 and “America’s Best Aquarium” an additional three years.

500 W. SUNSHINE ST., SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI 888-222-6060 WONDERSOFWILDLIFE.ORG

Come See Us in

Springfield…

We’ll Show You Around!

When you visit Springfield, Missouri, ask a local! We know where to get a bite—whether it’s mouthwatering local fare or the sharks at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium. We love our city and know the best places to eat, drink and play. See you in Springfield!

Explore Springfield at

SpringfieldMo.org

Point your smartphone camera at this QR code to find out more about things to do in Springfield.

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Chamber Restaurant is located in the lower level of the historic Tulsa Club Hotel, 115 E 5th St, Tulsa, OK 74103

TulsaPeople.com

79

MUSINGS

HOPE IN THE KITCHEN T

he best thing about seeing the winter holidays in the rear-view mirror, for some of us, is that we can come out of the kitchen.

For those of us who aren’t good cooks or who don’t like to cook, we can feel free to put away the recipes and the aprons and the bandages from doctoring cuts and burns.

It’s much the same relief I feel when I’ve eaten the last Reese’s cup from the bag of candy I bought for trick or treaters: Ah, that’s over!

Yet, I can’t avoid the holiday pull of the kitchen. My favorite food writer, M. F. K. Fisher, said food is mixed, mingled and entwined with security and love. No wonder food is bonded with memories, celebrations, family, friends — and holidays.

I read about a woman who said when she was a girl, she knew it was Christmas time when her mother began cursing the divinity. Nothing religious — just the candy that wouldn’t set.

I come from an extended family of good cooks, but that gene skipped some of us and with a giant leap. Some aunts tried and failed, some failed and didn’t care, some failed and didn’t know it.

My mother, the best cook of all, was shattered when she came to my house one Thanksgiving meal, looked in on me in my galley kitchen, and reported sadly to the people in the living room,

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

“She’s looking up a recipe for gravy. Scary, isn’t it?”

Although I have spent thousands of hours in kitchens watching people cook fabulous meals, I didn’t learn cooking by osmosis. I have watched people repair car engines and pill a cat, and I can’t do those either.

Still, when the weather turns colder there is a powerful urge to cook — hearty soups, pies, bread. It must be an instinct inherited from my gatherer ancestors. Th is affl icts me in other seasons. Once I bought a 4-pound carton of strawberries determined to replicate family desserts.

One grandmother made moist strawberry cake I loved, the other made strawberry pie in a crisp crust. With 4 pounds of strawberries, surely I could recreate at least one of these.

I printed a stack of recipes from the internet, pulled out my tattered “Betty Crocker Cookbook” from 1976 with a recipe for strawberry shortcake and began happily hulling strawberries and mixing batters and crusts.

Strawberry cake reminded me of an English folksong one grandmother sang about two little babes lost in the woods “and when they were dead the robin so red brought strawberry leaves and over them spread.”

That was so depressing, I switched to an African-American folksong, “Shortnin’ Bread” with

the verse about “Th ree little children lyin’ in bed, two of them sick and the other most dead.”

They’re healed with a serving of shortnin’ bread, which isn’t the same thing as shortbread or shortcake.

What songs to sing to children! Well, it was a long time ago. These folksongs date to the 1800s, yet “Shortnin’ Bread” was recorded by an astonishing list of artists, including Fats Waller, Taj Mahal, Etta James, the Andrews Sisters and the Beach Boys. Brian Wilson was obsessed with it, recorded it many times and said it was the best song ever written. That is certainly food for thought. In the current hyper-woke climate, no artist would record it. I hesitate to sing it in the privacy of my own home. Even alone. Th is must be how the citizens of Salem felt in 1693.

My strawberry pie and cake efforts fell as flat as my singing. But that doesn’t mean I’ll give up. Somewhere, oh, somewhere there is a strawberry dessert recipe for me. But I also think, year after year, that I can overwinter geraniums in the garage.

When Emily Dickinson wrote that “hope is the thing with feathers,” some say she was writing about the human capacity for hope. January is a good month to think about that, to look forward with hope and to venture bravely into the new year. Even into the kitchen. TP

GEORGIA BROOKS

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

“Among the largest community foundations in the United States, Tulsa Community Foundation ranks second in asset size and within the top 10 in gifts per capita.”

- Source: The 2019 Columbus Survey

Grants from TCF Donor Advised Funds

$56,690,679

2020

2019

$38,154,111

TCF values and respects the role of being a trusted convener and philanthropic instrument of our very generous donors.

Should you like to learn more about opening a Donor Advised Fund to assist in your charitable endeavors, please scan this code.

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$6

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$5

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Opening to the public in 2021 and supported by countless TCF donors, the Greenwood Rising History Center offers a truthtelling and educational experience for all. The Greenwood Rising experience brings to life the memories of the past, the visions of success for the future and catalyzes important dialogue around racial reconciliation and restorative justice.

Most importantly, the center will allow visitors to personally commit to racial reconciliation and educate future generations on race relations.

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The philanthropic work of responding to the pandemic was the focus of 2020 and it has certainly remained constant through 2021. However, this past year also was important for many TCF funds and programs engaging our community in education and strengthening opportunities for students to become successful in their learning endeavors. TCF is honored to be affiliated with these programs and is excited to highlight just some of these initiatives below.

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SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH LEARNING AND EDUCATION

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Tulsa Community Foundation (“TCF”) is proud to begin its twenty-third year in service to our community through meaningful partnerships with nonprofit agencies, corporations, individuals and families. Between the years of 2019 and 2020, advisors of TCF Donor Advised Funds recommended 50 percent more grant dollars as needs increased for local charitable organizations in Tulsa and Northeastern Oklahoma for those they serve.

As the only higher education consortium of its kind in Oklahoma, the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium Fund is an organization of multi-institutional, cross-sector partnerships that meaningfully improve students’ journeys towards degree completion, professional independence, and economic mobility. It was formed after seven institutions participated in the Tulsa Transfer Project in 2017, focusing on streamlining the course transfer process and decreasing credit loss when students transferred from one institution to another. This collaborative was centered on the issue of transfer student success and has laid the groundwork for future possibilities as these higher education institutions continue to work together.

Its members include seven Tulsa-area colleges and universities (Langston University, Northeastern State University, OSUTulsa, OU-Tulsa, Rogers State University, Tulsa Community College, and the University of Tulsa) and seven affiliate partners (The Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce, the City of Tulsa, ImpactTulsa, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Tulsa Community Foundation, and the Tulsa Regional Chamber).

TULSA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION In 1998, TCF was established to assist nonprofit agencies, corporations, individuals and families with flexible charitable giving solutions.

DONOR DESIGNATED

Choose a focus area or create a program benefiting specific charitable organizations or causes

TCF SERVES YOU DONOR ADVISED

Recommend grants over time to your favorite charitable organizations

SCHOLARSHIP

Establish your approved scholarship criteria TCF manages the application and award process

AFFILIATE

Focus (as a group of area leaders) on charitable community efforts TCF oversees administrative and financial operations Current affiliate funds with TCF include Grand Lake Communities Foundation, McCurtain Community Fund, Owasso Community Foundation and Pawhuska Community Foundation

EMPLOYEE DISASTER RELIEF

Establish (by employer) guidelines to assist employees in the event of unexpected and unavoidable emergencies or disasters TCF manages the application and award process

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION

TCF provides administrative and grantmaking services Board of Directors and investment objectives separate from TCF

FISCAL SPONSORSHIP

Establish a charitable entity (emerging nonprofit) under TCF TCF provides administrative support

CHARITABLE AGENCY

Establish (by nonprofit agency) a permanent pool of assets or operations (reserve) dollars

TCF is a collection of over 1,450 funds, varying in size from a few thousand to multiple millions of dollars.

Each fund has its own identity and philanthropic purpose and benefits from being invested with other funds to create a lasting community resource. TCF delivers easy, low-cost solutions to benefit the community and region.

Fund contributions are taxdeductible.

CONTACT TCF staff is dedicated to supporting and sustaining the charitable efforts of its donors and programs.

We provide services to individuals, families and companies to simplify charitable giving, identify important community services, and administer charitable programs. To find out more about TCF, visit www.tulsacf.org To request a meeting with a program officer, please contact our offices at 918.494.8823.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES JIM ADELSON Nadel & Gussman Energy, LLC ALISON ANTHONY Tulsa Area United Way G. T. BYNUM City of Tulsa

TOTAL GRANTS MADE 2020: $241,980,000 Graph in thousands $95,339 $80,159

JIM CAMPOS State Farm Insurance KATHERINE G. COYLE Conner & Winters ERICA DORWART Frederic Dorwart Lawyers

$46,621

SHANE FERNANDEZ USA BMX/BMX Canada

$36,606

BECKY FRANK Schnake Turnbo Frank, Inc.

$17,322

PHIL FROHLICH Prescott Group Capital Management, LLC

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ASSETS Cash and investments Receivables and other assets TOTAL ASSETS

FY 2020 $4,871,587 $120,313 $4,991,900

FY 2019 $4,487,727 $230,456 $4,718,183

LIABILITIES NET ASSETS Without donor restrictions With donor restrictions TOTAL NET ASSETS

$409,620

$394,970

$4,512,325 $69,955 $4,582,280

$4,242,907 $80,306 $4,323,213

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

$4,991,900

$4,718,183

REVENUE Contributions Investment gains (losses) TOTAL REVENUES

FY 2020 $201,707 $307,107 $508,814

FY 2019 $222,946 $230,656 $453,602

EXPENSES Grant awards and other program services General and Administrative TOTAL EXPENSES

$241,980 $7,767 $249,747

$242,919 $7,517 $250,436

$259,067 $4,323,213 $4,582,280

$203,136 $4,120,077 $4,323,213

STATEMENTS OF ACTIVITIES As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, in thousands

TOTAL INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS NET ASSETS, BEGINNING OF YEAR NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR

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As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, in thousands

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STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

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I AT T

EN

M

LANE WILSON Williams Companies

TE

ROSE WASHINGTON Tulsa Economic Development Corporation

N

STUART SULLIVAN QuikTrip

IN

PEGGY SIMMONS AEP – Public Service Company of Oklahoma

RO

BAILEY SIEGFRIED NORDAM Group, Inc.

VI

REBECCA RICHARDS Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation

E C AN ST SI AS

BRENDA PIPESTEM Attorney & Associate Justice Cherokee Supreme Court

$20

EN

PIERCE NORTON ONEOK

$1,092

CY EN G ER EM

STEVEN E. NELL BOK Financial

$8,368

US IO G LI RE

SANJAY D. MESHRI Advance Research Chemicals, Inc.

AL IM AN

JOE MCGRAW McGraw Realtors

TH AL HE RE TU UL C & TS AR PS HI RS LA HO SC

JUDY KISHNER The Zarrow Family Foundations

$9,171

TY IE C SO

HANNIBAL JOHNSON Author, attorney and consultant

&

ALANA HUGHES Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

IC BL PU

RIK HELMERICH The Helmerich Trust

N IO AT UC ED

ABA HAMMOND The Waxprint LLC

ES IC RV SE

JOHN HALE Hale Family Foundation

$10,785

$1,330 AN M HU

KEVIN GROSS Hillcrest Health System

$15,326

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INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT I am starting a new job and want to know how I should prioritize my savings?

Furr y and feathered coworkers At a time when businesses are struggling to fill any number of staff positions, these six never have to worry about Tulsa retailers will greeter turnover. READ MORE

If your health is good and a high deductible health plan is an option, consider a health savings account since growth and withdrawals are tax free if used for qualified healthcare expenses. Take advantage of any deferred compensation plans offered by your employer such as a 401K Plan, especially if matched by employer. If cash flow allows, consider investing up to $6,000 in a Roth IRA. Special rules may apply, but you are to be commended for understanding the options available.

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'Say It! Sing It! Play It! In Cherokee'

84

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

Dagsi Turtle and Jisdu Wabbit are coming to Tulsa in an effort to help keep an endangered language alive and inspire a new generation to learn Cherokee.

READ MORE

J. Harvie Roe, CFP, President AmeriTrust Investment Advisors, Inc. 4506 S. Harvard Ave. • Tulsa, OK 74135 918-610-8080 • hroe@amerad.com

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GRAND LAKE VIEWS 35861 Walnut Ridge, Afton, OK 74331. 5 BR, 3.5 BA, is ready to be enjoyed by a large family. It offers 165 feet of shoreline in Party Cove, gentle slope to the water, nice roadside yard, large outdoor living space with upper deck and lower patio, outdoor fireplaces on both levels. Great views of Grand Lake from almost every room $1,750,000

AVALON PLACE 3025 S. Trenton Avenue. Located in the heart of Midtown, this traditional-style home sits on a corner lot. Large granite kitchen with stainless appliances, walk-in pantry, french doors open to back patio.

Hardwood floors throughout the majority of the home. The Master bedroom has french doors that open to a covered patio, a tiled bathroom with double vanities, a jacuzzi tub & a steam shower. $975,000

VINITA PROPERTY

RAMONA BEAUTY 402414 W 3200 Road, Ramons, OK 74061. Williams & Williams will be holding an auction in December.

Watch for the date! 40 acres east of Highway 75 with a 2 story home built in 2009. Complete with an inground diving pool, spa and slide. 3 car attached garage and another 2 story garage with living quarters close by. An open floor plan on the house with a vaulted ceiling family room open to the kitchen. A bedroom with bathroom down for family/guests.

Master bedroom is upstairs with luxury bathroom. A workout room overlooks the pool. $895,000.

MIDTOWN LOT 4179 S. Yorktown Place. Secluded Midtown lot in Bolewood Glen just off 47th & Lewis. Lot is situated on a corner at the end of the cul-de-sac surrounded by beautiful mature trees.

Easy access to Riverside Drive, River Parks, Brookside & I-44. Approximately .27 acre per Court House. Come build your Midtown dream house! $275,000

30083 S. 4420 Road, Vinita, OK 74301.

Enjoy this 23-acre peaceful and private estate located one hour from Tulsa and Joplin with 5 minutes from the Will Rogers turnpike. This lovely property has four bedrooms and 3 baths, spacious high tech rustic kitchen with a large picture window overlooking the pond, open living space. $799,000

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OWASSO LAND 106th Street North Owasso, OK. 1.65 acre parcel in Owasso. Situated on 106th St North between Sheridan and Memorial. Enjoy country living just 2 miles outside of town. Flat lot ready to build your dream home. Per survey 125’ frontage on 106th St. Zoned AG. Excellent location with easy access to Highway 75 & just minutes to downtown Tulsa. $135,000

E N J OY T H E LU X U RY L I F E ST Y L E YOU D E SI R E TulsaPeople.com

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McGraw Realtors

LauraBryant 918.693.2961 | lbryant@mcgrawok.com Over 30 Million in Sales in 2021!

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

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McGraw Realtors

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McGraw Realtors

allison Mobile: 918.850.2207 jacobs 4105 S. Rockford Ave. Tulsa, OK 74105

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NICOLE PUGH 918.688.6687 www.mcgrawrealtors.com CALL ME TODAY IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL! 88

TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

Catherine Santee Hughes

918.639.4199 chughes@mcgrawok.com

See p. 95 for more on Ol'Vine.

MICHELLE POLLARD

Fresh from the Vine A favorite of Ol’Vine diners has returned to its menu. Blackened red fish is paired with creamed spinach and cheese grits for a savory, heart-warming dinner ($20).

The Brookside establishment often changes up its menu based on the season while keeping classic dishes at the ready. TP 3523 S. PEORIA AVE. | 918-747-9463

TulsaPeople.com

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S

Origin story TASTE DISHES OF THE MIDDLE EAST IN MIDTOWN TULSA.

BY NATALIE MIKLES

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

hadi Afshari’s life forever changed in 1999 when she was approved for a green card and moved from Iran to the United States.

It had long been her dream, and it was now becoming real for Shadi, her husband, Sourena, and 7-year-old son, Sam. Of course, it wasn’t easy.

Her immigrant story has its fair share of hardship and heartache along with the beauty that comes from carving out a new life.

Leaving Iran also meant leaving her work in accounting. This profession she was so skilled in wouldn’t work out for her in the U.S. since she couldn’t speak English at that time. So she took a job that was perhaps a blessing in disguise, working at her son’s school cafeteria. She was able to keep the same hours as her son, coming and going from school each day at the same time.

By the time Sam was in high school, Shadi moved from cafeteria kitchens to restaurant kitchens. She and her husband eventually bought the Tulsa restaurant Shish Kabobs, making a successful run for more than 10 years. In 2020, they opened Saffron Mediterranean Cuisine, closing Shish Kabobs to focus their efforts.

Knowing Shadi’s story adds something to the experience at Saffron. She’s making the food she grew up with, the food she cooked as a young

Saffron’s vegetarian platter features falafel, dolmeh (stuffed grape leaves) and sauteed vegetables.

mother for her son and the food she carried in her heart to the United States.

“I tell everybody, my food is really homemade,” Shadi says. “I don’t know how to do it any differently. I make food in the kitchen the same as in my home.”

Saffron’s menu has the Mediterranean food you would expect, like gyros, kabobs, tabouli, dolmehs (stuffed grape leaves) and baba ghanoush (pureed roasted eggplant with tahini, lemon juice and garlic). But you’ll also find unique dishes on the menu that are Shadi’s personal favorites, and she nudges customers to try them to see what they think.

She encouraged us to try the fesenjoon or walnut stew. The stew’s origins come from northern Iran where walnut and pomegranate trees grow. The sweet and sour chicken stew has a dark broth and appears that it would have a deeply savory taste.

So it’s a surprise to taste the sweetness of pomegranate juice and a little nuttiness from the ground walnuts. The fesenjoon ($16) is perfect as a main course. Or, do as we did, and have it split into two bowls to come before your entrée.

Another wonderful, unique option is ghormeh sabzi or herb stew ($15), a classic Persian recipe that some call the national dish of Iran. This real-

MICHELLE POLLARD

DINING OUT

Pita bread is made fresh at Saffron and served with hummus.

A small sampling of Saffron’s wine selection

deal stew of braised beef, kidney beans, dried limes and dried herbs is served with basmati rice. The aromatic quality is divine, and if you’ve never tried it you’ll want to give this one a taste.

A nice way to sample several things is with the combination plate with either two ($18) or three ($21) meats. We tried the beef tenderloin shish kabob, marinated grilled chicken and koobideh, a seasoned, grilled ground beef. All had good flavor and were served on basmati rice with a side of red cabbage.

Saffron’s lamb dishes — both the braised lamb shank ($19) and grilled lamb chops ($29) — are popular. Shadi knows how to properly cook lamb to make it tender and bring out its best flavor, which is sometimes hard to find locally.

For lighter meals or lunchtime, Saffron has many options, including gyros. Saffron’s gyros supreme ($12) is a tremendously good deal. Thin sliced lamb and beef gyro meat is served on warm pita bread, made in-house every day, with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives and feta cheese. Tzatziki sauce, served on top, also is made fresh and has a nice, fresh flavor to complement any of Saffron’s meats. You then have a choice of a side of basmati rice, French fries, soup or Mediterranean salad.

Saffron’s appetizers and starters are too good

Salmon sabzipolo is a dish of grilled salmon served with herbed rice and pickled vegetables.

to miss, and are good enough to be ordered as a light meal. We tried the mezze ($21), which gives you small bites of many starters, including tabouli, pita, hummus, a cabbage roll, dolmeh and tzatziki.

It also comes with falafel, which Saffron does well. Saffron’s falafel isn’t the thick, heavy variety sometimes found. This falafel is fresh and flavorful, formed into small rounds and fried crisp. The falafel also is available as a meal on pita bread with tahini sauce ($12).

For kids, Saffron has gyro with rice, chicken kabob with rice, or chicken tenders with fries.

Shadi shouldered the tremendous burden that was 2020, opening in the spot that long held Bangkok Thai just a few weeks before the pandemic hit, so it was a tough start and a slow build to bring customers in.

But customers from her former restaurant and new customers alike are finding this new midtown spot for fresh, authentic Mediterranean food. TP

Shish kabob

Saffron 3313 E. 32ND PLACE | 539-525-0503 | SAFFRONTULSA.COM 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday TulsaPeople.com

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Pure Food and Juice

THE SQUEEZE THREE PLACES FOR FRESH JUICE

If you want to feel good about what you’re putting into your body, Pure Food and Juice is a great place to begin. Owner Cynthia Beavers is passionate about using the freshest ingredients on her menu. The Green Buddha is a nice start to the day with its blend of orange, grapefruit, pineapple, cucumber, celery and kale. If you’re a smoothie lover, try the Snow Coconut, a blend of whole coconut and cashew cream with blue agave. 3524 S. PEORIA AVE. | 918-392-8090 | PUREFOODANDJUICE.COM

Ediblend

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

The refrigerator case at Ediblend is a Tulsa comfort. It’s long been a place to find healthy, fresh food and drinks. The bottled grab-and-go juices are great, but even better is the juice bar. The made-to-order blends are perfect with a hummus bowl for lunch. One of our faves is the Peach Perfect, which is green in color from a healthy handful of spinach, plus cucumber, pineapple, peaches, ginger and coconut water.

Feeling under the weather? Try the Cold and Flu Fighter with goji berries, pineapple, ginger, camu camu berries and coconut water. 2050 UTICA SQUARE, 918-991-1717 | 10115 S. SHERIDAN ROAD, 918-900-1717 | EDIBLEND.COM The juice bar at Inheritance Juicery has flavor combinations you might never have conceived. Take Beauty and the Beets, a juice of beets, Granny Smith apple, carrot, orange, kale and ginger. It’s a vibrant flavor that’s a great pick-me-up in winter.

The team at Inheritance is all about creativity, and it’s fun to see the new juices and smoothies that pop up on the menu.

Another wonderful one is Mint to Be with flavors of red apple, pineapple, coconut water and mint. 108 S. DETROIT AVE., 539-424-5394 | 6333 E. 120TH COURT, 918-364-1201 | INHERITANCEJUICERY.COM — NATALIE MIKLES

Banh bo kep thit (steamed buns) from Kai

NEW RESTAURANT

These recent additions — the winners from TulsaPeople’s annual A-List Readers’ Choice Awards — have lit up the local restaurant scene.

The Goat Bar and Kitchen 222 S. Kenosha Ave. | 918-574-8461 thegoattulsa.com Farm Bar 1740 S. Boston Ave. | 918-576-6967 farmbartulsa.com Rise Southern Biscuit 1520 E. 15th St. | 918-203-7534 risebiscuitschicken.com Empire Slice House 417 N. Main St. | 918-551-6669 empireslicehouse.com/tulsa In the Raw VU 110 N. Elgin Ave. | 918-779-7600 intherawsushi.com/itr-vu Kai Vietnamese Cuisine 201 W. Fifth St. | 918-582-0200 facebook.com/kaitulsa PHOTO Saffron Mediterranean Cuisine 3313 E. 32nd Place | 539-525-0503 saffrontulsa.com French Hen 319 E. Archer St. | 918-492-2596 frenchhentulsa.com

MICHELLE POLLARD

A LA CARTE

BRUNCH IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA SAT / SUN 10A M–2PM

SAVOR TH E FLAVORS OF AUTH E NTIC SOUTHWEST I NSPI RE D DISH ES (SI NCE 1987)

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OLVIN E.COM

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JAN. 5

Ali Hanson AliMade Food/ ¯ Broth Bar Bon

PROSPERITY

TULSA TALKS JANUARY GUESTS:

Presented by:

» ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT » REGIONAL TOURISM

JAN. 19

Megan Harlan Pure Barre Tulsa/ Row House South Tulsa

» GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS » COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT YOUR PARTNER IN PROSPERITY

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W H AT’S COOK ING

Visit TulsaPeople.com for a chicken pot pie with puff pastry recipe courtesy of Natalie Mikles.

Cozy WINTER FOOD

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hat we want to eat right now is cozy food.

Warm food. Comfort food.

Of course, comfort food means something different for everyone. Beef stew, meatloaf, chicken curry, macaroni and cheese, apple pie. But on this we can agree: Cooking foods that are familiar, warm and full of aroma gives us the endorphins we need to carry on through gloomy, cold days.

These dishes don’t have to be time-consuming. Here is a family favorite: A one-pot spaghetti where the noodles cook right in the sauce. It’s even picky-kid approved.

— NATALIE MIKLES

ONE-POT SPAGHETTI Serves 4

In a large saute pan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking the meat into pieces and cooking until browned.

Drain fat from meat.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to pot, along with onion and carrots. Cook until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in garlic and tomato paste, cooking 2 minutes.

Break spaghetti in half. Add 4 1/2 cups water to pot, along with spaghetti, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cooking 10-12 minutes or until spaghetti is done. Top with chopped basil and parsley.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

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MICHELLE POLLARD

2 tablespoons olive oil 8 ounces sweet ground Italian sausage 1/2 yellow onion, diced 2 carrots, finely diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons tomato paste Half of a 16-ounce package of spaghetti 1 (14-ounce) can stewed tomatoes Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Executive Chef Jesse Lona Ali Hanson talks bone broth on the Jan. 5 episode.

Owner Ali Hanson

MICHELLE POLLARD; SHRIMP SCAMPI FRIES: VALERIE WEI-HAAS/COURTESY MOTHER ROAD MARKET

NEW YEAR, NEW DISHES Executive Chef Jesse Lona has run the kitchen at Ol’Vine for the past three years. In that time, he has introduced several new dishes to loyal patrons through his chef’s weekly tastings.

“It’s a good way to experiment for what will go on the menu,” Lona says.

One of those dishes is the Chop ($27), a coffee-rubbed pork chop served with mashed potatoes and wood-grilled greens. It’s one of Lona’s favorites that contains a pomegranate drizzle to balance the savory aspects of the coffee.

Today it is a staple of the restaurant known for its fresh fire-grilled dishes and seasonally inspired specialties.

“We are very family oriented, and it’s very important we have a menu with dishes for everyone,” Lona adds.

In that vein, the nearly 5-yearold restaurant will be adding a crispy chicken sandwich deluxe to the menu that spans everything from wood-fired salmon, seared ahi tuna and meatloaf to artisan pizzas, grilled Caesar salad and a hearty Bistro burger.

Lona says he is on a first-name basis with many of Ol’Vine’s regulars. He visits the dining room for what he calls instant gratification: patrons enjoying his food.

“You know the food is good when the conversation stops,” he says, smiling.

Ol’Vine is open for lunch and dinner service, along with brunch on Saturday and Sunday. It is closed Monday.

Visit olvine.com for more. — ANNE BROCKMAN

JUST A SIP W

hen bone broth fi rst began trending, it was in two primary circles: those seeking foods with healing, restorative properties and foodies seeking the purest form of broth for cooking.

It’s the start of a wonderful soup or a fabulous sauce. Or in the case of bone broth, it’s often sipped just as it is, warmed through like a cup of tea or an elixir.

Ali Hanson, owner of Ali Made Foods and the new Bōn Broth Bar at 8152 S. Harvard Ave., began making bone broth in a quest to improve health issues that plagued her. She found bone broth helped to relieve her stomach pain and nausea, among other issues.

“It felt like my body was shutting down,” she says. “At 26 years old, I was too young to have my body falling apart.”

Shrimp scampi fries from Curds and Whey

More at MOTHER ROAD

The journey to healing took seven years with many trials and errors, but Hanson says by removing inflammatory foods and adding nutrientrich bone broth, she began to take charge of her own health.

Hanson says what sets her bone broth apart is that it’s slow simmered on low heat. She uses only bones from grass-fed animals and organic veggies and spices. No preservatives are ever used, and each portion of broth is frozen (with the exception of broth served fresh at Bōn) so it can be thawed when ready to sip or use for cooking.

Hanson’s bone broths are available in flavors of chicken, beef, pork pho and variations including low-sodium and pepper-free. The Bōn Broth Bar, whose name comes from Hanson’s study of Latin where bon means good, also carries produce and goods from local farmers and food makers. It also has a coffee bar and mineral water bar. Soon, Hanson will have a menu of soups, sandwiches, rice bowls and a buildyour-own broth bar. Visit bonbrothbar.com.

— NATALIE MIKLES

The great thing about Mother Road Market, 1124 S. Lewis Ave., is that in its three years, it has kept a mix of anchored vendors along with new merchants, so there’s always something new to try along with those standbys.

One of our favorite newcomers is Curds and Whey, a sophisticated comfort food concept by Faith Walker. We suggest the to-die-for shrimp scampi fries.

Here’s what currently at the market: Akira Sushi and Ramen, & Tacos, Andolini’s Sliced, Bagelarium, Big Dipper Creamery, Bodhi’s Bowl, Chicken and the Wolf, Curds and Whey, Da Yolk, Doctor Kustom, Eleanor’s Bookshop, Farrell Bread, Gambill’s Wine and Coffee, Howdy Burger, Kitchen 66 General Store, Kitchen 66 Landmark Food Truck, Kitchen 66 Takeover Cafe (a pop-up space for food entrepreneurs), Knot Yours, Metropolis, Mythic City, and Salt and Vinegar. — NATALIE MIKLES TulsaPeople.com

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TULSA TIME WARP

An early image of Robinson Hotel at the southwest corner of East Third and South Main streets

STAYING POWER STORY AND COMPOSITE IMAGE BY PATRICK MCNICHOLAS

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TulsaPeople JANUARY 2022

OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

A

Tulsan since 1902, Wallace N. Robinson transformed a livery stable into the 45-room Alcorn Hotel along Boston Avenue in 1904. He then opened the Robinson Hotel in October 1905 at 300 S. Main St. The hotel was considered one of the largest in the southwest with the best amenities. It had 200 rooms, 23 suites and two parlor suites with a piano in each room.

Robinson’s investment to build the hotel coincided with the massive Glenn Pool oil boom. The hotel helped Tulsa become oil headquarters, despite the oil fields being miles away.

In the alcove of the building, the hotel had a palm garden where guests could lounge among plants and hear musical performances. By summer 1907 a roof garden was opened where they could enjoy theatrical performances, concerts and motion pictures until midnight.

The following year, the roof garden was replaced by a permanent fifth floor to accommodate more guests.

By 1911, Robinson felt the city had outgrown the hotel and converted the building into office space. It became home to many oil, real estate and investment companies, as well as physicians and lawyers.

The aging five-story structure at the heart of maturing downtown was demolished in 1957. TP

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