TulsaPeople March 2018

Mark Graham retires from Tulsa Area United Way March 2018

Fireproof COUPLE REBUILDS AFTER DEVASTATING FIRE TULSA’S

‘Zero Heroes’ FIVE WORKING TO HOUSE THE HOMELESS

TOP 100 R EA L ESTATE PROFESSIONA LS

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Brothers Aiden and Michael, Jr. Sickle cell anemia

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The St. Jude Affiliate Clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis in Tulsa provides the latest treatments and access to more clinical research trials than any other pediatric facility in Oklahoma. St. Jude groundbreaking trials are leading to new and advanced treatments that improve pediatric hematology and oncology care.

Our children deserve the full concentration of the best medical minds and technology available—found only at Oklahoma’s only St. Jude Affiliate Clinic.

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“We were so impressed with our mortgage experience, we moved everything to TTCU.” – Matt N., TTCU member

After moving five times to five different cities, Matt came home to Tulsa – and TTCU. He said, “A mortgage is the largest purchase you’ll probably ever make.

You need a friend, someone who watches out for your best interest. Choosing TTCU for our mortgage was the best decision ever.”

To learn more about our 100% local mortgages and our 100% financing option, call, click or come by.

Life is better in balance.® 918-749-8828 | www.ttcu.com

With approved credit (WAC) | Some restrictions apply | Property and/or flood insurance may be required | Fixed rate only No down payment required for 100% financing. | For example: 80% of the loan is a 30-year fixed with an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 4.33%. The payment per $1,000 financed would be $4.92. 20% of the loan is a 15-year fixed with an APR of 6.75%. The payment per $1,000 financed would be $8.82. | Federally insured by NCUA

Seconds matter during a stroke.

Expert stroke care. Two locations.

The quality of medical care you receive in the first minutes and hours after a stroke can save your life and determine how well you recover. Oklahoma Stroke & Neurological Institute @ Hillcrest offers a multi-disciplinary team committed to providing the most complete neurological care in the region.

If you experience sudden signs of a stroke, please B.E. F.A.S.T.T. and call 911.

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MARCH 2018 | VOLUME 32 ISSUE 5

FEATURED

34 Seeing beyond himself As Mark Graham retires as president and CEO of the Tulsa Area United Way, TulsaPeople looks back at his leadership of one of the nation’s top United Ways.

BY ANNE BROCKMAN

36 Tulsa’s ‘Zero Heroes’ Five individuals working to house those experiencing chronic homelessness

BY TIM LANDES

40 Sun setting, Day still new Architect and professional engineer George Day’s latest projects are some of his most iconic.

BY MORGAN PHILLIPS

4

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

67 LIFESTYLE

Four designers take on the 2018 Blank Slate challenge. Container gardens bring joy to smaller spaces. A central Oklahoma road trip. An affordable screening for colon cancer.

105 TABLE TALK

Light it up at the new Torchy’s. Prairie Fire Pie shines on Cherry Street. An A-List burger order. Cheers to the season with Guinness.

SPECIAL SECTIONS 49 57

New Home Buying Top 100 Real Estate Professionals

Mark Graham retires from Tulsa Area United Way March 2018

THE HOME ISSUE

BY JASON ASHLEY WRIGHT

Where to shop on Sundays. What goes into throwing “the best party in town”?

Dr. Byron Tucker’s memories on the mat.

Cheyenne Smith tapped into a monthly market. Some recent Tulsa benefits.

MARCH 2018

A young Tulsa couple’s love and creativity are tested after a devastating house fire.

11 CITY DESK

TULSAPEOPLE

43 Fireproof

“Gallery House” is one of architect and professional engineer George Day’s most recent projects.

It sits adjacent to other Day designs: The Brooksider home and Stonehorse Shopping Center.

Fireproof COUPLE REBUILDS AFTER DEVASTATING FIRE TULSA’S

‘Zero Heroes’ FIVE WORKING TO HOUSE THE HOMELESS

TOP 100 R EA L ESTATE PROFESSIONA LS

ON THE COVER Tyler and Molly Thrasher’s home burned in December 2016.

S T RONG A ND ONLINE, ON YOUR

SCHEDULE

Virtual Visits and Urgent Care Reservations Available 24/7 ONLINE TOOLS THAT GIVE YOU GREATER ACCESS TO CARE.

WHAT’S ONLINE TULSAPEOPLE.COM Follow us on Twitter @TULSAPEOPLE

Find us on Facebook FACEBOOK.COM/TULSAPEOPLEMAG

Follow us on Instagram @TULSAPEOPLE

Follow us.

Use #MyTulsaPeople to tag your Instagram photos of the people who make this city great.

WE’LL FEATURE OUR FAVES!

PLANNING A WEDDING OR EVENT? The 2018 Venue Guide is available at TulsaPeople.com/venueguide.

The NEW 2018 Tulsa Guest Guide is now ONLINE! The Guest Guide is a GREAT resource for both Tulsans and visitors.

@tulsagrowingtogether

We do what we do so that children have a better future.

Hacemos lo que hacemos para que los niños tengan un mejor futuro. #MyTulsaPeople

TU LSA GUE ST GUI DE

THE ESSENTIAL 2018 VISITORS’ GUIDE TO SHOPPING, SIGHT SEEING, NIGHTLIFE AND MUCH MORE

From the publisher

of

Magazine and

HOTEL COPY

Take a quiz

Please leave this copy for future guests

@jbirdcurtis

Tulsa Women’s March #MyTulsaPeople

Are you Taylor Hanson’s fedora or Leon Russell’s top hat?

Find out at TULSAPEOPLE.COM/TULTALK.

PLUS It’s A-LIST time! Vote for your local favorites at TULSAPEOPLE.COM/A-LIST.

VOTE FOR THE 2018 A-LIST AND YOU COULD WIN A $500 DINING PACKAGE! VISIT TULSAPEOPLE.COM MARCH 1-25TH. 6

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

@tygriffinttu

Every once in a while, you go to a 90’s cover band show and come away with some life-long friends. So thankful for my Dinner Club peeps... #MyTulsaPeople

Got weekend plans?

TULSAPEOPLE.COM/CALENDAR

Visit TULSAPEOPLE.COM/PRIVATESCHOOLS for a free download of the 2018 Private School Guide.

YOU ALWAYS PLANNED ON BUILDING YOUR DREAM HOME. (You just didn’t plan on it needing so many bedrooms.)

Some expenses in life you know are coming.

Others come out of nowhere. That’s why planning helps you enjoy all that life has to offer without worrying about everything else life throws your way. Let us help you plan for the unexpected.

Financial Insights and Guidance | Mortgage and Lending | Retirement www.bankofoklahoma.com © 2018 Bank of Oklahoma, a division of BOKF, NA. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender

.

FROM THE EDITOR

Volume XXXII, Number 5 ©2018. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

TulsaPeople Magazine is published monthly by

Where some see a nonfunctional fireplace, I see a blank canvas.

1603 South Boulder Avenue Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119-4407 918-585-9924 918-585-9926 Fax

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNITY RELATIONS Susie Miller

Though it hasn’t worked in many years, the

p. 54, then get in touch with top area real estate

my 1930s-built apartment. Upon moving in, one

On p. 40, you’ll meet George Day, an unsung

imposing stone fireplace remains a focal point of

professionals on p. 57.

of the first things I did was fill the empty hearth

icon of local architecture and creator of several

them alight with construction paper flames. Later

love and a reflection of its owner’s passions.

with fake bags of money (#theaterlife) and set

on, I replaced my flagrant display of, uh, wealth

truly unique contemporary homes, each a labor of

If you, like me, live in a small space but adore

with a DIY campfire (harvested from a fallen

plants, you’ll want to check out the guide to

The mantel, too, serves as an ever-evolving display

Slate challenge (p. 67) offers different takes on a

branch), lit from within by twinkling LED lights. of what is important and interesting to me at the

moment — from a small shrine to Mr. Spock to a striking painting by local artist Peter Bedgood.

Whatever is there, it’s the first thing I see when

container gardening on p. 82. Our annual Blank striking midcentury modern piece of furniture. If on p. 14 are an excellent place to start.

I hope this issue inspires you to create the home

of your dreams, and to fill it with the activities and

Tyler and Molly Thrasher learned this when a

I’ll be out in my sunroom, taking selfies with my

fire home destroyed their first house in December

2016. Their incredible story on p. 43 of rebuilding

Anne Brockman Morgan Phillips Anna Bennett Judy Langdon John Langdon

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

Madeline Crawford Georgia Brooks Morgan Welch Michelle Pollard Valerie Grant Greg Bollinger

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Andrea Canada Steve Hopkins Betsy Slagle CONTROLLER Mary McKisick SUBSCRIPTIONS Gloria Brooks DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall

you’re redecorating on a budget, the flea markets

I come home every day.

In so many ways, home is a thing you make.

EDITOR CITY EDITOR DIGITAL EDITOR ARTS & BENEFITS EDITOR ONLINE CALENDAR EDITOR

objects that bring you joy. If anyone needs me,

MEMBER

TulsaPeople’s distribution is audited annually by

houseplants. TP

and renewing from the ashes is a truly extraordinary

vulnerable homeless neighbors. Though we’ve still

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.

Way Home For Tulsa is worth celebrating.

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.

testament to the power of love and community.

The “Zero Heroes” on p. 36 also are using love

and community to create homes — for our most

got a way to go, the impact of Built for Zero and A I love my old building, with all its quirks and

anachronisms (like the added-on sunroom in its full 1970s wood-panel glory). But Tulsa also is a

strong market for new home construction (p. 49).

Read more about the local housing market on 8

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

Anna Bennett DIGITAL EDITOR

1335 E. 11th St. Suite E., Tulsa, OK 74120 located on historic Route 66 jenkinsandcotulsa

@MODERNCOTTAGETULSA SHOPMODERNCOTTAGE.COM 1325 E. 15TH ST. STE 106

TulsaPeople.com

9

Mom, wife, daughter, cancer fighter.

Jennifer Thigpen Breast Cancer Patient

“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I wanted to fight with a team of doctors who were experts in my specific disease—just like the cancer specialists I found at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA). They explained all my options, answered my questions and had a real sense of urgency throughout my treatment. I also liked having everyone in one place working together focused on me. This kind of team approach is what made me want to come to CTCA®. And I’m so glad I did.”

No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results.

Call 800.515.9610 or visit cancercenter.com/tulsa Located in Tulsa

© 2017 Rising Tide

A Network Provider For

CITY DESK C A L E N D A R + C A U S E S + C U LT U R E

“A Waltz in the Woods,” a sculpture

by Patrick Dougherty.

He created it in 2015 at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Philadelphia.

ROB CARDILLO

I

LARGER THAN LIFE

f you have recently driven by the H.A. Chapman Centennial Green on East Sixth Street between South Boston Avenue and Main Street, you might have noticed an unusual, other-worldly art installation going up, resembling something out of “Game of Thrones” or “Harry Potter.”

The structure is actually the latest installation of “Stickwork” innovations by artist Patrick Dougherty, and the third project of Tulsa’s

Urban Core Art Project (UCAP). More than 200 local volunteers will assist Dougherty to install the piece branch-by-branch.

“It is our pleasure and delight to bring an internationally recognized temporary public artist to Tulsa who is designing a magical structure to engage and enliven an underutilized space,” says UCAP member Holbrook Lawson.

For more on Dougherty’s “Stickwork,” see p. 18.

TulsaPeople.com

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MARCH COMPIL ED BY JUDY L A NGDON

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1

Country sensation Easton Corbin plays The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

In support of his sixth studio album, “Undercurrent,” reggae, rock and hip hop artist Matisyahu performs at Cain’s Ballroom.

Chamber Music Tulsa welcomes Rebel Baroque to St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Tulsa ensemble Sheridan Road brings Duke Ellington’s jazz to the Tulsa PAC.

2

Get your fill of toe-tapping bluegrass, folk-rock and Americana with the Grammy-nominated Avett Brothers at Cox Business Center.

R&B legends Earth, Wind and Fire rock the Paradise Cove stage at the River Spirit Casino Resort.

3

The 2018 American Indian Festival of Words Circle of Honor Ceremony honors Henrietta Mann at Zarrow Regional Library. Mann is founding president of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal College.

Paradise Cove at the River Spirit Casino Resort welcomes singer/songwriter, vocalist and musician Steve Winwood, whose hits include “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “Roll With It.” Dance to the music of Bob Wills, the founder of Western swing, with the Texas Playboys and the Round Up Boys, at the Bob Wills Birthday Celebration at Cain’s Ballroom.

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TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

Watch university wrestlers grapple at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship at the BOK Center.

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6-11

Celebrity Attractions brings the national Broadway tour “Finding Neverland” to the Tulsa PAC for a six-day run.

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10-11

“Get a Kick Out of…” Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s annual Cole Porter Revue, featuring local vocalists and instrumentalists, at the Jazz Depot.

Grammy-winner Pink presents her “Beautiful Trauma World Tour” at the BOK Center.

Tulsa PAC Trust presents the Bart Center for Music for its free noontime Brown Bag It concert series.

8

Multi-award winning, legendary crooner Johnny Mathis brings more than a half-century of big hits to Paradise Cove at the River Spirit Casino Resort.

8-11

Spring fever? Get a sneak peek of spring this weekend at the Greater Tulsa Home and Garden Show at Expo Square.

9

The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino welcomes Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys.

American Theatre Co. presents the drama “A Steady Rain” at the Tulsa PAC.

Theatre Tulsa presents Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Into the Woods” at the Tulsa PAC. This is the last month for the Winter Farmers’ Market at the Brookside Whole Foods parking lot. Market repeats March 24.

Chamber Music Tulsa welcomes “Horszowski Trio with Masumi Per Rostad” at the Tulsa PAC. (Salon concert March 9 at Hardesty Arts Center downtown).

11

Stop by Woodland Hills Mall to hear Tulsa Youth Symphony’s Play-A-Thon Concert.

The Black Jacket Symphony will perform Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” in its entirety at the Brady Theater.

13

John Hewitt, president and CEO of Matrix Service Co., speaks at TU’s Friends of Finance at Allen Chapman Student Union.

PINK: COURTESY; REBEL BAROQUE: HOWARD GOODMAN

5

CH A RITA BLE E V EN T S 2 Doris Niles Night at the Round-Up Benefits Will Rogers High School Community Foundation.

WILLROGERSFOUNDATION.NET Memory Gala Benefits Alzheimer’s Association.

MEMORYGALA.ORG 3 Overture: A Speakeasy Experience Benefits TCC Foundation.

SIGNATURESYMPHONY.ORG Pennies for Pearls Music Trivia Charity Event Benefits American Parkinson Disease Association-Oklahoma Chapter.

APDAPARKINSON.ORG / OKLAHOMA Red Ribbon Gala Benefits Tulsa CARES. REDRIBBONGALA.ORG

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Attention, Baby Boomers: legendary rock-and-roll group Chicago hits the Paradise Cove stage at the River Spirit Casino Resort.

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Food for the Hungry presents Toby Mac’s Hits Deep Tour 2018, with Mandisa, Danny Gokey, Ryan Stevenson, Aaron Cole and Finding Favour, at the BOK Center.

Ante up for the World Series of Poker at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

The Brady Theater welcomes country singer/songwriter Justin Moore’s “Hell on a Highway Tour.”

16-18

The classic rags to riches/glass slipper story, en pointe: Tulsa Ballet presents “Cinderella” at the Tulsa PAC.

The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino welcomes multi award-winning singer/actress Olivia Newton-John.

Horse lovers, head to Expo Square Mustang Arena for the OK Pinto Spring Premier.

Ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer, age 13, winner of the “America’s Got Talent: Season 12,” appears with special guest Pelican 212 at the Brady Theater.

Hot Club of Cowtown and Jacob Tovar rock the Vanguard.

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30-31

Celebrate Irish music, culture and food at the family-friendly Tulsa Irish Festival at Guthrie Green.

NBCUNIVERSAL MEDIA LLC

Lorde brings her “North American Melodrama World Tour,” featuring Run the Jewels and Tove Styrke, to the BOK Center.

Where to take the kids during Spring Break?

Discovery Lab at Tulsa Children’s Museum offers three day camps for elementary students.

Grammy-winning music legend Ricky Skaggs is inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame at its gala and concert at the Mabee Center.

Spotlight Children’s Theatre presents “The Sleeping Beauty” at Tulsa Spotlight Theatre. Continues April 1, 6, 7 and 8.

Sapphire Celebration: Santorini Nights Benefits Riverfield Country Day School.

RIVERFIELD.ORG 8 Annual Banquet Benefits Mend Medical Clinic and Pregnancy Resource Center.

MENDPREGNANCY.ORG / BANQUET Women of the Year — Pinnacle Awards Benefits YWCA Tulsa.

TULSAPEARLPARTY.COM 9 Brainiac Ball Benefits Family and Children’s Services.

BRAINIACBALL.COM Vintage ’53 Benefits TSHA. TSHA.CC 10 Dance of the Two Moons: Wild Wild West Benefits Indian Health Care Resource Center.

IHCRC2MOONS.ORG

A Night of Focus Benefits Union Public Schools UNIONFOUNDATION.ORG Sip for Sight Gala Benefits Vizavance.

SIPFORSIGHT.COM 15 Tulsa Boys’ Home Women’s Association Bingo, Beer and Popcorn Benefits Tulsa Boys’ Home.

TULSABOYSHOME.ORG 17 CURAGEOUS Gala Benefits CURA for the World.

CURAFORTHEWORLD.ORG St. Patrick’s Day 5K Benefits Special Olympics Oklahoma.

SOOK.ORG 24 Carnivale: Stars and Stripes Benefits Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

BESTPARTYINTOWN.ORG 26 Hawaiian Dinner at Bluestone Steakhouse and Seafood Benefits Dress for Success.

TULSA.DRESSFORSUCCESS.ORG 29 Theatre Tulsa Season Announcement Party Benefits Theatre Tulsa.

THEATRETULSA.ORG 31 Citywide Baby Shower Benefits Emergency Infant Services.

EISTULSA.ORG / EVENTS Meows and Howls Benefits Sapulpa Furry Friends.

SAPULPAFURRYFRIENDS.ORG Sip for Sight Grand Wine Tasting Benefits Vizavance.

SIPFORSIGHT.COM

EDITOR’S NOTE: TULSAPEOPLE IS A SPONSOR OF THE HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS.

TulsaPeople.com

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WHERE TO …

SHOP ON SUNDAY As spring approaches, it’s the perfect time to refresh a home. Whether you’re looking for hidden treasures, thrifty bargains or upscale antiques, each of these three Sunday flea markets provide an opportunity for Tulsans to find their new favorite furnishing.

Admiral Flea Market

918 Flea Market

First Street Flea

For the thrifty shopper, Admiral Flea Market’s 300-plus booths offer everything needed to furnish a home, from fine china and armoires to bedroom sets and kitchen essentials.

Cali McMickle, the daughter of the founders, enjoys working with three generations of her family at the flea market, which has been family-owned and operated for over 30 years. “It’s like an old-fashioned garage sale,” she says.

The newly opened 918 Flea Market is tapping into an iconic part of Tulsa’s Route 66 history. Each Sunday, the pink domed Rose Bowl Event Center that formerly housed a bowling alley becomes a source for upscale flea market items. From midcentury modern furniture to Southwest native decor to local artwork, an eclectic collection of items offer something for every shopper.

“I’m pretty picky,” says flea market owner Blake Lund.

Food trucks are available outside. Vendors will can be found outside, too, weather permitting.

Housed in a downtown building covered in giant murals and public art, First Street Flea has become a hot after-brunch destination, says flea market coordinator Rhonda Hinrichs. Popular finds include midcentury modern furniture, but 1970s and ’80s decor also has been rising in popularity.

“We aim for an East Coast/West Coast flea market vibe, similar to Brooklyn Flea in New York and Melrose Trading Post in Los Angeles,” Hinrichs says. “Our vendors are very eclectic with a chic, bohemian vibe.”

9401 E. Admiral Place 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday; indoor booths open at 9 a.m.

Free admission. admiralfleamarket.com

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TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

7419 E. 11th St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday Free admission. facebook.com/918fleamarket

856 E. Admiral Blvd.

9 a.m.-4 p.m., the first Sunday of every month (check Facebook for exceptions) Free admission. facebook.com/firststreetflea TP

VALERIE GRANT; 918 FLEA MARKET: BLAKE LUND

BY ABIGAIL SINGREY

Colon Cancer Awareness Month

Back row: Erin Williamson, APRN-CNP; Stephen Medina, M.D.; Sarah Oberste, D.O.; Harvey A Tatum, M.D.; Richard Seifert, M.D.; Jeffrey Hunt, D.O. Front row: Christopher Lynch, M.D.; Amjad Mreyoud, M.D.; Ricahrd Jesudass, M.D.; Daniel Eshaghian, D.O.; Rose Ramirez, PA-C

Get Screened

Colon cancer is a highly treatable and even preventable form of cancer.

Unfortunately, when not caught early, it is also very deadly.

Important colon cancer facts: Your estimated lifetime risk of developing colon cancer is 1 in 15.

A 50-year-old has about a 1 in 4 chance of having a precancerous polyp.

A 30-minute colonoscopy could save your life.

Screening for colon cancer should begin by age 50. African Americans should start by age 45. Those with a family history of colon cancer should also start earlier.

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UTICAPARKCLINIC.COM

NOTEBOOK

BY MORGA N PHILLIP S

ONE CITY, ONE LEAGUE

USS TULSA CREW VISITS TULSA “Navy life is challenging, but the support shown by the people of Tulsa and the sense of connectedness we left with put our job into perspective and drives us to excel every day.”

— Cmdr. Drew A. Borovies, U.S. Navy commanding officer of the USS Tulsa, in a letter to the City of Tulsa dated Dec. 1, 2017.

Crew members of the USS Tulsa, a littoral combat ship to be commissioned in late 2018 or early 2019, visited Tulsa in September. Their tour included the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, where they visited an exhibit on the original USS Tulsa, a gunboat that served from 1923-1944 under that name.

Coding bootcamp graduates first group Ten Tulsans are on their way to becoming software developers since graduating from Coding Dojo, Tulsa’s first “coding bootcamp.” The group is the first to graduate since Coding Dojo-Tulsa launched in partnership with the George Kaiser Family Foundation in August 2017. It operates from 36 Degrees North. The 14-week bootcamp teaches participants web development skills such as how to build and manage a website.

Coding Dojo, which has seven campuses across the U.S., estimates there are more than 1,400 developer jobs and 114 tech startups in the Tulsa metro. “Tulsa is the smallest market for us, but I think it has the most potential,” says Ty Towry, Coding Dojo’s local community manager.

Voices of Oklahoma “There is no money because the legislature and the governor want to give tax breaks, and we don’t have the money there to give these tax breaks. We’re just cutting education right back to the bone and beyond. I mean, we’ve done all the little cutting. Now, these are big cuts. Every time you cut a teacher, especially in a main area of discipline, that’s a cut.”

— Former state legislator PENNY WILLIAMS commenting in 2012 in support of state funding for public education. Williams was a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1981-1988 and a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 1989-2004.

“Voices of Oklahoma” is an oral history project supported by the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities at the University of Tulsa. John Erling founded the project in 2009.

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TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

VOICES: COURTESY; ROLLER DERBY: NICOLE SULLIVAN/SULLIVAN PHOTO + DESIGN; USS TULSA: SHANNON KLINE

Tulsa’s two women’s roller derby leagues have formed the Tulsa Elite, a competitive travel team that will participate in its first out-of-state competition April 14 against the Cen-Tex Rollergirls in Temple, Texas.

Members of the Roughneck Roller Derby and Tulsa County Roller Derby leagues say formation of the Elite team is a first step toward merging the two leagues in 2019 under a yet-to-be-determined name.

“We have all this talent and a big group of skaters in Tulsa, but not enough involvement to support both leagues,” explains Jessica Coleman, a member of both leagues and the merger committee. Having a single women’s roller derby league in Tulsa will create a stronger and more competitive league to represent Tulsa within the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, the international governing body for the sport, she says.

For now, both leagues’ home teams will continue to compete locally, while some league members also will compete for the Tulsa Elite. Coleman says the leagues have a total of more than 60 members.

2018 Spring Series

Make plans to join us for our continuing series of Medical Town Hall events, where Saint Francis Health System physicians discuss a wide range of healthcare topics and answer questions about medical conditions that may affect you.

Thursday, March 8

Thursday, March 29

New Advances in the Treatment of Heart Valve Disease Join interventional cardiologist Dr. Sanjeev Trehan of Warren Clinic Cardiology to learn more about valvular heart disease, its signs and symptoms, and how heart valve conditions are treated. Ask your questions on this and other common conditions affecting the heart.

Sleep Disorders Q&A Dr. Michael McLaughlin and Dr. Satish Bhadriraju from the Saint Francis Sleep Disorders Center will lead a discussion on why sleep is so important to your overall physical and mental health.

Learn more about the signs and symptoms of sleep problems, and how they are diagnosed and treated.

Michael McLaughlin, D.O.

Sanjeev Trehan, M.D.

Satish Bhadriraju, M.D.

Thursday, April 26

Allergy and Ear, Nose and Throat Q&A Join Warren Clinic specialists Dr. Lynn Wiens and Dr. Andrew Gaut for a discussion about concerns related to allergies; ear, nose and throat; as well as conditions of the head and neck.

Ask your questions and learn about available care and treatment options.

Lynn Wiens, M.D.

Andrew Gaut, M.D.

All sessions are free to the public.

Location: Saint Francis Hospital Education Center, 6161 South Yale Avenue, east side of hospital building (access Warren Way from 61st Street) Time: Refreshments – 5:30 p.m.

Program – 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Moderator: Dr. Kenneth Piper To make a reservation, please call 918-494-1448 or email events@saintfrancis.com.

For event and parking information, please visit saintfrancis.com.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

SPREADING HER WINGS

Gleeful Peacock founder will launch edgier line of jewelry and apparel.

BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

I

t was 2009. Unhappy in her job, Nikki Halgren was ready for a change.

With plenty of sales experience but no formal art training, Halgren dove in, creating Gleeful Peacock, her Internet-based jewelry and accessory company. What started as a side hustle quickly turned into a full-time career with jewelry sales across the U.S. Nearly a decade later, Halgren is taking on a new creative challenge. This spring she’ll launch an edgier line of jewelry and apparel she calls Rebel Heart Society.

“A creative person has to look inward and pay attention to how they change and evolve,” Halgren says. “When I started Gleeful Peacock, I was a completely different person. I had a young daughter. I was cardigans and ballet flats. Now I’m a single mom of a teenager, and I’m braids and trucker hats and boots. I’ve evolved into a different version of myself.”

According to Halgren, a health crisis and some personnel challenges in her company prompted this new venture.

“I had a rough couple of years,” she says. “I had to find a lot of inner strength. Gleeful Peacock was about being happy and colorful, but starting Rebel Heart was more about harnessing my

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stronger side, the side of me that had to be a tougher chick.”

While she still loves her work at Gleeful Peacock, she’s excited about her new products, which will include jewelry to wear “from a board room to a bar crawl,” she says. “It will give me the freedom to be a bit more rebellious … the opportunity to express myself under a bigger umbrella.”

For more about Halgren’s jewelry, visit gleeful peacock.com. Her new site, rebelheartsociety.com, will launch mid-spring. TP

Two years ago, Holbrook Lawson saw the work of Patrick Dougherty, an internationally known sculptor who builds temporary work, on CBS’ “Sunday Morning.”

“I knew immediately he would be perfect for Tulsa,” says Lawson, a member of Tulsa Urban Core Art Project, an off-shoot of the Tulsa Arts Commission.

Based in North Carolina, Dougherty creates “Stickwork” sculptures using flexible saplings that are usually native to the areas in which he works — from St. Louis, Missouri, to Hawaii, Scotland and Australia. Each installation takes three weeks to construct.

Thanks to public and private donations, Dougherty will build his latest sculpture in Tulsa this month at the H.A. Chapman Centennial Green, 601 S. Main St. The artist came here a year ago to get a feel for the city and its native trees, though he will create the piece in a reactive style, continuing to adapt the work as it grows. “As I work, I decide things like where to put the windows and doors for the best impact, which way an element should lean — into its neighbor or away, how the surface needs to look to create a feeling of motion,” he says.

Dougherty will begin harvesting saplings March 5 on properties managed by Up With Trees and from a sandbar in the Arkansas River.

Local volunteers will assist him with construction March 5-23. The completed installation opens to the public March 23 and will remain for one year.

To coincide with the opening, 108 Contemporary, 108 E. M.B. Brady St., will present, “Shelter: Patrick Dougherty and Rachel Hayes,” a collaboration of color photographs of Dougherty installations and the works of local fiber artist Rachel Hayes through March 25. — JUDY LANGDON Help build Tulsa’s “Stickwork” sculpture.

Register as a volunteer at ucaptulsa.com.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: VALERIE GRANT; DOUGHERTY: BRIANNA BROUGH/CHAPEL HILL MAGAZINE

TULSA WELCOMES ‘STICKWORK’ ARTIST

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“FROM PRAHA TO PRAGUE: CZECHS IN AN OKLAHOMA FARM TOWN” BY PHILIP D. SMITH · An assistant professor of history at Tulsa Community College explores the experience of Czech immigrants in small-town Oklahoma.

BUSINESS CYCLE

Tulsan develops start-up subscription service for women.

BY JANE ZEMEL

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“WHERE THE DEAD SIT TALKING”

BY BRANDON HOBSON · Two youths in foster care bond over their past and their Native American heritage in this novel set in rural Oklahoma.

Cheyenne Smith, a graduate of Charles Page High School in Sand Springs, founded the DollHer Monthly Club. Above, some of DollHer’s products.

Visit dollhermonthlyclub.com for more information.

door with a surprise of some sort that customers love,” Smith says. “There are aspects of Birchbox, Groupon and Amazon all integrated into our boxes, but we specifically provide (a woman) exactly what she needs throughout her entire menstrual cycle.”

Dollhermonthlyclub.com visitors can also read the company blog, The Rag; and shop online for a “Bloated” crop top or patches with phrases like “Ova achiever” or “Vadge of honor.” TP

“VISIONS OF GRACE” BY LEADERS OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF TULSA · Filled with photos of congregants worshipping and serving, this liturgical art book celebrates anniversaries of First Pres and of the Protestant Reformation.

BIZ WHIZ: VALERIE GRANT

local start-up is seeking to modernize a biological phenomenon and make it more convenient. DollHer is a subscription business that delivers a customized mix of pads, tampons and liners to women in Oklahoma and beyond.

For $15 month-to-month, or $12 a month with a three-month subscription, females can skip shopping for supplies.

DollHer started as an entrepreneurship assignment. In 2016, Tulsan Cheyenne Smith and two University of Oklahoma classmatesturned-co-founders adapted the successful Dollar Shave business model to feminine hygiene products. Their tagline? “Because Her menstruation deserves appreciation.”

A professor encouraged the trio to apply to OU’s exclusive accelerator program. DollHer was one of three groups selected from 20 hopefuls.

That professor, Ron Bolen, now sits on the company’s advisory board. Smith is CEO, Jade Freeman serves as chief financial officer, and M’ary Miller is chief operating officer. The yearold company employs two interns.

Ultimately, DollHer focuses on female empowerment, education and creating a community that helps girls and women feel confident about their bodies and their health. The company also partners with other women-owned businesses with similar missions.

Smith says DollHer stands out among bigger online retailers such as Amazon because of its customizable experience. “There’s something about an adorably designed package arriving at the

“THE SMELL OF THE LIGHT: VIETNAM, 1968-69, AS TOLD THROUGH PERSONAL POEMS”

BY BILL MCCLOUD · The poetry of Oklahoman and U.S. Army veteran McCloud takes the reader through his year in Vietnam.

The University of Tulsa

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POSTGAME Dr. Byron Tucker practices at Endodontic Specialists of Northeast Oklahoma. Below, the undated photo was taken after one of Tucker’s many wrestling victories for the University of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State competes against North Dakota State at the 2017 Big 12 Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center.

TULSA HOSTS BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Endodontist recalls his days as a national champion wrestler.

BY DOUG EATON

T

he University of Oklahoma has enjoyed its share of national champions, but few could match the drive and determination exhibited by former Sooner wrestler Dr. Byron Tucker.

Tucker, now an endodontist with Endodontic Specialists of Northeast Oklahoma in Tulsa, was a three-time all-state wrestler who graduated from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. Undefeated his senior year, he finished with a 40-0 record and claimed the Virginia state title in the 152-pound weight class.

Tucker traveled to Norman on a recruiting visit and accepted the Sooners’ scholarship offer, feeling he could achieve his goals there as a student athlete. He says the transition from high school to college wrestling was not that difficult or different.

“I just needed to believe that I was good enough,” Tucker recalls.

Experiencing a sensational freshman year on the mat, Tucker’s record was 24-10, and he placed third in the Big 8 Conference meet. He followed that with successful sophomore and junior seasons as he claimed second and third place, respectively, in the Big 12 Conference meet. Each year he advanced to the NCAA national tournament.

That is when his wrestling career took a slight detour. Tucker decided to redshirt the 1998-99 season, his senior season.

“I was fearful of failure,” says the highly driven Tucker. “I needed time to get away and refocus.”

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That time away paid huge dividends. He completed his senior season with a perfect 34-0 record and captured the national championship in the 174-pound weight class.

“I simply had the mindset to go out and do my best each match,” he says. “I couldn’t guarantee I would win, but I could guarantee that I would give it my all.”

Tucker finished his collegiate career with 109 victories. He considered working toward the Olympics but took the path of dentistry instead.

Looking back, he says wrestling taught him how to set a goal and pursue it. “It taught me about working hard and doing my best.” TP

I

POSTGAME: VALERIE GRANT; OU: COURTESY OU ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS; BIG 12: COURTESY TULSA SPORTS COMMISSION

MEMORIES ON THE MAT

n recent years, Tulsa has hosted numerous regional and big-league sporting events, thanks in part to one award-winning downtown venue.

“The BOK Center has become a premier destination for bringing sports to Tulsa. It is a crown jewel,” says Vince Trinidad, executive director of the Tulsa Sports Commission.

The nonprofit TSC plays a key role in attracting major amateur sporting events to Tulsa, such as the first and second rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament in 2011, 2017 and 2019, as well as the Big 12 baseball championships in 2015.

Attracting and retaining the level of premier events is an ongoing and challenging process, according to Trinidad. “The NCAA awards bids on a four-year cycle,” he says.

“Our local partners step up by providing sponsorships and buying tickets, aiding our success in the bidding process. Plus, the growth and development of hotels and restaurants in downtown is an important element.”

After setting an attendance record last year, the Big 12 Wrestling Championships will return to the BOK Center March 3-4.

Oklahoma State will defend its Big 12 title and aim for its fifth consecutive team title. The Cowboys will be joined by Big 12 members Iowa State, Oklahoma and West Virginia, along with affiliate members Air Force, Fresno State, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, University of Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

Tickets are available at bokcenter.com and the BOK Center box office. Prices depend upon seat location and session. — DOUG EATON

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Talmadge Powell of TPC Studios, Carnivale Co-chairs Ted and Shiela Haynes, and Todd Pyland of TPC Studios discuss details of Carnivale 2018: Stars and Stripes.

PASSIONS

MEET AND GREET

Gala billed as ‘The Best Party in Town’ addresses veteran homelessness.

BY GAIL BANZET-ELLIS

O

in preparation. TPC Studios representatives say rganizers behind Mental Health Associhighlights will be kept a surprise until the night ation Oklahoma’s annual Carnivale fundof the event. raiser have spent the past year planning a special celebration to support those confronting Carnivale organizers hope to raise $1.2 milveteran homelessness due to mental health and lion to directly benefit the Mental Health Association’s Housing First program. The nationally substance abuse issues. recognized model provides housing and other Carnivale 2018: Stars and Stripes will welcome support services to individuals in need who have hundreds of guests to the Cox Business Center on March 24 for a World War II-themed victomental health conditions. ry party. Event co-chairs The Haynes are closely connected to veteran iniTed and Shiela Haynes MARCH 24 — tiatives and suggested the teamed up with TPC CARNIVALE 2018: STARS AND STRIPES Stars and Stripes theme to Studios to create a nos6:30 p.m. Cox Business Center, 100 Civic spotlight homeless vetertalgic evening of dinner Center. Sponsorships start at $2,000. Benefits and dancing. The 16-piece ans. They are proud parMental Health Association Oklahoma. ents of a son, Carter, in band Liquid Blue will play Visit bestpartyintown.org the U.S. Army, and Shiela Big Band tunes during is the niece of a Vietnam the meal. “After dinner, veteran who once struggled with homelessness. the band will continue with Carnivale’s signature dance party,” Shiela says.

She says Carnivale 2018 will honor those like In collaboration with Mental Health Associher uncle who served their country. “We want to capture the spirit of optimism that existed in the ation staff and a committee of volunteers, more nation at the end of World War II.” TP than 50 people have dedicated at least 500 hours

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TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

On his job as Union High’s director of forensics, which includes competitive speech and debate: I consider the debate team an extension of my family. When I say “my kids,” I frequently have to specify if I mean my biological kids or my debate kids. The community this generates functions as a needed support mechanism for many students, and it’s also a great source of joy for me.

On disagreeing in the age of social media: Debaters must learn restraint in the practice of the argumentative skills they develop. It does no good to win an argument if you must belittle someone in the process. An effective debater can make their point in a respectful manner. Comment sections online are often filled with vitriol and name-calling. One important thing successful debaters are able to do is have a discussion about controversial topics without getting rattled or making someone else upset.

On debate and Gen Z: We now live in a time of information overload. This makes the ability to comprehend, analyze and categorize information quickly extremely helpful. Scholastic debate provides a competitive platform to hone this skill.

— JULIE WENGER WATSON

PASSIONS: VALERIE GRANT; MEET AND GREET: GREG BOLLINGER

PATRIOTIC PARTY

NAME: Christian Jones AGE: 39 KNOWN FOR: Being the National Speech and Debate Association’s Oklahoma Educator of the Year.

Toyland Ball

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1. Patrons Leslie Paris and Ken Ray Underwood 2. Melody Hughes was the event planner for the “Under the Sea”-themed gala.

3. Volunteers Dave Sartin and Mary Ann Allbritton, left, sold entries for the “Moody’s and Martinis” drawing.

The winner received a $2,000 gift certificate from Moody’s.

4. Larry Hicks and his wife, PCCT Board President Carole Huff Hicks 5. Patrons Kristin and Jamie McCoy

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FRANCINE’S PHOTOGRAPHY AND DOWNING EVENTS

The Parent Child Center of Tulsa’s annual signature fundraising event, Toyland Ball, was a black-tie gala Jan. 20 at the Cox Business Center. Approximately 475 patrons enjoyed an elegant evening of dinner and dancing with a live auction. The event raised $585,000.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Guardian Angel Award to Ruth and Al R.D. Sowards for their significant contributions of time, talent and resources to further PCCT’s mission to prevent child abuse and neglect through education, treatment and advocacy.

Monarch Ball Domestic Violence Intervention Services’ two largest events were paired for one weekend.

Monarch Ball was Jan. 26 at Southern Hills Country Club, followed by the Best of Brunch on Jan. 27 at the Mayo Hotel.

The ball was a night of drinks, dinner and dancing. The Best of Brunch featured a mimosa and Bloody Mary bar and bites from some of Tulsa’s best brunch spots. Together, the events raised more than $400,000 for DVIS.

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JOHN BIVENS

1. Patrons Debbie and Crystal McDaniel and Tracy Spears at Monarch Ball 2. Patron Misti Center enjoyed dancing and butterfl y confetti.

3. Patrons Vic and Madelyn Tackett 4. Monarch Ball’s theme was “The Wonder of It All.” 5. Dallas-based band Professor D delighted guests with their smooth moves and energetic sound.

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Junior League of Tulsa Mentorship Luncheon

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The Junior League of Tulsa’s sixth annual Mentorship Luncheon was Jan. 25 at Southern Hills Country Club. Carol Scott, president of the Association of Junior Leagues International and CEO of the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage, California, was the local chapter’s special guest and keynote speaker.

The Mentorship Luncheon helps JLT fund its scholarship program and supports the mission of training and developing women leaders and highly effective community volunteers. At the luncheon, JLT awarded $10,000 in college scholarships to four women: Minna Apostolova, Laurel Reynolds, Joy Block and Edna Boggs.

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Bishop Kelley Trivia Night

1. Scholarship recipients Block, Apostolova, Reynolds and Boggs 2. The menu was prepared by the staff at event venue Southern Hills Country Club.

3. Camille Fazel, luncheon chairwoman; keynote speaker Carol Scott; and JLT President Molly Aspan 4. Approximately 175 people attended the luncheon.

More than 1,400 guests had the chance to correctly answer 75 trivia questions at Bishop Kelley High School’s 20th annual BK Trivia Night, a sold-out fundraiser Jan. 20.

Each year BK Trivia Night is hosted by the BK class celebrating its 25th reunion that year. The hosting Class of ’93 provided the masters of ceremonies and volunteers and chose the event theme, “Let’s Get Social.”

1. According to school officials, reservations for BK Trivia Night go on sale the second Monday in October each year, and all 142 tables sell out that day.

2. Robin Lewis, BK advancement event coordinator and coordinator for BK Trivia Night; and Mi Le Tran and Kathy Turner, two BK parent volunteers. BK Trivia Night utilized a total of 140 volunteers.

3. Masters of ceremonies Matthew Dowdell and Liz Lamers (Class of ’93) 4. Three teams tied for first place and went to play-offs. The overall winner was Team Fravel, pictured.

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BISHOP KELLEY: LAUREN HILLENBERG; JUNIOR LEAGUE: JULIA DIXON

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NEWS TO YOU

PEPPERS CELEBRATES FOUR DECADES

COURTING SUCCESS AT TULSA’S TUCKER TENNIS ACADEMY Tucker Tennis Academy at Racquet and Health 91, 3030 E. 91st St., offers coaching and tennis classes for players of all ages and skill levels. Since opening in 2000, TTA’s training methods have been nationally and internationally recognized.

“Players come to TTA from all over the world to take advantage of our experience and proven model of success,” says founder Trent Tucker.

TTA has the only teaching staff in Oklahoma with seven High Performance-certified coaches who have global teaching and playing experience at all levels of the game.

One of only six U.S. Tennis Association certified regional training centers, TTA was awarded the Best Developmental Training program in America in 2014. As a result of its success, TTA students have been awarded more than $2 million in scholarships from universities nationwide since 2011.

RH91’s facility includes three new clay courts and is the only club in Oklahoma with two dedicated pickle ball courts.

Also making TTA stand out is its 3-D motion video analysis department — the only one in the U.S. Its computerized strength training machines, matched with state-of-the-art 3-D video, is unrivaled in performance training anywhere in the world.

TTA continues to raise the bar in tennis instruction, education and fitness with the club undergoing a multimillion dollar renovation.

For more information about TTA coaches and programs, call RH91 at 918-298-9500 or visit tuckertennis.com.

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Hayli and Adam Leavitt, Brainiac Ball co-chairs

BRAINIAC BALL TAKES ON SHERLOCK HOLMES THEME

Brainiac Ball, benefiting Family and Children’s Services, is an annual trivia competition set for March 9 at the Cox Business Center. Patrons will travel back in time with Sherlock Holmes and Watson during an evening of cocktails, dinner, trivia, dancing and a live auction.

Brainiac Ball helps fund over 50 life-changing programs offered through Family and Children’s Services that help one in six Tulsans each year.

Tickets and sponsorships are still available. One of 200 Golden Tickets will win a dream trip valued at $5,000 or more. To purchase tickets and find out more about Brainiac Ball, visit brainiacball.com.

Women of the Year — Pinnacle Award winners gather with Mayor G.T. Bynum before the March 8 presentation. Front: Premadonna Braddick, Deborah Hunter, Bynum, Kathy Taylor and Priya Raju. Back: Carola Munoz de Cote, Faatimah McLemore, Reneé Sites, Kimberly Johnson, Julie Miller-Cribbs and Kimberly Teehee. Not pictured: Ginger Lewis.

10 WOMEN TO BE HONORED MARCH 8

Tickets are now on sale for the Women of the Year — Pinnacle Awards event, “The Pearl Party,” hosted by YWCA Tulsa and the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women. The event will be 5:308:30 p.m., March 8, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Downtown Tulsa. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased at tulsapearlparty.com. Sponsorships are still available.

Each year, the Women of the Year — Pinnacle Awards honor 10 of Tulsa’s brightest female leaders. This Grammys-style, star-studded showcase features empowered women, enlightened men and riveting entertainment. Winners embody the mission of YWCA Tulsa: eliminating racism and empowering women. These women are role models in their professions, take risks on behalf of others, perform community services and advocate for women’s issues and concerns.

This year, the 10 honorees are: Carola Munoz de Cote, Deborah Hunter, Premadonna Braddick, Kimberly Teehee, Faatimah McLemore, Julie Miller-Cribbs, Kimberly Johnson, Ginger Lewis, Priya Raju and Reneé Sites. Kathy Taylor will receive the Anna C. Roth Legacy Award.

BRAINIAC BALL: GREGG SHIPMAN PHOTOGRAPHY; YWCA: COURTESY

Peppers Grill and Cantina will celebrate its 40th anniversary in March.

The restaurant, which opened on March 18, 1978, at the original East 61st Street and South Sheridan Road location, is now located at 1950 Utica Square and 2809 E. 91st St. The restaurant, known for its casual atmosphere, friendly service, and homemade Tex-Mex and Southwestern food specialties, will celebrate the anniversary March 12-18 with 99 cent margaritas each day and night and half-price appetizers each day from 4-6 p.m. Pictured are: Felipe Jesus Rodriguez, kitchen manager at the Utica square location and a 20-year Peppers’ employee; Tasha Barley, general manager at Utica Square and a 25-year employee; co-owner and co-founder Rick McFeely; Amanda DeLaTorre, general manager at the 91st Street location and an employee for 29 years; and Maria Elzy, prep cook at Utica Square and an employee for 30 years. Not pictured is co-owner Rik Helmerich. The founders of Peppers in 1978 were McFeely, Nick Samara, Don Jones and the late Fred Zimmer.

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Mark Graham is stepping down as president and CEO of the Tulsa Area United Way. During his tenure, the organization raised more than a quarter-billion dollars for the TAUW’s partner agencies.

Seeing BEYOND himself MARK GRAHAM TO RETIRE AS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE TULSA AREA UNITED WAY

BY ANNE BROCKMAN

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s a newly minted volunteer for the Tulsa Area United Way, Mark Graham’s first assignment was to gather donations door-to-door. This was the early ’80s, and the bright-eyed, 20-something banker was assigned to a part of town he had never visited. The native Tulsan took the experience to heart.

“It was one of those life lessons that stayed with me the rest of my life. I think it helped, in some way, guide me here,” says Graham, who will retire as TAUW president and CEO April 1. “With few exceptions, every person I asked gave money. I was convinced, and still am to this day, that because they were making the decision to give a dollar or five dollars, meant that something else didn’t happen in their life,” whether that was food on the table or filling the gas tank.

That sacrifice resonated with Graham, who had volunteered to help the United Way to impress his banking bosses. But, what resulted was more than three decades of dedication to an organization that has left an indelible mark on the community.

LIFE’S PATH

Graham, a University of Oklahoma journalism school graduate, helped put himself through college working as a bank teller, so it was a natural fit when he moved back to Tulsa for a job with Sooner Federal Savings and Loan.

It was Sooner Federal’s bank chairman who asked for volunteers that fateful day — the day that eventually put Graham on the path to philanthropic work. Throughout his for-profit career in banking and in health insurance at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Graham joined and led TAUW campaign teams. The connection remained.

As Graham saw his time in the for-profit world coming to a close, he and his wife, Kirsten, spent two years contemplating the family’s next move.

“I knew that I had done what I wanted to do: check all those boxes in my career in the for-profit 34

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

world,” Graham says. Ultimately, he knew he wanted to become fluent, if not very proficient, in Spanish. In April 2007, he left Blue Cross Blue Shield and got on a plane to Puebla, Mexico, where he would immerse himself in the language and culture. That August, Kirsten and he both moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, a destination they had visited previously and loved. It also checked off a personal goal to live in a large metropolitan city somewhere in the world.

Before Graham began his sabbatical, he learned that the TAUW would be launching a search to replace its retiring president and CEO, Kathleen Coan. Graham was “interested in hearing more.”

“When this job opened up, I knew it was what I should do so to make a big impact for the community,” he says.

The opportunity forced him and his wife to rethink the sabbatical, but he was still able to learn Spanish. “I can’t say I’m fluent, but I’m pretty good,” he says.

TRIAL BY ICE

In December 2007, Graham returned to Tulsa expecting a typical 30-day transition with Coan.

But when the 2007 ice storm froze Tulsa to its core, a traditional passing of the baton just couldn’t happen.

The offices of the TAUW and its partner agencies were closed. Tulsans, including those dependent on the services provided by the TAUW and its agencies, were in dire straits.

Graham recalls the challenge: “I’m in as a new leader trying to understand my role, let alone manage and function in a disaster situation,” he says.

It was imperative to look at what the agencies needed to survive: basic needs, food, grant subsidies, client access, technology support. He wanted to assure them that in terms of financial support and emergency funding, the TAUW would stand behind them.

“It was an exceptional learning opportunity for me, someone leading a new organization that the community is deeply dependent on,” he says.

“There was a certain understanding that you just had to be successful.”

COURTESY TULSA AREA UNITED WAY

AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The trials of that desperate time only set Graham and his team up for success.

During Graham’s tenure, campaigns raised $252,759,483. In those 10 years alone, the organization has raised about a third of what the TAUW had done over 90 years.

Campaign goals met or exceeded expectations each year. In 2012, the goal was exceeded by more than $1 million. In 2014, it surpassed $26 million for the first time in its 94-year history.

Tulsa has changed dramatically in the past 90 years. Graham recognized that from the beginning and has championed diversity throughout the organization, tapping into under-represented community voices and perspectives.

When he came to the TAUW, only 25 percent of board members were female. Today, the ratio of men to women is nearly equal.

In 2013, the Tulsa Area United Way launched its Emerging Leaders Society with Over The Edge, a rappelling event that raised funds for the organization. Here, Mark Graham takes the plunge.

Graham had a direct role in creating three new groups that target different United Way supporters.

In 2011, the Women’s Leadership Council was established to cultivate female leaders to create positive change in the community through focused investment of time, talent and financial resources.

In 2013, the Emerging Leaders Society was created to prepare the next generation of leaders and philanthropists. ELS is focused on identifying those in their 20s through 40s who have a passion for giving back to the community.

In 2016, the Live United Network was created so small businesses can support the United Way. Graham says he wanted to ensure that the TAUW remained relevant in the community without resting on its laurels and to recognize how the community is changing — including its needs, the donors, those needing help and how to connect people with services.

He also came into his position looking toward the future. An early imperative was to develop a five-year leadership succession plan to not only help the TAUW volunteer leaders plan, but also to help foster and develop relationships that would move it forward. The plan, which involves a year each as incoming campaign chair, campaign chair and board chair, taps individuals up to five years before their roles are assumed.

LOOKING BACK

During the past decade, the TAUW’s significant growth has made it among the 30th-largest of all 1,400 United Ways. That growth has led to countless individuals impacted by the United Way. As Graham closes this chapter in his life, he thinks about how the TAUW has affected him.

Seven partner agencies have helped his family over the past decade.

He has made lifelong friends through the organization, including Emeka Nnaka, a “face” of the TAUW. In 2009, Nnaka suffered a devastating neck and spinal cord injury.

“Many people in many different circumstances look to the United Way and our partner agencies as places of hope until they have the hope themselves,” Graham says of Nnaka, who was served by the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges and Ability Resources.

“To me, Emeka exemplifies hope, what we strive to make available to others to run with.”

Like Graham, Alison Anthony, his successor, is no stranger to the United Way. She has served on the organization’s board, helped launch the Women’s Leadership Council and chaired its strategic planning initiative. She will assume the role of president and CEO in April.

“She’s a powerhouse,” Graham says, noting Anthony’s extensive knowledge of the nonprofit world and experience working at Williams, the Williams Foundation and the Tulsa Community College Foundation.

What’s next? It’s a question Graham gets a lot.

As he maneuvers through retirement, which he is sure will include travel and volunteering, he knows that a set plan isn’t always followed.

Sometimes simply raising your hand to volunteer, as he did back in 1982, takes one on a terrific adventure.

“Sitting here and looking back,” Graham says, “I do think it was a launching pad, unbeknownst to me, that got me involved in community work, got me seeing beyond myself and thinking how you can leverage what you do to do more and be better.” TP TulsaPeople.com

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TULSA’S

FI V E I N DI V I DUA LS WOR K I NG TO HOUSE THOSE EX PER I ENC I NG C H RON IC HOM ELESSN ESS

BY TIM LANDES 36

Noe Rodriguez is a rapid-response homeless outreach coordinator for Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

Michelle Pearson and Mack Haltom, standing, visit with guests at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. Pearson and Haltom are part of the Center’s case management team, working to find permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness.

T

hree years ago, a coalition of agencies came together in an attempt to end chronic and veteran homelessness in Tulsa. What was intended as a two-year project to house 385 people has turned into an ongoing effort that has resulted in more than 1,000 Tulsans housed.

The local project Built for Zero Tulsa is part of a national initiative of more than 70 communities that was launched in 2015 by the New York-based nonprofit Community Solutions.

Approximately 6,500 homeless individuals flow through Tulsa shelters annually. Although many are temporary situations, some face chronic homelessness. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the latter group faces disabling conditions and has been continuously homeless for at least a year or at least four times in the past three years.

“The issues that lead to homelessness are widely varied: poverty, domestic violence, abuse, medical conditions that drained financial resources, legal problems and more,” says Greer Fites, 2018 chairwoman of A Way Home for Tulsa and Built for Zero Tulsa. “Because of this, and in order to tackle the issues, a wide variety of team players is needed to address these issues with homeless individuals.”

Built for Zero, originially called Zero: 2016, is one project facilitated by A Way Home for Tulsa, which includes 24 organizations working togeth-

er to assist those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Their goal is to reach a “functional zero,” which means there are more housing units than individuals who need them.

Built for Zero, both nationally and here in Tulsa, is focused on ending chronic and veteran homelessness. These individuals are most at-risk and require the most resources.

The following five people are working hard alongside many more Tulsans to streamline processes, share information and work together in an attempt to end homelessness in our city.

They are known as Zero Heroes.

MACK HALTOM AND MICHELLE PEARSON Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless For nearly two decades, Haltom has worked for the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. He started at the front desk before becoming a case manager.

Today he serves as the center’s associate director.

Pearson started as a caseworker and eventually became director for Volunteers of America, where she worked 13 years helping Tulsans secure stable housing. After a brief hiatus, she returned to case management in 2016, this time at the Tulsa Day Center.

These two are among a case management staff of nine who work with many of the 300-350 people who utilize the Day Center on average each

day. Their goal is to find permanent housing for those individuals through the Rapid Rehousing Program, which launched in 2014.

“We started the rehousing program because we wanted to get as many people housed as fast as possible,” Haltom says. “When a person lives in a house, they are more stable, healthier and more likely to overcome addiction.”

Since the program launched four years ago, it has provided 484 homes for 812 individuals. The Rapid Rehousing Program has an 82 percent success rate, which is better than the national average of 80. Success is defined as staying housed for three to six months after placement.

Pearson works with individuals to help them find housing and a job and to make sure they are on a successful path to self-sufficiency. She meets with clients weekly at first, then gradually reduces it to every other week for six months. She typically handles 15 cases at a time.

In 2013, the Day Center opened Hudson Villas, an apartment complex with 60 units. Many of those apartments are occupied by veterans. Case managers are onsite to assist residents in filing for disability, finding health care options and to help in other areas.

The Day Center’s case managers also work with numerous other property managers to provide housing in apartment complexes throughout Tulsa. Haltom is a big proponent of mixed-use TulsaPeople.com

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apartment complexes, in which the chronically homeless live side-by-side with people who have not experienced those challenges. Not only does it help the previously homeless integrate into society, Haltom emphasizes that many people who have homes struggle with the same things that the homeless do — mental illness, substance abuse — but these challenges are less visible because they have homes.

When she’s not working a case, Pearson dedicates time for outreach, which means going out and visiting a person who is homeless to begin building a relationship to assist that individual.

“I recently outreached an avid meth user,” Pearson says. “I visited him three months in a row just to build his trust. By working with him, we were able to get his warrants recalled and got him into treatment. That’s just one example of many.”

Haltom says there is a stigma for those who are homeless, but he says most people are one paycheck away from being in the same situation.

“It can happen to anyone,” Haltom says. “Our role is to support people. We’re their family. We’re on their side. We want to help them become self-sufficient and successful in life.”

NOE RODRIGUEZ Mental Health Association Oklahoma Rodriguez is a rapid-response homeless outreach coordinator for Mental Health Association Oklahoma. As part of his job, Rodriguez provides mobile street outreach to individuals and families experiencing homelessness wherever they may be, such as under bridges or in encampments in the woods. Through regular contact, he builds trust and relationships while connecting them to essential community services.

Through its housing and recovery programs, the Mental Health Association gives people experiencing homelessness an opportunity to start new lives as they successfully transition from living on the street to their own homes where they can thrive and become self-sufficient.

“I see people living in places no one should ever have to call home,” Rodriguez says. “They are doing their best to survive living on the streets on a daily basis, so it is amazing to see their faces when they are handed their key to an apartment for the first time in months, years or even decades. It is an honor to be a part of this process and to share that moment with them.”

Rodriguez’s passion to help those in need came from situations involving his mother and father.

His father returned from the Vietnam War with a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star, but also with untreated post-traumatic stress disorder and an alcohol addiction. He struggled for more than 20 years living in substandard housing with unreliable electricity and no gas. Finally, he built up the courage to ask Veteran Affairs for assistance; the VA took care of him until his death two years later.

Rodriguez’s mom struggled with mental health conditions and heroin addiction for 10 years, which led to many ups and downs along the way.

“It is my mission in life to help veterans like 38

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

Noe Rodriguez is on the front lines of addressing the immediate needs of Tulsa’s homeless population, whether that’s helping them with a new pair of socks and hand warmers, or connecting them to essential community services.

my father and hurting people like my mother, especially those living on the streets of Tulsa right now,” says Rodriguez, who also is an ordained Baptist minister.

Rodriguez is proud of the work he and the other organizations are doing to help those who are homeless. “Currently, A Way Home for Tulsa agencies are on a great course to providing a streamlined process through coordinated entry, which means there’s no wrong door when someone is ready to get off the streets,” Rodriguez says.

“I am looking forward to collaborating to help end chronic and veteran homelessness in Tulsa.”

ERIN WILLIS Community Service Council Four years ago, Willis began working with veterans at risk of homelessness. She says she spent months trying desperately to find solutions for the veterans, but quickly realized how challenging it was to navigate through official channels to find success.

That feeling of helplessness during a crisis stuck with her, and helped her facilitate the creation and implementation of All Doors Open. The program

provides a standardized and fair way for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to access housing and support services based on their level of vulnerability.

By using a common assessment tool to triage and direct referrals, individuals and families have equal access to all the resources, regardless of where they first present for services.

“It’s most often analogized to an emergency room,” says Willis, who serves as lead coordinator for CSC’s All Doors Open. “If someone presents with a gunshot wound and another person presents with a migraine, the person with the most acute need is admitted and serviced first, regardless of how long the person with a migraine has been waiting.”

For the past five years, Willis has worked for CSC, which is the lead agency for A Way Home for Tulsa.

The organization’s direct role in Built for Zero comes through coordinated entry planning and implementation. CSC also manages the Homeless Management Information System, a database that is used across organizations to keep track of those with whom the agencies connect.

THE REV. JEFF JAYNES Restore Hope Ministries

Erin Willis with Community Service Council works on coordinated entry planning and implementation.

Below, the Rev. Jeff Jaynes meets with Ed, who was successfully housed nearly six years ago through the Day Center for the Homeless and Restore Hope.

“At CSC, it’s our core belief that housing is a basic human right, and by providing housingfocused interventions and solutions, we can save lives and strengthen our community,” Willis says.

“I consider myself lucky to be able to work with an organization that aligns with my beliefs.”

Another facet of CSC’s operation is the Barrier Removal Residence Exchange for Veterans (BRRX4Vets) program that is funded by the VA Supportive Service for Veteran Families grant. It uses the Housing First model to provide temporary intervention and short-term assistance to very low-income veteran families who are homeless or facing eviction in 18 counties throughout northeast Oklahoma.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Housing First is a homeless assis-

tance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness, thus serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. This approach is guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything less critical, such as getting a job, budgeting properly or addressing substance use issues.

Her career can be highly stressful, but Willis says that with each success story comes the motivation to help the next person off the streets. “For me, memorable moments occur every week, with each person now having a place to call home,” says Willis, whose first role at CSC was working with the veterans program. “It inspires me to see folks come together and find lasting solutions.”

While many organizations work to move people from the streets into housing, Restore Hope works to keep more veterans and others from becoming homeless. “We do so by preventing eviction with emergency rental assistance and financial counseling for families on the verge of homelessness,” says Jaynes, Restore Hope’s executive director. “Since Built for Zero began in 2015, Restore Hope has prevented 2,136 people in our community from packing up their lives and moving into a shelter or on the streets.

“In doing so, we have not only helped those families, we have helped our community save the costs associated with homelessness and our response to those in housing crisis.”

In 2017, Restore Hope assisted 852 people, and only five of those had a shelter stay. That’s a success rate of 99 percent compared to the national average of 70 percent. Those stats are available and cross-checked through the A Way Home for Tulsa’s master Homeless Management System, administered by the Community Service Council.

Jaynes’ first experience with poverty came as a high school volunteer at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. He says that experience and his Christian faith led to his passion for helping those in dire need of housing.

Every person who works in this field has an experience that sticks with him. For Jaynes, it was the story of a man named Ed, who everyone said would be homeless until he died on the streets. On an extremely cold night, Ed found shelter at the Day Center, where the staff helped him recover from frostbite. During that time, the staff was able to connect him with the Day Center’s housing program. At the time, there was a cost associated with getting into the program, so Restore Hope assisted him financially.

“That move was almost six years ago now, and Ed has been successfully housed ever since,” Jaynes says. “In fact, he got a job, reconnected with his family and now volunteers with the Mental Health Association to lead 12-step groups at one of their housing units. Not only has Ed been sober for years, people who have been in Ed’s group have been sober for years, too.”

Jaynes served as chairman for A Way Home for Tulsa and Built for Zero during its first two years.

He says the day of the first press conference, he nearly refused to speak.

“I honestly did not believe we could accomplish those lofty expectations,” Jaynes says. “I did speak, though, because we needed those goals — because people in our community needed a home — and my doubts were shown to be false. We exceeded every goal at every step along the way, housing hundreds of veterans and others who have been on the streets or in shelter for years.

“I am so proud to have helped lead Built for Zero at that time and to cheer on the heroic work of the case managers and front-line workers who truly worked miracles to move our neighbors into permanent housing.” TP TulsaPeople.com

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G

eorge E. Day Jr. is the man behind some of Tulsa’s most familiar structures, yet most Tulsans have never heard of him.

Talking to the architect and professional engineer, one gets the feeling this is — true to Day’s practice — by design. “I don’t like doing this type of thing,” he says repeatedly, referring to self-promotion.

According to Day, most architects have huge egos.

He would know, having spent most of his 58-year career managing them at firms from Enid to Tulsa. Day, who doesn’t even keep a résumé, seems to be the exception.

However, when Tulsans attend a luncheon at the downtown DoubleTree Hotel or drive down I-44, past the glass high-rise between South Sheridan Road and South Yale Avenue, they are seeing the fruits of Day’s labor. He and his colleagues designed both buildings and a score of other facilities, including the Union High School football stadium, the first in the state to use artificial turf.

Brookside’s Stonehorse Shopping Center — formerly the Consortium and now part of Center 1 — is one of Day’s favorite design projects. Completed in 1980, the center arguably resurrected the area and guided it to become the retail and dining destination it is today.

Now 83, Day is still working, though at a slower pace, and still flying largely under the radar. For most of his career, when others might have taken a moment to bask in their success, he was onto the next project. Make that multiple projects — up to 22 at one time.

These days, he takes on just one project at a time. But ask Day how old he feels, and he’ll say 50. The figure has more weight when he pulls out his diagram demonstrating “Day’s Theory”: his idea that, to work at maximum capacity, intellect and education must be supported by a variety of quality experience. “I’ve worked with a lot of intelligent idiots,” he jokes.

On the chart, intellect and education intersect with quality experience around age 50. In other words, Day still considers himself at the top of his game.

SUN SETTING, DAY STILL NEW AT 83, ARCHITECT GEORGE DAY IS IN THE TWILIGHT OF HIS CAREER, BUT HIS LATEST PROJECTS ARE SOME OF HIS MOST ICONIC.

BY MORGAN PHILLIPS 40

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

ACCIDENTAL ARCHITECT Day would not be an architect had he not suffered a college baseball injury that hurt his shoulder and broke his heart. The Oklahoma City native came to Oklahoma A&M — now Oklahoma State University — on a full baseball scholarship and accompanied the Aggies’ to the 1954 College World Series. The team went to the series the following year, too, but by that time an over-pitched arm had forced Day to leave the sport. “I cried for a year,” he says.

Day’s new wife, Shirley, had a job in Oklahoma City, so Day transferred to the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

He planned to continue the engineering degree he’d started at A&M, but he also became fascinated with architecture. “I started hanging around the architecture school because I was poor and didn’t have a car,” Day says. “It was love at first sight.”

Contributing to Day’s love affair with design was the then-dean of the OU School of Architecture: the famed architect Bruce Goff, who had himself been a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Day calls Goff “an inspiring instructor … the greatest teacher around.” In a total of seven years, Day earned degrees in both engineering and architecture — a rare and challenging combination that would set him on a path to designing and building (often for the same project) various types of structures all over the state.

The Days then moved to Enid, where George completed six months of active duty with the U.S. Army and transferred to the Army National Guard before joining an architecture firm where he soon became a partner. Twelve years later, in 1972, when citizens failed to pass a bond issue for capital improvements that would have improved the city and given his firm work for years to come, Day left Enid for Tulsa.

Before joining BSW International, the Tulsa-based design firm specializing in restaurants, retail and lodging, Day spearheaded projects like developing the land that would later house the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. After nine years with BSW, he retired as company president in 1997. Since then, Day’s numerous housing developments have included Saddleback and the Lakes at Indian Springs in Broken Arrow, Crown Pointe at East 96th Street and South Harvard Avenue, and Spunky Creek in Catoosa.

In recent years, Day — who still draws designs by hand and hires other architects to transfer his work to the computer — has worked on a few projects for the Tulsa Pipeliners Union 798, such as serving as construction and project manager for its training center at East 51st Street and South Memorial Road. He also was the architect for the renovations to the union’s benefits building.

Day acknowledges a “prideful feeling” when he drives by a structure he designed or built. But how does he measure success? Client satisfaction.

BACK AT THE RANCH While Day was at the drafting table, making deals and visiting construction sites, Shirley cared for the couple’s three children. Their daughter is now an attorney on the East Coast, and their youngest son owns a wealth management firm in Tulsa. Their eldest son died from cancer in 2004.

Over their 63-year marriage, the Days have raised not only children, but also a menagerie of exotic and native animals on their rural property in Wagoner County. Called Sand Hill Wildlife Foundation, the sanctuary was, in its heyday, home to 200 animals of 15 species.

The couple was loaned a pair of Banteng — wild cattle from the tropical rainforests of southeast Asia — and Shirley says their herd of zebras, which grazed openly in a fenced pasture, astounded the staff of the Tulsa Zoo because they would come into the barn on cold days.

For several years, they bred ostriches and emus, selling their last birds just before the “emu crash” of the mid-’90s. At one point, “We could get $3,500 for a 6-week-old chick,” Shirley says. That was back when optimistic investors thought demand for ostrich and emu meat would eat into the chicken and beef market. When the exotic bird bubble burst, Day says farmers who could once get $20,000 per adult bird couldn’t get $5 for one.

Though he enjoyed the sanctuary days, George says, “I did the animals for Shirley,” a lifelong animal lover who once carried a baby wallaby to a black-tie event. Eventually the animals became too much work and were sold or given to other sanctuaries.

Now the Days “only” have six dogs, two cats and a large group of white-tailed deer that they feed from the yard of their home, which George Day, naturally, designed and built himself.

TRUST AND RISK Day’s most recent project, completed this past fall, is the home of retired federal judge Sam Joyner. Day designed and built the stunning contemporary home, which is a stone’s throw from Center 1. Its

“Gallery House” was built to showcase owner Sam Joyner’s photography and art. Inset, Joyner, George Day and Rusty Patton stand outside Joyner’s home. Patton’s residence, “The Brooksider,” can be seen in the background. Day designed and built both homes.

crowning feature is an interior ramp from the first to second floors. Reminiscent of the Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the ramp surrounds the open floor plan and is a progressive gallery space for Joyner’s award-winning black-and-white photography.

Fittingly, Day named the home “Gallery House.”

Directly behind Joyner’s home is its inspiration, a residence known as “The Brooksider.” Its owner, Rusty Patton, has been Day’s attorney since 1976. In the ’90s, Patton had the foresight to buy up several empty lots just east of Stonehorse Shopping Center, which he felt was improving the area.

Around 2012, Patton hired Day to design and build his dream home on one of the lots, which was by then prime real estate. Completed in 2015, it is a modern three-story masterpiece that showcases Day’s precision and intentionality. “I told George what I wanted functionally, and he interpreted it,” Patton says. “There were only a handful of things I questioned, and then we made a decision together.”

A single piece of 8-inch-thick, unfinished concrete vertically anchors the home from ground to third floor.

Wrapping around the pre-cast concrete behemoth, the staircase begins with a thick slice of glossy pecan from a tree on the property that was lost to the 2007 ice storm.

Day finished the wood himself. “Floating” glass treads and a glass landing make stair-steppers feel they are walking on air.

Patton walks from room to room, pointing out what

he calls “Georgeisms”: consistent details Day carried throughout the entire house, from the window layout to paint colors to the rounded corners of walls.

After Patton’s home was completed, Joyner purchased the lot behind The Brooksider. Impressed by the home, Joyner asked Day to design and build his home, too. “Instead of interviewing George, he interviewed me,” Joyner says of that first meeting with Day. “He explained that we were about to embark on a creative journey together.”

Though the homes share a back fence and have many similar details, “They are totally based on the needs of their owners,” Day explains. “The two houses are like brothers, not twins.”

Day has built hundreds of homes in his career, but his own home, Gallery House and The Brooksider are the only three he also has designed. He says residential design can be extremely challenging for architects because it is so personal to the homeowners. It’s a process that requires great trust.

“Most people retreat for safety,” Day says. “Ninetynine-point-nine percent of everything built is ugly because it is safe. It’s because people don’t have confidence and the patience to take a risk like Rusty and Sam did.”

That Patton and Joyner would trust Day at his age is not lost on him. But the homeowners say they would do it all again.

On the wall in Joyner’s entryway is a plaque with a George Day quote: “Architecture is worth the risk.”

It’s another theory Day has tested and proven. TP TulsaPeople.com

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Fireproof A YOUNG TULSA COUPLE’S LOVE AND CREATIVITY ARE TESTED AFTER A DEVASTATING HOUSE FIRE.

BY JASON ASHLEY WRIGHT

M

olly and Tyler Thrasher were headed home from a fun evening with friends when they saw the firetrucks in their neighborhood near the University of Tulsa campus. They hoped their friends several doors down were all right.

“I checked their house as we drove by and said, ‘Whew, they’re good,’” recalls Molly of that fateful night in December 2016. “I didn’t even think it could be ours.”

But Tyler had a gut feeling.

“We turned the corner, and I just felt it,” he says. “It was weird — numbing at first. I didn’t know how to process it all.”

The Thrashers arrived home to see that an electrical fire had already devastated their 1934 house.

The young couple — he an artist, she a photographer — had just bought the home that May and married two months after that. A commissioned painting from their honeymoon had only arrived the previous week — and it, like almost everything they owned, was now gone.

TRAGEDY THROUGH AN ARTIST’S LENS

The front of the Thrashers’ house was relatively intact, but the inside was destroyed from smoke damage. The back half was burned to the frame.

Very little was salvageable from the fire. If it hadn’t melted or turned to ash, it was covered in carcinogenic soot, which fire inspectors and restoration professionals warned them to avoid. A few sentimental items, like his sketchbook and her journals, were saved but had to be stored hereafter in plastic bags and not handled much ever again.

Gone were some paintings Tyler had been working on for weeks; a video he had just completed; half of a collection of rare succulents in the TulsaPeople.com

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TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

MOLLY THRASHER

greenhouse out back. Travel photos and personal pictures were lost, as were the couple’s computer hard drives — including one wedding project Molly was finishing for a customer, and an art book Tyler had been toiling over for two years. “(The insurance company) made us do an inventory list of everything we lost,” Molly explains.

“Making that list was what made it all so real for us. It took a few months to make: an 80-something-page spreadsheet, every item, all the contents of our house.”

Partly crediting a dark sense of humor, the couple laughed — and coped.

“No, it wasn’t good; we were just glad we were OK,” Molly says. “Had we lost a person …”

“It would’ve been infinitely worse,” Tyler chimes in.

They also might have benefited from looking at the situation as artists. For Molly, it was a chance to photograph the house she had so little time to call home.

“Shooting has always been cathartic,” she says.

“I’ve done a lot of first things with a camera in front of my face. My first airplane ride was actually to shoot it. It wasn’t a commercial flight, so it was scary doing that. I had never been off the ground.”

She had never been through a house fire either, so this was a first she couldn’t pass up.

“That night, once they let us walk through the house, it was morbid, and we were shocked and sad from all the normal things you’d expect,” Molly says. “But it also was fascinating.”

“I was just documenting, mostly because it was so surreal,” she says. “I guess I didn’t want to forget.

Also, the house felt so fresh before. This was our first house. So I don’t know if I would even say it was art.”

“The light was super-creepy,” she adds, describing how the soot-covered windows somberly filtered the charred space.

Tyler saw the possibility of a photo-shoot backdrop. “My everyday human side wants to feel this, but the artist in me saw inspiration,” he says. “It was a weird dichotomy. I should feel really awful, but all of a sudden there is so much art to be made from this.

“Not many people get to shoot in a burned-out building. I have a burned-out house, and I have nothing left but this house, so what can I do with this huge burnt pile of rubble? I’ll shoot with it.

Use what I have.”

And “resurrect what you can” might be another part of that philosophy, as he wasted no time in getting a new version of that lost art book up and going.

“We had to get back on our feet,” Tyler says.

“I’m not one to sulk; I want to keep moving. So the next day, when we were going through all the stuff we lost, I was thinking, ‘Yeah, we lost all our work, but let’s just make more work. That’s easy.’”

Tyler’s book included pieces he’d created using chemical reactions — specifically, growing crystals on skulls and dead insects. As the project related to the chemistry and science behind his art, Tyler had named his book “The Wisdom of the Furnace,” a nod to alchemists of antiquity who made chemical reactions in furnaces.

Molly Thrasher, a professional photographer, took the opportunity to photograph her burned-out home as a way to process the event.

Without hesitation, the couple decided to rebuild and today have a modern and safe dwelling.

“After the fire, it dawned on me that the name took on a completely new meaning,” says Tyler, who eventually reshot what he could — and more — and has since finished the book again. In November, he launched a Kickstarter campaign for the book, which he will self-publish this spring.

Tyler says his attitude throughout the ordeal

was, “I’m going to take everything out of this fire.

“If it’s going to take everything I have, I’m going to use it,” he says. “I’m going to take as much inspiration and energy and creativity as I can and make this thing fuel more projects. There will be something I’m going to pull out of this besides loss.”

“It’s hard to be pessimistic.

It’s just downright disrespectful to retain your pessimism after 400 The Thrashers met when Tyler was attending Booker T. Washington High School and Molly was homeschooled. They dated through college, became engaged in May 2015 and married in July 2016, five months before they lost their first home to a fire.

‘A HUMAN SAFETY NET’

Minutes after the Thrashers arrived home after the fire, family and friends arrived to help.

Molly’s parents came, and her mom organized the couple’s siblings to find them basic necessities for the next few days. For the foreseeable future, they would move into her parents’ house.

“It was a shock for a long time,” Molly says.

“But we had a human safety net of family and friends.”

Some of those friends started a GoFundMe page for the couple. Within 24 hours, the $15,000 goal was met and exceeded with about 400 people donating. Support came locally, as well as from across the country. Tyler alerted his social media network of the devastating event that meant many orders had been lost.

“The support we got so fast really helped,” she says. “We just had so many people offering us places to stay. So many people brought us clothes.

People we’ve never met were sending us artwork because they found out we had lost all of ours.”

“We got more than 120 pieces of artwork in the mail,” Tyler says. “It’s weird to walk around the world, go into coffee shops and think there are hundreds of people who just showed up for us like that.”

The Thrashers rebuilt on the same spot. An appraisal of the property allowed insurance to pay them the cost to rebuild. While they didn’t want anything more grand than what they’d had, the couple was able to build a safer home, with some interior upgrades, like tile to replace linoleum floors and granite in place of laminate countertops.

“I’m stubborn,” Tyler says. “We were going to stay in this house, rebuild and make it safe.”

“I didn’t even think of moving,” Molly adds. “It

wasn’t even presented as an option. It felt perfect for us.”

In early 2017, Sparks Construction took on the job of salvaging what they could of the original home’s exterior, sandblasting away the soot on the stonework. It was a gut job inside, though, with parts of the frame having to be redone. The entire process took almost six months. They moved back into their home in May 2017.

“We wanted the house to be modern in a safe way,” Molly says. “But we wanted to keep some of the character of the house from the ’30s.”

They not only kept some of the original built-ins in the kitchen, like old phone nooks, but asked the contractors to add more. The wood floors, mostly original to the home, were able to be sanded and re-stained. The fireplace bricks were repainted and the mantel was beautifully recreated with minimal flourishes. Arches were added to open doorways, and Tyler requested a little pass-through between the dining room and living room.

And along the back wall where the fire started, they hung artwork so generously donated by friends and strangers.

“It’s hard to be pessimistic,” Tyler says of the outreach they received. “It’s just downright disrespectful to retain your pessimism after 400 people whom you have never met have your back. I don’t think I can begin to tell how grateful I am. … It made us better people.”

At one point, he reaches over and protectively touches Molly’s stomach.

“It’s a boy,” she says, beaming. He’ll arrive in May — the same month they became engaged, the month they bought their first house, the month they brought that house to life again.

“We’re very excited,” Tyler says, smiling. TP

people whom you have never met have your back. I don’t think I can begin to tell how grateful I am. … It made us better people.”

— TYLER THRASHER TulsaPeople.com

45

Tulsa’s Top Realtors

Congratulations to our Elite Realtors

Tulsa’s Exclusive Regents Member Allison Sheffield 918.951.7009

Jack Wallace 918.740.0464

John Sawyer 918.289.7065

Gayle Roberts-Pisklo 918.269.7035

Missy Hagin-Pittman 918.955.8626

Susie Genet 918.809.8296

Amy Prosser 918.805.9713

Amanda Dudley 918.520.6514

Allison Hayes 918.855.5868

Deb Wilmoth 918.688.0570

Cindy & Keeli Hand 918.724.1089

Laurie Jenkins 918.951.4663

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Integrity • Professionalism • Trust as recognized by Tulsa People Magazine

We Are Tulsa’s Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate Bill Lee 918.625.3518

Megan Forehand 918.906.0885

Shawn Peters 918.808.2239

Carrie DeWeese 918.605.6172

Cindy Rodgers 918.645.1174

Tiffany Johnson 918.671.4263

Kelley Ward 918.906.1492

Denise Mink 918.284.7874

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This newly built Farabough Homes model features many in-demand amenities for today’s custom construction, including open shelving on either side of the gas fireplace.

HOME, E SWEET, NEW HOME CERTAINTY IN THE TULSA MARKET IS INSPIRING NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION.

BY ROBERT EVATT

ach year, thousands of Tulsans and soonto-be Tulsans buy houses. Many are able to change their lives for the better with existing homes that perfectly fit their budgets, location needs and personal tastes.

But for many others, nothing compares to the satisfaction and thrill of being the first person to move into a newly constructed home days after workers complete the finishing touches.

The demand for new homes never truly dies off, even when the economy hits Tulsa hard. But, when the economy and consumer confidence improves, the appetite for home construction skyrockets.

And 2017 was a very busy year for area home builders.

An estimated 2,829 residential building permits were issued last year, according to permit tracking service New Orders Weekly. That’s the most construction activity experienced in the metro area since the recession hit a decade ago.

CONFIDENCE RESTORED

Ryan Farabough, president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa and president and CEO of Farabough Homes LLC, says growing numbers of local residents are feeling bold enough to take the plunge on new houses. “We got past

the election, and now there’s certainty in the market,” he says. “People know what to expect. When people don’t, they tend to hold back until things become more stable.”

Farabough also says that, beyond the improving economy, Tulsa is becoming a more attractive place to live, with continued downtown development and the imminent completion of the mammoth Gathering Place project along the Arkansas River.

Leland Chinowth, president of the Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors and a Realtor with Chinowth and Cohen, says the days of cautious lenders and restricted loans are long over. “With the market strong in Tulsa and prices going up, lenders are becoming more flexible with financing options for existing homes and new homes alike,” Chinowth says.

Builders also have regained their confidence.

Although many new homes are built at the request of a specific buyer, others are constructed speculatively in the hopes of finding a buyer later.

These builds dried up almost entirely during the recession, but Farabough says there’s now plenty to choose from — though most builders find buyers in just a few months.

Most model homes tend to be built with small or medium-sized floorplans, Farabough says.

TulsaPeople.com

49

7207 S. A SPEN AVENUE • A SPEN RIDGE 3/2/1/3 • $429,000

7203 S. A SPEN AVENUE • A SPEN RIDGE 5/3/1/3 • $429,000

NEW COMMUNITIES • Aspen Ridge of Broken Arrow • Reserve at Addison Creek of Bixby

6947 E. 124TH ST. S.• SEVEN LAKES V 4/3/3 • $419,000

As homes get bigger, the potential buying pool shrinks, and builders are more likely to wait for a specific buyer to come along before breaking ground.

As with the prices of existing homes, prices of new homes have gradually increased in recent years. This increase is likely to continue as long as the economy stays steady. But unlike the meteoric rises seen on the coasts during the housing bubble, yearly increases in local housing costs remain small and Tulsa homes represent a great value.

“I don’t think the price increases we’ve seen have been enough to scare people from the market,” Farabough says.

Though price averages for new home sales aren’t tracked, the GTAR estimates the average price of all homes sold in 2017 — which includes nearly 80 percent of all new homes sold — increased 6 percent over 2016, which is in line with other post-recession years.

TULSA DESIGN TRENDS What’s in and out when it comes to new home construction

IN: OPEN SHELVING OUT: STAINED WOODEN CABINETRY

IN: MOVE-IN READY OUT: PENDING REPAIRS AND UPDATES

IN: MULTIPLE FIRST-FLOOR BEDROOMS OUT: MEDIA ROOMS

IN: BARN DOORS ADD FARMHOUSE STYLE AND PROVIDE SPACE-SAVING SOLUTIONS.

IN: OPEN FLOOR PLAN OUT: CLOSED-OFF SPACES AND SEPARATE FORMAL LIVING AND DINING AREAS

LOCATION AND TIMING

Purchasing a home, whether it’s new or existing, requires a major investment of money, time and effort. But when buying a new home, especially one that’s designed from the ground up to fit your specific tastes, plenty of additional considerations come into play.

For instance, choosing a new home will narrow down your location options in the Tulsa area. In 2017, as in other recent years, most new construction occurred in south Tulsa and the suburbs, especially Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks and Bixby.

Though these areas are popular with new home buyers on their own merits, builders also turn to them by necessity. “Other than a few infill teardowns, Tulsa doesn’t have a lot of extra area to keep expanding,” Farabough says.

One of the few new home communities in midtown is Barnard Terrace, located near East 17th Street and South Lewis Avenue. Eighteen lots featuring single-family, custom homes sit where Barnard Elementary School once stood.

If a buyer is set on living near the shops, restaurants and other amenities of midtown Tulsa, new homes are hard to come by, beyond teardowns and infill construction. Chinowth is seeing an increase in midtown teardowns, with luxury homes built on those lots.

New home buyers also will find their choice of location influenced by the style of each subdivision — one development area might have the perfect location, but the homes might not be the buyer’s preferred size.

Many subdivisions built in the last couple of decades did not include neighborhood amenities, which has been one of the few criticisms Chinowth has heard from buyers moving to Tulsa from out of state.

“Buyers are saying they value the ‘community feel’ neighborhoods have that offer lots of activities within their subdivision,” Chinowth says. “We’re working with developers now that are designing subdivisions that not only include pools, but also parks, kids’ play areas, fishing ponds, clubhouses and shopping options.”

TulsaPeople.com

51

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WF10242 JChristiansen Mortgage Ad - 8x4.875.indd 1 TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

2/8/2017 4:54:26 PM

Broken Arrow’s Aspen Ridge development includes amenities such as designated trails through mature trees, sitting areas, fire pits and picnic tables. A park and basketball court make for a development ripe with activity for homeowners. While it is near big-city amenities like the Warren Movie Theater, grocery stores and highway access, the community provides a quiet setting.

Another consideration is time. Chinowth says new homes typically take at least six months to build, or closer to a year for a large luxury home.

That makes buying new difficult if the move was sparked by a new job or the desire to transfer to a new school district before fall.

Farabough says certain sizes and features can take even longer.

10 HIGHEST SUBDIVISION HOME STARTS FOR 2017

SELECTING A BUILDER

Most local builders specialize in specific size or price ranges, and many tend to have specific building styles or certain amenities they can offer. Buyers must communicate with the builder throughout the build process, especially for builds involving custom floorplans. Real estate professionals can help in this process, connecting buyers with reputable builders, construction financing and guiding through the contract process, according to Laura Grunewald, a Realtor with McGraw Realtors.

Before embarking on a build, buyers will need to undertake some of the same research they would for buying an existing home, such as looking into the prices of comparable homes in the area to ensure the builder’s asking price is fair.

Grunewald suggests checking out a potential builder with the local Home Builders Association and calling the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed.

“Building a home is a long-term commitment you are making with the builder,” she says. “You need to choose someone you can trust with your time and money.”

Additionally, new home buyers also should schedule professional inspections after the home is finished to ensure no surprise issues crop up down the road.

One good idea is to tour a builder’s other homes to get a feel for what they’re capable of, Chinowth says.

BELLS AND WHISTLES

Once a buyer has selected a builder, it’s time to mold the home of their dreams. Farabough says trends tend to be driven in part by what buyers see on TV shows. Right now, features like shiplap siding, barn doors and open shelves have caught on in Tulsa.

Sometimes, owners can get truly creative.

“There are definitely people who want James Bond features in their homes, like rooms hidden behind bookcases,” Farabough says.

But the tiny home craze, once featured endlessly on HGTV, never truly caught on in Tulsa, Farabough says.

“Tiny homes were a flash in the pan,” he says.

These communities are popular choices for new home construction.

NEW HOME STARTS SUBDIVISION

72 71 66 66 52 51 43 43 42 42 Ryan Farabough

“It started happening, people tried to do it and it has already fizzled out.”

Chinowth says he’s starting to see more requests for multilevel homes with multiple bedrooms on the first floor, which can keep both young children and aging parents away from stairs.

Though new homes can be found in almost any size, Chinowth says he’s seeing significant amounts of construction in the $300,000-$550,000 range.

“We’re seeing a lot of baby boomers who are downsizing and millennials looking to buy their first home, so they’re converging on those sizes,” he says.

Though part of the fun is designing a new house to perfectly match the buyer, Chinowth says it’s usually a good idea to keep in mind what will help a home’s eventual resale value and be aware that not all trends are here to stay. Things like heavy wall texture and glazing that were popular in homes a decade ago now put owners looking to sell at a disadvantage.

“New construction homes are seeing cleaner lines in design, lots of windows and a reduction in formal dining rooms,” Grunewald says.

Highland Creek, Wagoner County Yorktown I, Jenks Stone Horse, Broken Arrow Trails at White Hawk, Bixby Cypress Creek, Tulsa Sugar Hill, Coweta Carrington Point, Owasso Silverleaf, Broken Arrow Seven Lakes I-II-IV, Bixby Shadow Trails, Broken Arrow

Source: New Orders Weekly Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2017

AFFORDING A NEW HOME

Assuming a buyer is flexible, budgeting for construction of a new home shouldn’t involve too many negotiations, Farabough says. Often, it’s simply a matter of balancing square footage, the desired amenities and the amount buyers are willing to pay.

“If you want granite countertops, that will cost a certain amount,” he says. “If you tell us in the planning stage, we can work to make sure it comes in on that particular budget.”

Chinowth says communication is key.

“It’s always a good idea for the buyer to think of as many amenities and features as possible and put them in the contract before construction begins to make sure there’s no surprises at the end, and also not to surprise the builder with expectations he doesn’t know about,” he says.

Farabough says many larger builders have dedicated sales staff to help every step in the process.

Even so, most builders like working with real estate professionals to find buyers. “Everyone builds relationships and works with different Realtors to sell their homes,” Farabough says. TP TulsaPeople.com

53

T

TULSA: A top 10 market AFFORDABILITY AND MARKET STABILITY ARE KEY FACTORS.

BY JAMIE RICHERT JONES

54

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

he affordability of Tulsa’s real estate market has been a well-kept secret for decades, but it looks like the secret is out.

“According to a recent article on Realtor.com, Tulsa is ranked as one of the top 10 housing markets that will rule 2018,” says Howard Doak, mortgage banker and branch manager of Cityscape Home Mortgage. “Now more than ever, it’s a great time to buy in Tulsa and sooner, rather than later.”

Chris Hodges, mortgage loan manager at Arvest Bank, agrees. “With low interest rates and mortgage guidelines loosening up, it is a good time to buy locally,” Hodges says. “Buyers are able to purchase a primary residence with little or no money down, and your credit does not have to be fantastic.”

Realtor.com also states that Tulsa is the most affordable city on its list, with the median home price 2018 Top 10 well below the national average.

“In December, we had 3.65 Housing Markets* percent appreciation rate on single family homes,” says Richard 1. LAS VEGAS D. Vaughan, regional manager for 2. DALLAS Bank of Oklahoma. “Mortgage 3. DELTONA, FLORIDA median home price has increased 4. STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA by 5.1 percent per year. We expect an additional 3 percent increase in 5. LAKELAND, FLORIDA home appreciation in 2018.”

6. SALT LAKE CITY That is great news for first-time 7. CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA homeowners and baby boomers 8. COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO looking to downsize.

9. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE However, Brenda Puckett, Realtor Associate at Keller Wil10. TULSA, OKLAHOMA liams Realty Advantage, says Tulsa *BASED ON LARGEST SALES AND PRICE GAINS is more of a sellers’ market. That’s Source: Realtor.com because not enough inventory to fulfill the needs for the number of current buyers, which she says will continue through the year. She points to the Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors’ year-to-date report through December 2017, which shows the area’s average home sales price was $188,746, up 6.06 percent from 2016.

Puckett was encouraged by the trends in 2017. “The percentage of listing price to actual selling price landed at 97.27 percent, an important number for both buyers and sellers,” she says. “That means sellers were able to negotiate pretty darn close to their asking price if they were at market value.”

Besides affordability, a key component to the success of Tulsa’s market is stability.

“After the mortgage bust in 2008, purchases softened in the Tulsa area, but they never collapsed like they did in other markets around the country,” Doak explains. “Since then, our market has thrived.”

Rates have remained historically low in the mid-4 percent range, but do change on a daily basis, according to Vaughan. If Tulsans are not in the market to buy or sell a house, refinancing might be an attractive option under the current conditions.

“Industry leaders do not believe rates will go lower in 2018,” Doak explains.

“As the economy speeds up, rates will likely rise. But now is still a great time to refinance to lower your interest rate, combine higher-interest credit card debt, or do home repairs or upgrades.”

Hodges agrees many homeowners could still benefit from refinancing.

“Some choose to refinance to a shorter term or lower interest rate, while others are choosing to take equity out of their home to pay off debt or do home improvements,” he says.

Regardless of an individual’s next real estate move, 2018 looks positive for the local market.

“Real estate is a good investment for a multitude of reasons — interest rates and affordability being two important ones,” Puckett says. “With encouraging job growth predictions, the opening of the Gathering Place, a blossoming downtown and strong economy, it’s no wonder now is a great time to buy and sell real estate in the Tulsa area.” TP

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TulsaPeople.com

55

Carol Brown, Laura Grunewald, Chris Zinn, Curtis Roberts, Richard Pierce, Katy Houchin, Diana Patterson, John Ragan, Judy Stocker, Sherri Sanders, Laura Hawkins, Larry Harral, Becky Moore, Jacki Crews, Frankie Harkey, David Palik, Mike Keys, Gini Fox, Tim Hayes, Debra Adamek, Sue Ann Blair, Mimi Sandberg, Laura Bryant, Kristin Winton

T O PR E A1L T0O R0S We are extremely proud of these associates and would like to congratulate them on this huge accomplishment!

THANK YOU for believing in the power of the green sign!

CONGRATULATIONS!

2 0 1 7

The residential real estate agents presented here — in company groupings — were ranked top sellers in the Tulsa area in 2017. The rankings are based on the “current volume” (listings plus sales) of individual agents. The following pages include professional profiles purchased by Top Real Estate Professionals to inform readers about their services.

ACCENT

Paul Wheeler

Tulsa

918-665-8559

ALLISON & ASSOCIATES, REALTORS Monte Allison

Broken Arrow

918-251-4444

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES ANDERSON PROPERTIES

REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS

Brenda Woodward Stan Gardner Lisa Mullins John Smucker

Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa

CHINOWTH & COHEN Allison Sheffield Gayle Roberts-Pisklo John Sawyer Shawn Peters Carrie DeWeese Missy Hagin-Pittman Amy Prosser Susie Genet Amanda Dudley Kelley Ward Denise Mink Allison Hayes Cindy Hand Tonya Ellison Deb Wilmoth S. C. Clifford Cindy Rodgers Megan Forehand Jennifer Miller Morrow Natalie Richardson Tiffany Johnson

Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Broken Arrow Tulsa Tulsa Sand Springs Owasso Broken Arrow Broken Arrow Owasso Broken Arrow Tulsa Bixby Broken Arrow Tulsa Owasso Tulsa Tulsa

COLDWELL BANKER SELECT Maureen Kile Tulsa Alice Slemp Tulsa Joanna Ford Broken Arrow Greg Ganzkow Bixby Corrie Egge Broken Arrow Deborah McGuire Tulsa Janet Vermillion Owasso Julie Tetsworth Tulsa Kevin Rhoades Claremore Michelle Bradshaw Tulsa Tiffany Martin Tulsa Lee Ann Kreps Sapulpa Art Jiles Broken Arrow Paula McGuire Sapulpa Josh Rainwater Tulsa Cindy Read Tulsa Shelley Hildebrand Tulsa Trish Allison Broken Arrow Ashley Wozniak Tulsa Caroline Gorinsky-Huesler Owasso

CONCEPT REALTY Robert Kleven

918-746-6000 918-746-6000 918-746-6000 918-746-6000

918-392-9900 918-392-0900 918-392-9900 918-392-9900 918-392-0900 918-259-0000 918-392-0900 918-392-0900 918-419-2333 918-392-9990 918-259-0000 918-259-0000 918-392-9990 918-259-0000 918-392-0900 918-943-3009 918-259-0000 918-392-0900 918-392-9990 918-392-0900 918-392-0900 918-496-3333 918-712-4310 918-251-4142 918-369-0200 918-251-4142 918-712-4310 918-272-9531 918-496-3333 918-343-3822 918-496-3333 918-712-4310 918-224-5915 918-251-4142 918-224-5915 918-496-3333 918-496-3333 918-496-3333 918-251-4142 918-712-4310 918-272-9531 918-304-7573

EXP REALTY Erin Catron

Tulsa

918-804-8528

Tulsa

918-800-9915

Max Heckenkemper Jennie Wolek Jessica Scott Brent Clark

Brian Frere Ryan Treadway Jaybee Hawkins Chet Wilson Jake Salyer Tracy Ellis Heidi Bents Suzanne Rentz Austin Cochran

Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa

918-712-2252 918-712-2252 918-712-2252 918-712-2252

Tulsa Broken Arrow Broken Arrow Broken Arrow Broken Arrow Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Broken Arrow

KELLER WILLIAMS PREMIER Julie Mullinax-Villanella Juli Edwards Tim Barnes Lindsay Bippus Jackie Shields

Owasso Owasso Owasso Owasso Owasso

MCGRAW, REALTORS Carol Brown Laura Grunewald Chris Zinn Curtis Roberts Richard Pierce Katy Houchin Diana Patterson John Ragan Judy Stocker Sherri Sanders Laura Hawkins Larry Harral Becky Moore Jacki Crews Frankie Harkey David Palik Mike Keys Gini Fox Tim Hayes Debra Adamek Sue Ann Blair Mimi Sandberg Laura Bryant Kristin Winton Bob David

Tulsa Tulsa Broken Arrow Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Langley Tulsa Broken Arrow Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Broken Arrow Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa

PLATINUM REALTY GROUP David Dumont

RE/MAX RESULTS Robb Hopper Amy Whitmarsh

REALTY CONNECT

918-712-2252 918-712-2252 918-291-2425 918-712-2252

Kelly Garrison

918-272-0809 918-272-0809 918-272-0809 918-272-0809 918-272-0809 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-592-6000 918-258-6161

Owasso Owasso

918-376-6400 918-376-6400

Tulsa

918-901-9690

Tulsa

TRINITY PROPERTIES

Tulsa

WALTER & ASSOCIATES INC. Peter Walter Blake Loveless Barbara Winder Dan Martin

918-496-2252 918-251-2252 918-251-2252 918-251-2252 918-251-2252 918-496-2252 918-496-2252 918-496-2252 918-251-2252

Broken Arrow

THE GARRISON GROUP LLC

Carri Ray

KELLER WILLIAMS ADVANTAGE

Tulsa Tulsa Sapulpa Tulsa

KELLER WILLIAMS PREFERRED

Angie Cianfrone Tulsa

DANIELLE SPRIK REALTY GROUP LLC Danielle Sprik

Jackie Proffitt Sarah Reynolds Priscilla Peck Kasia Olek

Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa Tulsa

918-808-3065 918-520-7149 918-743-2001 918-743-2001 918-743-2001 918-743-2001 TulsaPeople.com

57

Alice Slemp Team

Joanna Ford

McGuire-Cooley Team

Corrie Egge Team

Janet Vermillion

Gorrell-Hildebrand Team

Tiffany Martin Team

Michelle Bradshaw

Lee Ann Kreps

Realty Sisters

Art Jiles Team

Paula McGuire Team

The Luxe Group

Trish Allison

Tetsworth-McClain Team

Patrick Huntley

Cindy Read

Ashley Wozniak

Josh Rainwater

TULSA’S TOP 100 AGENTS

Greg Ganzkow

of COLDWELL BANKER SELECT

Maureen Kile Team

3010 S HARVARD STE. 200 • TULSA, OK 74114 • (918) 712-4310

ALICE SLEMP & THE SLEMP TEAM

TIFFANY MARTIN TEAM

Consistently recognized as one of the top Coldwell Banker Teams in Oklahoma, Alice Slemp & The Slemp Team have been serving the housing needs of our community for over 35 years with sales in excess of $520 million. Combining a long-standing connection to the Tulsa market with an energetic and hands-on approach to marketing and negotiating, The Slemp Team provides exceptional representation for both buyers and sellers. We have a profound understanding that buyers and sellers have unique personal goals and different objectives when they look for a real estate professional. We insure that each clients’ needs are met with our unique blend of experience, education and energy.

Alice Slemp • alice@aliceslemp.com • 918.260.3735

Your Real Estate Professional!

• Bringing honesty and integrity to the real estate industry.

• Over $150 million in career real estate sales.

• One of the top selling agents in the midtown office since 2001.

• 95% of our business is repeat clients and referrals from past clients.

• Utilizing a team concept to better serve our client needs in an ever-changing market. tmartin@cbtulsa.com • 918.852.2326

MCGUIRE-COOLEY TEAM ASHLEY WOZNIAK Your Full Time Partner in Tulsa Real Estate • #1 Individual Agent for overall transactions in Midtown office in 2016 and 2017 • #1 Individual Agent for sales in Midtown office in 2016 and 2017 • Dedicated to excellent service and overall experience • Knowledgable in all of Tulsa and surrounding areas • Driven by repeat clients and referrals Are you looking to buy, sell or invest in this hot market? ashwozrealestate@gmail.com • 918.232.8052

Selling Tulsa by the Yard.

• Endorsed by Gordona Duca, our team holds the traditional values of integrity, hard work and vision that made this iconic slogan a house hold name.

• Implementing a modern approach to marketing the selling and buying of Real Estate.

• 40+ years combined experience and a strong selling presence in the Tulsa area including Midtown, Union, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Bixby, Owasso, Sapulpa and other outlying communities.

• All the team members are full time, full service associates and are experienced in listing & selling residential properties. The team caters to clients in every phase of life, from first time home buyers to empty nesters. In addition, team members have individual specialties including Certified Relocation Specialists, commercial properties and investing.

• Top 5 team in Coldwell Banker Select for the last 3 years with 19+ Million in Sales per year 2015-2017 • Believers in giving back to the community – team members are involved in multiple charities and philanthropic endeavors that are in line with their passions.

TRADITIONAL VALUES...A MODERN APPROACH Call us today 918-695-971 or 918-639-2590

We Help Families Buy Homes, Sell Homes or Invest in Real Estate

Thank you, Tulsa!

THE ‘ROO ADVANTAGE

• 1,100 homes SOLD since 2003 • $200M in volume • 39 average days on market • 97.5% of list price • We bring results • We work for you

918.282.3451

AUSSIETEAMTULSA.COM

Thank you, Tulsa!

918.622.0900 • www.cityscapehome.com

HOWARD DOAK NMLS: 644578

Branch Manager, NMLS #213229 Company NMLS #644578 P: 918.622.0900 • C: 918.851.2950

cityscapehome.com

CONGR ATUL ATIONS TO

TULSA’S TOP R E A LTORS! Thank you for trusting us to be your Mortgage Partner.

Leave the mortgages to us, so you can keep selling more houses.

INTEGRITY • CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

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TH E CL A R K TE A M FE ATU R E D LI S TI N G S

2828 East 49th St $1,545,000 Midtown – Built 2017 5bd, 5/3ba, 7car, 7195sf, .88 Acre Lot

Luxury Upgrades, State of the Art Technology Control4 Automation, Sonos Audio, Miele Appliances

“Selling Tulsa Lifestyle, One Home at a Time”

TOP 100 TULSA REALTOR Brent Clark & Vickie Clark The Clark Team

2651 E 21st St, Suite 100

918.804.4104

12576 Shoreline Dr $1,295,000 Skiatook Lake 6bd, 5/2ba, 4car, 8762sf

5621 East 113th St $1,290,000 Jenks SE Elementary 4bd, 4/1ba, 4car, 1.33 Acres

2903 E 37th St $1,365,000 New Build – Ranch Acres 4bd, 4/2ba, 3car, 4616sf

2502 E 2nd St $309,000 Historic Kendall-Whittier 3bd, 2ba, 2car, built 1922

BClarkRealtor@gmail.com

CLARKTEAMTULSA.COM

We Are Proud To Recognize Peter Walter • Blake Loveless • Dan Martin • Barbara Winder For Being Ranked Among Tulsa’s

Top Realtors

1319 East 35th Street 918-743-2001 WalterAndAssociates.com

Make them JUMP for JOY for these special holiday treats!

ST. PATRICKS DAY IS MARCH 17

EASTER IS APRIL 1

You don’t need a reason to spoil your dog!

1778 Utica Square 918-624-2600 Open Monday-Saturday, 10-6

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Laura Grunewald & Associates MCGRAW REALTORS Building relationships and lifestyles

Over the past 20 years, Laura Grunewald has built a team of experienced real estate professionals dedicated to helping Tulsans buy and sell properties. The team is made up of both listing and buyer specialists in order to provide a higher level of customer service. “Our backgrounds help anyone — whether you’re buying a $100,000 home or selling a $2 million property,” says Grunewald. Grunewald and her team, including Randy Kay Young, Steve Bullard and Krystie Cupp, also dominate in land sales in and around Tulsa. The team’s total sales volume was $35 million in 2017 alone.

As the daughter of builder Steve Murphy and the wife of builder Greg Grunewald, Laura Grunewald is intimately familiar with the home-building process, from land purchase to move-in day. She says the most rewarding parts of her job are the relationships she develops with her clients. “We work by referral, which means most of our business comes from our past clients recommending us to their friends and family,” she says. The team goes above and beyond for their clients, whether that means working with a seller to make pre-listing improvements, staging interior spaces or providing a home sales and market analysis — whatever it takes to go from listed to sold.

Laura Grunewald & Associates • McGraw Realtors 10712 S. Memorial Drive • 918-734-0695 • lgrunewald@mcgrawok.com Randy Kay Young, 918-406-0994 • Steve Bullard, 918-269-4240 Krystie Cupp, 918-237-8832

Heidi Bents

Heidi Bents

KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY PREFERRED Where the key to your dream comes home Heidi Bents attributes her 27 year career as a Top Tulsa-Metro Realtor to building valuable relationships with those she serves. Achieving client’s goals is her key priority.

Bents offers sellers concierge service with proven target-market strategies, setting her apart in our dynamic realty market. An ORU Business Graduate, Bents’ experience in residential design and staging-coupled with her understanding our local economy-are key assets for creating perceived value and getting property sold.

Her specialties include luxury, new construction, executive transfers, farm and ranch, downsizing and resale.

Heidi discovers a buyer’s needs to pursue a desirable match for their unique vision of “home.” Whether a luxury shopper or first-time buyer, clients can expect the same level of professional polish needed to achieve their dream.

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Bents thrives on being a valuable resource during times of transition in people’s lives. Streamlining the sale with creative solutions makes a move less stressful for her clients.

“Each adventure is special because of the wonderful people I serve,” says Bents.

“For me, a successful transaction is when everyone walks away from the closing table feeling like a winner!”

Heidi Bents Keller Williams Realty Preferred 4745 E. 91st St. 918-313-1786 heidibents.kw.com

Sarah Reynolds and Shaun Kennedy KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY ADVANTAGE Building life-long relationships with buyers and sellers For 13 years, real estate team Shaun Kennedy and Sarah Reynolds have been representing both buyers and sellers of residential real estate. They work closely with sellers to make sure they are putting their best foot forward when listing their home. “I love the transformation,” says Reynolds, on helping clients prepare and stage their properties. On the other side, she enjoys the “thrill of the hunt” for a buyer’s perfect home.

For both Reynolds and Kennedy, real es-

tate is all about relationships. “We want to help our clients achieve their goals,” says Reynolds. “In focusing on their goals, we will achieve ours.”

Sarah Reynolds and Shaun Kennedy Keller Williams Realty Advantage 2651 E. 21st St., Suite 100 SR: 918-637-7411 • SK: 918-261-8178 reynoldsandkennedy.com

Cindy Read

Sarah Reynolds and Shaun Kennedy

Cindy Read

COLDWELL BANKER SELECT

Understanding People…And What Moves Them!

For 38 years, Cindy Read has been attributes her many years of success to serving both buyers and sellers of her ability to listen thoughtfully to the residential property. A former Tulsa needs of each client. area Sales Associate of the Year, this experienced real estate professional is also a member of the Coldwell Banker Cindy Read International President’s Circle. Cindy Coldwell Banker Select enjoys educating her clients about 8990 S. Sheridan Road the industry, and how they can best 918-645-4579 leverage this knowledge to achieve longcindyread90@gmail.com term benefits, whether selling their old cindyread.com home or searching for a new one. She

Diana Riley Patterson

Diana Riley Patterson

MCGRAW REALTORS Making lakeside living a reality

Grand Lake waters run deep for Diana ships and honesty with her clients. Grand Riley Patterson. She came from a family Lake is her home and she loves sharing it who listed and sold Grand Lake for years. with her family, friends and clients.

Today, she continues their legacy as McGraw Realtors Grand Lake’s top agent.

Patterson says, “I love Grand Lake and want everyone to experience what I have Diana Riley Patterson been so blessed with all my life.”

McGraw Realtors While Patterson has had her license P.O. Box 820, Langley since she was 21, she just entered the 918-629-3717 profession twelve years ago. She feels her southgrandlake.com success comes from hard work, relation-

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How do you describe a commercial cleaning company that has been in business for 32 years in 1 word?

Blessed.

Here’s to the next 32 years!

918.663.1919 final touch cleaning.com Sc h o o l s • Me di c a l F a c i l i t i e s • I n d ust r i al & Offi ce

Thank You Real Estate Professionals!

Our knowledgeable and experienced staff is poised to help you with any need or answer any question. We’ve proudly built our team upon these pillars: Integrity, Experience, Employees, Focus and Service.

•

Titan owners Jason Hadrava and Robert Butler

JENKS 918.299.2300 • 110 East A Street BROKEN ARROW 918.893.6992 • 2422 West New Orleans Street OWASSO 918.376.4600 • 9455 North Owasso Expy WWW.TITANTITLEOK.COM #TITANTOUGH 66

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

As a full-service escrow company in Oklahoma, we merge experience, a dedicated team, and innovative technology solutions to offer you peace of mind.

You can rest assured your escrow transaction will be completed fast and accurately whether in a Residential Closing, a Commercial Closing, a Refinance, or 1031 Exchange. We are committed to offering our clients the most comprehensive suite of services available.

T H E T I TA N O F T H E IN D U S T RY !

T R AV E L + H O M E + T R E N D S

Four designers take on the 2018 Blank Slate challenge: a contemporary version of the midcentury modern “egg chair.�

Chair, $999, courtesy of Ms. Mod at the Market at Walnut Creek.

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BLANK SLATE “There is no rule that all furnishings in your home must come from the same era. Mixing modern and vintage is for those who want their rooms full of life, culture and interesting items. Here, the modern chair is mixed with objects spanning two centuries and several countries. To me, they all live happily together.”

— MICHAEL BEARD 68

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

BLANK SLATE “Great design is all about the mix — of styles, textures, price points and eras.

The egg chair and midcentury floor lamp pair perfectly with the chinoiserie elements and textural pieces shown here. This space is an illustration of my favorite design formula, which is to decorate using things you love. Doing so will always yield the most interesting and successful results.”

— EMILY DAVIS, OWNER, EMILY DAVIS INTERIORS 70

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Escape to America’s Premier Wilderness Resort, tucked into the Ozark Mountains of Missouri overlooking Table Rock Lake.

Ranked the #1 Resort in the Midwest for 2 Consecutive Years

— Travel and Leisure Magazine

855.304.5267 | BIGCEDAR.COM

BLANK SLATE “I chose to make this a reading niche.

A trio of watercolors by French artist JEAN LECCIA offers a one-of-a-kind focal point. Zebra-wood side tables add color, artistic value and surfaces for accessories, or a place for a tablet or book. Texture, in the form of a Mongolian lamb cube ottoman softens the space.

The tribal-pattern rug adds a quiet background and unifies the components of the room.”

— HARI LU AMES, OWNER, EMBELLISHMENTS INTERIORS

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Meet your Oklahoma team.

What matters to you, matters to us.

Our team of experienced professionals will work to help you reach your unique goals.

We offer the dedicated attention of our local team backed by the strength, innovation, and resources of Wells Fargo.

To learn more about how your local Wells Fargo Private Bank team can help you, contact us at 405-607-7189. (left to right): Peter Harlin*, Financial Advisor, Wells Fargo Advisors; Teresa Wiggins, Wealth Advisor Client Associate, Wells Fargo Private Bank; Chris Chandler, Sr. Investment Strategist, Wells Fargo Private Bank; Gina Volturo-Ellis, Wealth Advisor, Wells Fargo Private Bank; Jerry Morris, Wealth Advisor, Wells Fargo Private Bank

Individuals denoted by an asterisk (*) are employed by Wells Fargo Advisors and work in conjunction with The Private Bank, but are not employed by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

wellsfargoprivatebank.com Wealth Planning n Investments n Private Banking n Trust Services n Insurance Wells Fargo Private Bank provides products and services through Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., the banking affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company, and its various affiliates and subsidiaries. Brokerage products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors. Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and separate bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is a bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

Trust services available through banking and trust affiliates in addition to non-affiliated companies of Wells Fargo & Company. Insurance products are available through insurance subsidiaries of Wells Fargo & Company and are underwritten by non-affiliated Insurance Companies. Not available in all states. CAR #0118-03151 © 2018 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLSR ID 399801 IHA-5406301

SPECIAL SAVINGS GOING ON NOW

CASTLEBERRY’S AN AUTHORIZED ETHAN ALLEN RETAILER TULSA 6006 SOUTH SHERIDAN 918.496.3073 Ask a designer or visit ethanallen.com for details.

Sale going on for a limited time. ©2018 Ethan Allen Global, Inc.

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BLANK SLATE “This space highlights the chair’s bold shape with a striking piece of modern art. In contrast to the deep blues, we used the warm earth tones, the natural aesthetic and organic textures so popular in the ’50s and still relevant today. My favorite thing about the egg chair is the timeless silhouette it creates without taking up square footage. Great design is iconic and will linger through decades.”

— MICHELLE JONES, OWNER, MICHELLE JONES INTERIORS TP

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Tulsa Business Forums

2017-2018

MOIRA FORBES President & Publisher, ForbesWoman

April 17, 2018 | 12–1:30 p.m.

Luncheon Presentation Leading through Power Change Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center Forbes is also the Executive Vice President of Forbes Media where she is responsible for programming and branding Forbes events worldwide and driving new business initiatives across the company’s diverse media platforms.

Make your reservations:

Call: 405.744.5208 or 918.594.8244 Online: cepd.okstate.edu/tbf

TUCKER TENNIS ACADEMY

SPRING BREAK CAMPS MARCH 19-22

SUMMER CAMPS MAY 29 - AUG 2

Free 30 minute evaluation with this ad Why Tucker Tennis?

• Over $2 million in college scholarships since 2011 • USTA “Best developmental program in U.S.” in 2014 • Only 3D video motion analysis center in U.S. • Private schooling onsite • 1 of 6 USTA Certified Regional Training Centers • Clay courts, hard courts, indoor, pickle ball, fitness center • 8 high performance certified coaches 3030 E . 91 S T S T. 918 - 298 - 9500 T UCKER T ENNIS.COM

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STOREFRONT

Red Velvet truffle. $2.95.

Ionic Designs jewelry by Tulsan Julie Thomas Buchheim.

Necklace, $85.

Earrings, $35.

Hat and Field Supply Co. Oklahoma-inspired dish towels. $17.75, each.

Sugar-free dark chocolate cherry cordials. $9.50 per half-pound.

Jeff Darby and Janet Dundee

Happy place SWEET TOOTH CANDY AND GIFT CO. CONTINUES TO BRING JOY TO CUSTOMERS IN NEW LOCATION.

BY ANNE BROCKMAN

I

t was a fateful day in 1992 when Janet Dundee and Jeff Darby stumbled upon a classified ad for a small gift store in the Farm Shopping Center. The couple purchased the store and have nurtured it into what it is today: Sweet Tooth Candy and Gift Co. For the past 26 years, Sweet Tooth has become well-loved for its selection of candy, jewelry and Tulsa- and Oklahoma-centric gifts. The couple has strived to make their shop into a destination for happiness. Dundee stresses customer service and the store’s commitment to impeccable goods created by local and national artists.

“There’s something lost without customer service,” Dundee says, pointing out the store’s customer jewelry registry. For example, if you’re buying a gift for your friend’s Trollbeads collection, don’t worry about picking out something she already has. Sweet Tooth tracks its customers’ jewelry purchases so no two presents are the same.

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Along with being the exclusive Oklahoma retailer for Trollbeads, Sweet Tooth is the only Tulsa store to carry Obsidian Jewelry. Another popular jewelry line at the store is Kameleon Jewelry, an interchangeable system of earrings, bracelets, rings and pendants that allows the user to personalize each piece.

Many people know Sweet Tooth for its selection of fine chocolates and candies.

Since the store recently moved a few blocks north to 3541 S. Harvard Ave., Dundee and Darby say the store’s candy offerings have expanded and are more visible when people first walk inside.

The store hosts seasonal events throughout the year. From March 12-24, Sweet Tooth’s “Easter Bunnies” will help customers build Easter baskets for loved ones. Just pick out the goodies, and Sweet Tooth will put them in a basket wrapped with cellophane and a bow, ready for pickup starting March 26. The gifts are Easter bunny-approved. TP

Handcrafted, one-of-a-kind Scarves by Krystyna (aka Eva Unterman). $50-$60.

Trollbeads gold-plated bangle, Midnight Beauty bead, Mother’s Rose beads and Silver Stoppers. $488.

Sweet Tooth Candy and Gift Co. 3541 S. HARVARD AVE. | 918-712-8785 SWEETTOOTHTULSA.COM 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday

LET SWEET TOOTH BUILD YOUR EASTER BASKET You select the goodies, we provide complimentary basket, wrap & bow!

Offer good March 12-24, 2018.

Baskets can be picked up March 26-31.

Minimum purchase $25.

NEW LOCATION

3541 S. Harvard Ave, Tulsa, OK | 918-712-8785

HAPPY EASTER!

Let us help you fill a special basket.

Cariloha Tulsa 1760 Utica square Tulsa, Ok 74114

Enjoy the ultimate in comfort bamboo bundle offer GET

2 Bamboo T-shirts 2 Pairs of Bamboo Socks 2 Pairs of Bamboo Underwear

for only $99 2058 Utica Square 918-747-8780

up to $43 savings Bring coupon for redemption

You never need a reason to spoil your dog.

d Custom Picture Framing d Fine Art d Home Accessories 1778 UTICA SQUARE | 918-624-2600

6 N. LEWIS d 918.584.2217 d ZIEGLERART.COM TulsaPeople.com

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BEYOND CITY LIMITS

Kingfisher’s Gov. Seay Mansion

Eischen’s in Okarche

ROAD TRIP TRIO KINGFISHER, OKARCHE AND EL RENO ARE STEEPED IN HISTORY. STORY AND PHOTOS BY RHYS MARTIN

N Guardian of the Mother Road mural in El Reno

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orth and west of Oklahoma City are three towns worth a visit for any history lover or food fanatic.

Today, Kingfisher is a quiet community of commuters to the capital, but a walk down Main Street will reveal the rich history of this town dating back to the Land Run. For example, the five-and-dime store that led to the TG&Y chain started in Kingfisher, and the Coleman outdoor gear company began there. Half-a-dozen historic markers, a few statues and several local shops can be found on a short walking tour. The Chisholm Trail Museum and Gov. Seay Mansion also are nearby and provide windows into early life in the Sooner State. A commemorative museum exhibit was updated last year for the 150th anniversary of the trail.

When hunger sets in, head south on Highway 81. Okarche is 15 minutes away and home to Eischen’s, the oldest bar in Oklahoma. It’s more restaurant than bar these days, known for delicious, award-winning fried chicken. We’re talking a whole fried chicken, too: two breasts, two thighs, two wings and two legs. You won’t regret it, though you might want to take a nap after settling the bill. It’s cash only, so be prepared with some folding money.

El Reno is just another 15 minutes south. Fort Reno has a U.S. Cavalry Museum in addition to an old cemetery and open grounds to wander. Downtown El Reno has quite a few shops to choose from and a rich tapestry of murals. It’s also the home of the only rail-based trolley left in the state.

If Eischen’s fried chicken didn’t appeal to you, El Reno is home to the finest onion burger I’ve ever eaten. Sid’s Diner sits on Route 66 and looks just like you’d expect: old photos on the wall, regulars sitting at the counter and an active grill in full view. Sid’s has been featured on the Food Network and is a big part of the city’s annual Onion Burger Festival happening on May 4-5 this year.

As long as you still have some daylight left, take Route 66 to the west edge of town. Just past the El Reno Bowl, take a right on Sabra Pass. You’ll be greeted by the Guardian of the Mother Road, a vibrant 50-foot-tall mural on the back of an old drive-in wall depicting a scissortail flycatcher, redbuds and waving wheat. The artist, Rick Sinnett, has stunning artwork on display all across the state, including a mural in Tulsa’s Blue Dome District. TP

The ONLY Early Childhood Program that offers a specialty in Infant/Toddler Education.

BECAUSE THERE’S ONLY ONE

Nammi Early Childhood Education Graduate, Tulsa Educare Lead Teacher

Mike Master of Human Relations Student

Learn more at www.TulsaSooners.com The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

TulsaPeople.com OU-Tulsa_TPVert_Camp4.indd 2

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1/26/17 4:45 PM

HEALTH

March 10 Get Your Rear in Gear 5K 8-11 a.m. Guthrie Green, 111 E. M. B. Brady St. $25-$30. coloncancercoalition.org/tulsa Benefits Colon Cancer Coalition.

Family physician Dr. Sha-Rhonda Morton and Morton Comprehensive Health Services’ Chief Nursing Officer Cassie Clayton, who happen to be mother and daughter, encourage patients to be screened for colon cancer.

WE

Get FIT

HOPS

AN AFFORDABLE, NON-INVASIVE TEST HELPS SCREEN FOR COLON CANCER.

CHINCHILLAS HOP WHEN THEY ARE HAPPY.

100% of proceeds raised at Conservation On Tap goes to Save the Wild Chinchillas, Inc. Let’s brew for a better world. 21+ event.

APRIL 27 TULSA ZOO TULSAZOO.ORG/TAP

C

olorectal cancer is the third most common cancer, excluding skin cancers, in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. It’s also the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths.

But early awareness and prevention can help.

Morton Comprehensive Health Services’ Chief Nursing Officer Cassie Clayton and family physician Dr. Sha-Rhonda Morton take colon health seriously and are working to increase awareness and prevention strategies.

In 2017, the health service received a grant from the Colon Cancer Coalition and Get Your Rear in Gear to provide fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) and follow-ups for uninsured patients. The test is affordable and non-invasive.

“Everyone is susceptible,” Morton says, “but you’ll usually see (colon cancer) after age 50, so that is when most screenings start.” Men and women have a similar risk factor, but those with a family history of colon cancer or who are African American have a higher incidence, so screenings start earlier.

In Oklahoma, only 59 percent of eligible Oklahomans are screened for colon cancer, according to the Colon Cancer Coalition. The health service hopes to improve those numbers.

More extensive tests allow a physician to look inside the colon, but can be costly. That’s why Clayton and Morton are strong proponents of FIT, which can indicate warning signs that might go unnoticed. “The first thing is blood in the stool, which is why the FIT test is so important,” Morton says.

“By the time there are abdominal pains or blood you can see — those are bad signs,” Clayton adds. “Screenings are very important in this case. You are going to be fine, until you’re not.” — ANNE BROCKMAN

BY THE NUMBERS Source: Colon Cancer Coalition

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1 in 20 develops colon cancer.

1 in 3 over age 50 has not been screened.

1 in 10 colon cancer patients is diagnosed before age 50.

TULSAPEOPLE.COM

GIVEAWAYS Visit TulsaPeople.com to register for our UTICA SQUARE DINING PACKAGE!

Wine & Dine at Utica Square this spring! $250 package includes Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Polo Grill and The Wild Fork.

Register by March 31.

www.TraversMahanApparel.com South Lewis at 81st • The Plaza • 918-296-4100

1st–12th Grade

May 22–august 10 Join us on our 120-acre wooded campus complete with two gyms, athletic fields, barnyard, splash pad, hiking trails, and picnic areas.

2433 West 61st Street • 918.446.3553 • riverfield.org TulsaPeople.com

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GARDENING

Pots of gold CONTAINER GARDENING IS POPULAR FOR MANY REASONS.

BY ALLEN ROBINSON

CHOOSING A CONTAINER The container you select must drain well. Use only potting soil, as any other materials that are added to the bottom, such as gravel, will adversely affect drainage. And, light-colored pots stay much cooler in the summer than those of darker shades.

POTTING SOIL PARTICULARS Proper selection of potting soil is very important.

Pick a trusted brand. For best results, select a mix that drains well, holds moisture and is porous enough to allow for good air and water movement. Most commercial soils will contain variable mixes of compost, peat moss, sand, vermiculite and other materials and have a properly adjusted soil pH. Caution: Do not use soil from the garden as it might contain disease and will likely not drain well.

WATER WISELY Containers tend to dry out very quickly and will need frequent irrigation. Therefore, a daily check of your containers, especially in the hottest months, is a must.

To determine when it’s time to water, here’s a fun little trick if you don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty. Stick your finger into the soil about 2 inches deep. If it’s dry near the tip of your finger, it’s time to water. Enough water should be added until it drains from the bottom of the pot. Careful, though, as over-watering will suffocate roots. Discard the drainage water, as it contains undesirable fertilizer residues, which may be harmful to your plants if not removed. If all of this seems like too much guesswork, install a simple drip-irrigation system or just use a self-watering container.

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FEED YOUR PLANTS All plants have individual needs for fertilizer, and most good soils will have proper nutrients already added. But, supplementing with a balanced fertilizer, such as Osmocote, is quite alright. Once plants begin growing and bearing fruit, use a liquid fertilizer once every 2-3 weeks. Do not overdo it because too much nitrogen fertilizer can be harmful, especially to tomatoes.

EAT YOUR VEGGIES Many types of vegetables and most herbs lend themselves well to this type of gardening. Children love it! Nothing tastes better than homegrown tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, squash and salad greens. Vegetables do grow rapidly and need regular fertilization and plenty of sunshine. Pick plants that have similar growing requirements, such as water and fertilizer needs.

Container gardening has unlimited possibilities that fit into most gardeners’ plans, not only for attractive flowers, but also for many types of vegetables. So, for those who don’t want to create and maintain a larger garden, containers might just be the answer for both the young and the not-so-young at heart. TP Thank you to Tulsa County Master Gardeners for their expertise in this subject matter.

Allen Robinson has been a Master Gardener since 2010.

LUNCH AND LEARN WITH TULSA MASTER GARDENERS March 20 — Container gardens for vegetables; minimizing pitfalls March 27 — Seed saving April 3 — Tomatoes April 10 — Annuals and perennials for shade; solutions for landscape difficulties April 17 — Growing vegetables and herbs April 24 — Fruit trees Bring your lunch. Free admission. 12:10-12:50 p.m. at Central Library, 400 Civic Center. Visit tulsamastergardeners.org for more information.

COURTESY FRANK AND BEV BAUGHN

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ontainer gardening is practiced among people of all ages and living spaces. It is a perfect starting point for children or beginners; it’s great for renters or people with limited space; and it’s manageable for those with limited leisure time.

Containers can be as attractive and elegant as colorful glazed pots or decorative window boxes, or as whimsical as an old wheelbarrow or leather boots.

They not only add to the decor of an outdoor living space, such as a patio, but also have the added advantage of portability.

Essentially, anything that can hold soil and allows for good drainage can be converted into a planter. Imagination is the only limitation.

GET SOME GREEN THIS SPRING! TULSA'S BEST SELECTION OF STATUARY POTTERY

THE PLANT PLACE Call Today for Your Free Designer Consultation: 918.582.5572 Or Visit Us at Our Show Room at 1502 S Cincinnati Pl | www.cohlmia.com VISIT US AT OUR OKLAHOMA CITY LOCATION

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TULSA SYMPHONY

2017-2018 S E A S O N T W E LV E

Classics Series

ARE YOU ON OUR LIST?

CLASSICS V: MAHLER’S SYMPHONY NO. 4

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2018 | 7:30 PM

T U L SA P E R FO R M I N G A RT S C E N T E R On this final Classics Series concert of the 20172018 season, Daniel Hege will lead the Tulsa Symphony in John Adams’ Chairman Dances and Edward Elgar’s In the South (Alassio). The lovely Sarah Coburn is the featured soprano soloist for Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.

ADAMS: Chairman Dances ELGAR: In the South (Alassio), op.50 MAHLER: Symphony No. 4 Daniel Hege, Principal Guest Conductor Sarah Coburn, Soprano * Pre-Concert Conversation | 6:30 PM * Pre-Concert Student Recognition Concert | 6:45 PM * Post-Concert Reception – All Welcome * Childcare Available

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FREE

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Norman Rockwell

YOUR PARTNER IN PROSPERITY

Behind the Camera

offers revealing insights into Norman Rockwell’s creative process through his use of photography.

February 17 – June 10, 2018 Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera has been organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Media sponsorship has been provided by Curtis Licensing, a division of The Saturday Evening Post and the Norman Rockwell Family Agency.

Photographer Louis Lamone, 1966 Models posing for New Kids in the Neighborhood Look, May 16, 1967, Inkjet print, Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, ©1966 Norman Rockwell Family Agency

Norman Rockwell, New Kids in the Neighborhood, 1967, Look, May 16, 1967, signed print Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, ©1967 Norman Rockwell Family Agency.

TU is an EEO/AA Institution.

Gilcrease Museum’s 2018 exhibition season is sponsored by an anonymous donor in fond memory of Sam Miller.

Generous support is also provided by the Maurice DeVinna Charitable Trust, Robin F. Ballenger and Merkel Family Foundation.

GILCREASE.ORG 84

TulsaPeople MARCH 2018

tulsachamber.com/partnersinprosperity

years

26001 East 161st Street South $1,875,000

6912 East 115th Street $659,000

2843 East 32nd Street $459,000

McGraw Realtors

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McGraw Realtors. Excellence Since 1938

1830 East 43rd Street $890,000

2115 East 25th Street $715,000

4108 South Birmingham Avenue $599,000

11732 South Erie Avenue $539,000

10620 South Nandina Court $535,000

648 West 77th Place $448,000

2509 East 45th Street $429,000

2940 East 56th Place $399,000

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2308 East 139th Street $319,000

Experience Mickie Bingham 918.630.4434

2411 East 139th Street $305,000

6005 South 14th Street $299,900

4802 East 85th Street $299,000

Expertise

Excellence

Pam Case

Lori Lassman

918.809.3247

918.760.7844

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McGraw Realtors

The Home In Our Heart.

For its tree covered streets, walks on the river and homes with character. For the sound of children laughing, corner lemonade stands, and overall spirit of the place. Midtown is our sanctuary in the heart of Tulsa.

It is the hope of a young family moving in to their first home and the pride of the couple celebrating 50 years in theirs. It is friendly living, glorious sunsets and azaleas and tulips blooming in the Spring. It is summer concerts in “The Square� and 4th of July parades. It is decorated houses on Halloween and watching the Sooners and Cowboys in the Fall. It is a wave, a friendly face and people asking how you are.

Midtown holds some of our most cherished memories. It is home to our family, our friends and to many clients. And for all of this, dear neighbors, we are deeply grateful and glad to be home.

A Passion For Midtown. Respect For Our Clients.

John and Kim Mullins McGraw Realtors 918.939.9590 www.johnandkimmullins.com

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McGraw Realtors

1554 S Yorktown Place Amazing house located just minutes from Cherry Street and Utica Square. Beautiful woodwork thruout is featured on floors, molding and fireplaces. Spacious formals. Updated kitchen with grantie and stainless appliances. 5 bedrooms.

Master suite has sitting area and luxury bath. Basement clubroom. Garage quarters can be rented. $649,000

G at e d G u i e rw o o d s

Guirewoods offers so many different options for residents to enjoy an easy lifestyle.

7204 S. G ar y Ave.- $410,000 One-story unit with 3,176 sq. ft. of living space has lots of updates.

Master with his and her baths.

Generac-whole home generator, and safe room. Newer roof and driveway. Beautiful covered patio.

7242 S. G ar y Ave. - $499,000 Need something a little bigger?

3,402 sq. ft. of beautiful living space.

Completely redone by the current owners with custom kitchen and baths. Master suite on first floor.

2 bedrooms up each have private baths. Spacious laundry. Several outdoor living areas.

232 Hazel Blvd.

Amazing contemporary with warm touches throughout.

Double wall of windows in the great room open to two different private patio areas. Maple cabinetry in the kitchen and Ceaserstone counters. Master suite on first floor with large walk-in closet. Upstairs features a spacious game room, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths plus a library. $899,000

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McGraw Realtors Over 11,000 sq ft in Midtown. $3,750,000 - The floor plan is extremely family friendly with areas for entertaining both formally and informally. 3 unique game rooms each with stunning appointments. Chef’s Kitchen. Private office. 4 bedroom suites each having private baths. Backyard oasis with double outdoor kitchens, covered living area with fireplace, koi pond and heated diving pool.

3 car side entry garage. Fully finished quarters. Call for your private showing. 4025 S Yorktown Place. www.tourfactory.com/1750742

Rodger Erker

918-740-4663 TulsaPeople.com

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McGraw Realtors

918.260.7885

13911 s K i n g s T o n a v e n u e

2690 T e r w i l l e g e r B o u l e v a r d

Gated Estate home. Newer construction with marble floors and walls! Enormous fireplaces.

Open floor plan with tall ceilings. Master suite with sitting area and fireplace. Outdoor living.

Jaw dropping views!! Several game rooms. Theatre room and numerous outdoor living areas. $2,700,000

Outstanding Estate Property. Sits on 1.75 park like acres in the heart of midtown. House was totally renovated in recent years. Kitchen opens to family living with 2 story ceiling. Large study with fireplace. Gracious master suite with his and hers closets. Fireplace and balcony! Full outdoor living and kitchen. Separate guest house. $1,995,000

4354 s v i c T o r a v e n u e

2480 e 27 T h P l a c e

Spectacular newer custom stone home. Master or guest suite down, second master up. Utility up and down. Large game room with kitchen. Outdoor kitchen / living. Pool with waterfalls.

Playhouse! Gated driveway. $2,395,000

Gated Estate home. Newer construction with marble floors and walls! Enormous fireplaces. Open floor plan with tall ceilings. Master suite with sitting area and fireplace. Outdoor living. Guest House to be finished out. $2,150,000

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19122 e K n i g h T s B r i d g e a v e n u e Unbelievable views! House sits high above pond. Gorgeous formal area with loads of crown molding. Beams throughout.

Comfortable log cabin room. Full home theater. Most of the house was built in 2005. House sits on 2 lots. $1,999,000

2411 e 27 T h P l a c e Fabulous stone home in Woody Crest. Kitchen opens to family living. Large beautiful formals. Wine room off of formal dining.

Huge his and hers closets. Outdoor living with pool, hot tub, fireplace and built in heaters. $1,499,000

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2916 e 68 T h s T r e e T Fabulous remodel in Southern Hills. Marble tile floors. Large open spaces. Custom master bath with steam shower. Commercial grade kitchen with Viking appliances. House feels brand new.

Seller says bring all offers! $697,000

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4018 s X a n T h u s a v e n u e Pristine home sits behind a gate and backs to neighborhood common space. Stainless appliances in center island kitchen.

Large first floor study could be 4th bedroom. Screened in indoor/ outdoor room off master. Gorgeous deck. Very private! $695,000

9450 e J a m e s T o w n a v e n u e Exquisite custom built home on a private cul-de-sac. Exceptional amenities inside and out. Custom carved wood floors. Whole house sound system, chef grade appliances. Outdoor living and kitchen area complete the spa like area of this home. $799,000

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3803 s T r e n T o n a v e n u e Great Brookside location on a corner lot. Newer appliances.

Granite kitchen counters. Three living areas. Wood burning fireplace in formal. Slate and wood floors. Lots of storage. Very cute! $359,000

McGraw Realtors TulsaPeople.com

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Belinda Tucker

McGraw Realtors

BT

918.698.4418

2943 E 58th Street Fairway Estates I

10320 S 92nd East Avenue The Estates at Stone Creek

Meticulous full brick ONE-LEVEL home near So. Hills. Formal Living with wall of closets/Office.

Formal Dining, Spacious Family with wet bar open to Kitchen. Covered Patio overlooks gorgeous yard with Pool. Master with patio access. Rear Entry Garage + circle drive. $425,000.

Awesome pond/treed view. Private gated street. Builder’s personal home with many upgrades.

Kitchen with upscale cabinetry, wolf cooktop, Double ovens. Open vaulted beamed family with wall windows. Spacious master suite. Hoge game room. New carpet, paint, roof. $550,000.

3807 S Orange Circle Cedar Ridge North

7851 S Houston Court Stonebrooke Estates

Newly Remodeled on Cedar Ridge Golf Course with spectacular views. Kitchen with 6 burner cooktop, wine fridge, galley sink, quartz counters. 5 large BR (3 down) with walk-in closets.

Oversized rooms & hardwood down. Huge Game with/FP, windows overlooking course. $749,000.

Immaculate home on corner cul-de-sac lot.Vaulted ceilings, wood beams, surplus trim.Spacious open Family w/floor to ceiling stone FP. Hdwds in Office, Family, Dining, Kitchen.Gorgeous cabinetry & Kitchen tile.Lg Master Suite. Guest BD down.Huge Gameroom. $499,500.

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13445 S. 65th Place River’s Edge E AD

4521 S Yellow PineBerwick Villas

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Overlooking pond & river, PARADE 2018 4/4.5 home in gated River’s Edge. Two Game rooms, one up, one down & 4 Car Garage. $650,000.

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Beautiful pond lot in gated Berwick Villas. $235,000.

McGraw Realtors

Nancy Kavanaugh-Gotcher

Debra Adamek 918-695-4945

918-625-6260

Debbie.Adamek@gmail.com 2017 Top 100 Realtor

nkavanaugh@mcgrawok.com Multi Million Dollar Producer 5720 E 118th Street - Shadow Wood - Superbly appointed English Mansion on private gated cul-desac. Design built by Mike Dankbar, featured in John Brooks Walton’s “Tomorrow’s Historic Tulsa Homes”.

Fabulous grounds has pool, paths, veranda and sun deck. Backs to reserve with pond and valley views. $950,000

8711 S College Place - Cedarcrest II - Stunning Remodel with 5 Bedrooms and 3.5 Baths. New kitchen with granite countertops. New paint, new carpet, new hardwoods, new master bath, huge basement with theater room, workout and bedroom. Must see! Large backyard with plans for the pool. $389,900

9547 S College Court - College Parke II - Charming 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Baths, 2 Living plus large Formal Dining Room. Hardwood floors newly refinished with new carpet in master bedroom. Large closets in all bedrooms and hallways. Multiple built in bookcases, large utility room and great size yard with a new fence. $260,000

14703 E 108th Street N Owasso - Lake Valley - Adorable, desirable 3/2/2 bungalow. Split bedrooms, private master suite, open kitchen/ eating area. New Pergola in fully fenced backyard. Cul-de-sac street.

Lake Valley offers fishing lakes, trails, pools & parks. 100% Rural development.$ 154,900

Scott Coffman 918-640-1073 - scoffman@mcgrawok.com D

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2404 E 27 T H P L A C E $795,000 - 5 BED - 4 FULL, 2 HALF BATH

Stunning fully remodeled Midtown Estate Home with top-of-the-line touches and amenities throughout. Enormous kitchen opens to casual living and breakfast nook.

Original moldings and trim. Charming study, multiple living rooms, two indoor fireplaces, wine/cigar room, and basement with granite counters, 3 car garage, beautiful yard and landscaping.

6116 E 60 T H S T R E E T $185,000 - 4 BED - 3 FULL

Stunning gunite diving pool, 4 bed house w/ one bedroom totally separate (perfect mother-in-law plan). 2 large living areas plus dining & sunroom. Some new paint. Private backyard. Updated kitchen.

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McGraw Realtors

Spring is here! Sales are going through the roof!

Call me today for all of your real estate needs!

BethR engel

2960 S Delaware Street New Construction in posh Midtown. Spacious Country French Estate with all luxurious amenities. 3 bed, 2.5 baths, 3 car garage.

Near Utica Square.

Outdoor patio with fireplace. Outstanding detail! $789,000

918-284-97 7 7

brengel@mcgrawok.com

Recipient of tulsa’s Top 100 realtors designation

2 0 15 , 2016 , 2017

Serving Buyers and Sellers throughout Tulsa with both existing homes and new construction.

Let me help your home dream come true!

Sales representative for Lee Signature Properties 94

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Building Dreams for over 20 years.

We are excited to announce that we are now building in Winchester Park near Tulsa Hills! Please visit our website to view floor plans and neighborhoods.

leesignatureproperties.com

McGraw Realtors

Larry Harral

918-231-4455

View these homes plus thousands more at our web site:

www.LarrySellsTulsa.com 1527 E. 38th Street.

New Construction boasts transitional style and modern features. Chef’s Kitchen open to Great Room with fireplace. First Level Master and Guest Suites, Office and Mudroom. Industrial staircase leads to three upstairs bedrooms, Game Room and Theater. Vaulted Patio with built in grill and fireplace. 3 Car Garage. $1,250,000.

4176 S Troost Place. Modern Midtown New Build nearing completion. Chef’s Kitchen open to Great Room with Fireplace.

Home Office. Master Suite with 2 walk in closets. Main Level Guest Suite. 2 Bedrooms. 2 Baths and Game Room up. 3 Car Garage.

Large covered deck with access from Master and Dining. Tall ceilings. Open Plan. $849,000

4806 E. 87th Place. Jenks Southeast. Beautiful home with 4 Bedrooms, 3 Full and 2 Half Baths, 3 Car Garage. Vaulted Great Room with wet bar. Formal Living and Dining Rooms. Granite Kitchen has Island and Nook.

Master Suite with luxurious bath.

Game Room, Office, Study. Park like back yard with gazebo and pond. $420,000

1523 South Gary Avenue.

Sophisticated Remodel and Addition in coveted midtown location. 3 BR/2BA. Granite & Stainless Kitchen with Island.

Vaulted Master Suite has en suite bath with double sinks. Dining Area off of Kitchen. Vaulted Formal Living with fireplace. Mud Room. Privacy Fenced back yard. $349,900

Rental Portfolio in Tulsa For Sale - 11 Rentable Units

427 S. 74th E. Ave.

1452 E. 52nd Pl.

2832 E. 2nd St.

11949 E. 16th Pl.

3715 E. 39th St.

3501 E. 7th St.

6923 E. 17th St.

9155 E. Latimer Ct.

1625 E. 54th St.

3334 E. Independence

Gary Krisman gkrisman@mcgrawcp.com 9 1 8 .8 1 2 . 7 8 3 0 Carey Velez cvelez@mcgrawcp.com 9 1 8 .8 45 . 7 6 6 9 Gant Hinkle ghinkle@mcgrawok.com 9 1 8 .5 2 7 . 9 1 2 0 TulsaPeople.com

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McGraw Realtors

Private Gated Estate on 26 Acres

Brookwood Farms III

1-1.5 Acre Home Sites Available

5412 E PRINCETON STREET, BROKEN ARROW Impeccably maintained private gated Estate on 26+ acres. Breathtaking golf course-like grounds with manicured gardens. Grand curved staircase, palatial rooms with soaring ceilings. 2 master suites on 1st floor & 2 beds up. Kitchen opens to great room & over looks Infinity pool & spa.

4 car garage is heat & cooled. Sprawling pond with water feature. 9 bay outbuilding has heat/air, 5 stalls, wash bay & office. Additional outbuilding & greenhouse. 4 Paddocks. Fully fenced with 2 gated entrances. Truly a one of a kind property with access to major highways. $4,995,000.

S Sherri Sanders Mobile:

Allison jacobs

BrookWood Farms features 1.0 - 1.5 acre premium home sites located in Wagoner County, just southeast of Tulsa and Broken Arrow. This small, privatized, upscale neighborhood consists of 27 home sites. It is situated among mature trees, open spaces and nature. Purchasers are welcome to choose their own builder. Lot prices start at $85,000.

A Retreat From the Ordinary Visit our website at www.BrookWoodFarms-Land.com Directions to BrookWood Farms: From Creek Turnpike. Exit on South 193rd East Avenue (County Line Road).

Turn south and travel to East 141st Street South. Turn east and travel approximately 3 miles to 14100 S. 246th E. Ave.

918.724.5008

S Sherri Sanders

Sherri@SherriSanders.net sherrisanders.net

4105 S. Rockford Ave Tulsa, OK 74105

918.850.2207

ajacobs@mcgrawok.com 4105 S. Rockford ave. tulsa, ok 74105

mcgrawrealtors.com

56826 S 560 Road, Rose Almost 80 acres available with an incredible ranch + home, barn, shop, NEW pool. Pipe fence + automatic gate and barbed wire surround the property. Livestock pens, automatic waterer and horse pens. Close to HW 412. Gorgeous property! $699,000

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4407 S. Gary Avenue Top-of-the-line home located in the heart of Midtown!.

Granite island kitchen with breakfast area. Two bedrooms down including large master suite with private bath and walk-in closet. Downstairs office, living room with fireplace, formal dining room and exercise room. Three beds up all with private ensuite baths and HUGE closets. Theater room plus Large Gameroom!

Outdoor living. $979,000

918.724.5008

Sherri@SherriSanders.ne sherrisanders.net

McGraw Realtors

Marsha Hackler 3306 E 96th Place

4184 S Birmingham Place

5735 South Utica Ave

3817 East 66th Street

New price in gated Crown Pointe. Jack Arnold Old English design with brick and wood floors, three fireplaces plus acre+ lot. Two car detached garage as well as attached two car garage. Very charming home. $625,000

918.260.9455 mhackler@tulsarealtors.com

Single-level home with two living areas, three bedrooms, two full baths, two FPs. New kitchen and master bath. Large yard is planted with perennials for this spring. Must see! $365,000

Updated, single-level ranch with three bedrooms, two full baths, two living Located on one of Point South’s cul-de-sacs. Designer’s former home. Large areas. Granite counters, wood floors. Walk to Heller Park. Very nice. $143,500 master suite and closet. Second bedroom is oversized with private bath.

Granite kitchen and designer touches throughout.

Quietly going about the business of selling real estate for over 25 years.

k Than You ! a s l u T

Tulsa Top100 Realtors ®

1119 E 38th Place Complete remodel in Brookside. Larger square footage than courthouse records. New siding, windows, doors, cabinets, granite, light fixtures, and hardwoods. Must see! $175,000

918.808.4780

mkeys@mcgrawok.com TulsaPeople.com

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P

roper etiquette is like good grammar; the people who know how to spot our blunders are smarter than we are. Others don’t know the difference.

The downside of etiquette is that it encourages pride. As in, “I know something you don’t know.”

Here’s a confessional example. Two examples, actually.

1. I was having a business lunch with a young woman who delicately pushed the food onto her fork with her left thumb.

2. I was eating with a young, professional man who emphasized his comments by jabbing his fork at me across the table.

“Oh, that is so wrong,” I said to myself, flooded with self-righteousness, then ashamed of myself for being judgmental. I felt terrible, but the young man and young woman were blissfully unaware, which makes me wonder: “What’s the point of rules of etiquette?”

I am a devotee of Emily Post etiquette books, especially the vintage ones with guidelines for when a man is to lift his hat and whether a woman should remove her gloves before shaking hands.

Times change. Luckily, new etiquette books have appeared for modern times including “Etiquette Rules! A Field Guide to Modern Manners” by Nancy R. Mitchell (my favorite) and “Modern American Manners: Dining Etiquette for Hosts and Guests” by Fred Mayo and Michael Gold.

I took a victory lap when I saw how much space the authors devoted to cell phone courtesy, a subject close to my nerves. In summary: • No cell phones placed on a dining table or conference table.

• No interrupting face-to-face conversations to text, answer the cell phone or even check the

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EXCUSE ME, PLEASE.

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

display “unless you are a first responder, CEO of a Fortune 500 company or designated driver of a pregnant woman,” according to “Etiquette Rules!”

• No loud, personal conversations in public.

The rules are: Put down the phone and be present. Respect the personal space of other people.

My second favorite subject was the etiquette of Facebook posting. Don’t overshare, the author tells us. Not another self-portrait, no photo of what you’re eating or drinking and no report about checking in for a medical procedure. (I would add: No photos of your wounds, stitches or feet, even at a fireplace or swimming pool.)

Tweets should be respectful. No rants, bullying or complaints.

The guides to modern manners direct us through the niceties of when to use honorific titles (Mr., Ms., Dr.), when to help a woman with her chair (in social but not business settings) and such

old-fashioned rules of how a man should walk beside a woman on a sidewalk (on the street side).

We’re directed how to dress for a job interview and how to greet people we are meeting for the first time. Much attention is given to workplace etiquette. In shared work spaces, no smelly foods or loud cologne.

Mitchell’s book takes us through retail rudeness (Don’t leave clothes on the dressing room floor), medical office manners (Don’t tear out pages from magazines in the waiting room) and performance etiquette (Arrive no later than 15 minutes before the published start time).

These are good books for young people beginning their professional careers and interested in polishing their social behavior. They’re not for young people only. Just as I was feeling smug about my own etiquette IQ, I came across admonishments at my frequent gaffes, especially applying lipstick at the table, picking up the napkin dropped in a restaurant and meeting punctuality.

If you’re not five minutes early for a meeting, the authors tell us, you’re late.

Why bother with a code of behavior for social and professional occasions? It helps us feel educated, polite and refined. Rules make life manageable.

Ms. Post summed up proper etiquette this way: “Politeness is to do and say the kindest thing in the kindest way.”

Armed with modern manners, I was ready to correct the unmannered people who talk, text and phone in a movie theater. I was eager to admonish friends who plop their phone on the restaurant table and then say, repeatedly, “I have to take this.”

The authorities of modern manners made me stop.

It’s rude to correct other people, they say.

I have to be polite, too? Bummer. TP

GEORGIA BROOKS

MUSINGS

CHARITABLE EVENTS SUPPORTED BY

For more information, visit www.tulsamastergardeners.org or call 918-746-3701

GIGI (CENTER), DIAGNO

SED IN 2010

E (R), DIAGNOSED

OSED IN 2015; LYNN

HAYLEY (L), DIAGN

IN 2008

2018 LOCATIONS Enid • Crosslin Park April 7

Tulsa • Guthrie Green April 28

Oklahoma City Myriad Botanical Gardens April 14

Lawton Lawton Senior High School May 5

REGISTER TODAY! WALKMS.ORG 1-855-372-1331

SED IN 2014

LATIAH (R), DIAGNO

BILL, DIAGNOSED IN 2010

ED IN 2012

LAURA (CENTER), DIAGNOS

THANK YOU TO OUR PREMIER NATIONAL SPONSOR THANK YOU TO OUR NATIONAL SPONSORS

TulsaPeople.com

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QA &

From Tulsa Professionals

For information about participating in Q&A, please contact adservices@langdonpublishing.com.

GENERAL DENTISTRY What is laser dentistry?

Often referred to as LANAP, this method is a new laser-assisted gum attachment procedure. LANAP provides periodontal regeneration of new cementum and ligaments. The procedure also regenerates bone on a previously diseased root surface. By essentially re-growing bone and tissue, the procedure offers help for patients experiencing periodontal disease and bone loss around dental implants and teeth. Call today to see if you are a candidate for FDA-approved LANAP.

BEAUTY & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT What treatments are available to get rid of stubborn fat?

FDA-approved, non-invasive Coolsculpting® targets and destroys fat cells permanently. Coolsculpting® can be done in less than an hour with no downtime. Known as “Hollywood’s best kept secret,” Coolsculpting® is quickly becoming highly sought-after. Patients begin to see fat reduction in as little as three weeks and continue to see improvement for up to three months following treatment. This procedure is ideal for getting rid of extra fat in tummies, love handles, bra fat, arms, thighs and more. To schedule a complimentary consultation, call 918-872-9999.

Malissa Spacek and Dr. James Campbell BA Med Spa & Weight Loss Center 500 S. Elm Place • Broken Arrow, OK 74012 918-872-9999 • www.baweightspa.com

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT I contributed $3,500 to an IRA in 2017. How much more can I contribute for the year 2017 and when is the deadline?

You can contribute up to $2,000 more assuming you have total earnings of $5,500. If you are age 50 or older, you can contribute an extra $1,000. If your spouse does not have earned income, you can still make a maximum contribution to your spouse’s IRA account. Your earned income must be sufficient in 2017 to make the maximum contribution amounts. The deadline to make 2017 IRA contributions is April 18, 2018. You can also make IRA contributions for 2018 if cash flow allows.

Gene McCormick DDS

J. Harvie Roe, CFP, President

SAFE/COMFORT Dentists 2106 S. Atlanta Pl. • Tulsa, OK 74114 918-743-7444 • www.genemccormickdds.com

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

VETERINARIAN

WILL AND TRUSTS

When is it time?

Who should be trustee of my trust?

Euthanasia, a humane death is a difficult topic. Some feel they are failing their pets, but often pets do not pass away peacefully in their sleep. Pets are very stoic and will not show pain in obvious ways. Our pets do not want to disappoint us, therefore it is up to us to make that decision. Discuss quality of life issues with your veterinarian. We judge no one when treatment/medications are too much of a financial burden or would end up being a burden on the human/animal bond. We are here to help prevent animal suffering and support/guide pet owners through such difficult times.

A primary purpose in creating a revocable trust is to pre-authorize someone to act in your behalf to manage your assets should you become incapacitated or upon your death. Naming someone you trust is fundamental, as integrity and character are non-negotiable. But just as important is naming someone with the skill set to carry forth your directions. Contact your estate planning attorney today to givie you wise counsel concerning your choices in naming a trustee.

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Cristen Thomas, DVM

Karen L. Carmichael

15th Street Veterinary Group 6231 E. 15th St. • Tulsa, OK 74112 918-835-2336 • www.15thstreetvet.com

The Law Office of Karen L. Carmichael 2727 E. 21st St., Ste. 402 • Tulsa, OK 74114 918-493-4939 • www.tulsawillsandtrusts.com

TOGETHER WE ARE THE

FUTURE OF TULSA Our community is showing extraordinary generosity by leaving legacy gifts to charities through planned giving.

A person works almost their entire life to build up assets and spends 10 to 20 years conserving their accumulation, but often only take a few hours to plan for their future and the distribution of assets.

Through thoughtful planning, a chapter in the book of your life can be completed. However, too many times there has been little or sometimes no planning, missing the opportunity to leave a legacy.

There is no better time than now to join Legacy Tulsa - a movement that is designed for people just like you to make a charitable gift that helps care for you, your family and the organizations you passionately support. To learn more about our Legacy Partners or to read stories from your neighbors who have made legacy gifts visit www.LegacyTulsa.org

LEARN MORE ABOUT LEGACY GIVING AT

LEGACYTULSA.ORG

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Todd Pyland — TPC Studios ART DIRECTOR & PRODUCER Tony Li PHOTOGRAPHER Jeremy Charles CINEMATOGRAPHERS Tanner Herriott Grant Sweetwood SET DECORATOR & PROP STYLIST Stacy Suvino WARDROBE STYLIST Shannon Schroeder MAKEUP & HAIR ARTIST Jordan Best ASSISTANTS Clay Flores Sarah Eliza Roberts Saraya Harmon MODELS Autumn Munden Connor Freese Daniel Henry Jeffrey Metcalf Lily Van Kirk for Linda Layman Agency DANCERS Jordan Scott Maverick Baker LOCATION Tulsair Beechcraft, Inc. SPECIAL THANKS Tulsair Beechcraft, Inc. Trent Latshaw History for Hire New York Vintage The Earl Hays Press Cheap Thrills Vintage Mike Buckendorf Saied Music Company Ziegler’s Bix Antiques Saks Fifth Avenue Black Optical Beshara’s Formal Wear Linda Layman Agency

(From Left to Right) EVENT CHAIRS Ted & Shiela Haynes EVENT COMMITTEE Robert Babcock & Bill Major Caron & Shawn Lawhorn EVENT COMMITTEE (Not Pictured) Stephanie & Jack Allen Shelly & Alan Armstrong Monica Basu Mollie & JW Craft Susan Crenshaw Becky & Jack Frank Sue Jenkins Angel & Stacy Kymes Adriane & Phil Lakin April & Sid McAnnally Karol & David Page Cheena Pazzo Jill & Robert Thomas Susan & William Thomas

For more information, please contact Lisa Turner, Director of Development, at lturner@mhaok.org or 918.382.2410.

HEY TULSA,

IT’S TIME TO VOTE FOR THE A-LIST!

T E L L U S W H O ’ S O N Y O U R A - L I S T A N D Y O U C O U L D W I N A $ 5 0 0 D I N I N G PA C K A G E !

TulsaPeople is compiling the 2018 A-LIST to be featured in our June issue and we need YOUR help.

Just visit TulsaPeople.com MARCH 1-25TH and let us know who you think deserves to be on the A-LIST and you could win a fabulous $500 DINING PACKAGE.

HEAD TO TOE

DINE LOCAL

FUN FOR ALL

SERVICES

SHOP LOCAL

• 1603 S. Boulder Ave. • 918-585-9924 75% of the ballot must be completed in order to register for the prize. Only one ballot per email address may be submitted; must be 18 or older.

DINING + FOOD + DRINKS

TACO THE TOWN S

ince Torchy’s blazed into town in January, customers have been lining up for this Austin, Texas-based taco chain. The menu offers nearly 30 tacos — plenty of flavor for any palate. The Democrat ($4.25) features shredded beef barbacoa, avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro, onions and lime. The Mr. Orange ($5.25) has blackened salmon, grilled corn and black bean relish, cotija cheese, cilantro, avocado sauce and lime. If a hankering for tacos comes early, don’t miss out on the shop’s breakfast lineup. TP 3330 S. PEORIA AVE. | 918-495-4073 | TORCHYSTACOS.COM

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DINING OUT

Freshly made meatballs top one of eight pizzas at the new Prairie Fire Pie.

FIRED UP PRAIRIE FIRE PIE BRINGS WEST COAST-STYLE PIZZA TO CHERRY STREET.

BY NATALIE MIKLES

P

rairie Fire Pie opened quietly in the fall, with many of its first customers being fans of chef and proprietor James Shrader’s other concept, Palace Cafe, just next door. Since then, Prairie Fire has gained a following all its own: a mix of West Coast-style pizza fans, families and late-night diners.

As would be expected from Shrader, every detail of Prairie Fire was considered and configured, from the artwork to the drinking glasses to the look of the bar to, of course, the food itself.

The one-page menu at Prairie Fire is simple, with a few starters, salads and sweets. Diners have eight pizzas to choose from: four with a red sauce base, three with white sauce and one with a sweet garlic sauce.

The crust, which bakes up to be light and airy with just the right crunch, sets Prairie Fire’s pies apart from other pizzas. The naturally fermented dough and woodfired flavor — courtesy of the 6,500-pound Woodstone Woodfired pizza oven — are reminisecent of pizza from Shrader’s native Seattle.

Arguably the best pizza on the menu is the meatball with mozzarella, provolone, oregano and chili flakes ($15). Meatball pizza can be a real mess when made poorly. Huge meatballs rolling around pools of red sauce is not what you get here. Nor do you get teeny meatballs that look more like ground sausage than an actual meatball. At Prairie Fire, the made-in-house meatballs are perfectly proportioned, with an oblong shape, rather than big and fat. Hints of herbs like fennel and handmade sausage combine for a tasty meatball that works well with the pizza’s mild heat from the chili flakes.

The night we visited, a family at a nearby table raved about the pepperoni pizza with mozzarella, provolone and pecorino ($14). It was a hit with everyone from the 3-year-old to the parents.

For the pizzas with white sauce, you can’t beat the Yukon Gold potato, rosemary, pancetta, moz-

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Burrata salad

zarella, soft egg and sea salt ($14). Cracking an egg on a pizza isn’t something Shrader did just to be trendy. The slightly runny yolk makes its way around the edges of the potatoes and pancetta, giving each bite a complex flavor.

If you prefer a pizza sans sauce, there’s the chicken carbonara with chicken, bacon, peas, Romano and mozzarella ($15). This simple pie pairs well with one of Prairie Fire’s salads.

Take, for example, the baby kale salad with preserved lemon, sunflower seeds and ParmiggianoReggiano ($8) — a kale lover’s dream. For a more substantial salad, there’s the burrata with orange, arugula, pecorino and ciabatta ($10). When we were there, Shrader also offered a tasting of American prosciuttos and an artisan board with pâté, terrine, cheese and nuts.

Our server brought us Prairie Fire’s housemade hot sauce, which had a peppery heat and a vinegar base. It came in a little glass bottle with a dropper. We loved the hot sauce so much, she sent us home with a little bottle along with one slice of leftover pizza, which didn’t actually make it to the next morning.

Besides a good wine and beer list, Prairie Fire has eye-catching cocktails with interesting combinations, including a prickly pear-lime granita with tequila and house lemoncello with lemon juice, thyme and prosecco.

Prairie Fire is in a small space, with a large and welcoming bar, just a few high-top communal tables and a few two-top tables. The communal tables make for a cool and casual setting. TP

Prairie Fire Pie’s “California cool” vibe is rooted in the space’s light and airy aesthetic.

A full bar complements the West Coast-style pizza.

Prairie Fire Pie 1303 E. 15TH ST. | 918-895-8725 | PRAIRIEFIREPIE.COM 4-11 p.m., Sunday-Wednesday; 4 p.m.-1 a.m., Thursday-Saturday TulsaPeople.com

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CHEERS!

STOUT COMPOSITION

A LA CARTE

You can go anywhere for a beer or a glass of wine. But, if you’re going out for drinks — cocktails, specialty concoctions and off-the-menu favorites — these are a few spots in Tulsa to put on your list. — NATALIE MIKLES (PRICES: $: LESS THAN $10 $$: $10-$15 $$$: $16-$25 $$$$: OVER $25)

G

uinness is considered by many the official beer of St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans. The thick, dusky nectar isn’t to everyone’s liking, but with a few modifications, this versatile, complex brew can take on new life. Below are some Guinness concoctions that are sure to have Irish eyes a’smilin’.

Add a hint of fizz and smoky heft by adding a splash of Guinness to your favorite Bloody Mary.

Create a frothy float by adding a scoop of your favorite ice cream and a dash of Baileys Irish Cream liqueur to your Guinness for a decadent adult beverage.

Valkyrie

The Lounge, aka Bull in the Alley

13 E. M.B. BRADY ST. | 918-295-2160 $$

11 E. M.B. BRADY ST. | 918-949-9803 $$

Like little works of art, Valkyrie’s cocktails are true originals. Take the gorgeous Dante’s Disco Inferno, a mix of Plantation Pineapple Rum, Ramazzotti liqueur, Demerara simple syrup and lime juice.

Valkyrie also is known for its extensive bourbon list, with some rare and unique finds.

Drinks are beautifully crafted at the impressive square bar, which is the focal point of the Lounge. Even standard drinks, like an old-fashioned, have a sophisticated and classic presentation.

If you’re a martini fan, order it tableside and add a blue cheesestuffed olive.

A Black Velvet is the unlikely pairing of Guinness and Champagne, but bubbles lift the beer’s fruity notes and cut through the creaminess. — ANGELA EVANS

The Rooftop

FROTHY FLOAT

MixCo

Watch the sunset with a pretty drink to end the day at the Rooftop in Broken Arrow. Try the Rooftop Rose martini with Stoli vodka, raspberry liqueur, cranberry and pineapple. Or have a taste of the Gentleman’s Cup, a heartier cocktail of Gentleman Jack, St. Germain, bitters and ginger beer.

If you’re looking for something different, try the Stamos Gin Fizz at MixCo. It’s a gorgeous blend of gin, honey-rosemary syrup, lemon, lime, Greek yogurt and orange flower water. For a classic, you won’t find a better Cosmo than here. Vodka, Triple Sec, cranberry juice, lime and cranberry bitters combine for a drink that will turn heads.

214 S. MAIN ST., BROKEN ARROW | 918-806-2603 $

WEST THIRD STREET AND SOUTH DENVER AVENUE | 918-932-8571 $$

Fat Guy’s Burger Bar 140 N. Greenwood Ave., 918-794-7782 | 7945 S. Memorial Drive, 918-893-2232 | fatguysburgers.com

6577 E. 71st St., 918-398-6615 | 2130 S. Harvard Ave., 918-744-0320 | facebook.com/brownieshamburgers

The Tavern 201 N. Main St., 918-949-9801 | taverntulsa.com

McNellie’s 409 E. First St., 918-382-7468 | 7031 S. Zurich Ave., 918-933-5250 | mcnellies.com

Goldie’s Patio Grill 5200 S. Lewis Ave., 918-743-2188 | 6121 E. 61st St., 918-494-0330 | 4401 E. 31st St., 918-747-4546 | goldies.com

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Burger Tulsa’s burger scene is booming, but these top the list as winners of TulsaPeople’s annual A-List Readers’ Choice Awards.

MIXCO: GREG BOLLINGER

Brownie’s Hamburgers

T H A N K YO U !

Thursday, April 26, 2018 6:30 p.m. - Reception 7:00 p.m. - Dinner

Mayor Roger A. Randle

“We have appreciated your patience as we remodeled our original location. The vastly renovated Harvard store is now Honorary Chair

Saluting Tulsa Community Leader

Mayor M. Susan Savage

Mable Rice

open with an expanded menu, including beer on-tap. We invite you to come see and enjoy!”

Sponsorship Levels Presenting … $25,000

Gold … $10,000

Silver … $5,000

Bronze … $2,500 Individual … $150 For additional information, contact:

Frances Jordan-Rakestraw @ 918 596-1025

— Chuck Gawey, Owner

MIDTOWN: 2728 S. HARVARD • 918-747-4799 DOWNTOWN: 421 E. 1ST • 918-728-3650 ALBERTGS.COM

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W H AT’S COOK ING? The buzz on Tulsa’s tastiest products, restaurants and events

BY NATALIE MIKLES

After a long winter, nothing is better than the first taste of spring.

Bibb lettuce loaded with fresh herbs, asparagus with a vinaigrette drizzle, the pop of an English pea — the flavors of spring are light and bright and, perhaps most of all, green.

In March, we love finding green vegetables, herbs and lettuce in our farmto-doorstep bags, farmers’ markets and grocery stores.

Chefs will be upping the green quotient on their menus in weeks to come.

And at home, we can do the same.

How about putting a twist on traditional potato salad by adding green beans? A creamy and slightly tart dressing, loaded with fresh herbs, is a nice touch.

GREEN BEAN POTATO SALAD 1 1 8

pound small red potatoes teaspoon salt ounces green beans, trimmed ½ red onion, thinly sliced ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley ½ cup mayonnaise

1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar 3 chives, chopped ¼ cup fresh herbs (basil, tarragon, mint or your favorite) Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with cold water. Add salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes.

Drain, let cool and slice into rounds, ¼- to ½-inch thick.

In a large saucepan, cook green beans in boiling water and cover until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain, then shock the green beans by placing in a bowl of ice water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Place potatoes, green beans, red onion and parsley in a serving bowl.

To make dressing, in a small bowl combine mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, chives, herbs, salt and pepper.

Toss dressing with potatoes and green beans. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. May be served cold or at room temperature.

TASTING TOUR

Here’s something fun to do: Take a walking tour of some of Tulsa’s best food and drink spots with Foodie Foot Tours.

The tours have been popular in Oklahoma City, and they begin in Tulsa on March 17. The Tulsa tour is a three-hour walk and talk through the Tulsa Arts District, with sips and bites at Sisserou’s, Laffa and Glacier Confection. Tours are $65 per person.

Nadia Jubran, who leads the Tulsa tours, says learning the history of an area helps people connect the food with the surroundings, and that participants will sample multiple menu items from restaurants on the tour. The tour is equal servings of food and history, according to Jubran.

Tours through Greenwood are on the horizon.

For more info, go to foodiefoottours.com.

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COURTESY FOODIE FOOT TOURS

Tasting at Sisserou’s

Q& A

Join our celebration!

Brady Ballew and Claire Spears

A

WHAT DO TULSANS THINK OF IT SO FAR? Tulsans are ready for new concepts. And Tulsans love young people getting involved in the community and culture sector. We’ve had a truly amazing and humbling response thus far. Each day we meet new people who are choosing to do life at Press, be that morning emails, a coffee date, a first date, their 100th yoga class or their first time to workout in months.

WHAT’S THE MAIN FOCUS OF PRESS — THE YOGA OR THE COFFEE? Our concept was always a dual-purpose, equally intentioned business. Some people will know us only as a cafe, some only as a yoga studio. What we get really excited about is the crossover, because that is where the lifestyle piece happens: yogis who stay and connect after class, or cafe people who step into the hot room and try something totally out of their comfort zone. Thus far, we’ve seen an almost equal split between hot yoga and coffee traffic. TP

TO HELP US CELEBRATE!

MARCH 12-18

Y

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO OPEN PRESS CAFE X YOGA? Brady is from Washington state and went to school in Seattle. On a trip back to visit friends, we walked into a new spot in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. This place was a full-service cafe and cycling retail shop with a TRX gym downstairs. There were people there working, shopping, exercising and connecting with friends. As we came back to Tulsa, we couldn’t help but notice that there is nothing in the multi-purpose business space. Especially downtown, where there are so many interesting, repurposed buildings, we thought that a dual-concept style business would work. I’m a yoga teacher, and we both have a fascination with coffee shop and cafe culture. It’s something we became obsessed with as we spent time in Cambridge (England) as I completed a master’s degree and Brady played professional soccer.

So it was natural for us to combine yoga and the cafe, as they are both communal, both social, both so full of life. Tulsa is becoming more interested in how health plays into lifestyle culture, and we wanted to be a part of it here. The city has always felt so communal to us.

We invite you

AR

t Press Cafe x Yoga, they like their coffee and their yoga hot. People have been buzzing about this combination cafe and hot yoga studio since it opened a few months ago.

Claire Spears and Brady Ballew’s idea was to create a spot to knock out the morning email in the cafe, jump into a hot vinyasa flow class and then grab a coffee when heading out the door. The couple created a community hot spot in more ways than one.

Topeca coffee, along with beer, wine and smoothies, is served throughout the day, even when a class might be going on. The cafe is open 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday-Sunday. Visit presstulsa.com for a class schedule.

We talked to Spears about getting her new business off the ground.

ANNIVE

RS

99¢ MARGARITAS!

OR A MEGA FOR $2.00. ALL DAY. EVERY DAY.

1/2 PRICE APPETIZERS !

EVERY DAY 4-6PM

1978 – 2018...Thank you!

1 9 5 0 U T I C A S Q U A R E • 2 8 0 9 E 9 1 ST S T

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TAKE ME BACK In 2017, a century after the Tulsa Municipal Building was completed, local authors Douglas Miller and John Hamill released a book about the building, “Seat of Power: Tulsa’s Arduous Pursuit of Governance and the House Strong Enough to Hold It.” Available through Müllerhaus Publishing, it can be found at local retailers, including Ida Red and Decopolis, and on Amazon for $39.

OLD CITY HALL

BY JUDY LANGDON

F

rom the 1880s until 1917, Tulsa leaders conducted city business at various locations. But in 1915, Tulsans passed a city bond to finance construction of the Municipal Building at the corner of East Fourth Street and South Cincinnati Avenue for just that purpose.

The gray stone, four-story Neo-Classic building with fluted columns served as Tulsa’s seat of government for the next 52 years. It was vacated in 1969, when City Hall moved to the Civic Center tower, which is now the Aloft Tulsa Downtown hotel.

A few years later, Tulsa architect Joe Coleman and his firm bought the building and restored it, determined to save it from demolition. In 1975, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building has been home to the office of Frederic Dorwart Lawyers since 1994. TP

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HOPKINS/COURTESY TULSA HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM

Tulsa’s Municipal Building, 124 E. Fourth St., in the 1950s

Bassett Home Furnishings – Tulsa HGTV Home Custom Furniture Sale • March 8-18th • SAVE 30%

WINNER!

10137 East 71st Street • 918.254.6618 bassettfurniture.com • bassettwindowdesigns.com