Oklahoma Today Volume 46 Issue 2

68 Pages·1996·16.1 MB·English

by  Oklahoma Today

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If it saves lives, chances are it runs on electricity
SEEP HEEP
And vit runs on electricit8 chances are it's OG&E electricity.
The choice of people who can't take chances.
Powerat the speed of life.

Downtown
Oklahoma Ci& OK
Myriad Convention
Center & Plaza
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OKLAHOMA

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i VISIT
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Oficial Magazine of the State of Oklahoma
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Frank Keating, Governor

Tour the Creek
Council House
JEANNE M. DEVLIN
National Historic
Editor-in-Chief
Landmarkbuilt
JOANHENDERSON in 1878 and
General Manager
restored in 1993.
STEVENWALKER, WALKER CREATIVE, INC. Experience the
Art Direction
history and
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NANCY WOODARD, Associate Editor
culture of the
LISA BRECKENRIDGE, OfFceManager
Muscogee see@
BRIAN C. BROWN, Advertising Manager

BECKY ISAAC, Asst. Ofice Manager
people. Enjoy
JANELEONARD, Ancillary Products
shopping for
MELANIE MAYBERRY, Circulation Manager
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unique Native
PAM POSTON, Subscription Services

ANGI WARD, Clerical
American @s I
. . . . . .
in the Red
Contributing Editors
BURKHARD BILGER, J.P. CARTER, M. SCOTT CARTER,
' Stick Gallery.
DAVID CRENSHAW. STEFFIECORCORAN.DAVID
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FITZGERALD, THOM HUNTER, MAURA MCDERMOIT,

RALPH MARSH, W.K. STRATTON,

and MICHAELWALLIS
For more information, contact the Creek Council House Museum
(918) 7562324 or the Okmulgee Chamber of Commerce (918) 7566172
Advertking Representative

CAROLE A. LEE

Interns
AIMEE J. DOWNS

SUSAN VAN HOOK

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Contributing Staff

PAM FOX, ESTHER WARD, Accounting

Tourism and Recreation

EDWARD H. COOK, ExecutiveDirector

Tourism and Recreation Commission

LT. GOV. MARY FALLIN, Chairman

PAlTY ROLOFF. Secretarv

CLARK
STAN '
MEREDITH FRAILEY

JONATHAND. HELMERICH

JOEMARTIN

KENNETH R. SCHRUPP

JOHN WEST

ROBERT E. YOUNG

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Oklahoma Today (ISSN 0030-1892)is published biionthlv in
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U.S. copyright@ 1996by Oklahoma Today magazine.
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A p r i l M a y 1 9 9 6
...

Let The Olympics Begin
w
T A THENTHEOLYMPIC TORCH BEGINS ITSWAY ACROSS THEUNITED
Statesthismonth, it seemsfitting that it will not only wind through Okla-
homa but pause at the site of the Alfred P. Murrah building in downtown
Oklahoma City. A hundred years old this year, the Olympic Games remain one of the
enduring examples of what we as humans can accomplish; the bomb site, as much a
memorial to the resilience of the human spirit as it is a poignant reminder of the dark
side of human nature.
The torch did not have to pass by this way. Torch relay organizers left it to Okla-
homa to decide, and Oklahoma left it to the survivors and victims' families. As the
first anniversary of April 19,1995, comes and goes, their decision to have the world
stop at our door once more recalls the line of an editorial the Daily Oklahoman ran
onA pril 26,1995: "We invite them allto return one day to experience our normalcy."
The families and survivors rose above their own pain and loss because they believe
the opportunity to extend Oklahoma's well-known hospitaiity to the Olympic Torch
Relay is an honor. And indeed it is.
The torch relay begins April 27 in California; it ends fifteen thousand miles later
on July 19 as the games begin in Atlanta. In between it will travel through forty-two
states and most of central Oklahoma where hinetypercent of the population willcome
within a two-hour drive of seeing it. "We tried to touch as many people as possible,"
said Sherry Jennings of the Torch Relay Advance Team.
The torch will travel by foot, bike, and a customized Union Pacitic train (thelatter
of which has been painted Union Pacific yellow and outfitted with a modified ca-
boose that will hold the Olympic torch). It will spend Days 22 and 23 (of eighty-four
days on the road) in Oklahoma, visiting Ponca City fo-r lunch, Jehgs( pop. 381)
and Yale for ceremonies, Stillwater for dinner, and
Prague for three midnight ceremonies (includingo neP
on Moccasin Road near
on May 18.
On May 19, it heads south to Oklahoma City (''wda
running all through the city," promises Jennings) -,
where the torch boards a train far Nosman. After a
r.
ceremony at Norman's renovated depot, the
torch winds south on mcksthat shadow 1-35
and run through (or close by) Noble, Purcell,
~
Wayne, Paoli, Pads Valley,Wynnewwd, Davis,
Dougherty, Gene Autry, Arhre, Marietta, and
Thackerville, before crossing the Red River bound
for Fort Worth. On itsjourney, the torch relay also.
plans brief fifteen minute breaks in Pawnee, Guthrie
'
and Edrnond (allof whom have mrned what is
basically a rest stop into a full-blown shindig-"wh
.
is just wonderful," says Jennings)
With the Olympics not due to be held in the
States again until after the year 2000, this year's
relay will be an experience we won't see again
century, which makes the task of the swenty-
plus Oklahomans who will carry the torch, just
that much sweeter.
O k l a h o m a T o d a y
W
In
~ e w it's Avenue.
YO&,
In Ka- City, it's The pI.aza.
ery, heritage, and traditions, as well as the away the bombing had affected people was
hospitality of its people. All of this is so well inthe week just prior to our trip (about April
reflected in your publication. 30). The U.S. National Soccer Team was in
We were particularly appreciativeo fyour Brussels for a match with the Belgians. A
,.. Special Memorial Issue, which was such a moment of silence was held before the game.
poignant and moving record of the courage Only because Oklahoma City sounded the
and humanity mankind exhibited in the af- same as in English did I understand what
1
termath of this evil act. That same evil was was taking place.
echoed in Scotland-in Dublane-last I've seen moments of silence before a
month, and such tragedies ofhuman suffer- game before, I've been in such scenes before;
ing can only be overcome by our own forti- never have I seen (or heard) such a quiet. It
tude and the love of God. showed me that many people were upset at
Ted and JoyceH oward the events here.
Darlington, England Once in Brussels, whenever anyone found
CC-~ h iand ~the OCf FD,~0klah~oma ~ ~Oklah~o
ma mourns Scotland's loss, and our out that we were from Oklahoma, we were
Today's 1995 Oklahoman of the Year. prayers are withyou.
told how disturbed they were. We were
approached about it by Belgians-even
ONE YEAR LATER I commend you on your well thought other Americans. It was astounding.
May I offer you a particular British con- special issue on the bombing. I'm quite The most surprising thing was that while
gratulations on the continuing excellence of impressed by the way it was done. I was watching TV in our hotel, we saw a report
Oklahoma Today, which we have received reminded of seeing a view of the whole that showed there was a building in Bonn
regularly for over two years through the thing from another perspective-the Eu- very similar to the Murrah building. In a
courtesy of friends in Oklahoma City. We ropean view. country that has also experienced terrorism,
have visited the state twice in recent years Last May, my wife and I traveled to Brus- such as Germany, I was shocked to find that
and have grown to love and admire its scen- sels, Belgium. Our first look at just how far THEY had learned from the Oklahoma
O k l a h o m a T o d a y
.&
bombing. It is now not possible to park destructive hate can be. Thank you for a there that showed films during the day. Up
within a block of that building in Bonn. job well done. the street was a pool hall where I could go
I thought that you and your readers might Peggy Garrett in and play. There were buildings that were
find these small glimpses that my wife and I Harrah higher than two stories, and paved streets
had interesting. It's nearly a year later, and that had names. Wow! Tiny town indeed-
we still think about the many who came A SPECIAL THANKS have you ever been to Arapaho or Eakly?
from so far to help. May they always know Wew ould like to thank Ryder Truck Rental RossF. Cooke
we thank them. And thank you for the spe- ofMiami Florida, for donating the truck that Henderson,Nevada
cial issue. carried thousands of Oklahoma Today's
AndrewWarwick 1995 Year-in-Review issues safely to A CORRECTION
Tulsa Oklahoma City in timefor our announcement We've personally typed in the toll-free
of the Oklahoma City Fire Department a.the numberfm tourism information in Oklahoma
I thought that I had cried all the tears that 1995Oklahoman of the Yearfori ts rescue and so many times, we know it better than our own.
I possibly could over the bombing, until I recovery efforts during the bombing. Or so we thought, unt i1we inadvertentlym ade
received my copy of Oklahoma Today (Win- it a (405) number in our annual Travel issue.
ter, 1996). The names were all too familiar, BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CLINTON? For those who were leftconfised, our apologies
but now there were faces to go with the Everything is relevant, it would seem. On and the correct number, 1-800-652-6552.
names. the contents page of your Travel issue
As I ghmpsed into their brief lives, my (March, 1996),I find, "...the ultimate hom- Oklahoma Today welcomes the views of
grief at this senseless act again overwhelmed age to the Mother Road may be found in the its readers and prints letters on a space-
me. It took a while to get through it, but tiny town of Clinton." available basis. Letters are subject to editing
what a wonderful tribute to the victims and I was born and grew up out at Thomas. and must be signed. Send them to: Editor-
their families. My teen-age years were spent there in the in-Chief, Oklahoma Today, P.O. Box
I plan to keep this issue to show my chil- early Thirties. A trip to Clinton was an 53384, Oklahoma City, OK 7315 2, or fax
dren and their children just how ugly and event. My goodness, there was a theater them to [phone].
he multicolored sunsets
in the United States. That's the quality of life we're accustomed to here in
uymon. It's the kind of life you're gonna love.
-
-: -?----;--: -.-"
I .
For your free Guymon information packet, write the Guymon Chamber of
Commerce, Route 3, Box 120,Guymon, OK 73942. Or call [phone].
From a small

Oklahoma

6f P Y
ideas.
CHERUBS RULE
United Design of
Noble is known for
its earth-friendly
ways, which is why . ANGEL ON HIGH
it makes its line of
A bird could happily
garden ornaments
bathe here, but in
out of garden-safe ':
i actuality this best-selling
resin (it's actually
. (and much photo-
recyded ash
graphed) piice by united
retrieved from coal-
Design's Ken Memoli
fired power plants). ':
and Dianna Newburn is
This cherub is by
. a fountain, anda
designer Ken
running fountain
Memoli. 12"x 16",
(completewith recircu-
$130. (405)8 72- :
latingpump) at that.
. $430.
I
WATCH YOUR STEP
United Design's Midge
Ramsey says-the elt tic II
':
motifs of her stepping-
. stones were inspired not
by the Irish but by Mother
Nature herself. $24.
O k l a h o m a T o d a y