HONORABLE GEORGE NIGH Governor 's Indian Art. ... By Judith Wall VOLUME 32 NUMBER 1 WINTER 1981 I SUE CARTER PAUL E. LEFEBVRE Christmastime in . .... Editor Art and Production By Alice Robertson KEVIN NORMAN KATE JONES I Circulation Manager Asst. Editor Decking The Halls Of The 1889er Museum...... 12 By Kate Jones Published quarterly by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department I COMMISSION MEMBERS I Farm-Freqh Christmas Trees. .. JIM PATE W. R. "DICK" STUBBS CELlA ROSENBERGER Madill, Chairman Henryetta, Vice Chairman Tulsa, Secretary Weekend In A Winter Wonderland. ... RlLLA WlLCOX JAMES DURHAM By Kathleen Kunz Red Oak Okeene I BOB HINTON R. A. "BOB" HODDER Pedal Pushers Par Excellence. .. Altus By Sharon Wright KEN FLAMING, Dir. ABE L. HESSER EUGENE DILBECK, Dir. State Lodges Executive Director Marketing Services The Time They Give Dream Dolls Away. . CHUCK WOOLSEY, Dir. TOM COVALT, Dir. TOM CREIDER, Dir. By Susan Everly-Douze Administration State Parks Planning& Development I It is the purpse ol Oklahoma Today to devote itself to the entire state of Oklahoma A Honey Of A Candle Factory. ... and its every positive aspect; the scenery, culture, recreational and visitor attracting vents; its industry, natural and man-made wonders; its achievements; its heritage; By Sheila Samples I~Spresent; and its future.

502 WILL ROGERS BUILDING NG OKLAHOMACTPI, OK 731059 (a)521-24% The Healing Hands. ... SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT OKLAHOMA CITY (ISSN 0030 1892) By Joye R. Boulton $7.00 Per Year in U.S., $11.00 Elsewhere. $1.75 Single Copy Copyright 1981 by Oklahoma Today Magazine. Litho in Oklahoma I Today In Oklahoma...... I Books In Review/Letters. .... COVERS: Joan Hill of Muskogee won the Grand Award at the Five Civililed Tribes Museum's 198 1 Master Art Show with this . "The Voice Star Of Wonder...... Of The Drum Circles The Sun." Inside, skaters enjoy the ice rink of Tulsa's By John Davis Williams Center during the holiday season. Photo by Fred Marvel. Back, Christmas lights decorating homes in northwest Oklahoma City reflect in the I lake surrounding Ski Island. Photo by Paul Lefebvre. I Entertainment Calendar......

ne of Oklahoma's greatest treasures is its American Indian Art, and Oklahoma Today takes great pride in offenng our readers prints by some of Oklahoma's most prominent 0artists. It's our holiday gift to you! Surely everyone remembers yearning for a bike or a favorite doll on Christmas Eve, decorating the glittering tree, and later, enjoying the magic of a glowing candle. Oklahoma Today tries to capture the holiday symbols and traditions that are uniquely Oklahoma in this issue. We think a really nice family tradition may be escaping the bustling holiday crowds and heading for the quiet of a state park. What better place to read about Miss Alice Robertson's Christmas in Indian Territory back in 1866 and reflect upon our rich life here today? Enjoy your holidays - theyZrespecial in Oklahoma. COMING IN THE SPRING ISSUE Oklahoma Today celebrates our state's 75th birthday with fascinating stories about both famous and unknown faces and places, the rebirth of our cities, the oil boom, the arts and entertainment, agriculture and industry. You won't want to miss our biggest issue ever!

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WINTER 1981 THRE from artist to artist, and there are a great many artists to choose among. Judlth Wall IS dlrector of Unlverslty of Oklahoma alumnl publications Reba Olson, owner of The Galleria, In some circles, it is not oil wells, a Norman gallery that deals exclu- quarterhorses, cattle ranches or even sively in Indian art, suggests that football that comes to mind when the potential buyers "do their homework state of Oklahoma is mentioned. before making a purchase." In the world of art, it is the im- "It would be a good idea for them pressive reputation of a growing num- to go to every show, visit permanent ber of Oklahoma Indian artists that collections at museums and visit sev- people are talking about. eral galleries," she says. "Then they Since the late 1920s, when the U.S. are better able to decide what they government relaxed its policy of sup- like and determine what is an equi- pressing Native American culture, table price for an artist's work. Oklahoma Indian artists have been "Even more importantly, they will earning national and international learn some history that will be eye- reputations for themselves and their opening. Most of us don't know the cultural-art. The work done by Okla- history of the Indians; it's been left homa artists in the 1920s and out of our history books. Seeing that '30s is credited by many as being in- history and culture presented from an strumental in the emergence of Indian art in this country. Oklahoma is con- sidered the birthplace of contemporary Indian painting. Today a new wave of Oklahoma Indian artists are living up to the high standards established by such greats as Stephen Mopope, and Jerome Tiger. According to Imogene Mugg of the Oklahoma Art Center Sales Gallery in Oklahoma City, the state has be- come to Indian painting and sculp- turing what New Mexico is to Indian rugs and jewelry. A A ppL- "There is an unprecedented interest Indian artist's viewpoint is exciting in Indian art," Mugg says. "And many and rewarding; the historical and spir- Ranked as Master artists by the Five Civilized ribes Oklahoma artists are among the ranks itoal aspects of Indian art give it a Museum are Valjean McC%ty Hessing, Fay Anderson of the top professionals." strong emotional appeal." and Bert Seabourn. on the next three pages were entered in the 198 1 Master Art Show. Opposite, Shawnee gallery owner and well- Permanent collections located by ValleanHessing, known Indian artist Enoch Kelly throughout the state provide the Haney believes that some of the finest chance to view some of the nation's Indiali art is being produced by Okla- finest Indian art. The best-known col- homa artists. "And we have just be- lections are at Tulsa's Philbrook Art gun to scratch the surface," he claims. Center and Insti- Haney, who owns the American In- tute of American History of Art, dian Arts Collection in Shawnee and Woolaroc Museum near Bartlesville, serves in the Oklahoma legislature, the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in believes there are more professional Muskogee, the National Indian painter6 in Oklahoma-par- Museum in Tahlequah, the Southern ticularly those who reflect Indian cul- Plains Museum in Anadarko and the ture in an authentic way-than in Oklahoma State Museum in Okla- any other state. homa City. The University of Okla- With this growing interest in Indian homa Museum of Art in Norman has art, more and more people are ac- a large collection, which is displayed quiring a painting by an Indian artist periodically. for the first time, or considering mak- Annual shows featuring Indian art- ing a gift of Indian art. ists include the Trail of Tears Indian But the rapid development of this Art Show at the Cherokee National art category can present a confusing Museum, June 19 through July 11, picture for would-be buyers. Prices, 1982; the All-Oklahoma Indian Artists styles and subject matter vary greatly Invitational at the Oklahoma Art Cen-

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ter Sales and Rental Gallery, July 11 by a well-established artist brings a through Aug. 31, 1982; the Philbrook price in the thousands, "most paint- Museum's Indian Art Show, a summer- ings are not all that high, really." time event with dates to be announced; "Most paintings we have on our the Five Civilized Tribes Indian Art walls run from $250 to $850, though Show, October 1982; and the Art From a few large ones will run more than the Earth Show at Norman's Galleria, that," she says. "And a lot of paint- November through December 1981 and ings we have in our bins run from again in October 1982. $60 to $250." While the permanent collections M. A. Hagerstrand, executive vice offer an opportunity to view works president of the Cherokee by past greats and well-established Historical Society, which contemporary Indian artists, the shows operates the Cherokee offer a chance to see works by pro- National Museum, ducing artists in various stages of encourages their careers, from the newly emerging beginning collectors to long-time professionals such as Doc to consider newer Tate Nevaquaya. artists who are just begin- The Five Civilized Tribes Museum, ing to acquire a following which also has a sales gallery, is and do well in juried known not only for its permanent col- shows. He believes that lection and annual show, but also for many of the state's less its policy of occasionally honoring an well-known artists are artist from the Five Civilized Tribes doing quality work and by designating him or her a "master." will soon be making a Living artists who have been so hon- name for themselves. ored are painters Joan Hill, Valjean Most galleries, such as Hessing, Bert Seabourn, Troy Ander- the Art Market in Tulsa, son and Enoch Kelly Haney, and sculptors Willard Stone, Jason Stone, Saint Clair Homer and Bob Bell. These masters and other successful Oklahoma Indian artists are producing works that constantly rise in value; collectors seek out works by artists such as Gary Montgomery, David will include works by promising new Williams, Robert Redbird, Benjamin artists and prints by established artists Harjo, Charles Pratt, Leonard Rey- with higher priced Winner of the Herita~eAward during the 1981 Master nolds, Bruce Wynn and others too by established artists, thus making Art Show is the bronze sculoture of "The Berry Pickers" numerous to list, and are willing to Indian art available in all price by Bob Bell, above. "~agic~rroheadb lk$ ~nderson ranges. was purchased by the Five Civilized Riks Museum pay more for their works each year. for its permanent collection, opposite. According to Edwin Wade, curator Olson says that quality multi- of Native American Art at Philbrook originals, that is, etchings, woodcuts, Art Center, Indian art is now a "major stone lithographs and serigraphs, can international collectible," and he cites be purchased for reasonable prices. the work being done by Oklahoma The artist either pulls each multi-or- painters Rance Hood, Archie Black- iginal personally or oversees the pro- owl, Dick West, Virginia Stroud, cess; many times the works are hand- Phyllis Fife and Benjamin Buffalo colored by the artists, as well. and Oklahoma sculptor Willard Stone The buyer of a multi-original can as not only being fine art, but the expect to pay anywhere from $60 on caliber of art that is being sought by up, with $300 to $500 being an ap- discerning collectors around the world. proximately average price range. The willingness of large corporations Prints produced mechanically by the and eager collectors to pay top dollar process of offset lithography are priced for works by Indian artists has es- from as low as $20 up to $200. calated the prices in recent years, Making their work available in putting major works by some artists print form has meant a great deal out of the price range of many in- to Indian artists, according to Haney. dividuals. It helps them establish a broader- However, Reba Olson says that based following and makes their work though it is true an occasional piece more visible.

OKLAHOMA TODAY

Mugg encourages buyers with lim- artistic effect--capturing a mood or ited means to invest in prints of fine emotion-and do not feel the need paintings rather than originals of lesser to incorporate accurate details of cos- quality. "Prints make good Indian tume or ritual. A knowledgeable gal- art available to everyone," she points lery owner can point out the differ- out. ences in philosophy and in style. Despite the worldwide interest in Hagerstrand advises people to the art produced by Oklahoma Indi- choose work by an artist who is not ans, many gallery owners are some- painting just for the current market, what reluctant to recommend pur- but is painting for art's sake. He chasing art for investment purposes. admires the ex~erimentationof many "It may turn out to be an excellent of the newer artists who do not feel Entered in the 198 1 Master Afl Show were 29 paintings investment," Mugg says, "but you bound to traditional guidelines. and nine woodca~yingsand sculpture. Reba Olson should buy a piece of art because it's Traditional or experimental, the fu- judged the show. Opposite, ,,~ightMessenger" something you like--something that ture is bright for Indian art. It has byBeflSeabourn. makes you happy. All I can do is point out which artists are doing qual- ity work, and which one's prices have been going up over the years." Haney tells his customers which artists paint with a consistently high quality and will comment on how serious an artist is about researching the subject matter and depicting In- dian culture in an authentic manner, but he will make no guarantee that an artist's work will increase in value. Olson points out that one's feeling for a piece of art should be a "matter of soul over value." The first con- sideration, she believes, is whether a work of art "speaks to you." A full range of artistic styles and subject matter face the buyer of Indian art. Many artists adhere to the tra- L:u:IANmm - ditional flat, two-dimensional work gone from relative obscurity to a that has long been associated with sought-after art category in a relatively Indian painting. Some of the newer short period of time. professionals depict traditional Indian Closely paralleling the phenomenal culture but use more realistic tech- growth of the Western art field, In- niques such as incorporating back- dian art is often more highly regarded grounds and three-dimensional effects outside of the region from which it into their paintings. Other artists have originated. State gallery owners find moved into abstract and surrealistic that much of their business comes art forms, feeling such styles are very from out-of-state collectors. Olson re- appropriate to the spiritualism rep- calls that once told resented in much Indian art. And a her, "When you stop to think about few artists of Indian descent have it, First American [Indian] art is the branched out into nontraditional sub- true art form to come out of this ject matter. country. People in Europe recognize Woody Crumbo, a prominent Indian this." artist for more than 40 years, strongly As more and more people discover believes that an Indian artist should this exciting art, it is becoming diffi- depict traditional Indian subject mat- cult for some of the more established ter. artists to keep up with the demand "In future years," Crurnbo says, for their work. This situation paves "how will that painting be identifiable the way for more and more talented as Indian art if it doesn't portray au- Oklahoma Indian artists to establish thentic Indian culture?" themselves in the world of art-and The desire for authenticity in sub- makes todav an exciting time to learn ject matter is not universally shared. about and purchase ar; by Oklahoma Some artists are more concerned with Indian artists. TI

OKLAHOMA TODAY

hibitive. However, an oldtime heating stove, broken and battered, was found down in the orchard where it had been gathering rust through the years of war, and on this we did most of our cooking. Bread we had to bake in a Dutch oven out of doors. The cavalrymen who had last oc- cupied the place had left several tons of hay in an old log barn and ticks filled with hay made very acceptable beds, though father and mother had a feather bed as well. Father made table and chairs and bedsteads for us from sassafras sap- lings and planks and we children were very proud to help by smoothing the round pieces of sassafras with bits of broken glass. Father was in a hurry to get us all fixed as he was anxious to get out among his Indian "sheep without a shepherd," who in their days of famine and stress, returning to ruined homes and appalling pov- erty, surely needed him. It was in the earlier Indian Territory So Christmas eve found us, father, Christmastime 1866 in the Indian days, away back in 1866, Father and mother, myself, 12 years old-the Territory. A young missionary family Mother Had only a few days before oldest child at home-for one sister has just returned to their post at Tullahassee Mission in the Creek Na- Christmas returned to their old mis- pitifully young to be so far away tion, a nation reeling from the ravages sionary post at Tullahassee to find the was at boarding school-a sister of the Civil War. large brick building which had been nine years old, a brother five, and There William Schenck Robertson used for the boarding school almost the twins eight months old. Mother and Eliza Worcester Robertson and a ruin. Through much of the war time spread a fresh white cloth on the their children spend a wilderness this had been a hospital and rows new table and each of us placed a Christmas quite unlike the ones we of already grass-grown indentations plate to see what the morning might have grown so used to. The only store- showed the unmarked resting places bring. bought presents are a pair of tin rat- of unknown soldiers of the Confeder- Sister and I whispered softly what tles for the 8-month-old twins; wolves acy. Not a door or window remained howl through the long, cold Christmas we would like to have until the howl- Eve night. Yet in the morning the in the building and there were great ing of a pack of wolves at the very family celebrates a magical Christ- gaps in the walls where quantities door, which, accustomed though we mas, a Christmas poor in the treas- of brick had been torn away for use were to the sound, never lost its horror ures of the world but rich with faith by the Federal Army at Fort Gibson to us and made us cling close to- and love. to build bake ovens for the post. The gether in shivering silence till we went Their second daughter, Alice Mary attic had been floored with wide, to sleep. Robertson, always remembered this rough plank as a storage room in old In the morning how gaily we await- magic time, as well as the tragic times and some of this flooring yet ed the lifting of the cover from the Christmas that followed it. "Miss remained. table and how bravely we rejoiced Alice," as she was called, grew up with the Territory, watched it grow So father went to work with saw over the simple love tokens! Only the into the state of Oklahoma as she and hammer, for in those days a babies had new gifts from the store, grew into a talented woman known missionary must toil with his hands but they flourished their bright tin as an educator, a journalist and a unceasingly. Until windows could be rattles with a gleefulness that made historian-nd as the second wom- boarded up and battened doors made up to all the rest of us. Mother had an ever elected to the Congress of we camped in the yard, occupying the given to sister and me tiny, red mo- me United States. tent which had been our nightly shel- rocco bound copies of "Young's Night She became famous, but she never ter during the overland journey of Thoughts," and "Pollock's Course of forgot that long-ago time; 50 years three hundred miles. Time," valued treasures of her young after it occurred, she wrote its story. Only the most meager supply of Here, reprinted with permission of lady days. the McFarlin Library of the Univer- household necessities could be brought I hated improving poetry then as sity of Tulsa, to whom she gave the with us and the sutler's store at Fort I hate it yet, but I knew it was all Worcester-Robertson family archives, Gibson afforded little more. Mother mother had to give and 1tried to like is Miss Alice's very special Christmas priced a tiny cooking stove, but the it. After breakfast, which I cooked- memory. cost, one hundred dollars, was pro- fried venison, corn cakes raised over

OKLAHOMA TODAY night and baked on top of the stove, with molasses for us all and coffee for father and mother, there were fam- ily prayers when father read, as al- ways on Christmas, the wondrous story of the Nativity and mother played on her little old "melodeon," we all sang joyously "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night." The babies wanted their rattles dur- ing prayer but Children play outside the Tullahassee Mission in this that eight months was quite old 1891photo. Rep. Alice Robertson presides over the enough for babies to be quiet in prayer U.S. House of Representatives with Rep. Joe Cannon time and they did not get them till Of lllit7OiS in 1921, Opposite. 80th photos COUrteSy of Oklahoma Historical Socieu we had all risen from our knees. Then the Christmas dinner was to come. What a grave responsibility rested upon me in following mother's rheumatism brought on by hardships mother was not very strong. Some- directions about that dinner. We were of those refuge days of the war. times I thought I was as brave as any going to have real mince pie! I remember our gay walk of a mile 12-year-old boy could possibly be, for True, the mysterious good things and a half through the dense forest one day I chased a big grey wolf usually entering into the composition and how the redbirds sang and what away from the house with nothing of mince pie we could not have, but a gorgeous flock of brilliant green but a stick and I often went away we were sure that venison must be as flame-crested paroquets we saw. down to the old well for a bucket of good as beef and long soaking and Good old Aunt Tenah was profuse water all alone in the dark. careful mincing and cooking of dried in her expressions of gratitude, though When the next Christmas came the apples surely would make them in- she would not eat her dinner till we battered little tin rattles with the tiny distinguishable from fresh, and a had gone, but she would not let us go well worn shoes had been carefully mixture of nuts-hickory and walnut until from the sacredly cherished Bible hidden away among mother's most and pecan-would surely be better she owned but could not read, I had precious treasures. A summer of plenty than suet. From some secret hiding read to her the story of the coming had followed the famine time. place mother produced a little pack- of the Christ child. We had a cow and chickens and age of raisins. Coming back we talked about how gifts for our Christmas. But in the We could hardly wait for the pie rich we were in comparison with poor autumn had come days of fever to to bake in the little Dutch oven out Aunt Tenah, for she hardly ever could all the family. Brave little sister and of doors. We were going to have raised get anything but nuts and game to I had been the last to yield to it, biscuit, too, for the flour that cost eat and we had 25 bushels of corn. We but when father and mother both lay ten cents a pound we could not afford had heard father tell mother how far sorely stricken with it, first one and on ordinary occasions. Nowhere nearer it had been hauled and how carefully then the other of the twins slept in than the post at Fort Gibson was there we must treasure every ear for that that waxen loveliness of purity that a cow or chickens, and milk, eggs and must be the food for "Old Jim" the death brings. butter were impossible luxuries to us. horse and ourselves until we could Old Uncle John made little boxes Game was so plentiful as to be secured raise a garden in the spring. from the rough boards of the attic almost without effort and the big wild We found it went farther in hulled floor which I covered and lined with turkey we had father bought for corn than in meal ground in a hand- one of mother's sheets. I remember twenty-five cents from an Indian who mill, so hulled corn served us that helping Uncle John to close the lid killed it with his bow and arrow. winter for our only vegetable and for the last time shutting out the Father never hunted any for he was mostly our bread. We always had baby face, and then the fever seized too near sighted. We had boiled rice biscuit for a Sunday treat. me too and for many days the fever for dinner too that Christmas day. Soon after Christmas father began dreams left no memory. Such a dinner it was and the twins his preaching tours, going horseback So when the Christmas came again sat in their little sassafraswood high on "Old Jim" whose corn was carried though we had much more of material chairs on either side of mother and in one side of the saddlebags, while comfort than the year before, father's pounded the cloth with their rattles on the other was his Bible, English voice faltered as he read the story and we were all sure nobody had so and Indian, some hymn books, a little of the Christ Child in morning prayer good a dinner as we. After we had case of medicines, etc. Over them was and mother's fingers trembled on the eaten all we could and sister and I strapped a roll of grey blankets, usu- melodeon keys and when we thought had washed up the dishes mother sent ally his only bed. of the little tin rattles laid away, us with a little basketful to old Aunt When he was gone there always we could not sing all the verses of Tenah, who had been cook at the seemed a specially heavy responsibil- "While Shepherds Watched Their mission when mother came there a ity on my shoulders for I must take Flocks by Night." bride but was bedridden now from care of mother and the babies, and €'I

WINTER 1981 As if to prove her point, she calls attention to a table standing against one wall of the museum's kitchen. It's a bread table, owned and used by When the folks at Oklahoma City's Mrs. Bremseth's grandmother, Mrs. J. 1889er Harn Museum say they're R. Holliday. "The legs had to be planning a real old-fashioned Christ- sawed off to make it the right height mas, they mean exactly what they for her, because she was only four MY. eleven," she says. "She was a doc- You can tell it by the Christmas tor's wife, and doctors didn't make all wreath that hangs on the front door of that much money in those days. The the museum's home, a solid lap-sided table cost $2.35. She wanted the pie and shingled Victorian built in 1904 shelf that went over it, but €hat was at Ghat is now NE 16th and Stiles. a dollar more, so they didn't get it." Inside, the house is bright with Vic- The house is just as full of history torian decorations, put in place at a as the collection it holds. It was built tree-trimming party held this year on by William Freemont Harn, who came Oct. 31. to Oklahoma City in 1891 as a special Some of the 531 members of the agent for the federal land office. He 1889er Society, descendants of the pi- helped prosecute Sooners and squat- oneers who made the great Oklahoma ters who made illegal land claims after Land Run in 1889, met then to string the land run. That same year he popcorn and cranberries and festoon bought his 160-acre homestead after it the tree with red apples and antique was relinquished by a Sooner. In later ornaments as well as old-fashioned years, Harn was active in Oklahoma crocheted candles. City civic affairs and donated 40 acres Each of the six downstairs rooms is for the state capitol. decked out to celebrate the season. In 1968 his niece, Florence Wilson, Under the tree in the parlor are toys gave her uncle's house and 10 acres that were once cherished by ancestors surrounding it to Oklahoma City with of club members-dolls, books, wood- the stipulation that it would be used en blocks, a tiny tea set and a min- as a western heritage center. It is now iature washboard, wringer and tub. jointly owned by the city and the Garlands grace the Queen Anne 1889er Society. staircase that leads upstairs to the Both the house and its barn-an trunk room, nursery and two bed- exact replica of the original barn, rooms--each fitted out in authentic which burned in 1952--display items pre-statehood style. "That's why this from the days before Oklahoma be- museum is special," says Vera Ellen came a state, items given or loaned Bremseth, one of the society's mem- by society members and other donors. bers who act as hosts and hostesses at Christmas will be celebrated at the the museum. "These items came out museum through Dec. 31, 10 a.m. to of our homes, belonged to our parents 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. and grandparents. So many of the mu- Then Christmas will give way to seums in the East have beautiful, au- quilts when the museum sponsors its thentic things, but their history is lost. second annual Quiltarama, featuring Because we're such a young state, both antique quilts and some contem- we've been able to preserve Okla- porary ones, from January through homa's history practically from the the end of March. start." u

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CHRISTMASTREES Driving across the countryside, se- Before a family can select that per- Other state Christmas tree farms lecting the perfect Christmas tree, fect tree, the tree farmers must put with a "choose and cut" operation are cutting and tying it on top of the old in years of work. First, tiny two-year- owned by Maynard Miller, Ada; station wagon-just like the Walton old seedlings, 12 to 18 inches tall, are Leonard Jankowski, Skiatook; and family on TV-begins the holiday planted. Disease and insects must be Earl Hager, Willow, among others. season for some families. controlled, and the weeds kept mowed. The Goddard tree farm is located at Parents bring along their children, The trees are pruned and irrigated 5209 E. Robinson. and sometimes even pets and a picnic for six to eight years before they are Trees are sold 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. basket, for an afternoon outing to ready to be cut. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. choose the family Christmas tree. After a family chooses its tree, gen- And although the Goddards never Generally, Oklahoma's weather is still erally 5 to 8 feet tall, the Goddards advertise their Christmas trees, ap- warm and sunny during those sh~rt furnish the saw for cutting it and help parently the word gets around. "We're weeks between Thanksgiving and hang it up over a high tree limb to sold out every year by mid-De- Christmas. shake out dust, loose needles and cember," Fred Goddard said. And Fred and Lillie Mae Goddard bird's nests. The smell of fresh-cut of Norman enjoy carefully shaping, pine fills the air. watering and watching the Scotch Fred Goddard, who is president of pine trees grow all year as they plan the Oklahoma Christmas Tree Grow- for the three short, hectic weekends ers Assn., said the trees can be grown when they host hundreds of these on land that may not be good for other family outings. crops. Organized last year, the as- The Goddards consider their Christ- sociation now has 40 members, with mas tree farm with its 7,000 trees most just beginning to raise trees to more a hobby than a business. They sell. began planting pine trees on their farm in 1969, on land that has been in Mrs. Goddard's family since be- fore statehood. You know how the holiday stress we could leave relaxed, knowing cake mixes she had brought. Again, syndrome works. Vital addresses dis- Christmas was ready for us at home," their Scouting experience paid off, appear from the Christmas card file, Jane says. and they improvised. cookies are filched before they can be Trying to keep it simple, they took "We had brought our own skillet whisked off baking sheets and you the bare minimum: warm clothing, and found another in the kitchen discover that every last toy store has easy-to-fix foods and the last of the equipment. By fitting one over the sold out of the Baby Cute'ums doll, homemade ornaments to finish decor- other, we had a cast iron 'oven' which the "must have" on your child's Santa ating as they sat around the fire. we set inside the fireplace. Then we list. Ahead lay the perfect winter weekend scooped hot coals around and on top; But have you ever found a cure? at a snug cabin overlooking the lake at 20 minutes later we had a beautiful Ever wished you could escape to some Greenleaf State Park. cake," Bruce explains. quiet cabin in the woods to forget "The first thing that struck us was Though the four-burner stove top about the crowds and recapture some how quiet it was," says Bruce. "We was used for the rest of the cooking, of that peace on earth the season is were so tired of crowds that it was they saved the ritual toasting of supposed to convey? great not to see a soul." marshmallows for the fireplace. This, Bruce and Jane Travis made that Fourteen cabins, built of native coupled with a wild game of Charades wish a reality. Last year on the Fri- stone, dot the hillside above the lake. and a bit of reading out loud, topped day before Christmas, they packed Though each cabin has its own heat- off the cozy evening. James, 10, and Michael, 9, in the car inglcooling unit, the Travises found The next day was spent exploring and headed out of Norman. Behind, an ample supply of firewood stacked the park, and again they were sur- they left the partly trimmed tree that in the driveway. With the tempera- prised at the solitude. had been cut at a tree farm near home, ture below freezing outside, Bruce, "It was like having your own park. everyone's presents already wrapped, with help from the boys-both Scouts, We didn't see a soul; the only way the holiday baking in the freezer and soon had a proper fire blazing under we knew others were there was from all the frantic drivers trying to make the massive eight-foot stone slab man- the smoke rising out of chimneys and one more shopping mall before closing tel. "Since we don't have a fireplace the fresh stack of wood we found at time. at home, this was a ra.1 treat,'' says the cabin when we got back," observes It had taken some advance planning Jane, who likes her houses warm. Bruce. --Jane is a librarian and had to budg- A hitch they hadn't planned on was But the boys remind him of the et preparations around her work the lack of an oven into which she other creatures they saw: the three schedule-but "everyone pitched in so could pop the biscuit, cornbread and deer who followed them at a discreet

WINTER 1981

I distance from the ridge back to their all but food (and ovens!), shower-stall Jane liavis waits for her sons, James and Michael, cabin, the beaver who was hard at /toilet enclosures and sleeping room to roast marshmallows in their cabin fireplace. Earlier; the Bruce Travis family admired the view from their work burrowing through the styro- for up to four adults. patio. Photos by Frw Marvel. foam under the marina, the numerous Many hunters use Greenleaf's cab- squirrels and the birds who gobbled ins as a base camp because the park state naturalist, was busy last sum- up the peanut butter the boys spread adjoins Camp Gruber and the Cher- mer outfitting a nature center to dis- on pinecones. okee Game Management Area, both play whatever plants and wildlife are Long hikes were interspersed with popular hunting spots. For this rea- native to the park. frequent retreats to the cabin for hot son, the hiking trail around the lake If you decide to bring your roof cider or hot chocolate and to hold is officially closed during hunting with you, Greenleaf provides trailer mittened hands to the fire. A simple season; it is best to check with the sites complete with all hookups in dinner, trimming ornaments, a crack- park office before venturing too close addition to tent pads and water pumps ling fire, word games, a nightcap of to hunting land. for the hardier vistiors in winter. hot cocoa, togetherness. . . Fishermen may store their boats Nestled in the rolling hills south of Of such times dreams are made. year around in the marina, which Braggs, just a dozen miles north of "We wanted to get out of all the features 40 covered stalls (and that the Muskogee TurnpikefI-40 inter- hustle-bustle and commercialism and busy beaver!). For sheer numbers of change, Greenleaf has other attrac- have a family weekend. It was just crappie, Greenleaf can't be beat, ac- tions for visitors to enjoy nearby. For what we'd hoped," Bruce says, and cording to Field and Stream (Feb- the rugged in search of a challenge, the family amens. "It was perfect," ruary 1980), and Saturday bass tour- there is an off-road-vehicle area six they all chorus. naments are a summer fixture on this miles north. The Travis family visited The Travises found what another oldest of Oklahoma's manmade lakes. the Murrell Home, an Oklahoma park patron has called "the best kept Winter visitors may also try their luck landmark near Tahlequah. They were secret in Oklahoma." Dwarfed by the from a heated fisbing dock open all also treated to a guided tour of the bigger state parks and recreation areas year. Though the park features a Webbers Falls generating plant. For around Lake Eufaula and Lake Ten- swimming beach (plus a swimming young boys (and not-so-young) the killer, Greenleaf is often overlooked pool), water skiing is prohibited. mysteries of dam and powerhouse, by vacationers sampling the eastern Quite a few patrons credit this ban, turbines and surge tank are fascinat- part of the state. But once discovered, and the lake's low speed limit, for the ing. it draws people back; some have been good fishing and the quiet atmosphere But for just getting away from it coming for 21 years. And that may conducive to that activity. all, Greenleaf is the secret. It prob- just be its secret: It is a family park. In a separate area of the park, ably won't be as empty as the Travis Because of its small size-965 acres church groups, Scouts or family re- family found it, so call ahead for res- of lake surrounded by 565 acres of unions may book the group camp. Up ervations. Superintendent Hutchens land-it is easily supervised, and to 165 can be accommodated in the also recommends checking the weather many claim it is the best-maintained barracks surrounding the magnificent forecast; snowstorms may block roads park in the state. stone lodge--even the inner walls are outside the park. Twenty-four hour security is in thick stone-built by the same WPA With a little preparation, you'll force. Superintendent Glen Hutchens craftsmen who fashioned the park's come away from your winter weekend emphasizes Greenleaf's reputation as cabins. OverIooking the lake from a refreshed and ready to share some a safe family vacation spot-"We high bluff, the lodge contains a ball- goodwill toward men. And don't don't tolerate hell-raising" is the way room, dining room and restaurant- worry, Baby Cute'urns will be forgot- he puts it-and park employees right- sized kitchen. From any of these or ten long before these happy family ly take a sort of family pride in the from the wide terrace in back, the memories. facilities. view of lake and tree-covered hills is The cabins combine the rustic spectacular. charm of stone and timber with the Should visitors want a closer look convenience of kitchens equipped with at the flora and fauna, Bob Pugh, a Kathleen Kunz is a Norman free-lance writer.

WINTER 1981 SEVENTEEN

This year, give them each a Diamond for Christmas...... the Diamond Jubilee issue of Oklahoma Today magazine, that is. This year, for only $7, the price of a regular subscription, you can give your relatives and friends a full year of the beauty and bustle of Oklahoma - plus. Plus a special expanded Spring issue, celebrating Oklahoma's Diamond Jubilee, three times the size of a regular issue, and chock-full of things that Oklahomans rejoice in, from downtown skylines to back roads, from the nonstop pumping of Anadarko Basin oilwells to the rustle of wind in ripening wheat. Nonsubscribers will pay $6.95for the Diamond Jubilee issue alone, but the people lucky enough to be on your gift list will receive it-and three other colorful issues-free. All you have to do is give in to your generous impulses and fill in the blanks below; if your list is longer, simply duplicate the form or list names and addresses on a separate sheet of paper. We'll do the rest, including sending each person a beautiful holiday gift card, signed with your name.

Begin mytq# subscriptions today! Send as a gift in my name to: New <: Renew New Renew NAME Name Address Address II

Return this form with ayment to: Oklahoma Today 508 Will Rogers Building Oklahoma City, OK 73105 1 year $7 (Add $4 per year for overseas mailing.) I enclose $

other free coples 590 a duringprecedlng12 mon (E) Total d~stributlon:20 Issue durlna Drecedlna 1 flllnn date ?F) ~oole;not dlstrlbuted (1) Offrce use. left over. unaccounted, spo!led after prlnttng. 2.232 average number of coples each Issue durlng precedlng 12 months. 6.316 Single Issue nearest f~ltngdate (2) Returns from news agents 2.268 average number of copteseachlssuedur~ngpreceding12 months, 0 slngle Issue nearest flltng date (G) Total 25.137 avenge number of coptes each rswedur~ngpreceding 12 months. 29.350 slngle Issue nearest flllng date

I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete

(Signed) Sue Carter. Edltor

Inaccordancew~ththeprovlstonsof 39 U S C 2626.1 hereby request permlsstonto mall Oklahoma Today at the phased pOStZ3e rates presentlyauthor~zed Camp Fire Girls in Broken Anow stitch carefully to make their dolls the best dressed of all. Photos by Fred Marvel.

Thanks to a quarter-century-old For them, Santa is the Salvation cluded. A gold band encircles a bride Tulsa tradition, come Christmas Army's Dress-a-Doll Project, a com- doll's finger. A complete tool belt morning hundreds of lucky children munity effort through which 25 dif- readies a wee carpenter for any handy- will wake to find priceless, one-of-a- ferent groups and 700 individual vol- man's job. Pantyhose are de rigueur kind dolls tucked beneath their Christ- unteers weave the fabric of the under formal wear. And the eyes of mas trees. Christmas spirit stronger by sewing the kimono-clad Japanese geisha have "Priceless" is no idle adjective.. No outfits for the Army's dolls. been hand-painted the proper almond better-dressed dolls could be found in The hand-dressed dolls are only shape. town-whatever the price tag. But de- part of the free toys that the Salva- By early December the dolls are spite their Lilliputian finery and tion Army offers the city's needy in ready for display in the "toy store," uniqueness, these creations carry no its "toy store." But a peek inside the an early Christmas present for grate- price tag. store confirms that they are the star ful needy parents. The preparations For good reason. attractions. "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" have been under way since July when Their new mini-moms and dads, takes on new meaning as a Christmas 1,700 dolls-girls and boys, black and those lucky kids, aren't so lucky every carol. white-arrived at Salvation Army other day of the year. The youngsters Imagine a doll from your childhood headquarters clothed only in panties, are the daughters and sons of the and it's there-and then some. Indian shoes and socks. greater Tulsa area's less fortunate fam- braves in headdresses . . . cowgirls in "Then it's time for Santa's sewing ilies. In their world, Yuletime reveries boots . . . flappers festooned in fringe teams to get started," says Pat Sei- are clouded by economic realities that . . . a Roman Catholic nun in pristine bert, a Salvation Army spokesman, can make Christmas presents impos- habit. noting that many Army groups across sible dreams. No detail is too small to be in- the country provide free dolls at

To hundreds of warmharted Tula needleworkers cl-ristm~s1s.. :

OKLAHOMA TODAY Christmas, but few can compare with of the little children when they see of material, we could give away for Tulsa's effort because all the Tulsa the dolls that I've dressed for them pennies what would have cost $8 to dolls are hand-dressed. the first time." $9 in a store." Who are the Santa's sewers? They Volunteers in the toy store help Practicality may have been a moti- range from one eager seamstress who parents with their selections. One of vating factor then, but today the stitched up 52 dolls in a season to a them, Mrs. James Prout, gets a spe- high-fallutin' finery sported by the public relations man for Metropolitan cial kick out of watching mothers pick Salvation Army dolls isn't available Life Insurance Company who took up out just the right doll. She has a spe- on any store-bought dolls-at any the challenge-without the help of his cial reason for that satisfaction. cost. wif-ven though sewing on a button Mrs. Prout and her husband, re- Take the dolls dressed by Pat Seiba, was to him an awesome task. tired Salvation Army Major James a past chairman of the Bank of Okla- The groups who get together to Prout, brought the doll program to homa's doll effort, who's dressed as work on the dolls run the gamut Tulsa in 1954 when the couple ar- many as 20 dolls a season. She's put from employees of the Bank of Okla- rived from Charlotte, N.C., to take dolls in black-belted karate suits and homa to nursing home residents, not charge of the Army's Tulsa unit. patiently "Afroed" their hair. This to mention the Broken Arrow Chow The roots of the project, says Prout, year she mulled over the problem of and Chatter Society. who with his wife returned to Okla- hand-fashioning a pint-sized 10-gallon The common denominator is the homa to retire in Claremore, were hat. ability to remember what it's like to practical as well as charitable. "Back But her specialty is a Miss Uni- look at Christmas through a child's in those days, we could buy a doll for verse doll festooned with a sash and a eyes. Some are able to do so for a very 85 cents," he explains. "With volun- brocade and velvet evening gown, special reason. teers doing the dressing from scraps and kept cozy in a fur cape, muff and "Some of our most faithful contrib- utors have been Tulsans who received a doll for Christmas from the Salva- tion Army," Mrs. Seibert says. "Now they realize that it would have been a bleak Christmas without it. And they've never forgotten." The children are not aware, how- ever, that their Christmas dolls and other toys are charity. Only qualifying needy parents are allowed in the store. Come Christmas morning, the toys under their children's tree came from Santa-just like those of any other Tulsa child. But then, Santa is the spirit of Christmas, a principle whimsically expressed by one faithful volunteer doll dresser. "I'd like to be like the wind, invis- ible," she fantasizes. "Then I could blow in and see the look on the faces

Susan Everly-Douze is a writer for The Tulsa Wdd.

WINTER 1981 TWENTY-THREE turned out everything from bathing beauties to an obvious favorite, a di- minutive Camp Fire Girl dressed in a perfect replica of the organization's JPJI3 Indian-inspired ceremonial garb. it-? "The project taught the girls sew- ing skills and reinforced the spirit of giving," Mrs. Rollins says. "They realized that at Christmas time there are a lot of children who aren't as for- hat. Whenever she has doubts about tunate as they are, and they felt good what is the most youngster-pleasin' about what they were doing." outfit, she gets a second opinion in For sheer on-the-job experience, her own neighborhood. however, no one could compete with "There are five or six little girls the four retired dressmakers and tail- there, and the fancy doll is always ors at Southern Hills Retirement Cen- the one that they like the best," she ter. Their dolls, every stitch done by says. "So I know that some other little hand, represent more than 200 years girl will love it to pieces." of professional sewing experience. If the doll project has a star, it's For these senior citizens, the high lyrs. Seiba's fellow employee, Mary point of the project was a trip to Schrader, though Mrs. Schrader will downtown Tulsa's Williams Center dispute her star status. Her specialty Forum to see their handiwork dis- is bride dolls, perfect in every detail. played on a new Tulsa tradition, the And, oh, those details. Doll Tree. The gown is a confection of bridal Since 1979, beginning Thanksgiv- satin, with puffed sleeves, pearl beads ing weekend, the dolls are displayed and a picot edging, crowned with a for a week on the 13-foot tree for all veil of delicate flower-trimmed net- Tulsans to enjoy. Sponsored and at- ting. Peek under the lace-edged skirt tended by the Daughters of the Amer- and you'll see pantyhose, panties fin- ican Revolution, the tree takes four ished off with lace and satin bows, women eight hours to decorate. The and, of course, a blue garter. And Bank of Oklahoma puts on a similar where would a bride be without a display. matching bouquet and a wedding "You wouldn't believe the interest band? in the tree," Mrs. Seibert says. "The "I think that this is the type of ladies come downtown especially to doll some little girl might like be- see their own dolls, and you really can cause a bride is a very glamorous fig- see their eyes light up when they spot ure to a child," she explains. them." One of the earliest group contrib- But Santa's sewers aren't the only utors to the doll program, the Bank of ones who get excited. Oklahoma sponsors a doll contest for Take the toddler who stood staring its own employees. Mrs. Schrader fre- at the bank's doll display while her quently takes a blue ribbon. mother waited in a teller's line. She Although they can't match her skills stared and she stared. Finally she as a seamstress yet, Judy Rollins' rushed forward, grabbed a doll and Camp Fire Girls in Broken Arrow kept on running-until she was inter- share Mrs. Schrader's enthusiasm for cepted by a bank employee. fancy dress. Other admirers are equally ardent, "We ended up with a lot of sophis- but more sophisticated. One business- ticated baby dolls," says Mrs. Rol- man had to have the bride doll for his lins, who with the help of co-leader grandbaby and was willing to pay Becky Carter interested her girls in $200. And he isn't alone. Attorneys this project three years ago. and stockbrokers tell volunteer tree "I saw a picture in The Tulsa World watchers, "I'll pay any price for some of this big pile of dolls that needed of those dolls. They're prettier than clothes and cut it out to show the anything in the stores." girls," she recalls. The volunteers agree. They are The suggestion was a winner. prettier. But they're not for sale. Armed with simple cardboard pat- For Santa's sewers, the only price terns and scrap material, the girls tag is love.

TWENTY-FOUR OKLAHOMA TODAY honey When you hear the name of the town called Erick, what comes to mind? Ranching? The oil boom in the Anadarko Basin? Roger Miller? An exit sign on Interstate 40? Nothing at all? ofa The next time you hear the name Erick, or read it on an 1-40 exit sign, think "candles." The little town may be a long way from the North Pole, but chances are that if you find a dazzling handcrafted candle CANDLE for that special someone on your Christmas list this year, it will come from Max Candle Company, just FACTORY off the interstate ...in Erick. And according to Olin and Maxine Wilhelm -who own and operate not only the candle company, but Wilhelm Honey Farm as well--every day is Christmas. I never know when one Christmas rush ends and another begins," Maxine says, dark eyes twinkling with good humor. 'We make each decorative candle individually and handpack all our holiday honey-and-cheese

TWENTY-FIVE baskets, so Christmas is really a year- are stacked on shelves and piled in round thing." bins. Maxine hits large and small garage One entire wall of the store is a see- sales within driving distance of Erick, through glass beehive, where visitors always looking for trash to turn into can watch bees make honey and can treasure. She transforms throw-away see the different levels of the bees' items such as old flatirons, lanterns - orderly society. Each member has a even tin cans-into elegant one-of- specific job to do, and does it- BySheilaSamples a-kind candle displays, using every- whether it's gathering nectar, making thing from dried grasses to bars of honey or attending the queen mother. Sheila Samples is a Lawton free-lance writer. soap in order to achieve effects she The Wilhelms, married for 40 years, wants. readily admit that their "business Although her biggest seller is the life" began with, and is dependent decorative candle, especially for wed- upon, their millions of bees. "It all ding and Christmas gifts, Maxine just seemed to happen, to fall into makes no bones about wanting to place," Olin says shyly. "That is, build up her votive candle sales. She things just happen to me, but Maxine explains that the votive, originally grabs hold and makes a lot of other used in religious services, is a short, things happen-usually to the en- fat 10-how candle that turns to liquid tire community." as it burns. It comes in all colors According to Olin, he never expected and fragrances and is the only candle to do anything but farm the home- the factory produces for the whole- stead that's been in his family since sale market. his grandfather obtained the original "Max" candles, both decorative "patent" for it. and votive. can be found in flower "We raised mostly alfalfa and clo- shops, gift' shops and candle stores ver," he says, "and my dad always had scattered throughout shopping dis- three or four hives of bees around to tricts and malls. Maxine refuses to pollinate the crops. I kept up the mass-produce decorative candles, pre- practice until about 20 years ago I ferring to have a giant display during realized that the only things that were a November open house when thou- making a profit were the bees. . . ." sands gather from across the United It started from there. With $8,000 States to browse through the small and 35 beehives, the Wilhelms were retail store at the honey farm. Shop in the honey business. Maxine used owners have standing orders for her the beeswax from the honeycombs to handmade candle gifts. make candles for her own use. "Then," The Wilhelms really have three Olin recalls fondly, "she branched out businesses in one--the honey farm, to make candles for family members. the votive candle factory and the re- The neighbors raved about her crea- tail store where their goods are sold. tions, so she made some for them, too. "The bees 'n' honey are mine," Olin The next thing we knew, people were says, "and the candles 'n' stuff are coming here. from all over, not just hers. I guess it all evens out," he for honey, but demanding candles as continues. "The bees work hard for well." me and I work just as hard for Max- Candlemaking has come a long way ine. . . .77 since pioneer women bent over bub- The Max Candle Company is the bling vats of tallow and, after hours only votive factory in Oklahoma, and of laborious and repeated dippings, the only one in the United States came up with enough tapers to light that encourages people to come and their prairie homes. Maxine admits watch the candle-making process. The she did plenty of hand-dipping, too, factory "complex" is just steps from before discovering the six mammoth the Wilhelms' modest two-bedroom Italian-made molds last March that frame house. now mass-produce the Max votive. There's a new 30-by-60-foot build- Each mold holds 22 pounds of wax, ing where the votive candles are made, and Maxine says that five people a workshop where honey is processed, working full-time could make 1,500 a workshop and candle store where candles an hour. Because of the vol- the decorative candles are created ume of candles manufactured, she no and a retail outlet for the jugs, mugs longer uses beeswax, but has turned and tubs of clear, pure honey that to petroleum oil, which is perfect for

TWENN-SIX OKLAHOMA TODAY , the slow-burning votive. oomtas is the nationally known chain of 'Tt didn't come ovemi&," she ad- candle stmes ded Wicks N a mib. "We've had abwt inmumount- wrfricjh pzaduoe8 all its own able problems, not ody 4th candle with OI& exoeption-the Max vee. f-ules, but v&& &e machinery *it- ME&& fadliar windmill logo, w u self. The molds had been sitting ,in is #&enhrn a functioning windndJ1 an open CX)Wshed foF & fears Even at ~h&peyfarm, is seen regdad7 the Rlst bad rusted-it ww solid." at m&W in Dallas, Kansas City, Getting the rust off lmame a com- Los "a, Chicago and New York. munity prsjeqt, and M&ne eays (MiB :&$I tihe windmill was built hy people would 4 or stop by with his @&QZ more than 50 years ago suggestions at dl bomb d the day and.&p-~Ipmrunning steadily since. and night. "We ev~r&Mngfrom m,?%f$ifheIme obviously bw3n't naval jelly to napthe gtw~liae,"she he&$- t$&>redidions of financhi laughs. "We stdppsd i&edmm b the trursiness consultants or bare metal, but; it W k weeks evm @ter mudl businessmen wb just to get tfre pk* QR tfie top of asserS: s$&& deadly finality ktthe the wicking machine? era of d Mysperated busi- "Oltin gave up," Maxim seysL "but nm$< bk md done with. I jmt couIdn't* I &dn% know h to "$& aria Maxine insigt that elean it, to work it er an*. Bilt I knew if I could geg & mcMk to mming, I ds' me thing. may be &, but the time it tiook We never, a~easbusy~~ wuer pmduee the ntmJper of dandle m. I[n f& &dr future lobkg so we're mddng nqav 3.we* bd to put Mght thab ,~Wqireneursin eement a~iekikie.m&m~hy&sn&~ m&$ungle.s "gldttml with high-rent the fm@W~ w& do well to We a ths cl&p at wbVcs going on out i~ (Win and Maxine Wi7Mn~for tX&tmsyaar- of that lstb soushlwes6ern OUabomD ~$,2rrpo7M~332to~ ctwdtd 3k$&E km l3xwbe. hm9 Wewellkm~~bfiI~arzatRneofErkk. Tlwrd~ p.'re&w7 fe31! a gwil can- TAejd see that d Amaria's ~ O &~redm.S ad' +&le wa, %jd5 aE ofxmm, fJll&w$ is booming. we cdeWt aslr U -H== aml help w. Perhaps the largest cast bronze ment into being. sculpture in the world dominates the The man chosen was Oklahoma entrance to the newly opened City of City's Leonard McMurry. Born on a Faith Medical and Research Center cotton farm near Memphis, Texas, in Tulsa. People call this 60-foot McMurry had dreamed from earliest monument "The Healing childhood of becoming an artist. Copy- Hands." ing comic strips and calendars was a At the formal dedication beginning. But formal education in in November, Oral Roberts the arts was limited in Texas, so he told of a message he re- took mechanical engineering courses ceived from God in 1977 instead. In his spare time he tried his directing him to build this complex, hand at sculpture. His persistence was which is located just south of the Oral so great that he finally succeeded in Roberts University campus. The plan studying under such master sculptors it provided included the statue at the as Carl C. Mose at Washington Uni- entrance. versity in St. Louis and Ivan Mestro- "The Hands represent the hand of vic at Syracuse. the physician using the natural forces "It was a long road," McMurry of God's earth and his skill, and the smilingly admits today. "I hadn't even hand of the prayer partner offering seen good sculpture until I went to the the prayer of faith," says Roberts, Texas Centennial in 1936. When Pro- who is a television evangelist and fessor Mose finally sent me to visit ORU president. the Art Institute in Chicago-well, it Thus, the right hand represents the was almost more than I could handle." power of prayer; the left, medical Out of it all came crucial lessons. skill. Roberts hopes the sculpture will "The most important factor, for a serve as an inspiration to all those sculptor, is soul," McMurry explains. who pass, whether patients, visitors, "The deep meaning behind any work or staff-a powerful reminder of the must be firmly in your mind before joint nature of the concept of healing you start. After that, character, pro- practiced within the center. portion, composition, specialized tech- The massive sculpture began in the niques and so on are incorporated to mind of Oral Roberts. But transform- give the piece proper monumental ing such a concept from idea to reality quality." offered major problems. That McMurry applies these prin- First of all, it called for financing. ciples with a master's skill to his own Here a Florida couple, Diane and efforts is obvious from his success. Herbert Brown, entered the scene. Since coming to Oklahoma in 1955, Grateful for spiritual aid from Rob- he has executed such commissions as erts after their son was critically in- Oklahoma City's 89er Monument, the jured in an auto crash, they volun- Air Force Monument and Oklahoma teered to pay for The Hands. Total City University's Eternal Challenge cost has not been disclosed. Monument. He also restored the fa- Next came the challenge of finding mous End of the Trail Monument for a sculptor with the creative crafts- the National Cowboy Hall of Fame manship, artistry and experience nec- after the work's arrival from Cali- essary to bring the majestic monu- fornia, and he created the gigantic Buffalo Bill Cody Monument (three times life-size and the largest eques- trian statue in the Western Hemi- sphere) that overlooks the highway at the hall. Joye R. Boulton is a Norman free-lance writer. Hundreds of busts and statues bear-

TWENTY-EIGHT OKLAHOMA TODAY ing his imprint have won places in Representatives of Oral Roberts institutions ranging from Oklahoma checked the result and gave their ap- City's Omniplex to the University of proval. Only then did work on the Oklahoma Law School, from the Okla- actual 60-foot monument begin. homa Heritage House to the Indian Because of its size, McMurry di- Hall of Fame at Anadarko. His relig- vided The Healing Hands into six ma- ious sculpture includes such notable jor horizontal sections. Each of these pieces as The Descent from the Cross, sections was subdivided into pieces- The Prodigal Son and The Tempta- about 450 of them-that could be cast tion. easily. Last month McMurry was inducted A mold was then constructed for into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Pre- each piece. Molten bronze was poured senting his citation was Pablo Osio, into each mold with careful attention general director of the Fundicion Art- to such factors as curvature, intricacy istica, the foundry in which the statue of design, temperature and the like. was cast. McMurry began his work on The Healing Hands with sketches based on photographs of Oral Roberts' own hands in a characteristic pose, with fingers touching. But Oral Roberts felt his hands were too old to convey his concept properly. So when McMurry moved to the next step--life-size, three-di- Foundry workers first weld the individual castings and mensional clay representations-he then a crane places the fingers into position as the chose a neighbor, Gary Mitchell, as giant Healing Hands statue is assembled. model. From beginning to end, he Photo by Craig Brewer strove for accuracy-veins, muscles, wrinkles, every detail. After meeting with Oral Roberts, McMurry cast the clay sculpture that had been selected in plaster. Next he journeyed south to Mexico City and Fundicion Artistica, a bronze foundry famous for the renderings of works of heroic size and one of the few capable of handling an artistic project of this magnitude. There he created a six-foot version of the statue- to-be. Photo by Ben Newby

THIRTY - s.-&-"dew --

Photo by Don Pierce to brace the pieces until a 10-man crew of workmen from the foundry could weld them in position under the direction of Francisco Peralta, the Mexican engineer in charge of as- sembly. Inside the arms--each as big as a room-a stabilizing framework of an- gle iron anchored in concrete was welded to hold the statue against the onslaught of Oklahoma winds. The welding process took three months. Last February the scaffold- Great care was necessary because even ing was removed, and Oral Roberts small deviations could add up to large came to inspect the finished monu- problems when all the pieces were ment. finally assembled for the first time in It proved to be not the happiest of Tulsa. moments. Roberts felt the seams that The finished casts varied in size marked the welding were far too vis- from six to eight feet long and four to ible. He refused to OK the project. five feet wide. Frequently they were Once again, a team from Mexico so heavy that four or more men were came to Oklahoma. The statue was needed to carry the cast from the refinished. mold. Each cast was numbered and This time Roberts approved. At stacked so they could be fitted to- long last, almost three years after the gether later with minimum confusion. original contract was let, the Healing But this was only the beginning. Hands stood towering above the City Small pieces next were welded into of Faith's entrance, at once a monu- larger segments, and a patina-that mental testimonial to Oral Roberts' is, a film formed on the metal by treat- conviction that the power of prayer ment with acids-added. has a role to play in any healing Months of efforts went into the process, and to Leonard McMwy's casting and welding. Finally, all sec- vision and skill as artist and sculptor. tions were completed and loaded onto Massive, gigantic, well-nigh over- giant trucks. Total weight was 60,000 whelming in its impact, the statue pounds . . . 30 tons. A lengthy convoy, never fails to impress the visitors from the trucks moved north. throughout the nation and the world In Tulsa, unloading presented yet who come to view it. Truly, The Heal- another challenge. Cranes had to be ing Hands today stands as one of hired to hoist the segments of statue Oklahoma's most impressive works of into place. Scaffolding was constructed art. LC-l

THIRTY-ONE is 18 feet tall with the original sculp- ture 28 inches high. First-day issue ceremonies of a com- TODAY IN cl memorative postage stamp honoring Remington and featuring the statue were combined with the dedication The excitement is beginning to Art series is only the third show ever at the Cowboy Hall of Fame. build as communities and individuals produced by OETA to be shown na- Our own personal dilemma-art throughout the state make plans to tionally, but it is expected to be a wise-was in choosing which Ameri- celebrate Oklahoma's 75th birthday special event across the country. can Indian paintings to feature in this during 1982. In addition to having That it will be aired in prime time issue of Oklahoma Today. Oklahoma a good time, I hope each of you gets -9 p.m. CST-is a tribute to the has so many outstanding Indian art- involved enough to realize how much quality of the series. William G. Kerr ists, many of whom are better known has been accomplished in our first of Oklahoma City is executive pro- in New Mexico, New York and Europe 75 years. It's just amazing! ducer. The filmmakers are Kenneth than in their own home state. We One of the best ways to get the Meyer, formerly with the National could easily fill a year's worth of "big picture" of the state's advance- Cowboy Hall of Fame, and his wife, Oklahoma Today pages with these ment is to visit the new permanent Claudia, who was an OU student. home-grown masterpieces. gallery just opened by the Oklahoma Each of the shows permits the We finally selected paintings ex- Historical Society across from the viewer to "look over the shoulder'' of hibited during the Five Civilized State Capitol. an artist as he paints his specialty. Tribes Museum Masters show in Mus- Called "75 Years of Statehood," the Filming was done on location in kogee, always an outstanding show. State Museum gallery includes an Kenya, England, China and Mexico as area for each decade beginning with well as from San Francisco to Boston. 1905 to 1909 and continues through One artist, Wilson Hurley, was born the 1970s. A gasoline pump, a Model- in Tulsa and is the son of former T car, a TV camera and Owen Garri- Secretary of War Patrick Hurley. A ott's spacesuit mark progress in the landscapist who paints the Grand appropriate time periods. Each area Canyon, Hurley is scheduled for a LETTERS includes photographs of the era's gov- show at Gilcrease Institute in Tulsa ernors and their major achievements. this winter. Another artist, Conrad Radios from the '20.54 '30s and '40s Schwiering, who paints the Grand Editor: play news events from these decades, Teton Mountains, will have a show The arrival of your magazine always and a television shows '50s events. at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame gives me a great deal of pleasure. Mannequins model fashions from each in December. All of the artists do There is so much about Oklahoma period, and the proper American and realistic work, but their subjects vary that most people aren't even aware Oklahoma flags hang from the ceiling. from African animals to seascapes. of, even her native sons and daughters. And are we pleased! Photographs Art seems to be flourishing in Okla- We recently visited southwestern from Oklahoma Today show off the homa this year. The same Leonard Oklahoma, around Lawton, and were state's scenic beauty in the 1970s area. McMurry who was responsible for absolutely amazed. I had always heard It's too early to place the events of The Healing Hands recently dedi- that western Oklahoma was very, very that period in historical perspective. cated at the City of Faith in Tulsa, flat. Yet, the countryside was so beau- Of course, when Diamond Jubilee and described in a story beginning tiful, like something out of the Old is mentioned, the Oklahoma Today on page 28, also was inducted into West. staff begins to brag about our own the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in No- We "discovered" Medicine Park, as special 75th birthday issue, which vember. charming a spot as I've ever seen will come out March 1. Although we Sculptor McMurry is designing anywhere; Fort Sill-so rich in his- will visit families and places that have bronze busts of each of Oklahoma's tory, definitely not "just another army been here since before statehood, the past governors for a permanent proj- base," the little town of Apache, with major emphasis is on what's current ect of the Diamond Jubilee Com- its striking outdoor murals, and the today in aviation, the oil boom, archi- mission. The bust of our first governor, enchantment of the dances at the tecture, music and theater, recreation, Charles N. Haskell, was unveiled in Anadarko Plains Indian Exposition. sports and other topics. About 25 sto- September. When completed, all 22 We always take our copy of Okla- ries will sample the infinite variety of of the head and shoulder sculptures homa Travel Handbook by Kent Ruth, life in Oklahoma, from the southeast will be placed permanently on exhibit whenever we visit. to the panhandle, and from the south- in the rotunda of the State Capitol. Keep writing about Oklahoma. The west .to the northeast. Another truly impressive sculpture entire state is a national treasure. Three times larger than usual, the was just unveiled at the National Louise Jensen Diamond Jubilee issue will also have Cowboy Hall of Fame. The sight of Austin, TX much more of the superb full-color four cowboys with guns and quirts photography that our readers have raised, whooping and hollering on Editor: long enjoyed. It promises to be our horseback as they emerge, is breath- Although it has been many years best issue ever. taking. since I lived in Oklahoma, I am still An intimate, personal glimpse into Jane and Franco Vianello have done an Oklahoman at heart. how seven of the top American artists a masterful job with their heroic size I have been an Oklahoma Today work and why they work that way bronze statue of Frederick Reming- subscriber since the second issue. My will premiere Jan. 25 nationally on ton's famous sculpture, "Coming collection, starting with the March, PBS stations. The Profile in American Through The Rye." The new statue April 1956 edition, is complete except

OKLAHOMA TODAY for the first issue. So you can see voice tells how the amenities were ob- Will Rogers' Weekly Articles, Vol. why I do not wish to miss a copy. served and preserved in frontier Wood- 3, The Coolidge Years: 1927-1929, C. F. Stanlake ward; another speaks with bitterness edited by James M. Smallwood and Downey, CA of the socalled "Green Corn Rebel- Steven K. Gragert; Okla. State Univ. lion" and what Oklahoma's brush with Press; $19.95, is the newest install- socialism did to his life. ment in the series, "The Writings of Editor: The reader hears from Perle Mesta, Will Rogers." This volume offers an- I have a collection of all the copies whose father built Oklahoma City's other helping of the pointed but of Oklahoma Today from the first is- opulent Skirvin Hotel, and from Ethel humane wit of Rogers' newspaper sue to today. Since I am having to C. Krepps, who remembers her Kiowa columns. He comments on Coolidge clear out closets, I am wondering if grandparents and the uneasy path they and Mussolini, on Lindbergh and anyone would like to buy this com- walked between the red and white Sacco and Vanzetti, on Alice Mary plete collection, and what the price worlds. There are reminiscences of the Robertson and Aimee Semple Mc- offered might be. I would appreciate Dust Bowl, the 45th Division, the oil Pherson, on Herbert Hoover and any information you might give me, booms, the land runs, the coming of "Babe" Ruth. Through his eyes we or if you do not know of anyone inter- the railroads and more. The book ends can see the people and the events ested, you might put a note in your with some of our newest immigrants' that preoccupied Americans as the "Letters" column. impressions of Oklahoma today. country slid toward that Black Thurs- Betty Thomas As the editors say in their intro- day in October (this volume ends Rt. 4, Box 4946 duction, "These memories confirm . . . with a column that was first published Boerne, TX 78006 that in Oklahoma the truth is both on March 10, 1929). stranger and more interesting than Again and again, Rogers mentions the fiction that often passes for his- two of his great loves: airplanes and Editor: tory." Oklahoma. He uses his home state Just a note to tell you we all enjoy almost as a symbol, embodying what reading and looking at the lovelv he considered the quintessential magazine of 0klaho& Today. I a& Guide to Oklahoma Museums by American character-sometimes a writing to inquire if you provide bind- David C. Hunt; Univ. of Okla. Press; little naive and sentimental, maybe ers to keep back issues and present $17.50, cloth; $9.95, paper. Hunt, a even just a tad silly, but basically issues of this nice magazine. If so, former curator of art at Tulsa's Gil- sensible and honest and good at heart. what is the price? This keeps them crease Institute, has compiled a com- so nice and we can put them on prehensive list of Oklahoma's nearly shelves in a bookcase or library. 150 museums, historic sites and zoo- The Object of My Affection by I appreciate your dates in the back logical parks. Pinky Tomlin, with Lynette Wert; of the magazine of your Entertain- Included are names nearly every- Univ. of Okla. Press; $12.50. The ment Calendar. one will recognize: the Gilcrease, the autumn of 1934 was hardly the most Gladys E. Renfro National Cowboy Hall of Fame, In- auspicious time for a red-haired Okla- Hooker, OK dian City and so on. But the book homa farm boy to be heading to Cali- also lists jess well-known museums and fornia in a Model A to seek his for- Editor's Note: Arrangements are be- other points of interest: the Eliza tune. But Durant-raised musician ing made to provide Oklahoma Today Cruce Hall Doll Museum in Ardmore, Pinky Tomlin did more than just binders. Information for ordering the the Western Trails Museum in Clin- make it to Hollywood. The day after binders will be announced in the next ton, the Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, he arrived he sold his first song, the issue. the Elk City Old Town Museum, the memorable "The Object Of My Af- Fort Towson Historic Site, the Drip- fection." That night he sang it at the ping Springs Horse-Drawn Vehicle Biltmore Bowl-billed as "The Okla- Museum near Kansas, Sequoyah's homa Flash." Cabin near Sallisaw, the Jim Thorpe This autobiography traces Tomlin's Home in Yale and many, many more. life from his early days in Bryan Entries in the guide are listed al- County and his sojourn at Oklahoma Bob* University, where he supported him- phabetically by city or town and con- tain information about each museum self by playing in a dance band called or site, including addresses and lo- the Boomer Band, to his Hollywood IN years, when he wrote such hits as REVIEW cational diredions, descriptions of ex- hibits and admissions information. "What's The Reason I'm Not Pleasin' Both a general index and a cross- You" and "The Trouble With Me Is Oklahoma Memories, edited by Anne reference index are included to help You," made 14 films and started his Hodges Morgan and Rennard Strick- readers find collktions in specific cat- own big band, and on to the present land; Univ. of Okla. Press; $16.95, egories. Maps show locations of mu- day. 1 cloth; $8.95, paper. Contained in this seums throughout the state. When he tired of touring, Tomlin volume are 27 remembrances of Okla- In his introduction, Hunt says, "For turned to geology, his minor at OU, I homa lives and times, told not by his- those who would really get to know and became a successful oilman. To- torians but by the people who lived Oklahoma, a visit to its museums is day he and his Ponca City-reared through and made history. Included in order. They are open to everyone, wife, Joanne Alcorn Tomlin, live in are the memories of a man born into and well worth the experience." This Beverly Hills; he is the owner-operator slavery in Indian Territory in 1852- book is proof both of the richness of of Pinky Tomlin Co., Oil Properties, and the story of the Katz Drug Store Oklahoma's heritage and of Okla- and is still active as a performer. sit-in more than a century later. One homans' pride in that heritage. I WINTER 1981 THIRTY-THREE -

THIRTY-FOUR OKLAHOMA TODAY In the Middle Ages artisans cele- a star that is said to have signaled Bethlehem at the time of Jesus's birth brated the mystery of Christ's birth a series of events that resulted in one to be taxed and counted, and such a with stained-glass nativity scenes in- of the most profound changes in the taxation was decreed in Rome in 7 stalled in great cathedrals. Today in thinking of mankind that the world B.C. Historians set the spring of 6 Kirkpatrick Planetarium in Oklahoma has ever known." B.C. as Jesus's likely birthdate. City they celebrate the birth with all For centuries there have been at- The Bible says Jesus was born the multimedia effects of a star pro- tempts to explain the star of Bethle- while the shepherds were in the fields jector, taped music and narration and hem in scientific terms. Since the first watching over their flocks. It wouldn't a hundred slide projectors all con- planetarium was built in 1923, the have been in December, a cold rainy trolled by a computer. Christmas show has become a popular season in Judea, but more likely in "The method is different, but the tradition in them. Kirkpatrick's pre- the spring during the lambing season. objective is the same," says John sentation follows firmly in that tradi- Several hundred years later Christians Wharton, planetarium director. "And tion. began celebrating Christ's birth in De- that's to create a sense of wonder The show's narrator suggests that cember, to blend in with the Roman which reminds people what the star the star probably wasn't an explosion holiday of Saturnalia. really means-peace on earth, good of light as is often the legend today. Much of this is supposition, the nar- will to men." It was mentioned only once in the rator says, for the true nature of the The planetarium's annual Christ- Bible, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, star has been lost in history. "In the mas show, "Star of Wonder," runs and it was seen only by the Magi, final analysis, however, the important from November 27 through December astrologers from Persia whose business fact is not what the star of Bethlehem 27 in Kirkpatrick Center, 2100 N.E. it was to watch the stars and to make was, but what it symbolizes, an event 52nd St. The center houses the Ornni- prophecies from them. There's no in- which has affected the hearts of peo- plex Science Museum, which, as any dication that the star was a comet or ple around the world, an event which visitor knows, is usually a bedlam of a supernova; it was probably a subtle has changed the course of mankind for children's voices shouting and laugh- change in the stars that only astrol- all time." ing as they play hundreds of scien- ogers would notice. At the show's ending, the stars fade tific games and puzzles. The whine of The best scientific guess, the nar- and four great stained-glass nativity the engines operating the games adds rator explains, is thate the star of scenes flash against the dome, as a shrill hullabaloo. From that racket Bethlehem was the combined bright- though linking the program with the you file into the dark and quiet of the nesses of Jupiter and Saturn. Once work of those earlier artisans who planetarium's circular room and dome every 20 years, to an earth viewer, also tried to explain the unexplainable and are taken back 2,000 years to the two planets seem to merge to- with hard, unpliable materials. Judea as it was at the time of Christ's gether. And once every 250 years, due "Comment from the public has been birth. to the relative speeds of the Earth, very good," says Wharton, who wrote The dome is a black sky filled with the planets of Jupiter and Saturn the Christmas show several years ago. stars and planets as they appeared seem to merge three times in a row. The planetarium presents four new then. Panoramic scenes of ancient Such a rare triple conjunction oc- shows a year. The Christmas show is Judea surround you. The slide pro- curred between May 29 and Sept. 29, the only one that's repeated, and it is jectors flash out a barrage of images 7 B.C. the only one whose ending usually illustrating the story. "Our system of counting years sug- brings spontaneous applause. It's been "No one knows when early man gests that Jesus was born in the year so popular that Wharton is toying first took notice of the awesome zero," the narrator says. "This, how- with the idea of doing a Genesis show, beauty of the night sky," the narrator ever, is not the case. Biblical scholars recounting the different stories of how intones. "He watched the cycle of the and historians tell us that Jesus was, the universe was created, showing the stars and seasons, and grouped the in fact, born earlier." differences and. similarities in scien- stars into crude drawings of creatures From the best historical computa- tific beliefs and the beliefs of major and heroes. Today, we still gaze in tion, King Herod of Judea died in the religions of the world. wonder at the stars. And, with the late winter of 4 B.c., and the Bible The planetarium, though it tackles coming of the Christmas season, we says that Christ was born while Herod serious subjects, is first of all enter- wonder about one star in particular- was king. Mary and Joseph came to tainment. It entertains by exploring

The planetarium's new $lW,000star projector can show the stars and planets as they appeared at any point in time.

ByJohn#nris John Davis is a Norman free-lance writer.

WINTER 1981 THIRTY-FIVE the puzzles and paradoxes of science. The star projector is its star per- former-and Kirkpatrick has a brand- new $100,000 one-which can show the stars and planets as they appeared last night, 50 years ago or 2,000 years ago. The planetarium is a sky sirnula- tor that deliberately evokes those ob- scure feelings of the infinity of space and our own mortality that we get while watching the stars on a summer night. "Sometimes we try to evoke that and sometimes it just happens," Wharton says. "We have a black dome on which we project the whole uni- verse. The statistics themselves will do it: The best guess is there are 100 billion galaxies in the universe, each containing 100 billion stars, the most distant galaxy 14 billion light years away, and astronomers still haven't seen to the edge of the universe. It's humbling to learn that we live on one of nine planets going around an aver- age star, that we live on one small, very insignificant planet." He adds, "We can stand in awe of the universe and yet learn from it. Anybody who studies the sky knows that one thing sets man apart from other animals: We always want to learn more; we always want to ex- plore. There's no better way to ex- plore than to study the stars. Any- body can do it-you don't need an astrophysics degree. You only have to walk outside at night." I-c_I

Hands-on exhibits fascinate children as well as adults at Omniplex Museum, which surrounds the oval-shaped planetarium. In one exhibit, a knob controls forced air that holds a ball in the ai~In others, a boy pedals a bike to generate sufficient RPMs to turn on a light bulb, while another activates an electric arc. A maze to climb through and a gyro interest these girls, while a friend looks through a submarine's periscope. Photos by Paul Lefebvre.

THIRTY-SIX

MAMI JANUARY DECEMBER 3,10,17 "Sundays At Two." Performing Arts Center, Tulsa 3-13 "Clnmtla," Theatre Tulsa, Tulsa 24,31 10/12 Eugenia Zuckerman. Flutist. Okla Symphon)c, Okla City 45 "Punch Lings," Rupel J. Jones Theatre. OU, Norman 14 Charles Rosen. Pianist. PhJlhmic. Tulsa 412 16 Mel Torme, Pops Concert, Okla City 4-12 "Wait Mil Dark," CommuniZy Theatre, Lawton 23 Ramsey Lewis, Pops Concert, Tulsa 4-19 "Once UpMl A Musical." Jewel &ox Theatre, Okla City 9-13 "m,"Studio Thtatr~,OU, FJorman 24/26 Cho Liang Lin, Violinist, OHla Symphony, Qkla City 10.13 "Amahl & the Night Visitors," Holmberg Hall, OU, Norman 31 Owa Gala w/ Tulsa Little Symphony, 10-20 "A Chrisbnag Carol," Okla Theatre Center, Okla City Cimarron Circuit Opera, Tulsa 11-30 "Pater Pan," Amdcan Theatre Co. Tulsa FEBRUARY JANUARY 4 Barry Tuckwell. Horn, Philharmonic, Tulsa 7-19 "KaleWoow Ii."Okla Theatre Center, Okla City 4 "Don Pasquale," Holmberg Hall. OU. Norman 14.31 "The L@t WLing of the Knights of the White Magnolia," 6-7 Tulsa Ballet, Lawton Okla Theatre Center, Okla City 7.14 "Sundays At Two," Performing Arts Center, Tulsa 15.6eb 6 "Terra Nova," American Theatre Co, Tulsa 21,28 7/9 Elena Gambulos & Stephen Dickson, Okla SymphORy,OkhCity 22-30 "Last of the MdHot Lovers," Ponca Playhourre, Ponca City 8 "Don Pasquale." w/ Texas Opera. Comunlty Center, 29-Feb 6 "The Roar of thGreasapaint - The Smell of the Crowd," Community Theatre, Lawton 0artlesville 9 Heldi Lehwalder, Harp, Phillips Symphwly. Enid FEBRUARY 12-14 "Carmen." OCU. Okla City 10-14 "Riaht You Am If You Think You Are," Studio Theatre, 13 Bobby Short, Pops ~onc&t,Okla City - 0u:PJorman 13-14 "An Evening of Balanchine," Tulsa Ballet, Tulw 11-28 "Eccentricitles of a Nightingale." Okla Theatre Center, 14 Tulsa Philharmonic, Community Cent@. BWl~vilk Okla City 14 "Rigoletto," Cimarron Circuit Opera, St Orwxy's, Shrnw 11-13 "Andrwtes & The Lion." CSU. Edmond 17 Tashi, Clarcnet. & String Quartet, OW. OklP City 18-20 19-21 Diamond Jubilee Celebration, Ballet Oklahoma. 12-13 "Send Me No Flowers," Community Center, Bartlesville Civic Center, Okla City 16-Mar 13 "Carousel," Cabaret Supper Theatre. Ft Sill 20 "Rigoleno," Cimarron Circuit Opera, IdaW 18-20 "The Imaginary Invalid," OSU, Stillwater 20-21 The Haydn Trio, Performing Arts Center, Tulsa 78-28 "Johnny Good Thunder," American Indian Theatre, Tulsa 26 Paratore Brothers. Pianist% Holmberg Hall, OU. Narman 19-21 "London Assurance," Ruael J. Jones Theatre. OU. Norman 27 "A Nostalgic Evening" PORSConcert, Okla C& 24-27 27 "Rigoletto." Cimarron Circuit Opra, Lawton 19-Mar 13 "Merchant of Venice," American Theatre Co, Tulsa 28 "Rigoletto," Cimarron Circuit Opera. 25-Mar 7 "bathtrap," Theatre Tulsa, Tulsa Northern Okla College, Tonkawa 26 "Macbth:' w/ Dallas Theatre, Community Center. Bartlesville MARCH 27 "The Miracls Worker," w/ Dallas Theatre, Community Center, Banzlesville 6,11,13 "Attila," Tulsa Opera, Tulsa 10 "Starbird," w/ Texas Opera, Community Centw, Bartlssvilltl MARCH 14 Britten & Walton, Tulsa Little Symphony, Tulsa 2-3 "Peter and the Wolf." Okla Theatre Center. Okla City 14 Bartlesville Symphony, Community Cent@, t3ilrtIctsuil 48 "The Rivals," OCU, Okla City 14/18 Kimberly Schmidt, Pianist, Okla Syiwhony, Okla City 5 "Mark Twain Tonight!" w/ Hal Holbrook, Community Center, 18 Donald Mclnnes, Viola, Philharmonic, Tulsa Bartlesville 20 The New Amerlcan Ragtime Ensemble, OFla Symphony, 11-28 "Our Town," Okla Theatre Center, Okla City Okla City 12-20 "The Runner Stumbl@s," Community Theatre, Lawton 27-28 The Sequoia String Quartel, Performing Arts Cent@, Tulsa 17-20 "My Fair Lady," SEOSU, Durant 28/30 Lacy & Royce McLarry, Vidlinists, Okla Synlpllwly, Okla W 19-Apr 3 "Oklahoma!," Ponca Playhouse, Ponca City 29 Richards Woodwind Quintet. Hdmberg Hall, OU, Norman 19-Apr 3 "Deathtrap," Jewel Box Theatre, Okla City 20 "Images," OSU, Stlllwater ART EXHIBITS 25-27 "Kiss Me Kate," Community Center, Bartlesville DECEMBER 25-28 "The Sound of Music," Holmberg Hall, OU, Norman 1-Jan 3 Next To Nature: American Landscape Paintings, 25-Apr 4 "Sweet Bird of Youth," Theatre Tulsa, Tulsa Philbrook, Tulsa 26~Apr7 "Gin Game," American Theatre Co, Tulsa 1-8 Gene Bavinger Exhibit, Arts Place II, Okla City 31-Apr 4 Don't Bother Me, ICan't Co~e,"Studio Theatre, OU. Norman 4-5 Christmas Art & Crafts Show, Cherokea Art Art,Tfthlerpuah 4-6 Christmas Fair, Firehouse Art Center, Norman MUICllrCIEIINGE &Jan 5 Leonardo da Vinci Inventions, Omniplex, Okla City DECEMBER 6-Jan 10 "Light & Color Images from New Mexico," 1 Tulsa Philharmonic w/ Phillips Symphony, Enid Mabee-G~rmMuseum, Shawnee 5 Jana Jae, Pops Concert, Tulsa &Jan 17 Recent Acquisitions, Philbtook, Tulsa 5 Handel's Messiah, Philharmonic. Lawton 19Jan 5 Bronzes & Paintings Exhibits, Arts Place II, @la Clty 5 "Hansel & GrHel," Cimarron Circuit Opera, 13-Jan 17 Benton's Bentons. Okla Art Center. Okla City 1st Christian Church, MWC 13-Jan 17 Montee Hoke Pottety, Okla Art Centfll, Okla City 6 "Hansel & Gretel," Cimanon Circuit Opera. McAlester lbJan 17 Recent Works by Linda Hoyle Gill, Okla Art Center, Okla City 6/8 Cab Calloway, Okla Symphony, Okla City 14-Jan 16 "Crossroads of Empire." Museum of Great FWm, LaWm 7 "Hansel & Gretel," Cimarron Circuit Opera, JANUARY OK Museum of Art, Okla City 3-Mar 1 Thomas Keam Collection af Hopi Pottery, 10 Lawrence Leighton Smith & Miriam Fried, Kirkpatrick Center, Okla CUFy Okla Symphony, Okla City 4-31 "The Search for the Purebloods," Govemr's Gallery, 12-13 "The Nutcracker," Ballet Oklahoma, Civic Center. Okla City State C~apitol,Okla City 14 Handel's Messiah. Phillips Chorale, Enid 11-Feb2 Mike Owyer & Steve LegfliR Exhibits, Arts Piam II,Okla Ci 18 Canterbury Choral Society, Okla Symphony, All Souls Church, 24-Feb 21 State of Oklahoma Collectbn, Okla Art Center. Okla City Okla City 24-Feb 21 The Art of Haiti. Okla Art Center, Okla City 19-24 "The Nutcracker,'' Tulsa Ballet, Performing Artti Center, Tulsa 31-May2 Philbrook: Past-Present-Future, Philbraok, Tulsa

THIRTY-EIGHT OKLAHOMA TODAY FEBRUARY' 1-28 MeOaugherty Paintings. Gmernor's Gallery. me capitol, OkJa Clity 7-MW2 D.J. afto on Exhibit, ~rtrsplace 11, Okla city 1 2!3-M8~19 "Damiclg M Age," Klikpairick Center, Okla City 1 27-Maf 28 'Bow Talm in Oklahoma, &la Art Center, Okla City 47-Mar 28 TkDdoie Wes: An American Impressionist, 1 Okla Art Center, Okla Ciy I MARCH 7-30 Midi1 SwExhibit, Art8 PlmII. Okla City

~ P I m a r I ~ DECEMaPR 1 4.11 "8aauty & The Beast," Lincoln Plaza & Falr(graurpd3. Okla City 6.13 N&timIFinob Rodeo, Myriad, Okla City I

-# ' 7,8,10,11 Hwse Farm Twr, Okla City 17-18 Sumbell Cutting Hasa Futurity, Fairgrounds. Ws bity 27-Jan 1 Amtrioan Quarter Horse Show, Expo Square, Tutsa JAMUARY 1 18-25 Intmational FinlRodeo. Assembly Cmer, Twlsja mmmm-gOMa BDIWIOS am 1-Mar 4 crow CM 1-27 Wild Turkq Der: 1-F&lS Quail I& 1-31 PheaS~t QAME Oec I-Mar 1 Celtontail, Swamp & Jack Rabbit . Oec1-310W hc1-Jan 1 ssuirrel

Br%MTS I I%(EERIBER I Mw27-U@27 "Star of Wonder," Kirkpatrick Planetarium, Okla Clty 2-6 Bwgs bade Feaste, WSU. Tahlequah 412 1 6 Old Fastnioned Christmas, Elk City 21-Mar 18 "W*tm Nights," Kirkpatriik PlanetWrn. Okla Oid MARCH 6.7 OK Arts & Crafts Festival, Expo Square, Tulsa 24Apr 3 InUian Mritage Week, NESU, Tahlequah ~

"A CHRISTMAS CAROL" All tours leave Oklahoma City's Sh~cPtan Gmtury Oklahoma Theatre Center unwraps its Christmas pres- Centw at 8 a.m. and return at approximately 6 p.m. the ant to the stcste on Dec. 10, when q begins its thlrd annual aarno day. Costs are $40 k~the Mmday tw~and $3@kw production of Charks Dickens' ''A Christmas Carol." the other three; lunch is provided. Scrooge will be living up to his name and Tiny Tim For more information, call Kay Pirtle, tart dImr, at (405) 32Q-0463. BENTON'S BENTONS It's not all that often you get a glimpse inaid+ thQ Christmas bonuses for children. Cdrtain performances will erivate col~ectienof # maior ertist, but that's just what feature special ticket prices for kids, and one performame wEN be offered when Benton's Bentons opens at the Okla- wjl/ be dane in conjunction with tfie MBrine Corps' Toys homa Art Center on Dec. 13. for Tots drive. More information on these special events The exhibit contains some 75 wwks by 'I"kmas Hert can be had by calling the box otfipe, (405) 239-7333. Benton that remained with the artist and his wife until WRSE FARM TOUR their deaths. Every December Oklahma gqes even 8 little more The center is hosting a flurry of special (Mrenh to horsecrazy than usual when thut National Finak Rodeo celebrate the show's stay in Oklahoma City, Ow. 13 comes to Oklahoma City. through Jan. 17. Two lectures are planned as dtas a The Oklahoma Horse Council's Horse Farm Tour, held free concert by the traditional country music &at& C.omr- in conlunction with the rodeo, dtroduces out-of-staters try Gazette. A string of noontime movies on American and natives to some of Oklahoma'$ finest horses, and the themes wiEl play: "The Grapes of Wrath," "Boomtown," people who own and train them, rfght where they live. "Fury," the 193$ versions of both "Tom Sawyer" and Four tours are offered, on ha. 7, 8, 10 and 11. On "Huckleberry Finn" and 13entonqs own "The Sottffiea of Monday, Dec. 7, the tour will he# west to Sayre to the Country Music." Check wRh the center at (481) WW77 famous Merrick Ranchas. Three otfer stops will be made, kr dates and times. including Elk City's Beutler Broth s Rodeo Hall and Old* A very active tour schedule is also planned, tor bnth Torn Museum. The other three tiurs will visit farms in school and adult groups. Tour tims me Tws.-Fri.. 4(. El Reno, Purcell, Edmond, Mtynan, Wynnewood and 10:30 a.m. and 1230 p.m. Call Michael Sendin st Hpe Blanchard. mnter for tow information and reservations.

THIRTY-NINE