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Went to Kendall's restaurant last week and started noticing all the autographed pictures on the wall from famous Okies. Seems there's quite a few (not all of them have been to Kendall's either, apparently).
Some are native born, some are transplants but we claim them all and are pretty proud that Oklahoma produces and draws the cream of the crop.
ASTRONAUTS Gordon Cooper-Shawnee, Ok. Owen K. Garriott-Enid, Ok. Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Air and Space Hall of Fame, U.S. Astronauts Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, and the ever prestigious Enid Public School Hall of Fame. Skylab and Spacelab. Shannon Lucid-Bethany, Ok.(Born in China but I'm sure that was just an accident). Grew up in Oklahoma and got her degree here. Biochemist and astronaut. Space Shuttle Discovery.
Stuart Roosa- Claremore, Ok. Thomas Stafford- Weatherford, Ok.
MISS AMERICAS:
Susan Powell-Elk City, 1981
Norma Smallwood-Tulsa, 1926
Shantel Smith-Muldrow, 1996
Jane Jayroe-Laverne, 1967
Allison Brown-Edmond, 1986 (Miss Teen USA)
OUTLAWS
Bill Dalton-Ardmore, bank and train robber
Pretty Boy Floyd-Sallisaw, bank robber. Immortalized in song by another Okie, Woody Guthrie.
Belle Starr-Eufaula, horse thief and bootlegger.
Tulsa Jack Blake-Tulsa, bank and train robber.
(As colorful as these characters were, none of them were home-grown Okies. They just all made a common mistake when migrating to Oklahoma; that of thinking Okies will tolerate bad behavior.)
KNOW-IT-ALL'S
Dr Phil-OKC, TV host
Carrie Nation-Guthrie, prohibitionist
Carl Albert-McAlester, former Speaker of The House Patrick Moynihan-Tulsa born, N.Y. senator, ambassador to U.N. and India. Oral Roberts-Pontotoc County, Pentecostal televangelist, author, traveling faith healer. Founded ORU in Tulsa.
Larry Winget (http://www.facesearch.com/face/larry+winget - broken link)-Muskogee, motivational speaker, TV personality. Doesn't pull punches.
PERSONAL FAVORITES:
Chuck Norris-Wilson and Ryan, Ok. Actor and bonafide bada$$. Brad Pitt-Shawnee, Ok. Actor and hubba huba studmuffin. Will Rogers-Oolagah, Ok. Humorist (You'd have to be growing up in a place called Oolagah). Cowboy, social commentator, actor and vaudeville performer. Paul Harvey-Tulsa. Radio broadcaster, syndicated commentator. Ron Howard-Duncan, Ok. Child actor, film director and producer. Roy Clark-Tulsa. Co-host of TV show "Hee-Haw", virtuoso of guitar and banjo. I'm not a country and western fan but Roy Clark can flat tear it up! Hee-Haw is the longest continuously running TV show in history, btw.
Patrick Flanagan-OKC and Tulsa. Inventor and possibly the most brilliant mind EVER! Had his inventions co-opted by the DoD at ages 11 and 14. Over 300 patents to his credit.
COWBOYS
Jim Shoulder-Henryetta. World Champion Cowboy.
Lucille Mulhall-Mulhall, Ok. First show cowgirl.
Tom Mix-Dewey and Guthrie, Ok. Cowboy actor
George, Zack and Joe Miller-Lamont. 101Ranch Wild West Show.
Clem McSpadden-Chelsea. Professional rodeo announcer.
Pawnee Bill-Pawnee, Ok. Wild West Show.
Tom Ferguson-Miami, Ok. Rodeo star.
Jessee Chisolm-Geary, Ok. Pioneer trader.
INDIANS
Quannah Parker-Ft. Sill, Ok. Comanche Chief.
Geronimo-Ft. Sill, Ok. Apache warrior.
Black Kettle-Cheyenne, Ok. Cheyenne Chief.
Standing Bear-Ponca City, Ok. Ponca Chief Wilma Mankiller-Tahlequah, Ok. Cherokee Chief, first female chief of Cherokee Nation. Inducted into the Oklahoma and Woman's National Hall of Fame. Iron Eyes Cody-Ft. Gibson, Ok. Best known for his stoic "crying" Indian role on "Keep America Beautiful" commercial. (Actually there's quite a bit of evidence that he's not an Okie at all but he adamantly refuses to fess up to being a Cajun. We totally understand, Cody, and you're welcome to be counted among us Okies).
Brigadier General Stand Waite- Honey Creek, Indian Territory. Cherokee Statesman.
Sequoyah-Sallisaw, Ok. Inventor of Cherokee alphabet.
Black Beaver-Anadarko, Ok. Indian Scout
Al Momaday-Mountain View. Indian artist
Joe Rector-Muskogee, Ok. Indian artist. Champion weightlifter, too.
Jerome and Jeremy Tiger-Muskogee, Ok. Indian artists.
SPORTS
Troy Aikman-Henryetta, Ok. Football player
Johnny Bench-Binger and OKC. Baseball player
Barry Switzer-Norman, Ok. Football coach of the winningest team around. Mickey Mantle-Spavinah, Ok. Baseball player. Baseball Hall of Fame. N.Y. Yankees team. Still holds the record for most World Series home runs. Brian Bosworth-OKC. Football player. Seattle Seahawks team. Actor-played in "Stone Cold". Hero-saved 2 different people's lives on 2 separate occasions, performing CPR in a parking lot on 1 occasion.
Joe Carter-OKC. Baseball player
Tony Casillas-Tulsa. Football player. Jim Thorpe-Prague, Ok. Athlete. Olympic gold medalist in pentathlon and decathlon. Professional football player, baseball player, and basketball player. Finally got his recognition several years after his death. Wayne Tisdale Texas transplant. All American basketball player and accomplished jazz musician. With over 250 colleges wooing him, he left his native Texas to join the ranks of great Okies at Oklahoma University.
Alvin Dark-Comanche, Ok. Baseball player
Billy Sims-Norman, Ok. Football player
Steve Largent-OKC. Football player and U.S. Congressman
Steve Davis-Sallisaw. Football announcer for ABC
Darryl Royal-Hollis. Football player
Paul Dean-Holdenville. Baseball player
Jackie Shipp-Muskogee. Football player.
Curt Gowdy-OKC. Sports reporter.
Steve Owens-Miami and Norman, Ok. Football player.
Jerome "Dizzy" Dean-Holdenville. Baseball player
Carl Hubell-Meeker. Baseball player.
Ferguson Jenkins-Guthrie and OKC. Baseball player. I met him when he got inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hell of a nice guy.
Henry Iba-Stillwater. Basketball player.
Gil Morgan-Wewoka. Golfer.
Tommy Morrison-Jay, Ok. Boxer and actor.
Nancy Lopez-Tulsa. Golfer.
Dale Mitchell-Baseball player
Bobby Mercer-OKC. Baseball player.
Allie Reynolds-Bethany and Stillwater, Ok. Baseball player.
Darryl Porter_OKC. Baseball player.
Warren Spahn-Hartshorne. Baseball player.
Bertha Frank Teague-Byng, Ok. Basketball coach. First female in National Basketball Hall of Fame.
Billy Vessels-Norman. Football player
Uwe von Schamann-Norman. Football player
Paul and Loyd Waner-Harrah. Baseball players. Paul got into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bud Wilkinson-Norman. Football player.
OTHER ATHLETES Shannon Miller-Edmond, Ok. Olympic gymnist. Olympic Hall of Fame. Maria and Marjorie Tallchief-Fairfax, Ok. Ballerinas. Maria Tallchief was the first American Prima Ballerina. N.Y. ballet for 18 years.
Yvonne Chouteau-Norman and Vinita, Ok. Ballerina.
Bart Conner-Norman. Gymnist.
Troy Patterson-race car driver.
Whew! We do have the skill here! Not only that but talent and good looks, too. You won't believe some of the actors and musicians that hale from our fair state.
Toby Keith-Clinton, Ok. Country music singer, song-writer, record producer, actor. Patti Page-Claremore, Ok. Sold over 100 million records. Inducted into Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Garth Brooks -Tulsa born. Second only to the Beatles in the U.S. sold over 220 million country and country-rock records. Singer, song-writer. Plays guitar, piano, saxophone, harmonica and does vocals. Vince Gill-Norman and OKC. Country blue grass singer and song-writer. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. I went to school with Vince. He thought he was hot stuff even back then. Who am I kidding? He WAS hot stuff even in High School! Bob Wills- another Texas escapee. They just don't appreciate their musicians like we do. Recorded Ida Red in 1938 which served as the model for Chuck Berry's later version of the same song-Maybelline. Carrie Underwood-Muskogee, Ok. Multiple Grammy award winner in Country and Pop music. Winner of 4th season on American idol. Reba McEntire- McAlester, Ok. Singer. Actress. David Cook--escaped from Texas to come live in Tulsa. Winner of American Idol. Anyone remember which season? Elvin Bishop-raised in Tulsa. Wrote the hit single "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" among others. David Bagsby-born in Tulsa. Composer and musician. Hank Thompson-another Texas refugee. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He has sold over 60 million records. (that's a lot of whining!) D. Twilley-Tulsa native and classic rock star.
Gene Autry-Sapulpa. Actor and musician.
Mae Axton-Roff, Ok. Songwriter.
Lou Ballard-Miami and Tulsa, Ok. Composer. Jeremy Castle-Blanchard, Ok. Singer and song-writer for the C&W crowd.
Scott Hendricks-Clinton, Ok. President of Virgin records and Capital records. Music producer.
Leon Russell-Tulsa. Musician. Fine one at that!
Conway Twitty-OKC and Norman, Ok. Country singer. Woody Guthrie- Okemah, Ok. Folksinger and composer. Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Best known for "This Land is Your Land" (and Arlo Guthrie-"You can get anything that you want at Alice's Restaurant") Roy Harris-Lincoln City. Composer and Cultural Ambassador for U.S. State Department. Becky Hobbs-a honky tonk, rockabilly gal from Bartlesville, Ok. American country music singer, songwriter, pianist. Gail Davies-Broken Bow, Ok. Country and folk singer, songwriter, record producer. Jana Jae-Grove, Ok. Fine fiddler that played on Hee Haw and is still going strong.
Tuck Andrews-Tulsa. Jazz musician.
John Denver-Clinton, Ok. Musician, actor, social activist. I'm not sure why Oklahoma claims him as our own since he wasn't born here and I can't see from my trawling the web where he ever lived here. That's ok. Colorado can have him.
There's plenty of actors and brainy folk here as well. Hope I got the links right. I was beginning to get cross-eyed.
ACTORS AND BRAINEY FOLK(Yes, that's 2 different categories) Ted Shackelford- OKC. Actor. Best known roll was as Gary Ewing on TV series "Knot's Landing". Also several soap opera rolls. Tv series "Dallas". Dan Rowan-Beggs, Ok. Comedian. Best known for his role on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. James Garner- Norman, Ok. native. Actor. Played in Rockford Files and Maverick. Tony Randall-Tulsa. Played the neurotic on "The Odd Couple". Comic and actor. Wes Studi-Nofire Hollow, Ok. We have no idea where that is but we're proud of our boy anyway. Played the lead role in "Geronimo". Blake Edwards-Tulsa born. Film director, screen writer, producer. Best known for the Pink Panther series. Married to Julie Andrews. Van Heflin-Walter, Ok. Actor. Played in Santa Fe Trail and a heap of other movies; 3 time Oscar winner.
Dale Robertson (http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/bailey/16/dalerob-01.html - broken link)-Harrah, Ok. Western movie actor. "Tales of Wells Fargo", "Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show". Jean Tripplehorn-Tulsa born. Actress. Plays Jackie O. on the TV series "Grey Gardens". A seasoned actress having performed on Frazier, Mickey Blue Eyes, Waterworld, The Firm, Basic Instinct and a score of others. Justin Nimmo- born in Lexinton, Ok. Plays Zane in "Power Rangers". Lives down the street in Purcell, Ok. Danny Cooksey-played Sam McKinney on TV show "Diff'rent Strokes". Also as John Conner's friend in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Jennifer Jones
Tulsan. Actress. Academy Award for "The Song of Bernadette". Ben Johnson-Shidler, Ok. Ranch hand, rodeo performer, actor. Played in bonanza, Radio flyer, Red Dawn, Angels In The Outfield.
William Boyd-Tulsa. Actor. Played Hopalong Cassidy.
Anita Bryant-Tulsa. Entertainer. Best remembered for her orange juice commercials.
Lon Chaney (and Jr.)-OKC. Actors. (Invented the odd and creepy). Hunchback of Notre Dame, Phantom of the Opera. Known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces". Kristin Chenoweth -Broken Arrow. singer and Actor. Has an unbelievable vocal range of 4 octaves! Suzy Amis-OKC. Actress, model. Played in "Fandango" and "Titanic" (the granddaughter).
Gary Busey-Tulsa. Actor. Dennis Weaver- Norman, Ok. Actor. Played in Gunsmoke and "Duel" (one of my favorites).
Joan Crawford-Lawton. Actress. Megan Mullally-OKC. Actress. Played Karen Walker on the Will & Grace show.
WRITERS Ralph Ellison-OKC. Writer. Wrote "Invisible Man". Judy Woodruff-Tulsa born. Newsanchor and journalist as well as White House correspondent. Tony Hillerman-born in Sacred Heart, Ok. Author of detective novels. Books: Skin Walkers. A Thief of Time. The Shape Shifter. Bill Moyers-Hugo, Ok. Journalist. Lifetime achievement award, 300 Emmy Awards, Lifetime Peabody Award.
Russel Bates-Anadarko. Author. Wrote a Star Trek Episode that won an Emmy.
C.J. Cherryh-Lawton, Ok. Sci fi and fantasy author. Has an asteroid named after her. Interesting style of writing.
Walter Cronkite-OKC. Broadcast journalist. This guy is a legend and an institution. He was THE standard for anchormen. He's probably twirling dervishly in his mausoleum to see the buffoons clowning around on the nightly news these days. "And that's the way it was."
Mercedes Lackey-Tulsa. Sci fi and fantasy author.
Louis L'Amour-OKC. Author of the Western genre. He is an extremely prolific writer.
PEOPLE WAAAYYY ABOVE MY PAYGRADE
Admiral William J. Crowe-OKC. Statesman, Ambassador. Was THE military adviser to the President. When he retired, Colin Powell took his place.
J. Paul Getty-Tulsa. Financier. (That's a polite way of putting it, I suppose.)
Alan Greenburg-Tulsan. Financier.
Robert S. Kerr-Ada, Ok. Oilman, Senator.
David Boren-Seminole, OK. President of the University of Oklahoma. Statesman.
Jeanne Kirkpatrick-Duncan, Ok. Diplomat. Ambassador to the U.N.
BRANIACS, DO-GOODERS, AND COLORFUL CHARACTERS Karl Guthe Jansky
-Norman, Ok. Engineer. Physicist. Discoverer of cosmic radio waves. How cool is that?! Chester Gould-Pawnee. Cartoonist. Creator of Dick Tracey comic strip. Robert Stemmons-Tulsa. Whistler. He trains birds to whistle. (It's a living.)
Clyde Snow (http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/pqrst/snow_clyde.html - broken link)-not born or raised in Oklahoma but knows a great place when he finds one. Lives near OKC and teaches at the University of Oklahoma. He is the most famous forensic anthropologist in the world!
Greg Burns-OKC-a physically handicapped but extremely talented artist who draws detailed drawings with a pen held in his teeth. I couldn't do as well as he does with a ruler and tracing paper. He's awesome!
Paul and Thomas Branif-OKC. Aviation pioneers. Their contributions revolutionized aviation.
Maxine Anderson-Okeene, Ok. Geologist, world famous balloonist.
John Peters-OKC. Founder of World Neighbors.
Wiley Post-Maysville, Ok. aviator.
S.N. Goldman-Ardmore. Inventor of the shopping cart. Thank you Mr. Goldman.
Larry Jones-OKC. Evangelist. Founder of "Feed The Children" organization.
There are oodles more but this is plenty to make us all feel like we're in good company. Next time some big-mouthed smart-alec razzes you for being an Okie, ask them how many astronauts or Miss America's they have in their state. If that fails to impress, tell them we're sending Chuck Norris to roundhouse them back to whatever rock they crawled out from. (All in good fun, people).
Don't forget T Boone Pickens, and Ron Howard. They may be up there, but you are right those URL's are distracting. Nobody can ever tell you that you don't pull your own weight!
Went to Kendall's restaurant last week and started noticing all the autographed pictures on the wall from famous Okies. Seems there's quite a few (not all of them have been to Kendall's either, apparently).
Some are native born, some are transplants but we claim them all and are pretty proud that Oklahoma produces and draws the cream of the crop.
ASTRONAUTS
Gordon Cooper-Shawnee, Ok.
Owen K. Garriott-Enid, Ok. Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Air and Space Hall of Fame, U.S. Astronauts Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, and the ever prestigious Enid Public School Hall of Fame. Skylab and Spacelab.
Shannon Lucid-Bethany, Ok.(Born in China but I'm sure that was just an accident). Grew up in Oklahoma and got her degree here. Biochemist and astronaut. Space Shuttle Discovery.
Stuart Roosa- Claremore, Ok.
Thomas Stafford- Weatherford, Ok.
MISS AMERICAS:
Susan Powell-Elk City, 1981
Norma Smallwood-Tulsa, 1926
Shantel Smith-Muldrow, 1996
Jane Jayroe-Laverne, 1967
Allison Brown-Edmond, 1986 (Miss Teen USA)
OUTLAWS
Bill Dalton-Ardmore, bank and train robber
Pretty Boy Floyd-Sallisaw, bank robber. Immortalized in song by another Okie, Woody Guthrie.
Belle Starr-Eufaula, horse thief and bootlegger.
Tulsa Jack Blake-Tulsa, bank and train robber.
(As colorful as these characters were, none of them were home-grown Okies. They just all made a common mistake when migrating to Oklahoma; that of thinking Okies will tolerate bad behavior.)
KNOW-IT-ALL'S
Dr Phil-OKC, TV host
Carrie Nation-Guthrie, prohibitionist
Carl Albert-McAlester, former Speaker of The House
Patrick Moynihan-Tulsa born, N.Y. senator, ambassador to U.N. and India.
Oral Roberts-Pontotoc County, Pentecostal televangelist, author, traveling faith healer. Founded ORU in Tulsa.
Larry Winget-Muskogee, motivational speaker, TV personality. Doesn't pull punches.
PERSONAL FAVORITES:
Chuck Norris-Wilson and Ryan, Ok. Actor and bonafide bada$$.
Brad Pitt-Shawnee, Ok. Actor and hubba huba studmuffin.
Will Rogers-Oolagah, Ok. Humorist (You'd have to be growing up in a place called Oolagah). Cowboy, social commentator, actor and vaudeville performer.
Paul Harvey-Tulsa. Radio broadcaster, syndicated commentator.
Ron Howard-Duncan, Ok. Child actor, film director and producer.
Roy Clark-Tulsa. Co-host of TV show "Hee-Haw", virtuoso of guitar and banjo. I'm not a country and western fan but Roy Clark can flat tear it up! Hee-Haw is the longest continuously running TV show in history, btw.
Patrick Flanagan-OKC and Tulsa. Inventor and possibly the most brilliant mind EVER! Had his inventions co-opted by the DoD at ages 11 and 14. Over 300 patents to his credit.
COWBOYS
Jim Shoulder-Henryetta. World Champion Cowboy.
Lucille Mulhall-Mulhall, Ok. First show cowgirl.
Tom Mix-Dewey and Guthrie, Ok. Cowboy actor
George, Zack and Joe Miller-Lamont. 101Ranch Wild West Show.
Clem McSpadden-Chelsea. Professional rodeo announcer.
Pawnee Bill-Pawnee, Ok. Wild West Show.
Tom Ferguson-Miami, Ok. Rodeo star.
Jessee Chisolm-Geary, Ok. Pioneer trader.
INDIANS
Quannah Parker-Ft. Sill, Ok. Comanche Chief.
Geronimo-Ft. Sill, Ok. Apache warrior.
Black Kettle-Cheyenne, Ok. Cheyenne Chief.
Standing Bear-Ponca City, Ok. Ponca Chief
Wilma Mankiller-Tahlequah, Ok. Cherokee Chief, first female chief of Cherokee Nation. Inducted into the Oklahoma and Woman's National Hall of Fame.
Iron Eyes Cody-Ft. Gibson, Ok. Best known for his stoic "crying" Indian role on "Keep America Beautiful" commercial. (Actually there's quite a bit of evidence that he's not an Okie at all but he adamantly refuses to fess up to being a Cajun. We totally understand, Cody, and you're welcome to be counted among us Okies).
Brigadier General Stand Waite- Honey Creek, Indian Territory. Cherokee Statesman.
Sequoyah-Sallisaw, Ok. Inventor of Cherokee alphabet.
Black Beaver-Anadarko, Ok. Indian Scout
Al Momaday-Mountain View. Indian artist
Joe Rector-Muskogee, Ok. Indian artist. Champion weightlifter, too.
Jerome and Jeremy Tiger-Muskogee, Ok. Indian artists.
SPORTS
Troy Aikman-Henryetta, Ok. Football player
Johnny Bench-Binger and OKC. Baseball player
Barry Switzer-Norman, Ok. Football coach of the winningest team around.
Mickey Mantle-Spavinah, Ok. Baseball player. Baseball Hall of Fame. N.Y. Yankees team. Still holds the record for most World Series home runs.
Brian Bosworth-OKC. Football player. Seattle Seahawks team. Actor-played in "Stone Cold". Hero-saved 2 different people's lives on 2 separate occasions, performing CPR in a parking lot on 1 occasion.
Joe Carter-OKC. Baseball player
Tony Casillas-Tulsa. Football player.
Jim Thorpe-Prague, Ok. Athlete. Olympic gold medalist in pentathlon and decathlon. Professional football player, baseball player, and basketball player. Finally got his recognition several years after his death.
Wayne Tisdale Texas transplant. All American basketball player and accomplished jazz musician. With over 250 colleges wooing him, he left his native Texas to join the ranks of great Okies at Oklahoma University.
Alvin Dark-Comanche, Ok. Baseball player
Billy Sims-Norman, Ok. Football player
Steve Largent-OKC. Football player and U.S. Congressman
Steve Davis-Sallisaw. Football announcer for ABC
Darryl Royal-Hollis. Football player
Paul Dean-Holdenville. Baseball player
Jackie Shipp-Muskogee. Football player.
Curt Gowdy-OKC. Sports reporter.
Steve Owens-Miami and Norman, Ok. Football player.
Jerome "Dizzy" Dean-Holdenville. Baseball player
Carl Hubell-Meeker. Baseball player.
Ferguson Jenkins-Guthrie and OKC. Baseball player. I met him when he got inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hell of a nice guy.
Henry Iba-Stillwater. Basketball player.
Gil Morgan-Wewoka. Golfer.
Tommy Morrison-Jay, Ok. Boxer and actor.
Nancy Lopez-Tulsa. Golfer.
Dale Mitchell-Baseball player
Bobby Mercer-OKC. Baseball player.
Allie Reynolds-Bethany and Stillwater, Ok. Baseball player.
Darryl Porter_OKC. Baseball player.
Warren Spahn-Hartshorne. Baseball player.
Bertha Frank Teague-Byng, Ok. Basketball coach. First female in National Basketball Hall of Fame.
Billy Vessels-Norman. Football player
Uwe von Schamann-Norman. Football player
Paul and Loyd Waner-Harrah. Baseball players. Paul got into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bud Wilkinson-Norman. Football player.
OTHER ATHLETES
Shannon Miller-Edmond, Ok. Olympic gymnist. Olympic Hall of Fame.
Maria and Marjorie Tallchief-Fairfax, Ok. Ballerinas. Maria Tallchief was the first American Prima Ballerina. N.Y. ballet for 18 years.
Yvonne Chouteau-Norman and Vinita, Ok. Ballerina.
Bart Conner-Norman. Gymnist.
Troy Patterson-race car driver.
Whew! We do have the skill here! Not only that but talent and good looks, too. You won't believe some of the actors and musicians that hale from our fair state.
Toby Keith-Clinton, Ok. Country music singer, song-writer, record producer, actor.
Patti Page-Claremore, Ok. Sold over 100 million records. Inducted into Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Garth Brooks -Tulsa born. Second only to the Beatles in the U.S. sold over 220 million country and country-rock records. Singer, song-writer. Plays guitar, piano, saxophone, harmonica and does vocals.
Vince Gill-Norman and OKC. Country blue grass singer and song-writer. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. I went to school with Vince. He thought he was hot stuff even back then. Who am I kidding? He WAS hot stuff even in High School!
Bob Wills- another Texas escapee. They just don't appreciate their musicians like we do. Recorded Ida Red in 1938 which served as the model for Chuck Berry's later version of the same song-Maybelline.
Carrie Underwood-Muskogee, Ok. Multiple Grammy award winner in Country and Pop music. Winner of 4th season on American idol.
Reba McEntire- McAlester, Ok. Singer. Actress.
David Cook--escaped from Texas to come live in Tulsa. Winner of American Idol. Anyone remember which season?
Elvin Bishop-raised in Tulsa. Wrote the hit single "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" among others.
David Bagsby-born in Tulsa. Composer and musician.
Hank Thompson-another Texas refugee. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He has sold over 60 million records. (that's a lot of whining!)
D. Twilley-Tulsa native and classic rock star.
Gene Autry-Sapulpa. Actor and musician.
Mae Axton-Roff, Ok. Songwriter.
Lou Ballard-Miami and Tulsa, Ok. Composer.
Jeremy Castle-Blanchard, Ok. Singer and song-writer for the C&W crowd.
Scott Hendricks-Clinton, Ok. President of Virgin records and Capital records. Music producer.
Leon Russell-Tulsa. Musician. Fine one at that!
Conway Twitty-OKC and Norman, Ok. Country singer.
Woody Guthrie- Okemah, Ok. Folksinger and composer. Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Best known for "This Land is Your Land" (and Arlo Guthrie-"You can get anything that you want at Alice's Restaurant")
Roy Harris-Lincoln City. Composer and Cultural Ambassador for U.S. State Department.
Becky Hobbs-a honky tonk, rockabilly gal from Bartlesville, Ok. American country music singer, songwriter, pianist.
Gail Davies-Broken Bow, Ok. Country and folk singer, songwriter, record producer.
Jana Jae-Grove, Ok. Fine fiddler that played on Hee Haw and is still going strong.
Tuck Andrews-Tulsa. Jazz musician.
John Denver-Clinton, Ok. Musician, actor, social activist. I'm not sure why Oklahoma claims him as our own since he wasn't born here and I can't see from my trawling the web where he ever lived here. That's ok. Colorado can have him.
There's plenty of actors and brainy folk here as well. Hope I got the links right. I was beginning to get cross-eyed.
ACTORS AND BRAINEY FOLK(Yes, that's 2 different categories)
Ted Shackelford- OKC. Actor. Best known roll was as Gary Ewing on TV series "Knot's Landing". Also several soap opera rolls. Tv series "Dallas".
Dan Rowan-Beggs, Ok. Comedian. Best known for his role on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.
James Garner- Norman, Ok. native. Actor. Played in Rockford Files and Maverick.
Tony Randall-Tulsa. Played the neurotic on "The Odd Couple". Comic and actor.
Wes Studi-Nofire Hollow, Ok. We have no idea where that is but we're proud of our boy anyway. Played the lead role in "Geronimo".
Blake Edwards[/url]-Tulsa born. Film director, screen writer, producer. Best known for the Pink Panther series. Married to Julie Andrews.
Van Heflin-Walter, Ok. Actor. Played in Santa Fe Trail and a heap of other movies; 3 time Oscar winner.
Dale Robertson-Harrah, Ok. Western movie actor. "Tales of Wells Fargo", "Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show".
Jean Tripplehorn-Tulsa born. Actress. Plays Jackie O. on the TV series "Grey Gardens". A seasoned actress having performed on Frazier, Mickey Blue Eyes, Waterworld, The Firm, Basic Instinct and a score of others.
Justin Nimmo- born in Lexinton, Ok. Plays Zane in "Power Rangers". Lives down the street in Purcell, Ok.
Danny Cooksey-played Sam McKinney on TV show "Diff'rent Strokes". Also as John Conner's friend in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Jennifer Jones- Tulsan. Actress. Academy Award for "The Song of Bernadette".
Ben Johnson-Shidler, Ok. Ranch hand, rodeo performer, actor. Played in bonanza, Radio flyer, Red Dawn, Angels In The Outfield.
William Boyd-Tulsa. Actor. Played Hopalong Cassidy.
Anita Bryant-Tulsa. Entertainer. Best remembered for her orange juice commercials.
Lon Chaney (and Jr.)-OKC. Actors. (Invented the odd and creepy). Hunchback of Notre Dame, Phantom of the Opera. Known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces".
Kristin Chenoweth -Broken Arrow. singer and Actor. Has an unbelievable vocal range of 4 octaves!
Suzy Amis-OKC. Actress, model. Played in "Fandango" and "Titanic" (the granddaughter).
Gary Busey-Tulsa. Actor.
Dennis Weaver- Norman, Ok. Actor. Played in Gunsmoke and "Duel" (one of my favorites).
Joan Crawford-Lawton. Actress.
Megan Mullally-OKC. Actress. Played Karen Walker on the Will & Grace show.
WRITERS
Ralph Ellison-OKC. Writer. Wrote "Invisible Man".
Judy Woodruff-Tulsa born. Newsanchor and journalist as well as White House correspondent.
Tony Hillerman-born in Sacred Heart, Ok. Author of detective novels. Books: Skin Walkers. A Thief of Time. The Shape Shifter.
Bill Moyers-Hugo, Ok. Journalist. Lifetime achievement award, 300 Emmy Awards, Lifetime Peabody Award.
Russel Bates-Anadarko. Author. Wrote a Star Trek Episode that won an Emmy.
C.J. Cherryh-Lawton, Ok. Sci fi and fantasy author. Has an asteroid named after her. Interesting style of writing.
Walter Cronkite-OKC. Broadcast journalist. This guy is a legend and an institution. He was THE standard for anchormen. He's probably twirling dervishly in his mausoleum to see the buffoons clowning around on the nightly news these days. "And that's the way it was."
Mercedes Lackey-Tulsa. Sci fi and fantasy author.
Louis L'Amour-OKC. Author of the Western genre. He is an extremely prolific writer.
PEOPLE WAAAYYY ABOVE MY PAYGRADE
Admiral William J. Crowe-OKC. Statesman, Ambassador. Was THE military adviser to the President. When he retired, Colin Powell took his place.
J. Paul Getty-Tulsa. Financier. (That's a polite way of putting it, I suppose.)
Alan Greenburg-Tulsan. Financier.
Robert S. Kerr-Ada, Ok. Oilman, Senator.
David Boren-Seminole, OK. President of the University of Oklahoma. Statesman.
Jeanne Kirkpatrick-Duncan, Ok. Diplomat. Ambassador to the U.N.
BRANIACS, DO-GOODERS, AND COLORFUL CHARACTERS
Karl Guthe Jansky-Norman, Ok. Engineer. Physicist. Discoverer of cosmic radio waves. How cool is that?!
Chester Gould-Pawnee. Cartoonist. Creator of Dick Tracey comic strip.
Robert Stemmons-Tulsa. Whistler. He trains birds to whistle. (It's a living.)
Clyde Snow-not born or raised in Oklahoma but knows a great place when he finds one. Lives near OKC and teaches at the University of Oklahoma. He is the most famous forensic anthropologist in the world!
Greg Burns-OKC-a physically handicapped but extremely talented artist who draws detailed drawings with a pen held in his teeth. I couldn't do as well as he does with a ruler and tracing paper. He's awesome!
Paul and Thomas Branif-OKC. Aviation pioneers. Their contributions revolutionized aviation.
Maxine Anderson-Okeene, Ok. Geologist, world famous balloonist.
John Peters-OKC. Founder of World Neighbors.
Wiley Post-Maysville, Ok. aviator.
S.N. Goldman-Ardmore. Inventor of the shopping cart. Thank you Mr. Goldman.
Larry Jones-OKC. Evangelist. Founder of "Feed The Children" organization.
There are oodles more but this is plenty to make us all feel like we're in good company. Next time some big-mouthed smart-alec razzes you for being an Okie, ask them how many astronauts or Miss America's they have in their state. If that fails to impress, tell them we're sending Chuck Norris to roundhouse them back to whatever rock they crawled out from. (All in good fun, people).
Thanks Kari. I thought I would pull these out of your quote so they could be more clear.
Originally Posted by whitewave
FAMOUS OKIES
Went to Kendall's restaurant last week and started noticing all the autographed pictures on the wall from famous Okies. Seems there's quite a few (not all of them have been to Kendall's either, apparently).
Some are native born, some are transplants but we claim them all and are pretty proud that Oklahoma produces and draws the cream of the crop.
ASTRONAUTS
Gordon Cooper-Shawnee, Ok.
Owen K. Garriott-Enid, Ok. Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Air and Space Hall of Fame, U.S. Astronauts Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, and the ever prestigious Enid Public School Hall of Fame. Skylab and Spacelab.
Shannon Lucid-Bethany, Ok.(Born in China but I'm sure that was just an accident). Grew up in Oklahoma and got her degree here. Biochemist and astronaut. Space Shuttle Discovery.
Stuart Roosa- Claremore, Ok.
Thomas Stafford- Weatherford, Ok.
MISS AMERICAS:
Susan Powell-Elk City, 1981
Norma Smallwood-Tulsa, 1926
Shantel Smith-Muldrow, 1996
Jane Jayroe-Laverne, 1967
Allison Brown-Edmond, 1986 (Miss Teen USA)
OUTLAWS
Bill Dalton-Ardmore, bank and train robber
Pretty Boy Floyd-Sallisaw, bank robber. Immortalized in song by another Okie, Woody Guthrie.
Belle Starr-Eufaula, horse thief and bootlegger.
Tulsa Jack Blake-Tulsa, bank and train robber.
(As colorful as these characters were, none of them were home-grown Okies. They just all made a common mistake when migrating to Oklahoma; that of thinking Okies will tolerate bad behavior.)
KNOW-IT-ALL'S
Dr Phil-OKC, TV host
Carrie Nation-Guthrie, prohibitionist
Carl Albert-McAlester, former Speaker of The House
Patrick Moynihan-Tulsa born, N.Y. senator, ambassador to U.N. and India.
Oral Roberts-Pontotoc County, Pentecostal televangelist, author, traveling faith healer. Founded ORU in Tulsa.
Larry Winget-Muskogee, motivational speaker, TV personality. Doesn't pull punches.
PERSONAL FAVORITES:
Chuck Norris-Wilson and Ryan, Ok. Actor and bonafide bada$$.
Brad Pitt-Shawnee, Ok. Actor and hubba huba studmuffin.
Will Rogers-Oolagah, Ok. Humorist (You'd have to be growing up in a place called Oolagah). Cowboy, social commentator, actor and vaudeville performer.
Paul Harvey-Tulsa. Radio broadcaster, syndicated commentator.
Ron Howard-Duncan, Ok. Child actor, film director and producer.
Roy Clark-Tulsa. Co-host of TV show "Hee-Haw", virtuoso of guitar and banjo. I'm not a country and western fan but Roy Clark can flat tear it up! Hee-Haw is the longest continuously running TV show in history, btw.
Patrick Flanagan-OKC and Tulsa. Inventor and possibly the most brilliant mind EVER! Had his inventions co-opted by the DoD at ages 11 and 14. Over 300 patents to his credit.
COWBOYS
Jim Shoulder-Henryetta. World Champion Cowboy.
Lucille Mulhall-Mulhall, Ok. First show cowgirl.
Tom Mix-Dewey and Guthrie, Ok. Cowboy actor
George, Zack and Joe Miller-Lamont. 101Ranch Wild West Show.
Clem McSpadden-Chelsea. Professional rodeo announcer.
Pawnee Bill-Pawnee, Ok. Wild West Show.
Tom Ferguson-Miami, Ok. Rodeo star.
Jessee Chisolm-Geary, Ok. Pioneer trader.
INDIANS
Quannah Parker-Ft. Sill, Ok. Comanche Chief.
Geronimo-Ft. Sill, Ok. Apache warrior.
Black Kettle-Cheyenne, Ok. Cheyenne Chief.
Standing Bear-Ponca City, Ok. Ponca Chief
Wilma Mankiller-Tahlequah, Ok. Cherokee Chief, first female chief of Cherokee Nation. Inducted into the Oklahoma and Woman's National Hall of Fame.
Iron Eyes Cody-Ft. Gibson, Ok. Best known for his stoic "crying" Indian role on "Keep America Beautiful" commercial. (Actually there's quite a bit of evidence that he's not an Okie at all but he adamantly refuses to fess up to being a Cajun. We totally understand, Cody, and you're welcome to be counted among us Okies).
Brigadier General Stand Waite- Honey Creek, Indian Territory. Cherokee Statesman.
Sequoyah-Sallisaw, Ok. Inventor of Cherokee alphabet.
Black Beaver-Anadarko, Ok. Indian Scout
Al Momaday-Mountain View. Indian artist
Joe Rector-Muskogee, Ok. Indian artist. Champion weightlifter, too.
Jerome and Jeremy Tiger-Muskogee, Ok. Indian artists.
SPORTS
Troy Aikman-Henryetta, Ok. Football player
Johnny Bench-Binger and OKC. Baseball player
Barry Switzer-Norman, Ok. Football coach of the winningest team around.
Mickey Mantle-Spavinah, Ok. Baseball player. Baseball Hall of Fame. N.Y. Yankees team. Still holds the record for most World Series home runs.
Brian Bosworth-OKC. Football player. Seattle Seahawks team. Actor-played in "Stone Cold". Hero-saved 2 different people's lives on 2 separate occasions, performing CPR in a parking lot on 1 occasion.
Joe Carter-OKC. Baseball player
Tony Casillas-Tulsa. Football player.
Jim Thorpe-Prague, Ok. Athlete. Olympic gold medalist in pentathlon and decathlon. Professional football player, baseball player, and basketball player. Finally got his recognition several years after his death.
Wayne Tisdale Texas transplant. All American basketball player and accomplished jazz musician. With over 250 colleges wooing him, he left his native Texas to join the ranks of great Okies at Oklahoma University.
Alvin Dark-Comanche, Ok. Baseball player
Billy Sims-Norman, Ok. Football player
Steve Largent-OKC. Football player and U.S. Congressman
Steve Davis-Sallisaw. Football announcer for ABC
Darryl Royal-Hollis. Football player
Paul Dean-Holdenville. Baseball player
Jackie Shipp-Muskogee. Football player.
Curt Gowdy-OKC. Sports reporter.
Steve Owens-Miami and Norman, Ok. Football player.
Jerome "Dizzy" Dean-Holdenville. Baseball player
Carl Hubell-Meeker. Baseball player.
Ferguson Jenkins-Guthrie and OKC. Baseball player. I met him when he got inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hell of a nice guy.
Henry Iba-Stillwater. Basketball player.
Gil Morgan-Wewoka. Golfer.
Tommy Morrison-Jay, Ok. Boxer and actor.
Nancy Lopez-Tulsa. Golfer.
Dale Mitchell-Baseball player
Bobby Mercer-OKC. Baseball player.
Allie Reynolds-Bethany and Stillwater, Ok. Baseball player.
Darryl Porter_OKC. Baseball player.
Warren Spahn-Hartshorne. Baseball player.
Bertha Frank Teague-Byng, Ok. Basketball coach. First female in National Basketball Hall of Fame.
Billy Vessels-Norman. Football player
Uwe von Schamann-Norman. Football player
Paul and Loyd Waner-Harrah. Baseball players. Paul got into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bud Wilkinson-Norman. Football player.
OTHER ATHLETES
Shannon Miller-Edmond, Ok. Olympic gymnist. Olympic Hall of Fame.
Maria and Marjorie Tallchief-Fairfax, Ok. Ballerinas. Maria Tallchief was the first American Prima Ballerina. N.Y. ballet for 18 years.
Yvonne Chouteau-Norman and Vinita, Ok. Ballerina.
Bart Conner-Norman. Gymnist.
Troy Patterson-race car driver.
Whew! We do have the skill here! Not only that but talent and good looks, too. You won't believe some of the actors and musicians that hale from our fair state.
Toby Keith-Clinton, Ok. Country music singer, song-writer, record producer, actor.
Patti Page-Claremore, Ok. Sold over 100 million records. Inducted into Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Garth Brooks -Tulsa born. Second only to the Beatles in the U.S. sold over 220 million country and country-rock records. Singer, song-writer. Plays guitar, piano, saxophone, harmonica and does vocals.
Vince Gill-Norman and OKC. Country blue grass singer and song-writer. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. I went to school with Vince. He thought he was hot stuff even back then. Who am I kidding? He WAS hot stuff even in High School!
Bob Wills- another Texas escapee. They just don't appreciate their musicians like we do. Recorded Ida Red in 1938 which served as the model for Chuck Berry's later version of the same song-Maybelline.
Carrie Underwood-Muskogee, Ok. Multiple Grammy award winner in Country and Pop music. Winner of 4th season on American idol.
Reba McEntire- McAlester, Ok. Singer. Actress.
David Cook--escaped from Texas to come live in Tulsa. Winner of American Idol. Anyone remember which season?
Elvin Bishop-raised in Tulsa. Wrote the hit single "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" among others.
David Bagsby-born in Tulsa. Composer and musician.
Hank Thompson-another Texas refugee. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He has sold over 60 million records. (that's a lot of whining!)
D. Twilley-Tulsa native and classic rock star.
Gene Autry-Sapulpa. Actor and musician.
Mae Axton-Roff, Ok. Songwriter.
Lou Ballard-Miami and Tulsa, Ok. Composer.
Jeremy Castle-Blanchard, Ok. Singer and song-writer for the C&W crowd.
Scott Hendricks-Clinton, Ok. President of Virgin records and Capital records. Music producer.
Leon Russell-Tulsa. Musician. Fine one at that!
Conway Twitty-OKC and Norman, Ok. Country singer.
Woody Guthrie- Okemah, Ok. Folksinger and composer. Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Best known for "This Land is Your Land" (and Arlo Guthrie-"You can get anything that you want at Alice's Restaurant")
Roy Harris-Lincoln City. Composer and Cultural Ambassador for U.S. State Department.
Becky Hobbs-a honky tonk, rockabilly gal from Bartlesville, Ok. American country music singer, songwriter, pianist.
Gail Davies-Broken Bow, Ok. Country and folk singer, songwriter, record producer.
Jana Jae-Grove, Ok. Fine fiddler that played on Hee Haw and is still going strong.
Tuck Andrews-Tulsa. Jazz musician.
John Denver-Clinton, Ok. Musician, actor, social activist. I'm not sure why Oklahoma claims him as our own since he wasn't born here and I can't see from my trawling the web where he ever lived here. That's ok. Colorado can have him.
There's plenty of actors and brainy folk here as well. Hope I got the links right. I was beginning to get cross-eyed.
ACTORS AND BRAINEY FOLK(Yes, that's 2 different categories)
Ted Shackelford- OKC. Actor. Best known roll was as Gary Ewing on TV series "Knot's Landing". Also several soap opera rolls. Tv series "Dallas".
Dan Rowan-Beggs, Ok. Comedian. Best known for his role on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.
James Garner- Norman, Ok. native. Actor. Played in Rockford Files and Maverick.
Tony Randall-Tulsa. Played the neurotic on "The Odd Couple". Comic and actor.
Wes Studi-Nofire Hollow, Ok. We have no idea where that is but we're proud of our boy anyway. Played the lead role in "Geronimo".
Blake Edwards[/url]-Tulsa born. Film director, screen writer, producer. Best known for the Pink Panther series. Married to Julie Andrews.
Van Heflin-Walter, Ok. Actor. Played in Santa Fe Trail and a heap of other movies; 3 time Oscar winner.
Dale Robertson-Harrah, Ok. Western movie actor. "Tales of Wells Fargo", "Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show".
Jean Tripplehorn-Tulsa born. Actress. Plays Jackie O. on the TV series "Grey Gardens". A seasoned actress having performed on Frazier, Mickey Blue Eyes, Waterworld, The Firm, Basic Instinct and a score of others.
Justin Nimmo- born in Lexinton, Ok. Plays Zane in "Power Rangers". Lives down the street in Purcell, Ok.
Danny Cooksey-played Sam McKinney on TV show "Diff'rent Strokes". Also as John Conner's friend in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Jennifer Jones- Tulsan. Actress. Academy Award for "The Song of Bernadette".
Ben Johnson-Shidler, Ok. Ranch hand, rodeo performer, actor. Played in bonanza, Radio flyer, Red Dawn, Angels In The Outfield.
William Boyd-Tulsa. Actor. Played Hopalong Cassidy.
Anita Bryant-Tulsa. Entertainer. Best remembered for her orange juice commercials.
Lon Chaney (and Jr.)-OKC. Actors. (Invented the odd and creepy). Hunchback of Notre Dame, Phantom of the Opera. Known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces".
Kristin Chenoweth -Broken Arrow. singer and Actor. Has an unbelievable vocal range of 4 octaves!
Suzy Amis-OKC. Actress, model. Played in "Fandango" and "Titanic" (the granddaughter).
Gary Busey-Tulsa. Actor.
Dennis Weaver- Norman, Ok. Actor. Played in Gunsmoke and "Duel" (one of my favorites).
Joan Crawford-Lawton. Actress.
Megan Mullally-OKC. Actress. Played Karen Walker on the Will & Grace show.
WRITERS
Ralph Ellison-OKC. Writer. Wrote "Invisible Man".
Judy Woodruff-Tulsa born. Newsanchor and journalist as well as White House correspondent.
Tony Hillerman-born in Sacred Heart, Ok. Author of detective novels. Books: Skin Walkers. A Thief of Time. The Shape Shifter.
Bill Moyers-Hugo, Ok. Journalist. Lifetime achievement award, 300 Emmy Awards, Lifetime Peabody Award.
Russel Bates-Anadarko. Author. Wrote a Star Trek Episode that won an Emmy.
C.J. Cherryh-Lawton, Ok. Sci fi and fantasy author. Has an asteroid named after her. Interesting style of writing.
Walter Cronkite-OKC. Broadcast journalist. This guy is a legend and an institution. He was THE standard for anchormen. He's probably twirling dervishly in his mausoleum to see the buffoons clowning around on the nightly news these days. "And that's the way it was."
Mercedes Lackey-Tulsa. Sci fi and fantasy author.
Louis L'Amour-OKC. Author of the Western genre. He is an extremely prolific writer.
PEOPLE WAAAYYY ABOVE MY PAYGRADE
Admiral William J. Crowe-OKC. Statesman, Ambassador. Was THE military adviser to the President. When he retired, Colin Powell took his place.
J. Paul Getty-Tulsa. Financier. (That's a polite way of putting it, I suppose.)
Alan Greenburg-Tulsan. Financier.
Robert S. Kerr-Ada, Ok. Oilman, Senator.
David Boren-Seminole, OK. President of the University of Oklahoma. Statesman.
Jeanne Kirkpatrick-Duncan, Ok. Diplomat. Ambassador to the U.N.
BRANIACS, DO-GOODERS, AND COLORFUL CHARACTERS
Karl Guthe Jansky-Norman, Ok. Engineer. Physicist. Discoverer of cosmic radio waves. How cool is that?!
Chester Gould-Pawnee. Cartoonist. Creator of Dick Tracey comic strip.
Robert Stemmons-Tulsa. Whistler. He trains birds to whistle. (It's a living.)
Clyde Snow-not born or raised in Oklahoma but knows a great place when he finds one. Lives near OKC and teaches at the University of Oklahoma. He is the most famous forensic anthropologist in the world!
Greg Burns-OKC-a physically handicapped but extremely talented artist who draws detailed drawings with a pen held in his teeth. I couldn't do as well as he does with a ruler and tracing paper. He's awesome!
Paul and Thomas Branif-OKC. Aviation pioneers. Their contributions revolutionized aviation.
Maxine Anderson-Okeene, Ok. Geologist, world famous balloonist.
John Peters-OKC. Founder of World Neighbors.
Wiley Post-Maysville, Ok. aviator.
S.N. Goldman-Ardmore. Inventor of the shopping cart. Thank you Mr. Goldman.
Larry Jones-OKC. Evangelist. Founder of "Feed The Children" organization.
There are oodles more but this is plenty to make us all feel like we're in good company. Next time some big-mouthed smart-alec razzes you for being an Okie, ask them how many astronauts or Miss America's they have in their state. If that fails to impress, tell them we're sending Chuck Norris to roundhouse them back to whatever rock they crawled out from. (All in good fun, people).
If that fails to impress, tell them we're sending Chuck Norris to roundhouse them back to whatever rock they crawled out from. (All in good fun, people).
LOL. Good one, Synopsis. I kind of like the multitude of non-famous okies I meet on a daily basis too!
Great work ya'll. After putting all that work into the post and then to see it come up like that was just too disheartening to try to fix. Especially since I didn't know where I went wrong to start with. Thanks for the computer savvy folk on here who cleaned it up.
Oklahoma is a great state with lots of great people in it. Especially the "non-famous" ones we meet on a daily basis.
If someone mentions California, what do you think of?
Hollywood, L.A., crowded freeways, beaches, and Arnold Schwarzenegger?
California, of course, is so much more than that. How about Maine? I
think of cold weather, people with funny accents, and lobsters. What if
someone brings up Idaho? Does it bring to mind potatoes?
When people hear the name of our state, it seems the first thing
that comes to mind is not Oklahoma, but "Oklahoma!" The 1943 musical,
the first for Rogers and Hammerstein, is the first thing most people in
America think of when they hear about the Sooner State.
Having people associate our state with a beloved musical is
certainly better than some alternatives, like rednecks and tornadoes,
but it certainly isn't representative of today's Oklahoma.
"Oklahoma!" is a delight. The story of cowboys and farmers
finding love in Oklahoma territory features classic music and
ground-breaking choreography, including the dream ballet illustrating
Laurey's difficulty in choosing a suitor between Cowboy Curly and
farmhand Jud Fry.
It also gave us our state song, which never fails to bring
Oklahomans to their feet, which can prove a bit unnerving for performers
in touring versions of the show who, during stops in Oklahoma, must deal
with a standing ovation before the curtain comes down.
"Oklahoma!" is a classic of American musical theater and
deserves its place in the pantheon of enduring entertainment treasures.
It is not, however, an accurate indication of where our state
has been, is today and is going. Oklahoma is not only the home abode of
Ado Annie and Aunt Eller but of the aerosol can. That wonder of the age
was invented in Bartlesville. Oklahoma City is the home of the parking
meter, while the shopping cart was born in Ardmore.
The electric guitar also was invented in Oklahoma, by a Beggs
Musician named Bob Dunn. The first "Yield" sign was installed in Tulsa.
The state has more man-made lakes than any other state, which
gives us more than a million surface-acres of water and 2,000 more miles
of shoreline that the Atlantic and Gulf coasts combined.
The Sooner State has produced more astronauts than any other
state in the union. Owen Garriott is a hometown Enid boy, of course,
while Tom Stafford is from Weatherford, Shannon Lucid from Oklahoma
City, William Pogue from Okemah and the late Gordon Cooper from Shawnee.
Oklahoma is home of Amateur Softball Association, Sonic
restaurants, and more F4 and F5 tornadoes than any other state.
Oklahoma is the third-largest gas-producing state in the nation
and ranks fourth in the production of wheat, cattle and calves, fifth in
the production of pecans, sixth in peanuts and eighth in peaches.
The state's colors are neither the crimson and cream of the
University of Oklahoma nor the orange and black of Oklahoma State, but
green and white.
Environmental Protection Agency recognizes Oklahoma as having
the most diverse terrain of any state in the nation. The state,
according to EPA, boasts 11 distinct ecoregions, one of only four states
to have more than 10.
Oklahomans practice 73 major religions. The largest is the
Southern Baptist Convention, with nearly 1,600 churches and more than
960,000 members.
Oklahoma gave birth to Dick Tracy (cartoonist Chester Gould is a
native of Pawnee) and Donald Duck (Clarence "Ducky" Nash, the original voice of Walt Disney's Donald, grew up in Watonga).
Oklahomans have survived the Dust Bowl, any number of killer
tornadoes, the 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City's Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building and various oil booms and busts. Oklahoma is populated by
people who are caring, giving, hard-working, patriotic, and fiercely
independent. Oklahoma is a good place to live, work and play.
The challenge in this, is to make the rest of America aware of what Oklahoma has to offer, besides beautiful mornings, fringe-laden surreys and a girl who, "cain't say no."
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a clean list
