Oklahoma Hall of Fame
The Oklahoma Memorial Association was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn with the purpose of establishing the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. .[1] Being inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame is the highest honor one can receive from the state. In the 1970s, the Hefner Mansion was donated to the association to house the exhibits and busts or portraits of the inductees, and the organization changed its name to the Oklahoma Heritage Association in 1971. It then moved into the former Mid-Continent Life Insurance Building in Oklahoma City in 2007, opening the Gaylord-Pickens Museum and giving the Oklahoma Hall of Fame a public home.
To be eligible for induction, an individual must satisfy the following criteria:[1]
- Reside in Oklahoma or be a former resident of the state.
- Have performed outstanding service to humanity, the State of Oklahoma and the United States.
- Be known for their public service throughout the state.
In 2000, the rules were changed to allow for posthumous nominations.
Busts or paintings of the inductees can be seen at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum in Oklahoma City. 669 members have been inducted since 1928.[2]
Notable inductees
- Russell Westbrook, NBA Player
- Kevin Durant, NBA Player
- Jack Abernathy, United States Marshall
- Carl Albert, member of U. S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma (1947 - 1977); Speaker of the House (1971-1977)
- Bill Anoatubby, Chickasaw governor
- C.R. Anthony, businessman
- Hannah Atkins, Oklahoma State Representative
- Gene Autry, singer and actor inducted as an entrepreneur
- Dewey F. Bartlett, Governor of Oklahoma (1967-1971)
- Page Belcher, politician
- Henry Bellmon, politician
- Johnny Bench, baseball player
- Clay Bennett, businessman
- Henry G. Bennett, educator
- George S. Benson, missionary
- James E. Berry, politician
- William Bizzell, educator
- G. T. Blankenship, Oklahoma State Representative
- David L. Boren, Oklahoma Governor
- Lyle Boren, politician
- David Ross Boyd, educator
- Bill Bright, evangelist
- Anita Bryant, Miss Oklahoma
- Admiral Joseph Clark. World War II admiral
- Woodrow Wilson (Woody) Crumbo. native American artist
- F. Hiner Dale, judge
- Angie Debo, author
- Gary England, meteorologist
- General Tommy Franks, Iraq War general
- John Hope Franklin, historian
- Rev. Gregory Gerrer, OSB, artist, museum founder
- Vince Gill, singer
- Thomas Gore, first U.S. senator from Oklahoma (1907-1921)
- Woody Guthrie, singer, songwriter and musician
- Harold Hamm, CEO of the oil company Continental Resources
- Paul Harvey, radio commentator
- Henry Iba, basketball coach
- Patience Latting, first woman to serve as Mayor of Oklahoma City and any U.S. city with more than 350,000 people; inducted in 1980.[3]
- Eugene Lorton, longtime editor and publisher of the Tulsa World
- Tom Love, owner, founder, and chairman of Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores[4]
- Mickey Mantle, baseball player
- Jens Rud Nielsen, physicist
- Robert L. Owen, U. S. Senator from Oklahoma
- Patti Page, singer
- Frank Phillips, oilman and philanthropist
- Waite Phillips, businessman and philanthropist
- T. Boone Pickens, oilman and entrepreneur
- Will Rogers, humorist
- Charles Schusterman, businessman and philanthropist.[5]
- Warren Spahn, baseball player
- Barry Switzer, college football coach
- Steven W. Taylor, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice
- Elmer Thomas, U. S. Congressman and Senator from Oklahoma
- Jim Thorpe, athlete
- Sharen Jester Turney, American Businesswoman
- Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
- Alma Wilson, first woman Oklahoma Supreme Court justice and chief justice[6]
- Alfre Woodard, actor 2014
References
- 1 2 "Oklahoma Hall of Fame". Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ↑ Oklahoma Hall of Fame. "Permanent Exhibits," Oklahoma Hall of Fame: Gaylord-Pickens Museum. 2015. Accessed May 24, 2016.
- ↑ Dean, Bryan (2012-12-28). "Former Oklahoma City Mayor Patience Latting dies at age 94". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ↑ "Tom Love". SMEI Academy of Achievement. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ↑ "Charles Schusterman" (PDF). Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Alma Wilson, state high court justice, dies". Tulsa, Oklahoma: The Tulsa World. July 28, 1999. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
Coordinates: 35°29′00″N 97°31′34″W / 35.48333°N 97.52611°W