Famous OklahomansEye Pop: Oklahoman Talent- Across the world,

and in all careers

Traditionally, the notion of celebrity has been associated with Hollywood or Major sports figures such as Mickey Mantle. Films, baseball cards, biographies highlight the super human traits of the beautiful and the athletic.

However, with the advent of “Social Media” and “selfies”, many individuals outside of film and sports have now been recognized for their talents in many fields. Icons from technology such as Apple’s Steve Jobs, the artist Andy Warhol, poets and business executives have all achieved recognition in their fields.

This is a good thing for students, who can find role models in just about any field. In 2015, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington curated a show called “Eye Pop: the Celebrity Gaze” in which they displayed portraits of living celebrities from all fields. At Tulsa Public Schools we are taking the topic of “celebrity” and exploring it through images of notable Oklahomans in all fields.

Native AmericansWilma Mankiller (1945-1978) First Woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Her leadership focused on improved health care, job training and early childhood education. President Clinton awarded her the Medal of Freedom in 1998.

T.C. Cannon (1946-1978) American artist who studied under the “Kiowa Six” and achieved international recognition as a painter.

Political/Military FiguresCarl Albert (1908-2000) Speaker of the United States House of Representatives 1971-1977. He held the highest political office of any Oklahoman in history. He was the son of a coal miner and a farmer and grew up in log cabin. While in High School he won the National Oratorical Competition and was a Rhodes Scholar in college. While in Congress he was instrumental in developing the Medicare System.

David Boren (1941-) Governor of Oklahoma 1975-1979, United States Senate 1979-1994, President of Oklahoma University presently.

Elizabeth Warren (1949-) Born in Oklahoma City to working class parents, her father was a janitor and had a heart attack when she was twelve. This led to many medical bills and the family lost

their car. Her mother worked at Sears and eventually Elizabeth found work as a waitress.. She won a National Debate contest and was able to go to college on scholarship and earned a teaching degree. While teaching students with disabilities, she attended Law School. She was hired to

teach at Northwestern University and eventually was elected senator from Massachusetts

ComedyWill Rogers (1879-1935) A Cherokee cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist and newspaper columnist, Will Rogers also starred in motion pictures and on the stage. He is known as “Oklahoma’s Favorite Son”. He was the leading wit of his time and the top-paid Hollywood movie star. His vaudeville rope act led to success in the Ziegfield Follies which led to many movies (71) and more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns.

Gailard Sartain (1946-) An actor and comedian born in Tulsa and a graduate of Rogers High School. He is know for his parts in “Mississippi Burning”, “The Outsiders”, “Fried Green Tomatoes”, “King of the Hill” and the TV Show, “He-Haw”.

Film, TV, TheaterJames Garner (1926-2011) Born in Norman Oklahoma to a working classfamily, after his mother’s death, the children were all sent away to live withrelatives. He left home early and became an actor, acting in movies and TV: “The Cain Mutiny”, “The Sting”, and the much beloved TV Series: “Maverick”.

Joan Crawford (1904-1977) Performing in many films she was once called the “Queenof the Movies” by life magazine.

Gary Busey (1944-) He graduated from Hale High School in Tulsa and headed for Hollywood. “Lethal Weapon”, “A Star is Born”, “Saturday Night Live” are just a few of the many films and TV Shows he has been involved in.

MusicReba McEntire (1957-)She began her career as a singer, songwriter actress at Kiowa High School. She sang at rodeos and on the local radio station. She has since released twenty-six studio albums, forty number one singles, and has been named one of the best selling artists of all time, selling 85 million records worldwide

Woodie Guthrie (1912-1967) He was a folk music singer/song writer whose legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children’s songs. He is best known for his song “This Land is Your Land”. In the picture his guitar has a sign that says, “This Machine Kills Fascists”. There is a museum and the Guthrie Green in Tulsa named after him.

Chet Baker (1929-1988) A jazz trumpeter and vocalist, he began his career in the church choir. Both of his parents were musicians. He became a member of the Army Band and when he left the Army he played in various San Francisco Jazz Clubs. He recorded many tunes, one popular piece is often play at Valentine’s Day events, “My Funny Valentine.”

Leon Russell (1942-) Born in Lawton Oklahoma, he began playing piano at age four. He graduated from Rogers High School in Tulsa. Also attending Rogers High was David Gates, and the two began performing in Tulsa night clubs. He worked as a musician/songwriter in Los Angeles and was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

TV/Radio PersonalitiesWalter Cronkite (1916-2009) An American broadcast journalist who anchoredCBS for 19 years. He was called “the most trusted man in America” by an opinionPoll. He ended all of his broadcasts with the phrase, “…and that’s the way it is.”The assassination of President Kennedy, the Vietnam War and the space program Are topics he is remembered for. Although not born in Oklahoma, he beganHis journalism career in Oklahoma City

Kathy Lee Gifford (1953-) A graduate of Oral Roberts University, she went on to work in television on the “Live with Regis” and the “Today” morning talk shows. She won eleven Emmy nominations.

Paul Harvey (1918-2009) Born in Tulsa to a middle class family, his father was a police office who was killed, he attended Central High School and later the University of Tulsa. He began working for KVOO when he was 14. He worked on the national level as a broadcast journalist with a syndicated show called, “the Rest of the Story”. In 2009 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Business

George Kaiser (1942-) Born in Tulsa, he is currently president of the Bank of Oklahoma and one of the top 100 richest Americans. He is recognized for his philanthropy to the Tulsa Community, especially Early Childhood education initiatives. He attended Central High School and Harvard University. His father was a judge in Germany, escaping just before World War II. The family settled in Tulsa and became involved in the oil business.

Sam Walton (1918-1992) Born in Kingfisher Oklahoma, the family was not able to earn enough money through farming and this resulted in their moving often to many states in the country. He had many part time jobs to help out the family and eventually ended up back in Tulsa working in a munitions factory before the war. After his service during WWII in Army Intelligence he began opening general stores, which eventually led him to developing Walmart.

Waite Phillips (1883-1964) He was a petroleum businessmen who combined oil production, refinement and delivery into a successful delivery system. Phillips Petroleum, headquartered in Tulsa was very successful and Waite Phillips used the money he made to give back to the community and to Boyscouting, one of his loves. His family home is now a gift to Tulsa, called Philbrook. Philmont Boy scout Ranch in New Mexico is another of his endowments.

Art and LiteratureS.E. Hinton (1948-)While still in her teens at Rogers High School, Tulsa, she wrote the novel “The Outsiders) which later became a popular movie.

Tony Hillerman (1925-2008) A writer of mystery novels involving the Navajo People, he was born in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma. After serving during World War II he moved his family to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has written over 30 books that take as their venue, the South West. His books have been translated into many languages and are prized for their rich portrayal of the Native American way of life.

Louis L’Amour (1908-1988) worked and lived all over the United States as a cowboy, a mine worker , professional boxer , merchant seaman , and a variety of labor related jobs. He finally settled in Choctaw Oklahoma, and proceeded to write 105 novels about the west; called frontier novels. Many were based on the characters he met in his many travels and jobs.

Joe Andoe (1955-) A noted American painter, Joe Andoe was born in Tulsa and attended Oklahoma University. He paints mostly landscapes and animals in monochromatic color.

Alexandre Hogue (1898-1994) He was a painter of South Western landscapes, especially the Dust Bowl era. His works hang in major museums all over the world. He was Director of the Art Department at the University of Tulsa for many years. His self portrait is pictured below.

AthleticsTroy Aikman (1966-)Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Troy Aikmanplayed football for Oklahoma University under Barry Switzer. He went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys and led the team to three Super Bowl victories.He is currently a sportscaster for Fox network.

Johnny Bench (1947-) Born in Oklahoma City, he has been inducted into the NationalBaseball Hall of Fame and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Shannon Miller (1977-) She is the most decorated gymnast, male or female in American History. An Olympics Gold Medalist, she grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Mickey Mantle (1931-1995) He was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, the son of a lead minor. He was a center fielder for the New York Yankees and was know for his power hitting ability. It has been said that he was the best switch hitter of all time. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also hit some of the longest hits in history with a 643 foot homerun in Tiger Stadium Detroit.

Jim Thorpe (1887-1953) A Sac and Fox Native American, he was considered one of the most versatile athletes in modern sports. He won gold medals in the 1912 Olympics for the pentathlon and decathlon. He also played baseball and basketball.

Science and AviationGordon Cooper (1927-2006), Owen K. Garriott (1930-), John Herrington (1958-), Shannon Lucid (1943-), William R. Pogue (1930-), Thomas Stafford (1930), all were astronauts from Oklahoma. Shannon Lucid is pictured below as the single woman from the group. She grew up in Bethany, Oklahoma and attended the University of Oklahoma with a Ph. D. in Biochemistry. She was part of the first group of female astronauts and flew many missions on the Space Shuttle.

Wiley Post (1898-1935) A famous pilot, he was the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Unfortunately he is more remembered for his untimely death. He was flying with his friend Will Rogers when his plane crashed in Alaska, killing both.

Religious figuresOral Roberts (1918-2009) He was a Methodist Pentecostal Televangelist Minister. His ministry spread worldwide through the use of media. He eventually envisioned and built a university in Tulsa, Oklahoma-Oral Roberts University. He was born in Pontotoc, Oklahoma to a minister, lived in poverty and nearly died at age 17 from tuberculosis. He married another preacher’s daughter and began his career as a faith healer. He built his ministry to a 120 million dollar a year enterprise.

For links to more famous Oklahomans:

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/usstates/okfamous.htm

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-in-oklahoma

https://www.google.com/search?q=famous+oklahomans&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=935&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CEYQsARqFQoTCJu1pLvH4MYCFYagPgodgJUNqA