Voices of Oklahoma

Donna and Roger Hardesty grew up in the western Oklahoma town of Fort Cobb. They each knew the meaning of hard work when they met at age 15. Donna comes from a large family, many holding teaching degrees. After graduating from the University of Tulsa, she taught for a year at Sperry High School. She then joined Roger, becoming a real estate agent, as his construction company became the largest single-family construction company in the area with divisions in nine midwestern states. When The Hardesty Foundation was established in 2005, Donna placed a significant emphasis on the value of education in her grantmaking endeavors, which included the Hardesty Library.Roger and Donna were truly a team, leading to the success of the Hardesty company and the foundation, making a major impact on the Tulsa community.

Monsignor Greg Gier was 17 years old and enjoying his high school days when the thought came to him, “There must be more to life than this, there must be, and that’s when I decided to see if, in fact, I was being called to be a priest.” Monsignor Gier was ordained on May 27th, 1967, and was the pastor at Christ the King Church in Tulsa for 13 years. He also served churches in Oklahoma City, Bartlesville, Dewey, Muskogee, and Ponca City.He led or taught at Bishop Kelly and Bishop McGuiness High Schools, Marquette, and the Holy Family Cathedral School.Monsignor Gier was rector for 17 years for Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa.  He was on the board of directors for Catholic Charities of Tulsa and was vocational director for the Diocese of Tulsa.The 50th anniversary of Monsignor Gier’s ordination was observed in 2017.Listen to Monsignor Gier as he talks about his favorite people of the Bible, the challenges of the church, and Pope Leo on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Doug Dodd, a life-long Tulsan, was a television news reporter and documentary producer for KOTV and KTUL-TV before graduating from law school, and is one of a very few Tulsa attorneys who regularly represents national and local magazines, newspapers, and television stations, and media companies with an emphasis on First Amendment and defamation issues.Doug served on the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education for 11 years and was a candidate for Oklahoma’s First Congressional District seat in 2002 and 2004. Doug is a veteran of the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command, where he served as a Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander.Doug has been fortunate enough to meet, know, or cover many of Tulsa’s most notable people. Before entering private law practice in 1982, Doug served as a Law Clerk for United States District Judge James O. Ellison in the Northern District of Oklahoma.You can hear Doug’s oral history on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

2025 marks the 85th Anniversary of This Land Is Your Land. In this special edition of Voices of Oklahoma, we share the story of what motivated Woody Guthrie to write the song.Woody Guthrie's daughter, Nora, reveals Woody's views on "God Bless America" and offers insight into his mindset when writing "This Land is Your Land."

After graduating from Antlers High School, Charles Stephenson attended the University of Oklahoma and earned a degree in petroleum engineering.Following service in the U.S. Army, where he became an officer, he joined Amerada Petroleum Corporation.Between 1973 and 1982, Stephenson was part-owner and president of privately-held Andover Oil Company.After the sale of Andover, he co-founded Vintage Petroleum, Inc., where he served as president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board. The company grew from three employees at start-up to more than 750 with operations in four countries and reserves of approximately 500 million barrels.Stephenson is a founder of the Sarkeys Energy Center and, through his foundation, has funded the construction of two research facilities at the Research Campus at the University of Oklahoma. Charles and his wife Peggy made a $12 million donation to The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and in recognition of their support to the institution, a center has been named the Peggy and Charles Stephenson Oklahoma Cancer Center.Listen to Charles tell his story and how his uncle interested him in the Energy business on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Voices of Oklahoma interviewed Nancy and Ted Kachel because their careers significantly impacted Tulsa. They were asked to write an introduction to their story. It is being read as written.We are Ted and Nancy, two lives entwined by shared ambition and curiosity. Our paths first crossed at Iowa University, where we married in 1961 and set out together on a journey that took us from New York to San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Bogota, Tulsa, and beyond.Along the way, we built careers in higher education of campus ministry and teaching religious studies, in social services with runaway kids and reproductive services, and in advocacy for psychedelic mysticism and healing domestic abuse, adopted three wonderful children from Bogota, Colombia, and devoted ourselves to church and community.Through every move and milestone, we found in each other the missing pieces that made us whole. At every turn, we became the moving parts to click in place in each other’s lives, pushing forward together in this adventure of life and love. Our motto braves: “We’ve only just begun!”Listen to their story on the podcast and website of VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

MidAmerica Industrial Park, which is Oklahoma's largest industrial park, the third largest industrial park in the United States, and the eighth largest industrial park in the world, is located in Pryor, Oklahoma.  In this episode of Voices of Oklahoma, as we share the story of the park, we want you to know the man responsible for its very existence: Gene R. Redden.A bronze plaque outside the entrance to the MidAmerica Industrial Park administrative office reads: “GENE R. REDDEN, Founder of the MidAmerica Industrial Park”He was honored by a joint resolution from the Oklahoma Senate and House of Representatives stating: “His courage and enthusiasm knew no limits. This facility is dedicated to his honor.”Gene was 70 years old when he died June 7, 1990.We thank his son, Roger Redden, for being our storyteller on the podcast and website, Voices of Oklahoma.

A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Jay Hannah served as the Nation's Secretary-Treasurer and as Chairman of the Nation’s 1999 Constitution convention.As Board Chairman of Cherokee Nation Business, Jay directed the Nation’s holding company for all enterprise operations. He Co-Chaired the Nation’s Private Industry Council with Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller.A community banker for over 40 years in Oklahoma, Jay has served as bank president in the communities of Guthrie and Tahlequah. As head of Financial Services for BancFirst, Jay supervises a wide range of profit centers and support units.He is a frequent lecturer at a variety of schools offered by the Oklahoma Bankers Association.In Jay’s oral history, you will encounter a history lesson of the Cherokees as it relates to the state of Oklahoma, on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Donna Shirley grew up in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. Her interest in Mars and space exploration began when she read The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke.  She took flying lessons at age 15 and soloed at the Pauls Valley Airport the next year, earning a pilot’s license at 16.She enrolled in the University of Oklahoma as an engineering student, even though her advisor told her that “Girls can’t be engineers.”Donna worked at the Jet Propulsion Lab from 1966 to 1998 and was the only woman among the 2,000 engineers who had an engineering degree. Her 35-year career as an aerospace engineer reached a pinnacle in July 1997 when Sojourner–the solar-powered, self-guided, microwave-oven-sized rover–was seen exploring the Martian landscape in Pathfinder’s spectacular images from the surface of the red planet.  She was the leader of the mostly male team that designed and built Sojourner–the first woman ever to manage a NASA program.  Listen to Donna’s oral history interview, as she talks about the thrill of seeing the first Mars images, how she became a trailblazer, and whether there is life on Mars on the podcast and oral history website, VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Howard Barnett began his career in 1975 as a business lawyer in Tulsa, specializing in securities offerings and corporate transactions primarily for the growing number of entrepreneurial oil and gas companies.In 1985, he joined Tribune Swab-Fox Companies Inc. as its executive vice president and COO of its daily newspaper subsidiary, Tulsa Tribune Company, eventually becoming chairman and CEO of the parent company. Barnett entered state government in 1998 as secretary of commerce for Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and as the director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. In 1999, he became Governor Keating’s chief of staff, serving until the end of Keating’s term in January 2003.He was named OSU-Tulsa President in 2009 and became President Emeritus in 2019.In Howard’s oral history interview, he talks about the closing of the Tulsa Tribune, his work in state government, and his work in Tulsa’s new form of city government, on the oral history podcast and website of VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Donald E. Pray reached many goals by graduating from Tulsa’s Central High School in 1950, graduating from the University of Tulsa in 1955 with a degree in petroleum engineering, and graduating from the University of Oklahoma School of Law in 1963.The law library at the University of Oklahoma was named for him thanks to a gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, honoring Don Pray’s service to the foundation as its first Executive Director and then as a long time-time trustee. He was a founding partner at the Pray, Walker, Jackman, Williamson & Marler law firm. Don was one of the founding Trustees of the Grace and Franklin Bernsen Foundation and has also served as a Director or Trustee of St. John Medical Center, the University of Tulsa, Philbrook Art Museum, and the Tulsa Ballet Theatre.These major accomplishments by a man who “grew up in a garage”. It has been written about Don that “his life has been rewarding, not because of what he has received, but because of what he has been able to encourage others to do.”Now you can listen to Don’s interesting life story on VoicesofOklahoma.com.

The sports network ESPN owes its existence to Tulsa’s own George Conner. After graduating from the University of Tulsa with a marketing degree in 1964, George went to work for Skelly Oil in downtown Tulsa.When Getty Oil gained control of Skelly in 1974, George became a finance manager and was asked to study a proposed Connecticut-based Cable Television network committed to all-day, every-day sports programming. George approved the project and Getty Oil made an initial investment of $10 million which grew to $160 Million. ESPN went live on September 7, 1979. Co-founder Bill Rasmussen stated: “I still firmly believe that, without Conner as the bridge to Getty money, there would have been no ESPN.”Listen to George talk about the beginning of this new concept of a 24-hour sports network and his role in establishing ESPN on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.

Born at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Eddy Gibbs was raised in Checotah by his mother. Only 10 when his father passed away, Gibbs felt a strong need to provide for the family.  After graduation from high school, he began installing fences in Tulsa, followed by apprenticeships in Kansas City, Missouri and Bakersfield, California to perfect the trade. He returned home to start his own company and, eight years later, began manufacturing fence products.  Ameristar became the largest ornamental fence manufacturer in the world. Upon sale of the company, with terms that the company remain in Oklahoma, Gibbs distributed a portion of the proceeds from the sale to employees as a token of appreciation.Close to his Owasso home, Gibbs’ weekend retreat is northeast Oklahoma’s Shangri-La Resort. After it fell into disrepair, he purchased the property and restored the resort’s reputation, dramatically increasing tourism to the area and employment opportunities for local residents.          Listen to Eddy talk about his inventions, how 9/11 affected his business, and his huge donation to Rejoice school on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Richard “Dick” Willhour graduated from Will Rogers High School and enrolled in the University of Tulsa. When World War II began, he joined the Army and was attached to the 100th Infantry division as a machine gunner.Upon his return from military service, Dick’s father told him to write about the experience, and so, at 99 years old, that script was helpful in telling his story. The chaos of the battlefield, the loss of comrades, and being wounded in service to his country, are all told in a humble way.  And even in his 99th year, Dick was of service to his church, handing out snack packs to those in need.He owned Pennant Petroleum Company which was a DX Sunoco jobber.Dick was 99 when he died November 1st, 2024, but you can hear his voice as he talks about the Oklahoma land run, his preparation for war, and the loss of four company commanders on the battlefield on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Born in a half-dugout, in what was Fonda, Oklahoma, Roger Hardesty went on to become a real estate developer and builder, making his mark on Tulsa in 1959.During his late teens he began his building career by learning on the job, starting with concrete finishing, then single-family followed by multi-family housing units, industrial buildings, commercial retail centers, office buildings and hotels.He owned Mid-Continent Concrete and founded and operated over 25 different business ventures including Alliance Transportation, the Quarry Landfill, and Bizjet International.Roger was sixteen when he obtained his pilot license, which led to founding the United States Aviation, the country’s premier independent Fixed Based operator facility, worldwide aircraft character services, and Black Hawk helicopter air crane business.Roger and his wife, Donna, established The Hardesty Family Foundation with a focus on Tulsa nonprofits.Listen to Roger talk about how he learned to build houses while hanging sheetrock, his love for flying, and his desire to give back to Tulsa on the podcast and oral history website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

The John T. Nickel story is that of a work ethic which led to success far beyond anything he could have ever imagined. While in his early twenties, along with a friend, he traveled to California for an adventure. He returned to Oklahoma with an idea that set him on a path beyond his wildest dream. As a result, he developed Greenleaf Nursery in Cherokee County, Oklahoma (on Lake Tenkiller), into a multi-state business. Then, at his brother Gil’s including Far Niente, in Napa Valley.As a young lad he enjoyed hiking, fishing, and nature along the Illinois River and dreamed of owning that land one day. Eventually this passion led him to the ownership of the Caney Creek Ranch, the J-5 Ranch, and the donation of 14,000 acres to the Nature Conservancy for a wildlife and nature preserve. To complete the dream, he reintroduced elk to the John T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve.He was recognized with a Wildlife Stewardship Award by NatureWorks in 2004 and was a recipient of The Nature Conservancy’s first Oak Leaf Award in 2006.This story actually begins in a small mom-and-pop nursery business in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where John T. Nickel was born.

Born in the Bronx, New York, Judge Claire Eagan graduated from Trinity Washington University in 1972 and later from Fordham University School of Law.She began her legal career working as a law clerk to Judge Allen Barrow of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and went into private practice at the Hall Estill Law Firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1978 to 1998.Claire served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge from 1998 to 2001 and was then nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. She served as Chief Judge of the court from 2005 to 2012.U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts appointed Judge Eagan as the chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference in 2020. She assumed senior status in 2022.Listen to Claire tell her story, how she knew she wanted to be a lawyer as a young girl, the important mentor in her life, and the decisions she made as a judge on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Drew Edmondson is the son of former U.S. Congressman Ed Edmondson and June Edmondson. He is also a nephew of former Governor J. Howard Edmondson. His brother, James Edmondson, is a justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.Drew was the Oklahoma Attorney General from 1995 to 2011. His 58 opinions defending the Open Meeting and Open Records Acts strengthened citizen access to government. He sued the tobacco industry, winning a national settlement resulting in more than a billion dollars invested in Oklahoma’s healthcare and Drew successfully filed suit against a dozen poultry companies for polluting the Illinois River.His prior public service included the U.S. Navy, State Representative, and District Attorney. He has received many honors including induction to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.In his oral history interview, Drew talks about his political family, people he prosecuted in Muskogee as District Attorney, and several campaigns for office on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

A graduate of the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (now the University of Missouri–Rolla), Keith Bailey’s initial degree was in mechanical engineering. His academic record was augmented several years later with a professional degree in mechanical engineering from UMR and the completion of studies at the Harvard University Program for Management Development. In 1973 Keith became an assistant to the V.P. of Operations at Williams Pipeline Company. In the succeeding years, he assumed growing responsibilities with various units of the company until he was named President in 1992. In 1994 he was named CEO and Chairman of the Board.As a dedicated supporter of the United Way, Keith has served as a Campaign Chair as well as Board Chair. His United Way involvement extended to the national level. His commitment to education resulted in his service to the University of Tulsa with two terms as Board President.Listen to Keith talk about the difficulties in getting his first job, his admiration for John Williams, and 9/11 on the podcast and website VoicesOfOklahoma.com.

Jimmy Houston is known for hosting his own television show, Jimmy Houston Outdoors, which is watched by 2 million people around the world.He was born on July 27th, 1944, was raised in Oklahoma City, and attended high school in Moore.Jimmy moved with his family to Cookson, Oklahoma, near Lake Tenkiller, during his senior year of high school. His parents bought a resort there, where he became obsessed with fishing. Lake Tenkiller was the inspiration which made Jimmy the professional angler he is today.Since winning The Oklahoma State Championship as a college senior in 1966, Jimmy Houston went on to win over a million dollars in bass tournaments. He has fished 15 Bassmaster Classics and won the B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year title. Jimmy has received honors from multiple organizations including induction into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.The writer of many faith-based books, he has been on national television for over 46 years. The Jimmy Houston Outdoors show was ranked the #1 outdoors show on ESPN for 20 years.