While I’m back home I’ve been catching up on local events and also reflecting on some of the experiences I had while I was traveling.
Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale
Welcome back. History is made every second of every day. Waite Phillips once said,
“Nothing in this world is permanent but change.”
Waite was right, you can’t live in the past but he also loved history as much as I do. His many collections of art and artifacts, on display in several museums and in his former home at Philmont, reveal his deep interest in the past as well as in the world around him.
The Phillips name is of course a well recognized in the history of the oil and gas industry throughout the country. Another family from this part of the world was honoredat the Green Country Classic Ranch Rodeo on Saturday night for their contribution to ranching. The Adcock family has been in the ranching business for well over 100 years and to this day they still run thousands of head of cattle some right here in the Bartlesville area. Elwood and Helen Adcock had twelve kids and they raised them with the same values that they had been raised with: work hard, stay close to your family and be true to your word. Knowing several of their children who were all there Saturday night, I would give a lot just to shake Elwood’s and Helen’s hands. Yes, in the cattle industry the Adcocks are considered royalty and as they walked into the arena in Claremore, they were recognized with a standing ovation.
Another event of local interest that I sometimes refer to is ARVEST Bank’s Friday Forum which is held every week at the eastside branch in Bartlesville. The forum offers ARVEST’s clients a chance to get information on financial matters, local news and community events. Governors come by on occasion, along with corporate executives and sometimes even movie stars. It’s an hour of fun and information, along with some great refreshments.
Since I have been away, I wanted to get caught up and Earl Sears, John Ford and Steve Martin were all there last Friday to give brief updates on doings in the capitol. T.W. Shannon also stopped by and if you are not familiar with him, Mr. Shannon is a candidate for Tom Coburn’s U.S. senate seat. After I quick visit with him, I believe that if you like Earl, John and Steve you will like T.W. as well.
This Friday photographer Jerry Poppenhouse will speak about his work and his long career. He will also debut a short film he recently created along with a 3 ½ minute clip about my travels in New York City. You never know who you will meet or what will be happening at Friday Forum so check it out.
On a quick personal note, last year I had the opportunity to write a book profiling people across the United States and the ways in which meaningful work has changed their lives. Many of these profiles are very touching and also inspirational. The book is called Portraits of Hope and it’s available for $9.00 a copy only through the company store at Express Employment Professionals in Oklahoma City (405) 840-5000.
Before I go one last view from the past. Commissioned in 1943, the USS Intrepid or the fighting “I” as she became known, is an aircraft carrier that was full of heroes for over forty years. Starting with World War II and the Pacific theater of operations, I couldn’t begin to list the battles the ship participated in during and after World War II. In one dramatic incident, the ship was hit by an aerial torpedo and lost partial maneuverability. The crew managed to build a sail from wood, cargo nets and canvas that allowed them to pilot the Intrepid back to Pearl Harbor. In another era, the Intrepid also picked up the space capsules from the Mercury and Gemini missions in outer space.
Today this mighty ship is known as the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. During my last trip. I was only able to see her from the window of a tour bus but come July I’ll take you aboard.
Thanks for reading and till next week I’ll see ya down the road…..
#