Davis fought for the rights of working Oklahomans. When the deceptively named “Right to Work” bill was proposed in our state, Davis fought to oppose it–but Oklahomans thought they were voting for something that would allow them to work. Most people didn’t realize they were voting to cripple the power of labor unions to protect their income and jobs. Now that Oklahoma is a Right to Work state, our workers make less money and enjoy fewer benefits: the rich got richer, and the poor got poorer. As every economist can tell you, you wouldn’t have a middle class without labor unions.

According to current Tulsa Teamsters president Gary Ketchum, Davis continued to fight for the rights of Oklahomans even after he left the Teamsters. In this episode of Goodbye Tulsa, we’ll hear about the kinds of threats that Davis faced on the job, and we’ll learn about the Teamster’s long history of representing working Oklahomans.

Photo: Gary Ketchum, Tulsa Teamsters President

In a career that included performances in front of NFL crowds and even Dave Brubeck, Jane made the largest impact on her students at the University of Tulsa where she taught voice for 25 years. In this episode of Goodbye Tulsa, Eric Gibson, Artistic Director for LOOK, shares his thoughts and memories about his friend and mentor.

Photo: Eric Gibson with poster featuring Jane Carmichael Everitt

Hastings and his pal Gus Baker scraped four hundred dollars together, commissioned a guy to weld a grill, and in 1948, the Hasty-Bake was born.

Today, Hasty-Bake has grown in to a successful Tulsa-based company with an international fan base and several different grill models–all of them built around Hasting’s initial idea of heat convection. In this episode of Goodbye Tulsa, Mark Brown, who co-authored a book about Hasty-Bake with Hastings, explains the grill’s enduring appeal.

Photo Credit: Din Bracken

In this episode, we hear from Equality Center programming president Toby Jenkins who shared a similar spiritual past with Heather Harp: they both grew up in churches that excluded–and sometimes attempted to “convert”–homosexuals. Today, several local churches in Tulsa are now considered supportive friends of the gay rights community, a fact that brought enormous pride to Harp.

Photo Credit: Michael Mason

In this special edition of Goodbye Tulsa, we talk to a man who wasn’t charmed by Roberts’ particular charisma, but rather tested by it.

Attorney Gary Richardson, whose name also elicits a strong response around Tulsa, filed a famous lawsuit against Oral Roberts University in late 2007, which ultimately led to the departure of its sitting president. Richardson’s history with Oral Roberts goes much further back, however–back to a time when Roberts had actually sought Richardson’s advice following the legal troubles of another televangelist, Robert Tilton. It wasn’t until the end of the lengthy meeting that Roberts left Richardson with a distinct impression–one that you can judge for yourself.

Photo Credit: Carol Elk

It’s even harder to believe that the Canadian-born Aikman had a life outside of his practice, but he managed to raise seven children and keep up a hobby collecting military figurines.

In this episode of Goodbye Tulsa, one of Aikman’s former patients, Christy Mason, shares her memories about the time Dr. Bob delivered her first child. Though her story is just one of thousands, it’s clear just how singular and unique an impression Dr. Bob left in our community.

Photo Credit: Jun Aviles

In the face of death, it’s always a minister that speaks comfort to our ears. But who speaks in a pastor’s absence?

In this episode of Goodbye Tulsa, we hear from Scot Law, who not only attended Daugherty’s church, but also attended Victory Christian School as well. Law shares a specific time when Daugherty shepherded his family through tragedy–and in doing so Law becomes the voice of consolation for his pastor’s memory.

Photo Credit: Mark Harper

He played alongside the likes of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and earned a reputation as one of America’s most prolific and respected jazz trumpeters.

But as Chet Baker Foundation director Bruce Guthrie explains it, Baker also had a smoldering yet unassuming voice that intrigued aficionados. In this episode of Goodbye Tulsa, we hear Guthrie explain Baker’s place in the jazz world, and we’re treated to a few samples of Baker’s impressive musical gifts.

Photo Credit: Luigi 9555

Featuring music by Chet Baker, courtest of the Chet Baker Foundation

Most Tulsans might’ve never known that the man they saw flying kites around downtown’s Brady district was working toward a world record in consecutive kite flying, and that he made–and gave away–a new kite every day. They probably just assumed that Redmond, popularly known as The Kite Gypsy, was just, well, flying a kite.

In this episode of Goodbye Tulsa, Vrooman tells us about Redmond’s particular kite-making style, and the wonders of his flying technique. While the Tulsa skies may be a bit lonelier in the wake of Redmond’s absence, we know that there are least 1,300 kites out there that boast his craftsmanship, and that many of them are still soaring.

Photo Credit: Rona Proudfoot

Two decades ago, Mike Selvaggi started Mario’s, and in no time, it became one of Tulsa’s most prized pizza joints.

In this episode, Mario’s regular Badger Mellencamp recalls his first encounter with Selvaggi, who was as New York-styled as his pizza. Although Selvaggi is no longer with us, Tulsans can still taste the flavor Selvaggi perfected over his twenty years in Tulsa.