Tulsa's Other Miss America

1926
Norma Smallwood
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Norma Descygne Smallwood, an art major in her sophomore year at Oklahoma State College, was the first Native American (Cherokee) to capture the Miss America title.

Norma was the first Miss America to also win the award for "the most beautiful girl in evening gown" at the highly promoted National Beauty Tournament held during pageant week of the twenties. She proved to be an enormously popular selection

Miss America is from Tulsa!

In 2001, Jennifer graduated from Jenks High School. While in high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society. She was also active in Student Council and Key Club a community service organization and a member of the Varsity Pom Squad. Jennifer served as President of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America as a senior.

Some great news for T-town! Let's throw a parade in her honor!

What Me Worry?

Can you tell me which one is running for mayor of Tulsa?

Misguided Attempt

Governor Brad Henry is leading the latest charge in a pathetic attempt to lure GM into staying in OKC via a taxpayer funded corporate welfare check. This is to the tune of a cool $200 million!

The proceeds would be tied to a plant re-tooling project, aimed at changing the plants output from SUV's to something with more demand. Sure looks like we would be glossing over a major corporate blunder to me. Any bailout would have to be approved by the Oklahoma legislature. Is that any comfort?

This is terrible public policy.

And I predict it won't work.

Tulsans know full well about this type of shenanigans. Don't we remember the picture of Mayor LaFortune et al groveling in front of the Doubletree awhile ago in an attempt to keep Citgo from moving to Houston?

No doubt, politicians need to be involved in economic development. Jobs are extremely important. But this corporate welfare, long a policy of the Federal government amounts to just political grandstanding. It has no substance.

Corporate boards of directors make decisions like shutting down a plant or relocating headquarters. Boeing certainly didn't change their minds with Tulsa's attempted welfare bribe. In fact, they sold out what we had already and now plan to build something in OKC! I wonder......did Kathy Taylor have anything to do with that?

American Airlines got some welfare too. But they really weren't planning to leave. So they got a free check courtesy of the taxpayers of Tulsa County.

With the cat out of the bag, who else will line up with their hand out waiting for a pot of gold at the expense of the taxpayer? Who among our elected officials will decide who gets what and how much?

Who Is Kathy Taylor?

Kathy Taylor is the lady standing next to David Boren, she is the third person from the left. Her daughter is the lady next to her. The other man in this photo is Stuart Solomon, President and CEO of PSO.

Most regular Tulsans have little to no idea who this woman is who threw her hat into the mayor's race on the Democratic Party side. For discerning Tulsans, who would like to know a bit more, here is some info I've been able to find:

(Kathy) Taylor was appointed secretary of commerce and tourism by Governor Brad Henry in February, 2003. She also serves as Henry’s small business advocate for the state.
Before her appointment, Taylor was an attorney with Crowe & Dunlevy and president of the Lobeck-Taylor Foundation. She serves on the Board of Visitors for OU College of Arts and Sciences, and on the University of Tulsa Board of Trustees. She has served on the board of directors of Sonic Industries, Dollar Car Rental, National Car Rental, and the Grand River Dam Authority, and as a trustee for the OU Foundation.

She is a member of the Tulsa County Bar Association, the Oklahoma Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the International Bar Association.

Taylor’s community involvement has also included the Gilcrease Museum, Resonance Support Center for Women, Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Tulsa Zoo Friends, and the Philbrook Museum of Art. She was also active in serving the Holland Hall School, and Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, among others.

As chair of two major Tulsa fund-raising events, the Opera Ball and Philbrook Wine Experience, Taylor promotes both the state and the arts.

For both the Opera and Philbrook, she was able to make a significant impact. Revenues from the Wine Experience, the museum’s largest fund-raiser, grew to more than $1 million for the first time in its history, which placed the event in the top wine events in the country.

Taylor was the first commerce secretary to be tasked with three state agencies—Commerce, Tourism and Recreation, and Workforce Development/Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. She received the 2003 Pinnacle Award for Community Service from the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women and the 2003 Mona Lambird Spotlight Award from the Oklahoma Bar Association.

As late as 2004, she is listed as the President and Executive Director of the Lobeck-Taylor Foundation, a private foundation at 1144 S. Lewis in Tulsa. She and her husband William are the only two Directors listed. He shows no time spent each week with the foundation, and Kathy spends approximately 5 hours a week on it. This foundation had $2.9 million in total assets at the end of 2004. Here is a breakdown of the $606,643 in contributions made by the foundation in 2004:

FORM 990PF, PART XV - GRANTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS PAID DURING THE YEAR

RECIPIENT NAME AND ADDRESS PURPOSE OF GRANT OR CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT

TULSA AREA UNITED WAY GENERAL OPERATIONS 10,000

PHILBROOK MUSEUM GENERAL OPERATIONS 9,050

PHILHROOK MUSEUM GENERAL OPERATIONS 34,327

THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT 5,510

PHILHROOK MUSEUM GENERAL OPERATIONS 4,600

THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL FUNDS 5,700

MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF TULSA CAPITAL CAMPAIGN 2,000

DOMESTICE VIOLENCE INTERVENTION SERVICES CAPITAL CAMPAIGN/2004 ENDOWMENT 2,000

TULSA C.A .R .E .S. GENERAL OPERATIONS 500

TULSA WOMEN'S FOUNDATION GENERAL OPERATIONS 1,000

OKLAHOMA FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN 10,000

RICHARDSON AREA YOUNG LIFE HOWL DONATION 100

N .E .W. LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION GENERAL OPERATIONS 2,000

OKLAHOMA ISRAEL EXCHANGE GENERAL OPERATIONS 250

100 BLACK MEN OF TULSA, INC. MENTORSHIP 6 YOUTH ACTIVITIES FUND 500

FT. GIBSON LAKE ASSOCIATION GENERAL OPERATIONS 250

GIRL SCOUTS OF MAGIC EMPIRE COUNCIL JULIETTE LOW LEADERSHIP 500

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY GENERAL OPERATIONS 100

GILCREASE MUSEUM GENERAL OPERATIONS 24,050

HOLLAND HAIL GENERAL OPERATIONS 2,500

OK STATE SENATE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION GENERAL OPERATIONS 20,000

WILLOW SPRINGS BOYS RANCH GENERAL OPERATIONS 100

TULSA GLOBAL ALLIANCE GENERAL OPERATIONS 4,900

OK SCH OF SCIENCE & MATH FND ARTIST SPONSORSHIP 5,000

NAT’L CONFRNCE FOR COMMUNITY & JUSTICE GENERAL OPERATIONS 2,500

OKLAHOMA JAZZ HALL OF FAME GENERAL OPERATIONS 1,400

ICI CITIZENS POLICY CENTER GENERAL OPERATIONS 2,500

COUNCIL OAK MEN’S CHORALE GENERAL OPERATIONS 100

OK HERITAGE ASSN GENERAL OPERATIONS 1,750

GILCREASE MUSEUM GENERAL OPERATIONS 5,000

SIMON ESTES ED FD GENERAL OPERATIONS 1,500

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY ED FD CAPITAL CAMPAIGN 390,685

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA FD LAW LIBRARY FUND 56,271


TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS PAID IN 2004 606,643


Nothing particularly earth-shattering here, except maybe over half the contributions were made to Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.

So what comes through loud and clear about Kathy Taylor??

She is rich.
She is a lawyer.
She is a friend of Governor Brad Henry.
She spends part of her time giving away large sums of money to pet causes.
She is a Democrat.
She knows how to raise money.

But, can anyone name one thing she has done as the Oklahoma Director of Commerce that has had a direct benefit to Tulsa? Tulsa has been in an economic "funk" while she has held court over Oklahoma commerce. Could that be her achilles heel during the campaign?

Contemporaries

Some fellow Tulsa bloggers have pointed out the both Republican Bill Lafortune and Republican Chris Medlock, both candidates for mayor, are 48 years old. It's true that some people ala Dick Clark, seem to age rather slowly, and some just show their age. Look for yourselves.

TPS Board Considers Consolidations

The Board of Tulsa Public Schools has delayed action on a proposal to consolidate four north side public schools, Gilcrease and Monroe Middle schools, and Greeley and Houston Elementary schools. The stated reason for considering the consolidation is declining enrollment. You can read a little bit more on this here.

To learn more about Gilcrease Middle School, 5550 N. Cincinnati, look here.

To learn more about Monroe Middle School, 2810 E. 48th Street North, look here.

To learn more about Greeley Elementary, 105 E. 63rd Street North, look here.

And finally, more about Houston Elementary, 5402 North Cincinnati, look here.

No one likes to even think about their neighborhood school closing or being consolidated.

Here is a novel idea. In one of the empty school buildings, let the Deborah Brown Charter School locate there. Or perhaps the fine people at the Deborah Brown Charter School are crazy enough to consider opening another charter school? I'll bet you would see an instant enrollment increase!

Randi Decides to Run

Tulsa County Commissioner Randi Miller announced this morning on KFAQ that she has decided to throw her hat into the mayors race. She is a Republican.

In the meantime she will keep her seat on the county commission. She is one of three commissioners, and is one of two Republicans.

Her entrance will definitely make this a more interesting race. I think she will be a formidable candidate.

Thomas Boone Pickens University?

How could you not be amazed by the generosity of Mr. Pickens?

Having already given $70 million to OSU athletics, he now has made and pledged an additional $165 to his alma mater. This is reportedly the single largest donation by an individual to a public university ever. And he indicates that this is not the last he will give OSU!

T. Boone Pickens graduated from Oklahoma A&M in 1951 with a degree in geology. He parlayed $2,500 in 1956 into billions. Not bad for a boy from Holdenville Oklahoma.

OSU has already named the football stadium after him. Maybe they should consider naming the university in his honor?

A Flurry of Filings

Today marks the first of a three day filing period for the mayor of Tulsa race slated in a few months.

The pictures above are some of the candidates that have filed or have announced their intention to file and run for mayor.

It would appear to be a wide open race. It should prove to be very interesting and spirited.

Let's hope T-Town will ultimately benefit from our elected mayor.