Clifton LeMoure Taulbert was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1996

Born in the Mississippi Delta, author Clifton Taulbert has reaped rewards for his observances of the strong family bonds that seem to spring from the rich soil of the region. He has shared these rewards with his adopted Tulsa in the form of service to community organizations and a consistent, positive message of educational and economic opportunities available to all.

Raised in Glen Allen, Mississippi by his great-grandparents and great aunt, Taulbert would relate his experiences growing up in the slowly desegregating South in his first book “Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored.” Released in 1996 as a major motion picture, the story celebrates the resilience of an African-American family through economic and social hardships.

Taulbert left the Delta in 1963, joining the Air Force. He came to Tulsa to attend Oral Roberts University and later completed graduate work in banking at Southern Methodist University. Working with the inventor of the Stairmaster Exercise System, Taulbert’s entrepreneurial skills capitalized on a growing health consciousness. His success in business allowed him to pursue his writing. “Once Upon A Time …” was released in 1989 to critical acclaim and the follow-up “Last Train North” earned many awards, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

Taulbert is in high demand as a motivational keynote speaker and guest writer for national publications. He continues to write about his experiences. His next book “Watching Our Crops Come In” will be released next year.

Committed to his adopted home, Taulbert serves on the boards of several community businesses and non-profit organizations throughout Tulsa; among them – Columbia Tulsa Regional Medical Center, OETA, The Arthritis Foundation and Goodwill Industries. The loss of their young daughter Anne Kathryn to Sickle Cell Anemia energized Clifton and Barbara Taulbert to help find a cure for the disease. They have generously donated time and resources to this effort.

Throughout his varied career, Taulbert has held true to his beliefs in family, self-reliance, compassion and service to others. It is Tulsa’s fortune that he has chosen to share those qualities with us.

Jill Tarbel was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1996

The architectural landscape of Tulsa has been changed by Jill Tarbel. Having contracted polio at the age of 13, she has a perspective many people without disabilities lack. She knows that while grand staircases may make a dramatic statement, to the disabled that statement may be “Keep Out.” Mrs. Tarbel also possesses the good sense to know that many of the barriers to the disabled transcend the physical.

Mrs. Tarbel inherited a tradition of community activism from her father and mother. Their numerous philanthropic activities must have served as an early example to Mrs. Tarbel of the importance of making a contribution to one’s community.

As the mother four children, Mrs. Tarbel was an active volunteer in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the PTA. However, it was a position on the Mayor’s Commission on Concerns of the Disabled that initiated her career in the community. Since that time she has served on the boards of the Tulsa Junior College Foundation, River Parks Authority, Tulsa Senior Services, Philbrook Museum, Tulsa Opera and Planned Parenthood. Mrs. Tarbel has been a Trustee for the University of Tulsa since 1983 and serves, currently, as the Chairperson of the Hillcrest Foundation Board. The hallmark of her service to each of these organizations is that it is not limited simply to the concerns of the disabled, but to the betterment of all Tulsans.

Tulsa is not the only forum for Mrs. Tarbel’s activities. She is a Trustee at St. Gregory’s College, a member of the Oklahoma Advisory of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and has served on the National Nominating Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

It is ironic that while mobility has been such an important fact in her life, Mrs. Tarbel still resides in the Zink family’s Brookside home she first entered at the age of nine months.

The Tulsa Area Alliance on Disabilities created the Jill and Brook Tarbel Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 and honored the award’s namesakes with its presentation. It is a fitting award, for Mrs. Tarbel has changed something much more difficult than the physical structures of

Edgar R. Sanditen was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1996

Service was a quality customers of OTASCO learned to expect when the company was under the stewardship of Edgar Sanditen. As both President and CEO of the family-owned company, Mr. Sanditen knew the value of providing customers with a diverse product line backed by satisfied service. Similarly, the citizens of Tulsa have come to rely upon Mr. Sanditen for that same quality in the continuing development of the city’s non-profit institutions. Whether it is in the Arts, health care, education or community relations, Mr. Sanditen serves actively and aggressively.

An Oklahoma native born in Okmulgee, Mr. Sanditen was educated at the Western Military Academy and the University of Oklahoma. Following his service in the US Army Air Corps during WWII, he married Isabel Riffkind in 1945. Their partnership produced not only four children, but also one of Tulsa’s most repeated phrases, “Isabel and Edgar are supporting it.”

Mr. Sanditen is without peer in the breadth of his community service. After four decades of community service, the roster of his former commitments is extraordinary. An abbreviated list includes the Tulsa Metropolitan YMCA, the Tulsa Charity Horse Show, the National Conference, the Fenster Museum, The Junior League of Tulsa, the Girl Scouts USA, the University of Oklahoma College of Business Administration, Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Southern Hills Country Club, the Tulsa Historical Society, Children’s Medical Center, the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, St. John Medical Center, Tulsa Area United Way, the Simon Estes Educational Foundation, the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, the American Cancer Society, Temple Israel and the United Jewish Appeal.

Such an illustrious career has not gone unnoticed by the community he has served. Numerous organizations have recognized Mr. Sanditen with their most distinguished honors. He received the “Distinguished Humanitarian Award” from the National Jewish Center of Immunology & Respiratory Medicine in 1987, the “Brotherhood Award” from the National Conference in 1991 and in 1985 he was named “Tulsa’s Boss of the Year.”

Mary Veasey Leech was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1996

In a quieter and more gracious era, the stately residences of Stonebraker Heights stretched from downtown to the river. Across from the Creek Council Oak Tree, a large, white, frame house became Mary Veasey’s home when she was nine years old. The house remains her home today.

Her father, James A. Veasey, was an attorney who came to Indian Territory with the Dawes Commission. Her mother, Olive, taught Native American children in mission schools. The emphasis placed on education in the Veasey household is illustrated by Mr. Veasey’s role as one of the founders of Holland Hall School. Mrs. Leech has the distinction of being a member of that school’s first graduating class – a class that totaled four members.

Following her marriage to Thomas B. Leech, Mrs. Leech began a career as an active community volunteer for a long list of organizations. To cite only a few examples, she was a member of the Junior League of Tulsa, she served on the board of directors of YWCA and she was active as an appointee to the Mayor’s Commission on Disabilities.

Mrs. Leech’s commitment to the community crossed many geographic boundaries. She was a founder of First Wednesdays, a book club like no other in Tulsa. The club’s membership has a multi-racial, multi-cultural composition. It brings women of vastly different experiences together for discussions of literature and ideas.

It is the Chuckle Club that remains Mrs. Leech’s proudest achievement. As a victim of polio in her childhood, Mrs. Leech has great empathy for children who must spend long hours in the isolation of convalescence. The Chuckle Club attempts to raise their spirits with uplifting notes and letters. Thousands of children have gained hope and confidence from Mrs. Leech’s compassionate words.

Mrs. Leech embodies the collective memory of the City of Tulsa. She can remember when springs ran to the Arkansas River in what is now Veteran’s Park. She remembers the cast of characters who lived extravagantly in the oil boom days. It is these memories that make Mrs. Leech a resource that captures the spirit of her community.

Dewey F. Bartlett was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1996

Dewey Bartlett defied the conventional wisdom. As a Roman Catholic Republican in a state dominated by Protestant Democrats, Bartlett fought for the betterment of all Oklahomans regardless of party or creed.

He was from a pioneer Oklahoma family but was born in Marietta, Ohio. He attended schools in New Jersey and earned a geological engineering degree from Princeton University while lettering in basketball and serving as class president. During World War II he was a Marine combat pilot in the South Pacific.

Like many of Oklahoma’s public figures, Bartlett first found success as a rancher and independent oil producer. From his Wagoner ranch and his leadership of Dewey Supply Co. and Keener Oil Co., Bartlett was inspired to improve the state’s economic climate through legislative efforts. He was first elected to the state Senate in 1962 and quickly gained the respect of his peers through hard work and proposals that gained bi-partisan support.

In 1966, Bartlett made a successful run for governor, besting his opponent by a huge margin. His tenure as governor was marked by fiscal responsibility and tireless efforts to bring new industries to the state, often financing his own travel costs. Keenly aware that jobs were the key to improving the status of minorities, he sought an Oklahoma economy that would provide opportunities to all.

He joined Henry Bellmon in the U.S. Senate in 1973, continuing his labors on behalf of economic development and acquiring new concerns for international security during the Cold War.

Diagnosed with cancer in 1977, he succumbed after a two-year battle. He left his post early, allowing his successor, David Boren, to gain seniority that would again benefit Oklahomans.

Bartlett Square, at Fourth and Main Streets in the center of downtown, was named in his honor. It is a fitting tribute to a man who put Tulsa at the center of his efforts.