Josie Vann was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1999

Retirement for most people is a period when they can contemplate lazy days with their feet up, interrupted only by the occasional puttering in the garden. This is not the case with Josie Vann. After a 36 year career as an elementary school teacher she plunged into a career of volunteerism and community service that does not have the benefit of summers off.

Mrs. Vann’s first career began in her hometown of Opelousas, Louisiana. She might have remained there had she not married Army Captain Joseph W. Vann. His career took the couple to Europe for postings in Germany and France. While in Europe, Mrs. Vann applied her background in education to supervise programs for both the Army and the University of Maryland. The couple moved to Tulsa in 1966.

Always an active volunteer, Mrs. Vann expanded her involvement when she left the school system in 1984. Her many talents have been applied to the American Red Cross Blood Center, the Star Mental Health Center (Board) and the Tulsa chapter of Sickle Cell Anemia (Board). Mrs. Vann is renowned for her service to the YMCA. She has served on the organization’s Board and was the first woman to chair the Hutcherson YMCA Board. Cultural interests have not escaped her attention. She has served as a Board officer for both the Greenwood Cultural Center and the North Tulsa Heritage Foundation. In another first for her gender, she was the first woman President of the Business & Industrial Development Corporation.

In an ironic twist, a woman who dedicated thirty-six years to children has rededicated herself to people at the opposite end of the age spectrum. Mrs. Vann’s involvement with AARP includes seven years as Tulsa chapter President and national committee assignments on the issues of widows and minority affairs. Her efforts to insure the well being of the elderly have a direct impact on many individuals. She has been a Meals on Wheels driver for the past 15 years. This personal contact with people she has worked to serve is the shining example of Mrs. Vann’s motto, “It’s so important to give back to your community.”

Ruth K. Nelson was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1999

Ruth Nelson cares about people. In an environment where it has become fashionable to boast of one’s compassion, Mrs. Nelson makes no boasts. Instead, her life of dedicated service to those less fortunate than herself embodies compassion on a daily basis.

Mrs. Nelson arrived in Tulsa with her family as a young child, after the rise of Nazism made their lives in Germany impossible. She left the city to attend Bryn Mawr College, an institution with which she remains closely linked through her service as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee of the university’s Board of Trustees.

Many human service organizations in Tulsa have benefited from Mrs. Nelson’s commitment. When she becomes involved she is, more likely than not, asked to take charge. Her belief that affordable housing is essential for the health of any community led her to involvement with the Tulsa Housing Authority. She assumed leadership of the authority in 1991 and ushered in dramatic changes to Tulsa’s public housing. Long neglected repairs were made, programs for the benefit of residents were implemented and, today, flowers grow where once there were none.

Taking a cue from her mother’s belief that society should be accessible to everyone, Mrs. Nelson dedicated countless hours to the Tulsa Center for the Physically Limited. She shared not only her financial resources, but also her forward-thinking management skills. She is a Board member and Past President.

Mrs. Nelson’s belief that women must be served with education and health care took her to Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. Serving on the Board since 1985, including a term as President, she earned the devotion of Planned Parenthood’s entire staff.

While it might seem that she would have little time for other endeavors, she has a long list of personal accomplishments. She is a businesswoman, an expert scuba diver, an avid tennis player and a scholar of William Faulkner. She has raised four children whose own accomplishments rival their mother’s. She is a friend whose loyalty cannot be questioned. Never one to seek limelight or honors, Mrs. Nelson’s reward is personal, a knowledge that her compassion for others has made a difference.

Robert Lorton was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1999

Inheriting a legacy can be a tremendous responsibility. In Tulsa, few legacies carry the weight of possessing the last name “Lorton.” The history of influence and accomplishment compiled by Tulsa World publisher Eugene Lorton and his wife, Maude Lorton Myers, is truly formidable. However, in the case of Robert Lorton, not only has he met the expectations of his grandparent’s generation, he has far exceeded them.

Lorton is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of World Publishing Company and Publisher of the Tulsa World. In a national environment where putting printed words on paper has to compete with the explosion of electronic information technologies, Lorton has kept the Tulsa World timely, relevant and delivered to your door every morning. Tulsans depend on it and Lorton has made it state-of-the-art.

Lorton’s contributions to Tulsa far exceed giving people something to do while drinking their morning coffee. His list of formal community activities is staggering. An abbreviated list includes: Tulsa United Way (Drive Chairman 1984, Board Chairman), Tulsa Chamber of Commerce (Past Chairman), Port of Catoosa Authority Board (Past Chairman) Philbrook Museum (Past Chairman), Oklahoma Nature Conservancy (Past Chairman), the Boy Scouts Council Board and Salvation Army Board. The University of Tulsa is lucky to count him as an alumnus. His dedication to his alma mater led to his service on the university’s Board. Lorton, together with his wife, Roxanna, successfully chaired the Capital Campaign that created the new Donald W. Reynolds Center.

Lorton’s contributions to Tulsa are tremendous. He leaves a difficult task to succeeding generations to live up to the Robert Lorton legacy.

John Kirkpatrick was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1999

He is among Oklahoma’s most distinguished citizens. With a resume that includes more honors and awards than could be listed here, John Kirkpatrick’s career has impacted both ends of the Turner Turnpike.

A graduate of the U..S. Naval Academy his career began with sea duty. In 1936, he resigned from the Navy to attend the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. Kirkpatrick moved to Tulsa in 1936 and organized Allied Steel Products Company. He might be a Tulsa resident to this day, had he not been called into active Naval service in 1941. He spent 54 months on active duty, ending his career, ironically, on the USS Oklahoma City. For his service in WWII, Kirkpatrick was awarded a Bronze Star. He remains a Rear Admiral (retired) in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Kirkpatrick put his business skills to use following the war. He organized Kirkpatrick and Bale which, in 1950, became Kirkpatrick Oil. Kirkpatrick’s branched out to banking. He remains a pillar in Oklahoma’s financial community.

As illustrious as his business career has been, Kirkpatrick’s reputation rests upon what he has given away. His unstinting support of the Arts, education and medicine has been felt through out the state. His commitment to philanthropy is best is illustrated in his establishment of the Oklahoma City Foundation, a trust which provides a vehicle for non-profit organizations to build endowments. With the creation of this innovative Foundation, Kirkpatrick has guaranteed financial security that will serve Oklahoma institutions for many generations to come.

Florence L.J. “Bisser” Barnett was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1999

Wendell Wilkie lost his bid to unseat FDR in the 1940 Presidential election. That loss may have been among the last defeats experienced by one of his campaign workers, Florence L.J. Barnett.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Mrs. Barnett moved to New York City after leaving school. There she worked a copy writer. Mrs. Barnett returned to her hometown and began a career that would have her involved actively in the city’s life. In 1940, she became involved in The Tulsa Tribune. For the next 52 years she served as a director, and eventually assumed the presidency (1982-92). The Tribune ceased publication on September 30, 1992. However, when asked, former staff members still speak of their admiration for Mrs. Barnett’s unpretentious good sense.

Away from her professional life, Mrs. Barnett worked actively for community organizations. She volunteered countless hours at the Convalescent Home for Crippled Children (Children’s Medical Center), a cause that was especially close to her due to her childhood experience with polio. It was this service which Mrs. Barnett counts as one of her most important experiences. It gave her the privilege of working with Sister Kenny, a gifted nurse who revolutionized the nursing care of infantile paralysis victims. Additionally, Mrs. Barnett served on the Board of Gilcrease Museum, the Tulsa Historical Society and continues Board service at Philbrook Museum. Her community work has earned her numerous awards including recognition from the ACLU. She is a a member of the Tulsa Shakespeare Club and All Souls Unitarian Church.

Keith Bailey was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1999

Engineers know how to make things work. In the case of Keith Bailey, this knowledge is not limited to the technicalities of making fluid flow through a pipeline, but extends to a burgeoning corporation and an entire community. Whatever the arena in which he becomes involved, Bailey makes it work.

A graduate of the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (now the University of Missouri – Rolla), Bailey’s initial degree was earned in mechanical engineering. His academic record was augmented several years later with a professional degree in mechanical engineering form UMR and the completion of studies at the Harvard University Program for Management Development. His expertise in his field has won him the respect of his peers, demonstrated in the long list of professional awards and honors he has earned.

In Tulsa, Bailey’s name has become synonymous with the word “Williams.” Bailey joined this venerable Tulsa enterprise in 1973 as an assistant to the V.P. of Operations at Williams Pipe Line 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. Bailey’s superb management skills take many visible forms, including a rapidly expanding Williams workforce, a state-of-the-art telecommunications control center and, soon, the first addition to Tulsa’s skyline since the oil bust of the 1980’s.

Bailey’s impact on Tulsa has taken forms other than just payrolls and buildings. As a dedicated supporter of the United Way he has served as a Campaign Chair as well as Board Chair. His United Way involvement extends to the national level. He is a member of the Board of Governors, serving as Chairman in 1995-96. In 1995 Bailey served as Board Chairman of Philbrook Museum. His commitment to education resulted in his service to the University of Tulsa with two terms as Board President. Currently, he is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, UMR.

Bailey’s unprecedented success in so many arenas can be attributed to one fact. When he is presented with a challenge, he can make it work.