Jack and Maxine Zarrow were inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2003

Jack Zarrow is a native Tulsan; Maxine Foreman, originally from Texas, moved to Tulsa upon her marriage to Jack in 1947. Both are graduates of the University of Texas at Austin.

After receiving his degree in petroleum engineering, Jack joined his father and brother at Sooner Pipe & Supply Corporation. During his business career, he served as Sooner’s executive vice president and president of all other Zarrow family enterprises, including Bigheart Pipe Line Corporation, TK Valve, and Prime Actuator. He currently is president of Zarrow Holding Company.

Jack has served as president of Gilcrease Museum and chairman of the Grand River Dam Authority. He has served on non-profit boards covering nearly every aspect of Tulsa’s community life, including Hillcrest Medical Center, the University of Tulsa, Goodwill, National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), and the Tulsa Jewish Community Health Care and Retirement Center. He has also been a member of the engineering advisory boards of OU and the University of Texas as well as a variety of government task forces relating to energy and engineering. Jack has received awards from NCCJ, National Jewish Hospital, the University of Texas School of Engineering, the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, and is an inductee of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Maxine has served on an equally broad array of boards, including the Margaret Hudson School, The Center for the Physically Limited, Mental Health Association, Family & Children’s Services Mental Health, Gilcrease, the Greenwood Cultural Center, and the advisory board of the University of Texas’s School of Education. She most recently was appointed to the Oklahoma Arts Council. In 2002, she received the Community Service Council’s David Bernstein Distinguished Leadership Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Mr. and Mrs. Zarrow were instrumental in the formation of the Jewish Community’s Retirement Center located at 71 st and Lewis and have participated as fund raising chairs or advisory committee members of a variety of non-profit building projects across Tulsa. Together they founded the Maxine & Jack Zarrow Family Foundation, which recently was awarded the North Tulsa Heritage Foundation’s Community Service Award for the couple’s commitment to mental health and social service causes.

William K. Warren, Jr. was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2003

Tulsa native William K. Warren, Jr. graduated from Cascia Hall Preparatory School in 1952 and from the University of Notre Dame in 1956. He was honorably discharged as a U.S. Naval officer in October of 1959 after various tours of duty.

His business interests include oil and gas exploration and production, real estate, and medical facilities.

Warren serves as Chairman of the Boards of The William K. Warren Foundation and Warren American Oil Company, and has served on the boards of the Williams Companies, Sooner Federal Savings and Loan, and Bank One, N.A. As President of Southern Hills Country Club in 1991, he initiated the process to secure the 101 st U.S. Open Golf Championship and was responsible for attracting the 1994 PGA, resulting in a $40 million economic impact to Tulsa.

He is a Trustee of Saint Francis Health System and serves as Chairman of The William K. Warren Medical Research Center and President of Warren Charité.

The University of Tulsa has awarded Warren an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree and he’s received recognition from the National Conference for Community and Justice, Alzheimer’s Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Birthright. The International Committee Against Mental Illness also honored Warren at the World Health Organization meeting in 1992 for his commitment to improving patient care, medical education and research.

Warren is a Trustee of the University of Notre Dame.

Warren and his wife Suzanne live in Tulsa with their daughter, Dana, and son, Andrew, who attend Vanderbilt and Notre Dame, respectively. His four older children are grown and live in Tulsa and Dallas. He also has four grandchildren.

Whether enjoying Notre Dame football games, golf or activities with his family, Warren’s generosity and commitment continue to enrich the health of the Tulsa community and its people.

John T. Oxley was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2003

John T. Oxley built a liquefied petroleum business and brought world-class polo to Tulsa, but his most recognized legacy is the Mary K. Oxley Nature Center – a wildlife preserve in Mohawk Park.

Born on a cattle ranch near Bromide, Oklahoma, in 1909, Oxley came to Tulsa at age 17 to attend school. He joined Warren Petroleum in 1935 and by 1948, was secretary of the corporation. He launched his own company, Texas Natural Gasoline Corporation and sold that business in 1961 to start an exploration company, Oxley Petroleum, with his older son, John C. Oxley.

His passion for polo outweighed his business interests. He was captain of the winning polo teams at the U.S. Open in 1961 and 1966 and eventually led the first U.S. polo team to capture England’s Gold Cup, one of the most prestigious polo trophies in the world, in 1970. He played polo until age 83. In 1994, he was inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame as one of the best all-time polo participants in the world.

Oxley not only played polo, but also began raising polo thoroughbreds. His Greenhill Farm, near Owasso, became one of the largest commercial producers of polo ponies in the country.

In the1970s, Oxley and his late wife Mary K. helped establish the Oxley Nature Center. Oxley lived until 1996, but his love of the outdoors is shared with thousands of people every year who visit Oxley Nature Center, the 804-acre wildlife preserve that marks the area where the couple often rode horses during their courtship in the 1930s.

Lillian Norberg was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2003

As “First Lady of Oklahoma Libraries,” Lillian Norberg’s legacy is incalculable. Every adult or child who has used the library system is indebted to her for her work.

Born in Seminole, Oklahoma, she graduated with a degree in Literature and Linguistics from Emerson College in Boston. She taught in Maine until her father’s death, when she returned to Oklahoma and assumed care of her siblings.

She married Hans A. Norberg in 1938 and the couple had three children.

Her volunteer efforts began with PTA and Girl Scouts on behalf of her siblings. Her volunteerism grew, and in 1957 she spearheaded the successful campaign to build Tulsa’s new Central Library and expand its branch service. She founded Friends of the Tulsa Public Library and was instrumental in the establishment of numerous “Friends” groups throughout the state. For this, she has been honored locally, regionally, and nationally.

She is noted for her civic leadership and philanthropic support of the arts and literature, having served with the City Park Board, the Tulsa Philharmonic Women’s Association, the Arts Council, Tulsa Alumnae Panhellenic, Assistance League, Metropolitan Opera Auditions, and the League of Women Voters. She is a member of Alpha Phi sorority and Patroness of Sigma Alpha Iota, women’s music fraternity.

She has received much recognition, including the Citizen’s Award from the Oklahoma Library Association and the Harwelden Award from the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa. The city of Tulsa has named Norberg Park in her honor, at East 31 st Street and Garnett Road.

Her presidencies, chairmanships, achievements, and awards are the record of a lifetime devoted to enhancing the quality of learning in Tulsa—and far beyond.

At age 94, Lillian Norberg remains active in numerous civic and cultural organizations.

Frederick W. Insull was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2003

When Frederick W. Insull came to town in 1913 to organize Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO), Tulsa was a small community of 30,000 people. Insull played an important role in the city’s rapid growth and development.

Born in 1875 in England, Insull was a cousin of Samuel Insull – the utility magnate and one-time private secretary to Thomas Edison. Insull was raised in Canada where his father managed the Winnipeg branch of Edison Electric. In 1905, Insull married Margaret Parkinson and they had two daughters, Margaret and Rosemary.

He came to Tulsa in 1913 to manage six newly purchased electric generating companies, which provided service to Guthrie, Tulsa, Vinita, Atoka, Lehigh and Coalgate. The company had 3609 customers and generated 4107 kilowatts of electricity. Service was inconsistent, provided by a community generator that typically doubled as an ice plant compressor. Electric lights were still a novelty, while ice was a more valuable commodity during hot Oklahoma summers.

As founder and first president, Insull saw PSO grow from a small generating station to the large electrical power system we know today. Insull was extremely active in the community, serving as Tulsa Chamber of Commerce president, Tulsa Municipal Airport underwriter, International Petroleum Exposition organizer and director and president of the Tulsa Community Fund.

Insull died in 1939 shortly after celebrating his 25 th anniversary as head of PSO. As noted in the Tulsa Tribune following his death, “Insull has been one of those who helped build Tulsa – with ‘more than bricks and stones’. He has worked steadily for the community’s development, material and spiritual.”

Thomas R. Brett was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2003

Known for his commitment to ethics in the legal profession, The Honorable Thomas R. Brett has long symbolized the highest standards of the legal profession.

Born in Oklahoma City in 1931, he graduated from the University of Oklahoma and was Tulsa’s Assistant County Attorney before entering private practice with the firm of Hudson, Wheaton and Brett in 1958. From 1970-1979, he worked with Jones, Givens, Brett, Gotcher, Doyle and Bogan, Inc., until he was appointed U.S. district judge for Oklahoma’s Northern District. He served as Chief Judge from 1994-1996. Brett retired as U.S. District Judge in 2003.

A retired colonel with the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Brett is also a member and past president of the Tulsa County Bar Association and the Oklahoma Bar Association, a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Bar Foundation. He has served with the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, and trustee of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation and the J.E and L.E. Mabee Foundation.

In the ‘80s, Brett founded the first of three local chapters of the American Inns of Court, a group promoting professionalism, ethics, civility and legal skill and shaping a culture of excellence in law. His numerous honors include the 2002 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award, presented to a senior practicing judge or lawyer whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity. The Oklahoma Bar Association has recognized Brett with the Ethics Award and Judicial Excellence Award and the Tulsa County Bar Association has honored him with the Golden Rule Award and Outstanding Senior Lawyer Award.

Today, Brett practices law with the firm of Crowe & Dunlevy (primarily in mediation and arbitration). He and his wife, Mary, have four children and eleven grandchildren.