Robert E. Thomas was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2005

Robert E. Thomas has a distinguished career and world wide reputation in the energy industry. He was a founder in 1974 of the International Society of the Energy Advocates. Mr. Thomas is also the founder and retired chairman of the Board and CEO of MAPCO, Inc. MAPCO was an integrated energy company exploring for oil, gas and coal; producing, refining and marketing oil, gas, and natural gas liquids; producing and marketing coal and hard minerals; operating the nation’s largest gas liquids common carrier pipeline system and the world’s first anhydrous ammonia pipeline; and in addition, producing and marketing liquid plant foods and sonic instrumentation devices.

Mr. Thomas is an Ohio native and was graduated from the Wharton School of Finance and Economics of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Economics in 1936. His business career began in Boston with Keystone Custodian Funds and he moved on to become a vice president of Pennroad Corporation in New York City; and then served as chairman of the executive committee of the M-K-T Railroad Company.

His community service is prodigious, ranging from leadership roles in the Boy Scouts of America to the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Tulsa Area Chapter of the American Red Cross and in 1980 led the first Tulsa United Way campaign for over $5 million, exceeding the goal. He maintains leadership positions in the energy industry and has been widely recognized for his efforts on behalf of United States energy problems and his commitment to the betterment of our society.

Rabbi Charles P. Sherman was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2005

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Rabbi Charles P. Sherman was educated at the University of Pittsburgh and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio where he was ordained in 1969.

Rabbi Sherman has been an Adjunct Instructor at the Phillips Theological Seminary and has taught in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Tulsa. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Reform Movement’s Commission on Synagogue Management.

The Rabbi writes a monthly column for the Tulsa Jewish Review and has had sermons, reviews, and articles published in Living Words: Best High Holiday Sermons of 5759; Brotherhood Magazine; The American Rabbi; The Christian Ministry; and The Jewish Spectator.

Rabbi Sherman has served as President of the Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis, the Tulsa Ministerial Alliance and the Tulsa Police and Fire Chaplaincy Corps. He is the only person to serve as president of both the National Conference for Community and Justice, Tulsa Region and the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry.

The Rabbi currently chairs the Board of the Knippa Interfaith/Ecumenical Lecture Series and has served on the Institution Review Board of Hillcrest Medical Center, the Board of Directors of Leadership Tulsa, The Community Service Council, Planned Parenthood of Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas, and the Policy Council of the Oklahoma Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice

He has received many awards, among them for promoting Community Interfaith Understanding. Nancy Sherman, the Rabbi’s helpmate and partner for the past 40 years, is an Adjunct Instructor in Cultural Geography, Humanities and American History at Tulsa Community College. The Shermans have three adult children.

Edward Campbell Lawson, Jr. was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2005

Edward C. Lawson, Jr. is an oilman, philanthropist, American Impressionist art collector, and politician who has entertained George Herbert Walker Bush, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Ambassador Claire Booth Luce and other luminaries in the historic Tulsa home he shares with his wife of nearly 50 years, the former Jay Dorn Bird. Mr. Lawson was born and raised in Tulsa and graduated from Lawrenceville Preparatory School and Cornell University. He joins his grandmother Roberta Campbell Lawson in the Tulsa Hall of Fame. His business career began with AMOCO in Denver in 1956. He joined the Lawson Petroleum Company in Tulsa in 1960 and became its President.. The Lawson family drilled its first oil well in Oklahoma before statehood and Lawson Petroleum properties maintains oil and gas interests in various states and countries, both on and off shore. Mr. Lawson has been active in banking and was a founding Director of Banc First, Tulsa. He operates real estate holdings in Kansas, North Dakota, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma including the Lawson River Ranch, which produces cattle and winter wheat along with being one of Oklahoma’s largest pecan suppliers.

Mr. Lawson has been active and influential in Republican politics, serving as County Chairman, being a delegate to three National Conventions, and raising funds at the national, state, and local levels. He has served on the Advisory Board of the Kennedy Center, attended two White House State Dinners, and was invited three times to the Oval Office.

He is a former Chairman of the Tulsa Civil service Commission and has served a director of the Tulsa Salvation Army, Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa Opera, the Philbrook Museum of Art, and the Tulsa Psychiatric Foundation. He is a Holland Hall School Trustee Emeritus and President Emeritus of the Tulsa Historical Society.

Mr. Lawson’s record of charitable giving and fund-raising is remarkable, even by Tulsa standards, and demonstrates his commitment to the community he loves.

J.M. Jack and Ann Graves were inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2005

J. M. (Jack) Graves’ death in July 2005 was a profound loss for his family, friends, and the larger private and public communities he served. Ann and Jack worked as a team for years in civic activities, and Ann served tirelessly on her own in numerous other areas of community service.

Jack founded Calumet Oil Company, staying actively engaged in oil and gas exploration and production for more than 50 years. He was a founder of the University of Oklahoma Energy Center and served on the University of Oklahoma Development Committee and OU’s Foundation Board. He served as president of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association and the International Society of Energy Advocates. He received many awards, among them from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Osage Council for his support of the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board for clean up of “orphan” well sites and the protection of underground fresh water and good housekeeping of surface locations.

He was especially active in the Boy Scouts of America at the local and national levels, and widely recognized for his support of wildlife conservation. He also was active in the Oklahoma Heritage Association, the Philbrook Museum of Art, the Tulsa Salvation Army, the Oklahoma Nature Conservancy, Nature Works, the Arts and Humanities Council, the Center for the Physically Limited, Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, and the Gilcrease Museum.

Ann Graves continues to be a full time volunteer leader in groups as diverse as the Tulsa Historical Society, the Oklahoma Arts Institute, and Hillcrest Medical Center. She has served on the National Committee for Performing Arts nearly 10 years. Jack’s devotion the Boy Scouts is mirrored in Ann’s to the Girl Scouts of the USA, which she continues to serve on the National Development and Nominating Committees.

Ann and Jack Graves worked together to protect and preserve Tulsa and Oklahoma heritage, and Ann continues their tradition of celebrating a sense of community in which we can all take pride.

Joe and Patty Cappy were inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2005

Joe Cappy is a retired rental car executive and he and his wife Patty form one of Tulsa’s most dynamic couples when it comes to community service and philanthropy. Joe is the retired Chairman and CEO of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group. Mrs. Cappy, a Texan by birth but raised in Michigan, has been active in volunteer and community service all her adult life.

Dollar Thrifty is a public company formed in 1997. Mr. Cappy led the successful Initial Public Offering of DTG and served as Chairman and CEO until his retirement on December 31, 2003.

Prior to the formation of Dollar Thrifty, Mr. Cappy was Vice President for Chrysler Technologies and Rental Car Operations, a position he retired from at year end 1997. Prior to his career at Chrysler, he was President and CEO of American Motors and held various sales, marketing, and financial positions at the Ford Motor Company. He was born in Chicago and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Finance, University of Wisconsin.

His community work includes service as a Trustee of the Philbrook Museum and Tulsa Community Foundation, a state Higher Education Regent, and Boy Scout and Tulsa United Way leader.

Mrs. Cappy is Co-founder of a small family printing business still operated by her family in Detroit. Her community service work is extensive, stretching back to her time in Detroit, and extending to her home in Tulsa. She is the current Chairman and a past President of the Gilcrease Museum Association; has served on the Board of Directors and President of the Board of the Magic Empire Council of Girl Scouts; and her fundraising activities include support for Gilcrease, the Philbrook Museum, the Tulsa Press Club, and the United Way.

The Cappys reside in Tulsa and have six children.