Eva Unterman was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2022

In 2019, The Synagogue/Congregation B’nai Emunah bestowed its highest honor upon Eva Unterman at its annual Touro Celebration.  The event is named for Judah Touro, an early American Jewish community leader and activist who gave himself fully to the enrichment of Jewish life and the welfare of every community he lived in.

Eva’s own story reflects that focus.  In the summer of 1939, Eva’s family, the Wolmans, were on vacation in Zakowice, Poland, and Eva herself was preparing to enter the first grade.  What happened instead was the German invasion of Poland the rapid confinement of Polish Jews.  Eva was living in Lodz at the time, a city which became a mass internment zone for local Jews and deportees.  For four years she struggled through increasing deprivation, disease, forced labor, and the confiscation of her belongings.

All of this grew still more grim in 1944, when she was transported first to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and then moved to Stutthof and a labor camp in Dresden.  On May 8, 1945, Eva was liberated after a forced march to Terezin, capping her experience of suffering and enslavement.

Like many survivors in the years following the war, Eva worked to contain her experience.  But prompted by an influential local educator, Eva gradually set her guardedness aside and since 1978 has become Tulsa’s foremost Holocaust educator, institutionalizing her work with unique force and skill.  The results are Tulsa’s annual Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration and the Council for Holocaust Education.  Eva leads a community of passionate communicators who have endeavored to deepen the community’s understanding of the Holocaust and raise the awareness and moral commitment of Tulsa’s students and adults.  Side by side with this, she is a powerful political voice, fearlessly committed to the cause of refugees and migrants, along with environmental activism and multicultural awareness.

Eva brings all of this to her career as a long-time board member of the Synagogue, challenging her peers to take their more responsibilities seriously and place the congregation on the front line of social justice.  Eva is never afraid to stir things up, and remains a vanguard spirit deep into her career as a volunteer leader.  As a person with rounded and wide-ranging interests, she is devoted to her family, along with reading, gardening, and craft.

In addition to the Judah Touro Award, Eva has received numerous awards, including:  The Alfred Aaronson award for community from the Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa in 1999; National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) in 2002; Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry (TMM) Interfaith Understanding in 2004; Honorary doctorate from Phillips Theological Seminary in 2006; Tulsa Spirit Pinnacle Award from the Tulsa Commission on the Status of Women; and the Carrie Dickerson Humanitarian Award in 2018.

Steve Turnbo was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2022

Steve Turnbo is a leader – in public relations, in business and in civic affairs – throughout Oklahoma. With more than 45 years experience, he has worked with a long list of corporations, government agencies, nonprofit groups and executives.

As chairman emeritus of Schnake Turnbo Frank, Turnbo is closely tied with all client planning and management, primarily in the areas of strategic planning, consulting, executive coaching, community outreach and media relations.

Steve began his career as the sports information director at The University of Tulsa in 1967. Three years later he joined one of Oklahoma’s largest advertising agencies as a public relations account executive. He later served as vice president of the public relations division of that agency.

He formed his own public relations firm in 1981 and later merged with Schnake and Associates, Inc., forming the firm where he now serves as chairman emeritus.

He  has led many associations and is currently involved with several organizations geared to helping Oklahoma grow including: The University of Tulsa Board of Trustees: Oklahoma Academy: Oklahoma Center for Community & Justice:, John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation: Tulsa Community College Foundation: Will Rogers Memorial Foundation: Domestic Violence Intervention Service; Tulsa Regional Chamber; Life Senior Services: TU Kendall College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors.

Steve’s recent and previous civic involvements include: Past Chair and Current Member, Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Committee; Trustee Emeritus, The University of Tulsa; Chairman, Oklahoma Academy; Chairman, State Chamber of Commerce; Chairman, Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce; Vice Chairman, Will Rogers Memorial Commission; Board Member, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice; Advisory board, LIFE Senior Services; President, Board of Directors, Will Rogers Memorial Foundation; and Vice President, Tulsa Public Schools Foundation Athletics Hall of Fame

Among Steve’s many recognitions are:  the J. Paschal Twyman Award in 2020; named Distinguished Graduate, Leadership Oklahoma in 2017; Inducted into The University of Tulsa College of Business Hall of Fame in 2015; Public Relations Society of America Paul M. Lund Public Service Award in 2014; Named to the prestigious College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America in 2002.

Steve was an All Missouri Valley Conference All State selection at The University of Tulsa in 1967 and played baseball at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, where he was named to the NJCAA All American Baseball Team in 1965.

Steve holds an Associate in Arts degree from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, and a bachelor of science degree from The University of Tulsa, Bachelor of Science
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Associate in Arts.

Dennis R. Neill was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2022

In March 2018, Dennis retired after serving for 37 years in various positions with the Schusterman Family interests in Tulsa.  From 2012 until retirement, he was the Senior Program Officer for the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, with a focus on the Foundation’s Tulsa-based investments.  From 1981 until 2012, he held various executive positions with the Schusterman owned Samson Investment Company, last as Senior Vice President – Technology and Administrative Services.  In that role, he also served as the company’s media spokesperson and head of the logistics and support services team for the company’s Emergency Response Team.  From 1977 until 1981, he was an associate at the Tulsa law firm of Conner and Winters.  Dennis graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1974 with a BA with honors in Political Science and received his Law Degree with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1977.

Born in 1952 to Frances and Bill, Dennis grew up in Ponca City with his siblings Kathleen and Bill.  Dennis’ long term volunteer service was inspired by his active involvement in Boy Scouts at the First Presbyterian Church in Ponca City.  As a Scout, he earned his Eagle, God and Country and Vigil membership in the Order of the Arrow.  As his mom stated in 2007 when he received the lifetime achievement award from Oklahomans for Equality, “from a youth in school he was a champion of the unpopular or disadvantaged ones, leading to his volunteering in many capacities.”

He has been on the Boards of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, Tulsa Regional Stem Alliance, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice (2015 Annual Awards Dinner Honoree), KIPP Charter School, Reading Partners, Teach for America, the Tulsa Community Foundation, Tulsa Human Rights Commission, the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation, the Tulsa World Editorial Advisory Committee and the Advisory Board of the Division of Institutional Diversity at Oklahoma State University.  He has also been a board member and officer with several other non-profits, including the Tulsa Area United Way, Youth Services of Tulsa, and ACLU of Oklahoma.  In 1980, he co-founded and served as the first president of Oklahomans for Equality, formed to advocate for equal rights for the LGBTQ community while providing important support services and programs.  The Dennis R. Neill Equality Center in downtown Tulsa is one of the largest such community centers in the U.S. and serves more than 60,000 clients a year.

Currently, Dennis serves as a volunteer with the American Red Cross, Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps (OKMRC) and Oklahomans for Equality.  From 2018 until 2021, he served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for a child under Department of Human Services.  Through his role at Samson and as a volunteer with OKMRC, Dennis has received training on the Incident Command System and related topics.

Dennis has been a long-time member of All Souls Unitarian Church.

Dennis and his partner John Southard have been together for 34 years. 

The McElroy Family was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2022

The McElroy Family: Donna M. Dutton, Peggy M. Tanner, and A.H. “Chip” McElroy II

Donna Dutton, Peggy Tanner, and Chip McElroy are all lifelong Tulsans.  Their parents, Art and Panny McElroy, also native Tulsans, were both hard-working people with a deep entrepreneurial spirit and a drive to serve others and make things better. 

It was in 1954 that Art and Panny started McElroy Manufacturing in their garage and by 1979, both Donna and Peggy had joined their parents in the company.  Donna came aboard to help Panny with the accounting and Peggy, to help Art sell McElroy’s fin tube equipment as well as develop McElroy’s marketing efforts.  In 1985 Chip joined the company as a design engineer.  Art and Panny instilled a strong work ethic in them all.

Despite their almost 20-year age difference, they enjoy both working and leisure time together; but, most importantly they respect each other.  With the death of Art in 1988, the baton was passed to Panny to run the company.  All three maintain that she did an incredible job of preparing them to run and more importantly grow the company.  Fortunately, each had a unique skill set that complemented both the company and each other. 

Today McElroy employs over 360 people globally and is actively led by Chip, Donna, and Peggy.   Both corporately and individually, the McElroys are civically minded, striving to promote a healthy community – whether that be through cultural, educational, or health organizations.

All three siblings have been involved in Scouting programs both as youth and adults.  Both sisters were involved in the Girls Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, earning the highest award, which at its very core is about community service.  Chip has been active with the Indian Nations Council of Boy Scouts of America first as a youth earning his Eagle and since 1995 has offered his leadership skills to their board and has also served as its Council President. 

Since the late 1960s, Peggy has been serving the larger community.  First at the Community Chest which was the predecessor to the Tulsa Area United Way. Given her passion for its mission, she has taken an active role in the annual campaigns at all the companies she has served, Cities Service, Williams and finally at McElroy. Peggy is currently serving as the President of the Paso Fino Foundation in addition to serving on the Paso Fino Horse Association Board of Directors for over 12 years.

Donna has spent the last decade, as an active board member for the Food Bank of NE Oklahoma, Gilcrease Museum, and the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum, offering her leadership and tireless energy to each of these organizations. 

In addition to his long tenure with scouting, Chip is also an ardent supporter of his alma mater, the University of Tulsa. He has offered his leadership to the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences and the Board of Trustees for almost 20 years.

As a family, Donna, Peggy, and Chip have supported each other in their individual interests as well as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Tulsa Public Schools, Tulsa Boys Home, American Heart Association, and the Red Cross; and are proud to have had an opportunity to support the creation of The Gathering Place. They are grateful to the men and women that have and are making McElroy the company that it is today.  And they are most proud of this community that has been so good to them.