Four important NE Oklahomans everyone should know

Will Rogers. S.E. Hinton. Jim Thorpe. Most people know the stories of these famous folks from northeastern Oklahoma. However, Green Country contains the stories of other folks from the area that everyone should know.

Willard Stone: Artist

An internationally-known artist lived his whole life in Locust Grove. Willard Stone, Cherokee sculptor, died in 1985, but his work can be appreciated in various places in the state. In fact, his iconic “Exodus,” which depicts the struggle of the Trail of Tears, was for many years the key artwork on display in the Cherokee National Museum in Tahlequah.

Stone’s big break in the art world came when he met Thomas Gilcrease, who sponsored his work for several years. Visitors to the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa will notice several photographs of Stone and Gilcrease in the exhibit room near the front entrance. The Gilcrease Institute owns a large collection of Stone’s work, though it is also on display at the Willard Stone Museum, located in Locust Grove on the site of Stone’s home.

Ruth Brown: Librarian and Activist

Though born in Kansas, Bartlesville was the home of legendary librarian Ruth Brown, who lost her job in 1950, because of her support of desegregation and civil rights. According to the Oklahoma Library Legends website, “Miss Brown, along with two young African American teacher friends entered Bartlesville’s largest drugstore that served food and seated themselves."

They were refused service and left peaceably, but the trouble had begun for Brown. Eventually, the Bartlesville Library board accused her of having subversive materials in the library, and she was fired shortly thereafter. Louise Robbins has written a highly-regarded book about Brown’s life The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown that details this courageous woman’s story.

D.C. Minner: Musician

Blues musician D.C. Minner was born in Rentiesville and returned there to found a blues club and the Dusk Til Dawn Blues Festival. Minner played with such legends as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Eddie Floyd. Though he died in 2008, his wife Shelby continues the club and the festival, which has more information at the club website.

According to the Tulsa World, when Minner was a boy in Rentiesville during “the Prohibition years, his grandmother owned a corn-whiskey hall. In 1988, the Minners reopened its doors as the Down Home Blues Club.” An important clue to Minner’s character and enduring legend is his line, “"If you play blues to get rich, then you really are making a mistake.”

Sheila James Kuehl: Politician and Child Actress

Tulsa was the birthplace of Sheila James Kuehl, a politician who was a member of the California State Senate for 8 years and also served 6 years in the State Assembly. According to her biography, she is the first openly gay person to be elected to the California legislature.

She authored 171 bills as a senator, and she currently serves as the founding director of the new Public Policy Institute at Santa Monica College. However, despite this political career, some still fondly remember Kuehl as a child actress who stared as Zelda Gilroy in the TV show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. She also starred and co-starred in many other television series.

Northeastern Oklahoma has its share of famous stories from legendary figures. Some of the lesser-known people’s stories are worth looking into, also.

References:

“Bluesman DC Minner dies.” Tulsa World. 8 May 2008.

“Biography.” Sheila Kuhl.. 7 July 2010.

“Ruth Brown.” Oklahoma Library Legends. 7 July 2010.

“Stone Family History.” Williard Stone Museum. 7 July 2010.