Pathmakers

 The Pathmaker Awards

 

The Pathmaker Award and ceremony were the brainchild of board member Pen Woods in 1990. The first luncheon was held around May 2nd 1990 to commemorate the centennial of the Organic Act that created Oklahoma Territory. The intent of the award was to honor four living and four from the past, all of whom helped develop and shape Oklahoma County and their respective communities within the county.

 

Within a few years the Distinguished Service award was added to honor individuals, groups or organizations who contributed to the betterment of their community.

 

Since 1990, nearly 200 persons or organizations has been inducted into the Society’s Pathmaker ceremony.

   ________________________________________________________________________________________

2011 Pathmaker Awards

 

The 2011 Pathmaker Award Luncheon was held this year October 4th at the Jim Thorpe Association Building.  In the time honored  tradition of "Preserving and Honoring the Past" this venue proved very sucessful.  Food for the luncheon was provided by the Petroleum Club and was excellent fare for the event. Shown below are a few photos of the honorees accepting their respective awards with Mr. Bill Wilge, the current OKCCHS board president.

It has been the custom each year for the Society to present a Distinguished Service Award to an organization or individual for an act or acts of public service, usually pertaining to historical preservation.  The 2011 award goes to The 1889ers Society, an organization that has for more than a century shared, educated and preserved the history of those pioneers who settled Oklahoma County.

Frances Kersey is the current city clerk for Oklahoma City which entails maintaining and preserving the official documents, records and minutes of the City Council.  She has received awards from her peers in municipal government.  She was instrumental in displaying the historic I.M. Pei plan of futuristic OKC in 2010 at the Cox Convention Center and she was a project manager of an exhibit telling the history of Oklahoma City displayed at City Hall.

Tom McDaniel is a graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State University.  He worked for a number of years with Kerr-McGee Corporation where upon retirement became president of his alma mater.  He then served as president of Oklahoma City University and then later as Chancellor.  He is now the Executive Director of American Fidelity Foundation.

 

Oren Lee Peters is a veteran of World War II and the Korean War serving with the famed 45th Infantry Division.  He is active in a number of veterans organizations and has devoted more than 75 years to youths in the Boy Scout Program.

 

William J. Phillips retired from Kerr-McGee Corporation nearly two decades ago.  Since then he became the founding president and executive director for the Executive Service Corp of Central Oklahoma provideing professional planning advice to civic, governmental, charitable and educational organizations in central Oklahoma.

 

William Dale Reneau is a notive of Hobart, Oklahoma.  He earned his Law degree from the University of Oklahoma.  He was admitted to practice before the Western and Eastern District of the U.S. federal courts.  He has been president of the Oklahoma Association of Defense Counsel and is a member of the state Bar Association's Board of Legal Aid.                                                               

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2010 Pathmaker Awards

 

The 2010 Pathmaker Awards Luncheon was huge sucess!  Mark your calenders now for the October 2011 Awards Luncheon ~ check back or check the blog for exact time and location as it is and event that you will not want to miss.  Here are some photos from the 2010 ceremony. 

Representatives from the Boy Scouts of America and Camp Fire Girls, 2010 recipients of the Oklahoma City/County Historical Society Distinguished service Award.

 

  Distinguished Service Award presented to representatives of the Camp Fire Girls of Oklahoma City.

                                           

Acceptance speech given by Rev. Don Alexander in memory of his father Reverend Dr. William H. Alexander, former pastor of the First Christian Church of OKC and crusader for better mental health facilities in Oklahoma.

                                             

On the left is Norvell Clarke and on the right Sidney L. Clarke, III recipients for their noted ancestor Sidney L. Clarke who advocated for the opening of the Unassigned Lands as a member of Payne's Oklahoma Colony and co-author to the rider of an amendment to the Indian Appropriations bill that opened the Unassigned Lands in 1889. Clarke was later the second provisional Mayor of Oklahoma City in 1890.

 

Carolyn Coley Hubbard thanking the Society for inducting Captain Charles C. Coley as a Pathmaker. Capt. Coley was a former president of the Society, an advocate for preservation especially in the Heritage Hills neighborhood before his death in 2009 at the age of 99.

 

Mr. Leroy Parks honored as a living Pathmaker accepts his award for adding to the cultural entertainment of Oklahoma City through his music as a jazz musician.