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Before the Devon Tower project was approved at the August 20, 2008, OCURA meeting, Jon Pickard of Pickard Chilton Architects Inc., the Design Architects for the project, had this to say: "Height is fleeting. Beauty is not."Related articles
Initial Devon Tower Article, 8/20/2008
Oklahoma Skyscraper City Circa 1931
Also, see this SkyscraperPage.com forum threadWhile most Oklahoma Citians (myself certainly included) are absolutely thrilled to be joining the list of United States cities which can rightly boast at least one very tall, contemporary, and iconic downtown (or elsewhere) building, this article focuses not only on the height of the building, but, as Mr. Pickard said, the fleeting nature of pure size. THE RELATIVE SIZE. Before putting "size" into perspective, though, it is certainly a fine thing to spend some time, at least until the "newness" of this grand new Oklahoma City development wears off a little, taking great pride (and thanking Devon Energy & Larry Nichols, its CEO) for giving Oklahoma City tomorrow (meaning by 2012) something that it couldn't have rightly said much beyond 1931 when the First National Center and Ramsey Tower were finished in that year — relative to the rest of the country, at least one (in the 1931 instance, two) "tall" buildings relative to other cities in the country. When those two buildings were constructed in 1931, the Oklahoma City that then existed probably felt just as we do now.
In that time, for example, it appears that the tallest buildings in Los Angeles were several buildings in the 12-15 story range, at least as far as I was able to locate at SkyscraperPage.com as well as several other internet locations I reviewed. By comparison to our cousin up the turnpike, Tulsa, its tallest buildings in 1931 appear to have been 320 S. Boston (1929, 22 floors), Philtower (1928, 24 floors) and the Mayo Hotel (1925, 18 floors).
As noted in a Business Week article, utilizing only existing completed buildings as the measurement, if already built today, the 925' Devon Tower would be the 20th tallest building in the United States, according (the article said) to databases compiled by the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
Preferring to use the original source, I went there to do my digging. I was able to confirm that, if the Devon Tower existed today, the only cities with taller buildings in the United States would be Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Seattle, as shown in the map below:
Click the map for a larger view
More particularly, I assembled the list — click on any building name for a quick article elsewhere about the particular buildings below:
ACTUAL & DEVON TOWER
Color & Abbreviation Used Below
| yellow = proposed | Str. = "stories" |
To put the "20th ranking" into better and more realistic perspective, though, the Devon Tower would be 25th if compared to buildings whose construction is already underway. Those buildings are included in the list below.
ACTUAL, UNDER CONSTRUCTION & DEVON
Colors & Abbreviation Used Below
| coral = under construction | Str. = "stories" | | yellow=proposed |
Last, keeping in mind that Devon Tower's construction is not scheduled to begin until 2009, it must be regarded as a "proposed" building. Throwing the "proposed" buildings shown at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat into the mix, and assuming that all such buildings would be built according to present plans, the Devon Tower drops down to 35th in the list, below — 35th is not at all shabby, but a relatively quick "fall" from 20th to 35th does make the point — height is fleeting!
Various internet and other sources put together "lists" of tall buildings and some include "proposed" buildings. For example, this Wikipedia page contains some which are not listed in the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings database. However, spot-checking the Wikipedia article reveals that it includes buildings which do not match the criteria for being included as a "proposed" building at CTBUH. For example, the Wikipedia article includes the theoretical Trans National Place in Boston at 1,175 feet even though the height was nixed by the FAA in May 2008, as reported in the Boston Globe. An example that both sources include even though the project has been suspended due to financing is the Waterview Tower in Chicago. That said, the Wikipedia and CTBUH listings are not terribly dissimilar, even though the Wikipedia article is more lax in its inclusions, and there are other examples of this such as the still theoretical and unapproved Madison Square Garden projects.
Given the strong CTBUH credentials, I've chosen to use its list, shown below, also relied upon by this Business Week article. The CTBUH criteria for including a "proposed" building are the following:
When is a tall building considered to be a ‘real’ proposal?
A 'real' proposed tall building can be considered such if it fulfills all of the following criteria:
1. Has a specific site,
2. Has a developer / financer,
3. Has a full professional design team who are in the process of progressing the design beyond the conceptual stage,
4. Has a dialogue with the local planning authorities with a view to obtaining full legal permission for construction,
5. Has a full intention to progress the building to construction and completion.
Only buildings that are fully in the public domain and fulfill all the above criteria will be included in the CTBUH 'proposed' building listings. Also, note that due to the changing nature of early stage designs and client information restrictions, some height data for 'proposed' tall buildings that appears on the CTBUH 'Tallest Lists' is unconfirmed. Given that definition, as of the CTBUH July 2008 databases, and adding the Devon Tower which was approved this week in August, the list looks like this:
ACTUAL, UNDER CONSTRUCTION & PROPOSED
Colors & Abbreviations Used Below
| coral = under construction | Str. = "stories" | | yellow=proposed | ???? = no date stated |
To be sure, no certainty exists that any or all or just some of the "proposed" buildings ever get built, at least as they are proposed. For example, concerning the twin Empire World Miami projects, this South Florida Business Journal article concerning possible fraud issues relating to the developer.
BEAUTY ENDURES. Soooo ... as proud as we are to be joining the rarefied air of those relatively few United States cities which can rightly boast of at least one very tall, contemporary, and iconic downtown (or elsewhere) building, "height is fleeting." Larry Nichols wisely tasked Devon's design architects by saying that size is not the object, beauty IS (my paraphrased words, not his actual). So, when some successor of mine writes a much later article like I did in The First National Center, 75 Years Later, I'm pretty sure that the beauty we see in the drawings today will still be seen by such a writer 75 years from now.
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On August 20, 2008, the March Madness which began with Oklahoma City's successful Ford Center expansion and renewal and ended with Devon Energy Corporation's announcement that it proposed to build a new downtown skyscraper continued, and, Boy Oh Boy, did it ever! Related Articles
Height is fleeting — beauty endures
Oklahoma Skyscraper City Circa 1931
Also, see this SkyscraperPage.com forum threadIf you want to skip ahead, links within this article are:
Preliminaries The Presentation
Devon's Press Kit Images Photos I took PRELIMINARIES. At a specially convened meeting of the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority (OCURA), at about 9:30 a.m. on August 20 in the 4th floor auditorium of the Ronald J. Norick Library & Learning Center which holds about 150 people, OCURA's board heard Devon's presentation and proposal to develop the area below for its new corporate headquarters: NOTE: For all images in this article, click the image for a larger view.
 Ever since Devon's March 13 announcement, excited speculation has covered the map — how tall would it be, how many square feet, what would it look like? In Steve Lackmeyer's interview with Larry Nichols, Devon's CEO, Mr. Nichols said that it would be over 1,000,000 square feet, that it would cost about $350-$400 million, that it would be at least 37 stories high, and that its design would be "iconic."
Well, now we know. At the OCURA meeting, Devon presented its proposal for a 54 story, 925' skyscraper that will be the tallest building in Oklahoma and cost at least $750 million! And, yes, Devon's new headquarters is, indeed, "iconic" (I'm still not sure what that word means, but when you see the images below, you will most likely agree).
Is This Iconic or What?
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I arrived at the library at about 8:45 a.m. and the door guard asked, "Press?" I had my camera in tow and said, "Yes." Well, at least one nice professor at OCU has dubbed me as a "citizen journalist," so I wasn't completely lying. Plus, Steve Lackmeyer was taking me under his wing on this occasion so I considered myself to be a cub reporter, anyway! So, am I "press?" Hell yeah!
People started arriving in the auditorium before 9 a.m. While displays were evident, the parts which contained the proposed structures were either enclosed in boxes or were turned backwards so that one couldn't see them. The images below show the scene before the 9:30 meeting convened.
Steve Lackmeyer & Jack Money, Oklahoman Reporters
and authors of OKC: 2nd Time Around
keep on-line readers apprised as events unfolded after 9:30
As the meeting progressed, Steve (ably assisted by his colleague Jack Money) kept OKC Central readers informed by posting to his blog from his handy laptop! The number of "hits" at his blog doubtless went through the roof this morning and during the day as internet readers were hungering for news of every step in this morning's activities! As Steve's cub reporter, I got to sit next to him on the front row!
THE PRESENTATION. Finally, shortly after 9:30 a.m., the meeting convened. The OCURA board made its preliminary statements, including that a proper proposal had been timely received ... it was "unboxed," and distributed to its members. The floor was then turned over to Devon to make its pitch to OCURA.
Devon's CEO Larry Nichols Makes Opening Remarks
Mr. Nichols indicated that Devon's 1,700 downtown employees were presently spread around five different buildings and that the employee number would increase — he said that Devon has 40,000 wells under contract which have not yet been drilled. He said that the project was mainly driven by Devon's desire to provide its workers with an "exciting place for them to be." That said, Mr. Nichols restated Devon's commitment to Oklahoma City — to continue contributing to making Oklahoma City an "exciting, dynamic, and vibrant place to be."
He then introduced Gerald D. Hines, Chairman of Hines, the Development Manager for this project. Mr. Hines traveled to Oklahoma City from London to make this event in Oklahoma City.
Gerald D. Hines
The floor was then turned to Jon Pickard of Pickard Chilton Architects Inc., the Design Architects for the project.
Jon Pickard
Pickard Chilton has designed some of the most beautiful buildings in the world, including the following:
300 N. LaSalle, Chicago | 
4 Seasons, Malaysia | 
AIM, Houston | 
Main Place, Houston | 
Peachtree, Atlanta | 
Riverpoint, Chicago |
Pickard quoted a statement which he attributed to the Colcord's architect ... he may have said the architect to be Louis Sullivan (see this Lackmeyer & Money article), but William Wells, a protégé of Sullivan, was the architect of Oklahoma City's first "skyscraper" in 1910, the Colcord Building, now Hotel and being acquired by Devon. In any event, his quote was something like this: "A skyscraper is every inch a proud and soaring thing." He described his charge from Devon to make this building "the most beautiful that we know how" and that height was not the object.
OK, OK, but what did he show us for Oklahoma City?
The boxes were removed, posters were turned around, and Oklahoma City got its first look at the proposed Devon Tower, to be completed in 2012, work to be started next year.
Many more images are shown at Press Kit Images and My Photos, below.
After Pickard was done, Larry Nichols joined him for the finale.
Nichols made a few closing remarks and then advised the OCURA board that a team of experts were present to answer any of their anticipated questions.
He then said to the OCURA board, "Any questions?"
A long pregnant silence then occurred. It was evident that all members of the OCURA board, as well as others in attendance, were wholly stunned and, in fact, were speechless by Devon's presentation. None spoke, probably couldn't. It was like everyone was collectively mesmerized and thinking, "You mean, THIS is being proposed to be done in Oklahoma City, RIGHT NOW? By someone who can actually foot the bill?"
Finally, nervous laughter broke out in the auditorium due to the comical speechless circumstance presented, and a motion was made in the OCURA board, seconded, and passed unanimously, that the Devon proposal be accepted, and that was that!
The motion's adoption was followed by hearty applause and the official OCURA meeting was adjourned and people in attendance were given the opportunity to ask questions, after which everyone ogled over Devon's exhibits.
Some interesting questions were posed from the audience. Those that I noted are as follows:
- What about Devon possibly being bought moving to Houston? Mr. Nichols replied that since 1971 (when Devon began here), he's never seen a company be bought and move that (a) didn't have problems, or (b) wanted to be bought, anyway. He added, "We have no problems, and we don't want to be bought."
- How will the building be lit at night? Mr. Pickard demonstrated (by having the lights dimmed and turning on a light switch in the large model) that the triangular crown would be lit at night and, possibly, the "inset" areas of the generally triangular building might be, as well.
- How about adding another 10' to make the tower the 20th tallest building in the U.S.? (An audience member had quickly done internet research to find that at 925' the tower would be 10' feet shy of the 20th.) Pickard laughed and though that would be cool — his architectural firm wouldn't mind that a bit! Nichols laughed, too, but not in an affirmative way! Earlier, either Pickard or Nichols had commented (I don't recall which), speaking to "height," "Height is fleeting. Beauty is not."
- Whether during questioning or before (I don't recall), Mr. Nichols indicated that Devon's landscape architects on the project would be working with the Myriad Gardens' people to help make it become what it had the potential to be, at Devon's expense.
- Before the questions, emphasis was placed on the integration of this project with existing buildings and plans for the future, Pickard noting that the "Harvey Axis" running north to south in the Core To Shore planning would place the Rotunda exactly in that path.
- Also before questions, it was said that the west (near Hudson) Center City parking garage would be expanded to 10 floors, to be used by Devon employees.
PRESS KIT IMAGES. The "Press Kit" included on a CD and distributed to members of the press (me, included!) are shown below. These and other images were presented during Mr. Pickard's presentation.
Skyline Drawing
In addition to clicking the image for a better view,
for a very high resolution view of this image, click here
Architectural Renderings
Interior View
Dining Court
Southwest Corner Park
Rotunda Entrance
The Rotunda was described as the core of the project,
tying everything together, including public access to the
1st 2 floors of the Rotunda as they walked north and south.
In addition to clicking the image for a better view,
for a very high resolution view of this image, click here
Inside the Rotunda
In addition to clicking the image for a better view,
for a very high resolution view of this image, click here
Site Plan
The west part (left of the Rotunda in the image below) will
not only house some Devon employees but will also contain
restaurants and retail vendors, open to the public.
A 2½ acre public park will be at the southwest corner.
In addition to clicking the image for a better view,
for a very high resolution view of this image, click here
Elevation View Looking East
Elevation View Looking North
In addition to clicking the image for a better view,
for a very high resolution view of this image, click here
MY PHOTOS. In addition to some already shown, others are shown here.
I could close this with Steve Lackmeyer always
working for, and getting, a story ...
... but I won't. I'll close it with this:
Alesha Leemaster, Devon Communication Specialist,
congratulating Doug Dawg, Cub Reporter,
on a Job Well Done!
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This original Famous Kiltie Band article was posted on August 8, 2008, but it was updated on May 3, 2009, to include new Kiltie photographs in Shamrock, Texas. To see the additional article, click here. The Famous Kiltie Band
"Does your daughter smoke? Does she drink?"Those qualifying questions being answered in the negative, and assuming that she (a) was the right size (about 5' 6"), (b) was willing to put in long hours of practice and learning to play the musical instruments and marching routines involved, but (c) get no "pay" for doing so other than being a member of the band and, of course, traveling to virtually all principal cities in the United States and Canada, a young lady in Oklahoma City could gain entrance into the 42 (maximum) member "Kiltie Band," the band which was for decades was a, if not the, principal ambassador for Oklahoma City to the rest of North America.
While many of us have seen the above postcard which looks east from the Civic Center at Hudson along 1st Street, now Park Avenue, most are probably unaware of what this "Famous Kiltie Band" was and what it meant to Oklahoma City from 1922 and at least until 1990. Only knowing a little, on Wednesday, August 13, 2008, my interest was piqued by Sheila Johnson of Luther, Oklahoma (described later in this article). In researching this topic, it became evident that for about seven (7) decades, from 1922 through 1990, it could fairly be said that this "Famous Kiltie Band" became an institution in and for this city and was easily the city's most visible good-will ambassador to the rest of the nation. They were a staple attraction in Oklahoma City, and Oklahoma, as well. This article tells at least a small part of the story of this "Famous Kiltie Band."
But, First, A Word From Your Sponsor — the Yeomen. When E.G. Fry formed the Kiltie Band in 1922, it was known by the name of its sponsoring organization, the Yeomen Brotherhood of America. Reviewing a bit of history about that organization in Oklahoma City leads one to the inescapable conclusion that, but for the Yeomen Brotherhood, the Kiltie Band would not ever have existed at all. It was that organization, and E.G. Fry's involvement with it, that directly led to the formation of the Oklahoma City Kiltie Band.
According to a snippet in the December 31, 1905, Oklahoman, the organization was a "fraternal beneficiary order" whose rituals were based upon the story of Ivanhoe. Other articles and sources reveal that its membership was equally open to men and women — the article just mentioned identified three women who had recently been elected to various offices in the organization. According to this website, the Yeomen organization was formed 1897 and, according to this website, in Iowa, Des Moines being its home when the various Oklahoma "lodges" or "homesteads" came to exist in the early 1900s. Aside from its fraternal and community oriented aspects, the organization sold mutual life and accident insurance policies, and, perhaps because of its openness to both male and female members (very unusual at the time), it apparently grew quite rapidly, including in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, I've found no Oklahoma images of the Yeomen in their ritual costumes, but here's one found at the San Diego Historical Society — wouldn't it have been grand to watch these guys and gals in a parade down Broadway!
Click the image for a larger view
A June 21, 1908, Oklahoman article attests to its prosperity in Oklahoma when it says, "Nearly 3,000 new members were written during the month, making a total of 15,000 since the first of the year. The total membership of the Society today is near 90,000." An April 6, 1909 Oklahoman article said that 200 Oklahoma delegates were then meeting in a two-day convention designed to consolidate the "OT" and "IT" memberships into a single organization, with meetings conducted in the rooms of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. In February 1912, a three-day convention in Oklahoma City was reported to have hosted 3,000 Oklahoma members. Part of its business was to plan for the 1913 quadrennial (i.e., every 4 years) national convention, Oklahoma City having been selected to host the event, and the 1912 convention featured a downtown parade — and I'm wondering if the Yeomen were dressed in their ritual regalia, as shown in the San Diego photo!
The anticipated 1913 national quadrennial convention was a very very big deal — 25,000 were expected to attend from around the country according to a November 17, 1912 Oklahoman article (and that's sure a heck of a lot more people than downtown's hotels could accomodate). Convention headquarters were to be divided between the Skirvin and the Lee-Huckins hotels. The 5-day convention opened at the Overholser Theater on June 11, 1913, and included an "exemplification of the Ivanhoe ritual" proposed to be adopted at the meeting proposed by a delegation from Washington state. None of the June (or other) Oklahoman articles I found said how many actually attended — one would suppose attendance to have been much less than 25,000, though, despite the Oklahoman's projections. It should be remembered that hyperbole was not uncommon in early (if not still present) newspaper reporting and — after all — where could 25,000 stay, even today?
Drill team competition was featured entertainment. A June 15 article noted that the "local drill team" received a cash prize of $300 as receiving the highest score ever made by any team — and the person who trained that team was none other than E.G. Fry — variously referred to in articles as "Capt." or "Major."
Below, in a December 22, 1912 Oklahoman article, "Major" Fry is shown on the steps of an unidentified building with his crack drill team — I'm guessing that the building may have been the old Oklahoma County Courthouse. In any event, these are the guys who won the 1913 prize.
Click the image for a larger view
Fry continued his activity in the Yeomen and a May 3, 1918 Oklahoman article identifies him as "commander" of the Oklahoma Yeoman Guards.
ENTER THE KILTIES! By all accounts, the "Yeomen Kiltie Band" was formed by "Capt." Fry in 1922 and this venture/adventure eclipsed all he had done with the all-male drill team, and his Yeomen Kiltie Band is what he remains known for not only today but doubtless into Oklahoma City's future — and why not? Girls in kiltie uniforms who march and do routines and dance and play Scottish tunes to bagpipes, horns, and drums are just a heck-of-a-lot more interesting than a bunch of guys with rifles, no matter how one cuts it! And, indeed they were!
E.G. Fry and his wife, Georgia, are not shown their respective Oklahoman obituaries as having any children — of their bodies, at least. But, from 1922 until each of their deaths in 1942, they certainly did have children in the form of the many Kiltie Girls that they taught, chaperoned, traveled with, and doubtless gave hugs to when one or many of their 14-to-22- year-old bevy of girls became homesick on one of their many trips around the country. Nothing indicates that the Frys received any monetary gain for any of what they did with the Kilties. E.G. Fry earned his livelihood from his interest in the Fry Bros. Furniture & Hardware shop at 231 W. California.
- Enter Sheila Johnson. When I received a phone call from Sheila early Wednesday morning around 9 a.m. or so, I was preparing for a trial and couldn't take time to speak with her — my wife took the call and I was told that Sheila wanted to talk with me about the Kiltie Band. I did my out-of-town trial and returned home, relaxed and had a stiff drink or two, and then hit the sack! Before blissfully counting my subliminal sheep, though, Sheila called again. It turned out that her mom was a member of the Kiltie Band back in the mid-1920s and she was working on a entry into the Oklahoma County Free Fair which would open the next morning and she wondered if I had any information about the Kilties that might help with her exhibit.
While I was, before her call, quite ready to close my eyes and enter my own world of unconscious dreams, her call captured my fancy and I told her that I would see what I could find — at that point, I had nothing more than the snippet contained in Vanished Splendor II describing the postcard at the top of this article ... nice but not really all that much.
The bug being caught, and waking dreams being ever so much better than sleeping ones, I began researching the Oklahoman's archives and came up with several items that I thought she might find useful, and I e-mailed what I'd found to her.
On Friday, August 15, 2008, I went to the State Fairgrounds and had a look at what Mrs. Johnson had put together ...
Click the pics for larger views
Not many people were there when I was ... needs more publicity!
Little did I know that what my internet research disclosed wholly paled in comparison to what Mrs. Johnson already had — she had real photographs of the Kilties which were and are better than any I'd seen and, more importantly, the photos involved her mother, Mable Mundy, as a member of the Kilties perhaps as early as 1922 and at least through 1926, as you will shortly see. In short, Sheila had a personal story to tell and share with all who dropped by at the Oklahoma County Free Fair at the Centennial Building at the State Fairgrounds on Thursday through Saturday, August 14-16, 2008.
That much most pleasantly smacked me in my face when I dropped by to see her exhibit on the afternoon of August 14 and as I began to drool uncontrollably. My credibility in saying this is backed up by the fact that Mrs. Johnson's entry had already won a "First Place" award before I arrived. Those of you that did not make it by her exhibit will see what she had to offer there, even if you miss out on the good personal conversations with her had you done so!
Click on the image for a larger view
A snippet from the story board that Sheila is holding, above, reads this way:
Sometime around 1920 Mable Mundy left her family farm in Pampa, Texas for the bright lights of Oklahoma City. With a high school diploma in her hand and big plans and dreams for the future she entered Hills Business School. She was a bright, energetic young woman excited about life. In 1922 Captain E.G. Fry began recruiting for an all-girl Kiltie band.
* * *
[After leaving the band] Mable went on to fly with Wiley Post, party with Edgar Rice Burroughs, serve on Admiral Nimitz's staff and marry an Oklahoma City businessman. That businessman was Erie Harrison Sherman, Sheila's father, and his father (and Sheila's paternal grandfather) was Nathan S. Sherman, Jr., historical owners of the Sherman Machine & Iron Works in the Warehouse District (Bricktown), and she has got a lot of good stuff to convey about Oklahoma City history, to be sure.
But, before going further, let's have a look at Sheila's mom, the high school graduate from Pampa, Texas, lured by the "bright lights" of Oklahoma City, circa 1923-1926 ...
Click on images for larger views
Pretty classy photos of a gutsy young lady moving to Oklahoma City from Pampa, Texas for the "bright lights" of Oklahoma City around 1920, wouldn't you say? Some of the images following this section will have a "check" or mark of some kind as to where Mable is located — I understand that it was Mable who "defaced" the photos with such markings, so she gets a free, and historical, pass!
Aside from Sheila's comments about her mom on the story board, no "first hand" anecdotes of Mable's experiences were in the exhibit. But, the account by another early member of the Kilties was presented in the July 1, 1984, Oklahoman, an eyewitness account by Emily Nashert of Oklahoma City who, according to the article, was a Kiltie for four years — she and Mable may have been classmates in the business college. Part of that article reads as follows:
In 1924, I was boarding with a family in Oklahoma City and going to business college. They had a daughter my age. The mother belonged to the lodge [Brotherhood of American Yeomen] and we joined the Kilties.
Captain Fry, from Scotland, was a true military man. He taught us the drills and formations of a drill team. When we in a hall performing, we could do all the activities of any regular army drill. In parade, we marched to the band or drums.
The Yeomen furnished all the uniforms and equipment. There were 32 girls in the troupe. They had to be a certain height, weight and in good health – able to march and carry the drums and equipment.
The uniforms were ordered from Scotland – all the same size. There were 12 snare drums and two bass drums. Inasmuch as I was rather husky, I had a bass drum. Ruby Pope had the other one. (Incidentally, Ruby was "courting" Pepper Martin, the famous ball player, and later married him.)
There were 12 Scottish instruments (bagpipes) and eight bugles for the orchestra. We were invited to play in all parades, because we were so outstanding.
G.A. Nichols opened a plot east of Oklahoma City which was named Nicoma Park. It was going to be an outstanding area for raising chickens. This time we went on a flat-bed truck and wore our caps with feathers.
There was a chicken-calling contest and the girls knew I had been reared on a farm, so they dared me to enter. I won the contest.
One of our longest trips was to Asheville, N.C., sponsored by the City Building & Loan Association. The Kilties had a special Pullman on the train. Captain Fry and his wife always were in command. Our Pullman was our hotel. Local people took us to Chimney Rock and other beautiful places in and around the city.
We also stopped at Chattanooga where we rode the trolley car up Signal Mountain, visited Civil War areas and the home of John Ross, the Cherokee chief. At our Florence, Ala., stop we visited Muscle Shoals Dam. Each place we would perform. After one week, we were back in Oklahoma City.
The next big trip was to Chicago and Elgin, Ill. Upon our arrival in Chicago, we were met with a double-decker bus and we all clamored to get on top. At the Sherman Hotel, we got off and where all the young men came from, I will never know.
It was 5 p.m. We were assigned our rooms and then had dinner. Remember, this was in the 1920s, and the world was not as "wild" as it is today. The Captain let us off for the evening, but we were to be in our rooms by 10 p.m. and we had better be there! He next day, we were in a very long parade.
Our next stop was Elgin at a large convention. We stayed two days, performed in a very large hall, and latter attended a dance. I believe all the Illinois football team was there. And I danced with some of the largest men I had ever seen – including Red Grange.
Talk about the giggles and thrills! We had them that evening. But we were always closely chaperoned anyplace we went. Sheila's exhibit contains a marvelous June 1925 photograph of the Kilties getting ready to board one of those Pullman cars at the Santa Fe Depot downtown on their way to New York and Canada. Fifty Yeomen plus the Kilties made the trip and the entire delegation was President Coolidge's breakfast guest in Washington. When there, they paraded and sang "Oklahoma" (a version we probably don't know), according to a June 7, 1925, Oklahoman article. In New York, they stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, according to a June 3, 1925, Oklahoman article. In New York, the Kilties once again won out against all national competition.
Click the image for a larger view
A cropped view of the above - click to enlarge
Her exhibit also contained a pair of press faded clippings from some of such trips, the 1st at Chicago (Chicago Evening American, August 23, 1926) and the 2nd at New York City from an unidentified newspaper article showing the Kilties at Governors Island, quite likely in 1923 or 1925 when attending the Yeomen of American convention there ... and winning first prize for their marching, dancing, and playing skills (in both of those years).
Click the images for larger views
Sheila also had a Kiltie postcard in her exhibit that I'd not seen before ...
Click the card for a larger view
... and she was kind enough to give me a spare copy! Hoo Ahh! Notice the red "check mark" at the right — that's Mable — so I've actually got an autographed copy, after a fashion!
Sheila also has a damaged large original photo from which the above postcard was made. Keep in mind that this photograph is over 80 years old — and it has been kept "rolled up" — unrolling it is a dangerous proposition with the brittle photography paper. But, she carefully unrolled it to the extent that could be safely done and I snapped this shot of it ...
Click the photo for a larger view
Cropped Views – Click for Larger Views
Other Damaged Photos – Click for Larger Views
That's Mable With Her "X"
I went back on Saturday morning to take some better photos (although today, Monday, Sheila kindly allowed me to make scans from the original photos) and while there, remarkably, another lady, Jacque Lippel, happened by who was a member of the Kilties around 1959-1960! Here she is with Sheila ...
Click the pic for a larger view
More History. While Capt. Fry and his wife, Georgia, were living, the Kilties traveled the country far and wide and even to Canada. As noted below, the band's name changed to "Capt. Fry's Kiltie Band" at sometime in the 1930s. Until then, the band remained the "Yeomen Kiltie Band" and, in fact, became the official band of the Yeomen Brotherhood of America in 1929 — a July 10, 1929, Oklahoman article reported that the Kilties had won every national Yeomen contest since 1922 garnering over $10,000 in prize money (which was reinvested into uniforms and equipment). Their success was almost too much for their own good since it led to the Kilties being banned from such competition in 1929 — but it did receive a monthly $100 monthly maintenance stipend when it became the "official" band of the organization.
A May 1938 Oklahoman article rolled off a partial list of accomplishments:
- 1938 National Democratic Convention in Chicago
- A week at the Chicago World's fair in 1933 or 1934
- 1926 Sesqui-Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia
- 1934 national tour sponsored by the Chicago Evening Americannewspaper
- 1929 Rotary International Convention in Dallas
- San Deigo trip in 1929
- Played before the Prince of Wales in Montreal (date not stated but perhaps in 1925 since the Kilties traveled there as part of their June New York trip)
During this same period of time, the Kilties became a fixture on the "Goodwill Tours" conducted by the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce which annually toured different parts of the state and sometimes Texas — the Kilties' participation in that event lasted until 1990.
The fame of the Kiltie Band was sufficient for it to be included in a spread on Oklahoma City in the March 1941 National Geographic publication. I took a photo of its page at the Norick Downtown Library yesterday, August 17. Similar to the postcard at the top of this article, this photograph as not been edited to make the skeletal Gladish Building something that it never was (unlike the postcard at the top of this article) — it is barely visible at the right.
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A cropped view, showing the band's name as "Capt. Fry's Kiltie Band"
By this time, the band's name had changed but I couldn't find when that happened. It may be that when the "status" of the Yeomen organization changed to a legal reserve level premium life insurance company (as was reported as contemplated in a December 4, 1931, Oklahoman article), or when the organization's name became Mutual Life Insurance Company in 1932 according to this website, the band's name may have then changed, also, but I've not pinned that down.
Here is another photo, this one from the late 1930s, showing the Kiltie Band by a Santa Fe diesel passenger train downtown:
Courtesy the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce
Everett G. Fry (Capt. Fry) was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1938 ... see the monument at the State Fairgrounds, 2nd column, 2nd from the top:
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In 1942, both the Captain and his wife died at fairly early ages, first Georgia at age 60, and then the Captain at age 67:
The Post-Fry Era. With Capt. & Georgia Frys' deaths, the band died, too ... but not for long. A May 30, 1943, Oklahoman article reported that Grace Connell, who had been with the band for 10 years, was to become the drum major and drillmaster, replacing Capt. Fry, and other offers were identified in a new organization. The band's name would appropriately remain ... Captain Fry's Kiltie Band. Apparently a group of local businessmen was trying to help get the new organization started, raise $2,500 for new uniforms and create a fund for purchasing equipment. The new organization incorporated in December 1943 as the Oklahoma City Kiltie Band, Incorporated.
But no sponsoring "organization" had come forward. That changed in February 1948 when American Legion Post 35 "adopted" the Kilties, and that relationship continued for the remainder of the Kilties' existence. Reading between the cracks in the Oklahoman's coverage, though, it seems that the Kilties never recaptured their former glory. A March 27, 1949, Oklahoman article bore the headline, "Kiltie Band Sadly in Need of Members." Grace Connell resided from the organization in October 1950.
Membership apparently picked up and many instances of Kiltie performances and appearances occurred in the 1950s, although I could locate no interstate travels in the 1950s as had previously occurred. Local interest apparently remained good even if the elegant trips to New York, for example, appeared to have become a thing of the past. The following Oklahoman articles reflect the interest.
Click on articles for larger views
January 21, 1953
May 4, 1958
 Above, I said that the interstate trips appeared to have become a thing of the past. But the 1960s showed that there was at least one or two more grand trips to be had. In 1965, New York City again hosted a World's Fair. The Kilties wanted to go, just as their predecessors had done. Without a "Capt. Fry" and his driving force, could it happen? The question was open. But, it did, even with less fanfare as had occurred in the 1920s and 1930s.
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The Kilties also traveled to and performed at the 1968 Hemisfair in San Antonio. Locally, the Kilties performed at early day downtown arts festivals – such as May 2, 1969, when the event was still located at the Civic Center grounds.
As said before, after their organization in 1922 the Kilties were a featured attraction of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce's "Good Will Tour" which occurred annually in the spring over a century of tradition, and the Kilties continued serving in that capacity through 1990. The pair of Oklahoman clippings, below, illustrates that tenure:
Click on the articles for a larger view
A May 4, 1958, Oklahoman article said, "There hasn't been a goodwill tour sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce since the early 1920's, where the bright Scotch plaids, tooting horn pipes, and rattling drums, haven't been the feature attraction." That string came to an end with the 1990 tour. While Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Tours lasted until 1997, the Kilties were no longer present on them.
If there is an end (and who can say what may yet occur), I've not yet identified a "definitive end" of the Famous Kiltie Band. I have a call in to their last sponsor, American Legion Post #35, as it should probably know.
At least one Kiltie reunion occurred, in June 1986. Sheila Johnson thinks that there was at least another which occurred in the 1990s when her mother (who died in 1999) was not well enough to attend but I could find nothing in the Oklahoman's archives about another.
Click the article for a larger view
Whether the Kilties are only a part of Oklahoma City's collective memory, or if they also might yet have a place in its present and future, they, and their founder and driving force, Captain E.G. Fry, are without a doubt yet another group of Oklahoma City heroes, and they will not be forgotten. That's just not possible.
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