OKLAHOMA

OKLAHOMA – Capitol, Cowboys and Chairs, April 17-21

We arrived in Oklahoma City on Wednesday afternoon and were met at the airport by PGER and State Sponsor Jim McQuillan and Karen, SDGER Millard Pickering, State President Jack Roper and Margaret and President Elect Joe Boykin.  After collecting our luggage, we headed for the hotel and were treated to a beautiful two-level suite as our home-away-from-home for the next four days.  That evening, we joined the Midwest City Elks Lodge #1890 for a BBQ chicken and rib dinner that was outstanding.  Between the homemade salads and desserts, none of us left hungry.  Upon leaving the lodge, we were greeted by a severe rainstorm including thunder, lightning and hail.  We were told rain was falling at the rate of 4 inches a hour!  The thunder almost made us deaf and the lightning took care of what little was left of our retinas.  The hail was deafening.  You just don't see that kind of weather in the Sovereign Peoples Republic of California.  It was an exciting ride back to the hotel, including a short stop under a gas station overhang to wait out some of the hail.

Thursday morning, we went to the State Capitol where Tom had the privilege of addressing the Oklahoma State House of Representatives.  They also read a special citation for him on the floor of the House.  We proceeded to the Senate where we were introduced from the Gallery.  We were then given a tour of this beautiful building including a stop in the Supreme Court Chambers.  After leaving the Capitol, we went to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum for a tour and lunch.  This was a fascinating museum dedicated to the history and heritage of our wonderful wild west and included pieces by famous artists such as Russell and Remington.  In one section of the museum they had reconstructed an old west town with 19 buildings.  Another section was dedicated to the cowboys of film and television.  It definitely jogged our memories to see such programs as “Have Gun, Will Travel”, “The Big Valley” and “Wagon Train.”  Of special note was the 18 foot tall sculpture in the main lobby titled “End of the Trail” by James Earle Fraser.  What we did not know is that this plaster sculpture stood in a park in Visalia, California for some 40 years before it was moved to the museum for restoration and preservation.  Before it was moved, however, a bronze copy was made which now resides in Visalia and is on our list to see next time we are in the Central Valley.

Upon returning to the hotel, we were tickled to find that Susanne Pickering had arrived and hugs were given all around.  That evening we joined Jack and Margaret along with the entire convention committee for dinner at Shiki’s, a Japanese steak house.  We all enjoyed the hibachi cooking and the show put on by the chef and Tom really enjoyed his Saki!   After dinner, we went downtown to see the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the site of the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building.  It was a moving experience to see the Memorial with its 168 chairs, one for each victim of the bombing, lit up at night.  We spent several moments in quiet reflection before returning to the hotel.

Friday morning, we went downtown to tour the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum.  We first stopped at the "Survivor Tree."  This 90+ year old American Elm survived the explosion and now stands as a symbol of human resilience.  Venita commented that it reminded her of the Lone Cypress, the tree used for her pin this year.  The Museum is extremely well thought out, starting with the history of the site and continuing step by step through the events of the day.  It goes on through the investigation, finishing up with the rebuilding of the community and the hope of the people.  Many sections of the museum touched us deeply, and we couldn’t help but reflect on the bombings that had taken place earlier in the week at the Boston Marathon.

After our visit to the museum, we went to the Oklahoma City Elks Lodge #417 for a wonderful lunch and to see their new lodge.  Having sold their old lodge, they have just completed their new building and it was a pleasure to see their beautiful facility.  Future plans are still in the works to add recreational options such as horseshoe pits, volleyball courts, etc.  We very much enjoyed our time with them.

Friday evening, we joined all of the Past State Presidents for dinner at the hotel, followed by a tour of the hospitality rooms for the various lodges.  We had a great time and saw things we had never seen before – like a “Redneck Margarita Machine”, made with a garbage disposer and PVC piping, and an entire section of snacks (including cookies) made with Spam. No kidding! Tom tried to get them to bring the "Redneck Margarita Machine" to Reno for the convention. 

Saturday morning, Tom joined Jack, Jim and Millard for the business meeting.  Venita went with the ladies to a morning coffee to honor Margaret and we then joined the men for the Youth Awards Banquet.  It is always inspiring to see the young people in the various states who received scholarships, hoop shoot and soccer awards from the Elks.  They are so excited and it is fun to watch them receive their well-deserved accolades.  While the men returned to their meetings, the ladies enjoyed an afternoon of entertainment with "Elvis."  They had a great time as he sang to each and every lady in the room.  Before dinner, we went with Mary, Jim, Karen and Susanne to Mass at St. Joseph’s Old Cathedral which is located right next to the Memorial.  The church had been severely damaged during the explosion and during the repairs had erected a statue on the corner titled “And Jesus Wept” to honor the victims. 

Our final evening with the Oklahoma Elks started with a receiving line  of about 400 followed by the formal banquet.  Tom spoke to the assembled group, sharing his concerns and vision for our Order and encouraged them to continue their great work.  The Oklahoma Elks presented Venita with a beautiful silver bracelet to commemorate her visit to their state.

Sunday morning, we had the opportunity to see the installation of the new Oklahoma State Officers, followed by their Memorial Service.  Millard and Susanne took us to the airport and we gave them big hugs as we parted, reminding them to stay healthy (for installation as GER in July) and that we would see them in July. 

But Oklahoma wasn’t done with us quite yet.  Wanting to make sure that we got home safely, DDGER Gary Lassiter of Mustang, Oklahoma, escorted us on our flight home to San Jose to make sure we got to our car in San Jose safely.  Now that’s hospitality and going above and beyond the call of duty for his GER!  No other DDGER has done that for us yet!  I doubt that the fact he also had a seminar in San Mateo that week had anything to do with escorting us home.  Thank you, Oklahoma Elks.  We had an amazing time.