Up with Tulsa: Grandmother version

My Grandmother and my KT Hara were big time Tulsa boosters. For very different reasons and through their very different lens they loved the hell out of this town. They really felt that Tulsa didn’t or wasn’t getting the credit it was due.

Grandma wanted to have respectability and belonging. She raised all her kids here and was determined to look the part of “established” Tulsa family. By established I mean families who have been here for awhile and everyone knows everyone else. Money has a lot to do with it but not everything. If you were fun and stuck around town long enough you would be in like Flynn.

Grandma bottom left. Her life work. Not pictured Shannon, Sean and Chris

In my neck of the woods it was heavily centered on Monte Cassino and Cascia people. Since we are talking about Catholics that means a lot of kids. All the kids.

My KT Hara wanted to make the point about Culture. The fancy high brow stuff. Tulsa had it, damnit. She took me to Disney movies and bought season tickets to the ballet for me and her. I was willing to accept without question everything she had to say on all matters fancy.

. KT Hara up top. Me and my underwear on the left, exasperated Chris in the middle and adorable Erin on the right.

Some of her favorites

Tulsa Ballet- The premiere Ballet Company in the Southwest. She bought season tickets for us and it was my consistent theater exposure. I loved it. I loved her for taking me.


Elan: Madame Moscelyn Larkin

Philbrook- We didn’t really visit the museum part but my Mom and I would walk the dogs over there. In those days it didn’t have fences and you could just walk on back like it was a public park. Can confirm that place is waaay fancy.

Gilcrease-We didn’t really visit more than a handful of times. But it was out in west Tulsa somewhere. Just stockpiling culture.

Tulsa University- Petroleum Engineering departments. My grandfather, her husband was the Skelly oil company boss for a time. In the time honored tradition of name dropping. KT particularly liked taking me places that had Skelly history tied to it.

Sidebar- I like going to these places and name dropping too. I am not above this. In fact it is one of my favorite things.

Southern Hills- I don't play golf but it appears to be very well thought of in the fancy circles. My main memories of the 3-4 times a year we were shuffled out there was unlimited Shirley Temples and a scary as hell high dive.

Comments

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