‘A unique and special spirit’
Whitewater center to be named in honor of Aubrey McClendon
Oklahoma City Boathouse District and community leaders on Thursday will light trees along the Oklahoma River in honor of Oklahoma City natural gas magnate and philanthropist Aubrey McClendon, who died one year ago.
The group also announced plans to name the main building in front of the whitewater rafting facility the Aubrey K. McClendon Whitewater Center and to install lights on the south side of the building overlooking the river.
“He brought a unique and special spirit to the development of the river that allowed us to set a pace that has become a model for other communities across America for how we activated our river,” said Mike Knopp, director of the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation.
The boathouse foundation has launched its Onward & Upward campaign, an effort designed to honor McClendon and raise $6 million to support boathouse foundation operations, provide youth scholarships for boating programs, support the annual OKC National Whitewater Festival, plant a memorial grove of trees and support the development of a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) program at the Boathouse District.
“It is important to me to honor Aubrey because I feel it is a duty to preserve the legacy of one of the most noteworthy people of our state,” Judy Love, co-founder of Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores and Boathouse Foundation member, said in a statement. “His drive and determination exemplified everything I felt was worthwhile.”
The Whitewater Center is expected to include an interactive exhibit and water features designed to honor McClendon’s life and legacy.
“Sustaining and protecting
Aubrey’s legacy through ongoing activation of bold new endeavors will be an everlasting tribute to a man always chasing and challenging the question of ‘What’s next?’” the group said in its campaign prospectus.
It was McClendon’s vision to transform a gully that had to be mowed twice a year into an entertainment district that has attracted the U.S. Olympic rowing team and an annual regatta festival.
“We had a ditch for decades, and in a little over 10 years, we’ve made the river a real example of how a community can engage not just buildings around a river, but how people can get involved and active on the river, which is why he supported our youth programs and corporate rowing though his companies,” Knopp said. “He understood what having a viable river would do for a community.”
McClendon cofounded Oklahoma Citybased Chesapeake Energy Corp. and later founded American Energy Partners LP. He and his companies funded charities throughout Oklahoma City and the country and helped grow Oklahoma City through sponsorship of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Chesapeake Boathouse and many other efforts throughout the community.