Gone but not forgotten
The Oklahoman’s Scott Munn says farewell to people with Oklahoma ties who enjoyed the game day experience.
Farewell to people with Oklahoma ties who enjoyed the game day experience:
•Chuck Taylor, 76, of Murfreesboro, Tenn. A longtime pro baseball player who had several minor league assignments in Oklahoma, with either the Tulsa Oilers or Oklahoma City 89ers.
Taylor was a righthanded pitcher whose best season came in 1968, when he was 18-7 with a 2.35 earned-run average and 128 strikeouts for Tulsa, then a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate.
That helped Taylor earn a spot with the Cardinals the next season, and he won seven games for a starstudded pitching staff that included Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Nelson Briles and Mike Torrez.
Taylor played for six different organizations, eventually becoming a reliever. He had a careerbest 11 saves for the Montreal Expos in 1974.
•Dr. Joe White, 80, of Edmond. A career educator who was a football coach before going into administration. White coached at his alma mater, Alex High School, as well as Roswell, New Mexico; Minco; and Elk City. As a high school athlete, he starred in football, boxing and baseball.
The former quarterback earned a football scholarship to Murray State Junior College, where he was later a member of the school’s charter athletic Hall of Fame class.
•Jerry Nance, 87, of Ardmore. The amateur tournament-winning golfer holds the Dornick Hills record with 11 career holes in one. Played college football at Arkansas Tech.
•Dr. John Hackney, 81, of Edmond. He played football and basketball for Wakita High School. Hackney also played in the marching band, often performing in his football uniform at halftime. The medical doctor was an Air Force veteran.
•Bob Harper, 83, of Choctaw. He played high school basketball in his native Fairfield, Iowa. The engineer donated his body to medical research.
•Bitsy Wilkins Bonney, 82, of Duncan. Described as the glue that held the family together, Bonney arranged family get-togethers in Dallas for OU-Texas football games for more than 40 years.
•Joe Lain, 88, of Norman. The Norman High graduate liked to play basketball and softball; he once served as commissioner of a Triple-A softball league. The OU fan often went on the road to watch the Sooners play.
•Melvin Harrison Jr., 44, of Oklahoma City. Harrison’s favorite hobbies were watching his daughter Kambry play volleyball and son Kobe play basketball. Melvin was also an avid fast-pitch softball player. A fan of OU football and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
•Rickie Nichols Jr., 39, of Tecumseh. He was a martial arts enthusiast, earning a black belt in karate. A retired Marine who had three tours in Iraq. He loved the Thunder and OU football.
•Dennis Ray, 76, of Del City. He spent more than 25 years in the Mid-Del school system, coaching football, basketball, baseball, track and wrestling.
•Dr. Larry Killebrew, 75, of Nichols Hills. An excellent golfer with a 3 handicap and two aces to his credit. During his last full round of golf, with son Caleb, the medical doctor sank a 45-foot putt on the 18th green to win. Also a fly fisherman.
•Harold Dorris, 77, of Bethany. Played college basketball at Bethany Nazarene College. Also played semi-pro baseball. A retired postal clerk.
•Jean Outhier, 85, of Stillwater. She played varsity basketball at Okeene High School.
•Robert Johnston, 65, of Oklahoma City. An attorney who was a Bass Pro fisherman. At age 40, Johnston won the Mr. Oklahoma body building competition.
•Kent Hall, 76, of Oklahoma City. He was once a recordsetting pole vaulter at Purcell High School. Worked in real estate.
•Ryan Linduff, 33, of Oklahoma City. The Yukon High School graduate played baseball at Redlands Community College in El Reno.
•Bobby Cameron Jr., 64, of Tecumseh. He owned more than 50 race horses during his life, including Egyptian Eyes, the 2002 Oklahoma Turf Mare of the Year. Cameron was a jockey as a young man.
•Gene Makela, 80, of Tulsa. He was a swimmer, boxer and football player as a youth. The Coast Guard veteran coached softball as an adult and was an avid golfer.
•Avery Shannon, 17, of Jenks. A member of the Jenks High School pom squad for the last two years. Many of her best friends were on varsity pom, which won several national titles. Chosen as one of three pom captains for 2018-19, which would have been her senior year.
•Wade Peard, 79, of Bethany. A longtime business owner who loved to go fishing. He dropped a line in ports such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil, Canada and Alaska.
•Mike Floyd, 52, of Edmond. The regional sales manager for Dr Pepper Snapple Group played high school tennis for the Bartlesville Bruins.