Q&A WITH JOHN ERLING
Oral history website records voices of more than 200 Oklahomans
Q: Tell us about the Voices of Oklahoma project.
A: Voices of Oklahoma is an oral history website whose mission is to preserve Oklahoma’s legacy, one voice at a time. We are observing our 10th anniversary of recording more than 200 Oklahomans who have told their stories through tears and laughter for future generations to learn from their successes and failures. For more than 10 years, Walt Helmerich (Helmerich & Payne, Tulsa) and I would share monthly lunches, and he would tell me great stories of business and politics. One day, I suggested putting them on a website for the education of all ages. He asked his friend and philanthropist Henry Zarrow to also record his story, and we were off and running.
Q: Why did you put together a book?
A: We are always looking for new ways to introduce our website, which we do though social media, email subscribers and word-of-mouth. But I thought if I could hand someone tangible evidence of our website, it might be impressive enough to bring people to the website. Our first book “Voices of Oklahoma, Stories from the Oral history website Voices of Oklahoma.com” includes portions of 50 stories — just enough to encourage the reader to become a listener on our website. You may forget a website address, but you may not throw a book away if it’s given or bought. Proceeds will be directed to the production of new stories.
Q: Who are some of the business people represented in the book?
A: While the book includes stories of state government, sports, land run days, artists and crime, it also includes some Oklahoma entrepreneurs who have made their mark. One of those is David Green of Hobby Lobby, who told Voices of Oklahoma, “I was sitting at the lunch counter at Penn Square that had a TG&Y with two fellow managers, and we were just sitting there talking,” and it set him on the path to establish Hobby Lobby. Burt Holmes just happened to run into Chester Cadieux in downtown Tulsa, when Burt shared his dream of a convenience store, which is how QuikTrip began. Oklahoma City’s Ray Ackerman said his drive was to put water in the river and build a canal from Bricktown to Myriad Gardens. And then it took 11 and a half years to rename the North Canadian River as the “Oklahoma River.” Lessons in leadership.