Thomas Hill III leads Kimray, an Oklahoma City-based manufacturer of oil and gas equipment that employs more than 600 people nationwide. The grandson of the company’s founder, Hill’s early pursuit of success ultimately led to a personal rock bottom, followed by a hard-won journey of recovery that transformed his life and leadership. Today, he is a passionate advocate for...
Oklahoma wouldn’t be what it is today without the countless contributions of Black Americans. However, many of their stories are omitted from history textbooks. Celebrated every February, Black History Month aims to address this erasure, acting as a time to re-examine the past and celebrate the achievements of Black visionaries throughout history.
“As a historian, I have the fortune...
Neon signs are some of the world’s most beautiful – and underappreciated – forms of art. First showcased back in 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show, neon signs have had an ever-expanding presence across the country for decades. The hub of the art form’s restoration and preservation, however, is found right here in Oklahoma.
“Neon artists are...
Grace Hopper – a U.S. Navy rear admiral, mathematician and computer scientist – believed that the most dangerous phrase was: ‘We’ve always done it this way.’ Oklahoma trailblazers like Angie Debo, Ph.D., and Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher embodied that same forward-thinking mindset, paving the way for women to dare to achieve something greater.
Debo, an innovative scholar, was one of...
Digital matchmakers like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge are certainly holding onto relevance – yet some soulmate searchers are telling dating apps: “It’s not me, it’s you.” Indeed, America’s top three dating apps report losing more than 100,000 users last year.
Fewer than one-quarter of Gen Z adults met their partner through a dating app, social media or online community, according...
Smaller performing arts groups in Oklahoma are as unique and diverse as our landscape – gaining a foothold in the state’s cultural scene and working hard to reach their audiences.
Although they lack the funding of their larger counterparts, these small but mighty companies have programming that is just as engaging.
“What distinguishes RACE from ... larger institutions is not what...
When the weather cooperates, there’s nothing quite like being outside on an afternoon in Oklahoma. One of the many ways people like to pass the time, especially when the wind is perfect, is by flying a kite.
“Kite flying has been around for over 3,000 years,” says Larry Stiles, president of Tulsa Wind Riders, a passionate club of kite-flying enthusiasts....
By the time Deana Martinez was three years old, “I was climbing all over everything,” she says. “So my mom put me in gymnastics.”
She thrived in the sport, and as a teenager started coaching as well as competing. She’s now been coaching for 30 years and owns Edmond Gymnastics Academy, where her students start as young as 18 months...
Over the years, the two best-known nicknames for Tulsa have had to do with petroleum: the Oil Capital of the World and the Magic Empire – the latter allegedly bestowed by the famous American General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing to reflect his perception of the city as an oil boomtown.
There’s another one making the rounds these days: Land...
The suffix stan means “where one stands” or “land of,” so Tajikistan becomes land of the Tajiks, just as Scotland is the land of the Scots. In this case, the 'stan' has a lot of up and down to it. Ninety percent of Tajikistan is mountainous, and half of it is above 9,800 feet.
Except for China to the east,...
