Strong City, Okla., native Sage Kimzey is quickly rising the ranks of pro bull riders. Photos courtesy Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association.
Strong City, Okla., native Sage Kimzey is quickly rising the ranks of pro bull riders. Photo courtesy Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association.
Sage Kimzey might be only the second rookie in history to win the National Finals Rodeo championship, but he’s hardly a newcomer to the sport. The 20-year-old, a native of Strong City, Okla., has bull riding in his blood.
“I come from a bull riding family,” says Kimzey, whose father rode bulls and then spent 30 years as a barrelman, the person charged with entertaining crowds in between rides.[pullquote]Planes, trains and automobiles, whatever will get us there.”[/pullquote]
Kimzey’s been riding so long, in fact, that he has no memories of the first time he hopped up on a bull.
“It’s just always something that I’ve done,” he says, a statement that highlights both his easygoing nature and his natural humility. When asked how he learned and progressed as a rider through the years, Kimzey’s reply is a typically self-effacing one: “If you do it enough, you’re going to become fairly decent at it.”
One thing he has had to learn through bumpy experience is the rough-and-tumble world of rodeo traveling. Though his father did rodeo for so long, Kimzey admits his own transition into a life constantly on the move took some getting used to. While the winter months are slower, with around two shows a week, during the summer he typically rides in a show every day of the week. This means lots of travel by various means – “Planes, trains and automobiles, whatever will get us there,” Kimzey says.
Photo courtesy Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association.
Life on the road seems to work fairly well for Kimzey, whose simple tastes make for low-key travel. Unlike touring rock stars, he has no special routines or requests when out traveling, not even any good luck charms he has to take with him. Just a few bags of clothes, and he is ready to go. All the traveling does mean Kimzey has wandered far beyond the borders of his home state. Arizona has the craziest bull riding fans, he confides, but his favorite place so far has been Montana, which he describes as gorgeous and having perfect weather.
Of course his main focus out on the road is in honing his skills as a rider. His patient dedication has certainly paid off. The last year a rider won the championship in his first year was 1963 – a streak Kimzey was happy to break.
“It’s something I’ve been working towards since I was a baby, so for it to come true this quick – it’s a cliché, but it really is a dream come true,” he says.
Despite his rapid success, Kimzey has no intentions of letting up; for now, his focus is entirely on winning more championships. The career of a bull rider is short, generally only 10 years or so, due to the high impact nature of the sport – Kimzey has broken several bones – but when his riding days are over, he hopes to keep living the dream life as a cowboy. As long as the future involves riding, it will be a good one for this champion.
Marcello Angelini celebrates his 20th year with the company.
Photos by Scott Miller.
Marcello Angelini celebrates his 20th year with the company. Photo by Scott Miller.
Born and raised in Naples, Italy, and watching ballet performances from backstage before he was 1 year old, it might seem unlikely that Marcello Angelini would end up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He says he believes it was destiny.
“Twenty years ago, I was 33 and dancing with Cincinnati Ballet after three years with Les Grands Ballet Canadienes [in Montreal]. I had a strong tendinitis, and my doctor told me that this time, I had to stop for a couple of weeks,” Angelini says.
Frustrated and restless, Angelini called his manager and told him that one day, he would like to direct a company.
“He patiently explained that the fact that I wanted to direct a company didn’t necessarily translate into landing a job,” Angelini says. “But then he went on to tell me that Tulsa Ballet was looking for an artistic director. He urged me to apply for the position, explaining that with my limited command of the English language, and having no previous experience on the administrative side, it would take awhile and quite a few interviews to learn the process and maybe land a job.”
Angelini says he was stunned when he was later offered the job, which he says was a massive transition. He celebrates his 20th anniversary as artistic director of the Tulsa Ballet this year.
“I knew a thing or two about dance but nothing about all the moving pieces that make a company function, day in and day out. I had to learn a lot and very quickly,” Angelini says. “Of course, the learning never stops. You go from physical overload as a dancer to brain overload as a director.”
Photo by Scott Miller.
Angelini began his dancing career in Naples at the San Carlo Opera House school, then studied ballet in the former Soviet Union on a government scholarship. When he joined the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence 35 years ago, he met his wife, Daniela Buson. They danced together as soloists in Berlin and later as principals in companies all over the world: Scotland, England, Chile and all the major Italian companies.
Joining the Tulsa Ballet as artistic director threw Angelini into a completely different side of dance, but he says he saw the possibilities in his new city right away.
“Coming from the outside and having lived all over the world before arriving here, I could immediately see that this community had the potential to become something special. That presented an opportunity – that of being part of something bigger than all of us and the opportunity to be part of the growth and expansion of this region,” Angelini says.
Now, Angelini says, Tulsa is well-known for its ballet.
“Everybody knows the Tulsa Ballet. Today I can call any choreographer in the world and they know exactly who we are and what we do. Tulsa Ballet plays on the world stage,” Angelini says.
But that’s not to say that this transition happened right away. Angelini says when he began as artistic director, he inherited a good company with a very strong tradition. However, the company presented works that he called “introspective,” so he sought to expand the company’s repertoire to include the same works by choreographers that are presented in New York, Paris, London or Moscow. Because of Tulsa’s location nearly in the very center of a large country, this wasn’t always easy, but Angelini says he felt it important to bring all the top artists and best art works to Tulsa.
“That made us a player on the national and international scene, a role that we honored. Today, Tulsa Ballet not only presents the top works of the top dance makers in the world, but also creates new works and exports them all over the world,” Angelini says.[pullquote]I am one person, one member of a great team of visionary people who are not afraid to dream big and sweat hard to make the dream a reality.”[/pullquote]
To date, works created in Tulsa have been performed in South Korea, Germany, France, Turkey and more. Also, during the past 20 years, Tulsa Ballet has opened its own academy, the Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education. The academy boasts 380 students and continues to grow, Angelini says. The ballet has also built Studio K exclusively for the purpose of creating new works, expanded its dancers’ seasons to 40 weeks and taken the company on its first international tours.
“The only reason we were able to achieve these high goals is that all of us – board, staff and myself – were all on the same page, shared the same dreams, engineered ways to make them a reality, and achieved what we set out to accomplish,” Angelini says. “I am one person, one member of a great team of visionary people who are not afraid to dream big and sweat hard to make the dream a reality.”
This strong relationship with the entire team of the Tulsa Ballet is one of several reasons he has stayed in Tulsa and greatly enjoyed his job, Angelini says, and he also loves the city and its people.
“It’s a friendly community of smart, simple people – smart, visionary and adventurous,” Angelini says.
At home, Angelini says dance cannot be separated from life. Angelini’s wife, Daniela, is Tulsa Ballet’s ballet mistress, continuing to teach and coach the dancers. After watching his father dance growing up, beginning to dance professionally at 17, and meeting his wife while dancing, Angelini says dance and life are one and the same. On a larger scale, Angelini says the arts are hugely important for everything.
“Culturally, the arts are the human race’s DNA. Through the arts you can discover who we were, who we are and where we are going as a people. And the arts are also important for business,” Angelini says. “It’s the landscaping of a community. Did you ever see a magnificent house with shabby or no landscaping? Do you know of a great city in the world where there are no thriving arts? They complete the wholeness of a community, push and expand the cultural boundaries of a city, and greatly enhance the quality of life of the region.”
We’ve always romanticized the life of the cowboy. Waking up before sunrise, feeding livestock, riding horses, communing with nature. Certainly, these are components of the cowboy way, but thanks to technology, the role of the cowboy – or camp men, as we find out they are often called in “Ride for the Brand,” (p. 66) – is continually changing. Everything from data analysis to smartphone apps are making it easier to adapt to the changing needs of farmers and ranchers.
In February, a device named Moocall was named a nominee for London’s Design Museum Design of the Year 2015. Nominated alongside Google’s self-driving car and Norway’s newly redesigned banknotes, among others, Moocall hooks onto the tail of a pregnant cow and sends a text message when the cow’s ready to give birth. Designed by an Irish farmer, the device could help save the lives of cows and calves during the birthing process.
But is this the way of the modern farm or ranch?
No doubt that technology is a driving force in the way these operations run today; however, the job of the cowboy, the camp man, remains decidedly low-tech in some ways: There’s still cows to feed, fence to fix and, yes, calves to birth. As long as there is agriculture, there will be cowboys.
Also in this issue: Every year, studies put forth suggest that Oklahoma is a less-than-ideal state for women to live in. High incarceration rates for women combined with incidences of domestic violence and teen pregnancy often place Oklahoma near the top in rankings of the worst states for women. But there are countless advocates in the state helping to change those realities. In “A Woman’s World” (p. 72), writer Lindsay Cuomo visits five Oklahoma women who are hoping to change the conversation around this topic. We also talk to Oklahoma musicians about their craft and how this state has influenced what they do. And take a pie tour around the state to find out what spots are serving up the tastiest piece in “Just One More Slice” (p. 52).
It’s no coincidence that Oklahoma is home to some of the most iconic personalities and institutions in American cowboy culture. From the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum to the nation’s most famous cowboy, Will Rogers, Oklahoma has a long and storied history of bravos and broncos.
And if you think the dust settled long ago on cowboys in the Sooner state, think again. Oklahoma hosts scores of major ranching operations, providing support for everything from agritourism to a large chunk of the national beef industry. Many of these ranches’ histories – and their cowboys’ – date as far back as the chaotic years following the Civil War.
The Heart of Cowboy Culture
The Stuart Ranch in south-central Oklahoma is one such operation. The oldest ranch in the state under continuous family ownership, Stuart Ranch sprawls from the tallgrass prairies of Bryan and Atoka counties for more than 100 miles to Jefferson and Stephens counties. Headquartered in Waurika, the business was founded in 1868 by pioneer Robert Clay Feeney, a judge in Indian Territory.
The ranch hosts a large cattle herd, mostly Black Baldies and straight Herefords. The herd divides its time between the original location of the ranch near Caddo in the fall and Jefferson and Stephens counties in the spring. In addition to serving as the base of the business, the Waurika branch of the ranch is home to the family’s show horse and broodmare operations. The cowboys use the horses not only to work cattle on the ranch, but to also participate in competitive events. The ranch functions as a farm as well, supporting more than 3,000 acres of farm for wheat pastures.
Photo by Dan Morgan.
Photo by Dan Morgan.
Photo by Dan Morgan.
Photo by Dan Morgan.
“Diversity helps us through the economic ups and downs of the livestock business,” adds Terry Stuart Forst, “so hunting and outfitting are also part of our ranch operations.”
Forst is the current matriarch of the Stuart Ranch. She grew up with an affinity for the ranch life, majoring in animal science at Oklahoma State University. But in 1992, she suddenly found herself widowed with two young sons and being tapped to take over operations from her father. She went back to school, this time to learn the business side of the family’s ranching empire. Today, she is one of the most respected ranchers in the business, and was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2007.[pullquote]Agriculture is a huge part of Oklahoma, both in her history and today.”[/pullquote]
But even under Forst’s dynamic leadership, running an operation the size of Stuart Ranch takes a dedicated team.
“My sons, Robert and Clay, are the sixth generation to work on our operation,” she says.
And then, of course, there are those vaqueros of lore: the cowboys of Stuart Ranch.
Mike Armitage operates A Bar Ranch, a large cattle operation east of Tulsa.
Cowboys over the generations have left their marks on the business, although these days, a cowboy there goes by the moniker of “camp man.” The ranch is home to four camps, and the camp men, each of whom is responsible for all activities at his location, oversee care of the cows, the land and the fences. Gone are the days of the chuck wagon; the ranch provides each camp man with a house, a pick-up truck with a trailer, horses and working facilities for the cattle. According to Forst, the family’s methods of working cattle have changed little throughout the generations, and the famous work ethic of the traditional cowboy is still a must.
“Many of the older ways of working cattle still are the best,” Forst says. “What has changed is the number of good hands. The best hands probably grew up working cattle, know how to work with a crew, know where to be and how to stay out of the way. Growing up in this culture, one learns about hard work, doing a job right the first time, not quitting ‘til the job is done, manners, respect for people and animals, and strong family values … Cowboys today on this ranch will still care for their cattle, feed during the winter, calve heifers and fix fence and water gaps. At this ranch, the willingness and ability to do whatever needs to be done is a necessity.”
Forst is as passionate about the impact of cowboy culture on her home state as one might expect from someone so steeped in its history.
“Agriculture is a huge part of Oklahoma, both in her history and today,” she says.
“ … I think cowboys did and do shape our culture by their values and ethics. We have been taught that our word is our bond. We are taught to help others in need. Family and friends are important, and you ride for the brand, so loyalty and dedication are not questioned. The cowboy culture never gives up. We have the joy of being in God’s creation every day and are so appreciative of the beautiful days … This is often a life, not a job.”
It’s Always Been About the Land and the Livestock
Across the state at the A Bar Ranch in Claremore, Mike and Martha Armitage also have felt the pull of the land in Oklahoma. The couple knows well what it means to be dedicated to the brand; prior to taking over the ranch in 1959, each of them grew up on their own families’ ranches. Today, the Armitage family lives in a 1904 homestead on the original ranch, initially owned by the Rucker family.
“This operation was started from a partnership with a great-aunt in 1959,” Mike Armitage says. “Its growth was fueled only by a desire and love of livestock and the lifestyle and freedom of working on the land. Both Martha’s and my siblings are in agriculture and cattle production. Our oldest son, Merrit, manages our Mayes County ranches, and our other son, Turner, is a senior at Oklahoma State University studying animal science.”
In time gone by, the A Bar was known as the Rucker Ranch, after the original land allotment to Frank and Dora Rucker in the 1880s. The Ruckers were among the first ranchers to settle in northeast Oklahoma, along with Clement Rogers, father of Oklahoma’s favorite native son, Will Rogers. In 1883, Armitage says, four ranchers (including Rucker and Rogers) settled near modern-day Claremore. In that time, the district was home to some 20,000 head of cattle, and during the early part of the 20th century, the Cowboy Poet himself did time as a ranch hand at what would eventually become the A Bar. Rogers often included the Rucker Ranch in his Wild West shows, and the bond between the families was strong. Together, the cowboys of northeast Oklahoma rode for the brand of their respective ranches and worked the individual grazing districts zoned around their base from the chuck wagon.
Photo by Dan Morgan.
Photo by Dan Morgan.
Photo by Dan Morgan.
Over the years, the Rucker Ranch evolved into a 22,500-acre empire stretching east of Claremore. Today, on that same land, the cowboys of A Bar Ranch work a cowherd of 1,500 head, mostly Angus, as well as other cattle the Armitage family breed and graze. In addition to cattle operations, A Bar is home to 100 American Quarter Horse Association broodmares.
Armitage says that the day-to-day duties of the modern cowboy often change with the season. In the winter, cattle require nutritional protein boosts to combat the cold climate. In the spring, cowboys have their hands full with calving season and with protecting newborn calves from Oklahoma’s severe storms. During the summer and fall months, the cattle are bred, branded and vaccinated. There is never a slow moment in the life of a cowboy.[pullquote]… Cowboy-ing today involves all the same skill sets of sorting, roping and riding from the 1880s, with a controlled environment of artificial breeding, tighter calving periods and shorter grazing seasons.”[/pullquote]
While some methods have evolved over the years, the iconic image of the cowboy on horseback is an essential component of modern ranching operations. Armitage agrees with Forst that traditional cattle-working methods have endured the test of time since the era of Oklahoma’s original cowboys.
“The basic principle remains the same of cow care,” he says. “ … Larger operations continue to utilize cowboys on horseback for cattle handling. The handling of cattle on horseback is an inherited art form from our predecessors of the plains.”
In many ways, however, the operations of the modern cowboy have been transformed in recent years. While Forst credits the advent of technology as a primary game-changer for such cowboy duties as animal care especially, Armitage notes other developments in operations as well.
“Like all of agriculture, [ranching] has become increasingly productive,” he says.“ … Cowboy-ing today involves all the same skill sets of sorting, roping and riding from the 1880s, with a controlled environment of artificial breeding, tighter calving periods and shorter grazing seasons.”
Call them cowboys or camp men, the cowboys of Oklahoma continue to be the backbone on which the state’s history and culture is built.
“Oklahoma’s favorite son, Will Rogers, gave cowboys and cattlemen an opportunity and image that lives on,” Armitage says. “The independence of ranching and the cowboy lifestyle portrayed throughout generations continue to thrive today.”
“Yes, this job pays the bills, which we need it to do,” says Forst. “But a love and passion for the land, the livestock, raising our children with strong morals and work ethics, and getting to watch the sun come up between a horse’s ears are the reasons we choose this life.”
Musical roots run deep in Oklahoma. From Depression-era folk and Western Swing to modern urban-inflected pop, seemingly unrelated genres and subgenres assume the shape of strands on one giant geographical genome of artistic expression
JD McPherson’s latest album, Let The Good Times Roll, is attracting international attention. Photo by Sarah Hess.
Case in point: JD McPherson, the Broken Arrow-based singer-songwriter whose sophomore album, Let the Good Times Roll, has garnered much in the way of national recognition this year. He performed the title track on David Letterman’s show in February. Meanwhile, the video for an earlier single, “North Side Gal,” approaches 2 million views on YouTube.
Either song serves as a fine entry point to McPherson’s no-nonsense, unapologetically upbeat style, which might best be described as pure rock ‘n’ roll. His sound is characterized by a sincerity – a refreshing absence of irony or condescension – that is mirrored in his polite and down-to-earth manner of speaking.[pullquote]The state has produced so many brilliant musicians, and it’s got such a nice stew of different folks making music.”[/pullquote]
His humility extends to a conscious awareness of his place in a long line of musical icons with origins in Oklahoma, including luminaries like Big Al Downing, Wanda Jackson and Chet Baker.
“The state has produced so many brilliant musicians, and it’s got such a nice stew of different folks making music,” he says. “I’m very proud to be operating in that field with these folks.”
Surprising connections emerge within that field. McPherson recalls learning that his aunt’s piano was tuned by Eldon Shamblin, who made his name as a guitarist for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys during the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. Supplementing his income in later years by tuning pianos and teaching music – “all part of the gig” for a working musician, McPherson adds – Shamblin nevertheless continued practicing his craft.
“I saw him play a few times,” McPherson says. “It was incredible.”
Given the heavy influence of early, pre-British Invasion rock on McPherson’s sound – and of the earlier genres that fed into it – his awareness of musicians like Shamblin is hardly surprising. But his sources of inspiration are by no means limited to the state or even the country. He recently experienced a surreal moment when one of his heroes, the English singer-songwriter Nick Lowe, sat in with his band onstage at the Islington Assembly Hall in London.
“I looked over at him, and it just dawned on me that I’m onstage playing with Nick Lowe,” he says. “Those moments are strange because you’re comparing an experience that’s happening right now with something that you’ve been building up in your brain since you were 15 years old. All of a sudden those memories come flooding back.”
Flooding back from a not inconsiderable distance: McPherson grew up in southeastern Oklahoma under fairly isolated rural circumstances that allowed him a great deal of time to learn about music, he says – a career trajectory that begins on a 160-acre cattle ranch.
Surely this plays into a popular image of Oklahoma – one that, for better or for worse, haunts the nationwide collective consciousness.
The Hon. Sharon Holmes was sworn in as the first female black judge in Tulsa County. Photo by Dan Morgan.
Making History, Impacting Lives
Judge Sharon Holmes took an unlikely path to becoming the first female black district judge in Tulsa County.
“I started law school late in life,” admits Holmes. “I didn’t go to law school until I was 40.”
Holmes received her bachelor’s degree on an ROTC scholarship and then spent six years in the Air Force on the security police force. After being stationed in Montana and two tours in Germany, Holmes decided it was time for a different phase of life.
“I decided to focus on being a mother,” shares Holmes.
Inspired by a friend years earlier, Holmes enrolled at Oklahoma City University in 1996. She graduated three years later and went to work for the Tulsa County District Attorney’s office as an assistant D.A. In 2003, Holmes ventured into private practice. This past November all that changed.
“When I was in private practice, I hadn’t thought about being a judge,” confesses Holmes. “Friends planted that seed, and over time the idea started to appeal to me.”
[pullquote]When you see an individual that everyone else has given up on use the tools given to them to complete their probation or program and come out a better person, that is what inspires me.”[/pullquote]
In a few whirlwind months, that idea became a reality. She filed to run in February 2014 and was officially sworn in on Jan. 12, 2015.
“It took about 30 minutes to get us all sworn in, and then we all went straight to work,” remembers Holmes. “I don’t think I can express how humbled I am to get this position. It is a big responsibility, and the people of Tulsa County deserve a person who understands that and will always do the right thing. When the people of a community show you that confidence, I have a heavy burden to do my best.”
Holmes believes her unique position and life experiences allow her to help those in great need who enter her courtroom.
“People typically look at the criminal system as the worst, but there are successes that come out of it,” says Holmes. “The position I am in now gives me a little more authority to get them the resources they need.
“When you see an individual that everyone else has given up on use the tools given to them to complete their probation or program and come out a better person, that is what inspires me,” explains Holmes. “When you see people come out a success, I relish that.”
As a woman and a mother, Holmes prefers to utilize alternative services rather than a prison sentence, where appropriate.
“Unfortunately, there are people who need jail time,” says Holmes. “But for others, there are wonderful programs that teach life skills and drug treatment to help them reincorporate into society as a valuable contributor.”
When she takes off the robe, Holmes educates youth on the judiciary process. Many of her friends and family feel she is a role model for women. Her life motto is if you want something you can get it by working hard.
“You don’t always have to do things in a traditional way,” encourages Holmes.
In March, Death Cab for Cutie released its most recent album, Kintsugi. Continuing a world tour promoting new music and old favorites, high demand and a large fan base has the band consistently adding new shows to its lineup. With fairly constant success in the alternative rock music scene since its conception 1997, Death Cab’s most popular pieces include “Company Calls” from We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes (2000), “Movie Script Ending” from The Photo Album (2001) “The New Year” from Transatlanticism (2003), “Soul Meets Body” from Plans (2005), “Doors Unlock and Open” from Codes and Keys (2011). The band’s latest album is also getting positive feedback; Rolling Stones said it was the band’s “survival record … a heart-wrenching honest record.” See for yourself on Friday, April 24 when Death Cab is joined by AWOLNATION and Robert DeLong on Tulsa’s Brady Theater stage. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.bradytheater.com.
The hilarious and innovative duo Penn & Teller will be at Tulsa’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Friday, April 24. Magicians at heart with comedy as a sidekick, Penn & Teller have been creating and perfecting their own niche in the entertainment industry since their arrival on the scene almost four decades ago. While the two talents look very different in appearance, with Penn doing all the telling and Teller completely silent, they have formed one cohesive act where neither showman is as potent solo. Arriving on Broadway stages, appearing on top television shows and starring in their own television specials, they continue earning laughs while shocking fans with their innovative magic. Their Tulsa show at The Joint is turning out to be a hot commodity. Door will open at 7 p.m., and Penn & Teller will take the stage at 8. For more information, visit www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com.
“We knew we had to make another album, but it took us a while,” Modest Mouse drummer Jeremiah Green told USA Today in a March interview. In the absence of a new record, the band members kept busy writing music, touring, practicing and focusing on other music related efforts, Eric Judy, the founding bassist, would even find his exit somewhere in there. On March 13, fans anxiously awaiting the release of new music got what they were waiting for with Modest Mouse’s sixth studio album, Strangers to Ourselves. On Friday, April 24, Modest Mouse’s current roster that includes Isaac Brock, lead vocals, guitar, banjo and keyboards; Lisa Molinaro, strings, vocals and keyboards; Tom Peloso, upright bass, trumpet, keyboard, fiddle; Jim Fairchild, guitar and vocals; Jeremiah Green, drums and percussion; and Russell Higbee, bass upright bass and guitar, will perform at Oklahoma’s Diamond Ballroom. Joined by Morning Teleportation, the show will begin at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.diamondballroom.net.
This strong relationship with the entire team of the Tulsa Ballet is one of several reasons he has stayed in Tulsa and greatly enjoyed his job, Angelini says, and he also loves the city and its people.
