OKC FRIDAY Vol. 56 No. 47 • One Section • 14 pages • May 5, 2023
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Congratulations graduates! OKC FRIDAY will publish its annual Class of 2023 edition on May 26. To place a special salute to your favorite graduate, see the form on Page 12.
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Donated property for Habitat ‘cluster’ home draws mixed reactions By Eric Oesch Staff Writer When members of Our Lord’s Lutheran Church presented their plans to donate a portion of their property to Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity to The Village City Council last September it was met with enthusiasm from council members. At the time, Mayor Sonny
Wilkinson and Councilman David Glover suggested the possibility of constructing up to four “cluster” homes, similar to homes constructed in the Hawthorne neighborhood, on the donated church site. “The part of our property we want to donate had never been used except as a softball field years ago,” Tom Ziebell, a 32-year church member,
told the council last fall. “We believe part of our church’s mission is to our community, and because of our involvement with Habitat, we decided donating the land to provide affordable housing to deserving families would help fulfill that mission.” Earlier this month residents living near the proposed Habitat for Humanity home sites voiced both their
concerns and support for the project during a packed public hearing held by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The commission met to consider a Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning request from Habitat for Humanity for undeveloped property directly south of Our Lord’s Lutheran Church, which is located south of Hefner Road and
east of Major Avenue. Mark Zitzow, AICP, with Johnson & Associates summarized the proposed project by telling the commission, “Four homes would be constructed on smaller lots featuring homes with an average square footage of 1,1001,300 with construction and materials costs between See VILLAGE, Page 5
Carl Edwards is inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame By Rose Lane Editor
ing concert with selections from Broadway to opera to classical. Come and join the celebration!” Crescendo is Ellefson’s final performance, after 19 season as artistic director of Canterbury Voices. “This concert is a fitting way to honor Randi during his final concert with Canterbury. As the
Called an “Oklahoma civic giant” Carl Edwards was among five Chickasaws inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame. They were chosen for their selfless leadership, civic endeavors and unparalleled accomplishments. Induction into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed upon citizens of the Chickasaw Nation. The other inductees included longtime Chickasaw legislator Linda Briggs; First American author, advocate and profesCARL EDWARDS sor Amanda CobbGreetham; and master basket weaver and cultural icon Sue Fish. Benjamin (Ben) Horace Colbert, a rough rider in the Spanish-American War and Chickasaw tribal servant leader under Governor Douglas Johnston, was honored posthumously. “Each of these accomplished individuals utilized their unique talents to enrich our society and make positive contributions to the Chickasaw Nation and the world in which we
See CRESCENDO, Page 13
See EDWARDS, Page 5
Sunday in OKC! Above: Enjoying some delicacies at the Arts Council of OKC’s Festival of the Arts are Jeff and Shannon Lockwood. At right: Kari Watkins, president and CEO of the OKC National Memorial and Museum, right, stops by Gorilla Hill, between the sixth and seventh mile of the National Memorial Marathon, to visit with Board Chairman John Kennedy and Vice Chairman Susan Chambers. The Run to Remember, as well as sunny skies for the festival, brought many to downtown.
Crescendo is Canterbury artistic director’s final bow Canterbury Voices bids farewell to its longest-serving artistic director with an evening filled with music at Crescendo on Thursday, May 19 at 7 p.m. in the Oklahoma History Center’s Devon Great Hall in Oklahoma City. The event begins with cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m., an open bar, food and a live jazz combo, led by jazz pianist, Mike Turner.
The Canterbury Chamber Voices, a select 20-member ensemble is to provide a program of music beginning at 7:30 p.m. “It is so exciting to bring back the amazing sound of the Canterbury Chamber Voices to the beautiful Oklahoma History Center,” said Artistic Director Dr. Randi Von Ellefson. “This ensemble will present an excit-
FRIDAY’s
Dog of the Week ZoZo, the one-eyed Greyhound, enjoys long naps on the couch , in her bed and in her humans’ bed. She is truly a nap and snack queen. Her humans. Callie and Rachel Ware. sure are in love with their sweet girl. Email Dog, Cat, Pet and Baby of the Week nominations with complete descriptions to rose@okcfriday.com. Submissions are used in the order they are received.
OKCPHIL to celebrate Clara Luper By Mark Beutler OKCPHIL Director of Marketing & Public Relations Before Alexander Mickelthwate moved to Oklahoma City five years ago, one of the first things he did was begin studying Oklahoma’s history. As the music director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Mickelthwate wanted to gain some insight into his new community. During his research, one name that kept recurring was civil rights leader Clara Luper. “As a kid growing up in
Germany, I idolized America,” Mickelthwate said. “The culture intrigued me and I was inspired by the civil rights movement in the 1950s and ‘60s. Rosa Parks, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.—what an inspiration they were, and what a legacy they left behind. Not just a legacy of equality, but a legacy of peace and love. And with Clara Luper, Oklahoma City had its own civil rights icon.” Upon his arrival in Oklahoma City, Mickelthwate set up a lunch meeting with See LUPER, Page 10