OKC FRIDAY Vol. 58 No. 19 • One Section • 16 pages •September 13, 2024 $1 per copy
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving affluent far north Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills and The Village for 50 years
Canterbury 24-25 season begins with premiere
John F. Kennedy Awards honorees are announced
Canterbury Voices, Oklahoma City’s largest and oldest choir, announces its 2024-2025 season, featuring one world premiere, one Oklahoma premiere, and a holiday concert filled with new and traditional music, a festive beginning to the holiday season. Under the artistic leadership of Dr. Julie Yu, Canterbury Voices begins its season with the world premiere of Chickasaw composer Jerod Tate and his work, Loksi’ Shaali’ (Shell Shaker), the first opera composed entirely in an American Indian language. Shell Shaker makes its world premiere with guest conductor Tianhui Ng and the OKC Philharmonic at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. Joining Canterbury are five nationally-recognized American Indian opera singers. “Canterbury is thrilled to debut Jerod Tate’s amazing opera,”
By Rose Lane Editor
See SEASON, Page 5
The Lewises in their brightest orange, cheering on their Oklahoma State Cowboys, from left, Bauer Lewis, Les Thomas (OSU hype man) with Jodi and David Lewis. Jodi is the president and CEO of Leadership Oklahoma.
Game day!
Marilyn Luper Hildreth, daughter of civil rights pioneer Clara Luper, local journalist Ali Meyer, the Trae Young Family Foundation, and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt are to be honored during the 2024 John F. Kennedy Community Service Awards Gala. Luper is to receive the Mark Ruffin Lifetime Achievement Award. The event is set for 7 p.m., Sept. 19 in the Meinders Hall of Mirrors at the Civic Center, 201 N. Walker Ave. A VIP cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. The John F. Kennedy Awards celebrate Oklahomans whose philanthropy has served the community in impactful ways. Proceeds from the gala support the Santa Fe Family Life Center (SFFLC) in its mission to provide community through inclusive and accessible programs for individuals with disabilities, veterans and underresourced youth. “This year’s John F. Kennedy Community Service Award honorees have made an indelible mark on their communities, offering hope and championing the greater See AWARDS, Page 4
Irish break AP record
Braden and Betty Jane Garrett used their son’s tickets to watch the Oklahoma Sooners. Send us your game day photos and any traditions you have. Email those to rose@okcfriday.com.
OKC FRIDAY: Fabulous at 50
It’s a true community newspaper By Richard Hefton Retired President, Editor and Publisher Oklahoma County Newspapers, Inc. Retired Commanding General Oklahoma Air National Guard Congratulations on 50 years of publishing a true “local community newspaper,” and a tribute to its founder’s vision of a news service void overlooked by the so-called “smart money” in the industry. Leland Gourley was one of a small circle of my mentors as an apprentice publisher and in time we would become partners in publishing ventures and commercial newspaper printing operations.
From my first association with Leland to the end, when asked, I always said “Leland Gourley has a thousand ideas a day, and a few of them might work?” Certainly, those he pursued actually succeeded, as has FRIDAY, to the everlasting benefit to the northwest metro community! FRIDAY has maintained sound journalistic management with a mission to identify and solidify a community. The goal to publish 1,000 local names in each edition and useful community news has been a major contribution to the 50-year success. And determined insistence on giving the news the market “needs,” the staff has never forgotten to give their readers the news they
The results of the spring Advanced Placement exams are in, and McGuinness continues to excel with a total of 127 students named AP Scholars, the largest number of McGuinness students to ever receive the honor. This is up 4 percent from 2023.
In May, 324 BMCHS students took 650 exams in 24 subjects with a record 87% of students earning a passing score of 3 or higher. In the class of 2024, 75 percent of BMCHS graduates took an Advanced Placement exam, while the See IRISH, Page 5
FRIDAY’s Dog of the Week Cooper was adopted from the Humane Society on Western back in 2015. His dads are Steve Kochenower and Kyle Impson. He loves to sit out on the back deck to patrol for squirrels crossing the yard. He also likes walks to the park with our son Kash and spends his time indoors cuddling his favorite toys. His tongue is always hanging out just a smidge and “howl-talks” when he gets excited about something i.e. dinner, walks, getting out of the car etc. Email Pet of the Week submissions to rose@okcfriday.com.