OKC FRIDAY Vol. 56 No. 20 • One Section • 14 pages • October 7, 2022
$1 per copy
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills, The Village, Quail Creek, The Greens and Gaillardia for 48 years
Church donates property to Habitat By Eric Oesch Staff Writer Our Lords Lutheran Church is a small church with a big heart and a mission to help members of their community. For the past 15 years, church members have volunteered for Central Habitat for Humanity building homes and assisting with critical home repair projects. Now the congregation wants to donate church property that was once used as a softball field to Habitat for Humanity to build two, maybe four homes, so deserving families can have affordable housing. Our Lords Lutheran Church has humble beginnings when in 1959 it first met at Casady School. It wasn’t until 1963 that the church purchased property at 2900 W. Hefner Road and built the current
Habitat for Humanity hopes to build homes on the Our Lords Lutheran Church property which are similar to those in Legacy Gardens near Wilshire and Kelley Avenue.
home. Today 25-30 people attend 10:30 a.m .Sunday church services. “The part of our property we want to donate had never been used except as a softball field years ago,” said Tom Ziebell, a 32year church member. “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 deserv-
Our Lords Community Church, located off of Hefner Road, wants to donate property to Habitat for Humanity.
ing families would help fulfill that mission. “Over the years, many in our congregation have worked on Habitat projects,” he said. “We’re an older congregation, so the participation from members on the construction of the new homes to be built on the property will be limited. However, when the families move into the new homes, we will welcome them as neighbors and help in any way we can.” Habitat for Humanity CEO Ann Felton said her group was “thrilled when we were approached by Our Lords Lutheran Church about donating land to construct Habitat homes.” Felton started as a volunteer with Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity in 1990.
- Photos by Eric Oesch
See HABITAT, Page 2
Shirley to retire; Fitzgerald taking reins of Cowboy By Rose Lane Editor
PAT FITZGERALD
NATALIE SHIRLEY
Natalie Shirley, president and CEO of The Cowboy since January 2018, is stepping down following a five-year tenure. Pat Fitzgerald is her successor. Shirley announced her plans to the museum board in April, and a national search for her replace-
PCN honored for college preparedness By Rose Lane Editor Putnam City North High School was honored with the national College Success Award from greatschools.org. Putnam City Superintendent Dr. Fred Rhodes said the award recognizes public high schools which prepare students to enroll and succeed in college. “It’s presented nationally to
FRIDAY’s Dog
more than 1,700 schools, but only 90 in our state,” he said during his report to the district’s Board of Education. “We’re extremely proud of all of the students and staff at PC North for this great award.” GreatSchools is the leading nonprofit providing high-quality information that supports parents pursuing a great education for their child, schools striving for excellence, and communities working to diminish inequities in education.
of the Week
This just in from Boone Skittles Fudge’s humans: He is actually a 2-year-old Aussiedoodle (rather than a Labradoodle as reported in the September 30 issue of OKC FRIDAY) who is protective but very affectionate, jovial and stubborn and makes friends wherever he goes. Boone was named after OSU benefactor T. Boone Pickens and his middle name was coined by his 3-year-old brother at the time. His humans are Taylor, Colette, Jack, Ben and Will Fudge.
ment began shortly after. “It was always my intention to be here four to five years,” said Shirley. “I love this museum, and I have loved working with the incredible board and staff we have here, but I was brought in to accomplish specific goals and tasks which I have done. The timing is right for new leadership to take the reins and build on the
achievements we’ve been fortunate to accomplish during my time here.” During Shirley’s term, the museum has experienced consistent success and significant growth. Major projects completed during her tenure include the completion of Liichokoshkomo’, See COWBOY, Page 13
Alliance opening doors to kitchens The Oklahoma County Medical Society Alliance presents its 30th Alliance Kitchen Tour on Sunday, Oct. 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Six Nichols Hills-area homes are to be featured on this year’s tour with a special focus on their stunning kitchen designs. Tickets are $20 each and available online at ocmsalliance.org and in-store at Culinary Kitchen and Home, located at 7222 N. Western Ave. The annual Kitchen Tour is the alliance’s primary fundraiser. This year, the alliance has selected Keaton’s Kindness Foundation (K Club) and the Health Alliance for the Uninsured (HAU) as the 2022 beneficiaries. The K Club supports pediatric cancer patients who are treated at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital and the Jimmy Everest Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and their families through financial assistance and random acts of kindness. HAU assists Oklahomans seeking basic health care, mental health, vision, dental and women’s health care, and it guides Medicaid enrollment to improve individual and community health outcomes. “Alliance members are dedicated to promoting community health initiatives throughout Oklahoma County,” said kitchen tour co-chairman Tessa Wicks. “The Kitchen Tour provides a great way for our
Mark and Diane Harvey are to open up their newly-remodeled kitchen on this year's Oct. 23 tour.
group to pull together and support important organizations, and we are thrilled to support K Club and HAU this year.” In addition, the annual Kitchen Tour helps fund year-round alliance community service initiatives, in which the organization donates food, funds, goods and volunteer hours to organizations in Oklahoma County. The Alliance Kitchen Tour See TOUR, Page 13