NATHAN HALE ALUMNI FOUNDATION -Faculty News

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MARJORY L. YOUNG, one of the first faculty members to open Nathan Hale High School, has died following a short illness.

Marjory graduated from Oklahoma A&M College in 1939 and took her first teaching job at Pioneer School in Bison, OK. She then took jobs in Nowata and Bristow before coming to Roosevelt Junior High School. She taught physical education and was dean of girls until Nathan Hale was built. Leib Richmond, first principle of Nathan Hale selected Marjory to be part of the first staff. Marjory taught English and was a part-time counselor the first year but became a full time counselor for the rest of her 43 years of teaching.

Marjory touched the lives of so many young people and wrote countless numbers of recommendation letters for seniors to get into their college of choice. Her students wrote notes of appreciation while still in high school and later after they graduated from law school, medical school, military academies as well as those who followed their own dreams of becoming an educator, an actor, a journalism professional, an athlete or sports coach and one who was an entrepreneur in the food service industry.

Marjory seemed to never forget a student and many times when a former student would ask the inevitable question "do you remember me?" Marjory could often tell them where they sat in class and some personal anecdote that she remembered. Some of Marjory's students became life long friends and colleagues.

Marjory was an avid sports fan all of her life. Those who knew her will remember her fierce loyalty to her home school, the OSU Cowboys. She played basketball on a league and also bowled. She always attended Nathan Hale games. After she retired, she continued her love of sports through television coverage. She loved tennis, basketball, baseball, football and golf.

Marjory was an excellent cook, took painting lessons after she retired and painted many beautiful gifts for her friends. Marjory loved words all of her life. She read extensively and was herself a gifted writer. Some of Marjory's Principals drew on Marjory's skill in letter writing as well as writing school memos and bulletins. Marjory wrote poetry and those who had birthdays or retired were gifted by humorous poems written by Marjory.

She was a music major and loved music. She performed at the faculty talent show by playing her guitar and singing and dancing with Laurene Hager or Jim Petty. Her students loved it and appreciated her for participating.

Marjory was born January 31, 1918 to Ethyl and George Young in Hunter, OK. She is the last surviving member of her family; 3 brothers, Everett, Brown, and Gene; and 2 sisters, Minnie Lee and Marianne, preceded her in death. She is survived by her companion of 62 years, Pauline Thurmond of the home, also by special friend, Rita Newell.

She is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews as well as many friends including special friends from Oklahoma City, Earlene Stains who knew Marjory almost all of her life and Helen Wilson.

She will be missed by many friends and former students. A Funeral service will be held in her honor on Friday, November 2, at 7 p.m., in the Moore's Eastlawn Chapel. Graveside committal service will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m., in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Enid, OK, under the direction of Moore's Eastlawn Chapel, 622-1155.

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Published in the Tulsa World on 11/1/2007.

Coach Jim Smith

Nathan Hale High School

1969-1979

Jim Smith was a teacher and football coach at Nathan Hale. His career at Nathan Hale began as social studies teacher and assistant football coach 1969. He became Rangers' head football coach in 1972 and remained there through the 1979-80 school year. Coach Smith died on Thanksgiving day, 1994, after a twelve year struggle with heart disease and a year after a heart transplant. His son, Chris, and daughter-in-law, Melanie Lock, were both Nathan Hale graduates, class of 1977 & 1978, respectively. His family still holds memories of Nathan Hale High School close to their heart.

Obituary -- November 28, 1994, Tulsa Oklahoma
James L. 'Jim' Smith, 58, former Hale and Catoosa football coach and McDonnell Douglas worker, died Nov. 24 at St. Francis Hospital. Services were held Nov. 28 at the Yale Avenue Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Lynn Simpson officiating. Burial was in Bixby Cemetery under the direction of Jack Selby, Bixby Funeral Home. Pallbearers were John Bensinger, Emmett Hahn, Merrick Harmon, Floyd Harrawood, Rodney Replogle and Marion Watkins. Honorary pallbearers were Mo Hogan, Bob Brumble, Mitch Gardner, Marc Brumble and Jackie Robertson.

Smith was born Sept. 29, 1936, at Tulsa. A native Tulsan, Jim graduated from Tulsa Central High School and attended Oklahoma State University and Northeastern State University where he was a member of the N Club and President's Honor Roll. He was a member of the NSU National Championship football team in 1958. He received his BS degree in 1959 and a Masters of Education degree in 1961. He was a member of the Yale Avenue Presbyterian Church, Brookside Masonic Lodge, Tulsa Scottish Rite and U.A.W.

Jim started his football coaching career at Ysleta High School in El Paso, Texas in 1959. In 1963 he coached the Manzanola, Colorado football team to a state playoff during his first year as the head coach.

In 1972 he became head football coach at Hale High School in Tulsa. During that first season he coached his team to win the Oklahoma State Football Championship. In 1973 he was chosen by the Tulsa World as District and State Football Coach of the Year. That same year he received the Oklahoma Athletic Association Coach of the Year award. He went on to lead his team to championship games for eight more years. In 1980 he left coaching and joined McDonnell Douglas.

In 1982 he returned to coaching to coach the Oklahoma Thunder semi-professional football team. In 1984 he became head football coach at Catoosa High School where he coached for two year before retiring. After retiring he returned to McDonnell Douglas. He retired from McDonnell Douglas in 1993 and began working as a volunteer with the National Kidney Foundation and the Tulsa Heart Transplant Center.

Jim was preceded in death by his father, Woodrow W. Smith. Surviving are his wife Shari, of the home; a son, Chris, and daughter-in-law, Melanie, of Duncan, OK, his mother, Wanda Smith of Tulsa, and two grandchildren, Ashlee and Jared Smith.

Tulsa World 8/19/07

Donna G. NANCE, born July 24, 1922, in Topeka, KS, died Thursday, July 19, 2007. A Central High School graduate, with a BFA from OU and a MA from TU.

She taught at Tulsa Central, Nathan Hale, and Memorial High Schools and Whitney Middle School.

An avid actress, she appeared for over 40 years at TU, the Tulsa Little Theater, American Theater Company, Tulsa Spotlighters, Discovery Land, and Gaslight Dinner Theater. Predeceased by her husband, Kenneth Nance.

She is survived by a son, a daughter, a brother and his family. Service is 2:30 pm, Tuesday, August 21st, at Memorial Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the ASPCA in lieu of flowers.

1964

DAVIDA PHILLIPS, age 89, of Yukon, passed away Friday, May 4, 2007 in Yukon, Oklahoma.

She was born May 13, 1917 near Skiatook, OK and had been living in Yukon for the last 5 years, coming here from Tulsa. She had spent most of her life in NE Oklahoma, "Green Country". Davida was an educator with a Masters degree in Biology and had over 41 years of experience.

She had taught high school at several places including Nathan Hale in Tulsa and Tulsa Rogers, before spending 13 years as a Professor at SE Missouri State University, from where she retired. She is survived by two sisters, both of Yukon.

A Graveside service will be held at 2 pm, Tuesday, May 8th in Rose Hill Memorial Park in Tulsa. You may sign our online guest book at www.smith-turnermortuary.com.

Shirrell Finley-Davis, 60, died on Sunday, September 24, 2006. Mrs. Davis was born on October 8, 1045 in Anadarko, Oklahoma.

She earned her Bachelor and Master's degrees from the University of Oklahoma. While at OU she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, which she remained active and involved with until her death. She taught school at Skelly Junior High and Nathan Hale High School for 28 years before retiring in 1995. She was also an active member of Southern Hills United Methodist Church.

She is survived by her husband of 30 year, two sons, a daughter and three grand-children, a sister-in-law, a nephew, along with a very close family friend who she referred to as her "sister". She was preceded in death by her parents.

The family would like to celebrate Shirrell's love and dedication to the University of Oklahoma along with her tremendous passion for Sooner football by requesting that memorials be made to the Gamma Phi Beta (PSI Chapter) at the University of Oklahoma, or to the University of Oklahoma Foundation, Norman , OK, or the charity of one's choice.

The Alumni Foundation has received a request for information about Mr. Don Johnson. He taught Chemistry at Hale during the late 70's. If you have any info that we can post or pass along, please send it to info@nathanhalealumni.org

The Alumni Foundation has received a request for information about Coach Mike Beard. If you have any info that we can post or pass along, please send it to info@nathanhalealumni.org

from the 1965 Patriot yearbook

James Larry "Bear" SMITH, retired Tulsa Public School Educator and National Guard pilot died on Thursday, June 15, 2006, after a courageous battle with cancer. Service will be on Monday, June 19, 2006, at 29th and Yale Church of Christ with a graveside Military burial at Okemah Highland Park, Okemah, OK.

Smith was born on November 6, 1932, in Okemah. Preceding him in death were his parents, Col. James O. and Natalie Dossey-Smith. Smith is survived by a loving family, his wife, 2 daughters, a son, 7 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, 2 brothers, and a sister.

After graduating from Okemah High School, he served in the 508 Airborne Division as a Paratrooper. His service to his country included 40 years as a fixed wing and helicopter pilot in the Oklahoma National Guard, retiring on his 60th birthday, as a Chief Warrant Officer/Major.

Smith's education and coaching career began with graduate degrees from Central State College and Northeastern University. Smith played college football at Oklahoma A&M and Central State College. He taught and coached at Pauls Valley, Okemah, Nathan Hale, Webster and East Central, where he retired as Vice Principal. He received "Coach of the Year" Award in 1966.

Smith was a long time member of the Church of Christ. His retired years were spent playing golf, fishing and enjoying his family and friends.

Published in the Tulsa World on 6/18/2006.

We have received a request for information about Mrs. Lillian Townsend. She taught English, the Bible, and Spanish at Hale during the late 70's. Please contact the Alumni Foundation if you have any current information about her.

Sandy Wood-Jones, Class of '67, who was nominated for Tulsa Public Schools Teacher of the Year, this year is retiring at the close of the 2005-06 school year - ending a 21-year teaching career. We asked her to provide us with some information & memories.

I graduated from Nathan Hale in 1967. I earned a BS in English Education at University of Tulsa, and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction at Northeastern State. I also was National Board Certified and, a last year graded AP exams in Daytona, Florida.

I taught my last 15 years of a 21-year career in Room 202 at Nathan Hale. The most wonderful people in the world have streamed through that door! Often, I would remind them that while other people are digging ditches at this same moment, we are reading "Hamlet" or discussing Emily Dickinson. I have shared the most profound questions of literature and the world with the most interesting, albeit unorthodox, minds in Oklahoma.

When I used to print a newspaper, the alumni association was very helpful. Also, one year they funded some [students'] AP tests, and interestingly I'll be attending the wedding of one of those recipients June 3rd. She has graduated from college and will be attending Princeton Seminary!!

Our sincere thanks for all the years of service that Mrs. Jones has given to Hale and it's students - and our best wishes go with her as she retires. We hope she will keep in touch with us.

Last day of school - Click to enlarge

Hale's long-time Librarian, Diana Doyle, retires at the end of the 2005-06 school year. She came to Hale in 1983. We asked her for some history of her teaching career...

I grew up in Yukon, a suburb of Oklahoma City. Attended several colleges but graduated from Central State University with a double major in English/Journalism. My first teaching job choices were El Reno Reformatory or Hennessey High School. I taught English, yearbook, newspaper, and sponsored pep club at Hennessey.

I went back to Central, now UCO, and received a masters degree in education, with a major in library science.

I came to Tulsa on a whim and was hired the day I came. My first school was Gilcrease Junior High. I thought I was going to be [sent] next to the museum. I was the librarian there for five years, one year at Roosevelt Elementary, and then in 1983 with the 9th graders, I came to Nathan Hale.

There were enough student enrollments that we had two librarians. My fondest memories are when we had library aides and I got close to the students; helping
to sponsor the senior cruises with Rita Miller; working with the seniors one year doing scholarships; and the wonderful faculty that I have worked with for many years.

Our sincere thanks for all the years of service that Mrs. Doyle has given to Hale and it's students - and our best wishes go with her as she retires. We hope she will keep in touch with us.

This face should look familiar to many of us. Mr. Dennis Scott was always a popular English teacher at Hale. We get lots of requests for information about him.

An alumnus from the Class of '81 us sent us this link to a web site that features his art work, so we thought we'd pass it along....

www.dennisrscott.com

Mr. Scott will be exhibiting his art at the Blue Dome Arts Festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 19 -21, 2006, during Mayfest. He will be located on Elgin Street near 1st Street (between 1st and 2nd Streets). I

From Mr. Scott - I hope you will have a chance to visit Mayfest and visit me at the Blue Dome Festival sometime this weekend and check out my newly printed giclee prints on canvas and archival acid free water color paper.

Jason Byrd '93

Jake Schweikhard '74

Sandy Wood-Jones '67

Something Special

The sheer length of this Alumni News page would tell you that there's something special about Hale Graduates. Well, here's more proof... it has come to our attention that, in the last two school years, THREE of only 10 Tulsa Public School teachers, nominated for Teacher of the Year, have been Hale graduates! These three were chosen out of all the teachers at 88 Tulsa Public Schools.

Jason Byrd, class of '93, is a math teacher and student council advisor at HALE and has guided Hale Student Council teams to the prestigious office of State President three times in the past four years. Jason was nominated for the 2004-2005 school year. He has been a teacher for 9 years.

Jake Schweikhard, class of '74, was nominated for the 2005-06 school year. He is a 4th grade homeroom teacher at Cooper Elementary. Jake received his degrees in Music Education and Elementary Education at Abilene Christian University. He has also taught music, speech and social studies. He has been with TPS since 1982 with a total of 28 years of teaching experience.

Sandy Wood-Jones, class of '67, was nominated for the 2005-06 school year. She teaches English III and IV; as well as AP English Literature and AP Language classes at Hale. She has been a teacher for 21 years, with 14 years in Tulsa Public Schools.

Congratulations and Thank You to these outstanding grads. You make us proud to be Rangers!

(from Classmates.com) Larry A. Boston (Chemistry/Biology 1963-65) After 28 years (37 years total) of teaching at Huntington Beach High School, I chose to retire in 1996 at the age of sixty. In 2003 my wife, Mary Katharine and I moved to Pella, Iowa to be near our only daughter. So after almost forty years in southern California we now live in a new state where we have never lived before. If you are ever in the area feel free to look us up. We do live a new and different life now.

We received a nice note from Mr. Boston, after contacting him through the Classmates web site. He can be contacted at the following email link.

Mr. Boston's email

(from Classmates.com) Mike Crowley (1959-61) passed away in September, 2005.

Posted on Classmates.com 5/24/06: The VOCAL ARTS ENSEMBLE OF TULSA needs more singers for its third season. It is desired to grow the organization to about 45-50 singers. Auditions will be held in August 2006. Interested singers should prepare a song and will be asked to sight sing a simple exercise. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will begin in September. Contact Dr. Marilyn Carver for an audition time through this medium.

(from Classmates.com) Marilyn Carver (1968-78) writes: Taught Vocal Music in Henryetta 1955-60. Married Coach Richard Chapman. We have daughter, Joan, son, David. Left Henryetta 1963, he coached at Tulsa Memorial, Edison, Memorial. I taught at Nimitz, Nathan Hale, East Central. We divorced 1971.

Master's in Vocal Performance, OU 1973, DMA in Choral Conducting, OU 1994. Taught at Oral Roberts University 1980 to May 2003, having just retired. At the request of several of my voice students at ORU, I continued until May 2005 to see those students through their junior and senior recitals. Also in the 2003-04 school year I served as interim choral conductor at Tulsa University while they did a national search for a permanent conductor.

Joan's boys are now 12 and 10. David's daughter is almost 18, (yikes!) and son is 15. Joan is professional accompanist and piano teacher and has been a para-teacher at Eisenhower International School for 4 years in the 2nd grade French class. The school is a language immersion school in French and Spanish. Joan's boys are in the French program. Dylan, the older boy, now attends Byrd Middle School and Jonathan will attend there next year. David is computer person and guitar player. Married husband #2, Newt Carver in 1973. He has 3 sons, 4 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

My greatest joy in life is conducting a choir, though I shall only be doing it once in a while at Boston Ave. Methodist Church where I serve as assistant choir director. I shall continue to teach voice at home, of course. I have organized, in January of 2005, a Community Choir, now in its second year. It is known as the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Tulsa. Students from my earliest and most recent teaching venues have become singers in this choir. What fun! If interested please email me through Classmates.com. That's all, folks!

(from Classmates.com) Leslye Calkins (1970-85) writes: Fred and I have been married for 33 year in June. We have two married children and 4 grand-kids 3 boys and 1 girl. I retired in 2003 and Fred is going to retire from the Tulsa Fire Department from the Asst. Fire Marshal’s office with 36 years service. We currently live in east Broken Arrow and have two dogs (Sassy is a 18 month old Border Collie). Falcor we just adopted in Oct is a 17 month old Red Merle Australian Shepherd. We are members of Tulsa Dog Training Club. Sassy is in Novice 2 and Falcor is in Rally 1. We are right now into dogs. We also have a cat Rocky. He is 17 years old. So far this year is blessed

3/25/05 from Cheryl Adams: I was the advisor for the Class of 97. I would like to be involved when you have your ten year reunion. I will help organize it, if any of the class of '97 would like to contact me or know of a way I can contact the officers to help you get started.

I miss Hale, students, faculty and staff but I do love teaching environmental science in the Northwoods of Wisconsin where we have 66 acres of school forest adjacent to the school and 240 acres of school forest for the district. I would love to begin a pen-pal program of Hale students and my students. Feel free to email me anytime.

Ms. Adams has remarried and is now Mrs. Esslinger. She can be contacted at cesslinger@charter.net

Nancy Brazier-Green, passed away on October 21, 2005 surrounded by family and friends after a brief battle with kidney cancer.

She was born in Oklahoma City on July 12, 1944 to Louise and Dalton Brazier. After spending the first two years of her life in Fort Worth, TX, she came back to Oklahoma with her mother
and spent her childhood living with her mother and her maternal grandparents along the Illinois River south of Tahlequah.

She received her early education in a one-room school where her

mother taught Grades One through Eight. After a brief stay in Little, KS, Nancy and her mother moved to Tulsa and Nancy completed her secondary school education at Will Rogers High School as a member of the Class of 1962.

Northeastern State University was the next step in her education ladder and she left there in 1966 with a teaching degree in Spanish and French. Nancy began her teaching career at Nathan Hale High School in the Fall of 1966 and at the same time launched a lifelong love affair with teaching and the Spanish language.

Her love of language was personified by her extensive summer-time studies at universities in Mexico, Spain, France and Austria and the completion of a Master's degree in Spanish Literature at the University of Oklahoma in 1979. When she wasn't attending universities in the summer, she was often taking students on trips to Mexico or countries in Europe.

Her professional career was marked by many notable efforts including being one of the original volunteers in 1973 to participate in the development of the Magnet Program at Booker T. Washington High School where she piloted the School's AP Spanish Program. She later played a prominent role in the opening of Westmoore High School in Moore, OK, in 1988; headed up the development of a model bilingual program at Millikan High School in Long Beach, CA; and spent six years as the Curriculum Leader for the Foreign Language Department of the Long Beach Unified School District.

During the last two years of her professional career journey, she had a very rewarding experience at Cascia Hall Preparatory School doing what she loved and was born to do, teaching Spanish and enhancing the lives of her students and colleagues.

In 1983 she married H.J. Green and she became an integral member of the extended Green family. Some of her happiest moments were related to family functions related to holidays, ski trips, OSU athletic events, trips with her grandchildren and shopping with her daughters-in-law and niece. Nancy and H.J. shared a passion for travel, adventure and accepting new challenges. This shared passion led them to travel extensively to Mexico, Central America, Canada, Asia and Europe. Their domestic travel found them visiting 46 of the 50 states and numerous stays in Washington, DC; New York City; Boston; Chicago and San Francisco.

The passion for new challenges led them in 1991 to begin new education-related careers in Long Beach, CA. During the years they spent in Long Beach they were heavily involved in community activities highlighted by her work in Cameo, an Assistance League auxiliary organization, that specializes in assisting women who are victims of domestic violence and providing support for needy high school students in Long Beach.

She was preceded in death by her mother, aunt and uncle. She is survived by her husband, H.J. Green, 3 step-sons, 6 grandchildren, and many friends and colleagues.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Oklahoma Educational Memorial Trust Foundation, PO Box 470208, Tulsa, OK 74147.

Published in the Tulsa World on 10/25/2005.

Tulsa World-04/07/2004 - HARMON LESLIE, a longtime wrestling coach and two-time All-America wrestler, died Sunday (4/4/04). He was 68.

Mr. Leslie graduated from Blackwell High School in 1953. He then went to Oklahoma State University, where he finished second in two National Collegiate Athletic Association state wrestling championships. He married JoAnn McClaflin in 1955.

After graduating from OSU, he spent a year coaching in Winfield, Kansas, before becoming a coach for the Rangers at Tulsa's newly opened Nathan Hale High School in 1959.

In 1968, Leslie received a master's degree from Northeastern State University and helped lead the Rangers to a league championship, a title they had shared with another team the year before. Leslie resigned as a coach in 1969 to pursue counseling full time at Hale. He returned to coaching in 1979 and became a part-time counselor.

In 1985, he led the Rangers to the state wrestling championship and subsequently was named the Oklahoma Wrestling Coach of the Year. Following that victory, Leslie again left coaching for a full-time position as a counselor. Mr. Leslie was also a referee for 20 years. He retired in 1990.

He was a member of the OSU Alumni Association and the Hillcroppers Square Dance Club.

He is survived by his wife, JoAnn Leslie, two daughters, a son, a sister, three brothers, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.