You’re not offended without your own permission. ;)

I am surprised there hasn't been any discussion of this on OKCtalk. I had not visited FKB but saw one when hiking at state park during Covid lockdown and thought....that's really nice for a state park out in middle of nowhere.

The question is....where there is smoke, is there fire or just BBQ?

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/state/2022/04/25/oklahoma-tourism-department-swadleys-foggy-bottom-kitchen-deal-cancelled/7440280001/

If I read the article I read on KFOR correctly all these state park restaurants had operated at a loss for some time and were in various states of disrepair when the state solicited bids for refurbishment and operation. Swadley's was the only bidder. Not surprising for a pretty extensive project with questionable hope of making much profit. The construction costs didn't seem outrageous to me and the state covering expected operating losses in the contract I don't see a problem with. At least, if the story is accurate, the restaurants would be operating and Swadley's at least wouldn't lose money. Maybe there's suspicion of more going on under the table than the article covers.

The Lost Ogle had stories about this (now all behind a paywall, I believe), NonDoc might have some, not sure KFOR and the Joklahoman have all the details. It's a massive grift and corrupt as hell, and I hope that investigations and audits start up soon and people get charged/fired/whatever.

I had eaten at the one located at Lake Murray a couple of times for breakfast. It was always busy and the food/service were good too.... Definitely a step up from any dining option the parks had ever had before and good enough that I would make the 30 minute drive to the lake, from my farm, just to have breakfast there..... Especially for the view from the patio.

But I've also seen some other articles that reported some potentially sketchy deals. Specifically the price paid for a couple of smokers..... Which I found odd because while I had never eaten there for lunch/dinner.... I didn't remember seeing BBQ on the menu... But even if they were offering smoked items.... The prices I saw reported paid for the smokers were almost twice what I would have paid to get one retail.

I figured there had to be more to it than the KFOR article had in it.

If I read the article I read on KFOR correctly all these state park restaurants had operated at a loss for some time and were in various states of disrepair when the state solicited bids for refurbishment and operation. Swadley's was the only bidder. Not surprising for a pretty extensive project with questionable hope of making much profit. The construction costs didn't seem outrageous to me and the state covering expected operating losses in the contract I don't see a problem with. At least, if the story is accurate, the restaurants would be operating and Swadley's at least wouldn't lose money. Maybe there's suspicion of more going on under the table than the article covers.

There are allegations of gouging and overpricing.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/state/2022/04/15/swadleys-whistleblower-alleges-foggy-bottom-fraud-deal-oklahoma-tourism/7326424001/

The Frontier broke this story and as usual, TLO and the Oklahoman are just drafting off of the hard work and diligence of others.

The Frontier is a nonprofit and their articles are free:

https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/tourism-department-ends-foggy-bottom-contract-for-suspected-fraudulent-activity/


There are several more stories about this on their site.

The Lost Ogle had stories about this (now all behind a paywall, I believe), NonDoc might have some, not sure KFOR and the Joklahoman have all the details. It's a massive grift and corrupt as hell, and I hope that investigations and audits start up soon and people get charged/fired/whatever.

There was an article a few weeks back with the whistleblower tell all. People should go to jail with what was done, and Winchester should be the first to go.

There was an article a few weeks back with the whistleblower tell all. People should go to jail with what was done, and Winchester should be the first to go.


But....but.... According to our Governor turned food critic.... The Winchester Burger is a 10/10!

But....but.... According to our Governor turned food critic.... The Winchester Burger is a 10/10!

I figure Stitt and Winchester are best buds.....

I figure Stitt and Winchester are best buds.....

Apparently Winchester and Swadley are too.....

"It was after that Swadley had a chance encounter with Winchester at Wiley Post Airport, the former associate said. Checking on his Prevost Class A motorhome at the airport, Swadley spotted a similar motorhome and went over to meet the owner. The former associate said that man turned out to be Winchester.

The two hit it off, and Swadley's soon got a chance to prove itself at higher-profile events for the company, according to the former associate."

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/local/oklahoma-city/2022/04/15/swadleys-deal-oklahoma-state-parks-under-scrutiny-lawmakers-osbi-brent-swadley/7234884001/

But....but.... According to our Governor turned food critic.... The Winchester Burger is a 10/10!
I'm optimistic the Winchester/Swadley tossed salad will be popular at OSP.

I'm optimistic the Winchester/Swadley tossed salad will be popular at OSP.

I wish that would happen, but I'm not optimistic at all - they'll both skate off with reduced something and maybe pay some fines, then get right back into the business of screwing the public shortly.

I'm optimistic the Winchester/Swadley tossed salad will be popular at OSP.

Wow. lulz

The State should approach Clark Crew BBQ about taking over these. Oklahoma Tourism can say "come to our wonderful state parks and while here have some darn good BBQ!"

I am of the opinion that local operators in the area of the park sthehould be the operators.
Thunderbird had a nice option for years with the restaurant that was located at Clearbay Cove. It was flooded out in 2015 during the heavy rains in May of that year and was never rebuilt. Open on Sunday, full bar, good food, and entertainment on weekend nights.
The state owned the physical structure and in classic short term sightedness elected to tear it down.

The State should approach Clark Crew BBQ about taking over these. Oklahoma Tourism can say "come to our wonderful state parks and while here have some darn good BBQ!"
That would be amazing. But I doubt seriously that CC would be interested in assuring their high quality in multiple, small locations. Especially when the state says they were mostly or all shut down because they lost money.

I have followed this story on the site listed upthread (plus NonDoc) for a few weeks. I think Dave Cathey at the Oklahoman has provided the most info. A whistleblower has brought the story to light and stayed after it.

The highlights as I understand from the reporting

Around 2008- Jerry Winchester and the whistleblower worked for an oil & gas company named 77 Energy. 77 Energy used Swadley's for catering on a regular basis and formed a friendship with Brent Swadley.

Around 2017- Jerry Winchester became head of the Oklahoma State Department of Tourism. The whistleblower also became employed there.

When the Tourism plan to refresh the State Parks food service was being developed, Winchester (and others) plus Swadley toured all the facilities.

It is alleged the process was tailored in such a manner that Swadley would be the only (or almost the only) entity able to bid on the contract.

It is alleged that fees, markups and revenue guarantees included in the contracts are of such high dollar amounts and markup percentages as to be considered illegal profiteering.

Especially when the state says they were mostly or all shut down because they lost money.

Do you really believe the state in this affair? They were behind the crooked deal. The existing restaurants were shut down so that Swadley's could take over. There was one operator in Beaver's Bend I believe who was told their lease would be automatically renewed. Then a month later they were told to vacate their restaurant and Swadley's crews were in taking measurements the next day. I hope Winchester and Swadley's are brought to justice over this.

I have followed this story on the site listed upthread (plus NonDoc) for a few weeks. I think Dave Cathey at the Oklahoman has provided the most info. A whistleblower has brought the story to light and stayed after it.

Again, The Frontier broke this story and was first to alert anyone -- including the Oklahoman -- about the alleged improprieties.

They published their first story on March 17th, two weeks before the Oklahoman basically reported the exact same information. It's fair to say none of this would have come out at all if not for the hard work of the writers at Frontier.

And The Frontier has continued to cover the story, with all their articles free to anyone. The Oklahoman has put most of what amounts to copy-cat stories behind a paywall.


These points are important because everyone claims they want and need high-quality local journalism but then doesn't seem to notice or care the Oklahoman is basically stealing the work of others without proper attribution (a HUGE violation of the most basic journalistic ethics).

This is a hot button to me for obvious reasons but it's also true that their practices directly hurt the local journalism for which they purport to advocate, by robbing organizations of proper credit and thus support. And by doing this sort of thing for decades, they have been the biggest contributor to the local legacy media companies all following the same practices, which is injurious to the entire community.

Do you really believe the state in this affair? They were behind the crooked deal. The existing restaurants were shut down so that Swadley's could take over. There was one operator in Beaver's Bend I believe who was told their lease would be automatically renewed. Then a month later they were told to vacate their restaurant and Swadley's crews were in taking measurements the next day. I hope Winchester and Swadley's are brought to justice over this.Very good point. I'll have to further adjust the grain of salt I take any state news releases with.

Again, The Frontier broke this story and was first to alert anyone -- including the Oklahoman -- about the alleged improprieties.

They published their first story on March 17th, two weeks before the Oklahoman basically reported the exact same information. It's fair to say none of this would have come out at all if not for the hard work of the writers at Frontier.

And The Frontier has continued to cover the story, with all their articles free to anyone. The Oklahoman has put most of what amounts to copy-cat stories behind a paywall.


These points are important because everyone claims they want and need high-quality local journalism but then doesn't seem to notice or care the Oklahoman is basically stealing the work of others without proper attribution (a HUGE violation of the most basic journalistic ethics).

This is a hot button to me for obvious reasons but it's also true that their practices directly hurt the local journalism they purport to advocate for, by robbing organizations of proper credit and thus support. And by doing this sort of thing for decades, they have been the biggest contributor to the local legacy media companies all following the same practices, which is injurious to the entire community.
I'm guilty of only checking 4, 5 and 9 sites for local news. I try not to spend too much time searching news because I find so much of it depressing, aggravating, etc. So in a case like the Swadley's story that I find interesting I don't know where to look for the "real scoop".

I'm guilty of only checking 4, 5 and 9 sites for local news. I try not to spend too much time searching news because I find so much of it depressing, aggravating, etc. So in a case like the Swadley's story that I find interesting I don't know where to look for the "real scoop".

The Frontier, NonDoc and OK Watch are pretty good, but as a fantastic roundup, "In The Know" from OK Policy is indispensable (https://okpolicy.org/category/in-the-know/).

If I read the article I read on KFOR correctly all these state park restaurants had operated at a loss for some time and were in various states of disrepair when the state solicited bids for refurbishment and operation. Swadley's was the only bidder. Not surprising for a pretty extensive project with questionable hope of making much profit. The construction costs didn't seem outrageous to me and the state covering expected operating losses in the contract I don't see a problem with. At least, if the story is accurate, the restaurants would be operating and Swadley's at least wouldn't lose money. Maybe there's suspicion of more going on under the table than the article covers.

Have you not read the subsequent articles? They were overcharging the state on everything from used smokers to door hinges. It was a blatant money grab and it appears there was bid-rigging involved. It also seems the governor had a relationship of sorts with the people selected. It was his "covid czar" who was involved with hiring Swadley's too. The Covid thing was a total scandal in which the state didn't even receive things it paid for after circumventing purchasing rules.

I don't know if the governor was involved in this or not but he throws his weight around and hires friends for jobs. He seems to not understand how state government operates.

I would imagine there will be people serving time for this.

The Frontier, NonDoc and OK Watch are pretty good, but as a fantastic roundup, "In The Know" from OK Policy is indispensable (https://okpolicy.org/category/in-the-know/).

Agreed. If your goal is to be informed about what’s happening in this state, you read The Frontier, NonDoc, OK Watch, and—yes—OKCTalk because they are actually doing old fashioned journalistic leg work, investigating, verifying information, filing open records requests, digging into reams of documents, etc. You do not read The Oklahoman or rely on any of the three TV networks. The problems with The Oklahoman are obvious and have been laid out multiple times in this forum; the three TV networks are all personality-driven and give subpar 30-60 second overviews of news that has previously been covered in greater detail by the four independent outlets above.

I consider myself well-informed on current events in the state, and I haven’t read anything in The Oklahoman in a very long time and the only time I turn on any of the three TV networks is to watch developing weather events (and even then I’m closely watching the weather experts in the weather thread on this site). It blows my mind people still read The Oklahoman for news since they’ve gutted their ability to conduct basic journalistic operations.

Do you really believe the state in this affair? They were behind the crooked deal. The existing restaurants were shut down so that Swadley's could take over. There was one operator in Beaver's Bend I believe who was told their lease would be automatically renewed. Then a month later they were told to vacate their restaurant and Swadley's crews were in taking measurements the next day. I hope Winchester and Swadley's are brought to justice over this.

Yes, the operator had successfully run the Beavers Bend restaurant for five years. That doesn't sound like a failure to me. And, she was sending 3% of her gross profits back to the state. Imagine how she felt when the state cut her lose and lavished Swadley's with a bunch of inflated management fees and covered all losses. Something stinks in Denmark for sure.

The State should approach Clark Crew BBQ about taking over these. Oklahoma Tourism can say "come to our wonderful state parks and while here have some darn good BBQ!"

We ate at the FB at Lake Altus / Lugert (Quartz Mtn) a couple of months ago. We've never thought Swadleys was anything more that just okay. But what we got at FB was way better than we expected, and I don't remember seeing BBQ on the menu..

It blows my mind people still read The Oklahoman for news since they’ve gutted their ability to conduct basic journalistic operations.

Old habits die hard. Almost all their readers are 55+ and grew up with it. Even still, plenty of people over 55 are happy not to have to read them, and that's not just because their newsroom has been gutted. When they had all money in the world and employed thousands they advocated for many policies that are so deeply ingrained in Oklahoma (like not properly funding education) the scars will never fully heal. Try reading some of their editorials from the recent past; you'd think they came from the 1940s.


I also want to be clear that I have never advocated for not subscribing to The Oklahoman.

But their business practices are infuriating and there is a big part of me that thinks Oklahoma would be better off if they would just hurry up and die (a sentiment often expressed by Oprah Winfrey about all the old racists in this country).

Agreed. If your goal is to be informed about what’s happening in this state, you read The Frontier, NonDoc, OK Watch, and—yes—OKCTalk because they are actually doing old fashioned journalistic leg work, investigating, verifying information, filing open records requests, digging into reams of documents, etc. You do not read The Oklahoman or rely on any of the three TV networks. The problems with The Oklahoman are obvious and have been laid out multiple times in this forum; the three TV networks are all personality-driven and give subpar 30-60 second overviews of news that has previously been covered in greater detail by the four independent outlets above.

I consider myself well-informed on current events in the state, and I haven’t read anything in The Oklahoman in a very long time and the only time I turn on any of the three TV networks is to watch developing weather events (and even then I’m closely watching the weather experts in the weather thread on this site). It blows my mind people still read The Oklahoman for news since they’ve gutted their ability to conduct basic journalistic operations.

Kind of sums up myself as well. In the last couple years, The Oklahoman has consistently been behind the reporting of those you listed above in major news events, especially politics.

As for Swadleys, adding up to 30% in fees on top of work and equipment on these restaurants is comical on how egregious it is. Not to mention the overpaying for work and equipment to begin with. Sounds like Winchester is just as guilty as Swadleys for allowing this to happen.

Old habits die hard. Almost all their readers are 55+ and grew up with it.

I may end up totally throwing this thread off topic with this question but....

Wasn't there a competing newspaper in Oklahoma at one time? I seem to remember there being two daily newspapers when I moved here in 78.

I may end up totally throwing this thread off topic with this question but....

Wasn't there a competing newspaper in Oklahoma at one time? I seem to remember there being two daily newspapers when I moved here in 78.

Yep, it was called The Journal if I remember correctly.

^

Yes, the Oklahoma Journal run by a rival (business and political) of Gaylord, Bill Atkinson the man behind most of Midwest City.

Couldn't make it work in the face of the near-monopoly of the Oklahoman.


I actually have every single Journal in digital form, but the scans are poor and there is no way easy way to index them.

Do you really believe the state in this affair? They were behind the crooked deal. The existing restaurants were shut down so that Swadley's could take over. There was one operator in Beaver's Bend I believe who was told their lease would be automatically renewed. Then a month later they were told to vacate their restaurant and Swadley's crews were in taking measurements the next day. I hope Winchester and Swadley's are brought to justice over this.

For what it's worth, I think the state story is very likely incomplete... but at least somewhat plausible. Restaurant facilities in recently-built lodges like Roman Nose and Lake Murray almost certainly were operating and in a state of good repair, but older lodges like the one at Sequoyah had some obvious deferred maintenance issues visible from public areas last time I visited a few years ago - so I can only imagine how the back of house/kitchen area looked. I would be not at all surprised if that was the case at most of the older lodges before the Swadley's contract.

I'm definitely not saying that everything was above-board here - simply that I think there is at least some truth to the story on the state of these facilities before they were overhauled.

I may end up totally throwing this thread off topic with this question but....

Wasn't there a competing newspaper in Oklahoma at one time? I seem to remember there being two daily newspapers when I moved here in 78.


OKC had The Daily Oklahoman in the mornings and the Oklahoma City Times in the afternoon, but I don't think it was actually a different paper. It was just the afternoon edition of the Oklahoman as both were owned by the Gaylords.

Tulsa had the Tulsa World in the morning and the Tulsa Tribune in the afternoons. They shared printing facilities but were completely separate papers. The Lorton family (who now run The Frontier) owned the World and the Lloyd-Jones family owned the Tribune.

Funny story. Jenkin Lloyd Jones, the first owner of the Tribune was first cousins with Frank Lloyd Wright and in the 1920s had Wright build him a mansion in the country outside of Tulsa at 24th and Lewis, today that house is called WestHope.

Wright was famously not an engineer and his houses often had problems. Jenkin called his his cousin to complain that the roof was leaking on his desk. Wright replied to Jenkin that he should just move the desk. Which was difficult because Wright had designed the desk to be built into the wall and it couldn't be moved.

Wayne Stafford
@WayneStaffordTV
· 1h
#Breaking: A new bombshell in the @SwadleysBBQ Foggy Bottom Kitchen scandal.

The OK State Fire Marshal reporting Swadley's never got building permits for any of the restaurants, citing numerous "life safety issues" with the buildings.
@OKCFOX #Thread ��
https://okcfox.com/news/local/new-bombshell-in-swadleys-foggy-bottom-kitchen-scandal
Wendy Suares
@wsuares
·
2h
Also worth noting- Oklahomans picked up the tab for those permits that were never actually secured. The cost- in the thousands.
@WayneStaffordTV
will break down all the new findings at 9 on
@okcfox


Wendy Suares
@wsuares
·
2h
NEW SWADLEY'S BOMBSHELL: Documents reveal how Swadley's skirted the permitting process at all 6 state park locations, then told agents "there are more politics at play here than you could ever understand" and that OK laws didn't apply to him, citing Stitt.
Full report at 9pm.

This is starting to sound like there may be more fallout than just Swadley's and Winchester.

Some states have political scandals evolving large fortune 500 companies. Oklahoma has a scandal over a locally owned BBQ restaurant.

Brent Swadley 2018: "Wouldn't be where I'm at today if I followed by the rules"

https://nondoc.com/2022/04/20/brent-swadley-on-following-the-rules/

Doing things on the up and up isn't really his thing.

Brent Swadley 2018: "Wouldn't be where I'm at today if I followed by the rules"

https://nondoc.com/2022/04/20/brent-swadley-on-following-the-rules/

Doing things on the up and up isn't really his thing.

I’ve heard the same story from several folks. Hopefully they throw his a$$ in the clink.

Brent Swadley 2018: "Wouldn't be where I'm at today if I followed by the rules"

"The surest sign of personal corruption is conspicuous virtue." ~ Me.

This is starting to sound like there may be more fallout than just Swadley's and Winchester.

Yep... Starting to sound like Earl's is going to regain it's stranglehold as Best BBQ in the Best of OKC poll again. ;)

Have you not read the subsequent articles? They were overcharging the state on everything from used smokers to door hinges. It was a blatant money grab and it appears there was bid-rigging involved. It also seems the governor had a relationship of sorts with the people selected. It was his "covid czar" who was involved with hiring Swadley's too. The Covid thing was a total scandal in which the state didn't even receive things it paid for after circumventing purchasing rules.

I don't know if the governor was involved in this or not but he throws his weight around and hires friends for jobs. He seems to not understand how state government operates.

I would imagine there will be people serving time for this.I have now. This is a big deal. Good thing we don't like Swadley's anyway because they shouldn't come through this well.

Some states have political scandals evolving large fortune 500 companies. Oklahoma has a scandal over a locally owned BBQ restaurant.

. . . old enough to remember this??

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/10/22/oklahoma-scandal/d82ddfdd-aab6-47e3-b9dd-1e6139f38cd3/

. . . old enough to remember this??

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/10/22/oklahoma-scandal/d82ddfdd-aab6-47e3-b9dd-1e6139f38cd3/

Oh yeah, why do we only have two major political parties again? Both have long histories of corruption.

Back to this scandal, this will hurt Oklahoma's effort to attract businesses. Even if those businesses are clean, they won't want to take the risk of having their good name dragged down by past and future actions of corrupt officials.

In the past year or so, Swadley's has built a huge ranch facility on NW expressway out west of Piedmont road. Just saying....

In the past year or so, Swadley's has built a huge ranch facility on NW expressway out west of Piedmont road. Just saying....

Or Taxpayers have built it. this story just is juicier than that dry Brisket they serve.

Or Taxpayers have built it. this story just is juicier than that dry Brisket they serve.

HA!!!

But will it be juicy enough to become a Netflix movie?

HA!!!

But will it be juicy enough to become a Netflix movie?

How Deep Did the Foggy Bottom Get? Parks, Perks and Passing the Blame. Netflix August 2023.

I'm definitely not saying that everything was above-board here - simply that I think there is at least some truth to the story on the state of these facilities before they were overhauled.

I don't think anyone is arguing that the restaurants shouldn't have been improved in most cases. I don't even have a problem propping up the operators during slow seasons. But this whole scenario was just transparently corrupt from the get go, before the bid was even written. The governor's appointees are trying to throw all of the blame on the Swadley's folks, but the officials seem to be complicit with the corruption. And yes, the Swadley's folks just seem to have committed fraud in their billings.

OKC had The Daily Oklahoman in the mornings and the Oklahoma City Times in the afternoon, but I don't think it was actually a different paper. It was just the afternoon edition of the Oklahoman as both were owned by the Gaylords.

This is incorrect.

As Pete stated earlier, The Oklahoma Journal was a daily newspaper published by W. P. "Bill" Atkinson and was a competitor of The Oklahoman and the Oklahoma City Times. Their offices were located on the southwest corner of SE 15th Street and Key Blvd. in Midwest City. Atkinson was a staunch Democrat, ran for governor one year and was persona non grata with E. K. Gaylord.

It was also the newspaper where Al Eschbach got his start as a print journalist. I used to deliver it on my bike as a teenager when I lived on Tinker AFB. They quit publishing in 1979 or so and the building in MWC is now used for office space, I believe.

HA!!!

But will it be juicy enough to become a Netflix movie?

I'm pretty sure Carol Baskin and Joe Exotic will somehow have a cameo in that movie.

This is incorrect.

As Pete stated earlier, The Oklahoma Journal was a daily newspaper published by W. P. "Bill" Atkinson and was a competitor of The Oklahoman and the Oklahoma City Times. Their offices were located on the southwest corner of SE 15th Street and Key Blvd. in Midwest City. Atkinson was a staunch Democrat, ran for governor one year and was persona non grata with E. K. Gaylord.

It was also the newspaper where Al Eschbach got his start as a print journalist. I used to deliver it on my bike as a teenager when I lived on Tinker AFB. They quit publishing in 1979 or so and the building in MWC is now used for office space, I believe.

Here's the last issue. I remember my dad taking the paper in the 80s.
https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1849352/m1/1/

From the Oklahoma Historical Society:


The Times returned to Oklahoma City after the Run of 1889, when thousands of settlers occupied Oklahoma Territory. Sawyer issued a daily edition, the Oklahoma City Daily Times, on June 30, 1889. Dozens of dailies were being issued from the territory, and the Times immediately ran into financial problems. A rival paper with a similar name, the Oklahoma Times, started publication two months before the Times returned to Oklahoma City. Within the first few weeks of operation, the Oklahoma Times had won much of the advertising and circulation that the Oklahoma City Times would have received.

Before the end of the year, the Daily Journal had bought the Oklahoma City Times and formed the Oklahoma Daily Times-Journal, an afternoon daily. The Times-Journal went through several names and owners in the following years. In 1916, the Oklahoma Publishing Company purchased the Times-Journal at a foreclosure sale. The Oklahoma City Times continued as an evening supplement to the Daily Oklahoman until 1984. It was incorporated into the Oklahoman and ceased publication.

https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86064187/

Here's the last issue. I remember my dad taking the paper in the 80s.
https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1849352/m1/1/


I don't think there was anyone denying that the Times existed.... but this answers the question I asked and details the feud between Gaylord and Atkinson


The legendary public and private feud between W.P. "Bill" Atkinson and Edward King Gaylord is an intriguing and unusual story of powerful and wealthy men - once close associates and friends - who became enemies. This work verifies the origin of the animosity and the main areas of conflict between Atkinson and Gaylord: the land purchase that became Midwest City, the 1958 Democratic Primary, the gubernatorial election of 1962, and the libel suit filed in reaction to Gaylord's vicious editorial attacks. This thesis concentrates upon the seminal event of the feud, incidents pivotal to escalation of the hostility, and legal actions which emanated from the antagonism. The bickering of two powerful and famous men can have tremendous ramifications, once such consequence was that the bitter conflict directly contributed to the election of the first Republican governor in Oklahoma's history. The first portion of the work examines Atkinson's early life, careers, and personal associations to a level necessary to understand the experiences that eventually placed him in Gaylord's crosshairs. A major segment of the composition reviews Atkinson's 1958 and, more significantly, 1962 campaigns for governor. During both gubernatorial bids Atkinson's candidacy was repeatedly condemned and vehemently attacked by Gaylord in Daily Oklahoman editorials. In 1962, believing that the governorship had been lost because of Gaylord's malicious accusations Atkinson filed a {dollar}10 million dollar libel suit against the publisher and his newspaper. This thesis concludes with an examination of activities undertaken by Atkinson's legal and investigative teams as they prepared for a monumental legal battle against Gaylord's formidable cadre of lawyers and allies. The legal action never reached trial stage because a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, in an unrelated libel action involving the press and public figures, adversely affected Atkinson's basis for legal redress. The lack of legal resolution influenced him to retaliate against Gaylord in the most public, and personal, way possible: he launched a competing daily newspaper the Oklahoma Journal.

Winchester resigned, Stitt also announced that Oklahoma is suing Swadleys.

https://twitter.com/reesejgorman/status/1520132656796774400
https://twitter.com/reesejgorman/status/1520132641063849984

I cannot wait for discovery in this.

I don't think there was anyone denying that the Times existed.... but this answers the question I asked and details the feud between Gaylord and Atkinson

That's the way I've always heard the story. Only thing I would add is the genesis of the feud (according to legend). Mr. Atkinson & Mr. Gaylord were betting on the future location of Tinker AFB. Atkinson thought it would be in the MWC area and bought large amounts of property there, and Gaylord thought North OKC. The benefit to Atkinson when Tinker went to MWC was swift and large. As a consolation prize, the Bluff Creek Reservoir (now Lake Hefner) was placed near the area Gaylord invested in, but the development of the area was much slower.

Winchester resigned, Stitt also announced that Oklahoma is suing Swadleys.

https://twitter.com/reesejgorman/status/1520132656796774400
https://twitter.com/reesejgorman/status/1520132641063849984

I cannot wait for discovery in this.

Agree very much. The fact that Stitt seems to be taking this so seriously is somewhat odd, given how cavalierly he often acts on other issues, such as the general health and welfare of the citizens during Covid.

He did say at one point the investigation is "politically motivated," but has quickly evolved into a "throw the book at the Swadley's folks" guy. Then, you have Brent Swadley telling folks that rules didn't apply to him because of "politics" and his suggestion that he had a direct line to the governor during the renovations.

Stitt initially refused to fire Winchester but appears to have done so just days later. His actions are consistent with those of someone caught in a widening scandal.

And of course, Swadley's does have a burger named the Winchester Burger. Winchester resigned. Please do something about the corruption by voting out people still connected to it, such as Gov. Stitt. He should have known better than to appoint a character like Winchester.

but has quickly evolved into a "throw the book at the Swadley's folks" guy.

More like "throw the Swadley's folks under the bus" and Winchester too.

Drove by the Swadley's on Memorial last night right at peak dinner time and noticed there were about 1/4 of the cars in the parking lot which is normally bustling and overflowing on a Saturday evening. I think most Oklahoman's are tired of this corrupt crap.