A Norman mystery

[USG '60]

I hope this is not inappropriate but curiosity is killing me.

I heard 2 0r 3 days ago that local Norman "character" Mike (Michael Phillip) Wright was found unconcious on a bench in Norman and that he was not expected to live. And I just heard that he has died and already cremated. That is all the person telling me knew of the story. Since I knew him since he was in elementary school, and have followed him in the media for decades, and knowing the controversial issues he hammers on, I am wondering if anyone knows if there is a story behind this or did he just die of natural causes. Mike loved intrigue and I'm sure that he would look for intrigue in this story if it were someone else.

[adaniel]

Yes I actually heard this morning he died. I just graduated from OU this May and I remember Michael Wright quite fondly. For about 3 years I worked at the library and he would always come to our department to use the computers to type up his latest consiracy theories. They usually dealt with David Boren, the CIA, AIDS, and other assorted rantings, but by and large he was pretty benign. As far as I know he had a stroke and nothing more. By the time I was ready to graduate I saw him less and less and he looked increasingly sickly and run down, so I guess old age and poor health got the best of him.

USG '60, since you knew him personally I'd be interested to know what you thought about him and why he was such a "character."

[ouguy23]

He died of an aneurysm in the Bizell library.

[kevinpate]

> He died of an aneurysm in the Bizell library.

Or so "they' would have you believe?

[blangtang]

Strange...I worked in the coffee shop in the basement during my OU years and remember him always being around the library.

Anyone remember 3 hat Willie?

[USG '60]

> He died of an aneurysm in the Bizell library.

Or so "they' would have you believe?

Kevin, I just have to ask, was that honest skepticism or just a bit of levity. Intrigue aside, I think it would be fitting that that was where he died, since it was his home away from home dispite his ragging on it all the time.

[Andrew4OU]

Yes I actually heard this morning he died. I just graduated from OU this May and I remember Michael Wright quite fondly. For about 3 years I worked at the library and he would always come to our department to use the computers to type up his latest consiracy theories. They usually dealt with David Boren, the CIA, AIDS, and other assorted rantings, but by and large he was pretty benign. As far as I know he had a stroke and nothing more. By the time I was ready to graduate I saw him less and less and he looked increasingly sickly and run down, so I guess old age and poor health got the best of him.

USG '60, since you knew him personally I'd be interested to know what you thought about him and why he was such a "character."

You stole the words out of my mouth! I also worked at Bizzell and just graduated in May. ...Wonder if we know each other? The most recent time I saw him was on Labor Day weekend. He actually came up to the desk and asked for help on a computer. Crazy.

Anyway, I never really encountered any problems with him. Before I knew who he was, I always thought he was a professor who I just happened to see walking on campus all the time. It was until my friend told me that one of her coworkers at the Western History Collections put a restraining order on him.

[kevinpate]

> Kevin, I just have to ask,

[furtive glance]
no, you don't have to, really you ... wait, what was that? Jeepers, I gotta go and you should to, no, never mind, we were never even here, got it?!? Good!
[/furtive glance]

8^)

[USG '60]

USG '60, since you knew him personally I'd be interested to know what you thought about him and why he was such a "character."

I'm sorry, I missed this part of your post. Since his days as one of the Tinker Field Seven (or whatever they were called) he has been a rebel. He was originally influence in his politics by me and his older brother, but then he just kind of went on his own momentum. When he would get so far out on some issues his bro and I were unable to make him see reason. We kinda created a monster. He totally alienated himself from his family and early day friends. His brother hadn't spoken to him since their mom's funeral 15 years ago and they lived only 10 or so miles apart. No one who knew him could explain his behavior for the last 30 or 35 years. He was just his own kind of strange in a town that put up with Jodie Bateman for decades. BTW, is Jodie still around?

[Jesseda]

okay i might be undera rock but who is this guy and what was he famous for?

[feconi]

okay i might be undera rock but who is this guy and what was he famous for?

Hating David Boren and the OU administration in general, along with posting videos on YouTube that usually elicit outrage from OU students, alumni, and fans...

For example, YouTube - Ridiculous Football Fanaticism at the University of Oklahoma

[USG '60]

okay i might be undera rock but who is this guy and what was he famous for?

Jesseda, basically he was just one of Norman's long time local 'characters." He was a Boren "hater," and conspiracy theorist regarding a variety of things. He deemed himself a serious researcher and exposer of wrongs ranging from noisy neighborhood dogs to elevators not working at the OU Library. This would only be meaningful to someone living in Norman or knew him as a kid in OKC. He was what he was.

[stratosphere]

Strange...I worked in the coffee shop in the basement during my OU years and remember him always being around the library.

Anyone remember 3 hat Willie?

i remember the hat guy, he always would stand outside of the Subway at night and shine a flashlight at cars as they drove by. Is he still around?

Norman sure does have their share of "characters"

[Mydalmationis8]

Three-hat Willie is not around, at least as far as I know. He used to live in one of those small duplexes between the Islamic Center and that large boarding house next to O'Connell's. I must confess that I took a bit of revenge on him one night.
I used to live near that Conoco on Lindsey and Classen. One night, Willie was standing on the corner of Cherokee Lane and Lindsey honking a bicycle horn at people and laughing when he scared them. (He had the old kind of horn, the kind with the bulbous rubber bladder.) I drove around the block and sneaked up on him with my car. While his back was still to me, I BLASTED my car horn at him from 3 feet away. I am surprised to this day that he did not get run down when he jumped onto Lindsey.
I figured it was time he had a taste of his own medicine. Besides, I wanted him to move along, which he did. Never saw him on that corner again.

[USG '60]

Mike's memorial service will be this Sat at 2:00 at the Unitarian/Univeralist church in the 1300 blk of W Boyd.

[stratosphere]

Mike's memorial service will be this Sat at 2:00 at the Unitarian/Univeralist church in the 1300 blk of W Boyd.

has anyone invited David Boren to attend?

[USG '60]

has anyone invited David Boren to attend?

THAT is YOUR assignment.

[stratosphere]

THAT is YOUR assignment.

no way!

ive got nothing against Boren, of course, but im wondering was he even aware of Mike Wright and all of these videos? I watched about 10 of them and...wow.

[okyeah]

I'm sorry, I missed this part of your post. Since his days as one of the Tinker Field Seven (or whatever they were called) he has been a rebel. He was originally influence in his politics by me and his older brother, but then he just kind of went on his own momentum. When he would get so far out on some issues his bro and I were unable to make him see reason. We kinda created a monster. He totally alienated himself from his family and early day friends. His brother hadn't spoken to him since their mom's funeral 15 years ago and they lived only 10 or so miles apart. No one who knew him could explain his behavior for the last 30 or 35 years. He was just his own kind of strange in a town that put up with Jodie Bateman for decades. BTW, is Jodie still around?

who is jodie bateman?

[USG '60]

who is jodie bateman?

It would be hard to explain. A crazy radical dating back to the late 60's. He was often armed. He made Mike Wright look normal. Several years ago he was still around but I haven't heard anything about him lately.

[stratosphere]

anyone know of a fellow who used to frequent the Vista who was kind of strange? Specifically, he was a middle aged heavyset guy with a beard and glasses, looked like he could be a professor maybe. Anyway he would sit there all by himself and hold conversations, sometimes rather heated, with unknown or unseen people. We noticed this one time because we had the fortune of sitting in the booth behind this gentleman, when he was yelling at his iced tea and spoon.

Also he would go into the restroom and watch the little tv they had there by the sink, he even had the remote and would control it and turn it from whatever game everyone was interested in. Most people wouldn't bother him though because he had this look about him. But i remember he was in the restroom for over an hour one night, and the Vista was crowded, and people were waiting to come in an sit. But none of the waitresses would dare sit anyone down at his booth because if they did he would return and there would be hell to pay.

[mugofbeer]

I used to work at the Hyde's Drug on Main street while I was in school and the 1st summer I lived in Norman I learned about the dozens of folks the hospital used to let out on Friday evening because half of them would stop by Hydes on their way to whereever. Back then we hand Mr. Gloves, Chief (a la "chief" in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Mr. Hands and then one guy who sometimes slept in our dumpster. I think Norman has always had a number of colorful folks that have nothing to do with the University.

[kevinpate]

stratosphere,

I dinna frequent the Vista much, but the chap you reference reminds me of a local fella who also used to frequent what's now Prairie Kitchen, back then the Kettle, in the latter 80's. I did a lot of all nighters there. A chap very similar in action and appearance was around from time to time.

He had a habit of enjoying the conversations with one of his corporeal challenged dining companions, somewhat indifferent to another, and a right fair disregard and dislike for the third corporeal challenged companion.

Every so often he would pop out of the booth, stand ram rod straight, snap a smart looking salute and then return to his seat. he was usually less animated for a while after the salute. I came to know him in my own mind as Sarge, based on the salute habit.

Same chap or no, the staff at Kettle, and the customers, dinna disturb him much.

Whenever I had a study companion who seemed nervous about him, I just explained that Sarge was Sarge and I had never seen him be anything other than mildly animated, and as for his companions, just because we did not see or hear them dinna necessarily mean they were not there with him. Come to think of it, I probably should have left that part out. It may have cost me a study bud or three over the years.

[stratosphere]

thats a good story Mr.Pate, your right on target there with that i think. I used to have a neighbor named Mr. Pate, or maybe it was a teacher, east of Norman by the lake.

mugofbeer, that sounds pretty good right now btw, i worked at the Wrights IGA at 12th and Alameda when i was in high school which was back in the late 80's. We used to get all kinds of "interesting" people wander in the store from the hospital on pass. The stories i could tell....probably best not....but they were pretty funny stuff. Most of those people were relatively harmless, just a bit "different" to put it mildly. I do remember the glove man, RIP. Also there was one guy who would ride his bicycle in and he was always dressed like a woman, though he was obviously not. Most of the time he looked like Pocahantas and he would create quite a stir in the store (this was the 80's afterall).

There was another guy who was skinny with long stringy hair, he looked like the stereotypical brilliant student who lost his mind in the 60's or 70's and completely flipped out on LSD or something. This guy would always ride his bike and then he would scream and yell at....god only knows what he was yelling at....but i seen him get into a violent arguement with his bicycle. Ive even seen him throw his bicycle out into a crowded 12th street in a fit of rage, only to run after it like it was his long lost child while cars swerved around him and honked to his oblivion. This guy is probably not around anymore. I dont really think he would have made it past 911 with all of the potential theories and baggage associated with that day.

Whats bad is i would tell my friends about all of these interesting folks i would see in and around the grocery store, and i had one of my buddies one time came into the grocery store (after having been out drinking) and pretended to be one of these people. He had a KFC bucket over his head and he walked with a fake limp, he went up to our assistant store manager who was putting away bread and asked him "sir, can you tell me where the bread aisle is?" Of course the manager was like, "um, you are on the bread aisle" to which my friend freaked and ran out of the store. It was a prank but i swore i would never talk to him again if he ever came into my store and did that while i was there! Of course he went into the marines when i went into the army, no dount we have both seen some interesting characters wherever we went.

[drum4no1]

Havent spent much time in Norman lately, but is Calvin still around selling newspapers??