Oklahoma City Memories

[village idiot]

I think Ronnie Stewart had a place in that same building, building VW dune-buggies.

[Generals64]

i think ronnie stewart had a place in that same building, building vw dune-buggies.

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yeah and "happy birthday" to the "village idiot".....you are getting old....

[doorman]

the band Marble Phrogg played at the Blue Goose on classen blvd, Hoppy Niles was the dude with the hook and played guitar , Now , you can find him still playing and better than ever in his new band The One Arm Bandit. I have seen then playing at the club at 50 penn place in oklahoma city -- call them to find out when they will be playing again -- they are great and you wont be dissapointed

[papaOU]

This is as good a place as any to post this.

Bob Riggins of KTOK fame passed away on Wednesday.

Talk about an Okc institution!

[corpsman]

This is as good a place as any to post this.

Bob Riggins of KTOK fame passed away on Wednesday.

Talk about an Okc institution!

Yes he was. Pray that his soul rests in peace

[doorman]

the original lead singer of the Marble Phrogg is Hoppy Niles and he has formed an new band , "The One Arm Bandit" here in OKC. if you ever liked the Phrogg you need to see the One Arm Bandit--- They play lots of Led zeppelin and if you close your eyes --- your back in time with led zeppelin themselves. the drummer is a gas and really good , the lead guitar dude is amazing and the bass player is always smilin and can burn up the bass for sure. ANY ONE that likes some great rock needs to check out the one arm bandit web site or hoppy niles web site to find out where they will be playing next-----doorman

[Prunepicker]

The band Marble Phrogg played at the Blue Goose on Classen blvd, Hoppy
Niles was the dude with the hook and played guitar, Now, you can find him
still playing and better than ever in his new band The One Arm Bandit. I have
seen then playing at the club at 50 Penn Place in Oklahoma City -- call them
to find out when they will be playing again -- they are great and you wont be
disappointed

I lived down the street from the Blue Goose about 40 years ago. There was
another band that played there a lot. Mark something, I think. Maybe the
initials MS, MB, BM? Blue Mack? Mack Scott?

[JMGrad68]

New at OKCTalk. I was born at St Anthony's in 1950, we lived at 1840 NE 25 and Hope's Driving Range was at the end of street on Eastern (MLK). We'd go to the Bison Theater or Pink Kitchen on 23rd, but a real treat was Triple AAA Root Beer at 13th & B'way. In 1956 we moved (white flight?) to NW 83rd, with TWO 10 for/$1 burger places at end of street on wast side of Western. Still a bar there today. We shopped at Corsin's Stop'N'Shop on Western, great fountain at Black Drug next door. Also shopped at Humpty Dumpty in Casady Sq, Puddin' Lane IGA on Britton where Johnnie's is now, Kimberlings on May & Grand (Firestone Store today) but my fave was Precure's in Britton because they had little chairs near door where kids could read comic books, even the new ones (Family Dollar now at 824 W Britton). We bought clothes at Browne Dept Store (NOT John A Brown) in Britton next to the Ritz and they had my Nichols Hills Rattlesnakes Y Jr Baseball T-Shirts. We's play the Harrison Hares, Britton Squirrels/Braves, Johnson Jaquars, Ridgeview Rams (our caps with a gold R), West Nichols Hills Wildcats, and then the new Sunset Sharks. I do remember games at Sequoyah, Fillmore, Putnam Heights but no memory of their names. Anyone have pics or names of those old Y-league teams/t-shirts? Pic of one of our teams attached, taken at our classy field at Grand Blvd Park in Nichols Hills. Alos will attach pic of Pink Kitchen as it looks today if I can. Also wanting to know if anyone remembers the address of the Black Brick. THANKS!.[

[JMGrad68]

Someone mentioned Channel 25 as and educational station, KOKH. I remember my Dad taking me to the old Victoria Theatre at 16th & N Classen which had become Channel 25 KTVQ. Photo credit to Oklahoma Historical Society

[ddavidson8]

Great stuff JM. I'd love to see some pictures of the inside of the Victoria.

[Prunepicker]

The 'white flight' took place @1970 when Judge Bohannon (?) issued the
busing rule.

What was the name of the steak house on N.W. 23rd and N. Lottie? I had a
friend that lived across the street from it.

[papaOU]

Don't think we have yet to get an address for the Black Brick. Everyone seems to know where it was..........

[Prunepicker]

Does anyone have a phone book from 1969? It'd be in it.

[gen70]

I went to the Black Brick once and all I remember was that it was close to OCU.(To the east of it I think)

[Prunepicker]

I went to the Black Brick once and all I remember was that it was close to
OCU.(To the east of it I think)

And a little north on N. McKinley Avenue.

[JMGrad68]

Sorry to disagree, Prunepicker, but I lived through the changes in OKC before 1970. Springlake killed itself before bussing. ]After desegregation in the mid 50's schools like Northeast changed quite a bit. My parents would have washed my mouth out with Lifebuoy if I'd used the "N" word and we need a 3 BR house, not 2, I have 2 sisters, but we did move further north and west. Judge Bohannon's ruling caused schools like John Marshall to change and people to leave the OKC Public Schools after bussing began in 1970 and kids who would have gone to JM were bussed to Northeast, but "white flight" per se began in OKC well before Judge Bohannon. His misguided solution was the result of white flight that had already occurred. The area around NE 23rd and MLK, where we lived when I was born, had become mostly black before 1970. The facts are unpleasant, and I don't think that bussing improved the OKC Schools...JM and NW Classen had 7 Nat'l Merit Finalists each in 1968, now I'm not sure OKCPS had 7 altogether. "White flight" damaged OKC. IMHO we need a MAPS for the poorer outlying areas so that places like the once beautiful Jewel (blacks only), Britton, and Capitol Hill are restored. These are some neighborhoods with beautiful homes that we need to take care of so that people want to move back there.

[JMGrad68]

Ritz Britton 2010

[JMGrad68]

Yale capitol Hill 2010 Let's fix these neighborhoods.

[Prunepicker]

Where is the Jewel Theater located?
Is that a photo of the Ritz on W. Britton?

[JMGrad68]

Yes, the Jewel was at 904 NE 4, there were once businesses on both sides. Yes, it is the Ritz in Britton. I used to ride my bike there to see movies in the 50's, early 60's. But I would NOT have gone to the Bison at 1314 NE 23rd after 1962. I vividly remember going to the Bison to see the "High and the Mighty" with my parents in 1954 or so. Here is the Bison today.

[papaOU]

Capitol Hill Jr. High and Senior High were experiencing busing during the 1968-1969 school year if not before. It was minimal but still disruptive.

1969 onward was when all hell broke loose. Especially at CHHS.

[Generals64]

Capitol Hill Jr. High and Senior High were experiencing busing during the 1968-1969 school year if not before. It was minimal but still disruptive.

1969 onward was when all hell broke loose. Especially at CHHS.

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All right, I've got you all by a few years.....My sister-in-law graduated from Grant in 1968.....Judge Luther Bohanon declared the busing situation in '68 to commence with the 1968-1969 school year. There were problems with getting bus schedules etc. but, that is when the busing began. I was in my middle 20's and thought just how stupid could this be. Most of the southside "white Flight" began towards Moore, Western Heights, Newcastle,Mustang.....look at the demographics and aerial photos of that time and you'll see

[JMGrad68]

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All right, I've got you all by a few years.....My sister-in-law graduated from Grant in 1968.....Judge Luther Bohanon declared the busing situation in '68 to commence with the 1968-1969 school year. There were problems with getting bus schedules etc. but, that is when the busing began. I was in my middle 20's and thought just how stupid could this be. Most of the southside "white Flight" began towards Moore, Western Heights, Newcastle,Mustang.....look at the demographics and aerial photos of that time and you'll see

True, but you're missing my point. The demographics of OKC were changing BEFORE Judge Bohannon's rulings. Whites started moving away from the near NE side of OKC before 1960. All of our neighbors who lived next to us on NE 25 had moved well before school busing began. My little sister graduated from John Marshall in 1970 and hers was the last class unaffected by busing at JM. Bohannon DID cause lots more people to move out of OKC Pub School areas, to PC at first (that's why PC had to add PC North and PC West), and also Edmond & Mustang. All I said originally was that "white flight" was taking place in OKC in the 50's and that is true.

[JMGrad68]

BTW, my pics of the Ritz and Jewel were removed from my posts but I've started a gallery on OKCTalk and they are visible there now.

[bluedogok]

True, but you're missing my point. The demographics of OKC were changing BEFORE Judge Bohannon's rulings. Whites started moving away from the near NE side of OKC before 1960. All of our neighbors who lived next to us on NE 25 had moved well before school busing began. My little sister graduated from John Marshall in 1970 and hers was the last class unaffected by busing at JM. Bohannon DID cause lots more people to move out of OKC Pub School areas, to PC at first (that's why PC had to add PC North and PC West), and also Edmond & Mustang. All I said originally was that "white flight" was taking place in OKC in the 50's and that is true.

PC West was opened in 1968, so it pretty much coincided with that time frame but the movement to the PC district began earlier as you stated. My parents had a rental by Buchanan Elementary when we first moved to OKC (1964) but bought a house a half mile west into the PC district (Hilldale) in 1965 well before bussing and me starting school in 1969. PC North opened in 1978.