Oklahoma - the Rodney Dangerfield state

[susandennis]

Due to recent sports situations, Seattle is not thinking fondly of Oklahoma and I can relate.

My Dad was born in Oklahoma. My parents met while attending the University of Oklahoma. Boomer Sooner was the first song I ever learned and I can still remember all the words to multiple verses. When I was little, both sets of grandparents and the only aunt/uncle/cousin in my family all lived in Oklahoma City.

Every single Summer - before interstates and many before car air conditioning, we made the obligatory trek to Oklahoma City. It was a long, hot trip made miserable by my brother and sister. I was not able to see the adventure it in. When we got there, while one set of grandparents were wonderful and fun, the other set were a land mine of rules and regulations. My aunt was amazingly different than my mother and a treasure but my uncle smelled funny (he chewed tobacco) and was kind of creepy. My cousin was four years older than me and a boy and no fun at all.

They even blew up the federal building in the middle of the city.

But, they also spawned a quite fun musical with some tunes way snappier than Boomer Sooner.

And their sports fans are really amazing. They loved the New Orleans NBA team when they only had them for a little while. They may have yanked the Sonics but I'll betcha they give'm more love and affection than Seattle ever did.

And, football. They came and conquered the UW this weekend. My neighborhood was a sea of Oklahoma State University's red and white when they played Washington State University here a few weeks ago.

I have no insightful conclusions here. My evidence is totally incomplete. I've never known a non-family contemporary from Oklahoma or one who lives there now. My LJ list which includes people from all around the country, has no one (at least that I'm aware of) from Oklahoma. Maybe I should go find some.

Maybe I should give Oklahoma a chance.

Comments

[jwg.livejournal.com]

How's this?

In about 1946 when I looked like this, my father's stepmother (having been widowed for about 10 years) married a man who lived in Oklahoma City and moved there. We visited there once - going by train from NYC and flying back in a DC-3 and a DC-4. A step-step first cousin, Jay Bernstein (http://www.jaybernstein.com/memory.htm) - a well known Hollywood publicist - now deceased who I met when we were about 10 years old was born in Oklahoma City according to this memorial website. I think my step-grandmother's husband was born there also.

[susandennis]

Oh that's a lovely start! I do remember knowing that there was an airplane option to replace the backseat-across-half-the-country-with-siblings option. I also remember my mother summarily dismissing it as 'that's for rich people. when you get rich, we'll see.'

My mom grew up there

[vixter.livejournal.com]

but left at 19 for New York City and Europe and finally Seattle. I think she only went back to visit once or twice.

Re: My mom grew up there

[susandennis]

Hey! My Mom grew up there and so did my Dad and they left for New York City (where she had me)... But she kept going back to visit and dragging all of us with her.

I'm guessing from your age and extrapolating to your Mom's and thinking that possibly, like my Mom, your Mom kind of got turned off by that whole dust bowl thing... Steinbeck didn't make all that stuff up.

My mom left OKC at 18

[vixter.livejournal.com]

with her parents. My grandfather had gotten a job at American Airlines so they flew. This was in '39 when flying was rare.

I think my mom like OKC okay until she tasted New York.

She had some dust storm, depression and copperhead snake stories. The family suffered from some anti Catholic prejudice so they were glad to get out of that. But except for the depression they had a pretty comfortable life there.