Central High School is the oldest high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. It was founded in 1906 as Tulsa High School, and located in downtown Tulsa until 1976. The school now has a campus in northwest Tulsa. Tulsa Central is part of the Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma's largest school district, and is a public school for students from grades 6 through 12. Since 1997 it has served as a fine and performing arts magnet school.Kris Dudley, "Fame: Central High School Takes on Role as Magnet Site for the Arts", Tulsa World, August 20, 1997.
History The original Tulsa High School was erected in 1906 at Fourth and Boston in downtown Tulsa. In 1913 it became the third school in the state to win accreditation. A new building opened in 1917 at the corner of Sixth and Cincinnati, and was enlarged in 1922. The Manual Arts building at Ninth and Cincinnati was added in 1925.Joyce Saunders, at (retrieved March 24, 2009). Tulsa Central was at one time said to be the second largest high school in the country, and included an indoor pool, an indoor track, an extensive art collection, and a large pipe organ.Danna Sue Walker, "Piping up", Tulsa World, February 14, 2003.
Central was Tulsa's only public high school for white students, and by 1938 it had grown to its peak enrollment of more than 5,000 students in grades 10–12. Finally, Tulsa opened two new high schools: Webster High School in West Tulsa (in 1938), and Will Rogers High School east of downtown (in 1939).Barbara Hoberock, "Grads Recall Central's Fast Times", Tulsa World, May 27, 1990. Booker T. Washington High School was established for African American students in 1913. Tulsa's schools were legally racially segregated until 1955, and remained segregated de facto at least into the 1970s, due to population patterns and school policies."School Desegregation in Tulsa, Oklahoma" (abstract), U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1977.
The construction of Tulsa's Inner Dispersal Loop freeway impaired the school's access to the outdoor physical education facilities at Central Park and Tracy Park. The cost of downtown parking was also a problem. These factors led to the decision to move the school out of downtown. The new campus was opened in 1976, at 31st West Avenue and Edison Street, in the portion of northwest Tulsa that is located in Osage County.
The old Central High School building at Sixth and Cincinnati was leased by Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO). After a complete renovation and extensive interior modifications in 1977, it now serves as PSO's headquarters. The renovated and adapted building has been named a Tulsa landmark by the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture."About Us" at Public Service Company of Oklahoma ("PSO") website (retrieved March 24, 2009). (Note that the current PSO Building—the former Central High School building at Sixth and Cincinnati—is not the same building as the older Public Service Company building at Sixth and Main, which is now on the listed on the Register of Historic Places for Tulsa County.)Danna Sue Walker, "Tulsa Foundation for Architecture honors local people and places", Tulsa World, November 9, 2007. The former Manual Arts Building at Ninth and Cincinnati is now part of the downtown campus of Tulsa Community College. PSO terminated the old high school building lease and bought the building outright in 2013.Evatt, Robert. "AEP-PSO buys its main office." Tulsa World. December 11, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2013.
Notable faculty
Adah Robinson Adah Robinson, an art teacher at Tulsa Central for several years in the late 1910s, is credited with the design of the Boston Avenue Methodist Church, an outstanding example of religious Art Deco architecture that is now designated as a National Historic Landmark.Art Deco Buildings in Tulsa: Boston Avenue Methodist Church at Tulsa Preservation Commission website. Robinson's collaborator in the design was Bruce Goff, her former student at Tulsa Central, and an architectural prodigy who designed 61 Tulsa buildings between 1920One of Goff's first designs was the McGregor House, c. 1920, at 1401 S. Quaker Avenue in Tulsa, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. and 1931.Wayne Curtis, "Tulsa's Deco Gems: How an Oklahoma city fell in love with art deco and never really got over it", Preservation, July/August 2008. The precise extent of Goff's and Robinson's respective contributions to the church remains controversial.Gene Curtis, "Dispute rages over church's designer", Tulsa World, December 25, 2006.
Goff and Robinson also collaborated on the design of Robinson's own house, built 1927–1929, and now listed as an Art Deco landmark in Tulsa's Tracy Park Historic District. The house was finished by another Robinson student, Joseph R. Koberling, Jr. who also became an important Tulsa architect and later worked on another city landmark, Will Rogers High School.Art Deco Buildings in Tulsa: Adah Robinson Residence at Tulsa Preservation Commission website.Art Deco Buildings in Tulsa: Will Rogers High School at Tulsa Preservation Commission website.
In 1928, Robinson established and headed the art department at the University of Tulsa. She redesigned the interiors of several other notable Tulsa churches. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Tulsa in 1936. From 1945 to 1959 she chaired the art department at Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas. She died in Tulsa in 1962.Dianna Everett, "Robinson, Adah Matilda (1882–1962)" at Oklahoma Historical Society Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.
Isabelle Ronan Isabelle Ronan, who taught at Tulsa Central from 1922 to 1955, became a well-known mentor for students interested in performing arts and broadcasting. In the words of a 1997 Tulsa World article,
Teacher of Paul Harvey One of Ronan's most famous students was radio legend Paul Harvey, then named Paul Harvey Aurandt. Harvey credited Ronan with getting his career started at the age of 14. Harvey said that Ronan was "impressed by his voice".Rick Kogan, "Good days for Paul Harvey", Chicago Tribune, August 4, 2002. She took me by the hand and marched me down to KVOO, and said this young man ought to be on the radio. She just wouldn't accept no. So I did my school chores in the daytime and hung around the radio station so many hours at night that they finally put me on the payroll to limit those hours.Joe Howard, "Paul Harvey: A Legend Looks Back" , Radio Ink, November 2, 2006. Harvey told this story in repeated interviews.Marc Fisher, "A Lifetime on the Radio" , American Journalism Review, October 1998. He also paid tribute to Ronan in a nostalgic 1994 radio broadcast delivered after he had returned to Tulsa for a fundraising banquet."Return to Hometown Lets Harvey Lay Ghosts to Rest", transcript of "Tulsa Travelog" from Paul Harvey's radio program as reprinted in Tulsa World, March 20, 1994.
Other notable Ronan students In addition to Paul Harvey, other Ronan students at Tulsa Central who went on to professional success in broadcasting or the performing arts included:
Tony Randall (Arthur Leonard Rosenberg), stage, film, and television actor, "Randall's dreams of acting started in Tulsa", Tulsa World, May 19, 2004. Mary Stuart (Mary Stuart Houchins), actress who starred for 35 years as the character Joanne Gardner on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow"Soap star and former Tulsan Mary Stuart dies", Tulsa World, March 2, 2002."Mary Stuart, 76, a Star In 2 Soap Operas, Is Dead", The New York Times, March 3, 2002. Danny Dark (Daniel Croskery), voiceover artist who was especially known for his work in famous commercials, including as the announcer who said "Sorry, Charlie" in the Charlie the Tuna commercials for StarKist TunaPhil Sweetland, "Danny Dark, voice of StarKist tuna and others; 65", San Diego Union-Tribune, July 3, 2004.
Notable coaches Eddie Sutton began his head coaching career at Tulsa Central, where he coached 1959–1966 before going on to become one of only seven major men's college basketball coaches to have over 800 career wins."Thursday a big day for Central", Tulsa World, September 23, 2001.
Tommy Hudspeth coached football at Tulsa Central in 1956 before moving on to the college and professional ranks, most notably for eight years as the head coach at Brigham Young University.
Art Griffith was the wrestling coach at Tulsa Central for 15 years, winning ten state and two national wrestling tournaments. He moved on to Oklahoma State University in 1941, where he led the Cowboys to eight national championships and was elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame."Art Griffith" biography at National Wrestling Hall of Fame website. Griffith's successor at Tulsa Central was Rex Peery, who later became the Pittsburgh Panthers wrestling coach, and was also elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.Denny Diehl, "Peery Family," in Jairus K. Hammond, The History of Collegiate Wrestling (Stillwater, OK: National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, 2006), , pp. 112–113 (excerpt available here).Rex Peery biography at National Wrestling Hall of Fame website.
Notable alumni Other notable people who attended Tulsa Central include:
William French Anderson, gene therapy pioneer Ralph Blane, composer and lyricist"Alumni Named to Central High Hall of Fame", Tulsa World, November 3, 1991. Daniel J. Boorstin, historian and 12th Librarian of Congress 1975–1987"Previous Librarians of Congress: Daniel J. Boorstin 1914–2004" at Library of Congress website. Joe Brainard, artist and poet, co-founder of The White Dove Review as a Central High studentKline, Joshua. The White Dove Review: How a Group of Tulsa Teens Created a Literary Legend This Land Press (2010). Jim R. Caldwell, Class of 1954, former member of the Arkansas State Senate; retired in Tulsa J. J. Cale, singer-songwriter, pioneer of The Tulsa Sound"JJ Cale" (obituary), The Sunday Telegraph, July 28, 2013. Rocky Frisco, rock music pianistJennifer Chancellor, "Now hear this: Tulsa Sound stalwart Rocky Frisco keeps the music coming", Tulsa World, December 28, 2007. Jim Hartz, television broadcaster, co-host of the Today ShowDustin O'Connor, "Hartz, James L." at Oklahoma Historical Society Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (retrieved June 18, 2009). Ben Graf Henneke, president of the University of Tulsa, 1958–1967"Ben Henneke: A gentleman and a scholar", Tulsa World, November 17, 2009. Gary Howard, former head coach of the Central Oklahoma Bronchos football program Jim Inhofe, U.S. senator from OklahomaAndrea Eger, "Central grads to be honored", Tulsa World, November 12, 2000. Brandon Jenkins, singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma who sang in the choir, and taught himself guitar George Kaiser, chairman of BOK Financial Corporation, philanthropist, one of the richest people in the worldZiva Branstetter, "George Kaiser makes mark on Tulsa", Tulsa World, October 16, 2011. Leroy McGuirk, longtime professional wrestling promoter"Leroy McGuirk" biography at Oklafan.com Shelby Metcalf, head basketball coach at Texas A&M 1963–1990Yvonne Litchfield, "`Golden Memories' await Central High's class of '49", Tulsa World, April 18, 1999. Les Moss, major-league baseball player, 1946–1958 Ron Padgett, poet and writer, co-founder of The White Dove Review as a Central High student Clinton Riggs, former assistant chief of the Tulsa Police Department James Robinson Risner, Korean War Flying ace, Vietnam War POW, double recipient of the Air Force CrossManny Gamallo, "Lingering Vietnam War touched many in state: Tulsan's 'celebrity' status led to torture as a captive of the North Vietnamese", Tulsa World, July 15, 2007. Charles Schusterman, oilman, founder of Samson Investment Company; philanthropist, founder of Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation Albert E. Schwab, World War II Medal of Honor recipientGene Curtis, "Only in Oklahoma: Tulsa Marine saved others before he died", Tulsa World, March 23, 2007. John Starks, NBA basketball player