“Compass Rose” brand represents a partnership spanning parts of two decades

LOKC 40th Anniversary launches our latest collaboration with RIVERSPORT, as well as Oklahoma City University.

By Mary Walsh, Signature Class XII

Combining many of the strong suits of Riversport, Oklahoma City University and Leadership Oklahoma City, our three entities have combined efforts to offer a world class executive leadership program to Oklahoma City’s civic and business community. 

The 2-day course will blend:

.  a 3-dimensional personality assessment administered by the OCU staff with

.  team-building activities directed by Riversport staff and directed by their Olympic Training Coach.

 .  In addition, the program will include the CDR Assessment, which explores an individual’s character, risk assessment and personal drivers and motivators. 

.  Riversport experiences will be used to reveal how these – focusing especially on drivers and motivators – can affect decision making and teamwork in real world situations. 

As one result, LOKC alumni will have the opportunity to incorporate this new collaborative executive leadership initiative in their leadership journey. 

But – as many of you will recognize – this is not our first opportunity to team with Riversport and the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, to the benefit of both parties.

First, a bit of backstory:  Late in the Fall of 2001 with LOKC’s 20th Anniversary on the horizon in 2002, our Board of Directors began to explore how to celebrate both our 20th and 25th years of existence.  All agreed the 25th Anniversary was the more significant date, and accordingly chose to have a membership celebration in August 2002.  At that time, we would announce a gift to the community to mark our 25th Anniversary.  

As is our process, a committee was formed in early 2002 consisting of. 

.  Tim Strange, chair, and

.  Sean Cummings,

.  Linda Paschal,

.  Mallory Van Horn,

.  Hershel Lamirand,

.  Chip Oppenheim,

 .  Larry Hawkins,

.  Ashley Parrish, and

.  Christy Zelley, 

all of whom agreed that member input was important to request in five different areas:

·         In what form would our contribution be?  An endowment?  Bricks and mortar?  Physical structure?  Something else?

·         Where should we concentrate our efforts?  Downtown?  Any place else?

·         Should there be a topic of concentration?  Beautification?  Educational?  Something else?

·         Should we collaborate with another organization or go it alone?

·         Question the membership:  If you could do one thing (have an impact on) for Oklahoma City, what would it be?

Almost exactly a year later, the group (with copious membership input which you will see continued throughout the life of the project) pared down 29 proposals to one and assembled a steering committee to put fundraising in motion in order to refurbish the area directly in front of the Civic Center. The committee chose this particular submission because it would be someplace central, something that the public could enjoy, had a beautification aspect to it, would be very visible, would be sustainable, and seemed like a manageable project that would definitely have an beginning and an end.

Easy-peasy, right?  Stuart Graham (SP XIX) who had submitted the original proposal, agreed to chair the committee.  Fundraising would be headed by Tim Strange.  We were off to the races.

The committee met with City officials and received the go-ahead to begin the course of action. In August 2004, $20,000 was given to the City of OKC to fund a plan by landscaper designer, Scott Fairbairn of Howard Fairbairn, and the drawings were approved by the OKC Parks Commission.

The initial committee expanded to involve additional stakeholders including

.  Carolyn Hill (OKC Museum of Art),

.  Jackie Jones,

.  Sue Lampton,

 .  Judy Love,

 .  Alison Oshel (Downtown OKC),

.  Allen Paine,

.  James Pickel,

.  Ann Simank (City Councilwoman),

.  Donita Thomas,

.  Wendel Whisenhunt (OKC Parks Director),

.  John Michael Williams and

.  Beth Shortt.

In 2008, Mike Joseph secured an Inasmuch Foundation grant of $350,000 for artwork for the park.  An Art Design committee was formed

.  chaired by Mike and included

.  Terri Cooper,

.  Liz Eickman,

.   Chip Fudge,

.  David Holt (OKC Arts Commissioner),

.   Jackie Jones (OKC Arts Commissioner),

.  Polly Nichols,

.  Cathy O’Connor (OKC Assistant City Manager),

.  Allen Paine,

.  Sarah Roberts (Inasmuch Foundation),

.  Debbie Williams (OK Art in Public Places),

.  Marsha Wooden,

.  Nick Wu,

.  Beth Shortt and

.  Christy Zelley.

The City Arts Commission, the Parks Commission and the City Council all approved the art selection process and a “Call to Artists” was made to solicit proposals from artists based on a theme of “leadership”.

After careful and thorough deliberation, four artists were chosen with the final selection given to noted sculptor, Owen Morell (Peconic, NY) to create the art element, now known as Compass Rose.  (Many of you will recognize “compass rose” as the two- or three-dimensional figure on a compass, map, nautical chart or monument used to display the orientation of cardinal directions – North, East, South and West – and their intermediate points. )

While not always the case, fundraising continued with few if any hitches.

.  The Inasmuch Foundation, was joined by other donors: 

.  Ad Astra Foundation,

.  Chesapeake Energy Corporation,

.  Carl and Susan Edwards,

.  The Robert and Blanche Gordon Family Donor Advised Fund,

.  Stuart and Darsi Graham,

.  MTM Recognition,

.  Larry and Polly Nichols,

.  Steve and Susan Raybourn,

.  Records-Johnston Family Foundation, Inc.,

.  James W. Sharrock,

.  Carl and Beth Shortt, and the

.  Simmons Foundation.  

In 2011, however, location of the Compass Rose became a much bigger, more involved issue than we had first imagined.  The City requested Compass Rose be located outside of Bicentennial Park, due to a renovation of the park, now to be funded by Project 180.  Alterations that would have been necessary to the landscaping plans of a number of proposed locations proved problematic and meant the funds had been raised for a major public art element which had no place to go. Thanks to the help of Mike Knopp, the Oklahoma Boathouse Foundation graciously and gladly agreed to accept Compass Rose on their campus.  But a change in location also meant approval of the Inasmuch Foundation, the other major donors, the artist, the art selection committee, LOKC, and others. 

At points along the way, different committee members questioned the sculpture’s design itself as well as the various proposed locations.  However, after agreement was reached and after nine months of work at the foundary to complete Compass Rose plus two weeks shipping to Oklahoma City, our sculpture arrived home. 

Notes from former President, Michael Biddinger’s remarks during the dedication of Compass Rose indicate while the gift was planned to commemorate Leadership Oklahoma City’s 25th Anniversary, the actual date of the event was October 4, 2013, the thirty-second year of our founding.

Now, the rest of the story:  Compass Rose has come full circle with the partnership of a leadership development program with LOKC, OCU and Riversport OKC. The inaugural class of Compass Rose Leadership was held March 31-April 1.  Applications are currently available. For more information, contact Christy Zelley, czelley@lokc.org at (405) 463-3331.

In closing his proposal abstract, Morell noted the sculpture would be “over engineered to exist within the high winds common in Oklahoma City” and that  “The ‘Compass Rose’ is a tool to be used by the dwellers of the region and visitors to the site.  It creates a sense of place in the park and a destination.  It shall enjoy an iconic presence in Oklahoma City as a landmark and a lighthouse.”  Owen Morrell’s sculpture, borrowed imagery from design, technology, fantasy, historical artifacts, and illumination.  It functions as a modern symbol of the leadership that Leadership Oklahoma City provides within our community.

Compass Rose location:  The Compass Rose, a 25-foot spherical structure, became the primary art piece for the Oklahoma City Boathouse District, directly north of the Youth Pavilion.  Remembering nothing worthwhile is ever easy, all agreed its design perfectly reflected the nautical surrounding both in theme and literally in its mirrored surfaces of polished stainless steel.