Doug Loudenback

“The principal focus of this blog is Oklahoma City history, past, present & future, including the city’s NBA teams, as well as anything else I decide to write about from time to time. – Doug Loudenback

From 2006 to 2014, Doug did just that. As a lawyer turned city historian and author, Doug meticulously researched city history and provided an important resource for those wanting to learn more about our community. Doug, a founding member of Retro Metro OKC, died on September 12, 2021 after an extensive illness. His writings are preserved for future generations.

Terry L. Griffith

Very sad news ... Terry L. Griffith, Oklahoma City historian and writer of three basic books on Oklahoma City's history, died on Christmas Day 2014. I never met Terry but his three Arcadia Publishing books have been a constantly used and reliable source of information...

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Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases

A Book Review by Doug Loudenback Who doesn’t savor extravagantly entangled murder mysteries, nefarious melodramas in which big business is allegedly unworried about harming the public, and yarns of political corruption-crime-and-intrigue? I’m not presently thinking of...

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Common Sense from Paine to Frates

What do the venerable Thomas Paine, author of the 1775-1776 pamphlet, Common Sense, and modern day Oklahoma Citian, lawyer, former Republican legislator, and author, Kent F. Frates have in common? They both had/have common sense. Read on, concerning the upcoming June...

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Invisible Black History Before Statehood

This post honors Black History Month with three stories about Invisible Black History in Oklahoma City before statehood, and largely tracks my presentation to RetroMetro OKC at the downtown library on February 17, 2014. A few additional materials and resources are...

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We CAN have a convention hotel … For A Few Dollars More

Was a convention hotel mentioned as a part of the MAPS 3 campaign? Part of the June 11, 2013, City Council discussion focused on that question during a presentation by the Alliance for Oklahoma City Economic Development. A truncated version of the discussion, focusing...

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While My Guitar Gently Weeps

This haunting tune by George Harrison strikes me as particularly poignant this week in the Oklahoma City metro, as the city of Moore and other metro communities experienced yet again the horrors that Mother Nature can bring. Some (Westoro Baptist Church, Kansas)...

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