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Photo: Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith and her terrier-mix dogs, Moonbeam and Grady, sit in the backyard of her Brookside home. MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World
Article: By SCOTT CHERRY World Scene Writer
Published: 5/3/2012 1:53 AM
Last Modified: 5/3/2012 3:16 AMAlthough she has held positions with the city of Tulsa and Tulsa Metro Chamber, most Tulsa-area residents know Karen Keith from her 21 years at KJRH, channel 2 and the past four years as District 2 Tulsa county commissioner.
What many don’t know is that Keith, who drew no opposition in the November general elections, and her husband, Pat Malloy, previously operated a bed and breakfast, called the Lantern Inn of Brookside, on their property for about 10 years.
Along with that came landscaping the backyard, filling it with shrubs, trees, water features and flowers. It is a visual treat throughout the spring and summer.
“I’ve had help with the landscaping and design, and I really just dabble in gardening,” Keith said. “We have outdoor speakers, and I like to put opera on and listen to the music and play in the yard.”
We asked Keith to reveal a few more things about herself.
What are you ..Loving about Tulsa?
The Golden Driller, all the new development downtown, River Parks and our neighborhoods.
… Planting in your garden this spring?
Purslane. I planted it last year, and it was gorgeous. Can’t wait to see what it does this year.
… Reading at the moment?
“The Art of Fielding,” by Chad Harbach, our book club selection.
… Never wanting to miss on television?
“Downton Abbey” and “Smash.”
… Hoping to see happen in Tulsa this year?
Save jobs at American Airlines.
… And your husband planning for your next night out?
Dinner at a Brookside restaurant.
… Having for dinner tonight?
Grilled fish, veggies and fat-free Fig Newton. Fancy stuff!
… Listening to on your car stereo?
National Public Radio.
Article By Scott Cherry World Scene Writer, 2012 World Publishing Co.
Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=455&articleid=20120503_39_WK3_CUTLIN980468
You can’t imagine how exciting it was to get this document. Many thanks to everyone for making this happen.
Thanks Typro’s for your wonderful work!!
Check out the progress going on on West 51st!
Sand Springs historic building is destroyed due to a fire.
Green Acres Market is coming out of the ground at the “Village on Main,” in Jenks. Progress continues!
Congressman Lucas addresses Tulsa Region..shares his ideas and listens to our issues.
On April 10, 2012 Tulsans participated in the One Day Without Shoes event at Ida Red on Brookside. “Tulsans go without shoes so kids don’t have to.”
I had a blast reading to the students at Mark Twain Elementary!
Check out the development in downtown’s Brady District!
Jazz Hall of Fame, a great evening of entertainment with Shelby Eicher, Annie Ellicot and Mark Bruner. Check them out Wednesdays at Full Moon!
Bruner Hill community cleanup to help man dig out of trash-filled backyard
Cliff Hope is full of just that.
At 46, the disabled Tulsan is the proud owner of his first home. But before he and his daughter can move in, he needs to dig out of a mess left inside and outside the house.
“They took the air conditioner, they knocked out a bunch of windows – I mean, everything has to be remodeled,” Hope said.
He was speaking from the edge of his backyard, where he could look down into a ravine at the real ugliness: old dryers, bags of trash, a blue plastic kiddie pool, a brown porcelain toilet, another bag of trash, rusted bed springs, a red, plastic ice cooler, shingles and more bags of trash.
Hope said he doesn’t know who is responsible for wrecking the house and trashing the ravine. He just knows that when he recently bought the property in the Bruner Hill neighborhood between Tulsa and Sand Springs, it was an “as-is” deal with the bank.
“I thought it was a lot of work, but for as cheap as the house was, eventually, I just thought, a little at a time, I would try to knock it (the trash) out,” he said.
But that was before Hope knew anything about Saturday’s Bruner Hill communitywide cleanup, an effort spearheaded by Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith. The event begins at 8 a.m. and will include a block party from noon to 3 p.m. at Twin Cities Elementary School.
And therein lies Hope’s reason for being hopeful.
“The timing (of the cleanup) was great,” he said. “It was just out of the blue. I was going to try to do it on my own a little at a time, and then all of a sudden, here they are.”
“They,” in this case, are members of Guts Church in Tulsa, who recently visited Hope and other property owners in the Bruner Hill area to see what kind of help they would need Saturday.
They will be joined by about 60 members of nearby Olivet Baptist Church. The two churches are also joining forces to provide food for the block party.
“Any chance we get to reach out to minister to the people of our community, we want to take that opportunity,” said Don Cook, Olivet’s associate pastor.
Keith’s interest in the neighborhood was sparked last year when she worked with a local Eagle Scout to place a plaque in Triangle Park commemorating William G. “Billy” Bruner, the Muscogee (Creek) Indian from Tulsa for whom the area is named.
Keith loved the people and the rolling hills and winding roads, but she couldn’t overlook the deteriorating homes and eyesores like the one in Hope’s backyard.
So she decided to put together a neighborhood cleanup and began making calls. The response was overwhelming. In addition to Olivet Baptist Church and Guts Church, other partners in the project are the Tulsa Beautification Foundation, supported by the George Kaiser Family Foundation; American Waste Control; Sam’s Club and the Metropolitan Environmental Trust.
On Saturday, volunteers and residents will clean common areas and properties in addition to completing household projects for several residents. Work is expected to continue over several weeks.
“My hope is that we can liven this neighborhood up, help some people who just need help and they don’t have the resources to do what needs to get done,” Keith said.
Count Cliff Hope, who described his budget as “limited,” in that group.
“I’m really scared of snakes,” he said, as he looked into the trashy ravine. “I mean, the insanity of it is, I don’t even want it (junk) around my kids. It can’t be safe.”
Bruner Hill Cleanup KickoffVolunteers are asked to assemble at 8 a.m. Saturday at Olivet Baptist Church, 155 N. 65th West Ave., to be given their assignments.
By KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writer
Published: 3/31/2012 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 3/31/2012 7:42 AMView photos and read more at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20120331_16_A17_CUTLIN700218
In Washington D.C., seeking help for our levee system. Michael Abate from the Tulsa office joins Kirby Crowe and officials with the headquarters office to discuss ideas.
OneVoice – Tulsans arrive enmasse to lobby for issues important to the Tulsa region.
Guts Church brings Servolution to Bruner Hill. Olivet Baptist Church joins.. Sam’s Club serves up water and GKFF covers cost of debris removal. Thanks one and all for an incredible experience!
Bob Johnson and Don Comstock clean up Charles Page Blvd. The sidewalks are becoming walkable. Thanks…look what volunteers can do!
Waterworks on Charles Page Blvd. shows off renovations.
Touring the Levee.. seeing issues up close.
Tulsa County Budget Board celebrates “Sunny Award”, an A+ rating by Sunshine Review for its transparency in providing information through the county website.