Paul Strasbaugh

Longtime Oklahoma City civic and business leader, Paul B. Strasbaugh, died May 20, 2009. He was 91. Paul loved Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. For over six decades, Paul worked with other civic and business leaders to build a bigger and better Oklahoma City. Even though his fingerprints can be seen on the development of almost every major economic success for over a half century, he preferred to work behind the scenes. In fact, one of his favorite sayings was, "It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn't matter who gets the credit." Paul began his distinguished career with the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce in 1946. He worked side by side with his friend and mentor, Stanley Draper. He advanced through the industrial development department to succeed Stanley Draper in 1968 in the position which is today called President. Paul admired Stanley and they made an excellent team. There is an inscription at the base of the Stanley Draper stature in Bicentennial Park that reads, "All of this I saw?part of this I was." So it is with Paul. He was involved in building the City's interstate highway system and making sure Oklahoma City had enough water to meet the needs of its citizens and businesses for generations to come. He also worked tirelessly with others to increase the size of Oklahoma City, an ambitious undertaking which resulted in the City expanding from 60 square miles to 600 square miles. The Metro Concourse, now called the Underground, was built under Paul's leadership. He would often take a mid-afternoon break from his duties as head of the Chamber of Commerce to walk the entire Concourse. He was also instrumental in attracting a number of major manufacturing operations to Oklahoma City, including Western Electric, Dayton Tire, Hertz, Xerox and GM. He was also involved in establishing the FAA'S Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center and the continued expansion of Tinker AFB. Paul's efforts on the behalf of the City and its citizens resulted in the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investments. Paul did his duty to this City and its citizens, working on challenging project after project, year after year, decade after decade. Those who worked with Paul knew they could entrust him to diligently advance the project and closely monitor every penny. In the 1960s, Paul and Stanton Young traveled to Washington, D.C. in support of major funding for the renewal and redevelopment of Downtown Oklahoma City. They met with the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, who had previously served on the Board of Directors of General Electric with Dean A. McGee. The Downtown plan was approved and funded in the amount of $32.5 million. To bring about the release of the money, local matching dollars were required. After many challenges, Paul and others put together an innovative financial structure which was adopted by the City Council and downtown redevelopment went forward. The projects stemming from the grant for the redevelopment of downtown included the 36-story Liberty Bank Towner, which is now the Chase Tower, the 30-story Kerr McGee Tower, which is now headquarters for SandRidge Energy, the Bank of Oklahoma building, the Myriad Gardens and what was then the Myriad Convention Center, now known as the Cox Convention Center. Construction of the Myriad Convention Center required a city-wide vote authorizing $18 million of General Obligation Bonds. Paul championed the election, and the Myriad Convention Center Bonds passed by a mere 48 votes out of 46,000. He often commented about the strong leadership in Oklahoma City. He counted it a privilege to work with E.L. and E.K. Gaylord, Dean McGee, Stanton Young and many others who through the years shared a like vision to build a dynamic city. He was incredibly enthusiastic about the future of Oklahoma City. In 1967, Paul insightfully noted in a U.S. News and World Report article praising Oklahoma City: "It takes jobs to build a city. The base for these jobs is industrial development, and that requires a strong central city. The massive support services of transportation, water supply, sewage disposal, education and cultural activities all have to be provided for by the central city. If you don't have these elements in place, you cannot attract industry." Paul was an urban visionary. He beamed with pride at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1989 U.S Olympic Festival and at the success of his friends Clay Bennett and Lee Alan Smith in staging such an incredible event. He loved the State Fair of Oklahoma and enjoyed chronicling the history of the Fair in a book he co-authored with his friend and fellow historian Bob Blackburn. Even though he felt it was a little overboard, he was deeply honored when the State Fair Board erected a statue of him in honor of his decades of service. One of his proudest projects was working with others to secure the future of the National Cowboy Hall and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. He loved western art and revered the history of the West. He played a leading role in the location and construction of the Museum. When some wanted to move the Museum, Paul formed a task force and developed a plan to make sure it stayed atop Persimmon Hill. Paul was also a person of impeccable character, a leader molded as a young man growing up in New Freedom, Pennsylvania. As is evident by one of his favorite boyhood memories, he possessed a strong sense of duty even while a teenager. In 1933, a new Eagle Scout, 16 year old Paul Strasbaugh, was selected by his fellow Eagle Scouts to make a presentation in the Oval Office to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Paul approached the President and said, "Mr. President, on the behalf of 1,500 scouts of the York Adams Area Council, I have the honor and privilege to present to you five dozen white roses symbolizing York County, Pennsylvania." President Roosevelt responded, "Isn't that marvelous." He took to heart the Scout Oath, which begins, "On my honor, I will do my duty, to God and my country?." As a member of what Tom Brokaw has called the "Greatest Generation," Paul did his duty in World War II as a combat participant in the Battle of the Bulge in Europe. His accomplishments are too numerous to list. In fact, he would prefer they not be listed at all, except for one. Paul cherished his family and friends. He loved his family, especially his wife, Jane, and his children, Ben Musser, Susan Dedham and his stepson, Brent Gooden and their families. He was a grandfather to six children and a great-grandfather to 2. He was Gramps to his granddaughter Aubrey, who grew up in Oklahoma City. He was preceded in death by his parents, Treva and Paul Strasbaugh, his little sister Lucile, wonderful daughter Susan. He is survived by an extensive extended family, including his son Ben and his wife Sharon and their children Heather and Jennifer son-in-law Bill Dedham and his children Chris, Nick, Molly, and stepson Brent and his wife Valerie and their daughter Aubrey. He is also survived by his sister's husband, Leroy, and nieces Christi, Vicki Jo and Lynn and their families as well as a cousin Janet Free from Pennsylvania.Paul loved his Lord and graciously accepted Him as his Savior. He was a member of the Memorial Road Church of Christ for the past eight years. He lived a long and productive life. The best way to honor Paul is to continue working together for the greater good of Oklahoma City and keep building a bigger and better community for future generations to enjoy. PS. He was a "big" Oklahoma City Thunder fan and treasured the opportunity to see them play in person at the Ford Center earlier this year. emorials in Paul's honor can be made to the Oklahoma City Econom