James McKenna Bird Sr.

BIRD -James McKenna, Sr., the son of John Williamson and Anna Hanley Bird of Bradford, PA, born August 22, 1916 died early in the morning, Saturday, July 14, 2007. His brother, William Hanley Bird of Tulsa preceded him in passing. His first wife, Katherine Andrus of Bradford, died in 1991 after 51 years of marriage. Together they had 4 children, Susan Singh, Ann Seaberg, Karen Hill and James M. Bird, Jr. In April 1992 he married Margery Mayo Feagin, with whom he happily spent the remaining 15 years of his life. Jim graduated from Phillips Academy Andover and in 1939 received a bachelor's degree in Economics from Yale University. Upon graduation he began working as assistant manager of the Hanley Company brick plant in Summerville, PA. His brief stint in the brick plant was cut short by the breakout of World War II. James' patriotism drove him to join the Navy where he served as a Night Fighter Director aboard the USS Bataan in the Pacific. According to Jim "[his] brain was naturally wired for radar interceptions" and the skills that he acquired in the Navy would drive his future success after the war. Jim's independent nature, coupled with his knowledge of circuits and love of the oil industry led him to found a well logging company named Birdwell in 1946. Within fifteen years Birdwell had expanded to 26 offices stretching from West Texas to northern Michigan. After selling Birdwell, Jim briefly retired. However, his vision for a new means of oil exploration compelled him to come out of retirement. Jim then started a new company, Industrial Vehicles International, which is a worldwide distributor of geophysical vibrators. In addition Jim managed Hanley and Bird, a family owned natural gas producing and distributing company, which was founded by his grandfather. Just this spring, Jim retired as Chairman of the Board and appointed Chairman Emeritus. He also served as a Director of the Hanley Company for many years. Jim was also a great philanthropist in the Tulsa community, a main supporter of The Tulsa Symphony. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, July 17 at the First Presbyterian Church. Private burial will be in Bradford, PA. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The University of Tulsa and The Tulsa Symphony Orchestra or a charity of your choice. The family expresses its appreciation to Dr. Steven Gawey for his attendance and care. Jim Bird has 9 grandchildren, Lisa (Hill) Canova, Shelby (Hill) Morgan, Hanley (Hill) Harvey, Neera Singh, John Seaberg, Eric Seaberg, Heather Bird, Dylan Bird and Chris Bird; and 6 great-grandchildren, Miles Harvey, Chloe Harvey, Sydney Canova, Ava Canova, Tala Singh Cancio and Campbell Morgan. Stanleys Funeral Service. (918) 743-6271. James McKenna Bird, Sr. VIEW AND SIGN THE ONLINE GUEST BOOK: www.legacy.com/tulsaworld
This obituary was originally published in the Tulsa World.