Tulsa World

200px The July 27, 2005 front page of the Tulsa World.
Type	Daily newspaper
Format	Broadsheet
Owner	World Publishing Company
Publisher	Robert E. Lorton, III
Editor	Joe Worley
Founded	1905
Headquarters	324 S. Main Tulsa, OK 74103  United States
Circulation	93,558 Daily 102,757 Sunday[1]
Official website	tulsaworld.com

Tulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma, and is the second-most widely circulated newspaper in the state, after The Oklahoman. It was founded in 1905 and remains an independent newspaper, owned and operated for four generations by the Lorton family of Tulsa. The newspaper's circulation has dropped in recent years and the staff reduced.^[2] The newspaper shares some editorial content with The Oklahoman.

In the early 1900s Tulsa World fought an editorial battle in favor of building a reservoir on Spavinaw Creek, in addition to opposing the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s.^[3] The paper was jointly operated with the Tulsa Tribune from 1941 to 1992.^[4]

History[link]

Original Tulsa World building in 1906

Tulsa World was not originally owned by the Lorton family when it was first published on September 14, 1905.^[3] It was not until 1911 that Eugene Lorton bought into the newspapers, becoming its editor,^[5] and then the sole owner in 1917.^[5]

Beginning in 1915, Tulsa World fought an editorial battle advocating a proposal to build a reservoir on Spavinaw Creek and pipe the water 55 miles to Tulsa.^[3] Charles Page was among those who opposed the Spavinaw plan; he advocated a plan in his own newspaper to sell water from the Shell Creek water system, which Page owned.^[6] Page's newspaper, the Morning News, closed in 1919 after Tulsans approved a bond issue to pipe the water from Spavinaw.^[6] He sold a companion paper, Tulsa Democrat, to Richard Lloyd Jones, who renamed it the Tulsa Tribune.^[6]

In the 1920s, Tulsa World was known for its opposition to the Ku Klux Klan,^[3] which had risen to local prominence in the wake of the Tulsa Race Riot in the spring of 1921. Lorton was active in Republican Party politics until he suffered defeat to the ultimate winner, William B. Pine, in the 1924 primary election for the US Senate.^[5] Lorton then supported Democrats Alfred E. Smith in the 1928 Presidential election^[5] and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936. However, Lorton refused to support Roosevelt's third term bid in 1940;^[3] he returned to the Republicans and remained so for the rest of his life.^[5]

Newspaper Printing Corporation building, adjacent to the older Tulsa World building

Tulsa Tribune and Tulsa World entered a joint operating agreement in June 1941.^[4] Eugene Lorton died in 1949^[5], leaving majority interest in the newspaper to his wife and smaller shares to four daughters and 20 employees. In the 1950s, his widow, Maude Lorton, transferred one-fourth of the company to attorney Byron Boone, who became publisher in 1959. Upon her death, she left the rest of her shares to her grandson Robert. In 1964, Robert Lorton became director of the News Publishing Corporation, which oversaw the non-editorial operations of both the Tulsa Tribune and Tulsa World. In 1968, he became president of Tulsa World and publisher upon Boone's death in 1988. Tulsa Tribune ceased operations in 1992 and Tulsa World acquired its assets.^[4] Robert Lorton reacquired Tulsa World's outstanding shares and made the newspaper entirely family-owned once again. In May 2005, he passed the title of publisher to his son Robert E. Lorton III.^[7]

Recent developments[link]

As of September 2011, weekday circulation was 97,580; Saturday circulation was 107,408; and Sunday circulation was 140,126.^[8] In April 2011, the World introduced a metered model to its digital products that limits the amount of locally produced articles that a non-subscriber can view at no charge. Once viewers have opened 10 premium stories in a month, they will be asked to purchase a subscription. The home page, classifieds and most syndicated content will remain unrestricted to all readers. "In reality, more people are engaged with our content than ever before. But it no longer seems fair to have a portion of our readers pay for our content while others do not. Therefore, like many publications, we have decided to charge a fee for our digital content. Print subscribers will continue to receive unlimited access to our digital products," wrote Publisher and CEO Robert E. Lorton III in a letter to readers ^[9] In March 2008, the World closed its zoned suburban newspapers, called the "Community World," and laid off its 18 staff members.^[2] Tulsa World laid off 28 employees in early 2009, many of whom were recent college graduates and had only been working there for a few months. Twenty-six newsroom employees were terminated immediately.^[2] Editors said in a memo that staff members would be challenged to produce a quality product after the layoffs, and editors asked remaining newsroom employees to take on new duties.^[10] On March 29, 2009, the World published a column by its publisher, Robert E. Lorton III, responding to what Lorton called "an unusual amount of concerned correspondence in regard to the future of this company and our industry." Lorton asserted that despite the difficult economy and general downward trends in the newspaper industry and the World's own staff cuts, that Tulsa World remains profitable and has a healthy capital structure.^[11] The World further reduced staff on March 1, 2011 by terminating eighteen employees, "the result of a company-wide evaluation by management of operational efficiencies." The World says "the reduction represents approximately 3 percent of its staff." ^[12]

Also in January 2009, Tulsa World and Oklahoma City's daily newspaper, The Oklahoman, announced a content-sharing agreement in which each paper would carry some content created by the other. The papers also said they would "focus on reducing some areas of duplication, such as sending reporters from both The Oklahoman and Tulsa World to cover routine news events."^[13]

In mid-January 2009, Tulsa World filed a libel lawsuit against noted local blogger Michael Bates, Urban Tulsa Weekly, and the Weekly's editor and publisher, over a column Bates wrote for the weekly paper, in which Bates expressed doubts about the World's circulation numbers based on a 2006 report by the Audit Bureau of Circulation.^[14] On January 20, The Tulsa World said it would drop the case against Urban Tulsa Weekly and its editor and publisher, after the weekly paper agreed to issue a retraction,^[15] but Bates remained a defendant.^[16] Tulsa World's decision to sue a competitor paper was criticized in a column by Slate editor Jack Shafer.^[17] On February 12, 2009, the World reported that Bates had issued an apology and retraction, and that the libel lawsuit had been settled on confidential terms.^[18]

Competing Newspapers[link]

• Tulsa Tribune (former)
• Greater Tulsa Reporter
• Urban Tulsa Weekly
• Tulsa Beacon

References[link]

External links[link]

	Oklahoma portal
	Journalism portal

• Tulsa World website
• Tulsa World mobile
• Krehbiel, Randy. "Tulsa World" at Oklahoma Historical Society Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (retrieved April 14, 2009).
• "Tulsa Daily World" hosted by the Gateway to Oklahoma History.

Granville "Oral" Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009^[2][3]) was an American Methodist-Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University.

As one of the most well-known and controversial religious leaders of the 20th century, Roberts' ministries reached millions of followers worldwide spanning a period of over six decades.^[4] His healing ministry and bringing American Pentecostalism into the mainstream had the most impact,^[5] but he also pioneered TV evangelism and laid the foundations of the prosperity gospel^[4] and abundant life teachings.^[6]

Early life[link]

Roberts was born in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, the fifth and youngest child of the Reverend Ellis Melvin Roberts and Claudius Priscilla Roberts (née Irwin) (d. 1974).^[7] According to an interview on Larry King Live, Irwin was of Cherokee descent.^[8] Roberts was a card-carrying member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.^[9] Roberts began life in poverty and nearly died of tuberculosis at age 17.^[10] After finishing high school, Roberts studied for two years each at Oklahoma Baptist University and Phillips University. In 1938 he married a preacher's daughter, Evelyn Lutman Fahnestock.^[11]

Roberts became a traveling faith healer after ending his college studies without a degree. According to a TIME Magazine profile of 1972, Roberts originally made a name for himself with a large mobile tent "that sat 3,000 on metal folding chairs" where "he shouted at petitioners who did not respond to his healing."^[12]

Ministry and university[link]

1947 came as a turning point. Up until that time Roberts had struggled as a part-time preacher in Oklahoma. But at the age of 29 Roberts claims he picked up his Bible and it fell open at the Third Epistle of John where verse two read: "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Roberts decided immediately that it was all right to be rich. The next day he said he bought a Buick and God appeared, he said, telling him to heal the sick.^[13]

Roberts resigned his pastoral ministry with the Pentecostal Holiness Church to found Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA).^[1] He conducted evangelistic and faith healing crusades across America and around the world. Thousands of sick people would wait in line to stand before Oral Roberts so he could pray for them. He appeared as a guest speaker for hundreds of national and international meetings and conventions. Through the years, he conducted more than 300 crusades on six continents, and personally laid hands in prayer on more than 2 million people.^[10][14][15] He also ran direct mail campaigns of seed-faith, which appealed to poor Americans, often from ethnic minorities. At its peak in the early 1980s, Roberts was the leader of a $120 million-a-year organization employing 2,300 people. This spanned not only a university but also a medical school and hospital as well as buildings on 50 acres (200,000 m²) south of Tulsa valued at $500 million.^[4][13] Another part of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, the Abundant Life Prayer Group (ALPG), was founded in 1958.^[1]

The Praying Hands, on the ORU campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma

In 1963, he founded Oral Roberts University (ORU)^[1] in Tulsa, Oklahoma, stating he was obeying a command from God. The university was chartered during 1963 and received its first students in 1965. Students were required to sign an honor code pledging not to drink, smoke, or engage in premarital sexual activities. The Prayer Tower, opened in 1967, is located at the center of the campus.

Roberts was a pioneer televangelist, and attracted a vast viewership. He began broadcasting by radio in 1947,^[16][17] and began broadcasting his revivals by television in 1954.^[4] His television ministry continued with The Abundant Life program reaching 80% of the United States by 1957, and quarterly Prime Time Specials from 1969 through 1980. In 1996, he founded Golden Eagle Broadcasting.^[1]

On 17 March 1968, Roberts and his wife were received as members of the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Dr. Finis Crutchfield, then pastor. The United Methodist Church offered more leniency in doctrinal and moral issues than the Pentecostalism. This granted Roberts some leeway, as it was expected that the strictness of the Pentecostal tradition may have impeded his rise in popularity.^[18] Before Roberts' switch to Methodism, Crutchfield arranged a meeting between Roberts and Bishop William Angie Smith, at which the Bishop told Roberts, "We need you, but we need the Holy Spirit more than we need you and we've got to have the Holy Spirit in the Methodist Church." ^[19] Roberts became an elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church. From 1968 through 1987, Roberts was a member of the United Methodist Church’s ministry.^[20][21]

Roberts had a vast impact on the Protestant community. According to one authority, in conservative Protestant culture, his ministry had a worldwide impact second only to Billy Graham.^[3][22][23] His divine healing ministry called for prayer to heal the whole person — body, mind and spirit.^[24] Many labeled him a faith healer, but he rejected this with the comment: "God heals — I don't."^[3][5] He played a major role in bringing American Pentecostal Christianity into the mainstream.^[25] Even though Roberts was often associated with the prosperity gospel and the faith movement because of his close doctrinal and personal ties with Word-Faith teachers, his abundant life teachings did not fully identify him with that movement.^[26]

In 1977, Roberts claimed to have had a vision from a 900-foot-tall Jesus who told him to build City of Faith Medical and Research Center, and the hospital would be a success.^[27][28][29] In 1980, Roberts said he had a vision which encouraged him to continue the construction of his City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Oklahoma, which opened in 1981. At the time, it was among the largest health facilities of its kind in the world and was intended to merge prayer and medicine in the healing process. The City of Faith operated for only eight years before closing in late 1989, but the importance of treating the whole person – spirit, mind, and body – was conveyed to many medical professionals.^[30][31] The Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma still operates on its premises. In 1983 Roberts said Jesus had appeared to him in person and commissioned him to find a cure for cancer.^[32][33]

Roberts' fundraising was controversial. In January 1987, during a fundraising drive, Roberts announced to a television audience that unless he raised $8 million by that March, God would "call him home." ^[34][35] Some were fearful that he was referring to suicide, given the impassioned pleas and tears that accompanied his statement. He raised $9.1 million.^[36] Later that year, he announced that God had raised the dead through Roberts' ministry.^[37] Some of Roberts' fundraising letters were written by Gene Ewing, who headed a business writing donation letters for other evangelicals such as Don Stewart and Robert Tilton.^[38]

Roberts maintained his love of finery and one obituary claimed that even when times become hard, "he continued to wear his Italian silk suits, diamond rings and gold bracelets – airbrushed out by his staff on publicity pictures".^[13][20]

The CityPlex office complex, originally built as Oral Roberts' City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Tulsa.

He stirred up controversy when Time reported in 1987 that his son Richard Roberts claimed that he had seen his father raise a child from the dead.^[35] That year, the Bloom County comic strip recast its character Bill the Cat as a satirized televangelist, "Fundamentally Oral Bill." In 1987 Time stated that he was "re-emphasizing faith healing and [is] reaching for his old-time constituency."^[35] However, his income continued to decrease (from $88 million in 1980 to $55 million in 1986, according to the Tulsa Tribune) and his largely vacant City of Faith Medical Center continued to lose money.^[35]

Harry McNevin said that in 1988 the ORU Board of Regents "rubber-stamped" the "use of millions in endowment money to buy a Beverly Hills property so that Oral Roberts could have a West Coast office and house".^[39] In addition, he said a country club membership was purchased for the Roberts' home. The lavish expenses led to McNevin's resignation from the Board.

Wikinews has related news: Former Oral Roberts University Regent member speaks out

His organizations were also affected by scandals involving other televangelists^[3] and the City of Faith hospital was forced to close in 1989 after losing money. Roberts was forced to respond with the sale of his holiday homes in Palm Springs^[which?] and Beverly Hills as well as three of his Mercedes cars.^[13]

Oral Roberts' son Richard Roberts resigned from the presidency of ORU on November 23, 2007 after being named as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging improper use of university funds for political and personal purposes, and improper use of university resources.^[40][41] The university was given a donation of $8 million by entrepreneur Mart Green, and although the lawsuit was still in process,^[42] the school submitted to an outside audit, and with a good report an additional $62 million was given by Green.^[43][44] Oral Roberts continued in his role as ORU chancellor, helping in the leadership of ORU along with Billy Joe Daugherty, who was named as the executive regent to assume administrative responsibilities of the Office of the President by the ORU Board of Regents.^[45] Oral Roberts continued as the ORU chancellor until his death,^[1] but in 2009 eleven months before his death, handed over the leadership of ORU to its incoming president, Mark Rutland.^[46]

Even though Roberts' prosperous lifestyle, unorthodox fund-raising techniques, and the expanse of his organizations raised criticism and controversy, there was no credible evidence of malfeasance while he was in charge,^[4] he did not have sex-and-money scandals like some other televangelists,^[5] and he was not named among the six prosperity teachers in the financial investigations launched by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) in 2007.^[47] The Oklahoma Senate adopted a resolution honoring the life of Oral Roberts, and he accepted this honor in 2009 at the age of 91, seven months before his death.^[48] The Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) elected Roberts to the OAB Hall of Fame one month before his death.^[17][49]

Personal life[link]

Roberts was married to Evelyn Lutman Fahnestock (April 22, 1917 - May 4, 2005) for 66 years from December 25, 1938 until her death from a fall at the age of 88.^[11][50][51] Their daughter Rebecca Nash died in an airplane crash on February 11, 1977 with her husband, businessman Marshall Nash.^[52][53] Their elder son, Ronald Roberts, committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart on 10 June 1982, five months after receiving a court order to undergo counseling at a drug treatment center and six months after coming out as gay.^[54][55][56] The other two Roberts children are son Richard, an evangelist and former president of Oral Roberts University (ORU), and daughter Roberta Potts, an attorney. Roberts' gay grandson, Randy Roberts Potts, talked about his uncle Ronald Roberts,^[55][56] and wrote an article discussing growing up gay in the Oral Roberts family.^[57]

Oral Roberts died on December 15, 2009^[58][59] at the age of 91. He had been "semi-retired" and living in Newport Beach, California.^[60]

According to a 1987 article in the New York Review of Books by Martin Gardner, the "most accurate and best documented biography is Oral Roberts: An American Life, an objective study by David Edwin Harrell Jr., a historian at Auburn University. Two out-of-print books take a more critical stance: James Morris' The Preachers (St. Martin's Press, 1973) and Jerry Sholes' Give Me That Prime-Time Religion (Hawthorn, 1979)."^[61]

See also[link]

• Healing Revival
• Charismatic Christianity
• List of television evangelists

References[link]

Further reading[link]

About Roberts

• The Faith Healers, by James Randi, Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1987. ISBN 0-87975-369-2
• Oral Roberts: An American Life, by David Edwin Harrell, Jr., Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-15844-3

By Roberts

• The Call: An autobiography. by Oral Roberts, Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, 1972.
• Expect a miracle: my life and ministry. by Oral Roberts, Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995. ISBN 0-7852-7752-8
• Oral Roberts' life story, as told by himself. by Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1952.

External links[link]

Find more about Oral Roberts on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• Oral Roberts at Find-a-Grave
• Webcast of Chancellor Oral Roberts' Memorial Service
• Oral Roberts Ministries
• Oral Roberts University
• Oral Roberts: The Man. The Mission. The Ministry., online archive at Tulsa World
• Life With Oral Roberts slideshow by Life magazine
• Voices of Oklahoma interview with Oral Roberts. First person interview conducted with Oral Roberts on August 11, 2009. Last interview before his death. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.
• UM Portal: Q&A: Evangelist Roberts was comfortable with Methodism

Victor Barry Lewis (born 9 December 1952) was an English cricketer. Lewis was a right-handed batsman who played primarily as a wicketkeeper.

Lewis made his debut for Dorset in the 1971 Minor Counties Championship against Oxfordshire. From 1971 to 1992, Lewis played 149 Minor Counties matches for Dorset, with his final appearance for the county coming against Wales Minor Counties in 1992.

In 1983, Lewis made his List-A debut for Dorset against Essex in the 1st round of the 1983 NatWest Trophy. From 1983 to 1992, Treagus represeted Dorset in 6 List-A matches, with his final List-A match for the county coming against Hampshire in the 1st round of the 1992 NatWest Trophy.

Barry now runs his own business, V B Lewis Building Design Ltd out of offices in Sturminster Newton, Dorset.

External links[link]

• Barry Lewis at Cricinfo
• Barry Lewis at CricketArchive