View Full Version : The Chamber of Commerce & My Friend Dean



Doug Loudenback
06-29-2009, 11:05 AM
My latest blog article takes personal privilege and writes about Dean Schirf who worked for the Greater OKC Chamber for 31 years. The catalyst for the article is his retirement party which occurred last Wednesday at the Santa Fe Depot, but, before the article is done, it will go well beyond that event and tell of his childhood in El Reno, Chickasha, and Wichita, his first glimpse of the then-tallest-two towers in Oklahoma at Park Avenue and Robinson when living in Chickasha at which point in time he knew where he wanted to make his life. Due to economic reasons his family moved to Wichita during his teenage years and all the while he yearning to return to where he knew he wanted to be, Oklahoma City. While in Wichita, he wrote the Chamber of Commerce asking for photos; it did; he sent $1 to Katz Drug asking that it send him as many Okc postcards as the dollar would buy; it did. Upon completion of a tour of duty in the US Navy, he did return and make his life as an Oklahoma Citian. The finished article will describe his accomplishments at the Chamber for our city and of his life-long love affair with all things rail.

Even if the topic doesn't interest you, you might enjoy the photos of inside the depot.

The article is here: Doug Dawgz Blog: The Chamber of Commerce & My Friend Dean (http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2009/06/chamber-of-commerce-my-friend-dean.html) and some of the pics appear below ... click on pics for larger views.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/DeanSchirf/retirement/deanschirf_6_24_2009_01s.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/DeanSchirf/retirement/deanschirf_6_24_2009_01.jpg)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/DeanSchirf/retirement/deanschirf_6_24_2009_01crops.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/DeanSchirf/retirement/deanschirf_6_24_2009_01crop.jpg)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/DeanSchirf/retirement/deanschirf_6_24_2009_02s.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/DeanSchirf/retirement/deanschirf_6_24_2009_02.jpg)

Dean has been enormously helpful to me at Doug Dawgz Blog by supplying seldom-seen materials owned by the Chamber such as a 1903 book by the Chamber, Doug Dawgz Blog: 1903 Book by the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce (http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2008/12/1903-book-by-oklahoma-city-chamber-of.html) , done in territorial days, and, of course, pictures and information about his favorite personal topic, trains.

Here's a pic of Dean accepting a gift from the Chamber ... a trip for 2 via Amtrak to anywhere in the country:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/DeanSchirf/retirement/deanschirf_6_24_2009_19s.jpg (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/DeanSchirf/retirement/deanschirf_6_24_2009_19.jpg)

Not only does the business community owe a heck of a lot to Dean, so do we all who have benefited from his efforts ... so, I guess that the article is my way of saying, "Thank you, Dean."