Out with Walnut Avenue Bridge, in with Dr. G. E. Finley Bridge. Hopefully it will reopen by Jan 2006.

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"Council names bridge for doctor


By Bryan Dean
The Oklahoman

G.E. Finley crossed the Walnut Avenue bridge many times.

His office was on NE 2, in the area known as Deep Deuce, from the time he started his medical practice in 1937 until he retired in 1999. Most of his patients were on the other side of the bridge, and Finley made a lot of house calls.

He made hundreds, maybe thousands of trips across the bridge, never knowing it would one day bear his name. The Oklahoma City Council voted Tuesday to rename the Walnut Avenue bridge the Dr. G.E. Finley Bridge.

Finley, who will turn 97 March 20, said he was overwhelmed by the decision.

"I didn't think I deserved that," Finley said. "That's for great people."

Ward 7 Councilwoman Willa Johnson, who requested the name change for the bridge, said Finley is a great person who more than deserves the honor. She said the idea developed several years ago when the city conducted a public survey coinciding with the revitalization of Deep Deuce.

Finley was born in Arkansas in 1909. While he was attending Meharry Medical School in Nashville, Tenn., he met a young woman from Oklahoma City.

Her father retired
Saretta Slaughter was a freshman at another college just across the street from Meharry. Finley married her in 1935 just after he graduated from medical school. The couple started out in Ohio, where Finley had done his undergraduate study.

They moved to Oklahoma City in November of 1937 after Saretta'a father, Dr. W.H. Slaughter, retired from his medical practice. Finley opened his first office at 324 NE 2 in Deep Deuce, the thriving black business district.

Finley remembers a bustling night life in Deep Deuce that brought some of the jazz greats to Oklahoma City.

As Finley was beginning his medical practice, the city was finishing the Walnut Avenue bridge, which replaced a steel truss version that included a raised intersection with Main Street.

Finley moved his office down the street to NE 2 and Walnut in 1951. He remained there until retiring in 1999 at the age of 91. Retired six years, Finely said the people are what he misses most.

The city closed the Walnut Avenue bridge last summer because of concerns it could collapse. It has been scheduled for repairs for years, but work has been delayed as the city has negotiated with Union Pacific Railroad officials to pay for a portion of the repairs.

A $4.2 million contract to repair the bridge was awarded to Allen Contracting Inc. in January. Construction is expected to take a year.

Finley said he would like to be there when the bridge re-opens. "

I had an opurtunity to see Dr. Finley at a city council meeting back in 1998, or around that time. In fact, I gave up my seat for him. He seemed to be a very distinguished gentleman. He was there, as was I, to show support for the bridge. The council was voting on wether to declare the bridge a landmark and save it from demolition. The council voted against it five to four. Ironically, one of the votes against it was Willa Johnson, who proposed the name change.

I'm still puzzled as to why Willa would have voted against the bridge, when it was a benefit to the historical culture of her own community. She claimed that refurbishing the bridge was a poor decision since it cost more and could be replaced with a cheaper street crossing. Still, I figured she'd fight for her people. In the end, it all worked out. The city isn't having to pay for all of it...the railroad is chipping in.

The railroad paying for part of it remains to be seen. Railroads are notorious for not cooperating well with roadway projects. I believe they veiw the bridge with mixed feelings; they do not want the potential liability of an at-grade crossing ,which could be dangerous in that are due to the steep profile grade of Walnut and the potentialy high pedestrian traffic, but the bridge does not meet modern minimal vertical clearance requirements.

As for Willa, I think she wanted to get on the city engineers good side, who wanted to tear down the bridge. Also, she may have veiwed the bridge supporters as outsiders. It seemed like most of them were either railfans or lived in the historic districts not in her ward, most of the ones I knew anyway.

It seems odd that one city council member will take the time and effort to name things after people most people have enver heard of, but the woman that was the first female ever elected mayor of a major city gets nothing.... What a shame.

They can name the Broadway Extension/I-44 interchange after Mrs Latting; if there's one thing you have to have going through there, it's Patience. :)

If you get a chance, stop by the Walnut Avenue Bridge sometime soon. They're in the process of demolishing it. This so-called restoration project reminds me a lot of the so-called restoration of the Centre Theater, converting it to the OKC Art Museum. With the art museum, they demolished most of the old Centre Theater and started over. They're basically doing the same with the Walnut Avenue Bridge. Since the majority of the bridge will be replaced, I really don't see what historical value a NEW bridge will have! I guess it's all location. And I suppose the NEW bridge will resemble the old one.

I remember reading articles about the restoration last year, and I believe they're only leaving a few of the original supports in place. Everything else will be new.