Learning Goals

The students will understand Kerr McGee,
Johnston Murray and Raymond Gary.
Governor Johnston Murray



Johnston Murray, was sworn
into office on January 8,
1951, by his eighty-oneyear-old father, former
Governor William H.
Murray.
Johnston Murray was born
on July 21, 1902, at Emet,
Chickasaw Nation
His mother was one-eighth
Chickasaw Indian, making
Murray the first Oklahoma
governor of Indian descent.
Governor Raymond Gary




Raymond D. Gary, born on a farm between
Madill and Kingston, was the first governor
born in Oklahoma after statehood. He was
born January 21, 1908.
Governor Gary had campaigned on road
building issues, Gary announced that he would
build 2,500 miles of highways in Oklahoma.
In 1956 the Federal-Aid Highway Act was
passed by Congress, providing for an
interstate highway system. Three such
highways were scheduled to run through
Oklahoma, all of them crossing Oklahoma
City — Interstate 35 going north and south,
Interstate 40 going east and west, and
Interstate 44 going northeast and southwest.
With the aid of the federal legislation, Gary
not only achieved his goal, but exceeded it. By
the end of his term, 3,500 miles of highways
had been completed in the state.
Better Schools Amendment



The desegregation issue had reared its head during Roy J. Turner’s term of
office and again during Johnston Murray’s term of office. In 1954, the U.S.
Supreme Court ruled in the case of Brown vs. Board of Education of
Topeka, Kansas, that all types of educational segregation were
unconstitutional. Incoming Governor Gary made it clear that he intended to
comply with the laws concerning segregation, and he set about to do so
immediately.
The first step was a constitutional amendment which reorganized the
funding of schools. The Better Schools Amendment, passed by the people
in 1955, abolished separate funding systems for African American schools
and white schools.
Although it did not disappear right away, Jim Crowism was on the way out.
Governor Gary carried desegregation into the Capitol Building by
integrating washrooms and drinking fountains.
Dean A. McGee



In 1956 an Oklahoma oil company
entered the international financial
market when its stock appeared on the
New York Stock Exchange.
Kerr-McGee stock made its debut on
February 23, and Robert S. Kerr bought
the first 100 shares traded. By the end of
the day, 5,300 shares had been sold.
One of the most important changes was
the hiring of a young geologist named
Dean A. McGee in 1936. When James
Anderson retired that year and sold his
interest to Kerr, the new sole owner
began looking for a key man to help run
the company. Kerr’s main interest lay
elsewhere, and his talent for hiring good
people to work for him was certainly at
its sharpest when he hired McGee.
McGee cont.



In 1947 the company drilled the first
successful offshore well out of sight
of land. At 9:00 a.m. on Sunday
morning, October 4, 1947, more than
10 miles from the nearest land, the
small Oklahoma company hit oil with
the first well drilled in open water,
and at the amazingly shallow depth of
1,500 feet.
By 1958, Kerr-McGee had grown
large enough to be listed by Fortune
magazine in “The 500 Largest
Industrial Corporations” in the United
States.
On June 23, 2006, Kerr-McGee was
merged into Houston-based Anadarko
Petroleum.
Karen Silkwood






Lab Tech at Kerr McGee plant near Crescent died in one car
accident.
Had accused company of deliberate carelessness and falsifying
records of safety
Was going to OKC to meet with NYC reporter to blow the
whistle on Kerr McGee
Some believe Kerr McGee was the ones that ran her off the
road, others, including Kerr McGee and police believe she fell
asleep while driving.
She was reportedly carrying papers that would prove the
company’s guilt
Those papers were not found at her accident scene. Many
believe Kerr McGee removed the papers before anyone else
could get ahold of them.
Chapter 22 Quiz
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1.) Who is the first Oklahoma Governor of Indian
descent?
a.) Alfalfa Bill Murray
b.) Johnston Murray
c.) Robert Kerr
•
2.) Who was the first Oklahoma Governor to be
born after statehood
a.) Raymond Gary
b.) Johnston Murray
c.) Robert Kerr
•
3.) What three Interstates was the Governor in
question 2 instrumental in getting built?
1-35, 1-40 and ________________
4.) What court case made segregation in schools
illegal?
a.) Plessy vs. Ferguson
b.) Roe vs. Wade
c.) Brown vs. Board of Education
5.) What constitutional amendment ended
separate funding systems for African American
and White Schools?
a.) Better Schools Amendment
b.) Oklahoma State Schools Amendment
c.) Federal anti Segregation Amendment
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
6. What type of profession had Dean McGee been
involved in before he worked for Kerr McGee?
a.) Paleontology
b.) Geology
c.) Radiology
7.) What accomplishment is unique to Kerr
McGee?
a.) They were the first company to successfully
drill for oil offshore
b.) They were the first company to create the
elements for an atomic bomb
c.) They were the first company to drill sideways
under ground
8.) What was Karen Silkwood going to accuse
Kerr McGee of?
a.) Falsifying records of carelessness
b.) Drilling offshore without licenses
c.) Drilling sideways under ground and getting
oil that was on land they hadn’t leased
9.) What was Silkwood going to do when she was
run off the road?
a.) Give her evidence to a NYC reporter
b.) She was running from Kerr McGee who she
thought was trying to kill her
c.) She was running from her boyfriend who was
abusive
10.) What do many people think happened to
Silkwood in terms of why she ran off the road
and died?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________