As Thanksgiving week arrives, many of us pause to reflect on gratitude. Not simply for what we hold in our hands today, but for the long line of stories that made our present possible. Some of those stories sit tucked inside old newspapers and archives. They rarely make headlines now, but they carry the weight of entire generations. Today, we bring one of those stories to light.

In 1937, when racial lines shaped nearly every corner of American life, something uncommon unfolded in Bartlesville. Today, as we gather in our own social, religious, or familial spaces, we often take for granted the range of cultures represented around us. But eighty eight years ago, that kind of gathering was far from ordinary.

A WPA meeting took place in the home of Mrs. Bessie Johnson, a Black woman from West Bartlesville. A group of Black women and white women sat around the same table, and their names appeared side by side in the Bartlesville Daily Enterprise. On the surface, it looked like a routine meeting. Beneath it was something deeper. Families across Bartlesville were dealing with pressures from different directions, yet their needs converged into a shared hope that a community center could strengthen both sides of town.

What happened in that living room was a quiet act of courage and an early glimpse of how shared challenges can lead to shared solutions.

Thirteen years later, in 1950, the story took another defining turn. The Bartlesville Record ran a front-page announcement: a former Phillips Petroleum work office would be donated for what was then called the Negro Community Center.

Behind that gift stood K. S. “Boots” Adams, a leader whose influence helped shape Phillips 66 and whose commitment to Bartlesville ran far beyond corporate walls. The city’s municipal golf course has long carried his name and was recently renamed Boots Hollow, a personal tribute to his legacy. And much like that course, Westside Community Center has quietly reached families from all five wards of Bartlesville for decades, far beyond West Bartlesville alone.

The 1950 article noted that negotiations for the building donation had been underway “for some time” and came to a close in late November. Now, seventy-five years later, as we approach late November 2025, we look back on a moment of generosity that arrived during a nationwide shortage of materials following the war. That donation became the physical home for a vision that had lived for years in the living rooms, porches, and pews of West Bartlesville’s Black families.

Because of those two formative moments, the quiet step toward cooperation in 1937 and the decisive act of generosity in 1950 Westside Community Center came to life. It became a place where young people found belonging, where cultures intertwined, where neighbors gathered, and where hope was built one generation at a time.

As we prepare to celebrate our seventy-fifth anniversary in 2026, these stories help us understand why Westside Community Center has always mattered. They show that our origin was rooted in courage, partnership, and a deep belief in the dignity of community life. They remind us that WCC was never just a building. It was a bridge. A bridge built by people who dared to take meaningful steps toward connection, even when the world around them was divided.

Today, as Bartlesville’s multicultural hub, these early chapters guide our future. They anchor us in the heritage of West Bartlesville and affirm that the bravery shown then still fuels our mission now. These are not only Westside stories; they are Bartlesville stories. They belong to the entire city.

And as we step into the next season of our work, we will continue sharing the powerful and often forgotten stories that shaped who we are today. There is more history to honor, more voices to uplift, and more pages waiting to be reopened.

This Thanksgiving, we pause to honor the courage that came before us, the legacy that still lives within our walls, and the future we are building together with gratitude.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving week covered in peace, filled with grace, and marked by the quiet blessings placed along our path.

Special Footnote of Gratitude

To the Women Who Said Yes in 1937

Thank you to the white women who chose to attend a meeting hosted by Black women during a time when such decisions were neither simple nor socially accepted. Your need for community, understanding, and shared solutions was greater than any aftermath that may or may not have followed your attendance. I pray your lineage knows the impact your yes made.

Attending Guests

• Mrs. Blanche Bennett

• Mrs. F. W. Alexander

• Mrs. A. C. Kleinschmidt

• Mrs. Don Emory

• Mrs. Rhea Folger

Your presence in that room mattered more than history ever recorded.

To K. S. “Boots” Adams and His Family

Thank you for the legacy of generosity and civic responsibility that helped shape Bartlesville. The years have changed, but your family’s dedication has not. Your belief in investing in community made a lasting imprint on West Bartlesville and continues to echo across every ward of our city.

To Mrs. Bessie Johnson

Thank you for opening your home when doing so carried risks both within and outside your own community. The article noted that your home was “decorated profusely with roses.” In 1937, roses were a luxury, often ordered through florists at a price far above everyday household spending. That detail tells us you were a woman of elegance, intentionality, and pride.

You offered not just a roof, but a dignified space where courage could take root.

Your bravery helped move an idea toward reality. Your sacrifice made room for a legacy that still stands today.