Tulsa County Bar Association & Tulsa County Bar Auxiliary Contact: Frankie R. James, Law Day Chairman Tulsa County Bar Auxiliary 6734 East 66th Street, Tulsa, OK 74133 E-mail: taloah@aol.com Activity Summary: "Celebrate Your Freedom" Law Day/Week 1997 was the most publicly visible activity of the year for the Tulsa County Bar Association and the Tulsa County Bar Auxiliary. Widely disseminated publicity in newspapers, magazines, radio and television promoted this theme for the following activities during the eight day celebration from April 26 - May 3: River Run/Race Judicata; Law Fair; Lawyer in the Library; Career Day; Volunteer Day/Project Homelife; Naturalization Ceremony; Ask-A-Lawyer; Poster and Essay Contests; Courthouse Tours; Mock Trials; Speakers for the Public/Private Schools; Law Day Luncheon; and Golden Classic Golf Tournament. Activity Narrative: Celebrate Your Freedom offered many excellent opportunities for the joint efforts of the Tulsa County Bar Association and the Tulsa County Bar Auxiliary to promote the rule of law and to make it a true celebration of freedom. This annual observance is the most visible, varied, and valuable way we can educate the public in the workings of our legal system. It validates and underscores our organizational being. During this Tulsa Centennial year, we are daily reminded how far our Indian Territory City has come. Until statehood in 1907, the closest "Law" was in Fort Smith, Arkansas. White settlers pleaded for federal intervention to subdue the lawlessness that became rampant during and after the Civil War. Indian tribes who relocated to what became known as Indian Territory in 1832 had a system of justice; however, the few white settlers were outside those jurisdictions and held little hope for protection where those enforcing the law often were as lawless as those they apprehended. The Tulsa County Bar Auxiliary began the Law Day Observance in Tulsa County in 1958 and was joined by The Tulsa County Bar Association a few years later. Law Day/Week 1997, April 26 through May 3, was designated an official centennial activity by mayoral proclamation. In this the 40th anniversary of Law Day, Oklahoma claims at least a part of the founding distinction attributed in 1957 to Hicks Epton, a Seminole, Oklahoma Attorney. For his contribution, a memorial plaque was presented to his local bar association during the Law Day Luncheon where award winning investigative reporter Bill Kurtis, producer/director of Arts and Entertainment Television's American Justice, was the Keynote speaker. Japanese American Winona Tanake, founder of the University of Tulsa's Law School's Legal Clinic, was the recipient of the Liberty Bell Award. The Auxiliary Chairman created original art which was incorporated into red, white and blue luncheon decorations by a local florist and the Auxiliary Chairman also created the thematic printed program. The Auxiliary and the Association jointly focused their efforts on six of nine Law Day/Week activities: Law Fair 1997, Career Day, Project Homelife, A Naturalization Ceremony; Ask-A-Lawyer and the Law Day Luncheon. Other activities included Lawyer in the Library, the 10th annual golf classic with proceeds going towards some of the Bar Associations charitable projects, and the River Run/Race Judicata. With all proceeds going to Cystic Fibrosis, approximately 425 runners participated in the initial event, Saturday, April 26. Race "T-shirts" proclaimed Law Week 1997. The 13th annual Law Fair, held at Eastland Mall, offered over 30 public service organizations booths where hand outs were offered and questions from the public were answered. The joint Bar Association and Auxiliary booth provided Law Day Coloring books, pencils and informative brochures, and a direct Internet connection by a lap top computer manned by an attorney offered free legal advice. Lawyers with diverse practice emphases combined to provide a stimulating day-long seminar for 78 selected high school seniors from 9 schools in the Tulsa area on Career Day. A lunch of pizza and pop was served by the Auxiliary. Some auxiliary members then accompanied the students on a tour of the Tulsa Federal Court House. On the same day the Auxiliary also participated in Project Home Life, a work project for the group home for the mentally disabled. The Speakers Bureau of the Bar Association places speakers in Tulsa school classrooms on a year round basis, but was especially active during Law Week. Additional school programs included an essay contest and a poster contest. The Auxiliary participated in the naturalization of 42 new citizens from 17 foreign countries. They were presented with citizenship certificates, small constitutions and American flags to commemorate the day. A reception given by the Daughters of the American Revolution followed. The joint Committee of 27 from the Bar Association and 14 from the Auxiliary began meeting in October of 1996 and continued monthly through April. The Auxiliary Chairman also served on the Oklahoma State Law Day Committee. Expenses for our celebration also were shared jointly -- money we consider well spent. Through extensive newspaper, television and radio coverage, we believe we reached a large segment of our community and its consciousness level of our wondrous Freedom Within the Law has been raised. We feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment about our combined efforts, and a second year based on this theme and this firm foundation can only be stronger. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization