William K. Warren Sr.
William K. Warren Sr. | |
---|---|
Born | William Kelly Warren December 3, 1897 Nashville, Tennessee |
Died | June 11, 1990 Tulsa, Oklahoma | (aged 92)
Occupation | Businessman |
Known for | Philanthropy |
Spouse |
Natalie Overall
(m. 1921; died 1990) |
William K. Warren (1897–1990) founded the Warren Petroleum Corporation of Delaware in 1922.
Early life
William Kelly Warren (1897–1990) was born in
Warren worked for a few years as assistant to Patrick J. Hurley, who was then vice president of Gilliland Oil Company.[5]
Warren Petroleum Corporation
Warren resigned in 1922 to found his own oil company, Warren Petroleum Company of Delaware. He made his headquarters in
Later life and philanthropy
During a fund drive by the Catholic Diocese of Tulsa, Warren agreed to donate $15,000 for St. Johns Hospital. He stipulated that no announcement of the gift would be made and that all notices should be sent to his office. He said that his wife was just as good a Methodist as he was a Catholic, and that they had agreed that whatever he gave to his church, she could make an equal donation to hers. However, an acknowledgement of the gift was sent to his home instead.[7]
After selling his company to Gulf, Warren devoted much of his time, energy and money to philanthropic activities. In 1945 he created the William K. Warren Foundation.[4] The Foundation gives financial support to non-profit organizations for charitable, scientific and health programs. Recipient organizations are primarily Catholic and located in and around Tulsa.[8]
The Foundation established the Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa in 1959 and Laureate Psychiatric Hospital and Clinic in 1989.
The Foundation also financed the first Warren Clinic facility in 1988 as part of the Saint Francis Health System with the goal of expanding the base of available primary care physicians. Since then it has steadily grown to more than 70 locations and over 350 physicians who provide high quality health care to patients in northeastern Oklahoma.
In 2007, the Foundation funded the expansion of the Saint Francis Health System to include two new facilities: Saint Francis Hospital South, a 96-bed hospital to accommodate the growing population in the southern part of Tulsa; and the Laureate Institute for Brain Research, a clinical neuroscience research institute dedicated to expanding the knowledge about the underlying pathogenetic features of mental disorders.
Warren also donated generously to the University of Notre Dame. According to the Notre Dame website, Saint Liam Hall (referring to Saint William of York) was named in honor of W. K. Warren Sr.[10] and the William K. and Natalie O. Warren golf course at Notre Dame is named after Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Warren Sr.
Legacy
William Warren Sr. was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1961, two years after his wife was inducted in 1959.[11]
Marriage and family
While living in Nashville, Warren had met Natalie Overall, the daughter of a Methodist preacher.[2] The couple carried on a long distance romance while he was moving around in oil company. They finally married on September 21, 1921.[4]
Natalie Warren died in Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa at the age of 97 on September 4, 1996.[12]
Together, they had six daughters and one son: Dorothy, Natalie, Marilyn, Patricia, Elizabeth (Libby), Jean and William. Their son, William K. Warren Jr., also a successful businessman and philanthropist who chaired the family foundation for years after his father's retirement, lives in Tulsa.
Notes
- ^ After Chevron Corporation bought Gulf in 1984, it made Warren a division of Chevron.[5]
References
- ^ "Warren Petroleum Company | the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture".
- ^ a b Spears, Claire. This Land, "The Tulsa Irish." Vol. 3, Issue 20. October 15, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2013.[1]
- ^ a b c Tulsa Historical Society." William Kelly Warren." Retrieved March 11, 2013.[2]
- ^ a b c d e Clyda Reeves Franks, "Warren Petroleum Corporation." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Oil and Gas Journal. "Petroleum Pioneer W. K. Warren Dead at 92." June 18, 1990. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ^ Harvard Business School. Lehman Brothers Collection. "Transwestern Pipeline Company." Retrieved March 12, 2013.[3]
- ^ Tulsa County Medical Society. "St. John Medical Center."
- ^ a b c The William K. Warren Foundation
- ^ Tulsa County Medical Society. History of the Tulsa County Medical Society.[4]
- ^ "Hours and Location // University Health Services // University of Notre Dame". Uhs.nd.edu. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
- ^ "Oklahoma Heritage Association > Hall of Fame > Search by Name". Oklahomaheritage.com. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
- ^ NewsOK. "Warren Heiress Dies in Hospital." September 5, 1996. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
External links
- Voices of Oklahoma interview with William Warren Jr. – First person interview conducted on December 11, 2009, with William Warren Jr. – original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.