Tulsan of the Year: Heroes, great and small

To say 2020 brought Tulsa unprecedented challenges is, in many ways, an understatement. As of Dec. 21, 350 Tulsa County residents had died from complications of COVID-19. Difficult decisions became the norm. News alerts communicated near-constant warnings about the global pandemic that made its first appearance in Tulsa in March. 

The pandemic has tested each of us, but Tulsans also endured other difficulties in 2020. Two Tulsa police officers were shot; one died — the first officer killed in the line of duty in 24 years. Protests in response to the deaths of Black men and women brought citizens together to support criminal justice reform. Tulsa, and the state, continues to face a teacher shortage, and countless Tulsans experienced hardship with food and shelter insecurity. 

Yet Tulsans stepped up in 2020 to address these issues and help their neighbors. And we continue to do so. For these reasons, and countless others, we recognize all Tulsans with our greatest honor: YOU are Tulsan of the Year.

Tulsan of the Year: Frontline workers

Tulsan of the Year: Essential workers

Tulsan on the Year: Teachers

Tulsan of the Year: Parents

Tulsan of the Year: Government officials

Tulsan of the Year: Black community leaders

2020 in three words

Colossal, unprecedented, nightmare. 

Wendell Franklin, Tulsa Police Department chief

Dissolution of normalcy.

Whitney Burk, A.P.R.N., Tulsa Health Department

Challenging, perseverance, loss.

Christina Howard, R.N., Ascension St. John

Bravery, teamwork, gratitude.

Doug Williams, senior vice president and administrator of Saint Francis Hospital

Long, challenging, heavy.

Michelle Lambkins, kindergarten teacher, Broken Arrow Public Schools

Painful, mayhem, resilience.

Randy Williams, high school English teacher, Jenks Public Schools

Stress, anxiety, uncertainty.

Tracy Smith, fourth-grade Spanish immersion teacher, Tulsa Public Schools 

Terrifying, debilitating, helpless.

Melissa Boudiette, first-through third-grade teacher, Tulsa Public Schools 

Distant, busy, evolving.

Leah Mueller, mother of two

Beautiful sh** sandwich.

Shane Bevel, father of two

Unexpected, challenging, frustrating.

Tracy Peralta, mother of three

Year of reflection.

Talitha Jacobs, mother of three

Keep on praying.

Vonceil Bell, Tulsa Transit