Honorable Mention - Open
Brittany Thompson - Wynnewood

The Big Hearted Small Town

When I heard the theme for this year's contest, I felt as if the topic was chosen so that people not only in Oklahoma but everywhere would have the opportunity to discover the unique history of the special town that I call home. I have incorporated important historical landmarks, and faces of the past and present as well as a few peeks into the past in this collage. It is my hope that you will want to visit my town after seeing this collage and learning about our history. The black and white photos will lead you from 1887 to the color photos of today. It will take you on a journey from the river to the railroad, down our brick street from the oil refinery to the ballpark, and from church to school to home, my home, Wynnewood.

I have chosen to display four of the aspects of the theme in separate sections and one throughout the entire collage. PRAYING is an aspect of daily life that we use when we live, learn, work, and play. You will find churches spread throughout the collage and there are two crosses. The crosses are placed very carefully between or near four special people who have gone on to heaven. These people all were very big influences on both my town and me.

LIVE is the top section of my collage. I used pictures to display all the things that we cherish in our life. There are pictures of people both young and old. Marriage is a wonderful part of life. We also enjoy riding horses and playing with our dogs. I have displayed the important houses and faces. You will see the face of Donna Shirley who was the astronaut in charge of the Mars Rover Project and is from Wynnewood. Another face that you will see is General Tommy Franks, who is the lead general of the war in Iraq. There are also pictures of holidays, sleepovers, and children. Our town is a very close-knit community in which we all love each other and live every part of our lives together everyday.

LEARN is the next section. The big tractor in this section is just a normal site in our town. If you were to drive through Wynnewood on any given day, you would find a tractor either in the pasture as you enter our town, or maybe somebody passing through town. The FFA students on the tractor depict how important agriculture is to my town. Graduation is also a very important part of learning. I have also shown you the faces of some teachers who have helped us make it to that final day. Of course you can't have learning without actual bookwork and studying. Our school team names are the Savages. You can see our school spirit displayed by both the girls and guys near the football scoreboard.

Below LEARN is the WORK section. Wynnewood's population is
supported by the jobs that are provided by the Wynnewood Refining Company, formerly known as Kerr-McGee A very large percentage of the people who live in our town are employed here. Musgrove Lumber is another important part of our town. We also have a drugstore, and several gas stations. Some people are nurses and others are construction workers. Mettry's Dry Goods store has provided jobs for many people throughout the years. We also are very proud of our volunteer firemen and our police officers that do an amazing job of protecting our town.

The last section is PLAY. This section is my favorite. There are several photos of children playing on the playground at school, and also in their own backyards. We also are a very big supporter of junior high and high school athletics. I have shown softball and baseball near the Wynnewood Sports Complex sign. This sign is more than just a sign to me. I spent much of my childhood here while helping my dad develop the plans and build his dream for our town. You will find football, basketball, track, and cheerleading photos that are all very special.

The crosses that I mentioned earlier are also found in this section. On the Past side of the brick road, you will find a cross I placed between Buddy Musgrove and Robert Parker. These two men held very large roles in our town and also were both very special parts of my life. On the Present side of the brick road, you will find the cross located between Daniel Knowles and Evin Soutee. Both of these boys died at an early age. They were both outstanding athletes and role models for many children.

The things I have chosen to divide these parts of our town, but also bring it together as a whole, are all relevant parts of Wynnewood. The wheat is to show the role of agriculture in our living, working and playing. The railroad is a very important part of our town. The railroad is the reason Wynnewood got its name, which it received from a rail worker who named it Wynnwood after Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The railroad now plays an important part to transport fuel to and from our refinery.

The blue mosaic-like paper is there to represent the Washita River just on the edge of our town. This river has allowed for food in the early days and still provides wonderful crop soil. The brick road that takes you through the center represents the actual brick streets we still have in downtown Wynnewood. This is something that not many towns still have and we enjoy them because they remind us of what used to be, and also help to keep us unique. In the middle of the collage you will find our city flag. I enjoyed making this collage and I hope that you have learned something about Wynnewood, the town I truly love.