Dr. Ellen Ruth Oakes Harboldt

Dr. Ellen Ruth Oakes Harboldt : Sunrise August 19, 1919. Sunset: Wed Jan 01 2025, at the age of 105. Dr. Ellen Ruth Oakes's memory will forever live on in the hearts of family and friends. Memorial Service Saturday, February 22, 2025 @ 3PM. Held at Touchmark at Coffee Creek, Edmond, Oklahoma. Please be sure to click on Tributes to sign her guestbook. Early Life Dr. Oakes parents lived in a tent, on a Phillips 66 oil lease near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, when she was born. They eventually purchased,what is known as a convience store, near Dover, Oklahoma. She lived through 10 years of the Dust Bowl, the Depression, WW2 and the Atom Bomb. She remembered riding in horse drawn buggies. When her parents first got a car, they didn't have roads. Her oldest daughter teased her that her parents invented seat belts because they would run a rope across the kids laps before they took off cross country. She learned to drive at 8 years old and drove the kids to school. She drove to the railroad tracks and parked, left the keys in the car and walked the rest of the way to school. She wasn't allowed to drive over the railroad tracks. Marriage From these humble beginnings sprang a champion, a ceiling breaker and lover of life. Dr. Oakes married, had 3 children and returned to school after her husband had a health scare. World War 2 Dr. Oakes' husband joined the Navy and was on a boat in South Africa and other countries during the war. She was 22 and stayed home and raised their son. She wrote letters every day to her husband. The letters took 33 days to get to him and paragraphs were often blacked out. During this time, they had a home with a doctor as a neighbor. He saw her in the yard one day and asked if she got hired to work at Tinker Air Force Base. She told him she didn't pass the physical because her blood pressure was too high. He told her she was healthy and one of the hardest working people he knew. He asked his wife if she would mind if he helped Dr. Oakes. She agreed and he told Dr. Oakes to be ready the next day. He was taking her to Tinker to give her the tests. She said he brought her to a bunk room with beds stacked 3 high. He told her to climb in and take a nap. He returned later and brought her to an exam room and administered tests. The result is she passed and was able to join the war effort by working at Tinker. She was called to the Lieutenant General's office one day. She thought she was in trouble but it turned out she was promoted. She had never made any mistakes in her work and that had never happened before. Years later, she would cry when talking about the blood they had to clean up out of the airplanes. She knew the servicemen had been injured or worse. She met one of the Lindbergs at Tinker. He was giving her a look and she looked away. When she looked back, he was already giving another woman a certain look. Later, it came out that he had illegitimate children from all over the world. During war and right after, everything was in short supply. Tires, food and light bulbs to name a few. She took a class to learn how to re-wire light bulbs and went around Oklahoma City teaching others how to do this. Oklahoma City University She attended Oklahoma City University and graduated summa cum laude in 1962. During her time at OCU, she participated in the Oklahoma City sit-in demonstrations. Through her friendship with Clara Looperand Rosa Parks, she organized the OCU students to participate. Mummers Theater and YMCA Additionally, Dr.Oakes and her family participated in the YWCA, where she taught swimming. And, she, her husband and oldest son, participated in the local, community theater known as Mummers. Some of the plays they were in were, Dark of the Moon, Zorba the Greek and Death of a Salesman. After graduation from OCU, Dr. Oakes became one of the first females to enter the psychology department at the University of Oklahoma where she completed her Ph. D. J. Robert Oppenheimer During Dr. Oakes internship in the Psychology Department, Dr. Oakes corresponded with J. Robert Oppenheimer. She wanted to hear his side of the story regarding the Atom Bomb. He told her he would only talk about it one time. He said he hoped it wouldn't go off and thought it might not since it was so big. He told her he was resigned to let karma determine his fate. Dr. Oakes felt he was sincere. Macaque speciosa study for dissertation Dr. Oakes conducted a study with the macaque speciosa monkeys. A scientist came from the Antarctic to study her material. When he was done, she asked if he found anything useful. He said he did and she told him she had more information for him. He told her he had all he needed. She asked if he would give her any credit. He said no, that's not how it works. He left to go back to the Antarctic but returned a month later, as he was ill with bubbles in his bloodstream. He passed away and mom always wondered if he would have let her tell him the additional information of what she learned, if he wouldn't have died. She was going to explain to him that if he became a part of the troop of monkeys, that they would have accepted him as family and kept him warm. She became a member of the troop. The dominant male was named Jackson and he always let her know he was dominant over her. One day, after she stepped in the cage, Jackson was on top and grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the top of the cage. The other scientists were in the lab. and saw what was going on. So, they ran out the door to help her. By the time they got there, she had hit Jackson with her clipboard and got him to release her. The scientists were impressed. Pioneer Psychologist Oklahoma has recognized her as a pioneer psychologist. Her dissertation was studied by scientists from the Antarctic. After graduation, she was eventually elected president of the Oklahoma Psychological Association. All of this took place when women were expected to stay home. Even though Dr. Oakes had a job, her husband had to sign for her to get a credit card. She met obstacles throughout her life but kept going. Timberridge School Before public schools had special education classes, Dr. Oakes saw the need and founded a private school for special education needs. This included gifted children as well and was named Timberridge School. Who's Who in the World https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/433842/ellen-oakes-phd-honored-by-marquis-whos-who-for-excellence-in-clinical-psychology Dr. Oakes is featured in the 15-33 editions of Who's Who in the World, 26th edition of Who's Who in South and Southwest and 16-28 edition of Who's Who of American Women. Additionally, she also appeared in multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare and Who's Who in Science and Engineering. Benefactor of the Arts During Dr. Oakes undergraduate years and involvement with the YWCA, she developed a close group of friends. All these friends were creative artists and they supported one another. One of her best friends was Dena Madole. She was with a New York City Dance troupe but she made Oklahoma City her home. Dr. Oakes befriended Alvin Ailey and kept in touch with him for many years. His dance school is still active in New York City. Dr.Oakes collected artwork, poetry, sculptures, books, pottery and music. Her youngest daughter became an artist with many showings throughout Oklahoma City. Ambassador for Friendship Force Dr. Oakes was selected to serve as an Ambassador for Friendship Force. The organization set up visits between families from different countries and they stayed in each other's homes. Dr. Oakes spoke at meetings to represent Friendship Force in the other countries and traveled the world. One of her favorite visits was New Zealand. She was an Ambassador for several years. In 1973, Dr. Oakes visited the Galapagas Islands. While there, she snapped a photo that caught a pelican as it flew by one of the huge, standing boulders. This photo won first prize at an art show in Leadership Square in Oklahoma City upon her return. Viking DNA Dr. Oakes youngest daughter studied genealogy in depth. She discovered that Dr. Oakes had a lot of Viking DNA. This information caused a personality change in Dr. Oakes. It was also a surprise because she thought she was mostly German. Dr. Oakes was in the hospital when she found out. It changed her self- perception and she took on a Viking personality. She breezed through her hospitalization after that. Harding Charter School Dr. Oakes became a benefactor for Harding Charter School in Oklahoma City. All three of her children graduated from Harding. In 2016, Dr. Oakes donated a $30,000.00 grant to the performing arts at Harding Charter School. In 2020, she donated her entire Norma Shumate collection to Harding. Retirement After sabbatical where Dr. Oakes lived in Germany, she returned to the USA and retired. At age 102 she worked with a screenwriter and wrote her memoir. She was interviewed by a local television station about at her book at this link. https://www.newson6.com/story/61578a1f22d3120c00e9db3c/red-dirt-diaries:-102yearold-edmond-woman-is-working-on-her-memoirs She donated the book, along with memorabilia (some of which was over 100 years old) to the Oklahoma City Metropolitian Library. Her book is: Shake, Rattle and Roll and available as an ebook. She also painted over 77 beautiful paintings at age 104. She was thrilled to sell 4 paintings and 4 prints. At age 105, she learned to gamble at Casino Night at Touchmark where she lived. Every time she threw the dice, someone won. If you would like to see her tell some of her stories, she is on a YouTube channel: keywords: Deborah Oakes Dust Bowl will take you there. Dr. Oakes lived a full life and will be remembered by all who knew her. When I Die "When I die, my atoms will come undone, I'll be space dust once again. The wind will carry me, scatter me everywhere; Like dandelions in springtime. I'll visit worlds and alien moons. It will be so darn poetic!"