The hallway walls, meeting rooms and offices at Thunderbird Clubhouse's new east Norman home are full of artwork done by club members, current and past. Vivid paintings tell the story of adults recovering from mental illness.
"This one is very good," executive director Pam Sanford says on a tour. "We lost him a few months back."
The work of Ted Watts, a nationally known artist whose paintings of Heisman trophy winners and sports murals bring thousands of dollars, will soon be displayed next to the club members' work. His painting of the late Blake Owens, son of Barbara and Steve Owens, and a former clubhouse member will be unveiled in the 6,700 foot clubhouse.
Clubhouse members will join the Owens family and other donors for a grand opening celebration at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The $1.2 million clubhouse at 1251 Triad Village is more than double the size of the former facility in the old Tadlock's Grocery Store on East Main Street.
The clubhouse has about 300 members with 30 of them coming in on an average day. Sanford hopes to get that number up to about 50. There are seven full-time employees and members all pull their weight in making the clubhouse run smoothly.
"It's happening slowly," Sanford said of the move. "A lot of the older members haven't made the transition yet. The grand opening will be a milestone for us and we're hoping more of our members come back."
The clubhouse is in its fourth location. Sanford, executive director for 15 years, has made most of the moves. "The moves can be stressful for our members but sometimes stress can be positive," she said.
The new clubhouse includes a large dining and multi-purpose room, snack bar, commercial kitchen and laundry, computer room, conference room, a bankette for the members, housing and educational assistance offices and large bathrooms.
It will be debt free by the end of this year, thanks to the Owens family, the Sarkeys Foundation and numerous individual and corporate donors. Owens, the 1969 Heisman Trophy winner, and his wife Barbara, have championed the clubhouse's mission since their son's death.
The portrait of Blake Owens will be special for the Kansas artist. Watts and Owens grew up in Miami, OK. Owens, a former OU athletic director, commissioned Watts to do the mural inside the Legends Lobby at the Barry Switzer Center a dozen years ago.
The 66-year-old Watts' family moved to Miami in the 1950s. His parents decided their home was too small so they sold it to the Owens family of eight children, two parents and a grandparent.
"I think everybody that went through Miami High School had an Owens in their class," Watts joked. "Steve's sister was in my class."
He got to know Blake by participating in Owens' charity golf tournaments. He found him shy, quiet and respectful.
"It's kind of ironic. I've painted lots of people. Most of the people I paint I've never met. This was a rare opportunity and it was important to me."
Steve and Barbara selected the photograph Watts used in his 14-by-18 inch painting.
"This one is a little bit of a labor of love, not just an assignment to decorate somebody's walls."
Steve and Barbara have yet to see the painting. They have seen the finished clubhouse, having visited there several times a week during construction.
"I'm so happy for the clubhouse and our members," Owens said, recounting the story of how a physician recommended Blake visit the clubhouse.
After their first visit, Blake told his parents the clubhouse needed their help.
"We thought about that after Blake died," Owens said. "He wanted us to help those who are recovering from mental illness."
Besides the building, they've helped build an endowment that will still care for the building years from now.
"We needed to help. It's one thing that we've been able to do to help us heal. That was his wish. To help his clubhouse."
Andy Rieger 366-3543 editor@normantranscript.com
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Artist's 'labor of love' will hang in new Thunderbird Clubhouse
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