Murphy preaches a powerful sermon

Murphy preaches a powerful sermon Former Braves slugger now bats for the Mormons Bobby Ross Jr. Published: April 26, 2001 GUTHRIE – The 19-, 20- and 21-year-old missionaries came dressed in uniform Wednesday: dark suits, white shirts, ties. Dale Murphy, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound guest of honor, wore his uniform, too. Not the one he sported during an all-star baseball career in which he slugged 398 home runs, … Continue reading Murphy preaches a powerful sermon

Passionate about Easter play

PASSIONATE ABOUT EASTER PLAY Aging with grace Bobby Ross Jr.    Published: April 13, 2001 HOLY CITY OF THE WICHITAS, Okla. – In its heyday, the “Prince of Peace” Easter pageant in this mountain wildlife refuge northwest of Lawton featured 3,000 performers and drew an audience estimated at 225,000. It was 1939. Leona Dean was 2 years old. Her father helped build this living stage of stone buildings that … Continue reading Passionate about Easter play

Toting Bibles and bike tools

Toting Bibles and bike tools Young men answer Mormon Church call for two-year mission Bobby Ross Jr. Published: April 7, 2001 EDMOND – A car honks. The driver yells an indecipherable insult. Three Mormon missionaries riding their bicycles on a side street near the University of Central Oklahoma just smile and keep pedaling. “I don’t think we really want to know what he said,” quips Trevor Alvord, 20, … Continue reading Toting Bibles and bike tools

Wanda Jean Allen executed: Two-time killer dies by lethal injection

By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Oklahoman McALESTER, Okla. — Just hours after Gov. Frank Keating and the U.S. Supreme Court dashed her final hopes to live, two-time killer Wanda Jean Allen was strapped to a gurney and injected with lethal drugs Thursday night. Allen, 41, was pronounced dead at 9:21 p.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. “Two families were victimized by Wanda Jean Allen,” Attorney … Continue reading Wanda Jean Allen executed: Two-time killer dies by lethal injection

Execution day starts early, lasts 18 hours

Execution day starts early, lasts 18 hours Bobby Ross Jr. Nine times this year and 28 times since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1977, Oklahoma has led prisoners to the execution chamber. Here’s a look behind the scenes on a recent execution day. McALESTER – At 6 a.m., before the sun has time to scale the towering white walls of the Oklahoma … Continue reading Execution day starts early, lasts 18 hours

The 1990s in review: My Top 10 stories of the decade

  By Bobby Ross Jr. The 1990s: I graduated from Oklahoma Christian University, married the love of my life and welcomed my three gifts from God into the world. Oh, and I got paid to write newspaper stories. With full knowledge that I’m probably leaving out a few important ones, my Top 10 stories of the decade: 10. Garth Brooks: 1992 My wife, Tamie, and … Continue reading The 1990s in review: My Top 10 stories of the decade

Violence: Who’s to blame? Society looks at media, entertainment sources

Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK) December 26, 1999, Sunday CITY EDITION Violence: Who’s to blame? Society looks at media, entertainment sources BYLINE: Bobby Ross Jr., Staff Writer SECTION: NEWS; LENGTH: 2410 words Bullets fly on television and at the movies, subjecting viewers to scenes of serious violence every four minutes, a recent study found. Certain video games let consumers get in touch with their “gun-toting, cold-blooded murderer side,” as … Continue reading Violence: Who’s to blame? Society looks at media, entertainment sources

Violence: Who’s to blame? Society looks at media, entertainment sources

Violence: Who’s to blame? Society looks at media, entertainment sources BYLINE: Bobby Ross Jr., Staff Writer SECTION: NEWS; LENGTH: 2410 words Bullets fly on television and at the movies, subjecting viewers to scenes of serious violence every four minutes, a recent study found. Certain video games let consumers get in touch with their “gun-toting, cold-blooded murderer side,” as one advertisement put it. “Kill your friends, guilt-free,” declared another. Some … Continue reading Violence: Who’s to blame? Society looks at media, entertainment sources