Former governor brings ‘Oklahoma’ home

May 19--Former Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh brought "Oklahoma" home to McAlester on Friday, returning to serve as commencement speaker for McAlester High School's graduation ceremonies and bearing some unique historical gifts.

Nigh, speaking with the News-Capital early Friday prior to the event, said he planned to conduct the McAlester High School Band during a rendition of the state song "Oklahoma!" -- while utilizing the pen used to officially sign "Oklahoma!" into law as the state song as a makeshift baton.

Nigh, who is himself a McAlester High School graduate, is the person responsible for seeing that the title number from the well-known musical "Oklahoma!" has official state song status today. His love for the song dates back to when he was an MHS student himself.

"In 1943, as a sophomore, I was on our back porch" listening to the "Lucky Strike Hit Parade," he said, referring to a well-known radio program that aired the hits of the day.

When the song "Oklahoma!" sounded over the airways as a top hit song, Nigh still recalls the surge of pride he felt as he heard the title song from the then-nascent play.

"I thought 'They're singing about my state,"" he said.

Ten years later, in 1953, Nigh had returned to McAlester High School as a teacher. He had also entered his second term as a state legislator -- and he decided that "Oklahoma!" should be the official state song. Now, he had to convince the rest of the state legislature and the governor to agree.

Kicking the door

"I introduced a bill in 1953, making it the state song," Nigh said. "But there was a state representative who didn't like it." Nigh said the other lawmaker liked the state's existing state song, about pioneers, so much, he cried whenever he heard it -- and Nigh's fellow legislator proved successful in temporarily blocking Nigh's "Oklahoma!" bill.

Nigh asked that the vote be delayed for a day -- then he jumped into action. He had a secret weapon in the form of a longtime family friend Ridge Bond -- a McAlester High School graduate who had played the character of Curley during the Broadway production of the hit musical.

"I called Ridge," Nigh recalled. Bond was in Tulsa at the time, having recently retired from acting and had moved into the insurance business. Nigh said he asked Bond if he still had some of his Curley costumes around from Broadway. When Bond replied in the affirmative, Nigh asked him come to the state Capitol the next day dressed in his Broadway attire.

Nigh said he asked another state representative if he could arrange for a full choir from what was then known as the Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha to come and perform at the Capitol the same day. Nigh also did his best to make sure the visitors gallery in the state House would be packed with people sympathetic to his cause when his plan went into motion at the state Capitol.

"The women from Chickasha came up," Nigh recalled of the following day. "The girls came up and sang some numbers from the stage play."

Then suddenly Ridge Bond literally kicked the door open and in character as Curly, with his thumbs in his belt and dressed in his complete cowboy regalia, strode into the House Chambers and broke into a rollicking version of "Oklahoma!" while backed by the collegiate choir.

When Bond finished, not only the visitors in the gallery but the state lawmakers stood and gave the performance a rousing standing ovation. By the following day, Nigh's bill to make "Oklahoma!" the state song had passed both the state House and Senate.

MHS Band makes history

Nigh wasn't quite through, though. He knew that the McAlester High School Band would soon be giving a concert.

"I got Governor Johnston Murray to sign the bill making "Oklahoma!" the state song on the day they were giving the concert in McAlester," Nigh said. Murray then gave the pen he'd used to sign the bill to Nigh -- who rushed back to McAlester with it.

Nigh then used the pen as a baton while serving as a guest conductor to lead the McAlester High School Band in playing "Oklahoma!"

"The first official playing of the new state song was by the McAlester High School Band," Nigh said of the 1953 MHS concert.

Speaking to the News-Capital on Friday, Nigh said "I've got that pen and I'm bringing it with me."

Nigh related how he had given the pen to the Oklahoma Historical Society, which loaned it back to him. Nigh planned to use the very same pen then-Gov. Murray used to sign the bill in 1953 to conduct the McAlester High School band in playing "Oklahoma!" during the May 18, 2018, graduation ceremony.

Nigh said arrangements have been made to loan the pen to McAlester Public Schools so it can be put on display. "I'm also going to give them a picture of Ridge Bond," Nigh said.

Nigh also recalled how a couple of years after "Oklahoma!" became the new state song, the movie version of "Oklahoma!" was set for its 1955 Hollywood premier. By then, Raymond Gary had become governor of Oklahoma, but he had no interest in attending the premier, according to Nigh.

"Since I authored the bill, I went to the premier," Nigh said. As a bonus, he attended the premier with the movie's leading lady, Shirley Jones, who would go on to star in other hit musicals, such as "The Music Man" and "Carousel." Nigh still has an autographed photo of Jones, which he's also bringing with him to be put on display at McAlester Public Schools.

Following his career as a state legislator, Nigh went on to serve as the state's lieutenant governor, temporarily serving as governor when needed. He won election to the governor's office in his own right in 1978 and 1982, then went on to serve as the president of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond before retiring.

He also marked a couple of major anniversaries.

This is the 75th anniversary of the stage play of "Oklahoma!" and the 65th anniversary of the McAlester High School Band's first performance of the then-new state song, Nigh noted.

Nigh sounded enthused about returning to McAlester. He closed with something he still says in relation to his hometown and school.

"I always say 'Go Buffs!'"

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(c)2018 the McAlester News-Capital (McAlester, Okla.)

Visit the McAlester News-Capital (McAlester, Okla.) at mcalesternews.com

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