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Another tearful day at Gallagher-Iba Arena
Published: 11/21/2011 10:34 AM
Last Modified: 11/21/2011 10:34 AM

The mood is somber inside and outside Gallagher-Iba Arena as Oklahoma State University prepares to celebrate the lives of four people -- including women’s basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna -- who were killed in a plane crash last week.

Unfortunately, OSU has experience in these matters.

Ten men, including two Cowboy basketball players, were killed in a Jan. 27, 2001, plane crash. A few days later, Gallagher-Iba Arena was packed when the university staged a memorial service for those who died. That celebration of life was so touching that, afterward, former OSU basketball player Bob Mattick was in tears when he said “Now you know why I went to Oklahoma State.”

It appears OSU officials are going detail-heavy to make sure this celebration is first-class, too.

An arena worker was asked to apply a fresh coat of black paint to a camera platform located behind 400 chairs on Gallagher-Iba Arena’s floor. Then he watched over the platform while the paint dried.

Another worker used a vacuum cleaner to spruce things up under courtside chairs and on a stage that was flanked by eight trees and more than 40 potted plants.

Cardboard boxes full of smaller Puffs tissue boxes were carried into the arena and the tissue boxes -- at least 90 of them -- were placed throughout the arena.

Near the 2001 crash memorial in one lobby of the arena, the kneeling Pistol Pete statue seems to be “real” enough to be crestfallen all over again. Flowers were left at the memorial site. One set of flowers was sent by Grambling State, which was supposed to play OSU in a Saturday women’s basketball game that was cancelled.

In another arena lobby, there are six large banners for people to sign in remembrance of those who were lost last week. Most of the banners were scrawled full of messages hours before the public will be seated for the 1 p.m. memorial service.

Here’s one of the messages:

“I will never forget you guys! You have taught me so much and I can’t even begin to describe how much you guys meant to me. I can just remember when I first committed. I knew OSU was truly a FAMILY! I know y ou guys are a in a better place and looking over us. I’m going to miss ya’ll so much and love you very much.”

The message was signed by Tiffany Bias, a sophomore point guard for the Cowgirls.


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Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

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