Correction
This obituary incorrectly reported Stuart’s age. He
was 94.
STUART, Fla. -- Harold C. Stuart -- who brought leadership to
Tulsa business, national defense
and international relations -- died
Monday. He was 94.
Services, to be held in Tulsa, are
pending.
Stuart was born July 4, 1912, in
Oklahoma City. His parents were
Royal Cutliff Stuart, president of Fidelity National Bank, and Alice B.
Stuart.
He attended public schools in
Oklahoma City, where he was an
Eagle Scout at age 12 and student
body secretary at Classen High
School.
Stuart earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree at the University of Virginia, where he was a
member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and received many
honors, including the Algernon
Sidney Sullivan Award for out
standing character and service. He
also was captain of the school's
boxing team and won two individual NCAA boxing championships.
Stuart later completed post-graduate studies at American Management School in New York City and
Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Mass.
After graduating from law school, Stuart moved to Tulsa
and joined the Stuart and
Doerner law firm, which his
grandfather had established
before statehood.
On June 6, 1938, he married
Joan Skelly, daughter of Tulsa
oilman W.G. Skelly. She preceded him in death in 1994.
Stuart married Frances
Langford Evinrude in 1994.
She preceded him in death in
2005.
In 1941, he took a leave of
absence from the law firm to
accept appointment as a judge
of common pleas. He continued as a judge until World
War II.
He enlisted in the Army Air
Corps in 1942 and was commissioned as a lieutenant. After several stateside posts, he
was assigned to Advance
Headquarters of the Ninth
U.S. Air Force in England.
He served as advanced officer/director of intelligence in
charge of operational intelligence for the corps as it went
from England to France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Germany.
After the war ended, he
served as an intelligence officer in Norway. He left active
duty in 1946 as a colonel but
remained in the Air Force Reserve until 1972.
Stuart's military decorations
include a bronze star, six battle stars, the Croix de Guerre
of Luxembourg, the Haakon
VII Victory Medal of Norway,
the Medal of Freedom of Norway and the Order of St. Olav
Commander of Norway.
He also received the National Guard Distinguished Service Medal and the Department of Air Force Exceptional
Service Award.
When he returned from military service, Stuart rejoined his law firm, working there
until 1949, when President
Truman named him assistant
secretary of the Air Force, a
position he held for two years.
He had policy responsibility
for Air Force research and development, Air Force Reserves, Air National Guard,
Air Reserve Officers Training
Corps, Civil Air Patrol and Air
Force installations, including
real estate, bases and housing
in the United States and
abroad.
While working for the Air
Force, he was appointed a
deputy delegate to the 1950 International Civil Aviation Conference in Montreal.
After leaving the Air Force
post, Stuart served as national
president and director of the
Air Force Association and as
president and chairman of the
Air Force Academy Foundation.
In 1951, Stuart resumed his
law practice, subsequently
opening a Washington office
for his Oklahoma firm.
He organized KVOO TV in
1952 and served at its first
president. The television station -- now KJRH, Channel 2
-- was sold in the 1970s.
In 1956, he returned to Tulsa and was named president of
Southwestern Sales Corp., a
holding company for family radio, oil and gas investments.
The company is now known as
First Stuart Corp.
Gov. Howard Edmondson
appointed him to the state
highway commission in 1959.
He served until 1963.
He also served in leadership
positions with many civic and
charitable groups, including
the Oklahoma Heritage Association, the Tulsa Philharmonic, the American Red Cross,
the YMCA, the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, Indian Nations Council of the Boy
Scouts of America, St. John
Medical Center, the United
Way, the Air Historical Association, the Falcon Foundation,
the Gertrude Skelly Trust,
NBC Radio Affiliates, Lovelance Medical Foundation, the
Western Golf Association, the
World Golf Association, Tulsa
Charity Horse Show, the Oklahoma Aviation and Space Museum, and Southern Hills
Country Club.
He served on the corporate
boards of Skelly Oil Co.; Getty
Oil Co.; Greyhound Corp.; Armour & Co.; Morrison-Knudson Co.; First Tulsa Bancorporation; Susquahanna Corp.;
OKC Corp.; Burtek Inc.; Low-
rance Electronics Inc.; Central
Plains Enterprises Inc.; Ponca
City Cable TV; Southwestern
Sales Corp.; Great Empire
Broadcasting Inc.; Stuart,
Biolchini and Turner Law
Firm; and First Stuart Corp.
Stuart was a skilled sportsman and had hunted and
fished in every state, earning
recognition as an expert Alaskan sportsman. He was a
trustee of the North American
Wildlife Foundation and an
honorary trustee and sponsor
in perpetuity of Ducks Unlimited and held leadership positions in other hunting and
fishing groups.
Stuart received many local,
state and national honors. In
1981, he was inducted into the
Oklahoma Aviation and Space
Hall of Fame. In 1983, he was
inducted into the Oklahoma
Hall of Fame. He received the
Boy Scouts' Silver Beaver
Award and was a regent for
life in the National Eagle
Scout Association.
He held the title of vice consul of Norway for the state of
Oklahoma for 30 years. Both
of his children were born in
Norway.
Stuart Park at Gilcrease Museum was created with his daily involvement, attention to
detail and financial support.
Stuart is survived by a
daughter, Randi S. Wightman
of Tulsa; her husband, Fred
Wightman; and their children,
Malcolm Wightman and Kate
Wightman.
He also is survived by a son,
Jon R. Stuart of Tulsa; his wife,
Mildred Diane (Dee Dee)
Lindsey; and their children,
Susan Stuart Peterson and
Melissa Stuart Nuzum. Stuart
is also survived by great-grandson Landon Stuart Peterson.
Friends are making memorial donations to Up with
Trees or to Stuart Park at Gilcrease Museum.
