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DOWNTOWN OKC ANNOUNCES 2005 DEAN A. MCGEE AWARD HONOREES
Corbett, Batchelor and Salyer Recognized for Bringing Excellence to Downtown
OKLAHOMA CITY – February 25, 2005 -- Downtown Oklahoma City, Incorporated (DOKC) will honor three business and civic leaders for their outstanding contributions to Downtown at the 19th Annual Dean A. McGee Award Ceremony. Kerr-McGee Chairman and CEO Luke Corbett will receive the Dean A McGee Award. The Stanley Draper Award will be presented to economic development attorney Dan Batchelor, and Meg Salyer, founder of Automobile Alley, will receive the Neal Horton Award.
The 2005 Dean A. McGee Award Ceremony will be held on Friday, May 20, in the Meinders Hall of Mirrors located at the Civic Center Music Hall at 201 N. Walker. The Black-Tie evening begins with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by a gourmet dinner and award presentation at 7 p.m.
“The vibrant energy and economic growth of Downtown Oklahoma City are the results of commitment and the dedication of this year’s honorees. We are so very proud to recognize their achievements in creating jobs Downtown and preserving its heritage,” said Jackie Jones, co-chair of the 2005 Dean A. McGee Award Ceremony along with Ray Ackerman. Both co-chairs are former recipients of the prestigious Dean A. McGee Award.
The Dean A. McGee Award recognizes individuals for a lifetime of excellence to Downtown Oklahoma City. It is named after Dean A. McGee, an Oklahoma City business leader who chaired Kerr-McGee Corporation for two decades and was passionate about developing downtown for future generations.
In addition to Corbett’s professional dedication to Downtown, he actively supported creation of Downtown Oklahoma City, Inc. and the Business Improvement District (BID) when he served as Chairman of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.
The Stanley Draper Award is presented by Downtown Oklahoma City, Inc. for community excellence by an outstanding staff or volunteer of a non-profit group or non-elected government representative who has made a lasting positive change for downtown. The award is named after city visionary and long-time Chamber executive Stanley Draper.
Dan Batchelor, the 2005 Stanley Draper Award honoree, is president and co-founder of the Center for Economic Development Law. For 38 years, he has provided legal counsel on economic development and urban redevelopment projects for the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority. Those projects include the Oklahoma Health Center, the Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park, Leadership Square, Kerr-McGee Center, Bank One Tower, Myriad Gardens, First Oklahoma Tower and the Bricktown Entertainment Center. He is actively involved in the renovation and reopening of Downtown’s historic Skirvin Hotel and guiding additional housing in the Downtown area.
As general counsel to the Oklahoma City Redevelopment Authority, Batchelor has served as development counsel for Downtown’s tax increment financing (TIF) districts and made significant contributions to Oklahoma TIF legislation, including State Question 707. The TIF districts include the MAPS Economic Development Project, the Oklahoma Health Center Economic Development Project and the Oklahoma Riverfront Redevelopment Project, which includes the new Dell Business Services Center’s 68-acre campus.
The Neal Horton Award is presented to a visionary who creates a renaissance in a part of Downtown. It is named after Neal Horton who pioneered and visualized Bricktown as the energetic entertainment destination we know today.
The vision of Meg Salyer, the 2005 Neal Horton Award recipient, is best seen in her efforts to revitalize North Downtown. Salyer built a coalition through strong advocacy to revive Automobile Alley. Single-handedly, she raised the initial Automobile Alley annual budget of $150,000 in only two days.
An avid supporter of the arts, Salyer is a strong voice for design quality in Downtown. Also, she serves on the boards of Downtown OKC Inc., the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation and the Oklahoma Heritage Association. She was appointed by the Mayor to the Citizen’s Committee for Community Development and was elected the first-ever female president of Downtown’s Rotary Club 29, the largest and oldest civic club in Oklahoma.
“Collectively, Dean McGee, Stanley Draper and Neal Horton started the entire Downtown area by introducing new economic development projects,” said 2005 Co-Chair Ackerman. “To be honored in this way, and by today’s leaders who are carrying on their great work, is a most distinctive recognition of their legacies, and for Luke, Dan and Meg.”
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