'The Heart Of Tulsa': Locals Reflect On Golden Driller Legacy After Model Passes Away

The model of Tulsa's Golden Driller Statue has passed away. 

John Stephens Jr. oversaw the construction of the Golden Driller in 1966 and then became the model for the 75-foot statue.

Blake Stephens says his dad, John, was a great model for how to live life, which made him a great model for the Golden Driller.

Many people say that when they drive by the Golden Driller, it reminds them of home.

Some people drive by the Golden Driller and see one thing.

“It's a giant construction builder,” said Oliver Wilson.

But they know it has a deeper meaning.

“The heart of Tulsa,” said Wilson. 

“I guess home,” Coco Hill said. “It's like a warm feeling, something that you count on that just means Tulsa.”

It's been a symbol of the city since 1966.

Robert Searcy has lived in Tulsa his whole life and used to go to the oil expo with his family before it was built.

“We came out here. It was a great show, a big stinking deal,” he said. “You come here, and so as that thing went up, it was iconic. It was a big deal as a little boy.”

Tulsa’s history includes the oil boom, and to many at the Fairgrounds, that's what the Golden Driller represents. 

“Which is our history which got us to be the Tulsa that we are,” said Hill. 

“I'm very proud of the history of what it means to Tulsa, and the businesses that are here both big and small,” Searcy said. “Very proud of it, proud of our heritage.”

Stephens’s statue is a part of Tulsa's history that people will always want to show off to everyone who visits it. 

“Usually if I have visitors come in, I always bring them to see the Driller because it's such a Tulsa Icon,” Hill said.

John Stephens Jr.'s funeral will be this Saturday at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Sapulpa on South Elm.

Everyone is welcome to attend.