OKC St. Luke’s Methodist Church Group Tours WRHS

Foundation members Terri Smittle and Bob Bryant hosted a group of 52 from OKC St. Luke’s Methodist Church visiting Tulsa to learn more about the story of The Outsiders and to visit places where the movie was filmed including Will Rogers High School, the Church Studio, and the Outsiders House Museum. They also had a special viewing of the film at the Circle Cinema.

The church began its Broadway sermon series in 2014 exploring the biggest Broadway shows “to uncover the powerful spiritual truths hidden right in the script.” S.E. Hinton, WRHS class of ’66, published her novel in the spring of 1967. In 1983, Francis Ford Coppola adapted the novel into an iconic film featuring a star-studded young cast. In 2023, producers and creators began work on a musical adaptation and in 2024 the show opened at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. It received 12 Tony Award nominations, ultimately winning four major awards.

Vicki Watson Vinson, class of ’68, was among the St. Luke’s group. She commented, “I was so excited to be back at Rogers and show it off to my husband. It looked beautiful! I’m just sorry I didn’t appreciate the gem that it is when we were students.”