Bios of the Cast and Crew - 2002

Bill Babb (cast) Proving once again the old saw that "He's not getting better - he's getting older", Bill Babb will once again trod the planks of the Tulsa Press Club Gridiron. Playing men much younger than himself is easy for this Gridiron veteran. "I just have a couple of belts and play whatever role they give me!" says the trouper. When not embarrassing himself in this production, Babb can be found smiling through thick and thin at the QuikTrip at 11th & College. He'll sell you a Hotzi (you need to provide your own Totzi), suggest you buy gas (or Tums if you already have it), and help you start your heart with a cup of coffee. Just don't ask him to perform any of his Gridiron numbers Š it scares the other customers.

Pat Bruner (cast) - Mother of Patrick Bruner and a twenty year resident of Tulsa, Pat has served on Tulsa Public School Vocational Board and Thoreau Community School Board. She authored the book, "How to Own and Operate A Cart/Kiosk at the Shopping Malls." This is Pat's first Gridiron.

Tom M. Campbell, Ed.D. (cast, author, Trust), is a past chairman of the GridironTrust. This year's show marks his 29th as an author. For five years he was Chief Author. Although Tom is an allegedly respected citizen, he has written more Gridiron skits revolving around pornography, hookers and other risque subjects than anyone in history. "I just want to clean up our city," he explains. The retired public relations director for Tulsa Regional Medical Center, Tom now is a freelance author in the Tulsa market. His wife, Charlotte, has passed out programs at the show for many, many years, and at one-time spearheaded after-show parties.

Jerry L. Cornelius (cast) Jerry is the senior most cast member. He was in his first show back in the old Hotel Tulsa days. Another cast member said, "He was in the show when they used candles and megaphones." "That's not true" Jerry replies, "We used gas lights."

Paul Davidson (cast) - cast member since 1965, Paul retains amateur status and remains in the show because his fellow cast members and the directors are long-suffering and allow him to play the mandolin in the pickin' and grinnin' songs, which are a long-time tradition in the Gridiron. He requests the audience to please stop throwing items on stage while he is performing.

Virginia Dessauer (cast) - Virginia clawed her way on stage, made up her lines and refused to leave. She is well qualified to be on stage, having taken dancing lessons in grade school - in which she excelled. 

Patty Dixon (crew) - Patty J. Dixon has a lifetime of song, dance and performing arts involvement. She'll accept big parts, little parts or crew parts and this is her first time with Gridiron. Her most recent offer was Mother Gilbreath in Cheaper by the Dozen at the PAC. She is a real Mom of two professional entertainer sons, the wife of a Tulsa business owner and the Director of Activities at Chandler Park. Her performing background took a twist in the 90's when she served 6 years on the Sand Springs City Council and in 2000 won the GOP nomination for County Commissioner. She was a loser (45% of vote) in the commission general election but is inspired by the Gridiron in hopes for a song of her own someday.

Jane Duenner - (cast) has been singing (ever) since Junior High School where she sang in Glee Club and the Trinity (Episcopal) Church Choir (for which she still sings). Through the years she has played various instruments starting with the Ukelele and ending up with the Guitar, Fiddle and Mandolin. She has sung as a Solo, Duet and with Band acts at various venues throughout Tulsa including Mayfest, Oktoberfest, Jamo's and most recently Philbrook and Rick's Cafe Americain. Singing harmony with other voices is what she loves to do most. With roots firmly in Folk Music, she has recently developed a penchant for that High Lone- some Sound found in songs by Bill Monroe and Lester Flatt. She can sometimes be found at the Bluegrass Jam Night at Arnie's Bar on the 2nd and 4th Sunday Nights of the Month.

Gerry Goins (cast) Gerry says: "Eight (8) is great! Fifty is nifty!" She thanks her Mom and Dad for giving her life and talent and says, "I miss you. I love you!"

Eva-Marie (Mimi) Gooden (author) - A 1990 TU alum with over a decade of professional experience in the journalism and marketing realms, Eva-Marie lists her current occupation as "aimless drifter." An accomplished amateur bodybuilder, she is armed but not dangerous. She wrote her Gridiron material for this year immediately following: a.) Marriage to the most incredible man she's ever known-or-even-heard-tell-of; and b.) Abdominal surgery. Thus, as you'll soon discover, her 2002 writing style was strongly influenced by a lingering wedding cake sugar high mixed with heavy prescription pain meds. She hates her haircut. For reasons we'd rather not go into here, it's possible she'll sidle up to your table, demanding a dinner roll. Should this occur, we ask that you respect The Gridiron's strict, new "Do Not Feed the Authors" policy and for your safety, please: keep your hands within the cart for the duration of tonight's performance.

Sonny Gray (Musical Director) didn't have a chance. He was destined to become a musician. His high school (Central) is the electric company, his junior high (Horace Mann) was a pre-release center and his grade school (Lincoln) became a brewery. When asked if Sonny has lived in Tulsa all his life, he replied, "I don't know yet."

Adele Baumann Healey (cast ) Adele has returned to Tulsa after 30 years of a Nomad's life and has hit the streets running trying to get back into the southern midwest way of life. (What part of the country IS Oklahoma in anyway??) Since joining the Gridiron she has been given a crash course in Tulsa's politics and has tried hard to keep up with the carousing Gridiron crew. She has been overheard moaning, "There's no way to keep up. I'm too old." She can claim being in the same Edison High School class as our mayor Susan Savage and that is about all she can claim. Not saying that Susan is old, just Adele. Oh, never mind........

Marianne Herrold (cast) - A T.U. Marketing grad, Marianne sang in the traveling T.U. Modern Choir. Her career has included Phillips, ONEOK, and now KRMG, where in addition to sales, she often writes & voices client's (or former client's) commercials. She has served on the Boards of AWRT, AMA, and the Tulsa Philharmonic. She plays a little piano and a little golf, and her claim to fame is that she rode in a golf cart with Greg Norman at the '94 PGA. Interestingly, she appears in the "Golf" and "Phillips" scenes of this year's Gridiron.

ELiz Hollis (prompter) - Our Parks Princess, ELiz manages marketing, PR and special events while researching grants for Oklahoma's only county-operated parks division. (Tidbit: LaFortune Park and Golf Course is a county facility.) Eliz answers to Little Dixie Pearl, the Official Dog of the Gridiron, whose picture can be seen at the bottom of the home page of the Gridiron website at: http://www.oocities.org/tulsagridiron

T.A. Hollis (cast, Trust) - The Hat Man. Stop Me From Volunteering. First place winner, Chili Cookoff for 2001. Father of the Official Dog of the Gridiron (see above.) 

Randy Krehbiel (author) - Randy Krehbiel was once on the same airplane as Herve Villechaize. No kidding. 

Jeff Lea (cast) - Jeff Lea is a reporter for Oklahoma's Newschannel 8. Amazingly, he's back to pounce as a prairie dog - a live exclusive you'll see only at the Gridiron

Rebecca Marks-Jimerson (cast) - Rebecca has been involved in theatre for over twenty years, including roles in "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Mississippi Delta," and "Little Shop of Horrors" for American Theatre Company. In addition to her work as a multi-cultural coordinator for Tulsa Community College, Rebecca is a columnist for the Oklahoma Eagle and hosts "TCC Minutes" on Cox Cable channel 21. 

Mary Lou Martin (cast) - Mary Lou was born in Tulsa, has a BA in Psychology from the University of Houston, an MA in Sociology and MA in Speech from West Texas State and attended the University of Valencia in Spain. She was a college professor for fifteen years, owned dancing and modeling schools and now owns the Newcomer Welcome Service of Tulsa. In addition, she hosted a thirty-minute televison talk show in Amarillo, Texas and spent two weeks dancing with the Barnum and Bailey Circus in Houston.

Elizabeth Meier (cast) - Elizabeth Meier returns to the Gridiron for a second year. Educated at Loyola in New Orleans, Elizabeth was blackmailed into returning. If you, too, would like to blackmail Elizabeth, rent "Wild Girls of Mardi Gras, Vol. 1." Get in on the action.

Ann Moore (crew) - is employed by Tulsa Public Schools as a Special Education Teacher at Edison Preparatory School. She is the wife of Production Stage Dictator, Tim Moore, and mother of Dierdre Erin as well as three cats who go running when the vacuum cleaner is running or when the kid is on the loose. Ann spends her extra time fully engrossed in the educational programming of Nick Jr., commenting that "Little Bear and Franklin are my favorite shows." A box of hair dye again sits waiting on the bathroom counter for this Gridiron show to be over....as she is still waiting for the final list of props she needs to make for this years show. Between scraping food off the floors, counters and ceiling, playing peek-a-boo and trying to make signs and props, Ann is still glad that this show is earlier this year as it will not interfere with bulb planting and March Madness!

Tim Moore (Production Stage Director) - is employed by the Tulsa Housing Authority as its Compliance Auditor. He has been involved with the show since a gallon of Ethyl was 16 cents at the neighborhood gas station ( In other words, since 1973). He has taken on a cornucopia of tasks through the years (now decades) from making props, painting, to his present position of Production Stage Director. In his spare (?) time, he enjoys playing with his two year old daughter Dierdre and is already sweating the day when he hears, "Daddy, can I have the keys to your truck?" As a hobby, Tim is a high school football and basketball official. Additionally, you can catch he and his wife Ann wearing their orange and supporting their favorite team - the OSU Cowboys.

Harold L. Morgan, Jr. (webmaster) - Chief Fan of the Chief Author (see below), Harold (Skip) has maintained the Tulsa Gridiron website for the last few years despite massive lack of input from the Gridirion cast, crew and/or audience. The Gridiron website is generally held to be much funnier than the actual show (known in the trades as "a short putt"); check it out at: http://www.oocities.org/Tulsagridiron

P. Casey Morgan (Chief Author, Trust) is the Development Director for KWGS, Tulsa's Public Radio affiliate. She has been with the Gridiron for an indeterminate number of years, and has not yet figured out why. She would like to thank the webmaster (see above) for his unending support during their 20 years of marriage, even during the bad times (which would be, well, let's face it: Gridiron). The webmaster can still make her laugh, which is something of a miracle after 20 years of marriage. During Gridiron performances, Casey can be seen pacing the room like a tiger with a bad haircut, rewriting the show in her head, plotting the grisly demise of all cast members who ad-lib and looking fondly ahead to the after-party at the Press Club. DJ Morrow (cast, author, Trust chair)

DJ Morrow Ingram (cast, author, Trust) is the chairman of the Press Club Educational and Charitable Trust -- the first female to hold the position in its 70 year history. In her real life (what is "reality" anyway...?) she heads up the Marketing Department for the Tulsa Area United Way and hopes her good deeds as part of her job for charitable causes in our fair city help make up for Gridiron indiscretions. DJ is also a "closet lawyer" (which some of the authors may need after the show) and sings in the car, shower or anywhere she can find an audience.

Jerry Muratore (cast, Trust) - Jerry is performing in his 20th Gridiron with 18 performances between 1977 and 1994 , then returning last year after a six year drought while living in Texas and Kansas. Jerry has been with KOTV-Channel 6, KJRH-TV2 and Donrey Outdoor Advertising. He currently serves as President of the Tulsa Division of Clear Channel Outdoor (The former Donrey Outdoor.) He has a huge crush on this year's director.

Vicki Muratore (Director) - Vicki Muratore, 2002 Director, has served as a Gridiron prompter for several years, only abandoning her post to follow her husband to jobs in Amarillo and Wichita. Her 2001 return to Tulsa evoked ambivalent emotions among the cast, but luckily there are plenty of rookies who won't hold her past against her. She's a Libra-on Cusp with Pisces rising and wants to thank her family for looking the other way.

Mark Owens (cast) - Gridiron rookie. Nickname is "crash." Startles easily. Spent first seven years at Tulsa World as nomadic, bedouin "desk man," working without desk. Now has two desks and has been promoted by homeland security to full-metal paginator. Fond of Brits. Often misquotes C.S. Lewis. Often misquotes British rock hooligan Noel Gallagher. Won't sing unless it's obscure b-side from obscure British rockers Oasis. Says of soon-to-be-ex-mayor Susan Savage, "She's Electric!" Responded to infidel Osama in September by humbly accepted role as vodka mullah and proclaiming worldwide Absolut jihad. Has family values. Keeps trying to get Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to adopt him as son.

Heather Richetto-Rumley (cast) - Heather is proudly returning for her 3rd Gridiron appearance after an extensive world tour as an understudy for the all-female cast of "The Full Monty", that kept her out of pocket for last year's Gridiron. After working with this year's cast, she is now reconsidering her decision to come back and plans to leave the country as soon as possible--preferably prior to showtime. Heather would like to take this opportunity to thank her husband, Scott, and her parents, Gary & Suzanne, as well as friends and co-workers who can be easily recognized in the audience as the only people laughing.

Dick Risk (cast, Trust) - Dick is celebrating his twenty-fourth consecutive year in Gridiron. He was an Air Force public affairs officer and ran an Armed Forces Radio and Television Service Network overseas. He also worked in public relations for Getty Oil and PSO. He ran the Southwestern Power Administration for Ronald Reagan. Currently, Dick publishes a national trade periodical, is a structured settlement broker and has just been awarded his juris doctorate.

Jim Roberts (cast, Trust) - Jim Roberts' distinguished theatrical career began in 1948 at the Ottumwa, Iowa YMCA, where his show-stopper was the line: "Man may have learned to fly like a bird, but he hasn't yet learned to sit on a barbed-wire fence." After a nearly 50-year absence, he returned to the stage in Gridiron 1996, but he's not yet ready to give up his day job at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma.

Claudette Rogers (cast) has returned to the Gridiron cast after a couple of years on hiatus. (OK, she found out where we had secretly moved practices). Her day/ night/ weekend job is as Promotions Director for KVOO-AM, Country 98 and 99.5 The Bull, although she is deathly allergic to cowboy boots and pick-ups. Her hobbies include taking in thriving baby houseplants and raising them into dry, shriveled things. She is single and you can find her ad under "SWF seeking SWTDH$$MPDQ." She shares her home with an 18 year-old dog, a main cat, and two auxilliary back-up cats.

Tom Rush (Tulsa Press Club staff) - With the dubious assistance of cast member Mark Owens, Tom has been dubbed a "mytho poeist." And you say you never learn anything at the Gridiron. 

Frank "Skip" Suraci (crew) - Skip makes his backstage debut with this year's Gridiron. He is married to Gridironess, Catherine Adkins. When not lawyering with Kivell, Rayment, Francis, Coulson and Heath, he can be found "pickin' and grinnin' at the Tulsa Press Club.

Anne Thompson (costumes) - Anne is much more comfortable behind a camera than in front of one, so working behind the scenes is her forte. By day, she is the Court Adminstrator for the City of Tulsa. By night, she can be found rummaging through the curbside trash looking for costuming inspirations for next year's show.

Wes Thompson (cast) - For those of you that have eagerly followed Wes' Grid Iron career, two stunning and exciting developments! (1) Gosh darn the Rockettes. They've had their opportunities for his fabulous talents. (2) His golden locks are back! While Wes has your attention, he wants you to know that he endorses coach Burns and the U of Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team. Support Tulsa's team and make Wes happy. The previous announcement was brought to you by Let's Make Wes Happy, Inc. Thanks in advance for your cash donations to this non-tax deductible organization.

Julie Watt (Tulsa Press Club staff) -

Rick Wellington (Manager, Tulsa Press Club) -