The Immaculate Nathan B.

Nathan Buchanan is a 21-year-old student at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) at the University of Central Oklahoma. Music has been an important theme in his life and has become his dream for the future.

For Buchanan, performing and expressing himself lyrically through hip-hop has become an important part of his life. As a musician in Oklahoma, Buchanan hopes to change the face of music in this state and more so to change the face of hip-hop. Buchanan's passion and drive to change the music industry makes him a critical player for change within the state of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma's hip-hop scene remains largely underground, although key artists have collaborated with mainstream artists. Rappers such as Johnny Polygon, Big8, Jabee and Josh Sallee have been collaborated with more widely known musicians.

Recording studios in Oklahoma do not have much of a presence in the United States but they are there and growing. Buchanan hopes to own his own studio in the future and produce music for other bands while creating and performing his own.

Skirvin Hilton Hotel

The Skirvin Hilton Hotel reopened in January 2006 and is considered haunted by many. It was formerly named the Skirvin Hotel and closed in 1988. The history and the haunting of the property are salacious and intriguing.

A wealthy oilman named W.B. Skirvin first built the Skirvin Hotel in 1910. During the prohibition era, the hotel became a popular speakeasy and a center for underground activity. Allegedly the founder of the hotel had an affair with a maid that worked for the hotel. When the maid became pregnant with Skirvin’s child, he locked her in one of the hotel room on the top floor to avoid scandal. Flooded with depression, the maid threw herself and her infant child out of the window.

According to former guests of the hotel, there have been multiple sightings of the maid, who they call “Effie” as well as figures of a naked woman. Some have reported disturbed sleep due to sounds of a child crying. Male guests report being propositioned for sex by a female voice when alone in their room as well as a naked woman showering with them. One man was allegedly sexually assaulted by an invisible entity.

Psychology sophomore Meghan Frizzell recently stayed in the Skirvin Hotel with her family this past summer when visiting family in Oklahoma City.

“I woke up one night when I heard a baby crying,” Frizzell said. “I thought it was my daughter so I went to check her crib and found her sleeping quietly. The crying stopped abruptly short after. The front desk said no children were on the eighth floor. I was freaked out.”

While the Hilton Skirvin Hotel may be haunted, they still perform business like a normal hotel and attract guests due to the alleged haunting. For more information, visit http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ok-skirvinhotel.html

Cry Baby Bridge

On Wednesday Dec. 8^th political science senior Joseph Duvall and Norman native Tabitha Randall visited Cry Baby Bridge in Moore to investigate the supernatural occurrences there. During their investigation they heard sounds of an infant crying and immediately left.

Duvall first visited Cry Baby Bridge when he was in high school with some classmates. He reported that he saw a car and a baby seat in the ditch below the bridge and that around midnight he heard a baby crying and saw what appeared to be a woman looking frantic. The figure of the woman suddenly disappeared and Duvall and his friends quickly left the bridge area.

“A lot of people go to Cry Baby Bridge with doubt in their minds,” Duvall said. “It’s not until you go that you realize how real and scary it can be.”

While Cry Baby Bridge is a local legend that has many believing, there is some evidence that the story is a lie. According to strangeusa.com, the car that is seen in the ditch was put there by “a group of kids” who stole it and pushed it into the pond. The story supposedly developed from a similar story of a couple fishing on a pond near the bridge with their infant on a boat that capsized and the baby drowned. That pond is called Cry Baby Lake.

Paranormal investigator Christie Clark spoke about the legend calling it “sensational.”

“There might be spirits there,” Clarke said. “But it seems like people hype the story too much and there is little truth of what actually happened left.”

The bridge still stands as a dilapidated wooden structure. The city of Moore plans to tear down the bridge in the future for safety reasons.

To learn more about Cry Baby Bridge visit http://theshadowlands.net/places/oklahoma.htm.

Hauntings and Hamptons

On Tuesday Nov. 9th Tabitha Randall spoke about her supernatural experiences at the Hampton Inn Norman. She claims that when she works alone she see apparitions and hears noises coming from room 115.

Randall admitted to working late in the evening around 10:30 in August when she had her first supernatural encounter. She claims to have been working in the back office when she heard a gurgling noise coming from the housekeeping section of the Inn. She went to investigate when she saw an orb of light "flash" and then disappear.

"I didn't really think anything of it," Randall said. "I went back to work, but then something really strange happened."The phone rang and the guests of room 117 called complaining of a loud television noise coming from room 115. When Randall checked to see who was in room 115, the "slot was empty." Randall went to check in room 115 and opened the door to find it empty.
"All I remember was feeling really cold and looking at the thermostat to see that it read 60 degrees. I thought that was really bizarre."In late May of this year a man of about 60 years visited the Hampton Inn and committed suicide in room 115. According to General Manager Jennifer Crook the man entered the side door on the west side wheeling a helium tank and a small bag. Early the next morning Assistant General Manager Heather Hicks discovered the body with a plastic bag over the head connected to the helium tank.The Norman Police Department would not release the name of the man, but did say that "it only requires five minutes of helium inhalation to asphyxiate and die."
When asked about the future plans for room 115, the Hampton Inn employees said that they try to assign room 115 as little as possible, but they have no plans of closing the room.

PHOTO CREDIT: ERIN WILSON

PICTURED ABOVE: Room 115 at the Hampton Inn Norman

Ray Bribiesca: Fearless Journalism

Ray Bribiesca speaks in the Hall of Fame Room at Gaylord Hall

"60 Minutes" veteran camera man Ray Bribiesca spoke in the Hall of Fame room in Gaylord Hall on Nov. 1st about his life as a journalist. He identified that he filmed footage of every war since his time spent as a U.S. marine in the Vietnam War. Bribiesca claimed that he will end his career with CBS as a camera man for "60 Minutes" after his final asssignment in Yemen.

Ray Bribiesca speaks with students about his career in photojournalism

PHOTO CREDIT: ZACK HEDRICK

Bribiesca followed the 106 combat outpost with Captain Hints to fully understand the violence in Zurac. He fearlessly posted himself on the front lines to obtain what he calls "crazy shots" with his back to gunfire and his camera focused on the faces of the soldiers. The story of the troops was his main objective and he wanted to translate his war information back to the United States to inform the public.
While he leads a fearless career and life, Bribiesca's time with CBS will be coming to an end after his final assignment in Yemen. Bribiesca is proud of his career and comments saying "It's been a great, great ride."
Bribiesca visted the "most dangerous frontier in the world" with reporter Lara Logan to cover war U.S. war efforts along the Pakistani border in Afghanistan. "Bullets cracked and whistled over our heads," said Logan recounting the time that their vehicle was stuck on boulders when the enemy attacked. Although they were in a life threatening situation, "Ray was just standing there...calmly filming everything." reports Logan. "He wasn't reckless, he wasn't stupid, he just wasn't afraid."
Although Bribiesca will be ending his career with CBS, he asserts, "I'll still be out there." He claims that he will be working for National Geographic as a photographer pursuing his passion for wildlife photography.

Jane Anne Jayroe: Beauty Queen and Media Mogul

Jane Anne Jayroe Photo Credit:http://studentorg.richmond.edu/axo/famous_alpha_chi_alumnae.htm

Her eyes are icy blue like frozen crystals in the Arctic, but they radiate warmth and friendliness contrasting the cold color when she laughs. When she grins, she exposes her nearly perfect pearly-white smile- the same smile that captured the hearts of America in 1967 and helped to win her the illustrious broadcast personality title in Oklahoma and Texas. Jan Anne Jayroe is legend in Sooner Country and in the United States alike for a respectable reason.
Jayroe was born in Clinton, Oklahoma but spent many of her childhood years growing up in Laverne, Oklahoma. She attended Oklahoma City University where she entered the Miss Oklahoma pageant with the help of her sorority. Not only did Jayroe win the Miss Oklahoma title in 1966, she also went on in pursuit of the Miss America title in 1967. After winning the Miss America Pageant, Jayroe married and began to have children. At the age of thirty she had fallen on hard financial times and accepted a job with the state board of education hosting a small “throw-away” show.
Jayroe’s career skyrocketed when the producers of the small government show she worked on sent in a tape to the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City. When the producers of the ABC station saw her tape, they quickly offered her a job, which she readily accepted. A few years later, the NBC affiliates in Dallas saw tapes of Jayroe and also offered a position as a news anchor on their primetime news program. While in Dallas, Jayroe won the award for “Outstanding News Personality” and received much acclaim for it. After working for four years in Dallas Jayroe returned to Oklahoma City where she lives today with her husband hosting a small program promoting Oklahoma travel.
While Jayroe has an impressive past career, she still has much to say and advise about the current news industry.
“It is very hard to be a mother and a news anchor,” Jayroe said. “Many people think the industry is so glamorous, but in reality it is a lot of hard work and it is very time consuming. If women want to be mothers and work in this business, they have to realize this.”
While being a mother and a media professional is hard, there are other influences to the news industry that could hinder one’s career. According to stateofthemedia.org, evening news viewership was at about 50 million in 1980 and was about 20 million in 2008. This steady decline of viewers makes accessing a job for a journalist difficult.
Jane Jayroe’s career is inspirational to many who aspire to be media professionals. Her wise insight into news industry workings is still applicable to modern journalism. Without Jayroe, the Oklahoma news industry would not shine as bright.