Chuck Norris, Tulsa Sound artifacts acquired by OKPOP
Standing in front of a “Walker, Texas Ranger” costume worn by Chuck Norris, Jacob Krumwiede talked about how he grew up watching the show with his father. “I remember distinctly, as a kid, knowing that Chuck Norris was from Oklahoma, and I thought it was so cool to see Oklahomans on the screen,” Krumwiede said.
“In fact, it was one of the first memories I have where that registered — that there were Oklahomans just like me that were out there on film and on TV. It was just a cool moment. I think it was one of the things that really appealed to me about the show. And that’s really what we want to do at OKPOP. We want to have those light bulb moments for people where they all of a sudden realize that — you know what — there are people from some small town in Oklahoma, just like I was, that went on to do something really cool. Oklahoma is awesome and it’s a way to showcase that.”
Krumwiede is the executive director of OKPOP, the yet-to-open Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture. From the outside, OKPOP — built across the street from 100-year-old Cain’s Ballroom — looks like a finished product. But the interior, lacking exhibits and displays, is still raw.
The Tulsa World reported in July that the Oklahoma Legislature agreed to give OKPOP $18 million for completion — on the condition the same amount in private donations is raised by November 2025. An OKPOP staff reduction, which took effect Aug. 30, also was announced in July.
Those who remain at OKPOP are forging ahead with the goal of the public someday getting to see items from collections the museum has acquired.
“We continue forward and are making sure that we are building the best museum that we can produce and it’s something that all of Oklahoma and beyond — that people can be proud of,” Krumwiede said.
A “coming soon” promo on the okpop.org homepage said the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture will highlight the “incredible stories of Oklahoma creatives who have made significant contributions to music, movies, television, radio, comics, animation, literature, and beyond. Learn more about the cultural impact of these talented individuals and their lasting legacies.”
For instance: Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma. He gravitated to the martial arts while serving in the U.S. Air Force and developed championship-caliber skills that led to film and television work. His big screen debut came in “The Wrecking Crew,” a 1968 spy comedy starring Dean Martin.
Though Norris played the lead in action films, many — including Krumwiede — were introduced to Norris during the nine-season run of “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
“Obviously, as time went on and you get older, there were all the Chuck Norris memes and so he became just this legendary, larger-than-life figure, even moreso than he already was,” Krumwiede said. “But he certainly holds a special place in my childhood memories.”
“Walker, Texas Ranger” aired for 203 episodes. An autographed script from the 200th episode, plus apparel and props from the show and a Cordell Walker Texas Ranger business card, were part of a collection acquired by OKPOP.
This week, OKPOP — for its own purposes — photographed items from the Norris collection and items from a Tulsa Sound music collection. The items were made available for the Tulsa World to photograph.
The Tulsa Sound items included a guitar and amp that belonged to rock musician Jesse Ed Davis, a bass that belonged to rock musician Carl Radle and a stick bag that belonged to drummer Chuck Blackwell. Davis, it should be noted, was from Oklahoma City instead of being from the Tulsa Sound music scene.
The music artifacts and the Norris items were acquired for a purpose.
Said Krumwiede: “At OKPOP, we want to inspire the next generation of creators and really tear down that barrier that people sometimes mentally have in their minds that they are not a creative person or that they can never make it to Hollywood or something, being from some small town in Oklahoma. At OKPOP, we want to show all of these paths to these creatives who are doing something really cool. They did it. So can you.”
