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The Curd and Saddoris families are the latest inductees into the Bartlesville Community Foundation Hall of Fame.  The induction ceremony was held Saturday night at the Hilton Garden Inn.

The Curd family made their move to Bartlesville in 1974 but had been citizens of Oklahoma since the 1901.

 

Jim Sr. and Donna Mae began their life together after Jim returned home from service in the U.S. Coast Guard. Shortly after their marriage, the couple moved to Denver, CO as Jim pursued a degree at the University of Denver.  In 1974 at the urging of longtime resident Bill Creel, Jim Sr. and Donna moved back to Oklahoma from Denver, settling in Bartlesville.

 

Jim Junior worked in construction, outside sales for Overlees-Woods Lumber Co, and was self-employed in the construction field before purchasing Dink’s Pit Bar-B-Que from his brother-in-law in 1987. This step catapulted Jim Jr. and Kacy into the restaurant business and also helped them build lifelong relationships.

 

This year marks 31 years of owning Dink’s Pit Bar-B-Que and every one of those years has included many valuable relationships but most specifically with General Manager Jesse and his wife Norma Hernandez.  In 1992 Jim partnered with Mark Spencer to open Sterling’s Grille, which is owned today by Jim and operated with long time staff members Becka and Phillip, Hays, Julie Fulton and Joe Purrington.  The restaurant man told the crowd Saturday night he has been fortunate enough to work with good people.

 

Gerald Bertrum Saddoris married his high school sweetheart Lenna Ragan on August 30th, 1918. Gerald’s career as a salesman brought the couple to Oklahoma and eventually led them to Bartlesville. In 1936, they established a small laundry business known as “One Cent Cash and Carry”. In 1943 Gerald’s brother Arlon Frances Saddoris joined the business and together they built the largest laundry and dry cleaning company in Bartlesville.

 

Since its inception in 1936 “One Cent Cash and Carry” held many names but today it is known as United Linen. United Linen has grown to hold more than 62,000 sq ft of operation and office space in Bartlesville with a presence spanning through Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri. After 82 years in operation, the Saddoris family has always been there to help it weather changes in the business.

 

Today Mathis Arlon Saddoris, the grandson of Arlon Frances Saddoris, is the CEO of United Linen. Mat was born in Bartlesville in 1959 and attended Highland Park Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Elementary, Madison Jr. High and graduated from Sooner High School in 1977.  Saddoris says he is committed to Bartlesville.

 

The community foundation serves as a fund-raising and development arm for many local non-profit organizations.