Obit of Flournoy, Morris "Bob" - Wagoner County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 4 Dec 2004 Return to Wagoner County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/wagoner/wagoner.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== Flournoy, Morris "Bob" Morris 'Bob' Flournoy, 78, died September 10, 2002, in Ripley, Oklahoma. He was born October 23, 1923, in Wagoner, Oklahoma to James Edgar and Clara Flournoy. Flournoy graduated from Muskogee High School and later got a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Tulsa. After debuting on radio as a singer who once won a contest in high school, Morris went to work as an announcer on KBIX in Muskogee in 1941. He volunteered for the Air Force when World War II broke out and served 37 months, most of the time as a radio announcer in special services. He was employed at KCRC in Enid as a newsman and sportscaster while in the Air Force. Morris joined WHAS-WHAS-TV, in Louisville in 1945 and remained with the Kentucky station until 1952 when he became news director of KOTV in Tulsa. While in Louisville he had what he considered one of the highlights of his career. Flournoy recorded Talking Books for the Blind, which were placed in the Library of Congress in Washington and are available to the blind in libraries across the nation. In 1956, Oklahoma governor Raymond Gary appointed him to the Governor's Committee for the Blind. Flournoy was also an announcer with KVOO in Tulsa before coming to the WKY staff in August of 1953. He joined the state health department public relations department for a short period, and then came back to WKY in June 1956. When WKY radio news department was formed in 1956, Bob took over the reins. His news department was honored in 1960 by the Associated Press Radio and Television Association with a second place national award for outstanding exchange of news through the AP. He had served as president of both the Associated Press and United Press International associations in Oklahoma. Flournoy was the only Oklahoma newsman to cover former Soviet Premier Khrushchev's coast-to-coast visit to the U.S. in 1959. He reported on the 1960 Democratic National convention from Los Angles and the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco. He was in Dallas only a few hours after President Kennedy's assassination and spent two tiring days gathering facts and interviews that were beamed back to WKY listeners.Thousands of Oklahomans grew up accustomed to awakening to the quietly dramatic voice of Bob Flournoy each weekday morning. His 7 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. newscast on WKY had been Oklahoma's top-rated radio news show for many years. Professor Flournoy had also been in charge of the Oklahoma City University's journalism department and taught as many as three classes a day in the 60's. Despite Bob's numerous activities his first love remained announcing. He'd been in radio since he was 17. In his spare time Flournoy was an avid photography bug and spent a considerable amount of time developing and printing photos. He loved to fish, as did his wife Eunice. Morris is survived by the following people from Ripley, Oklahoma: his daughter Sharon R. Holman and her husband Charles Holman, his son, John D. Flournoy, his granddaughter, Kelli Kay Ross and her husband Willis Ross, his grandson Chase Blair Huston and his wife Brandy Huston, his great grandchildren, Cody Dean Sheehan and Kellin Charles Sheehan. The following people from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma also survive Morris: his daughter Carolyn Mann, granddaughter Shannon R. Thompson and great grandson, Carson G. Thompson. One sister Vivian Belcher of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Numerous nieces and nephews survive him. His infant daughter, Mary Lorraine, two brothers, Vernon and Grover Flournoy and two sisters, Yula Flournoy and Lorraine Stuart, preceded him in death. One year ago he lost his adored wife, Eunice Mary, who he affectionately called 'Baby' and 'Mother'. Morris loved Oklahoma and especially the farm they shared near the quaint town of Ripley. Morris' family will miss our 'Daddy', 'Pa Pa', 'Bull frog' and 'Uncle Moe' forever. Funeral services will be held at 4:30 p.m. Monday September 16, 2002 at the Graveside of the Mt. Hope Cemetery North west of Ripley. Under the direction of the Palmer Funeral Home of Cushing. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Ripley Public School Library, 406 E. Cook, Ripley, OK. 74062. Published in the Oklahoman on 9/15/2002. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Wagoner County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/wagoner/wagoner.html