Lee Roy Chapman
Lee Roy Chapman | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 31, 1969 San Angelo, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | October 8, 2015 (aged 46) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.[1] |
| Occupation | Historian of Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Known for |
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Lee Roy Chapman (March 31, 1969 – October 8, 2015) was an American public historian, citizen journalist, activist, and artist whose research reshaped contemporary understanding of Tulsa, Oklahoma's racial history.[2]
Early life
Chapman was born in San Angelo, Texas, to Lee Roy Chapman Jr. and Susan Lee (Smith) Chapman and moved to Tulsa when he was about four years old.[2] Largely self-taught, he honed screen printing skills and developed a passion for locating obscure artifacts that documented Oklahoma's counter-histories.[1]
Career
Investigative writing
As a contributing editor to This Land Press, Chapman published The Nightmare of Dreamland: Tate Brady and the Battle for Greenwood in 2011, revealing Tulsa founder W. Tate Brady's affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan and role in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.[3] The article prompted the Tulsa City Council's 2013 decision to rename Brady Street, as well as the Brady Arts District's decision to rebrand as the Tulsa Arts District.[2] On the District he wrote:
"Today, the Brady Arts District is the focal point of multi-million dollar developments involving local organizations such as the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Oklahoma Museum of Music and Popular Culture, the University of Tulsa, Gilcrease Museum, Philbrook Museum, and the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa. Local businesses also thrive in the district: numerous bars and restaurants, the family-owned Cain’s Ballroom (which once served as Brady’s garage), and the Tulsa Violin Shop, to name a few. A large new ballpark separates the Brady district and the Greenwood area."[4]
Center for Public Secrets
Chapman began assembling what would later become the Center for Public Secrets (CfPS) in the late 1990s,[1] formally launching it in 2008 as a repository for "hidden, neglected and misunderstood" Oklahoma history.[3] CfPS curates exhibitions, podcasts and a digital library of artifacts; items Chapman located now reside in institutions such as the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and Yale University.[3]
Other projects
Beyond archival work, Chapman produced documentaries and guerrilla art installations. He also appeared in public forums.[5]
Publications
"The Nightmare of Dreamland: Tate Brady and the Battle for Greenwood," September 2011, This Land[6]
"The Drexel Building," January, 2011, This Land
"Anarchy in the OK: The Sex Pistols in Tulsa," January 2012, This Land
"Who's Afraid of Elohim City," April 2012, This Land (with Josh Kline)
"Meet the Clarks," November 2012, This Land
"The Strange Love of Dr. Billy James Hargis," November 2012, This Land
"Subterranean Psychonaut: The Strange and Dreadful Saga of Gordon Todd Skinner," July 2013, This Land (with Michael Mason and Chris Sandel)
Video Appearances
"Public Secrets: The White Dove Review" 2011 This Land TV [7]
"Public Secrets: Larry Clark's Tulsa" 2011 This Land TV
"Public Secrets: Pantoja's Driving Lesson" 2011 This Land TV
"Larry Clark's Return to Tulsa," 2012, Field Guide Media
"Public Secrets: Joe Brainard" 2012 This Land TV
"Public Secrets: Calvary Cemetery" 2012 This Land TV*
"Public Secrets: Woody Guthrie" 2012 This Land TV
"Public Secrets: Tate Brady" 2012 This Land TV
"Public Secrets: Mass Graves" 2012 This Land TV
"Public Secrets: Sex Pistols" 2012 This Land TV
"Public Secrets: Historic Greenwood 40 Blocks" 2013 BeInformedTV
"Public Secrets: 1921 Tulsa Race Riots Reconnaissance Survey" 2013 BeInformedTV
"Public Secrets: Guthrie Green Park" 2013 BeInformedTV[8]
"Public Secrets: Train Derailment" 2013 BeInformedTV
"Public Secrets: Cement Plaques" 2013 BeInformedTV
"Public Secrets: The Stem" 2013 BeInformedTV
"Public Secrets: Standpipe Hill" 2013 BeInformedTV
Death and legacy
Chapman died at his Tulsa residence on October 8, 2015; he was 46.[1] A memorial service at Cain's Ballroom drew hundreds of admirers. The Center for Public Secrets opened a physical space in 2020, continuing his mission to train "history-recovery specialists" and challenge dominant narratives about Tulsa.[2] He is the inspiration for the main character in the FX series The Lowdown.
References
- ^ a b c d Branstetter, Ziva (13 October 2015). "Lee Roy Chapman remembered as 'tenacious' truth teller". The Frontier. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d Eaton, Kristi (22 January 2021). "A citizen journalist's legacy lives on: Telling Tulsa's hidden secrets". International Journalists’ Network. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "About the Center". Center for Public Secrets. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ Chapman, Lee Roy (2023-08-23). "The Nightmare of Dreamland: Tate Brady and The Tulsa Outrage". CfPS. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
- ^ Bates, Michael (2015-10-20). "Lee Roy Chapman curriculum vitae". CfPS. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
- ^ Chapman, Lee Roy (2023-08-23). "The Nightmare of Dreamland: Tate Brady and The Tulsa Outrage". CfPS. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
- ^ Harjo, Sterlin (2011). "Public Secrets: The White Dove Review". IMDB. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ^ Chapman, Lee Roy (2013). "Public Secrets: Guthrie Green Park". IMDB. Retrieved 2025-06-07.