It can be reasonably argued that no other Sapulpa family has been more prolific and philanthropic than the Bartletts.
H.U. Bartlett, the founder of the Bartlett-Collins glass plant, was born on a farm near Beloit, Wisconsin, and later became a carpenter. He subsequently married a schoolteacher from Eldorado, Kansas by the name of Eva Maud Whitehead. Suffering from wanderlust, he left Beloit and moved to California soon after the Goldrush, later coming to Oklahoma Territory as a homesteader.
In 1913, H.U. and Eva Maud Bartlett made their home in Sapulpa. Eva bore six sons who would wind up being entrepreneurs who shaped the course of the community’s development.
Those sons were: Ellsworth, Edward, Charley, Chester Merrill, and Martin.
H.U. entered the local oil and gas business. While seeking a practical use of the natural gas reserves in this area, he envisaged its use industrially, thus spurring his interest in the glass business.
In 1914, H.U. Bartlett, George F. Collins, Sr., who was at that time operating the Premium Glass Company on North Mission St., and J.W. Collins (no relation) formed Bartlett Collins Glass Company for the manufacture of milk bottles, packers ware, table glassware, and lampshades.
The plant was constructed on South Linden St.
Shortly thereafter the Bartlett-Collins Glass Company and the Premium Glass Company were consolidated under the Bartlett-Collins moniker. The facility on South Linden became known as plant No.1, and the Premium plant on North Mission St. became plant No.2.
Edward E. Bartlett was born in Eldorado Kansas, came to Pawnee County, Oklahoma territory as a child with his parents and older brother, Ellsworth.
He attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University), graduating with a Bachelors in Science at the age of 18. He later attended the University of Pittsburgh, and Mellon Institute graduating with a Petroleum Engineering degree. He completed all necessary work except a thesis for a Master of Science degree in studies relating to Chemistry and Glass Technology.
In 1916 he entered the business as Treasurer of the Company, later becoming general manager., and eventually President.
He married Helen Truner in 1916, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Fred Truner. Helen went on to be Vice-President, then Chairperson of the Board of BC.
In the early 1940s, he established the H.U. and Eva Maud Bartlett and the Edward E. and Helen Turner Bartlett Foundation. These foundations have contributed to charitable projects in the Virgin Islands; Brownsville, Texas; Homer, Alaska, and Sapulpa Oklahoma.
ED volunteered for overseas duty during WWII but was assigned to technical work at Mellon Institute and the Bureau of Mines in Pittsburg, Among those research projects was developing optical glass for wartime use.
By 1918 the company was in financial distress. Through a “friendly” dissolution, George F. Collins exited the firm. Collins then took over the bottle manufacturing end of the business and formed Liberty Glass Company. The Bartletts and J.W. Collins assumed control of the Bartlett-Collins glass Company. Edward E. Bartlett then became the active head of the company.
H.U Bartlett used his own resources to establish the enterprise. H.U. continued to financially support his “pet project” for several years without any return on his money.
Numerous business associates told Bartlett he was making a mistake and tried to persuade him to terminate the venture. However, H.U, persisted insisting it was a viable endeavor.
H.U Bartlett once agreed to be a partner in an oil well, The well turned out to be a dry hole, but Bartlett was an honorable man and wrote a check for his half of the drilling cost on a deal made by a handshake.
In the following years, the Marathon Oil Company notified all the glassware manufacturers of a premium promotion they were launching. They specified the criteria for the product and requested samples. This was a significant ore involving 25 boxcar loads. Bartlett-Collins, along with other companies submitted samples. The VP of a competitor had called Marathon to see if they won the contract. He was informed that Bartlett-Collins had been chosen. The executive at Marathon asked the VP of BC’s competitor what they knew about Bartlett-Collins. The Vice-President who had just been told he lost the contract told the Marathon executive, “ I had just as soon have their handshake as a signed contract.” This speaks volumes for the character and integrity of the Bartlett family.
Three of the sons became doctors, Dr. Ellsworth Bartlett practiced in Las Cruces New Mexico, Dr. Martin Bartlett practiced in Alamogordo, New Mexico, prior to moving to Sapulpa where he practiced at The Bartlett Memorial Medical Center Family Clinic. He served as assistant and consultant to his brother, Dr. Merill Bartlett.
The story told by family members is that Matin and Merill ran a dairy farm for two years in Colorado. One day they decided there must be a better way to earn a living so they went back to school and became doctors.
Dr. Merrill Bartlett graduated from Oklahoma City University with a Bachelor of Arts. He later worked in the oilfields and engaged in ranching in Colorado. He received his Doctor of Osteopathy from Kirkwood College of Osteopathy and Surgery in Missouri. He taught Psychology and edited a manual on the subject. He received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee. He served in the Army Medical Corps reaching the rank of Major. He served for a number of years as Administrator of Bartlett Memorial Medical Center.
Irving Bartlett, son of Chester Bartlett, was born 2½ blocks from the factory. He went to work for the family business after high school, then entered Oklahoma A&M. He joined the Air Force during WWII working as a technician servicing B-29s. He served in the unit that prepared the “Enola Gay” which dropped the first atomic bomb. He rejoined the company in 1946, and in due course he became Executive Vice-President, Secretary, and General Manager, and also President of Bartlett Memorial Medical Center.
He was married to the former Ann Bunce of Muskogee. They had two children, Bart and Beth. After graduating from the University of Illinois Bart united the family firm.
He followed in the family’s footsteps of community service. He was a 32nd degree Mason, a member of the Elks, Presbyterian Church, Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce, United Fund and was active in Boy Scouts.
Charley Bartlett—also known as “Buzz”—was synonymous with two things; glassware and football. He was given the nickname Buzz while playing football at Sapulpa High School. He attended The University of Oklahoma where he also played football. He volunteered for service in World War I and after being discharged he moved to Colorado to help run the family ranching business. He returned to Oklahoma and married Genevieve Sexayer of Guthrie on December 27, 1919. The newlyweds returned to Colorado until 1925 when they moved back to Sapulpa. Charley worked in a family-owned oilfield until 1931 when he joined the family glass business where he became a road salesman. In 1948 he began spending more time at the factory. They had one daughter named Peggy, who later married Joe Sherwood. Joe and Peggy’s son Charley Sherwood was Vice-President and export manager of BC.
In 1957 The H.U. and Eva Maud Bartlett Foundation purchased Sapulpa City Hospital and created a non-profit corporation that operated Bartlett Memorial Hospital until it was acquired by St, Johns which later became Ascension Health.
Charley F. (Buzz) Bartlett and his brother Dr. M.S. Bartlett founded the Doc and Buzz Bartlett Foundation in 1964 to provide scholarships to OU. The foundation also purchased and maintains the Sooner Schooner.
The Bartlett-Collins Glass Company was purchased by Lancaster Colony in 1982 and operated for over two decades before closing.
The H.U. and Eva Maud Bartlett foundation, along with the Edward E. Bartlett Foundation have contributed countless millions through grants to myriad local organizations and public entities. Some of the recipients of the H.U and Eva Maud Bartlett Foundation are the Salvation Army, the American Cancer Society, the Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Goodwill Industries, the United Fund of Sapulpa, Boy Scouts, Sapulpa Auxiliary Police, and Sapulpa Handicap Workshop.
A partial list of recipients is the Sapulpa Historical Society, Sapulpa School for the Handicapped Building Fund, Sapulpa Veterans memorial, Boy Scouts, Thirty-two 4-year scholarships to local institutions of higher learning. The Bartlett-Carnegie Public Library, the building fund for the Sapulpa Parks Aquatics Center, and most recently, subsiding Camp Invention for local elementary school students. The Bartletts created Bartlett Academy, an alternative school.
Sapulpa is both honored and blessed to have a family like the Bartletts among its citizens.
