Most anyone who’s visited Tulsa has likely seen the 75-foot “Golden Driller” statue in front of the Tulsa Expo Center.
The sixth-tallest statue in the United States, the steel, concrete, and plaster oil worker is a symbol of Tulsa’s rich history in “Black Gold.”
What many people do not know is that longtime Sapulpan John Franklin Stephens is the likeness upon which the Golden Driller is based.
A cowboy and construction worker, Stephens said during an interview this week that the job came by accident.
“I was Superintendent for a company called Dallas Meade Constructors, Art Miller was the owner of it. I was 29 when I worked for Art and I called and told him, ‘Art, I am going to be through here this week on this job that I was doing.’ He said: ‘I have got another job for you. We will talk about it when the time comes.’”
Later, Stephens got a call on his pager to come to the office. When he arrived, he noticed a bunch of cars with Texas tags on them.
“I said to myself, what are all these cars doing here from Texas?” he said.
When he got inside, Miller asked him, “Would you be opposed to doing a new type of job?”
Perplexed, Stephens responded with, “As superintendent?”
Miller waved Stephens over and motioned to another larger man in the room. “This guy’s name is Adrian,” he said. “He is the man that is going to be running the show. They want to take some sketches of you if you don’t mind.”
For the next half-hour, the artist had Stephens walk around the shop, taking note of his size, gait, height, and posture.
Stephens said they got really detailed and specific with him as they had him move around, almost like a marionette. As he was walking, if they told him to stop in mid-stride, he had to freeze and hold his foot in the air while the sketch artist did the work.
Finally, they told him, “You’re the man for the job. You can take directions and Art (Miller) told us how long you had been here without ever missing an hour (of work).” Stephens said that was true—he’d never so much as taken a sick day.
Art Miller then offered Stephens the job of Superintendent for a new kind of job—The Golden Driller project.
In 1966, construction on the now-famous statue began.
State Senator Blake Stephens is John’s son, and says that his dad is a retired construction worker, but also loves the cowboy life, and said his time as a calf roper and team roper is part of what kept him in shape. “He was chiseled at 29,” he said.
John Stephens fondly recalled his days in the rodeo circuit, particularly bull riding. “It’s exciting but so dangerous,” he said.
John Stephens is a humble person who never wanted any recognition for his work as a model. In 2016, he and his family were invited to the 50-year celebration of Tulsa’s iconic statue. Senator Stephens said they had to talk his dad into going.
“Me and my sisters, all three of us, tried to get him to go,” he said. They finally convinced him to that all he’d need to do is make an appearance. “He doesn’t like crowds,” the Senator says. “He likes people but he doesn’t like crowds.”
Tulsa County declared Monday, January 30th as “John Stephens Day” in honor of his contribution. Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell was on hand at the ceremony to thank Stephens for his help in creating the iconic statue.
“This is one of the best tourism attractions that we have in the state of Oklahoma,” Pinnell said. “It doesn’t get much better than the Golden Driller.”
Senator Blake Stephens said he was thrilled. “I’m so happy my dad finally agreed to be recognized for his involvement,” he said. “Thank you so much to everyone who made this possible.”
Micah Choquette contributed to this story.
