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National Philanthropy Day: OKC Adventure District Street Re-Named In Honor of Kirkpatrick

Science Museum Oklahoma and Oklahoma City Zoo Join Together to Honor Founder

Nearly 70 years after the Kirkpatrick Family Foundation and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund were created, Science Museum Oklahoma and Oklahoma City Zoo join together on National Philanthropy Day to celebrate with the re-naming of the street between their organizations in honor of founders, John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick.  

On Nov. 15, the organizations will dedicate the former Zoo Drive, now Kirkpatrick Drive, celebrating the longstanding legacy of community partnership and philanthropic support for Oklahoma City’s cultural, artistic, and educational institutions established by John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick.

The dedication ceremony will be held on Nov. 15 at 1:30pm at the corner of Kirkpatrick Way and Remington Place within the Adventure District. Speakers include representatives from both organizations and Kirkpatrick Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman Christian Keesee.

“The vision of John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick continues to support the Oklahoma City Zoo and enrich the lives of Oklahomans thanks to the family members who ensure the Kirkpatrick legacy carries on. Oklahoma City was beyond fortunate to have these visionaries lay the foundation for the modern city we enjoy today, said Dwight Lawson, CEO and Executive Director of Oklahoma City Zoo. “We are even more fortunate that their vision sustains through the work of the Kirkpatrick Foundation and Kirkpatrick Family Fund.”

Kirkpatrick, who established the Oklahoma Science and Arts Foundation in 1958, now known as Science Museum Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Zoological Society in 1954, also championed many initiatives for the organizations. Over the years, the Kirkpatrick family’s generosity has fueled:

• Many special projects such as the Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital and the Eleanor Kirkpatrick Jungle Gym
• An endowment fund that continues support for Science Museum Oklahoma
• The Kirkpatrick Center building, which is home to Science Museum Oklahoma, one of the largest science museums in the nation
• A campaign that set forth a taxpayer initiative for the OKC Zoo in 1990

“Science Museum Oklahoma is an organization established, improved, and fostered by the generosity of the Kirkpatrick family,” said Sherry Marshall, John E. Kirkpatrick President and CEO at Science Museum Oklahoma. “Oklahoma City is a better place for families because of John, Eleanor, and the Kirkpatrick family and that’s worth celebrating every day, but especially on Philanthropy Day.”

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