A Brief History

Northwest Classen was built in 1955 to meet the growing need for educational facilities in northwest Oklahoma City.  It was designed after a committee of architects and administrators visited and studied forty schools in seven states.  The final architechure plan was made by Hudgins, Thompson, Ball and Associates, and construction was performed by the Builders Company.  The building was first opened on September 3, 1955 with 10th, 11th and 12th grades.  When the second wing was completed in 1956, 9th graders were also admitted. Enrollment in 1956 was 2002. At the time, Northwest was the premier school facility in Oklahoma City.

The social scene in the early years of the school were dominated by fraternaties (Delta Sigma, Alpha Omega, Kappa Alpha Pi, Phi Lamda Chi, and Phi Sigma Alpha), the O-Club, and the Lancers and Falcons, both of which were pep clubs. Each group had its own car "honks", designated parking places in the school lot, and favorite hang outs. The fraternity boys liked the "Carousel" drive in (now a What-a-burger at 34th & May) while the O-Club boys stayed across the street at the local Dairy Queen (now a car dealership). I am told, however, that everyone got along for the most part.

Early in it's history, NWC's students were called "Silkies".  Why they were called Silkies seems to be the cause of some arguement.  Some have told me it's because the students were from "Silk Stocking Row", and another from the idea that its athletes wore silk jock straps (I swear, that's what I was told!).  In later years, Silkies had appearently taken on a different meaning because the football team didn't win much and it was said that they were afraid to get a run in their silk stockings.

In the forty plus years since the school opened, many things have changed as the school has progressed from being a suburban, nearly all white school to a multi-ethnic, inner city school.  Now the students body is roughly one third white, one third black, one third almost evenly divided between Asian and Hispanic students.  Sixy-five percent of the students are eligible for the free lunch.  Enrollment is now about 1200, and graduating class sizes have dwindled to less than 300. However, many of the old traditions are still carried on. For a recent perspective see my essay on Knights in the 90's

Many notable individuals have been associatied with Northwest. Noted civil rights activist Clara Luper was a government teacher in the late 60's. The Knights head statue in the fountain was Sculpted by the famous sculpture Leonard McMurry of OKC who has done such noted works as the many statues that grace the downtown area of the city, the Buffalo Bill statue and the Restoration of the End Of The Trail statue that are at the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Famous alumni include coutry singer Vince Gill ('75), pop group "Color Me Badd", OU basketball star Darrel "Chu" Kennedy, former lightweight boxing champion of the world Sean O'Grady ('77), Mason Williams ('56) who had a hit record called "Classical Gas" and was a regular on the Smothers Brothers TV show, former Oklahoma City mayor Ron Norick and current OKC mayor Kirk Humphries.

Lists

State Championships

Football:
1959, Rex Irwin, coach

Boys basketball:
1964
1965
1968
1982
1985

Boys track and field:
1956, Rex Irwin, coach
1967, Rex Irwin, coach

Boys cross country
1968, Rex Irwin, coach
1976

Baseball:
1957
1977

Boys tennis:
1962
1964

Golf:
1969

Source: 1994 Round Table Yearbook

Principals
W. H. Taylor, 1955-1956
J. Frank Maolone, 1956-1966
Jim Johnson, 1966-1970
Robert Cheney, 1970-1971
June Dawkins, 1971-1979
Robin Gaston, 1979-1984
Jerry Smythe, 1984-1988
Richard Vrooman, 1988-1993
Rita Bilbe, 1994-1996
James Sentor 1997-?
Weldon Davis Current

Source: 1994 Round Table Yearbook

Famous faces from Northwest: