From the publisher
What ’ s in a name ?
For the debut edition of “ Stillwater Oklahoma ,” the name pretty much sums up what we are all about . Our intention is to be the magazine of Stillwater , much like the Stillwater News Press is the paper of record for Payne County . Our goal is to tell the stories of those who call this area home , whether it be past , present or future residents .
When interviewing people we feature in the magazine , it is evident that even as they travel the world , the relationships , lessons and values learned in Stillwater have had a part in taking them far .
I am especially excited about the QR code you will find at the end of some stories . Using the camera on your smartphone , scan the code and it will take you to videos that let you see and hear what we did . This is an exciting part of where the News Press and this magazine are heading as we strive to meet our audience wherever they choose to be — in print , video , online or podcast .
Please enjoy this complimentary issue of Stillwater Oklahoma magazine , the first of many to come .
From the editor
We certainly hope it isn ’ t intimidating .
At least , we know it ’ s interesting .
For this issue we talked to OSU graduates Sarah Coburn ( p . 8 ), a world class opera performer , and Josh Crutchmer ( p . 36 ), a journalist at the peak of the profession . We met with a painter ( p . 30 ) who literally has a stroke of brilliance every time she puts brush to glass . We interviewed cyclists ( p . 20 ) who explain how something a little bit difficult can be a lot more accessible and accepting than we might have imagined .
We set out to gather stories for a magazine that could encompass the variety of possibility that could spring from our gentle hamlet but we ended up with a kind of treatise on human achievement .
So be it . Even if it humbles us , we love learning about how special the people of a place can be .
It ’ s fun to challenge our preconceived notions . It was fun to tell these stories . We hope you enjoy reading them .
If you ’ d have something you ’ d like to see for a future editions , or maybe something you ’ d like to say about what you read here , we always welcome comments and critiques . Send those to bsimmons @ stwnewspress . com .
Beau Simmons
EDITOR , STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE
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Rob McClendon
PUBLISHER , STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE