Published February 7, 2007

Knights of Columbus Move
‘Giving Hall’ Just Keeps Giving

Father Edward J. Weisenburger, Vicar General and pastor of The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help,
accepts a $50,000     donation from Lou Falsetti representing the Knights of Columbus Council 1038.
The donation was made in the name of the late Henry Roewe, past state deputy and a member of Council 1038.
Falsetti, along with Roewe’s wife, Shirley, presented the check to Father Weisenburger on Jan. 28 at the end of Mass.
Father Weisenburger said the conference room at the adjoining Connor Center would be named in honor of Henry Roewe.
The $50,000 was part of the deal that gave Chesapeake Energy the former Knights of Columbus Council 1038 Hall. Chesapeake swapped the Knights the spacious Santa Fe Fitness Club for the much smaller 1038 Hall
near the firm’s expanding Oklahoma City campus on Western Avenue. Representing Chesapeake was
vice president Henry Hood.   

By Bill Cathey
Past Grand Knight of Oklahoma Council 1038

As a youngster in about the second grade, I read a wonderful book that I cherish to this day, Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree.” It is a story that chronicles the life of a boy and a tree.  The essence of the story is how the tree supplied the boy his needs during his life, from letting the boy climb the tree and enjoy its apples when he was young to using its branches for a house when he’s grown and the trunk for a boat to allow him many adventures. The tree enabled the boy to achieve his dreams.

In many ways, I think of the old Knights of Columbus Hall of Oklahoma Council 1038, which was sold this past summer to Chesapeake Energy Corporation, as our “giving hall.” As I reflect on my own life, many happy times were had at the hall on Classen Boulevard. As a teenager, I had my first date there at the McGuinness Catholic High Christmas dance. After practicing law in Oklahoma City for several years, I had several Christmas office parties at the hall with several hundred guests. I became a Knight of Columbus at this hall and saw many Knights of Columbus events occur there. Some of those wonderful highlights were the annual Saint Patrick’s Day party, which one year benefited the World War II Memorial, the annual Columbus Day dinner recognizing the special service of Knights of Columbus to our Catholic community. Other great memories include the Catholic Charities Christmas store, a dinner with the Knights of Peter Claver of Corpus Christi to help with their art acquisition of the Blessed Mother, and  benefit suppers for our dear brother knight Alan Giroux are but just a few of the significant and happy times shared at the hall.  

Sponsoring teen dances was almost as much fun for the adult knight chaperones as it was for our Catholic middle schoolers. I emphasize “almost.”

The crown jewel of the old property was the pool. More fun was had at our pool by more people than space would ever allow to record. The Saturday night cookouts were very special for more than one generation.

The hall gave us all these wonderful times for the past 46 years. But the “giving hall” continues to give. Before moving to the Classen location, the Council met for 55 years in downtown Oklahoma City. Those Knights saw the future and seized the moment by moving to Northwest 63rd and Classen. One of those Knights is still with us, Art Eckroat. Art was not only instrumental in the move of 1960 but has been a big supporter of the move in 2006.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came to us in the summer of 2006. Chesapeake Energy Corporation gave us a $2.8 million deal for our old hall, which was possibly worth $700,000.  

Home is now the Sante Fe Club at 6300 N. Santa Fe, less than a mile from our old location. Although our remodeling is not finished and construction on our new pool has not been done, we had our first meeting on Jan. 8. Thirty-two of our brother Knights met and voted to give Our Lady’s Parish $50,000. That is the largest gift ever given by our council to the parish. A gift of $200,000 should be made available to Bishop McGuinness High School very soon.

The “giving hall” keeps giving. The Sante Fe Club offers so much to the Catholic community. We are only limited by our imagination of what it can become. In just the first few weeks of ownership, the Bishop McGuinness tennis team is using this top facility that benefits them greatly. Their faculty is getting in shape after school in the aerobics room. More       uses for our entire Catholic youth are being planned. Just as the old hall gave, so the new hall is also giving.

A   beautiful   new   25-meter  swimming pool will serve not only the Knights but our Catholic families as well. Although the future is very bright for our council, I will always remember the old hall and the giving it gave us we must pass on.