The Oklahoma Bar Journal April 2023

I n M emoriam

M ary Ridgeway Bailey of Fairview died Feb. 21. She was born Sept. 19, 1929, in Ashland, Kansas. Ms. Bailey grew up in Clear Lake and graduated from Beaver High School in 1946. After high school, she moved to Norman and attended OU, where she received a bachelor’s degree in business. She received her J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 1957. Ms. Bailey moved to Fairview and worked for Speck, Flieg, Hewitt & Philbin Law Firm before forming Bailey & Bailey Attorneys at Law with her husband. She was a member of AMBUCS, Iota Tau Tau, the Oklahoma Association of Women Lawyers, the Oklahoma Thoroughbred Association and the Oklahoma Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protection Association. Memorial contributions may be made to the Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation or the World Children’s Fund. B enjamin J. Curtis of Poteau died Feb. 13. He was born Oct. 31, 1936, in Summerfield. He graduated from LeFlore High School and continued his education at Eastern Oklahoma State College, OSU and Wichita State University. He earned a master’s degree in business management. Mr. Curtis received his J.D. from the OCU School of Law. His family soon moved to Poteau, where he opened his law practice. He was appointed to the board of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System by Gov. Frank Keating to provide legal counsel to those in need. In 1980, he founded the LeFlore County Bar Association. Mr. Curtis was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Community State Bank Board of Directors, First United Methodist Church, Kiwanis Club

and chair of the Poteau Rodeo and Parade. Additionally, he was the first person in Oklahoma to run as a Republican for State Senate District Four. T homas George Hilborne Jr. of Tulsa died March 8. He was born Sept. 8, 1946, in Oklahoma City. He received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 1971. While in law school, he was an editor of the Oklahoma Law Review . Mr. Hilborne was commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1970, then as a lieu tenant in the Judge Advocate General Corps., U.S. Navy Ready Reserve in 1972 and was pro moted to the rank of lieutenant commander before receiving an honorable discharge in 1982. He was a founding member of the law firm Hilborne & Weidman, where he practiced in the areas of munic ipal bonds and public finance. He was involved in various orga nizations, including serving as a commissioner of the Professional Responsibility Commission, a charter member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers and a member of the American College of Bond Counsel. He worked as a frequent lecturer and author in the fields of public finance and municipal bonds and represented clients in landmark municipal finance cases before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. R. Dobie Langenkamp of Tulsa died Jan. 21. He was born Aug. 14, 1936, in Tulsa. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School. After graduation, he practiced oil and gas law. Mr. Langenkamp was appointed twice as deputy assistant secretary

for the Office of Oil and Natural Gas in the U.S. Department of Energy, where he supervised the Naval Petroleum Reserve, amongst other responsibilities. Following his service in the government, he opened an independent oil and gas exploration company. Mr. Langenkamp was appointed professor of energy and director of the National Energy Law and Policy Institute at the TU College of Law. Additionally, he served as an energy consultant for the Oklahoma State Energy Office and the Department of Energy in Kazakhstan, the Republic of Georgia and Iraq. Memorial contributions may be made to the Tulsa Botanic Gardens for plant nameplates. W. Howard Patrick O’Bryan Jr. of Bethany died April 6, 2021. He was born July 19, 1925, in Bristow. L. Dee Oliphant of Purcell died Jan. 27. He was born July 6, 1939, in Joplin, Missouri. Upon graduating from Norman High School in 1957, Mr. Oliphant earned bachelor’s degrees in marketing and management with a minor in economics from OU. He received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 1966 and attended the Virginia Judge Advocate General Corps Advanced Course. In 1974, he worked as a law clerk for the Oklahoma Court of Appeals and for H&O Energy Management from 1978 until 1987. He then became a solo practitioner, where he worked until his death. Mr. Oliphant served in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Army and the Oklahoma Army National Guard from 1966

78 | APRIL 2023

THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL