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Welcome to the Tulsa Chapter Website!

The word "Oklahoma" means "land of the Red People" in the language of the Choctaw Indian, one of the tribes that call this state home. This Native American influence carries over in the history of Oklahoma's second-largest city, Tulsa. The city had a humble beginning in 1836, when a group of Creek Indians, another of those five tribes, found the end of their Trail of Tears. As they sought shelter under an expansive oak tree near the Arkansas River, the Creeks decided to make this piece of Indian Territory their own, lighting a ceremonial fire and naming the land "Tallahassee" or "Tulsi." As the name has survived the many passing generations, so has the Council Oak Tree, a lasting symbol of the city's Native American history and its embrace of multiculturalism.

When World War II broke out, Tulsa's oil industries, which had been in decline since the early 1930's, were converted to defense purposes. The 1940's ushered in a period of growth for Tulsa. Many aviation industries converted their factories to accommodate the war effort, and defense workers poured into the city.

The Safety Engineers who were here with the war effort gathered for the first meeting of the newly chartered Tulsa Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers. The Tulsa Chapter was official February 7, 1944.

The end of the Second World War brought a surge of population and industry to supply the new residents to the Northeast Oklahoma area. With the conversion from military production to civilian goods and services came a need for greater safety and the personnel to provide it.

While petroleum still remained strong, the aircraft and aerospace industry was beginning to blossom. American Airlines built a major maintenance center and SABRE reservation system relocated from New York to Tulsa. To date, there are more than 300 aviation-related companies in Tulsa.

Such advancements have made Tulsa a diverse city full of opportunity. Not only national corporations, but international corporations have made Tulsa their home. For instance, American Airlines, Kimberly-Clark, Ford Glass, State Farm, Thrifty, Dollar, Hilti, Avis, MAPCO, Citgo, and Whirpool are just a few.

The Tulsa Chapter is proud to have served it's body for over 60 years. With the ever-changing industry picture, ASSE has had to expand and change too in an effort to stay ahead of the changes. Feel free to contact any one of the listed members of the Board of Directors if you need any help or just have a question.

Make it a safe day!

Richard Downs, CSP
Tulsa Chapter President, 2007-2008

© 2008 Tulsa Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers