Charles Keithline

Charlie, at the age of 90, passed away March 22nd in Tulsa after a brief illness. Charlie was born on August 17, 1924 at the home of Charles R. Sr. and Bertha Keithline in Kingston, Pennsylvania. Charlie is survived by his wife and primary caregiver Kay, mother of his children Georga, son Charles R. Keithline III and wife Nancy, daughter Carolyn Keithline and husband Gerald Inglett. Other children include Richard and Sharon Thompson, Larry and Linda Thompson, Janice and Don Eckroat, Glenn and Cheryle Thompson, Elizabeth Smith, as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Charlie was preceded in death by his parents, brother Daniel Keithline, sisters Doris Keithline and Marion Joynt and grandson Charles R. Keithline IV “Rusty”. In his early adulthood, Charlie was called by his beloved country to serve in the 276th armored field artillery of the U.S. Army. Before the age of 20, Charlie was one of the brave who landed in the second wave at Normandy, France during the D-Day operation. His unit was later heavily involved in “The Battle of the Bulge”. Charlie received numerous battle medals and recently traveled to Washington D.C. via the “Honor Flight”. In 1950, Charlie graduated from Oklahoma A&M (OSU) with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, and that same year he joined the Tulsa engineering firm of Wood & Craig. In 1957, Charlie became a partner with Allen Craig and formed Craig & Keithline Consulting Engineers in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The company was incorporated in 1985 following Mr. Craig’s retirement. In his early professional years, Charlie worked as a surveyor and designer on the brand new Oklahoma turnpike system and on the Skelly Bypass (now known as I-44) in Tulsa. At that time the developed area in southern Tulsa was well north of 51st Street. The proposed routing of I-44, especially along the 51st Street corridor, was quite controversial and many objected out of concerns that the expressway would act as the “Great Wall of Tulsa”, effectively blocking any growth potential to the south. As we all now know, Tulsa’s development boom leaped the highway almost overnight and those concerns were forgotten. In the late 50’s, it became apparent that Tulsa had outgrown the often haphazard road system that had developed over the years, and the State of Oklahoma Department of Highways (now Oklahoma Department of Transportation) began looking for an engineering and planning company that could develop a long range metropolitan expressway master plan. As most of the local engineering firms were small businesses, the Department began to consider hiring a large national firm to provide this plan. In response to those concerns and in an approach that was years ahead of its time, Mr. Keithline helped form a consortium of 5 local firms that was successfully selected to perform the study and develop the plan. The joint venture independent company Associated Expressway Engineer’s Inc. was formed, and in 1961 they delivered their report – The Tulsa Metropolitan Area System Report which contained many innovations, including the use of scaled perspective views superimposed on aerial photographs. This document has been used as a guide for nearly the entire Tulsa expressway system ever since. Over the ensuing years Charlie kept busy designing streets, highways, water and sewer conveyance and treatment systems, and private developments. He developed a tremendous amount of respect among all his major clients, including the City of Tulsa, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, and the Cities of Wagoner, Catoosa, Sapulpa and Sand Springs. He was known as an engineer who would willingly take on the tough jobs, and see them through in every circumstance. He believed strongly in providing the best engineering service possible to every client, big or small. He always preached the importance of supporting your design work during construction, and he insisted on absolute honesty in all business dealings. Charlie was a strong supporter and active member of several professional organizations and served several terms as president. He had a keen interest in hiring and developing young engineers and draftsmen, many of whom have moved on into leadership roles throughout the State of Oklahoma. He was a believer in education, and with his encouragement and support over the years, several draftsmen were able to attend college and obtain engineering degrees. Charlie also supported Oklahoma State University, various Veterans associations and numerous other charities. Charlie had a special place in his heart for veteran’s and supported employees who were also members of the armed forces and National Guard. In their spare time, Charlie and Kay loved to travel to Las Vegas and all over Europe. Charlie would never turn down a good cigar! Charlie was an avid historian buff on many aspects of World War II. Visitation 2:00-4:00 p.m. Tuesday followed by a Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m. both at Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel. Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 a.m. Wednesday at Church of the Resurrection with Interment following at Calvary Cemetery. Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel, 918-291-3500

Charles Keithline

August 17, 1924 - March 22, 2015