The Dunlap family has been in Bartlesville since 1937. Originally from Hardy, Arkansas, Ray and Lucile Dunlap and their young son, Ken, moved to Bartlesville when Ray had an opportunity to work for his uncle who was a home builder in town. Ray went on to found Dunlap Construction Company in 1939. In 1945, daughter Theresa was born, which completed the first generation of Dunlaps in Bartlesville.
While Ray operated the family business, Lucile was active in many organizations. She also helped with Ken’s Boy Scout troop, taught Sunday school at the Bartlesville Church of Christ, and was the cook at the local Girl Scout’s Camp Wah-Shah-She for 40 years. She was once described as, “A fine Christian lady who loved her family, her community, state and nation, and served all of them well.” Lucile passed away in 1975.
After graduating from College High School in 1949, Ken attended Oklahoma A&M then transferred to Drury College in Springfield, Missouri. There he met and married his Drury College sweetheart Levah Bishop of Springfield. They returned to Bartlesville where Ken joined Ray in the family business. Father and son spent nearly 30 years working together before Ray passed away in 1982.
Ken and Levah raised three sons, Mike, Tom, and Jim, in Bartlesville. The boys all attended Will Rogers Elementary, Madison Middle School, and Sooner High School. They all earned college degrees and returned home to work with their dad at Dunlap Construction. Levah also worked in the family business for many years until her passing in 2010. Ken passed away earlier this year.
Theresa taught science Central Middle School for 31 years. She lives in the home she grew up in at 10th and Jennings. Theresa continues the traditions of her mother by being a volunteer for the home-bound and needy throughout the community.
Mike and his wife Paula have three adult children. Ryan is a Marriage and Family therapist in Jackson, Mississippi where he lives with his wife, Bridget, and daughters, Kennedy and Blakely. Travis and his wife Sophia live in Bartlesville where Travis owns a piano and percussion business. He served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for four years. Kelsey currently works in business services in Breckenridge, Colorado. Paula is retired after working for the construction company and then ConocoPhillips. Mike served four years on the Bartlesville City Council including two as vice mayor. He has served as Washington County Commissioner since 2007.
Tom and his wife Janey have two daughters, Emma and Sara. Janey has spent 23 years in public education, including 17 years as a Pre-K teacher at Will Rogers and Wayside Elementary. Emma, a first-grade teacher at Wayside, married Tim Hamilton and they have one daughter Evelyn. Sara is married to Skyler Scullawl, and she works for ConocoPhillips. Tom has recently retired from Dunlap Construction and is enjoying time with his first grandchild Evelyn.
Jim and his wife Pam have three children Harrison, Preston, and Avery. From 1997 to 2005, Pam was CEO for the Bartlesville Area Chamber of Commerce and is one of the founders of the Bartlesville Community Foundation. Jim represented Bartlesville in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1988 to 1996 and in the Oklahoma Senate from 1996 to 2004. Jim and Pam live in Edmond where both are government affairs consultants.
