Description:
George Shirk was born in Oklahoma City in 1913. After graduating from Central High School in 1930 he attended the University of Oklahoma, eventually finishing law school there and being admitted to the bar at age 23. Having been active in ROTC, when the US entered World War II Shirk answered the call. He was primarily stationed in London and Paris during the war and was, at age 31, the youngest person promoted to colonel by General Eisenhower. Upon returning to Oklahoma City he would return to practicing law and he would also serve on numerous civic committees, various boards, and other organizations.
Shirk first became mayor when he was appointed following the resignation of Jack Wilkes in 1964. Shirk actually lived just outside of Oklahoma City’s limits when he was approached about being mayor, but after an emergency ordinance extending the city’s limits he was appointed to the city council, and then mayor all in a matter of minutes.
As mayor Shirk, a collector of classic cars, would drive a different car in to work every day and call from his car phone into his morning radio show, where he talked about the events of the day, the sites of Oklahoma City, and the classic car he’d chosen to drive that day.
During his time as mayor the city would see the controversial process of urban renewal begin moving forward. As a part of urban renewal the area that would become the Health Science Center began being developed. Unfortunately this process would also see the displacement of over 700 families in the area.
Other events that would take place under Shirk’s watch were the building of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum, the creation of a city seal, and the halting of the infamous Sonic Boom tests.
Known as much as a historian as he was for being mayor of Oklahoma City, George Shirk would receive a great deal of recognition for his work in Oklahoma history. Shirk was the first State Historic Preservation Officer for Oklahoma, president of the Oklahoma Historical Society, and served in several other history organizations. An avid stamp collector, Shirk had many papers and articles published on stamps and postal history, particularly pre-statehood Oklahoma and Indian Territory postal history in addition to other articles and a book about Oklahoma History. Because of his extensive work with the history of the state of Oklahoma, Shirk is in the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame.
George Shirk died on March 23, 1977. He is buried in Rose Hill Burial Park.