Oklahoma Tough: My Father, King of the Tulsa Bootleggers

Wayne Padgett was a colorful, charming, and generous man. He was also one of Oklahoma’s most elusive bootleggers and career criminals. From the 1960s into the 1980s, he operated out of Tulsa as a high-ranking member of the outfit known as the Dixie Mafia. In "Oklahoma Tough," poet Ron Padgett tells the inside story of his notorious father and of how he earned his reputation as a Robin Hood "King of the Bootleggers." "Oklahoma Tough" is also a history of the distinctive mid-twentieth-century Oklahoma milieu that made Wayne Padgett’s life story possible. Ron Padgett brings this vanished world to life with candid and sometimes comic descriptions of criminal life. Particularly insightful and entertaining are interviews in which former bootleggers, family members, friends, and enemies speak openly about their lives. Combining biography, personal memories, and a history of the times, Ron Padgett bases his story on interviews with police officers and with those who knew Wayne Padgett, whether friend, foe, or family. He also bases it on newspapers and library, historical society, school, medical, and police records (Wayne Padgett’s FBI files run to 1300 pages), as well as on his own vivid memories of growing up with his charismatic criminal father. Twenty-one period photographs enhance the story of "Oklahoma Tough."
ASIN: 0806135093
VSKU: BVV.0806135093.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Padgett, Ron
Binding: Hardcover
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.