The McAfee & Taft Story
An Enduring Legacy of Distinction,
Innovation and Collaboration
One was a consummate deal lawyer, outgoing and enterprising, with extensive business connections. The other was a brilliant tax attorney and CPA, a gentleman lawyer known for both his practicality and inventiveness, as well as his extensive knowledge of the law. The two men’s complementary personalities and skill sets made them a formidable pair, destined to make legal history.
And that’s exactly what they did. Several times, in fact.
Far more important than their individual achievements, though, is what Kenneth McAfee and Richard Taft set in motion and what they left behind: an enduring legacy of distinction, innovation and collaboration.
In this major installment in the McAfee & Taft docuseries, we take a look back at the firm’s humble origins, its inspiring founders and early name partners, the trailblazers who changed the course of the firm’s history, and the extraordinary impact that the firm and its successive generations have had on the state of Oklahoma and beyond over the course of the last 70 years.
Producer/Director/Editor: Brad Neese
Producer/Writer/Senior Editor: Robin Croninger
Executive Producer: Michael Lauderdale
Special Contributor: Terry Barrett
Book Author: M. Scott Carter
Videography: Brad Neese, Cody Smith and Caleb Taulbee
Narrator: Eric Little
Production Assistance: Richard Hill, Vanessa Spaeth, Caleb Taulbee and Jessica Walthall
Photos and footage courtesy:
Oklahoma Historical Society
The Oklahoman
McAfee & Taft archives
Michael Vance
Nebraska State Historical Society
Library of Congress
Getty Images
111 Media – Aerial Videography/Photography
Personal collections from contributors listed below
Special thanks to the following project contributors
Terry Barrett, retired attorney — interview, memorabilia
Donna Bennett, retired staff — interview
Tim Blake, former staff — logistics
Alysoun Hunt Bond, Reford Bond’s daughter — interview, memorabilia
Mark Burget, retired attorney — interview, memorabilia
Elizabeth Dalton, attorney — interview
Cliff Dougherty, attorney — interview
Karen Dutton, staff — transcription
Ted Elam, retired attorney — interview
Connie Fuller, former attorney — interview
Gary Fuller, retired attorney — interview
Virginia Fulton, former staff — interview, memorabilia
John Hermes, retired attorney — interview
Frank Hill, attorney — interview
Larry Huffman, retired attorney — interview
Dudley Hyde, retired attorney — interview
Lynn Fraser Jaslowich, former staff — interview
Mike Joseph, attorney — interview, memorabilia
Myrna Latham, attorney — interview
Michael Lauderdale, attorney — interview
Mark Malone, former attorney; Stewart Mark’s grandson — interview, memorabilia
Karen Kuntz Maloy, Gene Kuntz’s daughter — interview, memorabilia
Cynthia McHale, staff — research
John and Carolyn Mee, retired attorney and spouse — interview, memorabilia
Shannon Mercer, staff — interview
Rick Mullins, attorney — interview
Richard Nix, attorney — interview
Betty Northcutt, retired staff — interview
Trisha Perdue, retired staff — interview
Cynthia Bond Perry, Reford Bond’s daughter — interview, memorabilia
Frank Polk, retired attorney — interview
Louis Price, attorney — interview, memorabilia
Teresa Purcell, former staff — interview
Dee Replogle, attorney — interview
Mark Rhodes, retired staff — interview
Rick Riggs, attorney — interview
Reid and Jean Ann Robison, retired attorney and spouse — interview, memorabilia
Bill Rodgers, retired attorney — interview
Patricia Rogers, attorney — memorabilia
Sharon Selby, staff — interview
Linda Steinke, staff — interview
Pete Van Dyke, retired attorney — interview
Keena Wamble, former staff — memorabilia
Judy Webb, retired staff — interview, memorabilia
Andre Williams, staff — logistics
Jaci McAfee Williams, Kenneth McAfee’s daughter — interview, memorabilia
Terri Anne Williams, Kenneth McAfee’s granddaughter — interview, memorabilia
Betsy Wood, attorney — interview
Jenny Woodruff, Pete Woodruff’s daughter — interview, memorabilia