The Bartlesville Community Foundation has announced that the 12th Annual Legacy Hall of Fame Gala will honor the Potter, Zervas and Arutunoff families. 

BCF Executive Director Mike Wilt said Tuesday that the Potter and Zervas families will be recognized as the 2019 Legacy Families in appreciation of the service they have given to the Bartlesville community. He said these multigenerational families continue to spearhead multiple accomplishments, projects and organizations in Bartlesville.

In receiving this honor, the Potter and Zervas families join the Adams, Ambler, Bowerman, Colaw, Cox, Curd, Doenges, Foster, Garrison, Gorman, Halkiades, Haskell, Hughes, Johnstone, Kane, May, Price, Roll, Saddoris, Sears, Silas and Vasudevan families.

Wilt said the Bartlesville Community Foundation has also established the Heritage Family Award. They will present the award to the Arutunoff family as its inaugural recipient.

On May 18 at the Legacy Hall of Fame Gala, a cocktail reception at Hilton Garden Inn will be held in honor of the families. During the event, the BCF will debut videos to tell each family's story in the community.

As for the Potters, they were among the 50,000 people who participated in the 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush, successfully settling in Canadian. Nearly 76 years latter, Jeff and Barbara Potter made their way to Bartlesville. Jeff was a counselor at Madison Middle School and helped start the cross-country program in Bartlesville Public Schools. Barbara was a math teacher at Central Middle School and is in the BPS Hall of Fame.

The Potter family legacy continues today with Jeff and Barbara Potter's great-nephew Kevin. Kevin grew up in Oklahoma City. His dad, Jerry, was an Oklahoma Athletic Hall of Fame football coach. His mom, Ezell, was an elementary school teacher. After a successful football career in Putnam City High School, Kevin continued playing football at Cameron University. Upon graduation, Kevin moved to Ardmore to work for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

While with FCA, Kevin met his future wife Dorea Mitchell, a native of Iowa. Dorea was in Ardmore as a member of the University of Oklahoma golf team. That evening, Dorea was awarded the Oklahoma Women's Fellowship of Christian Athlete of the Year award. Later, she won the Big 8 Golf Championship and was honored as OU's Female Athlete of the Year.

After Dorea's graduation, the couple married and moved to Monmouth, Illinois. Dorea, growing up in a radio family, was no stranger to radio when the owned and operated WMOI and, later, WRAM radio stations.

In November 1996, they purchased KWON and KYFM radio stations. In February 1997, they settled into their new home and immediately became engaged in the Bartlesville community. Since that time, Kevin, Dorea and their family have participated as board members, honorary chairs, committee members, sponsors, founders, and volunteers for more than 59 organizations and causes both locally and statewide.

Kevin and Dorea have three sons: Heath, Kaleb and Brent. All three were born in Illinois before the family made its way back to Oklahoma.

The eldest, Heath, graduated from the University of Oklahoma Dental School and now practices in Bartlesville. Heath is married to Chapel Zellers Potter and they have three daughters: Madelyn, Claire and Nora. After teaching fourth grade at Wilson Elementary, Chapel currently serves as a reading specialist tutor.

Middle son Kaleb is the Vice President of KCD Enterprises Inc. (KWON-KYFM-KRIG-KPGM). He and his wife, Taylor Krebs Potter, co-own SEK Media LLC with Kevin and Dorea and operate KGGF-KUSN-KQQF in Coffeyville, Kansas. Kaleb and Taylor have one daughter, Caroline. Taylor operates a strategy and innovation consulting company.

Youngest son Brent is married to Nicole Pyatt Potter. They have one son, Brody. Brent is a director for Kanakuk's KampOut initiative in Branson, Missouri, and is a licensed Southern Baptist minister. Nicole is a substitute teacher and works part time for Kanakuk.

Since purchasing KWON and KYFM in 1996, the Potters have established KCD Towers LLC and Potter Towers LLC, and have purchased KRIG (Nowata), KPGM (Pawhuska) and KGGF-KUSN-KQQF (Coffeyville). The Potter's radio family extends to 25 employees in Bartlesville and another 10 in Coffeyville.

(Kevin and Dorea Potter)

The Zervas family traces its Oklahoma roots back to 1913. George Spiros Zervas was just 16 when he came to the United States from Asini, Greece. He moved from Pennsylvania to Pawhuska, Oklahoma and started The Chocolate Shop. In 1927, he returned to Asini to marry Maria Ginnias. It was an "arranged marriage as both families lived across the street from one another. The newlyweds returned to Pawhuska to resume the candy business and begin a family.

Sperry George Zervas was born in 1928 and Dean George Zervas was born in 1939. Six months later the Zervas family moved to Bartlesville where they opened the Canteen Drive-In Restaurant on 2nd Street where Pies and Such is located today.

After graduating from Kemper Military Academy in Boonville, Missouri, Sperry attended the University of Oklahoma in 1947. George Zervas passed away in 1948 and Sperry dropped out for one year to help his mother. Sperry eventually graduated from OU and the University of Missouri at Kansas City dental school. After serving as a USAF captain in Alaska, Sperry returned to Bartlesville in 1957 to establish his dental practice.

Dean graduated from College High School in 1957. Following in his brother's footsteps, Dean attended OU and graduated from UMKC's dental school in 1965 then returned to Bartlesville to practice dentistry with Sperry. Sperry would eventually shift to orthodontics while Dean continued dentistry.

In 1961, Sperry married Marcia Mahan from Fairfax, Oklahoma. The couple would go on to have two children - Chris Zervas and Dianne Zervas Shadwick - and eight grandchildren.

Sperry retired in 2006 and passed away in 2008. Sperry served for many years on the United Way's board of directors and an annual sporting clays tournament is held to raise funds in his memory.

Marcia's civic involment included Service League, Meals on Wheels, and Agape Mission.

In 1974, Dean married Kathy Dunn. Kathy's father, Jim Dunn, moved the family from California to Bartlesville in 1969 when his company, TRW, bought REDA Pump from Armais Artunoff. Dean and Kathy's family would grow to include three children - Steven, Melissa, and Dana - and today six grandchildren.

Dean retired and sold his dental practice to Heath Potter in 2011. Since that time he has been the clinic director and provider for the Green Country Free Clinic and chairman of The Woolaroc national art show. Dean was a volunteer dentist for Catholic Charities for two years, and was as trusteee for The Frank Phillips Foundation for three years. He is currently a member of Rotary and the Bartlesville Sportsmen's Club.

Kathy has been involved with the Bartlesville Civic Ballet for 45 years and has been the development chairman for 18 years. Service League, Bartlesville Public School Foundatoin, Allied Arts & Humanities Council, Agape Mission, and the Community Center Trust Authority all have benefitted from her service. She was a founding member of the Bartlesville Museum and Sculpture Garden (now Price Tower Arts Center) and serves on the Price Tower exhibits and acquisitions committee. Kathy works alongside Dean as events chairman for The Woolaroc art show.

Tickets for the gala will be available for purchase beginning April 1. For more information, call the BCF at 918.337.2287 or visit their office at 208 E. 4th St near Outpost Coffee.

(Dean and Kathy Zervas (above); Sperry and Marcia Zervas (below))