Final project: Austin Bowles

Austin Bowles, a 21-year-old strategic communications junior, is also known by another name: Pistol Pete.

Bowles unwraps the head of Pistol Pete before an appearance. The head itself weighs 45 lbs.

These spurs are only one element in an elaborate costume that includes a white button-down shirt, black jeans, orange cowboy boots, a leather vest, chaps, a neckerchief and a special Pistol Pete belt buckle. At one of Bowles' first events as Pete last fall, an elderly woman in a motorized scooter ran over one of his spurs and punctured a tire.

Bowles' name is written inside Pete's head next to others who have worn it before him.

Becoming Pete involved learning how to communicate without using his voice. Bowles gives a  thumbs up to let OSU baseball player Vince Wheeland know that he has enough sunflower seeds.

Bowles reviews a promo for Cowboy Baseball with videographer Ryan Jones, an assistant coach and his daughter. The finished video can be found on YouTube.

Bowles is one of two students selected to portray Pete for the 2012 - 2013 school year. This year's other mascot is Dillon Craig, pictured with Bowles at cheer practice.

Bowles takes a seat at cheer practice between routines.

Pete's role in cheer routines is simple: "Act spirited and stay out of the way." Above, Bowles imitates a cheer move at a cheerleading showcase shortly before nationals.

Bowles competes on OSU's Large Co-Ed Cheer team, which won the National Cheerleaders Association Division 1A National Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla. on April 12.

Bowles interacts with one of "Pistol Pete's Partners," Aiden, at a special event before a Cowboy Baseball game.

Being Pete can be exhausting, especially when taking seemingly endless pictures with kids who need  Pete to crouch down on their level.

Bowles looks on as someone else shoulders Pete's head. Bowles will "re-Pete" for his senior year next year.

             Officer Betty Shelby has been with the Tulsa police department for six years. Her son wants to become an officer after graduating High School. 

         Shelby likes being a patrol officer because there's always something to do.

       

        Police officers are no longer allowed directly into a suicide-watch home because of the threat they            impose. Earlier, people on watch would threaten the police that they would commit suicide if they came any closer.

With the help of counselors and extra calvary, Officer Shelby prepares to approach this suicidal man who had taken over 50 schizophrenia pills to commit suicide the night before. Officers were told the man had a bat and a samurai sword hidden under a couch beside the door. 

Officer Shelby tested her fingerprinting skills with a burglarized home.

Gloves are worn at all times of fingerprinting and collecting any evidence.

It's hard to collect fingerprints when the homeowner touched things. 

"My best advice to give to a homeowner wanting to catch a perp, don't touch anything," Shelby said.

The homeowner's safe was broken, busted and flipped over. Officer Shelby dusted for fingerprints everywhere she thought they'd touch trying to break the safe.

Officer Jonella Griffith was called to a car wreck to direct traffic. Griffith has worked for the Tulsa police department for 12 years. 

The 50-year-old man had a seizure and struck two utility poles. Although his car suffered a lot of damage, he left with only a broken leg.

The man's car lost control more than 50 feet away from the final crash after hopping a ditch.

"The best part about being an officer is that you get to help people," Griffith said.

Final Project: Leon Womack

 Leon Womack, 84, begins everyday by making scrambled eggs and bacon for himself and his wife. He swears the best, and only way to make bacon is slow and crunchy. 

After Breakfast Leon sit with his dog Trey and watches Good Morning America before he leaves his house for work.

This car lot is where Leon spends his days. He spends a lot of his time rebuilding these cars and keeping them himself, or selling them on craigslist. Leon says he has more than 70 cars sitting on this land 

Leon's favorite car he has worked on is this '38 Ford.  It is his favorite because it is from the year he was born.  He joked about who would live longer, the car or himself. 

This is Leon's current project is building the body of a '65 F-150 on an engine of a 2009 Ford Ranger.  He has already build the skeleton of the cab and inserted the engine and dashboard of the Ranger.

After Leon finally found a fender that would fit on his truck he measured everything so he could begin welding it on.  He expects to be done with this car by the end of summer. 

When Leon needs a break from being outside he spends time browsing Craigslist where he looks for parts and customers will to buy some of his fixed up vehicles. 

Other than working on cars Leon has to spend a lot of time fixing other things on his land.  This is him using a pulley system to put his well back together.  This well is the only water supply to both his house and his car lot.  

This is the oldest tractor Leo has on his lot.  He doesn't know exactly when it was made but says that its likely from the '20s or '30s.  It doesn't run anymore, but he plans on finding a new engine for it and using it in the fall. 

The tire went out on one of Leon's working tractors.  The wheel rusted appart, this is him smoothing out the welded areas so the tire and tube can still fit on the metal. 

Leon uses soapy water to find the hole the rusted metal created.  Leon thinks that buying new  tires tubes is useless,   he patches every tire himself.  He says over time you learn all the tricks to fix things yourself. 

Leon also possesses all the tools to fix things.  This is a contraption that assists in putting the tube and tire back on the wheel. It's not mechanical, just assists in the hard labor that it takes to  put the pieces back together. Leon gets pleasure out of doing his own work to get things done. 

Leon putting the tire back on his tractor so he can finally go to work.  Leon is plowing a patch on his lot so his wife can grow a garden over the summer. 

Leon makes some last minute adjustments to the tractor after he attaches the plow.    He always keeps tools on hand in case something happens to any of his cars or tractors while he is out on them. 

Leon spends most of his time alone on his lot.  He says he enjoys every day he is there, he doesn't plan on retiring until he absolutely has to.

Final Assignment- Morgan Boswell Spring Sing Director

Morgan Boswell is a Senior Pi Phi who has been a Sping Sing Director for the past three years.  She is a strategic communications major with a minor in music. 

Katherine Pringle try's out for one of the many solos for the show along with many other girls that practice.  She ended up getting the part after many practices with Morgan and the other directors.

All the directors collaborating with one another, discussing the choosing the songs that were going to be used for the show. 

This shot was captured while the cast was learning the  choreography for the song the Man in the Mirror. The men of SAE and the women of Pi Beta Phi constantly worked on the show multiple nights a weeks for several hours at a time. 

Pi Phi has won several awards and trophies in the past for their shows and accomplishments.  Morgan has contributed to many of the awards that are shown in this shot.

Morgan writing down music notes, working and spending many hours coming up with creative songs and melodies. 

Morgan Boswell, lead director, working with the basses because they were learning a difficult song for the finale of the show. 

Morgan is an extremely musical talented individual who has been playing the piano for 15 years. 

Morgan and three of the men from SAE working on the ensemble late one night.  

Some of the make up that was used for the show. 

Cast members prepared for the show by putting on costumes and getting their make up done.  This is Megan Bennett who played a show girl from Vegas. 

The blue man group setting up a room in the Pi Phi house, getting ready to perform a preview of the show for all the moms of the cast members. 

Some of the cast members were waiting around in preparation for the final show.