Distinguished Member Lewis's son weds at Hall of Fame
By Mark Palmer
Senior Writer
Intermat
Think about all the possible places to get married.
A majestic cathedral, a country church, a Vegas wedding chapel, on the beach, or at the justice of the peace might have immediately come to mind.
What about the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma?
It's a potential wedding location that even the most diehard wrestling fans might not have considered. Yet the Hall which honors amateur wrestling's finest was the site of a wedding ceremony and reception for the son of 1936 Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Frank Lewis, and his bride.
Amy and Rick Lewis were wed at the Stillwater Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 12. And it can be the site for the wedding of any wrestling fanatic. (And, no, you don't have to be related to someone who has been honored by the Hall.)
First, a word on Frank Lewis ...
Rick Lewis' father Frank was one of the great wrestlers of the 1930s. A state wrestling champ for Cushing High School in Oklahoma, Frank Lewis enrolled at Oklahoma State with the idea of stepping away from wrestling to concentrate on his studies. However, realizing he needed one physical education credit, he enrolled in a wrestling class. That rekindled Lewis' passion for the sport, so he went out for the Oklahoma State wrestling team headed up by legendary coach Ed Gallagher.
As a Cowboy, Lewis compiled an overall record of 45-5. He was a two-time NCAA championship finalist, placing second in 1934, and winning the 155-pound title at the 1935 NCAAs, defeating defending champ Ben Bishop of Lehigh in the finals in his home gym.
Lewis earned a place on the 1936 U.S. Olympic wrestling team. At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, went undefeated in the 158.5-pound bracket to win a gold medal in freestyle competition.
Frank and Virginia Lewis had five children ... with Richard being the youngest, arriving in 1963, when his father was 51 years old. Richard and his father became business partners in the oil and gas business. Frank Lewis passed away in August 1998 at age 85.
Meet Amy and Rick ... and how they picked a wedding site
The wedding
story of Amy and Rick is one that spans decades.
Amy Elaine King and Rick Lewis first knew each other as students at Oklahoma State in the late 1980s. Both maintained connections with their alma mater and that part of Oklahoma: Amy, as a construction manager for long-range facilities planning at Oklahoma State ... while Rick continued in oil and gas. They reconnected 25 years later ... deciding to get married this summer.
"We looked at a number of places in Stillwater," Amy told InterMat. "However, the chapel at Oklahoma State was being renovated. We considered the Student Union, which is beautiful, but we thought it might be a bit too formal for what we were looking for, and we would be limited to using them as caterer. We even considered other options -- a destination wedding, or getting married in a judge's chambers."
"We then thought of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame," Amy continued. "We thought it looked perfect."
Read Full Story
Senior Writer
Intermat
Think about all the possible places to get married.
A majestic cathedral, a country church, a Vegas wedding chapel, on the beach, or at the justice of the peace might have immediately come to mind.
What about the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma?
It's a potential wedding location that even the most diehard wrestling fans might not have considered. Yet the Hall which honors amateur wrestling's finest was the site of a wedding ceremony and reception for the son of 1936 Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Frank Lewis, and his bride.
Amy and Rick Lewis were wed at the Stillwater Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 12. And it can be the site for the wedding of any wrestling fanatic. (And, no, you don't have to be related to someone who has been honored by the Hall.)
First, a word on Frank Lewis ...
Rick Lewis' father Frank was one of the great wrestlers of the 1930s. A state wrestling champ for Cushing High School in Oklahoma, Frank Lewis enrolled at Oklahoma State with the idea of stepping away from wrestling to concentrate on his studies. However, realizing he needed one physical education credit, he enrolled in a wrestling class. That rekindled Lewis' passion for the sport, so he went out for the Oklahoma State wrestling team headed up by legendary coach Ed Gallagher.
As a Cowboy, Lewis compiled an overall record of 45-5. He was a two-time NCAA championship finalist, placing second in 1934, and winning the 155-pound title at the 1935 NCAAs, defeating defending champ Ben Bishop of Lehigh in the finals in his home gym.Lewis earned a place on the 1936 U.S. Olympic wrestling team. At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, went undefeated in the 158.5-pound bracket to win a gold medal in freestyle competition.
Frank and Virginia Lewis had five children ... with Richard being the youngest, arriving in 1963, when his father was 51 years old. Richard and his father became business partners in the oil and gas business. Frank Lewis passed away in August 1998 at age 85.
Meet Amy and Rick ... and how they picked a wedding site
The wedding
story of Amy and Rick is one that spans decades.Amy Elaine King and Rick Lewis first knew each other as students at Oklahoma State in the late 1980s. Both maintained connections with their alma mater and that part of Oklahoma: Amy, as a construction manager for long-range facilities planning at Oklahoma State ... while Rick continued in oil and gas. They reconnected 25 years later ... deciding to get married this summer.
"We looked at a number of places in Stillwater," Amy told InterMat. "However, the chapel at Oklahoma State was being renovated. We considered the Student Union, which is beautiful, but we thought it might be a bit too formal for what we were looking for, and we would be limited to using them as caterer. We even considered other options -- a destination wedding, or getting married in a judge's chambers."
"We then thought of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame," Amy continued. "We thought it looked perfect."
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