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Theo Silas (Mary Theodosea Cornwall Hejda Silas) passed away peacefully in her sleep on September 4th. The widow of C.J. ""Pete"" Silas, the former Chairman and CEO of Phillips Petroleum Company, Theo was an inspiring community leader, mother, and friend.
She was born in New York City on September 18, 1937, graduated cum laude with a bachelor of fine arts degree from Hunter College, and was a fourth grade teacher in Yonkers Public School System. After a year of teaching, she switched careers and became an assistant copywriter at a financial advertising agency and from there a co-editor of the company magazine at The Bank of New York on Wall Street, doing writing, photography, layout, press releases, and advertising projects. While her career was taking off, friends introduced her to her future husband through a blind date. The pair arranged to meet in front of the Trinity Church in downtown Manhattan. He said he'd be ""the tall guy"" and she said she'd be ""wearing an orange suit"". Theo and Pete married a year and a half later on November 27, 1965. She kept her career until the birth of their first child and 8 weeks later moved to Brussels, Belgium, with Pete's job. After living in Brussels for 2 years, London for 7 years, and with 4 children now in tow, Theo and Pete moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in 1977 where they resided for the rest of their lives.
In Bartlesville, Theo focused her attention on a variety of cultural and educational initiatives; much of the work related to the arts. She was an artist herself, her grandfather a sculptor in Vienna, and her father a painter, sculptor, and commercial designer. She was a true patron of the arts and instrumental in the establishment and ongoing sponsorship of the OK Mozart Festival and the Price Tower Arts Center. She served on the original advisory committee for the OK Mozart Festival and later the board of directors. For the Price Tower Arts Center, she was a founder, first president of the Board of Trustees, then known as The Bartlesville Museum, and a trustee and co-chairman of the acquisitions committee. Through Theo and Pete's enduring commitment to the Price Tower Arts Center, it became a National Historic Landmark, a significant part of Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy, and an internationally known museum, hotel, and source of cultural pride for the town of Bartlesville and the state of Oklahoma.
Theo was also a leader and supporter of numerous local organizations including being active on the boards of the AllIed Arts and Humanities Council, the Bartlesville Civic Ballet, Friends of the Frank Phillips Home, the Landmark Preservation Council and Women and Children in Crisis. On the state level, she was a Board Member of the Oklahoma Nature Conservancy, served on the Oklahoma Foundation for the Humanities, and served on the scholar selection committee of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.
She won numerous awards for her significant work including the Decoration of Merit in Gold from the Republic of Austria for her work with the OK Mozart Festival and election to the Hall of Fame of Hunter College. Together Theo and Pete received the Bartlesville Allied Arts and Humanities Council's Distinguished Community Service Award and the Governor's Arts Award - Special Recognition. In 2013, the Bartlesville Community Center honored Theo and Pete through its Legacy Hall of Fame. In December of this year , they will be honored in a dedication ceremony for the new Bartlesville Boys and Girls Club.
She is survived by her children Karla and Sean Slade and grandchildren Amelia, Natalie, and Henry; Drs. Peter and Stephanie Silas and grandchildren Thomas and Michael; Michael and Sandra Silas; and Drs. James and Megan Silas and grandchildren Cate and Robby. She is also survived by her family in Vienna, Austria; her sister Charlotte Kohler and husband Wolfgang, and nephew Johnny and wife Christa.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Price Tower Arts Center, 510 S. Dewey Ave, Bartlesville, OK 74003.
Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, December 16th, at 11:00am in the First Presbyterian Church.
Published in Examiner-Enterprise from Sept. 13 to Oct. 12, 2017
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