E.W. Redmond, The Kite Gypsy

by Michael Mason

11/07/2009

Among kite enthusiasts, E.W. Redmond was a celebrated artist. But as his friend Pam Vrooman suggests, he had achieved a Zen-like mastery of the wind.

Most Tulsans might’ve never known that the man they saw flying kites around downtown’s Brady district was working toward a world record in consecutive kite flying, and that he made–and gave away–a new kite every day. They probably just assumed that Redmond, popularly known as The Kite Gypsy, was just, well, flying a kite.

In this episode of Goodbye Tulsa, Vrooman tells us about Redmond’s particular kite-making style, and the wonders of his flying technique. While the Tulsa skies may be a bit lonelier in the wake of Redmond’s absence, we know that there are least 1,300 kites out there that boast his craftsmanship, and that many of them are still soaring.