Sand Springs Veterinarian Brings Music To Downtown

NewsOn6.com

SAND SPRINGS, Oklahoma -- A Sand Springs veterinarian, who claims not to be musical, has been filling downtown Sand Springs with music for more than 15 years.

A carillon atop Dr James Rankin's vet clinic in downtown Sand Springs fills the air with everything from Irving Berlin to Simon and Garfunkel – five times a day. Rankin put the system up on the roof about 15 years ago.

Folks in downtown have kind of taken to it.

"I went to OSU; they had a carillon system in the library," said Dr. James Rankin. "Also, of course, over at Utica Square, they have a carillon system, and I thought why not have one in downtown Sand Springs, kind of make it unique."

It chimes the hour then plays three songs, this time an Irving Berlin medley: "Pretty Girl."

He says the system has about 200 songs on it, some hymns. Dr. Rankin likes "How Great Thou Art." There are patriotic songs too and more contemporary stuff.

"I like Simon and Garfunkel," he said. We've got ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water' and ‘Scarborough Fair.'"

He says his neighbors have gotten used to it, and everyone's accepted it as part of everyday life downtown.

"In all that time, only had one person that didn't like it," Rankin said.

Music outside and music inside: he's got a player piano in the office. We gotta see that so inside we went and sure enough. 

For a guy who claims not to be very musical, he surrounds himself with lots of music. And there's more, he told me. 

There's also a bird: Zeus the cockatoo. Zeus can't sing either, but he helps keep misbehaving dogs in line.

"If the dog barks too loud, he'll say, ‘bad bird, bad bird,'" said Dr. James Rankin, a Sand Springs veterinarian.

Rankin plans to open a World War II museum next door as a tribute to his father Roy Rankin, who was a Bataan Death March survivor.