A statue entitled "Hopes and Dreams," in downtown Perry was created by local sculptor Bill Bennett and placed there on a massive granite pedestal as a Cherokee Strip Centennial memorial. The statue portrays an early-day couple coming to the newly opened western frontier.
Oklahoma has produced more astronauts than any other state. These include Major General Thomas P. Stafford (Weatherford); Gordon Cooper (Shawnee); Owen Garriott (Enid); Shannon Lucid (Oklahoma City) and William Reid Pogue (Okemah).