TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A logo developed by a nonprofit organization promoting Tulsa and Route 66 has been granted national trademark status by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The Tulsa World reports that the logo reads: “TULSA” and “the Heart of Route 66” in black letters inside an outline of a U.S. highway sign shield.
Former state lawmaker Russ Roach, president of the Route 66 Development Group Inc., said he applied for the national trademark as a way to promote Tulsa and its historical connection to the iconic highway.
Route 66 has been dubbed the Mother Road - 2,300 miles of asphalt linking Chicago to Los Angeles.
The concept, Roach said, is to “give the general Tulsa area, from the Foyil Totem Pole to Main Street Sapulpa, a unifying positive image in connection to the most famous highway in America.
“Tulsa is fortunate to be near the middle of this internationally known part of American history and culture.”
Roach said he has been surprised to discover, in his international travels, that Route 66 is recognized globally.
“It’s much better known in Europe than most of us realize,” he said, noting that a Paris cab driver, upon learning that Roach was from Tulsa, once said to him, “Oh, you’re on that 66 road.”
Roach said he intends to give Tulsa-area businesses and organizations permission to use the logo in a wide variety of ways. His organization will not profit from the use of the logo, but there may be a modest charge to cover legal expenses, he said.
Anyone interested can contact him through the organization’s website.
Roach, a retired builder and consultant, said he has been working on the Route 66 project for about four years. He represented District 66 in the Legislature for 16 years.
As a student at Rogers High School growing up in Tulsa, he said, he spent many hours cruising 11th Street, the route that national Route 66 travelers followed through Tulsa before the interstate highway system was built.
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Information from: Tulsa World, https://www.tulsaworld.com
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