William Grove Skelly (1878 – 1957) was an entreprenuer in the oil business. He was born in Pennsylvania and made stops in Texas and Kansas before settling in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Skelly started working with his father, hauling oil tools, after graduating grade school and a year of business school. He then enlisted in the military to help in the efforts of the Spanish-American war.
After the war, Skelly worked for a gas company, before founding Skelly Oil Company. Outside of oil & gas, Skelly accomlished a lot in other businesses and in the community of Tulsa.
Most importantly, for The University of Tulsa, Skelly donated $125,000 to build Skelly Field (it’s original name). Over the years, the stadium expanded and became known as Skelly Stadium. In 2007, a major renovation took place and it’s now know as Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium.