“Gotta Keep Movin’!”

Wishard Lemons has run in locations from Wyoming to Peru to the North Slope of Alaska and the oil rigs in Borneo and Indonesia. He couldn’t run through the jungles or on Alaskan trails so he would run around the rig location. “People thought I was crazy,” Wish says. “I ran in jeans and my work boots. Sometimes I had to run in place. In Alaska I ran around the Dead Horse International Airport in my street clothes.” 

Wish started running in 1963 in Roswell, New Mexico. It was time to get in better shape so he joined the “Run for Your Life” program at the local YMCA. He has been running ever since, and doesn’t let anything stop him. 

He recalls their first winter in Tulsa after his appointment as associate minister to First United Methodist Church in 1968. “My wife Wanda and a friend were riding in a car down Riverside. It was snowing! Wanda’s friend said, ‘Look at that idiot running along in the snow! Maybe he needs a ride.’ Wanda replied, ‘That happens to be my husband. He likes to run; don’t pick him up!’” Every day at noon Wish ran three to five miles along Riverside Drive. Just because it was snowing was no reason not to run.

Childhood, Career, and Call

Born in Muskogee in 1917, Wish lived there with his family until moving to Oklahoma City where he finished high school. He earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Oklahoma City University, a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Oklahoma, and did graduate work on a Ph.D. at Boston University.

His plan was to be a professor of philosophy at an ivy-covered university. The Lord had other plans.

Over the years he worked in radio as an announcer, copy writer, and program director, sold life insurance, and was state director of CROP (Christian Rural Overseas Program). During World War II, he served in the Navy in the Pacific. It wasn’t until 1956 that he responded to the call to the ministry, serving pastorates in Oklahoma and New Mexico. In 1968 Wish began his affiliation with First United Methodist Church in Tulsa, along with his good friend Dr. L.D. “Bill” Thomas.

Rigs and Hard Hats

It was there that First United member Bob Parker Sr. challenged Wish Lemons to visit a Parker oil rig in Peru. “Nothing ‘churchy.’ No preaching and no prayer meetings. I just want to see if you can survive.” Parker had a vision no one had before: retaining a company chaplain. And Wish jumped at the chance.

As Industrial Chaplain for Parker Drilling, Wish traveled to 135 rigs in 29 different countries. His job was to maintain the psychological and spiritual well-being of employees and to keep communication lines open. Wish recalls, “Mr. Parker said he thought most people felt as though no one cared about them. And if employees can feel that way here in Tulsa, Bob said, it has to be ten times worse in the jungle or on the North Slope.”

 “I was scared,” Wish admits, when he began with Parker Drilling. “I didn’t know what to expect.” But his uneasiness quickly disappeared. “I learned right off that my job was not to talk, but to listen. Nobody in seminary ever taught me to do that.”

Dedicated Runners

For 19 years as Industrial Chaplain, Wish traveled 200 days and 150,000 miles a year. It’s no wonder that Wish’s motto is “Gotta Keep Movin’”! In 1994 he hung up his hard hat. But that didn’t mean sitting still. When he was back in Tulsa, Wish could be found jogging with Wanda along the Riverside trails. For years, both Wish and Wanda tried to make a run every weekend during the running season. Highlights were the Tulsa Run, the Bristow Wildflower Run, Tahlequah Cherokee Run, and the Bartlesville Legend’s Run.

Wishard is a man with a mission for physical fitness and proclaims his message wherever he goes. “Running, jogging or walking could add years to a person’s life. It would invigorate them! Scripture tells us the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. How well are you taking care of your temple?”

Members of the Tulsa Running Club for over 20 years, the Lemons are held in high regard by the running community. “Running is the fun part of our lives,” says Wish. Over the years, Wish has gone from running to jogging to walking. And “when I can’t walk anymore, I’ll take up the wheelchair.” Wish apologizes to the organizers for being so late finishing the races, but he says, “They tell me they wish they had a hundred just like me.” Wanda said, “We’ve long since overcome any embarrassment about being last or slow. We love to participate in runs and we love to talk to the people. At the end of every run, Wish will have met someone new.” 

Wish Lemons Run

In 2001, the Builders Sunday school class at First United Methodist Church began exploring ways to fund their missions projects. Class member Phil Brougher suggested organizing a 5k run in honor of Wish, the class agreed and the Wish Lemons Run was born! From 2002 through 2009, the Builders class members have volunteered, organized, run, promoted, worked, and recruited—all for the annual Wish Lemons Run and raised $280,000 for missions! The Wish Lemons Run is now being managed by the Youth and Family Center of First United Methodist Church to help raise money for YFC equipment; a portion also goes to the Eugene Field School Foundation through the Partners in Education program.

Serious runners and families with their kids and dogs participate in the 5k Run and the 1k Fun Run, attracting as many as 800 plus runners ranging from 2 to 99 years of age. Runners and walkers come from communities throughout Oklahoma and neighboring states. Whenever their jobs allow, the Lemons’ five children, who are spread from Scottsdale, Arizona, to Atlanta, to Corpus Christi, participate in the Run.

Like any athlete, Wish and Wanda have had their setbacks due to injury. Wish broke his hip at the Wish Lemons’ Run in 2006 and ended up with a stainless steel hip and a titanium knee. Wanda is back on her feet after shattering her ankle in a fall. But Wish says, “I can still jog and walk. I still make the races. I win almost every race in my age group because I have very little competition. They don’t have a category above 80. I have won a basket full of medals and I am still in races—and that keeps me movin’.”