Club Trade Winds

         

The Trade Winds Motor Hotel and restaurant opened in 1960 at 51st Street and South Peoria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The hotel was the first of the Trade Winds Hotel chain. Later, the hotel became known as Trade Winds West. When the hotel opened, the members-only club inside was called Club Trade Winds (CTW).

 

The décor was based on the Polynesian tropical way of life in concept and design. CTW was originally to be the crème de la crème in Polynesian themed restaurants, to equal and hopefully surpass the popular Trader Vic’s (1934-current). Club Trade Winds followed Trader Vic’s concept of serving exotic drinks in unusual (example skull-shaped) containers that the customer could then purchase.

 

Frankoma was commissioned in 1960 to create and make pieces in the Polynesian culture for CTW. Joniece Frank (with the help of father John Frank on two pieces) designed these beautiful items. The drinkware consisted of the T3 War God; T4 Widow-Maker; T7 Coconut and T2 Bamboo tumbler. The logic for the War God and Widow Maker being so large was so CTW could charge more money for a drink made with lots of ice, so the customer felt he was getting his money’s worth for the cost of the drink, while the container could also be purchased to take home.

 

Complementary pieces were the T12 Bird of Paradise Coconut Pitcher, T11 Palm Leaf Platter, T5 Tiki God Salt & Peppers (The Tiki is an image of a figure considered to be the first male in Polynesian mythology), T8 Fish Ash Tray, T9 Clam Shell Dish, T10 Clam Shell Tray, and T6 Tiki God Serving Bowl.

 

The serving bowl was designed as a ‘three-sided’ coconut half, balanced by three Tiki Gods (made with individual T5 Tiki Gods), and used not only to serve food, but to serve drinks as well. The bowl has a round depression in the center at the bottom, in which the bartender would sit the drink down into the center, then fill the bowl with ice so the drink would stay cold in its nest of ice. The depression area helped hold the drink upright as the ice melted and/or as the drink was consumed. Could the T6 Serving Bowl hold the T1 tumbler? Unknown.

 

Joniece remembers only the one order being placed. If there were re-orders, they were very small, like a couple of dozen each of one or two items. In the first few months of business for Club Trade Winds, many patrons would take pieces home without purchasing them, so it became too expensive to continue to replace them. The CTW could no longer justify continuing to use the Frankoma pieces. As these were popular items, many of them were eventually put into the Frankoma catalog.

 

 

Important Dates to Remember:

Club Trade Winds 1960-1961

Sweetheart Luau 1965

Cultured Pearl 1974

 

 

 

Stock Number	Description	Colors Used	Quantity Made	Dates Made
T1	8” 1-Qt Plain Tumbler	Prairie Green	72	1960-1961
T2	7” Bamboo Tumbler	Desert Gold	72	1960-1976
T3	8” War God Mug	Gracetone Cinnamon	72	1960-1961
*T3S	6” War God Mug			1967-1971
T4	7” Widow Maker Mug	Onyx Black	72	1960-1961
*T4S	5” Widow Maker Mug			1967-1971
T5	5” Tiki God S&P	Woodland Moss	120 pairs	1960-1961
T6	Tiki God Serving Bowl	Clay Blue	72	1960-1961
T7	Coconut Planter	Brown Satin w/ White                              inside	72	1960-1994
T8	7” Fish Ash Tray	Woodland Moss	144	1960-1976
T9	7″ Clam Shell Dish	Woodland Moss	72	1960-1994
*T9T	7″ Clam Shell Dish	White inside with         Prairie Green         Woodland Moss         Brown Satin		1962-1964
**T10	13.5″ Clam Shell Dish	unknown	72?	1960-1991
*T10T	13.5″ Clam Shell Dish	White inside with         Prairie Green         Woodland Moss         Brown Satin		1962-1964
T11	17” Palm Leaf Platter	Prairie Green	72	1960-1967
T12	Bird of Paradise Pitcher	Woodland Moss	36	1960-1961

* Changes were made piece before adding to Frankoma line

** Not part of the original order?

 

All of the original items (except the S&P) had “Club Trade Winds,” along with “Tulsa, Okla.,” the stock number and/or the copyright symbol with “Frankoma” on unglazed bottoms. The Salt & Pepper have “Trade Winds” on their backs. The quantity number is considered to be part of the Club Trade Winds order only.

 

 

There is a mystery surrounding the Club Trade Winds designs. For a very long time, numerous people thought that the T1, 1-quart, 8” tall, Plain Tumbler had never been made; designed yes, but never made, because there was not one to be found. At least three have now been found to verify, yes, it was made. The T1 Tumbler was never put into the Frankoma line.

 

At least 12 of the T3 War God Mugs have been found to prove its existence. As drink “glasses” from a club/restaurant, perhaps there are not many T3 War Gods around. Over the years, I know I have thrown away a LOT of drinking glasses that I purchased from food/bar places, that have since become quite collectible.

 

In the Pot & Puma, Spring, 1997, Joniece Frank wrote an article in which she stated that the T10, 13.5″ Clam Shell Dish was not included as part of the original order. The article is from 1997, 37 years after the order was made. CTW pieces have been found from 1960 but not the T10; however, the T10 Clam Shell Dish is listed in the Frankoma catalog, as are many other CTW pieces. The T3 War God is in the catalog, too, as T3S. If the T10 Clam Shell design was not used for CTW, why is it in the 1962 Frankoma catalog?  Many of them are still around today. As I write, there is a mystery here that has not been solved and may never be solved. Does anyone have a T10 Clam Shell marked Club Trade Winds?

 

Since the designs for the Club Trade Winds were such popular items, the molds originally designed and marked with Club Trade Winds would later have the CTW marks removed, so the only marks on pieces made later would be stock numbers and Frankoma; these items were then added to the Frankoma catalog. The T3 War God and T4 Widow Maker were made smaller as T3S and T4S, and the T9T and T10T Clam Shells were glazed white on the inside. The stock numbers on these pieces were changed when the designs were added to the Frankoma catalog. T9T and T10T Clam Shell pieces that are glazed as described have been found but without the second T.

 

Above four photos courtesy of James Molter, Jr.

 

From author’s collection. In these photos, is the one on the left an early one, perhaps, while the one on the right is a later one?

 

                

According to James Molter, Jr., the holes on early T5 Tiki God S&P’s went front to back on the head. On later ones they went side to side. Later ones are also slightly taller.

 

In 1965, a special order of approximately 50(?) (each or total?) was made of T3S War Gods and T4S Widow Makers (?) for the Rotary Club of Sapulpa for their annual Sweetheart Banquet, the theme being a Hawaiian luau. John Frank was a member of the Sapulpa Rotary Club for many years during the 60’s and 70s. As the president of the Rotary Club in 1965 and owner of Frankoma, he was in a perfect position to be able to mark certain pieces for events held by the Rotary Club.

 

“As Mr. and Mrs. Frank had recently returned from a visit to Hawaii, they were in charge of the arrangements for the banquet. The banquet was held for some 200 members and their wives at the Club Trade Winds, 7pm Tuesday evening, Feb. 9, 1965,” a Sapulpa Rotary Club spokesperson stated.

 

The only glaze colors used on these pieces were Flame on the outside and Coffee inside, and they are marked Frankoma, 2-9-65, Sapulpa Rotary, Sweetheart Luau. These are considered extremely hard to find. Unmarked Flame T5 Tiki God S&P’s are thought to have been made for the luau as well, but I have been unable to document this. Based on my research and since 1965 was the first year for Flame, I would say, yes, the T5 Tiki God Flame S&P’s were made for the luau but were never available in the Frankoma catalogs.

 

 

                         From author’s collection

 

 

In about 1971, Joniece became friends with two men who would later open The Sands Motel in Tulsa. The Sands had a members-only evening club called the Cultured Pearl Club. The décor was that of a Tahitian village, complete with waterfall and thatched huts, and was located at 5125 West Skelly Drive. Frankoma made a few items for the club from the CTW designs; T3S War Gods and T4S Widow Makers have been discovered, perhaps 25 each, according to Joniece.

 

As John Frank was a member of the Sapulpa Rotary Club, he could participate in Rotary meetings/events of other Rotary clubs. Were the pieces made because of the Rotary connection, for one Rotary meeting? Coincidental? The Cultured Pearl only lasted about one year (about 1974). The items made for the Cultured Pearl Club are very rare. Woodlawn Moss, Desert Gold, Prairie Green, Peach Glow, Onyx Black, and Brown Satin glaze colors have been found. The mark for these pieces is Cultured Pearl, Tulsa, and Frankoma.

 

 

                           Above photos courtesy of James Molter, Jr.

 

 

 

In 1983, Frankoma had a major fire; many of the molds were destroyed but not the ones associated with the CTW creations. Kandy McClendon Steeples has all of the Club Trade Winds molds. The pieces that Wendy Cevola has made can still be found. Cevola made her molds from Frankoma pieces: T3S War God, T5 Widow Maker, and T6 Tiki God Serving Bowl. Cevola is retiring (2021) and all of her molds made from Frankoma pieces have been destroyed. Pieces by Cevola are made of white clay and marked Cevola. The single Tiki pictured below (photo number 4) was made by Frankoma and had gone through the 1983 fire, so that’s why the unusual color. This Tiki was given to Wendy Cevola by Joniece Frank.

 

                                  Photos 1, 2, 3, and 5 were made by Wendy Cevola

 

 

 

All of the pieces marked Club Trade Winds, Cultured Pearl Club, and Rotary Sweetheart Luau are very elusive and are highly prized by Frankoma, Tiki, and Rotary collectors. Any of them would be a fine addition to any collector’s treasure trove. Collectors should be on the lookout for these beautiful examples of Joniece Frank’s artistry and creativity. 

 

Frankoma Pottery produced so much for business, individuals and organizations since 1936, besides what was offered in the Frankoma catalogs. They made experimental pieces, special orders that were never offered to the public, and lunch-box pieces that employees were allowed to make and take home, as well as many short run pieces. Because of this, there will continue to be more discoveries of unknown pieces made by Frankoma.

 

                                                                     Photo courtesy of James Molter, Jr.

 

 

 

Resources:   I have contacted many people, read multiple books, and checked out many internet websites as sources to compare and verify as much as possible the information in this article. I have left many details intact which have multiple verification sources but updated (when possible) and added details from sources where needed. As a result, conflict may occur where the same type information from different sources does not agree.   Pot & Puma, published by the Frankoma Family Collectors Association Vol. 2, Issue 4, Autumn, 1996, “The Polynesian Trade Winds Items,” by Ray Stoll Vol. 3, Issue 2, Spring, 1997, Joniece Frank does corrections to the above article

Tulsa Daily Legal News, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 29 September 1960, Page 8:

“Club Trade Winds, Inc., is an Oklahoma Business Corporation filed On September 9, 1960.”

Frankoma catalogs

Frankoma Treasures, Phyllis and Tom Bess

Frankoma and other Oklahoma Potteries, Phyllis and Tom Bess

Collector’s Guide to Frankoma Pottery, Susan N. Cox

Collector’s Guide to Frankoma Pottery, Gary V. Schaum

Sapulpa Rotary Club

The Democratic News, Sapulpa, Oklahoma, 16 Feb 1965, Page 5, “Rotary’s Club Fete Is Held”

Oklahoma Historical Society and Museum

James Molter, Jr.

Wendy Cevola

Kandy McClendon Steeples

Brenda Seabolt Belshe

Allen Manuel

https://www.newspapers.com/

https://www.sapulpahistory.org

https://www.okhistory.org/historycenter/index

https://frankomacollectors.org/the-mcbain-book/

Frankoma glaze colors:

https://frankomacollectors.org/

 

Frankoma catalogs:

http://frankomacollector.com/Catalog%20Scans/catalog%20scans.html

 

http://frankomacollector.com/

 

https://mytiki.life/creators/wendy-cevola/tiki-mugs

 

https://thesearchfortiki.com/tiki-mug-hall-of-fame/frankoma-war-god/

 

https://tradervics.com/

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/45635304145

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/154880427873194

 

https://www.facebook.com/Frankoma-Tiki-333369884212241