PONCA CITY, Okla. — A new pavilion at Lake Ponca is honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Stephanie Husen, one of the four victims killed in the Saint Francis Hospital shooting in Tulsa in 2022.
The Peace Pavilion was dedicated recently following a years-long effort led by landscape architect Carl Szafranski, one of Husen’s lifelong friends. After Husen’s death, her family asked Szafranski to help create a memorial that reflected her personality, values, and impact on those around her.
To shape the design, Szafranski gathered input from family members, friends, and community members through questionnaires. Participants shared memories, colors, and qualities they most associated with Husen. The responses helped guide everything from the pavilion’s appearance to its overall purpose.
“We then compiled all that information and began to identify common themes,” Szafranski said. “For example, if pink was a color most people recognized with her, that showed up over and over again. We took those answers and incorporated the most common elements into the design.”
Szafranski said he was initially hesitant to take on such a personal project, but ultimately wanted to help create a space that would celebrate Husen’s life while serving the broader community.
The project carried special meaning for Szafranski, who said Husen was his first friend. The two grew up together in Ponca City and attended school side by side from childhood through high school.
Asked what he hoped Husen would think of the finished pavilion, Szafranski said, “I hope she’d be proud. I did everything I could to make it work for her and her family. Hopefully she’d be happy. I think she would.”
Located near the Lake Ponca Disc Golf Course, the Peace Pavilion is intended to serve as a lasting place of reflection, remembrance, and community gathering for years to come.
