In planning for the 100th Anniversary Celebration, Wilson alum, former Wilson parent and Wilson historian Amy Sergent wondered if she might be able to find any of the children of Wilson Cafeteria mural artist, Zyta Laky. Having only the news clipping from 1951 with the names and photo of the children, Amy searched online and was thrilled to find a UCal Berkeley oral history document on Zyta’s daughter, Gyöngy Laky. Gyöngy was living in California as a world-renowned sculpture and textile artist and professor. She studied at UCal Berkeley and later founded the internationally recognized Fiberworks, Center for the Textile Arts in Berkeley. Gyöngy’s works are exhibited and collected by museums and galleries throughout the United States and the world.

Born in Budapest, Gyöngy and her family escaped Hungary when she was a young child following the turbulence and dangers in the aftermath of World War II. Their family was sponsored by the Stocker family on the shore of Lake Erie in Lorain, Ohio. A year later they moved to Oklahoma City in 1950.

Amy sent Gyöngy an email in 2017 letting her know about the cafeteria mural her mother had painted over 65 years ago when Gyöngy was a second grader in 1951. Gyöngy was overwhelmed to hear of the mural and noted she had many fond memories of Wilson School and her time in Oklahoma City.

Gyöngy returned to Oklahoma City for Wilson’s 100th Anniversary celebration in October 2019 and led a creative and colorful portraiture workshop for the Wilson students and community. It was the first time she had been back since she was a third grader at Wilson. In addition, her works were featured in an exciting exhibition at ARTSPACE at Untitled. It was truly a treasure to find Gyöngy and have her connect with the Wilson and Oklahoma City community again!