Oh, the Places You’ll Go: A Tulsa Tech Success Story

Dr. Seuss may have coined the phrase, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, but for Tulsa Tech alumnus Dave Banks, it perfectly captures his incredible career path. What began at the Tulsa Public Schools Vocational Technical Center, now known as Tulsa Tech, laid the foundation for a remarkable journey filled with adventure, laughter and the pictures to back it up.

“It was a fantastic option for me,” Banks said. “I struggled with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder (ADD), but in 1968, those challenges weren’t well understood.”

Founded in 1965 with fewer than 20 programs, the buildings that would become Tulsa Tech’s Lemley Memorial Campus were a haven for students seeking alternatives to traditional academic pathways. For Banks, who described himself as a “C or D student,” it unlocked an opportunity to pursue his passion: photography.

“I had a deep love for making movies,” Banks recalled. “When I discovered they had a photography program, I jumped at the chance.”

That decision changed his trajectory.

“Tulsa Tech was a lifesaver,” Banks said. “The skills I gained there helped me graduate in the top half of my class at Will Rogers High School. Tulsa Tech gave me a foundation of steel and concrete, helping me reach the heights I have achieved.”

Banks went on to build a celebrated career as a photojournalist, documentarian and author. Over the years, he earned three Emmy Awards for his work on various projects. His 2014 book, "Cue the Camels," chronicles his global adventures behind the lens and includes a foreword by late-night host Jay Leno.

“I worked on documentaries and covered current events for major networks, but I always found my way back to Hollywood and ‘The Tonight Show,’” Banks said. “I have a very loud laugh, so during rehearsals a lot of times I would be the test audience for jokes. That is what led Jay to write the forward for my book.

“Dave’s disappearing and reappearing act had been going on since I took over the ‘Tonight Show,’” Leno wrote in the book. “It wasn’t until reading ‘Cue the Camels’ that I learned where he was going. Maybe that’s why Dave always seemed to have a smile on his face – that’s because he was just happy to be where he wasn’t being shot at, chased by a foreign army, or lost in a land mine field – I like to think that it was my jokes and free coffee that kept a smile on Dave’s face.”

Yet despite his achievements, Banks never forgot where it all started.

“It all began with Mr. [Al] Winesburg,” he said. “I still have the certificate that says 530 hours of photography training. After I graduated, I went to an art school, but left because they were teaching me skills I already knew.”

That decision led him to several Tulsa area businesses before taking the leap to Hollywood and working on everything from the Olympics at Lake Placid to documenting the first gulf war.