It was a sun filled spring day at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday May 27, 1981. Roger Wheeler had just loaded his golf clubs into the trunk of his car after a casual round of golf with friends, just as he had done a hundred times before. As he walked towards the driver’s door of his car, he probably didn’t pay much attention to the dark sedan that silently slid up behind him. Getting into his car, fumbling for his keys and reaching for the ignition, he likely did not notice the two men that left the sedan and were quickly approaching his window. The next morning, I was among the employees of Telex Computer Products to learn that our CEO Roger Wheeler had been murdered, execution style, with a point-blank shot to the head as he sat in his car with the engine running.
For decades, this murder remained unsolved. Over time, however, the events that lead up to this heinous act slowly unfolded and eventually caused the unraveling of one of the most notorious mobs of our time – Whitey Bulger and Boston’s Winter Hill Gang.
Roger Wheeler was aptly named - he was a free-wheeling Oklahoma businessman. Making his fortune as an entrepreneur, he became one of the wealthiest people in Tulsa during the 60’s and 70’s. One of his close friends, Steve Jatras (who succeeded Wheeler as Telex CEO) was a brilliant engineer who saw promise in the burgeoning data storage market and wanted to design a tape drive that could be plugged directly into IBM mainframe computers (see blog #3 of this series for more of Telex’s history.). Wheeler convinced Jatras to join Telex after he made a 17% stake in a company called Midwest Instruments, changed the name to Telex and was voted in as CEO. Jatras agreed to join.
Wheeler himself was not a technologist – when asked by a reporter what Telex did, Wheeler responded “We make widgets, and it’s my job to make sure we make money selling those widgets.” Wheeler continued to wheel and deal as Telex CEO, padding his fortune. One of his personal investments was a majority stake in a number a Jai-Alai Frontons in Connecticut and Florida. A sure money maker, he reckoned. Unfortunately, these establishments were mired in corruption and illegal activities, driven primarily by Bulger’s gang. The mob demand protection money; and in his typical wildcat style, Wheeler refused. Wheeler went so far as to testify in an effort to clean up the Jai-Alai gambling industry. A lofty goal indeed, and one that few men would ever attempt. But this was Roger Wheeler, a man among men.
Meanwhile, Bulger’s gang was becoming more brazen. Johnny Mortorano, aka “The Cook”, was ordered by Bulger to “take care” of the Wheeler problem. This would show loyalty and improve his rank in the gang. The Wheeler "job" was completed on that fateful Sunday in Tulsa. As has so often happened in the past, greed and envy became the eventual undoing of the Bulger gang. When John Callahan, fellow Winter Hill Gang member, exposed the details of the Wheeler slaying in 1982, his body was later found in the trunk of a rental car at the Miami airport.
Federal investigators were leaning on their other informants and beginning to put the pieces of this puzzle together. Once they had enough evidence, they moved in to capture Bulger and charge him as being the ringleader of the Wheeler execution, but Boston FBI agent John Connolly allegedly tipped off Bulger minutes before the FBI arrived and Whitey disappeared.
Four men were eventually indicted in the Roger Wheeler murder case – two served jailed time, one died before sentencing, and Whitey is still in parts unknown and on the FBI’s most wanted list to this day.
As I mentioned in the beginning of my 4-part blog series, if you stick around long enough in life you’ll see things you never dreamed of, things that you never forget that touch you directly or indirectly.
I hope my 4 stories helped make your summer a little more interesting. Now its time to get back to my ‘normal’ blog topics – we have a lot to talk about!
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