OHS Masthead
August 24, 2010OHS Extra! Archive  
CALL FOR PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS
OHS LogoAnnual Meeting
April 27, 28, 29, 2011
 
"Winds of Change: Life on the Southern Plains"
 
The OHS is seeking papers and presentations for the Annual Meeting, which will be held April 27, 28, and 29 at the Cherokee Strip Conference Center, Enid, Oklahoma. A total of ten concurrent paper sessions will be held.
 
The theme is "Winds of Change: Life on the Southern Plains."  The theme is relevant to the plains regions of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas.  Emphasis will be placed on Oklahoma topics, but presentations on topics that relate to the history and culture of the region will be considered.  Presentations should be limited to 20 or 30 minutes in length, depending on the number of participants in each session.
 
One-page proposals should include the title of the presentation; a 100-word description of the presentation; the name, address, phone number, and email address of the presenter; and a short curriculum vitae or brief biographical sketch.  Those who submit proposals will be notified of their status by early January of 2011, if not earlier.
 
Please submit proposals as early as possible. Submission deadline is Friday, December 3, 2010.  Send to: Annual Meeting Committee, Attn: Paul Lambert, Oklahoma Historical Society, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK  73105.  Proposals may be emailed to [email protected].  Call (405)522-5217 with inquiries.
Oklahoma History Center  VOLUNTEER APPLICATION DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 1ST
 
Hurry!  The deadline for volunteer applications is September 1st.

Volunteers are the smiling faces that greet guests at the front door, answer questions in the galleries, assist the staff behind-the-scenes and attend to patrons at special events. They are the ambassadors of the Oklahoma History Center and each volunteer chooses assignments based on their schedule and
Unconquered
Oklahoma History Center 
Unconquered
availability.
 
If you are interested, be sure to get in your application by the deadline.  Those chosen for interview will attend training classes September 18th, September 25th, October 2nd, October 9th, October 16th and October 23rd. Graduation for the class will be at the annual volunteer appreciation banquet on October 29th at the History Center. Volunteers are asked to donate at least 72 hours of service in a year.
 
For more information, please visit http://www.okhistory.org/volunteer.html  or call the Volunteer Services Office at
(405)522-0754.
WE VALUE YOUR OPINION
Online OHS Member Survey
 
We are interested in the opinions and suggestions of our members.  To that end we have a short member survey online, and we would be appreciative if ALL OHS members would take the survey.
 
We also will be sending a printed form of the survey in membership renewal letters for those who do not wish to complete the survey online.
 
Thanks so much for your membership and for your participation. 
THE BANK GUARANTEE LAW OF 1908 
Michael J. Hightower, PhD
Principal Researcher, Oklahoma 
Bank and Commerce History Project
 
Patient sleuthing in the OHS archives reveals fascinating episodes in Oklahoma banking history. Take, for example, the Bank Guarantee Law of 1908. Drawing
Charles N. Haskell
Charles N. Haskell
inspiration from populism that was fanning the flames of unrest throughout the Great Plains, lawmakers in Guthrie compelled state-chartered banks to contribute to a fund that could be tapped to repay depositors in the event of a bank failure. Champions of deposit guarantee included Charles N. Haskell, the first governor of Oklahoma; and William Jennings Bryan, the perennial presidential candidate whose "Cross of Gold" speech set the standard for populist rhetoric and fired the imaginations of Oklahoma Democrats.
 
William Jennings Bryan
(Oklahoma's first governor, Charles N. Haskell (above right) and Nebraska Congressman William Jennings Bryan (above) were two of the most charismatic leaders of the Populist Party and staunch proponents of bank deposit guarantee.  Both men gained popularity by promoting laws to guarantee depositors that they wold never lose a penny in a state-chartered bank.) 
William Jennings Bryan
Debates over deposit guarantee raged in Oklahoma newspapers from 1908 until 1923, when the legislature put an end to Oklahoma's bold and contentious experiment. Much of the drama was recorded by Frederick S. Barde, the journalist whose banner hangs in the lobby of the Oklahoma History Center. Some three decades before the FDIC came to the rescue of beleaguered depositors during the dark days of the Depression, Oklahoma was the first state to guarantee that nobody would lose a penny in a state-chartered bank.
 
Writing a couple of years before the law was repealed, economist Thomas Bruce Robb weighed in on this raucous chapter of Oklahoma history: "The very fact that people are on the frontier shows that they were restive under the restraints and conventions of older civilizations; and Oklahoma was the last frontier."
 
To learn how you can participate in the Oklahoma Bank and Commerce History Project, contact Michael by phone at (434)249-6043 or by email at [email protected].
Join/Renew Online                                                          Donate Now
Become a member of the Oklahoma Historical Society and receive:
 
One year subscription to The Chronicles of Oklahoma 
 
One year subscription to the newsletter, Mistletoe Leaves
 
Free admission to ALL OHS Sites and Museums
 
For a full listing of benefits, download 
our brochure.
 
Individual memberships start at just $35.
  
Events at OHS Historic Sites and Museums include:  
 
George M. Murrell Home:
 
10/22  Murrell Home Ghost Stories, 6:30pm, (918)456-2751 
 
Oklahoma History Center:
 
8/25 Lunch & Learn: Finding the Girls, 11:30am, (405)522-5225
 
9/30-10/2 OHS Fall Book Sale
 
10/2  Heirloom Care Class, Textiles & Quilts, 10am, (405)522-0785
 
10/4  Home School Day, FREE, (405)522-0785
 
10/7 Oklahomans in the World Series, 7pm., (405)522-0785 
 
10/23  Dutch Oven Cooking Class, 1pm, (405)522-0785
 
 
8/10-31 "Sun on Earth" travelling tpestry exhibit, Clinton, (580)774-3035
 
9/14  Quilt Block of the Month Class, 6:30pm, (918)762-2513
 
10/2  Mansion Centennial Style Show, 2pm, (918)762-2513
 
10/12  Quilt Block of the Month  Class, 6:30pm, (918)762-2513
 
10/23  Ghost Story Tours, 6:30pm, (918)762-2513
 
 
On the importance of history...
 
"Life is not simple, and therefore history, which is past life, is not simple."  David Shannon 
 
 
     Oklahoma Historical Society
 
800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr.
Oklahoma City, OK
         73105
   
Shelly Crynes, Editor
[email protected](405)522-0317