February 27, 2015

Registration Open for Oklahoma History Conference
April 22, 23, and 24
Artesian Hotel | Sulphur, OK

This week, OHS members will be receiving registration information for the Oklahoma History Conference in the mail.  However, registration is open to everyone, so spread the word about what is sure to be a wonderful conference held at the beautifully restored Artesian Hotel in Sulphur, OK.   

 

The conference will include 18 program sessions on Thursday, April 23, and Friday, April 24, at the Artesian Hotel. These 45-minute sessions each will feature an interesting presentation related to this year's theme, "Land, Wood, and Water: Natural Resources in the Course of Oklahoma History."

 

Registration
Registration for the conference is $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Get a registration form here

 

Additional Activities

Reception - Wednesday, April 22, 6:30 p.m.
Join us for a reception honoring 20 years of partnership between the Chickasaw Nation and the OHS at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, at the Chickasaw Retreat and Conference Center. Shuttle busses from the Artesian Hotel to the event will be provided by the Chickasaw Nation. The menu will include cognac marinated beef tenderloin sliders, chilled marinated shrimp, crunch vegetable wraps, spinach and artichoke dip, stuffed mushrooms, and smoked oyster wraps. Tickets to the reception are $10 per person.

 

Conference Luncheon - Thursday, April 23, 12:15 p.m.
The Annual Conference Luncheon will be held in the Ballroom of the Artesian Hotel on Thursday, April 23, and will feature keynote speaker Chickasaw Governor Bill Anoatubby. The menu will include chicken marsala, salad, green beans almandine, mashed potatoes, hot rolls, dessert, coffee, tea, and water. Tickets to the luncheon are $15 per person.

 

Bus Tour - Thursday, April 23, 2:45 p.m.
Thursday afternoon plans include an optional Chickasaw National  

Recreation Area/Bedr� Chocolate Factory Bus Tour. Registration for the bus tour is $20 per person.

 

Concert: Music of Southcentral Oklahoma - Thursday, April 23, 7:30 p.m.
Shuttle busses to Chickasaw Cultural Center will be available for touring in the afternoon and for a special "Music of Southcentral Oklahoma" concert in the Anoli' Theater at the Cultural Center Thursday evening. Tickets to the concert are $10 each.

 

Annual Awards Luncheon - Friday, April 24, 12 p.m.
Friday, April 24, will feature the Annual Awards Luncheon with the induction of new members of the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame and other award honorees followed by a book signing event. Menu for the luncheon will include sirloin steak, salad, fresh seasonal vegetables, mashed potatoes, hot rolls, dessert, coffee, tea, and water. Tickets to the luncheon are $16 per person.

 

We hope you will join us in Sulphur for the 2015 Oklahoma History Conference!

Save-the-Date: Vernal Equinox and Kite Flite Day
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 19 - 21
Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center | Spiro, OK

Come celebrate the beginning of spring a little differently this year. On March 19 and 20 there will be a series of guided Vernal Equinox Walks at the Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center. Visitors can learn from an archaeologist about the significance of the equinox to the American Indian community that called Spiro home. Each day there will be three walks beginning at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., led by archaeologist and manager Dennis Peterson. Each walk will take about two hours and require a mile of easy walking. Peterson will tell about this unique, prehistoric American Indian mound site, the types of mounds, why they were created and why some of the mounds are lined up for the sunsets of the solstices and equinoxes. He will discuss the history of the excavations, American Indian ceremonies and stories, tales of the unusual happenings associated with the mounds and answer your questions. There is a small fee for this series of tours of $3 for adults and $2 for children in addition to the daily admission fee. No reservations are required except for large groups.

 

The center also will hold its 28th annual Family Kite Flite Day on Saturday, March 21. This event will include hundreds of people flying kites, kids making bubbles and digging in the sandbox and arts and crafts booths. There will be drawings throughout the day for donated kites. The Kite Flite Day runs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and is a free admission day for the site.

 

The Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center is the only prehistoric American Indian site open to the public in Oklahoma and is administered by the Oklahoma Historical Society. The center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. Daily admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and $1 for children older than six. The center is located three miles east of Spiro, Okla., on Highway 9/271 and four miles north on Lock and Dam Road. For more information or to schedule a group or school tour, please call 918-962-2062 or email [email protected].

Call for Nominations for Higher Education Hall of Fame

The Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society (OHEHS), established in 1991 as a nonprofit to support awareness of higher education's vital role in Oklahoma history, has inducted more than 200 individuals into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame since its establishment in 1994.

 

The Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame was established to recognize and honor individuals, living and deceased, for outstanding, meritorious service to higher education in Oklahoma. This year, 2015, represents the 22nd year that OHEHS will honor higher education educators and administrators, as well as those who support higher education with distinguished contributions.

 

To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been employed by one or more institutions of public or private higher education in Oklahoma on a full-time basis for a minimum of 10 years. Individuals not so employed, but who have performed outstanding service to higher education in the state, or organizations or institutions that have performed such service, are also eligible for consideration, such service to be above and beyond financial contributions. Individuals employed by an institution of higher education in Oklahoma in an area of infrastructure and support services on a full-time basis for a minimum of 10 years also may be considered for induction.

 

Nominations must be submitted by March 20, 2015. A nomination form can be downloaded from the OHEHS website or requested by emailing Marvanna Perry, OHEHS executive secretary, at [email protected].

 

The 22nd annual formal induction ceremony and banquet will be held on October 13, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. at the Jim Thorpe Museum in Oklahoma City.

 

Biographical sketches and photos of past Hall of Fame inductees are available on the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society website, www.ohehs.org, as well as the Higher Education kiosk in the Education Exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center.

 

For more information about the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame or the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society, please visit www.ohehs.org or contact Marvanna Perry at [email protected] or 405-522-0778.

Oklahoma History Center

DONATE NOW   Now you can donate online!

 

Development Department

Oklahoma Historical Society

800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive

Oklahoma City, OK  73105

Gateway to OK History

Visitor Info  
From the Encyclopedia...

In honor of Black History Month, learn more about African Americans in Oklahoma in
this entry, written by noted historian Jimmie Lewis Franklin, who will be inducted into the Oklahoma Historian's Hall of Fame this year in Sulphur.

Nicole Harvey, Editor

[email protected]
(405) 522-5202