The Oklahoma Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office is pleased to announce its May workshop series. The sessions will be held May 6-8, 2015, in Tulsa in the third floor Presentation Room of Tulsa City Hall, 175 E. Second St. Parking is available in the pay lot at the corner of Second Street and Cincinnati Avenue.

The workshops are free and open to the public, but we ask that you register by Wednesday, April 29, at 5 p.m. Space is limited and will be available on a first-come basis. To register contact Betty Harris at 405-521-6249 or bharris@okhistory.org. You may also register online at www.okhistory.org/shpo/workshops.php.

Design professionals who attend the workshops will qualify for HSW hours needed to fulfill requirements of the State of Oklahoma's Board of Governors of Licensed Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers. A certificate of attendance will be mailed to participants after the workshops, and you may self-report your attendance to the board.

If you have questions about any of the workshops, contact Deputy SHPO Melvena Heisch at 405-522-4484 or mheisch@okhistory.org.

The workshops are described below:

The Section 106 Review Process: Introduction and Overview

May 6, 9:30 a.m.-noon (presented by Cate Wood, historical archaeologist/Section 106 coordinator)

The half-day workshop provides the basics about Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and how the process works in Oklahoma. Specific topics include who is responsible for Section 106 compliance, when does Section 106 apply, what is the State Historic Preservation Office's role in the process, what other agencies are involved, what is a historic property, and what happens when a project will affect a historic property. The workshop is designed as a stand-alone session and as a companion to Determination of Eligibility under Section 106. Participants should also consider attending The Secretary's Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.

Determination of Eligibility under Section 106

May 6, 1:30-4:30 p.m. (presented by Lynda Ozan, architectural historian/National Register coordinator)

The session provides a step-by-step description of how to document standing structures for the State Historic Preservation Office's review. Specific topics include a discussion of the National Register of Historic Places Criteria for Evaluation, how to complete the Historic Preservation Resource Identification Form, photograph requirements, what a determination of eligibility means, how differences of opinion about eligibility are resolved, and when consultants may be helpful to agencies in preparing documentation for the Section 106 process. The session is designed as a stand-alone workshop or as a companion to The Section 106 Review Process:  Introduction and Overview. Participants should also consider attending The Secretary's Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.

Working with the National Register of Historic Places

May 7, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (presented by Lynda Ozan, architectural historian/National Register coordinator)

The National Register of Historic Places is the foundation of the SHPO's programs, and a basic understanding of the register is essential for those involved in historic preservation at all levels of government and in the private sector. The workshop provides detailed information about the National Register criteria, what listing means, the rights of property owners in the nomination process, tips for preparing successful nominations, and much more.

Federal and State Tax Incentives for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings

May 8, 9:30 a.m.-noon (presented by Harry Simms, historic preservation architect)

In this workshop participants will learn about the federal and state investment tax credits for certified rehabilitation of a certified historic structure. A detailed discussion of the Historic Preservation Certification Application, Parts 1, 2, and 3, will guide owners and developers in successfully preparing the information needed for the State Historic Preservation Office to review the project and for the National Park Service to certify it. This session is designed as a stand-alone workshop or as a companion to The Secretary's Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.

The Secretary's Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings

May 8, 1:30-4:30 p.m. (presented by Harry Simms, Historic Preservation Architect)

The half-day workshop features a thorough discussion of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitation. Generally referred to as The Standards, these commonsense principles are widely used in the historic preservation field. Whether you are involved in a rehabilitation project for the 20 percent federal and 20 percent state tax credits, planning a rehabilitation project funded with federal assistance, serving on a local historic preservation commission, or just wanting to know the best approach to rehabilitate your historic private home, you will find this session invaluable. It is designed as a stand-alone workshop and as a companion to Federal and State Tax Incentives for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.

Charles Tate, chair of the Oklahoma Historical Society's Oklahoma History Conference Committee, has announced the selection of four individuals to be the 2015 inductees into the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame. The honorees are Sally Bourne Ferrell, Chandler; Jimmie Lewis Franklin, Las Vegas, Nevada; Edwin C. McReynolds, deceased and John Wooley, Foyil.

The induction ceremony will take place during the Oklahoma Historical Society's annual Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 24 at noon in the banquet hall of the Artesian Hotel in Sulphur, Oklahoma. The luncheon is one of a variety of programs and events that will take place during the three day Oklahoma History Conference sponsored by the Oklahoma Historical Society. The theme for the conference is "Land, Wood, and Water: Natural Resources in the Course of Oklahoma History."

Ferrell has been an active advocate for the preservation of state and local history for decades. She wrote a long-running series on historic buildings in Chandler for the Lincoln County News, and she was a leader in getting more than twenty buildings in Chandler placed on the National Register of Historic Places. She and her husband purchased several of these buildings and restored them. One of those buildings, the Mascho-Murphy building, became the home of the Lincoln County Historical Society, of which she was and remains a prominent leader. Ferrell was an early leader in the creation of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. She also was active in saving and restoring the WPA-constructed National Guard Armory in Chandler and having it become the home of the Chandler Route 66 Interpretive Center. Other activities and honors have included serving as an advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation; director, Oklahoma Historical Society; Shirk Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to the furtherance of historic preservation statewide, and Preservation Oklahoma's Lifetime Achievement Award.

A native of Moscow, Mississippi, Franklin received his undergraduate degree at Jackson State University and he was the second African American to earn a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Oklahoma. Three of his four books have dealt with Oklahoma history themes, including Journey Toward Hope: A History of Blacks in Oklahoma, The Blacks in Oklahoma and Born Sober: Prohibition in Oklahoma, 1907-1959.  Franklin taught at Eastern Illinois University before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University. He taught there from 1986 to 2001. An honored member of the faculty, he also served as consulting editor for the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture and as president of the Southern Historical Association. He also served nine years as an assistant to the provost of the university.

A distinguished Oklahoma historian, McReynolds served in the U.S. Army in World War I before earning B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Oklahoma. He joined the OU faculty in 1943 after having taught at several high schools and junior colleges as well as at Central State Teachers College. He retired in 1960. An honored teacher, he authored Oklahoma: A History of the Sooner State, which was published in 1954 and revised in 1964. The Seminoles was published in OU Press' Civilization of the American Indian Series. He co-authored Oklahoma: The Story of Its Past and Present and, with John Morris, coauthored Historical Atlas of Oklahoma in 1965. His stature in the profession was recognized in numerous ways, including at his funeral when his pall bearers all were distinguished scholars: Donald J. Berthrong, Arrell M. Gibson, William E. Livezey, Savoie Lottinville, John W. Morris and Gilbert C. Fite.

Wooley is an authority on the pop culture of Oklahoma. He is the author, coauthor or editor of more than twenty-five books. Five of Wooley's books are especially relevant to Oklahoma- Shot in Oklahoma: A Century of Sooner State Cinema, From the Blue Devils to Red Dirt: The Colors of Oklahoma Music, The Home Ranch: Stories of the Hughes Family and the Oklahoma Land They Call Home, Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park: The Story Behind One of the Greatest Folk-Art Attractions on America's Mother Road, and Voices From the Hill: The Story of Oklahoma Military Academy. He also coauthored the autobiography of Tulsa's Jim Halsey and will write a book celebrating Tulsan Roy Clark's sixty years in show business. He currently is working on a history of Cain's Ballroom and has coauthored a play Time Changes Everything, which is the story of two imaginary meetings between Bob Wills and Woody Guthrie. He is a lecturer in American Studies at Oklahoma State University, Tulsa.  

For information regarding participating in the annual Awards Luncheon or the Oklahoma History Conference, please contact Conference Coordinator Paul Lambert at plambert@okhistory.org or 405-522-5217.