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Oklahoma Centennial Lecture Series
Sponsored by Greater Oklahoma City Downtown College Consortium
Oklahoma City Community College, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City, Redlands Community College,
Rose State University & the University of Central Oklahoma

"Oklahoma and the Great Depression:  Myth and Reality"

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John explores what life was really like in Oklahoma during this challenging period by taking an up-close look at the lives of Oklahomans from all walks of life--people driven from their land by heat, drought, and dust storm; people who launched the last great American pioneering saga as they formed the massive exodus to California; people who stayed and toughed it out in Oklahoma; even people who led the state through these tumultuous times.

This vivid tour de force shines a rare light on what happened--and what we have been told happened, but didn't. Will Rogers, Woody Guthrie, Senator Thomas Gore (great-grandfather of Al), and John Steinbeck--as well as his arch foe, Oklahoma Congressman Lyle Boren (father of future Governor, Senator, and University of Oklahoma President David Boren), are among the remarkable people John discusses, not to mention some of the brave folks whose names never made it into the history books, even though they helped live the history that fills them.

DATES, TIMES, PLACES:

September 26, 2007, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., room TBA, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City

October 24, 2007, 2:00-2:55 p.m., Pegasus Theatre, University of Central Oklahoma

November 1, 2007, 10:00 – 11:00 p.m., Multimedia Building, Redlands Community College

“Places Where We Cried:  The Story of the 19th-Century Cherokees”

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You have heard of the "Trail of Tears." Now found out why it really happened and why--before, during, and after--including:

  • The key role famed American President Andrew Jackson played.
  • How a white Christian missionary, after being jailed for his opposition to the Jackson Administration, battled all the way to the United States Supreme Court to defend the Cherokee people and their land.
  • How the Cherokees warred--sometimes literally--for decades among themselves, and names like John Ross and Stand Watie rose high in the annals of Oklahoma and American history.
  • Who the great Sequoyah really was, and what he really did for his people-and for America.
  • How one of the most devastating chapters of the American Civil War raged for four years, with the Cherokees truly fighting "brother against brother."

DATES, TIMES, PLACES:

September 12, 2007, 2:00 p.m.-2:50 p.m., Pegasus Theatre, University of Central Oklahoma

November 1, 2007, 1:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m., CU1 in College Union, Oklahoma City Community College

November 30, 2007, 4:45 p.m.- 5:45 p.m., Multimedia Building, Redlands Community College

Fall, lunchtime, TBA, Rose State College

"Heroes of Oklahoma:  The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement and Others"

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One of the great stories of courage from Oklahoma history--Clara Luper, whose memory of her loving daddy's tear-stained face drove her to a peaceful but relentless stand for the rights of black people in mid-late-20th century Oklahoma.  John also introduces you to others among the greatest Oklahomans you have never heard of, including:

  • Marshal Heck Thomas, the fearless lawman on whom John Wayne's famed Oscar-winning character portrayal of Rooster Cogburn was based.
  • Alice Robertson, granddaughter of a missionary to the Cherokees, who became the first Oklahoma Congresswoman and only the second in American history.
  • Thomas P. Gore, Oklahoma pioneer, one of the Sooner State's two original United States Senators, perhaps the most brilliant orator of his generation, fearless opponent-no matter how high the price--of America's most famous presidents, whose great-grandson is Al Gore-and who was blind.
  • The Vietnamese "Boat People," modern-day Sooner heroes who live amongst us but whose horrific but courageous stories few of us know. Such are only a few of the people you will meet who have given Oklahomans not only our history, but our heritage.

DATES, TIMES, PLACES:

September 14, 2007, 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m., Multimedia Building, Redlands Community College

October 24, 2007, 2:00 p.m.-2:55 p.m., Pegasus Theatre, University of Central Oklahoma

November 15, 2007, 1:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m., CU1 in College Union, Oklahoma City Community College