Oklahoma History Symposium

Join us on Saturday, May 3, for “Oklahoma in Context.” Presented by the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS). The Oklahoma History Symposium is held each spring at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. This one-day symposium offers scholars, historians, authors, and museum professionals a forum to share their work with history enthusiasts.

This event is free, but registration is required. Boxed lunches are available for purchase through noon, April 25. Please note our cafe is closed, and boxed lunches will not be available for purchase on the day of the event.

Symposium Schedule

Find a detailed schedule and session descriptions on our website, okhistory.org/symposium.

Morning Activities

9:30 a.m. Enjoy exhibitors, networking, coffee and donuts
10 a.m. Meeting of the OHS Membership (open to the public)
10:15 a.m. Organizational Meeting of the OHS Board of Directors (open to the public)
10:45-11:30 a.m. Exhibitors and Book Signing
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Box lunch pick-up. You must preorder at the time of registration or you may bring your own lunch. Please note that the Oklahoma History Center cafe has closed.

Keynote

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Award-winning filmaker Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa)
Waters will share about her short documentary Meet Me at the Creek, which focuses on Rebecca Jim’s (Cherokee) efforts to restore Tar Creek in Miami, Oklahoma. Waters’s experience in the film industry includes directing, producing, and casting for film and television including Reservation Dogs, Fancy Dance, and Killers of the Flower Moon.

Historical Sessions

12:45-1:30 p.m.
“Raising Washington: Preserving the Legacy of African American History in Stillwater”
Laura Arata, associate professor of history, Oklahoma State University (OSU); Karen Washington, Booker T. Washington School alumnae; Norman McNickle, city manager (retired), City of Stillwater; Michelle Charles, communications specialist, City of Stillwater; Jamie Schussler, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, OSU; Sarah Ra, assistant professor of architecture, OSU; and James Beckstrom, owner, Beckstrom Group
(Chesapeake Event Center)

“A Story on Two Wheels: Bikers in Ledger Art on the Borderlands of Experience”
James Gregory Bland, PhD candidate, University of Oklahoma (OU)
(Musser Learning Lab)

1:45-2:45 p.m.
“‘The Magnificent Citizenship’: Politics, Gender, and Race in Early Oklahoma”
Hope Cunningham, MA student; Christine Carlson, PhD student; and Thayme Watson, PhD candidate; all of OU; with moderator Sarah Eppler Janda, professor, Cameron University
(Chesapeake Event Center)

1:45-2:30 p.m.
“150th Anniversary of the ‘Sand Hill Fight’ on the Cheyenne and Arapaho Reservation”
Dee Cordry, author
(Musser Learning Lab)

3-3:45 p.m.
“OSU’s Response to 9/11—A Reflection Through Oral History, University Newspapers, and the Institutional Change”
Sarah Griswold, assistant professor of history; Jin Kim, assistant professor, Religious Studies Program, Department of Philosophy; Corinne Schwarz, assistant professor of Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies Program, Department of Sociology; Daniel Sexton, research assistant; and Alora Thompson, research assistant, all of OSU
(Chesapeake Event Center)

“The Reconstruction Era National Historic Network and How it Connects to the History of Oklahoma”
Chandra Powell, park ranger, Reconstruction Era National Historic Network
(Musser Learning Lab)

4-4:45 p.m.
“Making It Home: An Overview of Oklahoma Native American Baseball Players in Major League Baseball”
Thomas Kahle, PhD student, University of Oklahoma (OU); Todd Fuller, curator, Western History Collections, OU Libraries; and Rob Daughtery (Cherokee Nation citizen), retired director of community and cultural outreach, Cherokee Nation
(Chesapeake Event Center)

“Bringing Bath Ave Back: Virtual Reality Modeling for Lost Historic Spaces”
Judie Mathews, special collections librarian, Metropolitan Library System; and Bobby Reed, Computer Science faculty, Oklahoma City University, and developer/owner of Drone's Eye View
(Musser Learning Lab)