Press Release
August 13, 2019
Contact: Laura Martin
Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-5225
lmartin@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org
Oral History Workshop Scheduled at Oklahoma History Center
OKLAHOMA CITY — On Saturday, October 19, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Oklahoma Historical Society will hold an oral history workshop. Oral historian and author Joe Todd will share best practices for conducting an oral history interview. The event is free, but we do ask that you please register in advance by calling the OHS Research Center at 405-522-5225.
The program will be especially helpful for high school seniors who wish to apply for the Todd Family Scholarship. This scholarship is open to Oklahoma high school seniors who have recorded an interview with a US veteran. Judges will select the two best oral histories from the submissions. First place will receive $1,000 and second place will receive $500. For complete details about the scholarship, please visit www.okhistory.org/research/scholarship.
Bartlesville native Joe Todd served with the First Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam and with the First Infantry Division in Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. Todd also served in Haiti with the 486th Civil Affairs Battalion. He has received numerous awards and honors including the Bronze Star, Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Purple Heart and Vietnam Service and Presidential Unit Citation. He worked for the Oklahoma Historical Society for more than 20 years, first as the oral historian and later as manuscripts archivist. Since 2001 he has volunteered with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, interviewing World War II veterans. Todd has conducted more than 1,500 interviews to date. He is the author of “USS Oklahoma: Remembrance of a Great Lady,” “Robert Huston: Oklahoma Rough Rider” and numerous articles.
The workshop will be held in the Clark and Kay Musser Learning Lab, which is located inside the Research Center on the first floor of the Oklahoma History Center. The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.
The Research Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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