Press Release
March 28, 2023
Contact: Nicole Harvey
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-5202
nicole.harvey@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/grants
Southwestern Oklahoma State University Foundation, Inc. Awarded Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is proud to announce that the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Foundation, Inc. has been awarded a grant through the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program.
“Congratulations to Southwestern Oklahoma State University Foundation on receiving these grant funds for the benefit of the General Thomas P. Stafford Archives,” said Sen. Darcy Jech, Kingfisher. “These funds will enable the preservation and accessibility of these important records.”
“I’m extremely excited for the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Foundation on being named a recipient of the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program,” said Rep. Anthony Moore, Clinton. “These funds will be incredibly beneficial in preserving the General Thomas P. Stafford Archives, which are truly a treasure worthy of securing for future generations to learn from and admire.”
Southwestern Oklahoma State University Foundation, Inc. received $19,557 for a project titled “Digitization of Special Collections,” which will help fund a project to digitize analog assets from the General Thomas P. Stafford Archives that cannot currently be digitized in-house. Selected items will be from the following collections: The Stafford Collection, university history, performances of the music department and the athletics collections.
“This project will not only digitally preserve information from analog assets documenting the university’s history, but it will provide public access to images and sounds recorded nearly 50 years ago from the Apollo Missions under the command of General Thomas P. Stafford,” said Jason Dupree, director of libraries at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
The OHS will distribute over $575,000 in grant funds, with projects ranging from collections care and strategic planning to exhibit development and educational programming.
“These grant funds continue to empower local communities to collect, preserve and share their history for future generations of Oklahomans with over 150 projects funded to date,” said Nicole Harvey, director of strategic initiatives and grants administrator for the OHS.
The Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program is a grants-in-aid program offered by the Oklahoma Historical Society to encourage the collection, preservation and sharing of Oklahoma history at the grassroots level in all parts of the state. Open to tribal and municipal governments and not-for-profit historical organizations located in Oklahoma and registered with the Oklahoma secretary of state, this grants program offers funding ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 for projects focused on collections, exhibits and programming. Applications for this annual program open in the fall and award announcements are made in January. For more information visit www.okhistory.org/grants.
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 okhistory.org.
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