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
Southeastern Oklahoma State University Library Special Collections Awarded Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is proud to announce that the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Library Special Collections has been awarded a grant through the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program.
“I am thrilled to see the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program in action, supporting the preservation and sharing of Oklahoma history at the grassroots level,” said Rep. Cody Maynard, Durant. “Congratulations to the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Library Special Collections on receiving this well-deserved grant, which will create two new exhibits dedicated to the legacies of John Massey and Glen D. Johnson. These exhibits will serve as a tribute to their contributions to the history of SOSU and higher education in our state.”
Southeastern Oklahoma State University Library Special Collections received $15,300 for a project titled “Two Leaders in Higher Education: Two Museum Exhibits,” which will be used to create two stand-alone exhibits on the SOSU campus dedicated to two leaders of Oklahoma higher education and their impact on the history of Southeastern: John Massey, a businessman and banker from Durant, and Glen D. Johnson, former speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, President of SOSU in Durant, and Chancellor for Higher Education in the State of Oklahoma.
“The Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library is very excited to learn we are going to be a recipient of the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program,” said Sandra Thomas, library director. “This grant will allow us to preserve our Oklahoma history by honoring two champions of higher education, John Massey and Glen D. Johnson, and to pay tribute to their contributions to the history of SOSU. We are also thankful to our state legislature for providing the appropriated funds that support this very worthy program.”
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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