Pam Richardson, Amy Santee Discuss Incarceration of Women

Pam Richardson (left), CEO of Resonance Center for Women in Tulsa and Amty Santee (right) with the George Kaiser Family Foundation talked about efforts under way to reduct the incarceration rate of women in Oklahoma. We currently rank #1 in the United States (and #3 for men) per capita.

Panel Shares Personal Experiences, Insights

Billed on the program as "Surviving and Thriving!" we heard a panel of women who are thriving after experiencing hardships associated with teen pregnancy, domestic violence. drug addiction, and incarceration." This session was riveting and inspiring as these three brave women shared their personal stories of trials and victories. It was really inspiring and also very enlightening about the excellent state programs that helped these women and the lack of other programs that could have been so useful.

Dr. Terry Cline Speaks at Oklahoma Women's Coalition 2011 Advocacy Day

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Terry Cline, PhD, Oklahoma Commissioner of Health, spoke to participants at the Oklahoma Women's Coalition "Advocate 2011: Women and Girls Day in Oklahoma" about health in Oklahoma and the "Shape Your Future" initiative.

Oklahoma Women's Coalition "Leading Ladies Reception"

The Oklahoma Women's Coalition reception honoring women in elective office was wonderful this evening. Great turnout. Governor Mary Fallin spoke and read a proclamation declaring it Women and Girls Day in Oklahoma. Corporation Commission Chair Dana Murphy told how she was involved in founding the organization and her hopes for improving the lives of women and girls in Oklahoma. Publisher and CEO of The Journal Record Mary Melon introduced the elected women (see top image above; click on images to enlarge).

Mary Melon introducing elected women of Oklahoma

Posted via email from Jean's Posterous Blog

The Journal Record Publisher and CEO Mary Melon (above) did a wonderful job introducing all the women present at the inaugural Leading Ladies Reception who serve in elective office. I believe she or Governor Mary Fallin said the Oklahoma Women's Coalition had identified over 1,500 women in elective office across Oklahoma today.

Dana Murphy speaking at Leading Ladies Reception April 11

Posted via email from Jean's Posterous Blog

The Honorable Dana Murphy, Chair of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, spoke at the Leading Ladies  Reception in Oklahoma April 11. She noted that she was one of the original founders of the Oklahoma Women's Coalition and very proud of the work that organization is undertaking to improve conditions for Oklahoma women and girls. She congratulated all the women present who, like her, currently serve in elective office  and the thousand more not present at this inaugural event.

Phyllis Hudecki to Be Oklahoma's Education Secretary

Congratulations to Phyllis Hudecki who Governor Mary Fallin has named to be her Secretary of Education. Hudecki is Executive Director of the Oklahoma Business & Education Coalition (OBEC). You can read about Hudecki and her appointment by clicking here.

Tulsa's Kathy Taylor inducted into OK Women'S Hall of Fame

Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame ceremony

Posted via email from Jean's Posterous Blog

Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame ceremony

Oklahoma Task Force To Study Children of Incarcerated Parents

House Bill 1197 -- which creates the Children of Incarcerated Parents Task Force -- passed both chambers of the Oklahoma legislature and has been signed by the Governor. Authored by Rep. Jeannie McDaniel and Sen. Patrick Anderson, the law creates a 21-member task force to look at needs of children of incarcerated parents. There will be subcommittees on safety issues; data on the number of children with a parent in prison; outreach; education; economic supports; and research. The task force will also be a clearinghouse for resources and will review existing legislation that affects children of incarcerated parents. A final report is due  Jan. 1, 2012 including goals, desired outcomes and recommendations.

Want to learn about other Oklahoma bills impacting children? Check out the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy's website at http://www.oica.org/legislative-news.

OCU Innocence Project, Tiffany Murphy and Betty Anne Waters April 10

Tiffany Murphy has been named director of the Oklahoma Innocence Clinic to be run by Oklahoma City University's School of Law. Murphy comes to us from Kansas City. You can read more about her and this exciting social justice project by clicking here.

Speaking of wrongful prosecution, you can hear Betty Anne Waters at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 10, at the Homsey Family Moot Courtroom. OCU LAW Dean Lawrence K. Hellman will interview Waters at the forum, which is free and open to the public. Her 18 year successful battle to prove her brother innocent is the basis for the 2010 motion picture, Conviction, in which Oscar winner Hilary Swank portrayed Betty Anne. Read more here.

Okie Women Named "Treasures for Tomorrow"

On April 14, six Oklahomans will be celebrated as "Treasurers for Tomorrow." They are Sue Ann Hyde (below) and her husband Dudley, Becky Switzer (center) and her husband Barry, Jeanne Hoffman Smith (left) and Chickasaw Governor Bill Anoatubby. Proceeds from the event benefit the Oklahoma Health Center campus. The event is organized by thwe Oklahoma Health Center Foundation in Oklahoma City. Read about all of these extraordinary Oklahomans by CLICKING HERE.

Reba McIntyre, Jean Shepard Inducted into Country Music Hall oFame

The Country Music Hall of Fame held a ceremony recently to announce this year's class of inductees. Included were two Oklahoma women: Reba McIntyre and Jean Shepard. Reba McIntyre was born outside Kiowa, Oklahoma. Her career has spanned music, theater, movies and television. At 77, Shepard, is known as "The Grand lady of the Grand Ole Opry." A native of Pauls Valley, Shepard was a pioneer in country music. A third Oklahoman will also be honored this year, Bobby Braddock, who wrote some of Tammy Wynette's classic songs. Click here to READ MORE.

Oklahoma's Women Supreme Court Judges

Did you know that women in Oklahoma were not allowed to serve on juries in Oklahoma until 1951? Only three women have ever been appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court - Alma Wilson, Yvonne Kauger and, most recently, Noma Gurich.

Majick RavenHawk Named "Women in Business Champion of the Year"

The Oklahoma District office of the US Small Business Administration has named Majick RavenHawk their 2011 "Women in Business Champion of the Year." She has had a talk radio show since 2009 on Contact Talk Radio. She has a PhD in religious studies and metaphysics. Check out her show schedule and more at her RavenHawk Talk Radio website. She and other honorees will be recognized at the Oklahoma SBA annual luncheon April 21 at the Oklahoma History Center. For details, click here. Congratulations, Majick!

Lisa Thiessen Named 2011 "Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year"

Congratulations to Lisa Thiessen, business development specialist for Southwestern Oklahoma State University's Small Business Development Center in Weatherford. She has been named the SBA "Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year."  She will be honored at the US Small Business Administration's annual banquet on April 21 at the Oklahoma History Center.  Read more here.

Oklahoma City Day Shelter Serves Homeless Women and Children

If you know of a woman who is homeless in Central Oklahoma, send her to  the Sanctuary Women's Development Center in Oklahoma City. Opened in 2009, it is the first of its kind serving homeless or at-risk women. Last year, they served close to 500 women and children. Located at 2133 SW 11th Street, it is a project of Catholic Charities. Call 526-2321. It is open weekdays from 8:30am to 3:30pm. Donations and volunteers are always needed. You can follow them on Facebook. Read more about the service at this Oklahoman article.

Kelsy Eakin is SBA's Oklahoma Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Dottie Overall, The U.S. Small Business Administration Oklahoma District Diretor announced recently that Kelsy Eakin "Oklahoma Young Entrepreneur of the Year."  Eakin is president of Keltec in Tulsa. You can view her company's website here and the article about her company's start. Congratulations, Kelsy!  She will be recognized during the SBA's annual small business luncheon April 21 at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. The luncheon is set to start at 11:30 a.m.

OSU Celebrates Women's History with Oral Histories

Check out the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program (OOHRP) at the Oklahoma State University Library. Explore the following websites:

Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame Oral History Project
http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/owhof/

Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project
http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/wotol/

Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry: Oklahoma Women and the Dust Bowl
http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/dustbowl/

Want to learn more? Call OOHRP at 405-744-7685, email liboh@okstate.edu, or visit http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/.

Vanessa Shadix Honored by National Builders Council

The National Association of Home Builders' Professional Women in Building Council has named Vanessa Shadix Woman of the Year for her exceptional leadership. Shadix is a member of the Oklahoma Land Title Association and the Oklahoma Mortgage Bankers Association. Congrats, Vanessa!

Celebrating Perle Mesta

Perle Fried Skirvin Mesta (1890 -1975) - Socialite, hostess, diplomat. Born Sturgis, MO. Combined politics with entertaining. Appointed by President Harry Truman as minister to Luxembourg (1949-1953). Named Oklahoma's "Ambassador to the World" at the 1965 World's Fair. An ardent feminist, Mesta was a member of the National Women's Party and helped start the World Women's Party. In 1944, she was partially responsible for getting an Equal Rights Amendment plank in the Democratic Party platform. Her remarkable entertaining skills were parodied by Irving Berlin in his play "Call Me Madame" thus earning her the title "the Hostess with the Mostess." With Robert Cahn, she published her biography Perle: My Story in 1960; you can read this book online by clicking here. Mesta returned to Oklahoma in 1973 and was posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1997. The Oklahoman ran a lovely article about Mesta in May of 2006 which you can read here.

Eight Women to be Inducted into Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame

The Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women will honor the eight newest inductees into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame ceremonies on April 7, 2011.

The inductees are Dr. Laura Boyd (Norman); Chloe L. Brown (Tulsa); Joy D. Culbreath (Durant); Marcia J. Mitchell (Tulsa); Ardina R. Moore (Miami); Dr. Cynthia S. Ross (Lawton); Kathryn L. Taylor (Tulsa); and Helen Harrod Thompson (Ardmore). You can view the class of 2011 inductee biographies by clicking here. The official press release is located here. Here are the details of the event:

2011 Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame

Thursday, April 7, 2011
3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Oklahoma History Center
800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105

Ceremony will take place in the Chesapeake Event center, followed by a celebratory reception in the Devon Great Hall.

Mayor Patrice Douglas and Norma Nobles Honored

Congratulations to Edmond Mayor Patrice Douglas and Oklahoma State Deputy Secretary of Commerce Norma Noble on receiving the 2011 Kate Barnard Award. Given by the Oklahoma Commission of the Status of Women, the award was created in 1998 to honor the ranks of women that have made a difference in Oklahoma by becoming public servants. Nominees are from the ranks of elected or appointed salaried public officials in Oklahoma. You can read more about the award and the honorees at http://www.ok.gov/ocsw/The_Kate_Barnard_Award/

Shannon Miller Promotes Early Detection

"Make your health a priority," says Oklahoma's Olympic Gold Medalist Shannon Miller who  - due to a  "germ cell malignancy" - recently had one ovary removed. The most decorated gymnast in US history, an attorney and a busy motivational speaker, Miller focuses on health and fitness for women. Check out her website - Shannon Miller Lifestyle and read an excellent Sports Illustrated article about Shannon entitled "Shannon Miller views own cancer as opportunity to help others." Remember ladies, don't skip that gynocological check up.

Angie Debo Remembered

Remembering remarkable Oklahoma women during National Women's History Month:

Angie Debo (1890-1988) - Raised in Marshall, Oklahoma. Teacher, researcher, scholar. Leading author/scholar on Indian history. Published nine books including And Still The Waters Run: The Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribes. The University of Oklahoma Press, fearing it was too controversial, refused to honor their publishing contract. It was later published by Princeton University Press. Shirley Leckie wrote her biography, Angie Debo: Pioneering Historian (Oklahoma Western Biographies, Vol 18). PBS did a remarkable documentary on Debo entitled Indians, Outlaws, and Angie Debo, that was broadcast in 1988. (Here is how American Experience summarized the show and the woman:

"As a child in 1899, Angie Debo was taken to Oklahoma in a covered wagon. She would become her state's most controversial historian -- her career threatened when she uncovered a cache of documents which proved a widespread conspiracy to cheat Native Americans out of oil-rich lands."

Debo's papers are housed at Oklahoma State Library. Her portrait hangs in the Oklahoma State Capitol. And there is a statue of her in front of the Stillwater Public Library.

If you want to leave a lasting impression, writer. The following list of Debo's writings comes from the Center for Great Plains Studies at University of Nebraska-Lincoln website:

Works by Angie Debo
(For additional information: www.library.okstate.edu/scua/debo.htm)
Dissertation
"History of the Choctaw Nation from the End of the Civil War to the Close of the Tribal Period." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Oklahoma, 1933.
Books
(With J. Fred Rippy) The Historical Background of the American Policy of Isolation. Northhampton, Mass.: Smith College Studies in History, 1924.
The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1934, 2nd edition, 1961.
And Still the Waters Run. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1940; reprint, Gordian Press, 1966; reprint, Princeton University Press, 1972; reprint, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1984.
The Road to Disappearance: A History of the Creek Indians. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1941; reprint 1979.
Tulsa: From Creek Town to Oil Capital. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1943.
Prairie City: The Story of an American Community. New York: Knopf, 1944; reprint, Norman: University Press of Oklahoma, 1998.
Oklahoma: Foot-Loose and Fancy-Free. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1949; reprint 1987.
The Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma: A Report on Social and Economic Conditions. Philadelphia: Indian Rights Association, 1951.
A History of the Indians of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970.
Geronimo: The Man, His Time, His Place. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1976.
Edited Books
Oklahoma: A Guide to the Sooner State, edited by Angie Debo and John M. Oskison, compiled by Writers' Program, Work Projects Administration, State of Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, 1941, 2nd edition, 1945, reprint, 1947; reprint, Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1986.
The Cowman's Southwest: Being the Reminiscences of Oliver Nelson, Freighter, Camp Cook, Cowboy, Frontiersman in Kansas, Indian Territory, Texas, and Oklahoma, 1878-1893, by Oliver Nelson. Edited by Angie Debo. The Western Frontiersman Series, 4. Glendale, Calif.: A.H. Clark Co., 1953; reprint, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1986.
History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indians, by Horatio B. Cushman. Edited with a foreword by Angie Debo. Redlands Press, 1962, reprint, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999.
With Five Reservations, by Dell O'Hara, edited by Angie Debo and Harold H. Leake. Creekside Publications, 1986.
Chapters in Monographs
"Apaches as Southeastern Indians." In Indians of the Lower South: Past and Present, edited by John K. Mahon. Gulf Coast History and Humanities Conference, 1975.
"Edward Everett Dale: The Teacher." In Frontier Historian: The Life and Work of Edward Everett Dale, edited by Arrell M. Gibson. University of Oklahoma Press, 1975.
"Major Indian Record Collections in Oklahoma." In Indian-White Relations: A Persistent Paradox, edited by Jane F. Smith and Robert M. Kvasnicka. Howard University Press, 1976.

March is Women's History Month

Happy Women's History Month. 

Check out http://womenshistorymonth.gov/  for LOTS of great history. 


There is information posted there from the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 


Image is from the Alice Paul Institute

Patrice Douglas Receiving 2011 Kate Barnard Award Today

Today is Kate Barnard Luncheon at Capitol Blue Room.

Edmond Mayor Patrice Douglas is being honored for her "elected service" as an Outstanding Oklahoma Woman.

The event is hosted by the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. You can read more about Mayor Douglas and the Commission's event by clicking here.

Congrats, Mayor Douglas!

Nancy Day Named Tulsa Press Club 2011 Headliner

Club President Ashley Parrish has announced that Nancy Day, executive director of the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, is one of the Tulsa Press Club's 2011 Headliners. Read more here.

Cheryl Evans Named First Female President of an Oklahoma Two-Year College

Cheryl Evans has been named president of Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, Oklahoma. She is the first woman to serve as president of a two-year college in Oklahoma. The announcement was made Thursday. She will oversee NOC campuses in Tonkawa, Enid and Stillwater. You can read more about Cheryl here.

Cheryl is a member of the Okahoma Women's Coalition board and serves as  vice chair of the Coalition's Education Committee.  She will be a fabulous college president.