Oklahoma Academy Recognizes Julie Knutson

At the 2007 Oklahoma Academy Centennial Salute in Tulsa August 24, 2007, the Academy Key Contributor Award was presented to Oklahoma Academy President and CEO Julie Knutson to commemorate her 20 years of service to the organization. Governors Walters and Keating joined the presentation and praised her role in the Oklahoma public policy arena. Governor Brad Henry declared, August 24, 2007 to be Julie Knutson day.

Wilma Mankiller Honored by Tulsa Press Club

Read the Tulsa World article by clicking story here.

Karolyn Phillips to Speak in Shawnee on Sept 24

Guthrie pianist, songwriter and inspirational speaker Karolyn Phillips will speak next Tuesday, September 24, at 6:30 pm to women attending Sisters at Heart at Wesley United Methodist, 302 E. Independence. All women are invited to come for supper and a motivating evening program. There is no charge. Read more in The Tecumseh Countwide News by clicking here.

Emily Stratton and the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma's public schools. The keynote speaker at their spring awards banquet was Ruth Simmons, President of Brown University and the first African American and first woman to serve as president of an Ivy League school. According to their newsletter, High Marks, she was "the youngest of 12 children - from a sharecropper's shack in east Texas." The foundation is run by Executive Director Emily Stratton and her wonderful (all female) staff.

Willa Johnson Sworn In As Okla County Commissioner

Congratulations, Willa! Read the Oklahoman article here.

Billboard Names Oklahoma's Reba McEntire Woman of the Year

Billboard Magazine has selected Reba McEntire to receive its first "Woman of the Year" award. Read the article here. Early in October, Billboard will publish their second annual Women in Music issue.

Dr. Kathleen McKean and Oklahoma Technical Assistance Center

The Cushing Daily Citizen has an article on OSU graduate Dr. Kathleen McKean and the Oklahoma Technical Assistance Center. Read Ben James' article here.

Betty Price Profiled

The Oklahoman has an article profiling Oklahoman Betty Price. She is stepping down as Executive Director of the the Oklahoma Arts Council after 33 years of service.

Carolyn Hart - 39th Book is Death Walked In

Oklahoma's famed mystery author Carolyn Hart is working on her 39th book - Death Walked In. Chris Jones has a nice article on Hart in The Oklahoman today; read it here. Hart is one of only 10 mystery writers invited to attend the 2007 National Book Festival on Sept. 29 in Washington, D.C. Her latest mystery novel will be released in 2008.

Rilla Askew's Book "Fire In Beulah" Featured

Oklahoman Rilla Askew is the 2007 featured author for the Oklahoma Reads program. Participants in the program across Oklahoma are reading her novel “Fire in Beulah.” (Click here for the reading guide.) As part of the Oklahoma reads program, Askew will be appearing at Ada libraries next week; for more about her visit, click here.

Willa Johnson Elected County Commissioner

A belated "Congratulations" to Willa Johnson, elected Tuesday to replace Jim Roth as Oklahoma County Commissioner, District 1. She knows Oklahoma City from her many years of service on the Oklahoma City Council and will do a fine job. Willa is not the first African American woman elected to the position of county commissioner in Oklahoma. Bernice Mitchell (Payne County) and Shirley Darrell (Oklahoma County) come to mind. Am I missing any others?

Mike McCarville has a nice analysis on the election here.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori at Oklahoma City University Sept 15

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori -- the first female presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church USA and the first woman elected primate in the worldwide Anglican Communion -- will preside over the consecration of the new bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma, Edward J. Konieczny, on Saturday at Oklahoma City University. Read the full Oklahoman article here.

Oklahoma Singer Kellie Coffey

The Oklahoman today has a story on singer Kellie Coffey who is a Moore native and Westmoore graduate. You can read the Oklahoman article here. She has written and recorded a beautiful and moving song about her difficulty conceiving a child. You can see her perform that song, "I'd Die For That" on YouTube by clicking here.

Sally Frasier Named Democratic Woman of the Year

Tulsa leader Sally Frasier was honored August 26 by Tulsa Democrats as 2007 Woman of the Year. In addition to her many years of service for the Democratic Party in Oklahoma and nationally, Frasier has advocated for literacy in her role on the Tulsa City-County Library Commission and for women in her role on the board of Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma and also in her role on the Oklahoma Status for Women Commission.

Life of Wanda Jackson Subject of New Film

Oklahoma's Wanda Jackson, known as the "Grand Lady of Rock and Roll" and the "Queen of Rockabilly," is now the subject of a movie. Read about it here.

Stephens County Sheriff Jimmie Bruner Honored

Jimmie Bruner was the first woman elected sheriff in Stephens County history in November of 2000. She is also the first woman sheriff in Oklahoma re-elected to a second term. And last month, she became the first woman to be named Sheriff of the Year by the Oklahoma Sheriff's Association. Read the Dancan Banner article here.

Oklahoman Kristine Brown Turns 110

Kristine Brown, a retired Northwestern Oklahoma State University mathematics instructor, celebrated her 110th birthday today. She is believed to be Oklahoma’s oldest living resident. Read about her here.

The Women's Archives Collection at OSU

The Women's Archives is part of Oklahoma State University's Special Collections and University Archive (SCUA). It was founded in 1995 and contains material documenting women's lives in Oklahoma.The material can be sorted by family, individual or organization. Some of the individuals include Hannah Atkins, Shirley Bellmon, Jessie Thatcher Bost, Angie Debo, and Wilma Pearl Mankiller. Organizations include AAUW, Lahoma Club, National Organization for Women, and the YWCA.

Tahlequah Paper Praises Deana Franke

Deana Franke, Executive Director of Help-In-Crisis, has been addressing domestic violence and sexual assaul since 1980 in the Tahlequah area. The local paper has a nice editorial praising her.

Franke is a finalist in Mannington Mills' "Stand On a Better World" awards competition. Read the editorial here.

Lindsay Glass Crowned Miss Cherokee

Lindsay Glass of Kansas, Oklahoma was won the 2007 Miss Cherokee Leadership competition. She is a student at Bacone College. Click here to read more. And also here.

April Madden Designs Costumes in Tulsa

The Tulsa World has a story about Tulsa native April Madden who is putting her the Dallas School of Design training to work creating costumes for theater productions. Click here to read more.

OU Women's Studies Program Celebrates 30 Years

The Women's Studies program at the University of Oklahoma is celebrating 30 years of service. It is the only degree-granting undergraduate program in Women's Studies in the state of Oklahoma. Read more by clicking here.

Sept 16 is National Women's Friendship Day

National Women's Friendship Day is celebrated annually on the third Sunday in September. It was created in 1999 by Kappa Delta Sorority to encourage women everywhere to celebrate their special women friends. The celebration is additionally honored by the governors of several states who were among the first to make Governor's Proclamations endorsing National Women's Friendship Day. (Click on the image of Gov Brad Henry's 2006 proclamation to view an enlarged version.) Click here to read more. Then start planning to do something special on September 16, 2007 for the girlfriends in your life!

Mary Gilmore Caffrey Honored

Mary Gilmore Caffrey has been Executive Director of The Tree Bank Foundation since it was founded 20 years ago. She recently received the 2007 Urban Forestry Award for Partnership from the USDA Forest Service. They say she's "the mother of urban forestry in central Oklahoma."

Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins

The Oklahoman has anice article on Lt Gov Jari Askins in todays paper. Click here to read.

Native Tulsan Mary Kay Place in HBO Series

Native Tulsan and OU graduate Mary Kay Place will be part of an ensemble cast for HBO's forthcoming comedy series 12 Miles of Bad Road. Starring Lily Tomlin and written by "Designing Women" creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the series is built around a Dallas real estate agent and the other strong women in a prominent Dallas family. More about Price...

Journal Record's 2007 "Woman of the Year" Finalists

Each year, The Journal Record honors 50 "women making a difference" from all across Oklahoma. At the Woman of the Year banquet, one of those 50 women is honored as Woman of the Year. Click here to view a list of The Journal Record's 2007 women honorees.

"To My Sisters . . ."

You've probably received this inspiring essay about women supporting women a time or two but it is still worth another look. Click here to view the piece.

Enid Public School Board Member Willa Jo Fowler Honored

Willa Jo Fowler received the 2007 Distinguished Service award from the Oklahoma State School Board Association last week. Fowler has 35 years of experience in education and has served on the Enid Public School Board 32 years. Click here to read more.

Top 500 Women-Owned Business List Includes 4 Oklahoma Firms

Four Oklahoma firms made the "Top 500 Women-Owned Business" list maintained by DiversityBusiness.com. Three are in Tulsa: Walden Energy (ranked 14th), Tamara Walden - Principal (annual sales = $180 million); Tiger Natural Gas (ranked 17th), Lori Nalley - Principal (annual sales $148.7), and Smithco Engineering (ranked 84th), Judith Smith - principal (annual sales $36 million). The fourth firm is based in McAlester: Bonus of America Inc. (ranked 140th), Arleen Cavanaugh - Principal. View details here.