Circle in the Water. Four individuals will be inducted into the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame during the Annual Awards Luncheon of the Oklahoma Historical Society April 20. The luncheon will be held in Miami, Okla., in the Bruce Carter Student Center on the campus of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.
The honorees will be David Dary, Norman, Okla.; Dr. Kenny A. Franks, Cleveland, Okla.; Dr. Richard Lowitt, Concord, Mass., and Dr. Rennard Strickland, Norman, Okla.
The luncheon is open to the general public. Reservations at $17.00 per person are required to attend the luncheon and may be obtained by calling Shelly Crynes at 405-522-0317 or Paul Lambert at 405-522-5217.
Dary had a distinguished career in broadcast journalism with CBS and NBC. He also taught journalism at Kansas University before becoming head of the journalism program at the University of Oklahoma in 1989. He retired in 2000 but continued the writing career he had started decades earlier. To date he has authored 21 books on the history of the American West including a number of titles on Oklahoma subjects.
Franks, a native of Okemah who earned his Ph.D. degree in History at Oklahoma State University, is the author or co-author of 26 books on Oklahoma and Petroleum related subjects. He also served as Editor of The Chronicles of Oklahoma and Director of Publications at the Oklahoma Historical Society, and as Director of Education and Publications at the Oklahoma Heritage Association.
A native of New York City, Lowitt earned his Ph.D. in History at Columbia University and had a distinguished career as a professor and historian at Florida State University, University of Kentucky, and Iowa State University before joining the faculty at the University of Oklahoma in 1987. He has written many books on agriculture and the American West, including a number of books on Oklahoma subjects.
Strickland, a Senior Scholar in Residence in the University of Oklahoma School of Law, is internationally renowned as a pioneer who introduced American Indian Law into university curricula. He also is known as a scholar and author, co-author and editor of numerous books dealing with Osage and Cherokee History. A sought-after public speaker, he had received numerous prestigious awards for his scholarship and professional service.
Funds Still Available. Funds are still available through the Energy Crisis Assistance Program (ECAP) to help low-income Oklahomans who may be in danger of having their services terminated. ECAP is part of the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS).
"We have not seen as many Oklahomans applying for ECAP this year," said Kathie Wright, OKDHS' LIHEAP Programs Manager. "I'm not sure if it's because of the relatively mild winter, but we still have funds available for those who may be in danger of having their utilities terminated."
Federal funding for the current crisis program in Oklahoma is approximately $6 million, and applications will be accepted until all allocated funding is spent.
Low-income households receiving public assistance and those not receiving public assistance may be eligible for home heating assistance. It is important that persons requesting LIHEAP assistance provide their household's income information and verification of service termination or that service will be terminated within 72 hours as well as verification of income, social security numbers for all household members and citizenship verification.
Applications will be accepted at OKDHS local Human Service Centers. Visit okdhs.org for more info.
Help for Military Families. Volunteers from across the state are forming Regional Resource Teams to help military families. These teams will provide resources and community connections to assist veterans, service members and their families access services within their region, as well as create new initiatives and partnerships.
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The Oklahoma National Guard, Army OneSource, and the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) are recruiting individuals from the community and in particular from faith congregations who have a passion and interest in assisting these individuals and their families.
"Out of the nine states with soldiers returning from this deployment, more than 3,300 are returning to Oklahoma," said Robin Jones, Director of the OFBCI. "That's nearly as many returning to Oklahoma as the other eight states combined. Our citizens have the privilege and responsibility to help honor and serve these returning soldiers and their families. These Regional Resource Teams offer a great opportunity to help in a community setting," Jones added.
For more information or to volunteer for a regional team provide your name, email, background, city and county to paula.mcbride@serco-na.com or wendy.nix@us.army.mil.