Oklahoma State University System
Oklahoma State University Library Digital CollectionsNot a member yet
11566 research outputs found
Sort by
Oral history interview with Bryan Padgett
No full textBryan Padgett, a 2002 graduate in Speech Communications from Oklahoma State University (OSU), shares his experience growing up outside of Waco, Texas as well as his faith background and how he felt called to be a pastor at a young age. He explains why he decided to attend OSU and what the campus and Stillwater were like at the time. He describes his involvement in various traveling ministries after college and how he ended up coming back to Stillwater in 2015 to plant Redeemer Church. Padgett discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the church and the struggle to rely on other church leaders for reliable information related to public health. He describes the safety measures his church implemented and the ways his congregation supported the Stillwater community throughout the pandemic. Padgett expresses his frustration with the many ways churches across the country used their theology and platforms to justify political positions that put vulnerable members at risk.The COVID-19 in Oklahoma Collection is a series of interviews which document how Oklahomans were affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This project was made possible with support from the Institute for Museums and Library Services American Rescue Plan Grant
Oral history interview with Glenna Wallace
No full textGlenna Wallace, Chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, discusses her background and experiences as the first female chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. Wallace discusses some of the difficulties overcoming people's thoughts about a woman becoming chief when she was first elected in 2006 as well as the challenges of being in leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Wallace talks about some of the differing opinions and decisions she had to navigate and the ways the pandemic affected communities and families as a whole. She also describes the lessons learned of how the tribe can better support its members and employees.The COVID-19 in Oklahoma Collection is a series of interviews which document how Oklahomans were affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This project was made possible with support from the Institute for Museums and Library Services American Rescue Plan Grant
Oral history interview with Donnetta Norris
No full textDonnetta Norris is a 2nd grade teacher who lives in Mansfield, Texas, while teaching in a Title I school in Arlington, Texas. Being part of a military family gave her the opportunity to teach in Georgia and Hawaii. Although there was chaos at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mrs. Norris shares that communication among administration and teachers was very effective during the pandemic. In April, poetry started to come easily when she could express all her feelings and emotions from that time in the monthly open write. Some of her feelings were expressed in the uncertainty of how the families and students were dealing with the pandemic, regarding nutrition and financial stability. Mrs. Norris explains how she prioritized keeping the sense of belonging to the classroom by meeting once a week to talk about anything. Students her students' well being and mental health by giving them a space to express thoughts and share their experiences. Overall, Mrs. Norris emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between face-to-face and virtual learning. She looks forward to using both methods in her classroom and hopes education does not only focus on one of them.The COVID-19 Teacher-Poets Writing to Bridge the Distance collection is a series of interviews documenting the teachers' poetry and writing experiences during the 2020 COVID-19 school closings and the topics and insights that emerged
Oral history interview with Angie Braaten
No full textAngie Braaten is from Dallas, Texas and taught high school English in Louisiana for five years. She decided she wanted to teach internationally and ended up moving to Dhaka, Bangladesh. Ms. Braaten is currently teaching middle school English at International School Dhaka. She shares how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced her teaching in several ways and the decisions she made to avoid overwhelming her students during such hard times. She has incorporated more poetry in her classroom and has had a great response from her students. Ms. Braaten defines the transition from face-to-face to remote learning as fairly successful. However, she shares her perspective on how she believes physical and emotional aspects will be affected in the long-term due to isolation and screen time. All in all, Ms. Braaten's passion for teaching keeps her inspired to do her best for her students.The COVID-19 Teacher-Poets Writing to Bridge the Distance collection is a series of interviews documenting the teachers' poetry and writing experiences during the 2020 COVID-19 school closings and the topics and insights that emerged
Oral history interview with Bill Wilson
No full textBill Wilson, born in 1946, explains how he became interested in land surveying and in conservation of natural resources. He discusses his involvement with the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts and the National Association of Conservation Districts. He talks about various issues within conservation such as abandoned mine land, flood control, and the Farm Bill. He recalls attending Congressional meetings in Washington, DC, and shares some of the early history of his family and of Oklahoma.The Oklahoma Conservation Heritage Collection is a series of interviews with people involved with conserving and preserving the natural resources of the state. This interview was conducted in partnership and sponsorship with the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society with funding provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. More archival material from this history can be found at the Oklahoma Historical Society
Oral history interview with Tom Lucas
No full textTom Lucas, a 1968 graduate of Oklahoma State University (OSU), discusses the various positions he has had in his career leading up to and including his time with the USDA. He talks about his time at OSU, his father's angora goat herd, water supply issues during droughts and due to cedars growing on riverbanks, and his work with different oil and gas drilling entities. He shares some of the High Plains RC&D (Resource Conservation & Development) projects he helped lead in Woodward County and Harper County. Lucas also explains his role in helping to establish the Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association and the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society.The Oklahoma Conservation Heritage Collection is a series of interviews with people involved with conserving and preserving the natural resources of the state. This interview was conducted in partnership and sponsorship with the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society with funding provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. More archival material from this history can be found at the Oklahoma Historical Society
Oral history interview with Paul Juhasz
No full textPaul Juhasz, a writer and occasional gig worker, talks about growing up in a dysfunctional family in the northeast and how he learned to turn his experiences into stories for a public audience. He outlines his career path from English professor to Amazon warehouse packer to writer and his decision to pursue a Red Earth MFA at Oklahoma City University. Juhasz discusses his memoir, "Fulfillment: Diary of a Warehouse Picker," and describes the writing community in Oklahoma. He also talks about his interest in prose poetry, other projects he's working on, and reflects on what he's learned about himself as a writer over the years.The Deep Roots: Oklahoma Authors Collection is a series of interviews with authors who discuss their lives, work, and creative processes
Oral history interview with Eyakem Gulilat
No full textEyakem Gulilat discusses his experiences with art starting from his childhood in Ethiopia and Kenya, through college at Abilene Christian and the University of Oklahoma, and eventually to his current position as cultural development coordinator and director of folk and traditional arts with the Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC). He recalls early memories of art in Ethiopia watching tribal dances on television. However, Gulilat notes that he never developed a true interest in art until later on in college after taking an elective art course for an engineering degree. He talks about coming to the United States as a teenager and studying photography and earning an MFA at the University of Oklahoma as well as his current pursuit of a PhD in city planning. He describes how his research interests led him to his current position with the Oklahoma Arts Council. Gulilat discusses his role as director and the ways that the OAC supports women immigrant artists and the culture of art in Oklahoma overall. He shares some of the projects that the Oklahoma Arts Council oversees including festivals and grants and describes some of the challenges they have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic such as securing funding and difficulties establishing new relationships.The purpose of the Immigrant Women Artists Oral History Project is to examine the occupational folklife of first-generation immigrant women artists living in Oklahoma and the networks of support that allow them to pursue their vocations in a new environment. This series of interviews examines not only the cultural and occupational traditions that these artists nurture in straddling multiple cultural identities, but also the translation of an artist's occupational life between multiple cultural and physical spaces. This project is supported by the Archie Green Fellowship of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress
Oral history interview with Sarah Ahmad
No full textSarah Ahmad shares her life experience and career in art. Sarah Ahmad describes her childhood and the limited but fruitful experiences with art in private school until she was able to attend the National College of Art in Lahore. At the National College of Art she explains how free she felt and how diverse and socially active the campus was. Ahmad discusses moving to Memphis, Tennessee with her husband where she enrolled in the MFA program at the Memphis College of Art. While in Tennessee she also taught children in public school before receiving her MFA and moving to Tulsa for the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. Ahmad describes the ways she uses her art to educate and bring awareness to cultural differences and highlights some of the projects she has had the pleasure of exhibiting around the world, as well as her more recent projects including the Greenwood Art Project on the Tulsa Race Massacre.The purpose of the Immigrant Women Artists Oral History Project is to examine the occupational folklife of first-generation immigrant women artists living in Oklahoma and the networks of support that allow them to pursue their vocations in a new environment. This series of interviews examines not only the cultural and occupational traditions that these artists nurture in straddling multiple cultural identities, but also the translation of an artist's occupational life between multiple cultural and physical spaces. This project is supported by the Archie Green Fellowship of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress
Oral history interview with Mitsuno Reedy
No full textMitsuno Reedy, a Japanese portrait artist who specializes in pastel alla prima work, discusses her early life growing up in Osaka with a knack for art and living with her widowed mother after World War II. Reedy recalls Japan as unfriendly against children of single mothers, eventually leaving after marrying an American medical student in Kansas City. She later moved to Lubbock, Texas where she began taking classes at Lubbock Arts School while finding success painting portraits in the mall. After moving to Norman, Reedy describes establishing her own studio and moving into bigger commission work for subjects such as Luciano Pavarotti and Ada Fisher. She also talks about her time in Philadelphia studying art and her activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.The purpose of the Immigrant Women Artists Oral History Project is to examine the occupational folklife of first-generation immigrant women artists living in Oklahoma and the networks of support that allow them to pursue their vocations in a new environment. This series of interviews examines not only the cultural and occupational traditions that these artists nurture in straddling multiple cultural identities, but also the translation of an artist's occupational life between multiple cultural and physical spaces. This project is supported by the Archie Green Fellowship of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress