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Press Release

April 8, 2015

Contact: Steve Hawkins
Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0754
shawkins@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/historycenter

Oklahoma History Center to Host One-Act Play "Aldo Leopold–A Standard of Change"

Oklahoma City, Okla.—The Oklahoma History Center announced today that it will host a performance of "Aldo Leopold–A Standard of Change," a one-act play written by and starring Jim Pfitzer and directed by Trish Wileman. This thought-provoking play will be performed at the Oklahoma History Center in the Chesapeake Events Center on Monday, April 20, and will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited and a first come, first seated policy will be observed. The Chesapeake Events Center doors will be closed when maximum capacity is reached.

Aldo Leopold was a conservationist, forester, philosopher, educator, writer and outdoor enthusiast. As a U.S. forester, he was instrumental in the creation of our first federally designated wilderness in the Gila National Forest. In 1935 he and his family initiated an ecological restoration experiment on a worn-out farm along the Wisconsin River outside of Baraboo, Wis., where they planted thousands of pine trees and restored prairies. It is in this setting, in the famous Wisconsin shack that inspired much of his writing, that "A Standard of Change"takes place. Jim Pfitzer as Leopold explores the influences and challenges that led to the penning of Leopold's widely popular book, "A Sand County Almanac." In the almanac, Leopold said, "We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

Funding for this program is provided in part by a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council (OHC) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of OHC or NEH. Additional donors to this program are the Jerome Westheimer Family Foundation, the Oklahoma Wildlife Management Foundation, the Oklahoma Leopold Education Project, the Mary K. Oxley Nature Center Association, the Department of Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University (OSU), the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at OSU, the Tulsa Audubon Society, Dave Zucconi, the Walters Family and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.

The Oklahoma Humanities Council (OHC) is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote meaningful public engagement with the humanities—disciplines such as history, literature, film studies, ethics and philosophy. The humanities offer a deeper understanding of ourselves and others by confronting us with the questions, values and meanings of the human experience. As the state partner for the National Endowment for the Humanities, OHC brings people together to explore these ideas through programming and community grants that support book groups, exhibits, film festivals, teacher institutes and more. OHC engages people in their own communities, providing forums for education, critical thinking, and productive civil discourse.

The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. 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 31 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, please visit



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