Press Release
May 20, 2015
Contact: Melvena Heisch
State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-4484
mheisch@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/shpo
Muskogee School to Receive SHPO 2015 Citation of Merit
Oklahoma City, Okla.—The Oklahoma Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office will present its 2015 Citations of Merit during a banquet on Thursday, June 4, in Bartlesville. The banquet is a highlight of "Tradition and Transition: Oklahoma's 27th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference," scheduled for June 3–5. Details about the conference can be found at http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/conference.htm.
Twenty-two citations will be presented for accomplishments in seven Oklahoma communities. The award recognizes positive impacts on the preservation of Oklahoma's historic properties through restoration, rehabilitation, research, planning, public programming and other activities. Muskogee's Alice Robertson Junior High School is among the award recipients.
Alice Robertson Junior High School was named for the first woman elected to U.S. Congress from Oklahoma and one of Muskogee's most important citizens. Constructed in 1939 under the Works Progress Administration, the school celebrated its 75th anniversary in November 2014, and the event honored Robertson and her Sawokla (Gathering Place). The school's faculty and staff share an intense pride in the building and grounds, and the attached Indian Bowl stadium. Their curation of early twentieth-century memorabilia and research collections, including correspondence from Alice Robertson, newspaper clippings about her and historic photographs of the school, her homes and her family qualified the school for this special recognition.
For more information about the SHPO's awards programs, contact Melvena Heisch at 405-522-4484 or mheisch@okhistory.org or visit http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/shpoawards.htm.
The State Historic Preservation Office is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. 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 about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
