Michael Wallis to Speak at Annual Membership Luncheon

Internationally renowned author and speaker Michael Wallis of Tulsa will serve as keynote speaker for the Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The Annual Membership Luncheon will be held at Noon, Thursday, April 23, 2009, and will be one of the key events of the Annual Meeting.

Wallis’ topic will be “Oklahoma—Where Reality and Myth Collide.” Wallis will discuss Oklahoma’s “continuing identity crisis, the clichés and stereotypes that plague us, and use examples from the oil patch, the 101 Ranch saga, and Route 66. . . .”

It has been said, “reading a Michael Wallis book is like dancing to a romantic ballad. He offers his hand and gently guides you across the floor, swaying to the song of the American West.” A member of the Writers Hall of Fame of America, Wallis was the first inductee into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame, and he has received the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book. He has written sixteen books, including Route 66: The Mother Road, which is credited with sparking the resurgence of interest in the highway. He presently is working on a biography of David Crockett to be published in 2010.

The Annual Meeting will take place in Bartlesville on April 22, 23, and 24, 2009. Find out more about the 2009 Annual Meeting