Oklahoma Historical Society Annual Meeting Set for Ardmore

Featured Speaker to be Galen Culver

Contact: Tim Zwink
(405) 522-5217

Oklahoma City, OK
February 25, 2008
For Immediate Release

The Oklahoma Historical Society will hold its annual meeting in Ardmore this spring. The theme for this year’s annual meeting is “Boundaries, Bridges and Borderlands: The Red River in Oklahoma History.” The meeting is scheduled for April 16 thru April 18 at the Ardmore Convention Center.

On Thursday, April 17, the featured speaker at the luncheon will be Galen Culver, photojournalist from KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City. Culver will speak on “Life Along the Red River.” His speech will include several stories he shot and produced for his ongoing series “Is This a Great State or What?”

Galen Culver is a reporter and photographer for Oklahoma’s NewsChannel 4. He joined KFOR’s team as a photojournalist.

Prior to joining NewsChannel 4, Galen worked as a reporter, photographer and weekend anchor in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He broke into the television business a reporter and photographer in Missoula, Montana. Galen earned his degree in Journalism and Communications from Washington State University.

Galen has received many photojournalism accolades including the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. His coverage of the first Gulf War won an Oklahoma Associated Press Award for Best General Reporting.

In July of 1991, Galen began a unique assignment to find and showcase amazing Oklahoma sights and stories. Since that time the “Is This a Great State or What!” segment has aired nearly every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on various NewsChannel 4 broadcasts.

Galen continues his search on the 5:00 pm newscast these days, producing, shooting, writing and editing feature stories from every corner of Oklahoma.

Galen is married to NewsChannel 4 anchor and producer Tara Blume. They and their Oklahoma-born daughters, Evelyn and Holly, live in Oklahoma City.

The complete schedule for the annual meeting will include:

Wednesday, April 16

• 1:00 p.m. – Registration begins and will continue thru the conference
• 1:30 p.m. – OHS Board meeting
• 7:00 p.m. – Reception recognizing and honoring Oklahoma Historians Fall of Fame members

Thursday, April 17

• 8:30 a.m. – Plenary session, Welcome, Session on Red River Steamboat
• 10:30 a.m. – Paper sessions (10 total sessions with 23 presenters and 10 moderators spread over two days)
• 12:15 – Luncheon featuring Galen Culver
• Following luncheon Membership meeting, reconvening of board, and time to explore Ardmore
• 5:00 p.m. – Bus trip to Fort Washita – BBQ dinner, re-enactors, entertainment

Friday, April 18

• 8:30 a.m. – Paper sessions (See 10:30 a.m. Thursday)
• 12:15 p.m. – Awards Luncheon – Awards and Hall of Fame inductees (Bob Klemme, Odie Faulk, Lawrence Hart and Danny Goble)

Exhibitors: OHS Museum, OU Press, Chickasaw Press and others

For complete information on joining the Oklahoma Historical Society and the attending the annual meeting contact: Tim Zwink at (405) 522-5217, or email him at tzwink@okhistory.org.