Press Release
February 20, 2026
Contact: Jessica Brogdon
Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0780
[email protected]
okhistory.org/awardsbanquet
Austin Community College Professor to Receive Award From Oklahoma Historical Society
OKLAHOMA CITY — Austin Community College professor Gary Moreno will receive the Muriel H. Wright Award at the Oklahoma Historical Society’s (OHS) annual awards banquet on Thursday, March 19, at 6 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. This award honors the outstanding article published in “The Chronicles of Oklahoma,” the OHS’ scholarly journal, in 2025.
Moreno’s article is titled “Crossing Cultural Frontiers: Mexicans in the Wild West Shows.” It explores Mexican performers such as Vicente Oropeza and José Barrera who, along with their female counterparts, brought bullfighting techniques and charro style to Wild West shows during the early twentieth century. By following the lives of these performers, Moreno analyzes the popularity of charro culture in rural Mexico and the United States.
Moreno received his Ph.D. in Latin American history in 2015 from the University of Oklahoma. As a cultural historian, Dr. Moreno specializes in fashion and the development of the traje de charro through literature, art and performance. He has served as Director of the Latin American Cultural Center at Austin Community College since 2020 and teaches courses in U.S. and Mexican-American history.
The Muriel H. Wright Award was first given out in 1974. The recipient receives $500 and a plaque of recognition. It is named for Muriel H. Wright, the daughter of Choctaw Principal Chief Allen Wright, who began performing editorial duties on “The Chronicles of Oklahoma” in 1943. In 1955, the Oklahoma Historical Society officially named her the journal’s editor. Wright authored six books on Oklahoma history and retired from the OHS in 1973. She passed away two years later. In 1993, the Oklahoma Historical Society inducted her into the inaugural class of the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame.
Tickets can be purchased online. Guests are asked to RSVP by Monday, March 9. Steven W. Taylor, former chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, will be the keynote speaker. OHS Board Member T. S. Akers will serve as emcee for the event. For more information or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact State Historian Matthew Pearce at [email protected].
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 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 okhistory.org.
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