Michael Wallis

(1945– )

Following in the tradition of legendary Oklahoma historian Angie Debo, Michael Wallis has become one of the state’s and the nation’s leading cultural historians. In fact, his collected essays about Oklahoma, Way Down Yonder in the Indian Nation (1993), are dedicated to Angie. A master biographer, he has also immortalized such diverse Oklahomans as Frank Phillips, Wilma Mankiller, and Pretty Boy Floyd.

Michael is perhaps best known for his classic, Route 66: The Mother Road (1990). The book laid the groundwork for the Pixar film Cars, which features Michael as the voice for the Sheriff of Radiator Springs.

Related links: Wilma Mankiller and Rilla Askew

Did You Know...

Michael Wallis is a random collector of literary artifacts and owns D. H. Lawrence's axe.

Getting Started with Michael Wallis

Selected Works

Route 66: The Mother Road, 1990
Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles Arthur Floyd, 1992
Way Down Yonder in the Indian Nation, 1993

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Voices of Oklahoma