State historian Blackburn will teach
The Teaching Moment, on Monday morning of Annual Conference, will feature Bob L. Blackburn. Dr. Blackburn, a native Oklahoman, has served as executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) since 1999. He joined the OHS in 1980 as editor of The Chronicles of Oklahoma and became deputy director for agency operations in 1990. Blackburn earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Oklahoma State University. He published several articles and his first book while still in graduate school, and has since written or co-authored 18 books and numerous articles, journal entries, and screenplays. He is a steady source of historical information to the media, and he has appeared numerous times on television’s History Channel. He was instrumental in planning and building the Oklahoma History Center, a 215,000-square-foot museum and research center with a budget of $61 million. Located just northeast of the state Capitol, the center is a tourism and education destination and the site of major conferences and celebrations. Blackburn has served on numerous national and regional boards and committees, including the Western History Association, the Oklahoma Association of Professional Historians, the AIA, and Leadership Oklahoma City. His hobbies are reading, running, carpentry, landscaping, and golf. He is married to former state Rep. Debbie Blackburn, and they have a son, Beau, who is a professional photographer in San Diego, Calif. |
