The story behind Oklahoma's beloved state song
Rodgers and Hammerstein's lyrics are the official state song thanks to a performance on the House floor by a Tulsa actor and a Chickasha choir staged by a future governor.
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Rodgers and Hammerstein's lyrics are the official state song thanks to a performance on the House floor by a Tulsa actor and a Chickasha choir staged by a future governor.
An eastern Oklahoma politician kept a campaign promise in 1952 by walking barefoot for 7 1/2 miles on a gravel highway because it hadn't been paved.
Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie flew into Stillwater in 1954 to thank Oklahoma A & M College officials for the school's help in his country's agricultural program.
He was the state's most colorful politician, who had been president of Oklahoma's Constitutional Convention, served in the Legislature, served two terms in Congress and was Oklahoma's ninth governor.
Generations of Oklahoma residents have grown up singing the song “Oklahoma” — but it would not have become the state song without the efforts of a McAlester native.