About Author: dbennie

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Thomas Krause receives Robert H. Ruby Editorial Fellowship

By
dbennie
– December 22, 2010Posted in: Awards and Honors, In The News, Press News

We congratulate Thomas Krause on receiving the Robert H. Ruby Editorial Fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Press. After earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Tom came to the University of Oklahoma last fall to earn an M.A. in Native American Studies. The Ruby Fellowship allows students to gain firsthand knowledge of and insight into publishing and acquisitions by assisting the OU Press Acquisitions Editor for American Indian studies. Fellowship students gain multifaceted experience by working directly with authors, honing their communication skills, and interacting with colleagues in the Press’s other departments. The fellowship is made possible through the generous support of Dr. Robert H. Ruby, an independent scholar who, with John A. Brown, is co-author of several successful and long-respected books published by the Press, including A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest, Third Edition (co-authored with Gary C. Collins).

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Remembering Pearl Harbor Day

By
dbennie
– December 7, 2010Posted in: Uncategorized

Before dawn on 7 December 1941, the American strategic center of gravity in the Pacific reposed in the seven battleships then moored along “Battleship Row”, the six pairs of interrupted quays located along Ford Island’s eastern side. These seven battleships, ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-five years, represented all but two of those available to the Pacific Fleet. Together, these ships were one short of equalling Japan’s active battlefleet. Clearly a worrisome threat to Japanese plans for Pacific Ocean dominance, they were the Japanese raiders’ priority target. Twenty-four of the forty Japanese torpedo planes were assigned to attack “Battleship Row”, and five more diverted to that side of Ford Island when they found no battleships in their intended target areas. Of these planes’ twenty-nine Type 91 aerial torpedoes, up to twenty-one found their targets: two hit California, one exploded against Nevada and as many as nine each struck Oklahoma and West Virginia. The latter two ships sank within minutes of receiving this torpedo damage.

We invited Jeff Phister, who co-authored Battleship Oklahoma BB-37 with Thomas Hone and Paul Goodyear, a USS Oklahoma survivor, to write about the outreach to young Americans by the survivors of the December 7 bombing and the ongoing efforts to identify the Oklahoma’s Unknowns who perished that day.

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Happy 103rd Birthday, Oklahoma! Book Sale Today

By
dbennie
– November 16, 2010Posted in: Sales

On September 17, 1907 the people of the Indian and Oklahoma Territories voted favorably on statehood. The vote was certified and delivered to the President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt and on November 16, 1907, Roosevelt issued Presidential Proclamation 780 admitting Oklahoma as the forty-sixth state. In his annual message on December 3, 1907—just a few weeks later—President Roosevelt announced to Congress, “Oklahoma has become a state, standing on full equity with her elder sisters, and her future is assured by her great natural resources.” — The National Archives

To celebrate Oklahoma’s birthday, OU Press is having a one-day only sale today on selected Oklahoma related titles. The books will be available at a 40% discount when you enter promo code “OKBD” in the shopping cart. You can also call 800-627-7377 to place an order. Just mention the sale or the promo code to receive the discount.

The Holiday season is just around the corner and books make great gifts!

Go to the sale page.

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Best of the Press Celebration

By
dbennie
– November 12, 2010Posted in: Press News

Image courtesy of the Joe H. Crosby C.M. Russell Post Card Collection, Oklahoma City, OK

View Photo Gallery

The Friends of the Charles M. Russell Center and the University of Oklahoma Press hosted their second Best of the Press celebration on November 7 in the OU Press warehouse. This year’s theme was Exploration, Expedition, and Environment. Sixty-five guests joined in the festivities and enjoyed a fun-filled evening that included the following program:

5:30     Rendezvous, Cocktails, and Browsing
6:25    Booshway’s Welcome and Mountainman’s Toast
6:30    Vittles and Belly Wash
7:00    Muddywater, Taos Lightning, and Wild Berry Cobbler
7:15    Literary Trappers tout the best tales of Exploration,
           Expedition, and Environment
7:45    Explore the Stacks
9:00    Pilgrims Pull Foot and Head for Home

In preparation for the event, Russell Center and OU Press staff planned the evening and made arrangements with caterers, printers, and other vendors. They made a log cabin facade, equipped the cedar door with an antler handle, hung a buffalo skull above, and christened it “Bulls Head Lodge” in honor of Montana artist Charles M. Russell (1864-1926). Additional decorations included trees, shrubs, and grasses (courtesy of Marcum’s Nursery in Oklahoma City), rustic furniture, a campfire, Native American and Pendleton blankets, a ceramic squirrel, and a huge bronze bear.

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America’s heroes remembered on Veteran’s Day

By
dbennie
– November 11, 2010Posted in: Guest Blogs, History of the United States, Military History

The observance of Veterans Day on November 11 is a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

We invited Marc Wilson, author of Hero Street, U.S.A: The Story of Little Mexico’s Fallen Soldiers, to reflect on some of the lesser-known veterans from Hero Street U.S.A. in Silvis, Illinois – the single block in America that suffered the most combat deaths in World War II and Korea.

Of death and heroes, Tanilo Sandoval is an expert

On a bright autumn day, after a prairie wind storm had blown most of the brightly colored leaves from the towering oak, maple and elm trees, Tanilo guided me through the more than 25,000 graves at the U.S. military cemetery on Arsenal Island, Illinois.

The vastness of the white markers could overwhelm, but Tanilo knows where the bodies are buried. He’s been a regular here for more than 60 years. Many times, he’s heard Taps played. Many times he’s walked the vast graveyard alone, silently visiting his fallen brothers. Many times tears have trickled down his long, white beard.

Three of his brothers are buried here, so are four of his childhood friends. Two other gravestones serve as memorials for his friends whose bodies never were found after they were killed in combat. Veterans Day has special meaning for him – on top of everything else, his father died on Veterans Day. Memories haunt his soul.

When President Woodrow proposed the first Armistice Day for Nov. 11, 1919, he said, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service…”

November 11 was chosen because Germany signed the Armistice ending World War I at the 11th hour or the 11th day of the 11th month. Congress formally made Armistice Day a federal holiday in 1938. After World War II and the Korean War, efforts were made to expand the day to cover all U.S. military veterans, and, in 1954, Congress passed a law to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

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Contrary Warrior: The Life and Times of Adam Fortunate Eagle

By
dbennie
– November 4, 2010Posted in: Author Events, Author Features, In The News

The film Contrary Warrior: The Life and Times of Adam Fortunate Eagle will be shown Sunday, November 7 at 2:00pm as part of the American Indian Cinema Showcase at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Contrary Warrior is an intimate first-person account of the life and work of Red Lake Reservation Minnesota-born American Indian activist, artist, ceremonial leader, and author Adam Fortunate Eagle. Although best known for orchestrating the American Indian take-over of Alcatraz Island in 1969 that led to significant social reforms for all Native Americans, Fortunate Eagle is an accomplished sculptor, author and ceremonial pipe maker. Often with wit and humor he recalls his life from childhood, his ten years in an Indian Boarding school, becoming an urban Indian, to his present life on the reservation where he is a celebrated artist and author. Director: John Ferry 2010 USA 82min. NR digital HD

In his book Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School Fortunate Eagle offers an unforgettable memoir of his years as a young student at Pipestone Indian Boarding School in Minnesota. In this rare firsthand account, Fortunate Eagle lives up to his reputation as a “contrary warrior” by disproving the popular view of Indian boarding schools as bleak and prisonlike. Telling this story in the voice of his younger self, the author takes us on a delightful journey into his childhood and the inner world of the boarding school. Along the way, he shares anecdotes of dormitory culture, student pranks, and warrior games. Although Fortunate Eagle recognizes Pipestone’s shortcomings, he describes his time there as nothing less than “a little bit of heaven.”

Adam Fortunate Eagle, an enrolled member of the Ojibwe Nation, is also the author of Heart of the Rock: The Indian Invasion of Alcatraz. He currently resides on the Fallon Indian Reservation in Nevada.

For more information about Oklahoma City Museum of Art contact info@okcmoa.com (405) 236-3100 or (800) 579-9ART

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Patricia Bonn wins $500 drawing at annual WHA conference

By
dbennie
– November 2, 2010Posted in: Uncategorized

At this year’s WHA annual conference at Lake Tahoe, the University of Oklahoma Press had a drawing for a $500 book credit to purchase OU Press books. The lucky winner was Patricia Bonn from Arizona State University. Patricia received her B.A. and M.A. from Arizona State University in Public History.  She is employed at ASU as an executive assistant in the Center for Community Development and Civil Rights.  Patricia is a freelance writer and playwright interested in the untold stories of Phoenix as well as the Spanish-speaking of the West and Southwest.  Her play, Joaquín: The Life and Times of Joaquín Murrieta, was produced at the Kerr Cultural Center in October 2003.  Her presentations include:  ¡No Hay Justicia! The Execution of Simpilico Torres, 2008 Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage conference and Phoenix in the Fifties: Fun in the Sun*With Restrictions, 2010 Western History Association conference.  She is scheduled to present Kactus Klan: Ku Klux Klan in Arizona, 1921-1925 at the 2011 Arizona Historical Society conference.

Congratulations Patricia, and thank you to everyone who entered the drawing. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s conference in Oakland, California.

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Day of the Dead—Día de los Muertos

By
dbennie
– November 1, 2010Posted in: Author Features, Excerpts, Literature/Language

Art and photographs by Astrud J. Reed, Enrolled Cherokee Multimedia Artist specializing in Gourd, Indigenous, and Cultural Art

Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) has become one of the biggest holidays in Mexico, and celebrations are becoming more common in areas of the United States with a large Hispanic population. Family and friends gather together to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Its origins are distinctly Mexican—during the time of the Aztecs, a month long summer celebration was overseen by the goddess Mictecacihuatl, the Lady of the Dead. After the Aztecs were conquered by Spain and Catholicism became the dominant religion, the customs became intertwined with the Christian commemoration of All Saints’ Day on November 1 and All Soul’s Day on November 2.

People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars that include sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes and these usually include the Christian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary and pictures of deceased relatives, candles, and offerings.

Rudolfo Anaya, master storyteller and “the godfather of Chicano literature”, draws inspiration from these and other Mexican traditions in his writings including his nonfiction compilation The Essays and in The Man Who Could Fly and other Stories, a collection of short stories.  In the story “Jeronimo’s Journey,” Anaya tells the story of a gardener who returns to his village in Mexico on the Day of the Dead and captures the sights, smells, and sounds of the poor villagers as they prepare for a funeral and for the Day of the Dead celebrations. He conveys the young man’s questions about death and the contrast between his life as a gardener for the rich and the simple traditions that make his home still familiar.

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Anniversary of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

By
dbennie
– October 27, 2010Posted in: Uncategorized

The gunfight at the O.K. Corral has excited the imaginations of Western enthusiasts ever since that chilly October afternoon in 1881 when Doc Holliday and the three fighting Earps strode along a Tombstone, Arizona, street to confront the Clanton and McLaury brothers. When they met, Billy Clanton and the two McLaurys were shot to death; the popular image of the Wild West was reinforced; and fuel was provided for countless arguments over the characters, motives, and actions of those involved.

Over the years, OU Press has published several outlaw and lawmen books. Enter promo code outlaw10 in the shopping cart and receive a 40% discount off any of the following books. Sale ends 11/1/10.

And Die in the West: The Story of the O.K. Corral Gunfight by Paula Mitchell Marks

Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait by Karen H. Tanner

The Billy the Kid Reader by Frederick Nolan

The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid: A Faithful and Interesting Narrative by Pat F. Garrett

The West of Billy the Kid by Frederick Nolan

Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman by Leon C. Metz

Wild Bill Hickok, Gunfighter: An Account of Hickok’s Gunfights by Joseph G. Rosa

The West of Wild Bill Hickok by Joseph G. Rosa

Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters by Bill O’Neal

Age of the Gunfighter: Men and Weapons on the Frontier, 1840-1900 by Joseph G. Rosa

Deadly Dozen: Twelve Forgotten Gunfighters of the Old West, Vol. 1, by Robert K. DeArment

Deadly Dozen: Twelve Forgotten Gunfighters of the Old West, Vol. 2, by Robert K. DeArment

Deadly Dozen: Twelve Forgotten Gunfighters of the Old West, Vol. 3, by Robert K. DeArment

A Sketch of Sam Bass, the Bandit by Charles L. Martin

Alias Frank Canton by Robert K. DeArment

Bat Masterson by Robert K. DeArment

Bandido: The Life and Times of Tiburcio Vasquez by John Boessenecker

Daltons: The Raid on Coffeyville, Kansas by Robert Barr Smith

In Search of Butch Cassidy by Larry Pointer

The Sundance Kid: The Life of Harry Alonzo Longabaugh by Donna B. Ernst

The Great American Outlaw: A Legacy of Fact and Fiction by Frank Richard Prassel

A Texas Ranger by N. A. Jennings

George Scarborough: The Life and Death of a Lawman on the Closing Frontier by Robert K. DeArment

West of Hell’s Fringe: Crime, Criminals, and the Federal Peace Officer in Oklahoma Territory, 1889 – 1907 by Glenn Shirley

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OU Press authors featured at Humanities Montana Festival of the Book

By
dbennie
– October 25, 2010Posted in: Author Events, In The News

The Humanities Montana Festival of the Book brings together the region’s finest writers to celebrate reading and writing in one of the Inland Northwest’s biggest cultural events. Two days and three nights of events highlighting the incredible richness of Montana’s literary landscape will take place for the 11th straight year, October 28-30, 2010.

Several University of Oklahoma Press authors will take part in the festival during panel discussions and readings on Friday, October 29.

David Emmons will be featured on the panel discussion “History Doesn’t Write Itself”. David is a University of Montana Professor Emeritus of History and now lives with his wife along Rattlesnake Creek just north of downtown Missoula, Montana, and 120 miles northwest and downstream of Butte, the capital of western America’s “Irish Empire.” His new book Beyond the American Pale: The Irish in the West, 1845-1910 explores America’s love-hate relationship with one of its most prominent immigrant groups. David  will also be reading from his new book during the festival.

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