“Connecting the Dots of Free Enterprise in Oklahoma.”
For more than 300 years, Oklahomans have been dealing with challenges and seizing opportunities to drive the economy through creativity, hard work, and the willingness to take a risk. Dr. Bob Blackburn will share stories that connect the dots of free enterprise in Oklahoma.
Bob L. Blackburn, a native Oklahoman, has served as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society since 1999. He joined the OHS in 1980 as editor of The Chronicles of Oklahoma and became deputy director for agency operations in 1990. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in History from Oklahoma State University. Bob 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 screen plays. He is a steady source of historical information to the media, and he has appeared numerous times on the 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. Bob has served on numerous national and regional boards and committees, including the Western History Association, the Oklahoma Association of Professional Historians, the American Institute of Architects, and Leadership Oklahoma City. His hobbies are reading, running, carpentry, landscaping, and golf.
Bob is married to former State Representative Debbie Blackburn and they have one son, Beau, who is a professional Photographer in Colorado.