Oklahoma Chautauqua
A Time for Every Purpose: America in the 1960s

June 16 - 21, 2008
Lawton, Oklahoma

 

Locations

Lawton Public Library
Rooms 1 & 2
110 SW 4th St.
Lawton, OK 73501
580-581-3450
Website

Cameron University Library
2800 W. Gore Blvd.
Lawton, OK 73505
580-581-2957
Website

Museum of the Great Plains
601 NW Ferris Ave.
Lawton, OK 73507
580-581-3460
Website

Great Plains Technology Center
Building 300, Room 301
4500 West Lee Blvd.
Lawton, OK 73505
580-355-6371
Website

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
The Visitor Center is located at the junction of State Highways 115 and 49. From I-44, exit at the Medicine Park exit and go west 14 miles. From Lawton, take U.S. 62 west to the Cache exit and go north 6 miles.
580-429-3222
Website

 

Schedule

Monday June 16


10:00 a.m
Workshop: George Wallace - Giving Voice to the Voiceless
Cameron University Library
Wallace's career first in Alabama and then nationally was based on the rich vein he mined of people who felt America was out of control and that the common man was being left behind. His work here would lead to the conservative reaction that framed other leaders such as Reagan, Bush, as well as Carter and Clinton. We will discuss the common man in 1960s politics.

2:00 p.m.
Workshop: Barry Goldwater - The Presidential Elections of the 1960s
Museum of the Great Plains
There were three extraordinary and turbulent U.S. Presidential elections in the 1960s. With the advent of television, the presidential debates and negative advertising first appeared in national politics. In a decade of massive social revolution and confrontation, the 1960 Kennedy/Nixon, 1964 Johnson/Goldwater, and 1968 Nixon/Humphrey/Wallace Presidential campaigns will be examined in light of surrounding national and world events.

Tuesday June 17


10:00 a.m.
Workshop: Rachel Carson - The Troubadour as Troublemaker
Cameron University Library
This musical workshop demonstrates how folksongs whose lyrics reflect issues of their times helped to rouse the public and bring about change. To the accompaniment of guitar, the workshop attendees will have the opportunity to sing along songs with song sheets from the Civil Rights and Labor Movements to the anti-war, pro-peace songs sung by the likes of Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul, and Mary, The Chad Mitchell and Kingston Trios, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and more.

2:00 p.m.
Workshop: Julia Child - Food Fads in America
Great Plains Technology Center
American eating habits have changed drastically throughout the years. In the early 20th century, food was considered a science. The post World War II years brought time-saving frozen food and TV dinners. Diet fads continue to pique the interest of our nation. Most recently, the Food Network has turned food into entertainment. This workshop will explore food trends in America and take a look at what a nation consumes.

5:30 p.m.: Food
6:30 p.m.: Music
7:30 p.m.: Charles Everett Pace as Malcolm X (1925-1965)
Lawton Public Library Plaza

Wednesday June 18


10:00 a.m.
Workshop: Barry Goldwater - American Conservative Ideology through the Centuries
Cameron University Library
Conservatism as understood by Barry Goldwater has been in ideological development since the "Anti-Federalists" (led by Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison in 1789) insisted President George Washington and the nation’s first congress add a "Bill of Rights" to the Constitution. It took Barry Goldwater in 1960 to fully articulate the modern conservative "conscience" that ultimately led to massive Republican victories of Ronald Reagan and others. This workshop traces the ebb and flow of this movement historically as it has clashed with those preferring a strong central government.

2:00 p.m.
Workshop: George Wallace - The Vietnam War and America
Museum of the Great Plains
This is a cultural examination of what the war meant to American society and culture. This session will use music and images to discuss how the war shaped and was shaped by American culture and values.

5:30 p.m.: Food
6:30 p.m.: Music
7:30 p.m.: Sally Ann Drucker as Bettty Friedan (1921-2006)
Lawton Public Library Plaza

Thursday June 19


10:00 a.m.
Workshop: Betty Friedan - Women and the Media
Cameron University Library
How do current media stereotypes of women affect our perceptions of others and ourselves? Have these stereotypes changed over time or remained the same in specific ways? We'll examine examples from advertising, television, movies, and literature to answer these questions.

2:00 p.m.
Workshop: Malcolm X - The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Museum of the Great Plains
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is still the best single source on the remarkable life and times of Malcolm X. In my experience of teaching the book over a number of years, I've found that it is also an insightful record of key aspects of black popular culture from the period of the 1940s through the 1960s. In this session we will explore the ethnographic dimensions of The Autobiography for what it reveals about urban black life in terms of politics, migration, sports, religion, and especially music, in the shaping and re-shaping of an African American creative and cultural aesthetic.

5:30 p.m.: Food
6:30 p.m.: Music
7:30 p.m.: Judy Gail as Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964)
Lawton Public Library Plaza

Friday June 20


10:00 a.m.
Workshop: Malcolm X - A Bridge to the Muslim World
Cameron University Library
In this workshop, I demonstrate how an American Studies analysis of my field experience presenting Malcolm X in scores of sites throughout the United States, as well as, abroad, has produced a new model for promoting cross-cultural communication, civic engagement and advancing democratic values in a post 9-11 world. In this model we see how the intellectual bridge-building goals of public humanities at home, and public diplomacy (winning hearts and minds) abroad are advanced through the creative analysis and presentation of the ideas of Malcolm X (El Hajj Malik El Shabazz).

2:00 p.m.
Workshop: Betty Friedan - Feminisms Then and Now
Museum of the Great Plains
Have the goals of feminism changed since the 19th century? What have women achieved, and what still needs to be done? Why do many women say, “I’m not a feminist, but….?” We’ll examine first-, second-, and third-wave feminisms and feminists, from “the rule of thumb” to “girl power.” Museum of the Great Plains

5:30 p.m.: Food
6:30 p.m.: Music
7:30 p.m.: Gary Gray as Barry Goldwdwater (1909-1998)
Lawton Public Library Plaza

Saturday June 21


10:00 a.m.
Workshop: Julia Child - Food as Fellowship
Lawton Public Library
Food has essential nutritional value, of course. But it also works to bring people together. When you gather with family and friends, celebrate an important occasion or comfort your spirit, food becomes the focus of the event. In this workshop, Karen Vuranch will tell stories of the role of food in our everyday lives.

2:00 p.m.
Workshop: Rachel Carson - Progress: Helpful or Hindrance
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
This workshop focuses on the concept of progress, what the word means, and how scientific progress has been and continues to be viewed as it creates debate, and the need for regulations supervising the ultimate outcome. What might Carson suggest regarding, for example, genetic engineering of food, the burying of uranium and other nuclear waste, and greenhouse emissions? The workshop will discuss what we can do to help preserve our planet.

5:30 p.m.: Food
6:30 p.m.: Music
7:30 p.m.: Dr. Doug Misishler as George Wallace (1919-1998)
Lawton Public Library Plaza

Karen Vuranch as Julia Child (moderator for all evening performances) (1912- 2004)

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