75th Anniversary Celebration
Vision, Mission, Goals, and Objectives
75th Anniversary Celebration
The 75th Diamond Jubilee Celebration was held on Friday September 17, 2004 at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History (http://www.snomnh.ou.edu/). The event began at 6:30 PM with a wine and hors d'oeuvre reception around the mastodon statute in the museum's rotunda, with a harpist accompaniment. A full formal dinner was then held in the museum’s Great Hall. A historical movie played on a screen during dinner, depicting the history of the SLIS school, 1929 to present, in still photos.
The program for the event began as dessert and coffee were served. Danny Wallace, Director of the School of the Library and Information Studies presided, greeting guests and inaugurating the program by awarding some of the evenings' door prizes. The speaker's podium was ornamented by a four-foot tall "75" ice sculpture that was lit from within. The first celebratory event was the announcement of the recipient of the first ever 75th Anniversary Scholarship. Melody A. Kellogg accepted the scholarship and thanked the Library School for its support. The speakers for the evening followed: Dr. Paul Bell, University of Oklahoma Dean of Arts & Sciences; Cokie Anderson, President of the University of Oklahoma SLIS Alumni Association; Lynne McIntosh, Oklahoma Library Association President; and finally Dr. Robert Martin, the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. All made brief poignant speeches on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary.
The program ended with the awarding of the last door prize, an extraordinary Tiffany's gift certificate, to complete the 'diamond' theme of the evening. The event then continued into the night with a cash bar available, as guests socialized, caught-up, saw old friends, made new friends, listened to the music, and toured the museum’s Hall of Ancient Life. It was a charming historic evening that was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
On the following day, during halftime of the OU vs. Oregon football game at Memorial Stadium, the following announcement was made over the loud speakers: "Congratulations OU School of Library and Information Studies on the 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee: 1929-2004.” This announcement was made to the 84,574 fans in the stadium, which was the largest number of fans to ever attend an OU game in the stadium before as well as the most people ever to witness a sporting event in the state of Oklahoma!
Updated: September 5, 2006