News Release

Dr. Jack Herron to receive Governor's Arts Award

Nov. 6, 2007

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Dee Lee
Public Information Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 521-2931
anndee@arts.ok.gov

Oklahoma City, OK – Dr. Jack Herron, Norman, will be honored by Governor Brad Henry at the 32nd Annual Governor’s Arts Awards.  Dr. Herron will receive an Arts & Education Award which recognizes professional educators who go above and beyond the call of academia to promote arts education for Oklahoma’s students.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 16 individuals and four organizations will be honored for their contributions to the arts in their communities or throughout the state. The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 28th in the 4th Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol and is open to the public. Presiding at the ceremony will be Council Chair Jim Tolbert and Interim Executive Director Suzanne Tate.

Dr. Herron serves as Outreach Coordinator for the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics. He believes strongly in the incorporation of the arts into the curriculum and has encouraged this practice throughout his professional life. He was a Kennedy Center National Arts Award Winner and has been awarded the Oklahoma State Superintendent’s Arts Award for Excellence by Sandy Garrett. He is past Chair for the Arts Alliance for Education for Oklahoma, an affiliate of the Kennedy Center.

As a school superintendent for 18 years, Dr. Herron also was a college administrator, high school principal and teacher. He was the recipient of a National Community Service Award and holds a position as Chair of the Oklahoma Community Service Commission. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force and has been an American Legion Post Commander. He is a graduate of several leadership programs including Leadership Oklahoma Class Two and founded the Leadership Oklahoma State Association.

A reception on the first floor of the Capitol will follow the 4 p.m. ceremony.  A complete list of Governor’s Arts Awards recipients and their photos are available at www.arts.ok.gov. For more information about the Governor’s Arts Awards, please contact Ann Dee Lee at (405) 521-2931 or at anndee@arts.ok.gov.

ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL

The Oklahoma Arts Council is a state agency whose mission is to improve lives through the arts by promoting and sustaining the development of a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education and economic vitality for all Oklahomans.

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