'Alfalfa Bill' to be part of Library's living history program May 4: "No other single individual is more colorful or more controversial in past Oklahoma politics than Oklahoma Governor “Alfalfa Bill” William H. Murray.
On Thursday May 4, 7 p.m. at the Altus Public Library, John Hinkle, actor, storyteller and puppeteer, will show you the many sides of Oklahoma's ninth governor through a “living history” presentation of his life and times.
William H. Murray, “Alfalfa Bill”, was known for many things: an agronomist, trying to help farmers nourish their soil and livestock; the lawyer for the Chickasaw Nation fending off false claims for land grabs; secretary to the Indian Territorial Sequoyah constitutional convention; president and legal mind in formatting our own Oklahoma constitution; Speaker of the 1st elected house of Representatives of Oklahoma; U.S. Senator during World War I; leader of a utopian society in Bolivia; governor during the depression and the dust bowl; and “The Red River War.” In his last years he was plagued by dementia and defamed for his anti-Semitic and racist views.
Hinkle's comment is, “To say Alfalfa Bill was colorful is an enormous understatement. Oklahomans either loved him or hated him. He is a hero and villain, he is good and evil. I think that he is worthy of a Shakespeare play because he's so complex. The performance is written for adults and Oklahoma history students."
Thursday, April 27, 2006
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