Local author donates proceeds of PU history book to Legacy Foundation
The opening of Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center gave new life to a project started more than 10 years ago about Phillips University.
Local author JoAnn Phillips was asked years ago to write a book about the university.
"I was asked to write a little storybook," she said. "It was to be a promotional item for high school seniors. They could read it and learn about Phillips and decide if they wanted to go there."
Enid's Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center Opens to Public
Friday was the crowning day for those who worked six years to make Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center a reality.
Lew Ward, chairman of the board for the center, gave the keynote speech at the grand opening ceremony Friday.
"The Land Run of 1893 is said to be the largest competitive event in the history of the country," Ward said. "They came from across our country and many from foreign lands. They brought what some call the Immigrant’s Edge. A pioneer sharpened by previous hardship and excited about the American frontier. It was a story of a dream, of opportunity and freedom, that lured the homesteaders. It’s a story of surviving against all odds."
Building Christian Leadership
The Phillips University Legacy Foundation recently held the 2010 Connie Speer Cravens Memorial Leadership Conference in Enid. This was the first year the leadership conference was conducted on the former Phillips University campus.
Each November the foundation, started in 2002, organizes a conference for recent scholarship recipients. The conference centers on building Christian leadership through spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth.
» Read the full article…
Former Phillips Students Return Home
In 1962, Rick Hendricks was a freshman at Phillips University.
Coming from a graduating class of about 600 people in Oklahoma City, Hendricks was not used to the small, rural setting the university provided.
But he went on to cherish the experience. Read more…
Phillips University Honored
Phillips University, which was a major educational force in the Enid area for many years, was honored Tuesday by Enid City Commission with a proclamation from Mayor John Criner.
Phillips closed in 1999 and the campus now is home to Northern Oklahoma College Enid.
Phillips was founded in Enid in 1907 under the name Oklahoma Christian University, which was the first private Christian university in Oklahoma Territory.
According to information from the school, it became known for its academic excellence and from 1907 to 1999 awarded more than 13,000 diplomas.
Phillips Legacy Foundation was formed in 2002 by the Phillips University Alumni and Friends Association with the mission of following in the tradition of Phillips University by providing scholarships and opportunities to educate and develop Christian leaders.
Since 2002, Phillips Legacy Foundation provided leadership training and has awarded more than $860,000 to 105 Legacy scholars.
This month, the foundation will bring scholars to Enid to attend the annual Phillips Legacy Scholars Leadership Conference.
