Oklahoma Policy Institute will honor Governor Henry Bellmon with the 2014 Good Sense/Good Cents Award, followed by a panel discussion on the Bellmon legacy. The event will be Monday August 4th, 1-3 pm, at the Lorton Performance Center on the University of Tulsa Campus. It is free and open to the public.
The Good Sense/Good Cents award will be presented to Gov. Bellmon’s daughters Ann Denney and Pat Hoerth by Tulsa Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett Jr., whose father, Dewey F. Bartlett Sr., succeeded Henry Bellmon as Governor and served concurrently with him in the United States Senate. The annual award is given by Oklahoma Policy Institute to civic leaders who have demonstrated respectful political dialogue and sound fiscal stewardship. The inaugural recipients of the award in 2013 were Mayors Robert LaFortune of Tulsa and Melvin Moran of Seminole.
“There is no one whose life and legacy more clearly exemplifies a commitment to respectful political dialogue, sound fiscal stewardship, and concern for the less fortunate than Henry Bellmon,” said David Blatt, Executive Director of Oklahoma Policy Institute. “This event reminds Oklahomans of Bellmon’s long and distinguished career of public service, and the important lessons that Gov. Bellmon’s legacy still provides for us today.”
The panel discussion, titled “Statesmanship: The Legacy of Henry Bellmon,” will involve top advisors and political leaders from the Bellmon era who will discuss his impact on state and national politics and policy. Andrew Tevington, Sandy Garrett, Robert Fulton, Lee Paden, and Penny Williams will be the panelists, and Wayne Greene will serve as moderator.
A lifelong resident of Billings, Bellmon was a Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in World War II and was awarded a Legion of Merit and Silver Star for his service. After serving one term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and two years as Republican State Chairman, Bellmon was elected as Oklahoma’s first Republican Governor in 1962. He served as Governor from 1963-1967 before winning election to two terms as a United States Senator from 1969-1981. He served a second term as Governor from 1987-1991, where his accomplishments included overseeing passage of the landmark education reform legislation HB 1017. He died in 2009 at the age of 88.
The award and panel discussion will take place as part of OK Policy’s annual Summer Policy Institute, a 4-day program that brings together 50 top students from across Oklahoma for an intensive immersion in state policy issues.
“We think it’s especially important that Oklahoma’s young leaders of tomorrow have this opportunity to become acquainted with one of the seminal figures in Oklahoma’s political history, ” Blatt said. “At a time of hyper-partisanship and widespread cynicism about politics and government, understanding the values and approach that Henry Bellmon brought to politics is more relevant than ever.”
Oklahoma Policy Institute is a non-partisan Tulsa-based think-tank that works to promote fair and adequate funding of public services and expanded economic opportunity through data-driven policy analysis.
Refreshments will be served following the panel discussion.
For more information, contact OK Policy at 918-794-3944 or info@okpolicy.org
