Jacquelyn Slater Reese

Founded by determined pioneers in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is one of the nation's most beautiful universities. The institution's visual attractions on its three thriving campuses are matched only by its outstanding reputation for academic excellence. Published in celebration of the University's quasquicentennial, Path to Excellence is a stunning photographic history of OU's 125 years of remarkable growth and revitalization. When the University's first president, David Ross Boyd, looked out at the vast ""stretch of prairie"" where the territorial school would be built, he envisioned great possibilities. The University's first steps on the path to excellence were not always easy, however. Challenges and trials marked its early years. Yet through the perseverance and dedication of students, alumni, faculty, and staff, the modern University took shape. Showcasing both historical and contemporary photographs, Path to Excellence takes the reader on a captivating journey. We see stately academic buildings known for their fine architectural details. We see lush green lawns, colorful garden spaces, and sculptures by renowned artists. And as these memorable landmarks take root and develop before our eyes, we see the University become the strong institution it is today, reaching for ever higher levels of scholarship, community service, and academic achievement.

Begun in 1927 by University of Oklahoma history professor Edward Everett Dale, the Western History Collections gathers and preserves rare research materials for scholars in anthropology, Native American studies, Oklahoma history, and the history of the American West. This guide has been compiled to make the photographs in the collections more accessible. The second edition adds descriptions of 165 new collections comprising 159,000 photographs. The 826 photograph collections that this guide thus details encompass Native American culture; frontier and pioneer life in Oklahoma and Indian territories; Wild West shows; the range cattle industry; the petroleum industry; and gunfighters, outlaws, and lawmen. New additions include the Lucille Clough Collection of 1,800 prints, postcards, and stereograph cards of American Indians and Alaska Natives, and First Peoples of Canada.