NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Sept. 25, 2008
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Dee Lee
Public Information Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 521-2931
anndee@arts.ok.gov
VICKI AND LELAND GOURLEY TO RECEIVE
GOVERNOR’S ARTS AWARD
Oklahoma City, OK -- Vicki Clark Gourley and J. Leland Gourley, Oklahoma City, will be honored by Governor Brad Henry at the 33rd Annual Governor’s Arts Awards. The Gourley’s will receive the Bill Crawford Memorial Media Award which recognizes members of the media who demonstrate commitment to the arts in Oklahoma through public awareness support and fairness, initiative, creativity and professionalism in reporting.
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 15 individuals and three 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., Thursday, October 23rd 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 Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Suzanne Tate. A reception on the first floor of the Capitol will follow the 4 p.m. ceremony.
As co-publishers of the weekly OKC FRIDAY newspaper, stories about exhibitions, concerts and performances of all the major arts agencies as well as photographs from arts charity balls and fund raisers have filled the pages of FRIDAY for 34 years. FRIDAY has been judged the state’s best weekly newspaper in 14 of the past 20 years. Both Gourley’s have been inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, 2006 and 1980, respectively and both are listed in “Who’s Who in America.”
Vicki has received numerous state, national awards for writing and photography. Photo credits include National Geographic’s “Crossing America,” and Publisher’s Auxiliary’s cover. Vicki served as a founding board member for the Christmas Connection and chaired the operations of the Christmas department store for two years, and served on the board for 12 years. Her other civic activities have included the boards of directors of the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Oklahoma, Lyric Associate Board, President of Oklahoma City Rotary Anns, The Village CrimeStoppers, Nichols Hills Park Commission and The Governor's representative on the Literacy Initiatives Commission. Vicki also served on the Executive Committee of the Oklahoma Zoological Society, Co-Chairman of the Oklahoma State University at Oklahoma City's "Bring Dreams to Life," campaign and is currently Co-Chairman of the Nichols Hills Employees Scholarship Fund and on the Board of Directors, Friends of The Village Library.
J. Leland served as President of the Oklahoma Press Association, 1988-89, and has been featured on the pages of Time, Life and Look magazines during his colorful career in journalism. He has been State Editor of the Associated Press and Past President of the UP Editors Association. He served 12 years as an officer and board member of Suburban Newspapers of America and is currently Chairman of Central Oklahoma Newspaper Group. J. Leland has served 35 years on the Board of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and is a past president of the OKC Rotary club and the Henryetta Chamber. He is, or has been, a member of the board of directors of the following organizations: Last Frontier Council Boy Scouts, Goodwill Industries, Nichols Hills Parks, OKC First Christian Church, Oklahoma City CrimeStoppers, Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club, Oklahoma City University, D-Dent Association, Oklahoma City Symphony and the 16-State Southern Regional Higher Education Board.
A complete list of Governor’s Arts Awards recipients and their photos are available at www.arts.ok.gov.
For more information, contact Ann Dee Lee, Public Relations Director, Oklahoma Arts Council, (405) 521-2931 or 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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