February 3, 2010 — If the level of communication revealed in the first two days of the 52nd Oklahoma Legislative Session is any indication of what voters are in store for, it looks to be a very rancorous 90 days.

Gov. Brad Henry’s bombshell on opening day that he wants to consolidate numerous state agencies, including Rogers County’s revered Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Dog Iron Ranch and the J. M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum was done without any involvement of local lawmakers.

When such broad-based changes are recommended by the governor it normally involves discussions with the local legislators. As of Tuesday, a day after the revelation, neither Rep. Tad Jones nor Sen. Sean Burrage had been included in any discussions about a proposed consolidation.

Jones characterized Henry’s plan as one that blindsided he and Burrage.

Given Jones is a major player in the Republican-led House and Burrage is a key vote in the Senate for Democrats, you would think the governor’s office might have at least consulted with them or given them a heads up.

This lack of communication is not a good sign when there is a $1 billion budget gap and it seems everything could be on the table for discussion - that is if the governor will actually talk with those directly impacted by his proposals.

At this point in the budget-game no one knows if the Oklahoma Historical Society even would want to takeover the Rogers County facilities.

Nearly three years ago officials at Rogers State University and Will Rogers Memorial Museum entered discussions to merge their operations.

RSU President Joe Wiley and WRMM Executive Steve Gragert looked into a merger of operations. Rep. Jones and Sen. Burrage fashion legislation that would incorporate the memorial under the auspices of RSU.

“Bottom line, this is a win-win situation for Claremore, Rogers County and Northeastern Oklahoma and the rest of the state. I am delighted about the possibility of this merger and I truly believe it will raise the profile of these fine Rogers County institutions,” Burrage wrote in the April 22, 2007 issue of the Progress.

When Dr. Wiley left RSU for another position, discussions were put on hold until Dr. Larry Rice took up discussions in August 2008.

The merger idea was patterned after a merger of the Gilcrease Museum and the University of Tulsa, Rice said in an Aug. 19, 2008 story in the Progress.

“The Gilcrease and UT merger is still early in the game but it seems to be working well,” Rice said. “UT trustee Jack Neely did much of the research behind that union, so I’d recommend we have some discussions with him to springboard how to proceed with this (merger).”

If the Will Rogers Museum were to merge with RSU it could benefit both entities, Rice said in 2008.

“The museum would aid the university in research and international name recognition and the museum would have access to the university’s resources,” Rice said.

What was a good idea three years ago is worth exploring now.

The idea couldn’t overcome concerns of the Oklahoma Board of Regents, which oversees RSU. Citing the possibility it would face major infrastructure costs by taking on the museum it nixed the plan.

Over the past three years RSU has become one of the fastest growing universities in the Oklahoma system. It is much stronger that it was when Rice took the helm and it has become a very strong community partner with Claremore and all of Rogers County.

The museum’s foundation continues to find benefactors to carry on the legacy of Oklahoma’s favorite son, Will Rogers. The melding of these two institutions is workable and would definitely be mutually beneficial.

As for the J. M. Davis Arms and Historic Museum it could be possible to incorporate it into some type of RSU Historical Branch that could include both museums. At J. M. Davis there is a wealth of historical artifacts about Oklahoma and firearms that would be an asset to any university.

Difficult times require creative thinking. When there is a $1 billion gap to close in the state’s budget, any idea is worth consideration. Those ideas are born through open communication, not back room deals. Gov. Henry’s proposal is headed for a deadend if he does not include local input on such consolidation.

Great ideas come from communication. While merging the museums with RSU might not be ideal, it could be one of the only ways to preserve our local history.

It is time for this idea to be addressed. We hope Dr. Rice, Rep. Jones and Sen. Burrage will be willing to champion this cause.

If you believe it is worth consideration I would urge you to contact each of these key leaders in our community and share your support.

Without no talking there will be no deal, for real.



Randy Cowling is managing editor of the Claremore Daily Progress.