University of Central Oklahoma Alumni & Friends

The Oklahoman featured alumnus Brandon Hobson amid the release of his new book, The Removed. The title is a follow-up book to his novel Where the Dead Sit Talking. Both books cover Native American characters dealing with traumatic experiences. Hobson, a teacher and former social worker, also authored the 2014 novella "Deep Ellum," the 2015 novel "Desolation of Avenues Untold" and works that have appeared in the Pushcart Prize anthology, "Paris Review Daily. Hobson earned a master’s degree from UCO. Read more: https://buff.ly/3gnVERF

On this day in 1902, graduates of the Territorial Normal School of Oklahoma officially formed the Alumni Association.

Colorado alumni: the multi-university alumni career fair HireColorado is happening this week, June 23-24. The event is an opportunity for alumni to meet with a variety of employers with hundreds of open full-time salaried positions. To register for the event, visit https://buff.ly/353KHhE.

Congratulations to the many Central faculty, staff and students who achieved multiple national rankings over the past year! #Rollchos

If you’re shopping during Prime Day next week, don’t forget to activate your AmazonSmile and choose the University of Central Oklahoma Foundation as your chosen charity! Doing this allows for 0.5% of eligible purchases to come back to the foundation that then helps benefit our students and campus as a whole. For more information on the program and how to ensure the UCO Foundation is your charity, visit centralconnection.org/amazonsmile.

Central alumnus Adam Wadley was featured in The Purcell Register’s Interesting Neighbor article. The Purcell resident is the funeral director and co-owner of Wadley Funeral Home. Wadley pursued a degree in mortuary science from Central. Read more: https://buff.ly/3xcNuBb

Alumna Pam Kirkland will share tips on searching Ancestry.com during the upcoming meeting for the Oklahoma Home and Community Education Genealogy Group on June 16, which is open to the public. Kirkland graduated from Central with a degree in history and has since served as director of the Family History Center in Moore and has directed indexing for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read more: https://buff.ly/3gdGGhi

If you’re shopping during Prime Day today, don’t forget to activate your AmazonSmile and choose the UCO Foundation as your chosen charity! Doing this allows for 0.5% of eligible purchases to come back to the foundation that then helps benefit our students and campus as a whole. For more information on the program and how to ensure the UCO Foundation is your charity, visit centralconnection.org/amazonsmile.

On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, a proclamation that finally spread the word to the enslaved people of Texas that they were free. In the years following, June 19 became known as Juneteenth, a day to celebrate emancipation with family gatherings, music and traditional foods. During Juneteenth festivities, Black communities would gather to make meals and music together. The Oklahoman recently highlighted an alumna... of UCO who embodied the traditions of Juneteenth: Dorothy Choncie Ellis, or known by audiences as Miss Blues. Ellis was born in Direct, Texas, and spent her childhood working in the cotton fields near the small town just south of the Red River. She listened to her mother sing the blues at home and imitated her soulful voice, earning herself the nickname Little Miss Blues. Orphaned around age 11, Ellis made her way to Oklahoma City, where she dropped the Little and became just Miss Blues. She performed as Miss Blues from the 1950s through the 2010s, and was inducted into the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame in 2004. Miss Blues’ interests went beyond music. She held a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Central Oklahoma, and wrote two books. Discover more about Ellis: https://buff.ly/3q2YYFg