Our History

The History of the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association

Part I by Bob Varga

The OSTCA traces its history to formation in 1929. So far, we have no hard copy evidence of events of that year. The first constitution was written in 1939. We can consider our past in six segments. The formative years from 1928 to 1939. The organizational years cutting across World War II to about 1950. The expansion years of the fifties and sixties. The struggle for professional standards for teachers in the seventies. The combining of organizations in the changing perspectives of the eighties.

In the early part of the century, around World War I, at the national level, teachers involved with that part of English dealing with spoken language felt the need to separate from their associates concerned with written composition in literature. The national Speech Association grew out of state conferences consisting of teachers of elocution, oratory, and debate in the years from 1910 to 1915. In Oklahoma there seems to be about a decade lag in getting to the same point. In the 1920s there was a lot of interschool activity centering around oratory and a kind of value-centered three school debate that was quite different from our present practice. About a dozen of our largest high schools formed a “central conference” for such events. At the time, there was only one high school in each city, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Some of our “founding fathers” still remember those days. According to doctor D. J. Nabors: “If this were a debate, I could make a good case for 1928 as the official beginning of the Speech Association least there was a meeting at the state teachers meeting with a speech section meeting at the Central High School Mary Gray Thompson presided. Josh Lee, professor of public speaking at the University of Oklahoma was the main speaker...” Indeed the faculty of the University of Oklahoma seemed to be the leaders of the organization movement throughout the first 10 years. The state conferences which were mostly concerned with competitive meets were pulled together in Norman through a series of activities sponsored by OU under the direction of Ted Beaird. These workshops and demonstrations developed into the popular Speech Educators’ Conferences which were really more important to us than the yearly convention meetings. Ted Beaird had as an assistant a graduate student, James Robinson, who was assigned the nuts and bolts management of these educators’ meetings. Jim became one of the “founding fathers” of our organization. He helped write the first constitution in 1939, was president in 1947, and received our first Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Speech in Oklahoma award in 1964. Equally important, for 15 years Dr. Robinson was director of the Oklahoma High School Speech League, and edited the monthly newsletter called Speech in Oklahoma in 1950s. In 1968, the High School Speech League was dissolved and its functions taken over by Secondary Schools Activities Association. Up until 1939, our organization was known as the Oklahoma Association of Teachers of Speech. At this time membership was limited to teachers. In 1939, the name was changed to the Oklahoma Speech Association and membership was open to “teachers , school administrators, and other adults who had an interest in the goals of the association.” In 1971, the name was changed again to the Oklahoma Speech communication Association to reflect areas of interest outside the academic field. In 1981, with the merger with the Oklahoma Theatre Education Association, the present organizational name (Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association) was established, and the revised constitution stated, “membership shall be open to anyone.”

One of the major aspects of our roots has been the shifting of membership within the organization. In the 1940s and 50s, there was a number of speech therapist swelling the ranks. Their interests differed from those held by those in drama, discussion, oratory, radio, interpretation, extempore, and debate -- which were the interest groups of the High School Speech League. Just as these teachers had separated from the written English associates in the 1920s, the speech therapist formed their own Oklahoma Speech and Hearing Association and left OSTCA about 1958.

Another shift in membership has come about with the decrease of persons in the elementary school speech area. For decades Tulsa was one of the leading school systems in the nation providing professional speech teachers in the elementary grades. The decline of that program has affected our membership.

A third major change occurred with the division of speech educators in theater educators. This was a spin-off of a national competition between the Speech Association of America and the American Educational Theatre Association, both of which claimed to serve drama teachers. The National Theatre Association insisted that each state have its own strictly theatre group. This led to the short-lived Oklahoma Theatre Federation and the Oklahoma Theatre Education Association. But our state organization had always been as much concerned with theatre as with other speech arts -- indeed many members taught both. After the National Theatre Organization dropped the word “education” from its title and expired as American Theatre Association, the National Speech Organization, which became the Speech Communication Association, continues to value theatre as an interest group. Also, our Oklahoma organization has always had ties with the Southwest Theatre Conference.

Less obvious, but always a factor in active membership, is the division of interests among those of us who are greatly involved in educational debate in those who are not. In both groups there are persons who are concerned with the changing nature of competitive debate as an educational speech activity. Because the teachers of competitive debate and individual events students have such a strong administrative cohesion through the Secondary Schools Activities Association, some do not feel the need, or indeed have the time, for participation in OSTCA.

We note also from the membership lists over the years that those concerned with broadcasting -- first radio, then television -- have not been represented by many members. The same is true of professionals in business communications. Expansion into those areas is continuing concern of our Executive Council.

The organization's executive group has been known as the Executive Committee, the Executive Council, or the Executive Board and on occasion all three titles have been used for this group within the same year. In the original OSA Constitution, this executive group was called the Executive Committee. It consisted of the President, Vice-President and Executive Secretary. There was a separate six-member Advisory Committee chosen by these three. The six members represented the four teaching levels, with two at large members. Amendment of the original document appears to have added to the Executive Committee the two immediate past Presidents, and the two advisory committee a representative of auditorium teachers and the director of the Oklahoma High School Speech League. The revised Constitution of 1956 changed most of the Advisory Committee positions to vice presidents of what has become the Executive Council and have abolished the Advisory Committee. The Executive Council is still the correct title for this distinguished group.

Executive Councils are regularly concerned with the problems of having two meetings -- the Speech Educators’ Conference and the annual convention -- within three weeks of each other. Our organization has tried many solutions -- in the late September or early October before OEA, in November, in February and most recently in late April. None of these has really been the answer to a time when many of our membership would be free to attend a Speech Educators’ Conference and would have administrative support for doing so.

Oklahoma Speech/Drama teachers were involved in one great Oklahoma Speech project that received national acclaim. This is generally known as the WPA SPEECH SURVEY PROJECT S-44, with the full title of “A Program for The Elementary and Secondary Schools and Junior Colleges of Oklahoma.” It was directed by Ted Beaird at all you an included most of the speech teachers of Oklahoma in 1935-36. The report was published in November of 1936. The project had as its goal the building of a program of speech education for all interests and at all levels. It surveyed “various phases of speech work in the public schools in Junior Colleges of the state; it has also ascertained the status of speech work in the high schools of the various states in the union and the nature of speech courses in Junior Colleges of the United States.” The report runs to almost two hundred pages. It provides detailed lesson units and bibliography for just about everything a teacher of speech might want to use at any grade level.

At the time of the S-44 report in 1936, the State Board of Education had just established a field of teaching in Speech Arts. The requirements called for a total of 16 language art hours, six of them Speech, for a one-year certificate and 24 language arts hours, 12 of them Speech for a Life certificate. Dramatics was placed among the non-speech subjects so that a teacher could have as many as 21 hours for a Speech/Drama combination on the Life certificate. The S-44 committee recommended a full 24 hours of Speech Arts subjects for the Life certificate.

The upgrading of the professional requirements has been a continuous concern for our association. As recently as 1988, OSTCA was involved in the state review of the Speech/Drama certification programs, seeking now 24-hour programs either for Speech Communication/Debate or for Theatre. The main thrust of certification activities ran from about 1973 until the passage of the state educational reform package #1706 in 1980-81 and the first year of tests were the discipline in 1982. Both the certification standards and the tests for competency reflected the outstanding efforts that members of the OSTCA made in working with the legislature and the State Department of Education.

Another major contribution of the 70s was the development of the Association Journal. The first issue of JOSCA dash without a “T” dash was in the fall of 1973. The Journal continues to be published through not always on yearly schedule. The biggest problem is always lack of submissions from our Oklahoma teachers, students, or communication professionals.

The 1980s have brought a new approach to the award recognitions given by the association. The first such award was for The Outstanding Young Speech Teacher of Oklahoma for the year. It was established in 1958, and in 1964 the criteria for the award was clearly defined. In 1989, the five-year definition of “young” was changed to no more than seven years of teaching in the field.

In 1979, we started giving Outstanding Teacher Awards in the separate categories of Elementary, Junior High, Senior High and College/University. These awards are not necessarily given every year.

As noted earlier, the other award which goes back in time is that of “Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Speech in Oklahoma,” first given in 1964 to the Jim Robinson. This, too, is not necessarily a yearly award, nor is the recipient always an educator.

Most recently the association started giving additional stature to the awards by naming them for outstanding Oklahomans who exemplify the excellence is designated by the words. We now, in 1988, have the H. B. Mitchell High School Forensics Award, the Josh Lee Service Award, and six other “Outstanding” categories of Communication Educator, Young High School Speech Teacher, Young's College Speech Teacher, and D. J. Navbars College Forensics Awards.

The OSTCA Newsletter continues the line of communication which has been our main cohesive force between the yearly conventions. Issued four or more times a year, the Newsletter provides articles of interest as well as various official business of the association. It provides a yearly membership roster, including retired members who have been voted honorary permanent membership by the association.

Under our president constitution, the association is divided into divisions for Communication, Forensics, and Theatre. Each division has basic autonomy in selecting its leaders in his programs. Each division is divided into 3 section levels at present -- Higher Education, Secondary Education, Elementary Education. The two permanent committees of the Association are the Nominating Committee and the Awards Committee. The constitution and By-Laws are revised about every ten years since 1939.

Membership in the association has varied in number. The earlier Oklahoma Association of Teachers of Speech had less than 50 members. The Oklahoma Speech Association years had a range from the 60s to one hundred sixty. The OSCA years also have the range of 52 to 158. The recent OSTCA year show memberships between 109 and 132. Minutes of the Executive Council meetings often reflect the belief that we can and should significantly increase these numbers.

This report is written in October 1989. Information is gathered from the association archive documents, the majority of which were provided by Fred Kolch. There are also some from the files of Perrill Brown. Since she was an early leader of the speech association -- its first, and for decades it's only, honorary permanent member -- her papers in repository in the OU library may contain additional information.

Information is also gathered from the issues of the OEA publication, The Oklahoma Teacher for the years from 1948 to 1974 when the association left affiliation with the O.E.A. During those years the OEA subsidized our annual meeting through defraying expenses for the featured speaker and provided notice of our programs in the magazine. When the OEA insisted that all OSCA members must belong to the OEA to receive such support, the relationship ended. For convenience OSTCA normally follows the days and places of the OEA annual convention but has no obligation to do so.

There are at present gaps in every category of information in our records. The material available does provide additional items of interest which have not been touched upon here. This is considered a work in progress.

For some of this information we are indebted to the written memoirs of Dr. D. J. Nabors and an oral interview with Jim Robinson. Other senior members who responded to a call for information included Dorothy Summers, Jayne Thompson, Howard Domnick, and Ruth Hankowsky.

Part II prepared by Tony Allison

Throughout the 1990’s and the twenty years after 2000, the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Association placed much emphasis on trying to find activities to help public school Speech/Debate and Theatre teachers as well as university professors. Previous to 1968, the Oklahoma Speech League, sponsored by the University of Oklahoma, provided of the administration for Speech/Drama competitions in Oklahoma. Jim Robertson was one of the long-time leaders in this program. In 1968, when the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) became the official state organization for administering and arranging short training workshops for all public school teachers of Speech, Debate, Oral Interpretation, and One Act Play Contests in Oklahoma, OSTCA saw a huge decline in membership over the next few decades among high school teachers. Professional Development funds for teachers were scarce in Oklahoma, and the fact that the Speech/Drama teachers were so busy doing a multitude of duties at their schools while teaching gave them very little time to attend additional state-wide meetings such as those arranged by OSTCA. The Executive Council of OSTCA worked diligently to provide activities and programs to try to attract the high school teachers across the state to stay active in the organization.

In the early 1990’s, OSTCA saw an opportunity to award high school champions “Oklahoma All State Award Certificates” (with Oklahoma’s Gold Seal) to all first-place winners in each High School Class Division and each contest. For the One Act Play Contests held in the Fall, each All-Star Cast Member was presented with the Oklahoma All State Certificate. Former OSTCA Presidents Mike Stano and Tony Allison worked on this project two years. In 1994-95, the first OSTCA-sponsored Oklahoma All State Awards were presented to high school students. Mike Plunkett, Director of Speech, Debate and One Act Play Contests for OSSAA, recently stated that as of 2020, OSSAA is still presenting these OSTCA All State Certificates to the All State winning high school students.

At the 1996 OSCTA Conference, a massive project was introduced which would involve many OSTCA members, both high school and university faculty members. A Task Force on High School Curriculum was formed to develop Curriculum Resource Guides on various subjects for high school curriculum. The high school and university teachers were all volunteers who worked together to produce the “Curriculum Resource Guides for Teaching Speech, Theatre, and Debate.” The Communication faculty and staff of the University of Central Oklahoma were dedicated to this project. Professors Doug Duke and Rozilyn Miller (both of UCO) were very involved with the Task Force. Doug Duke was chair of the Task Force, and Rozilyn Miller had the challenging job of editing the completed Curriculum Guides.

The following is the Mission Statement of the High School Curriculum Task Force: “Our goal is to educate students to be competent and responsible oral communicators able to adapt to personal, public and professional situations in appropriate and effective ways while sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages.”

The topics of the High School Curriculum Resource Guides were:

Argumentation

Broadcasting

Communication Apprehension

Costuming

Improvisational Acting

Lincoln Douglas Debate

Listening

Mass Communication

Oral Interpretation

Public Speaking

Small Group Communication

Student Congress

Theatre

Members of the High School Task Force were: Doug Duke (UCO), Mary Jane Bartley (Edmond Memorial HS), Pam Broyles (Southern Nazarene University), Donna Clevenger (Mustang HS), Gus Friedrich (OU), Jacque Graham (Bethany HS), Rozilyn Miller (UCO), Cosette Weimer (Fairview HS), and Vivian Zable (Deer Creek HS).

Additional individuals and OSTCA members contributing their time to the High School Curriculum Guides were Kasey Harrison (Noman HS), Andrea Gilley (UCO & Southern Nazarene University), Charlene Bradt Rohrer (Alva HS), Donna Brown (Putnam City HS), Kathy Elerick (Mannford HS), Michael Stutzman (UCO), Hayley McPheeters Thompson (Bishop McGuiness HS), Charles Tweed (Jewell Box Theatre), Lyndall Westmoreland (Okarche HS), Amanda DeWeese and Jackie Reber (UCO), Cindy Gray (UCO), David Galoob, (UCO & Norman North HS), Barbara Norman (UCO Department Chair of the Communications Department), and Faye Mangrum (Southeast Oklahoma State University). All of these individuals contributed a huge amount of time putting together teaching materials to assist new teachers.

These Curriculum Resource Guides were available at OSTCA conferences. The Cameron University Summer Speech and Debate Camp also distributed the Resource Guides to teachers attending the July Speech and Debate camps during two different summers. The Resource Guides were also available on the OSTCA web site, which was administered by Faye Mangrum of Southeast Oklahoma State University.

In 2002 and 2006, two directories of all Communication Departments in Oklahoma listing their university faculty members was created. The directory also included all the OSSAA participating high schools and Speech/Drama high school teachers. Tony Allison was the editor for these two publications. The publishing of the 2002 and 2006 OSTCA Directories was useful to all academic individuals in the state, but the two OSTCA Directories were a significant challenge to keep current and very expensive to publish.

In the late 1990’s and the early 2000’s, the organization had invested so much time and effort in the Curriculum Resource Guides Task Force, the Executive Council was enthusiastic about creating two new Divisions, one for public school teachers titled Elementary/Secondary Education, the second new Division titled Mass Communication, which would involve Broadcast, Journalism, and Public Relations.

OSTCA had some combined conferences with the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association. Our new interaction with the Broadcasting faculty around the state was encouraging, and the fact that many of the Communication Departments in Oklahoma were beginning Public Relation created a need in that area. In 2007, the OSTCA organization added the two new divisions to the OSTCA Constitution. Besides the Divisions of Communication, Forensics, and Theatre, it added the Elementary/Secondary Education Division and the Mass Communication Division, which includes journalism, broadcasting, and public relations. The Executive Council was very enthusiastic about the addition of the two divisions. The hope was that this change would be more helpful to public school teachers and the Mass Communication faculty around the state of Oklahoma by providing additional assistance of professional development inside the state.

What happened next was disastrous. Public school and university budgets saw either very little or no increase and eventually were reduced significantly. Salaries, professional development funds, and department activities, and department positions were affected across the state of Oklahoma.

Public Relations faculty did start participating with OSTCA events. In 2010, OSTCA held its first of many Public Relations contests during its Fall Conference. The emphasis now in OSTCA is to find more involvement with university students through contests, workshops, student scholarly paper presentations and poster sessions. This past year, OSTCA hosted its first Speech and Debate tournament for university students in many years in conjunction with the Fall Conference. The tournament was held on one side of the campus at Rogers State University, while the Public Relations Competition was held in another location on campus.

In 2017, OSTCA made the decision to discontinue the Elementary/Secondary Division because of low participation. The Mass Communication Division is still active with a good number of university students participating in the Public Relations contests and scholarly paper presentations.

The TERRY CLARK OUTSTANDING MASS COMMUNICATION EDUCATOR AWARD was established in 2018. Clark was a long-time professor of journalism and mass media at the University of Central Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, Clark received lifetime achievement awards from the Oklahoma Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the UCO College of Liberal Arts.

The OUTSTANDING YOUNG COLLEGE TEACHER AWARD was created in 1987. The award is limited to those who have no more than seven years of teaching. The award now bears the name of C.W. MANGRUM, who passed away in early 2013.  Dr. C.W. Mangrum served from 1966-1970 as a forensic director for Charles Page High School in Sands Springs, Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoma State University from 1970 to 1977. At Southeastern, he also served as chair of the Department of Speech and Theatre from 1974 to 2000 and as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from 1999 to 2008.

Even though the 2020 OSTCA Fall Conference has been cancelled until 2021 because of Covid-19, the current Executive Council is very excited to share great news of OSTCA opening up a new permanent web site to come online very soon.  The OSTCA organization has contracted with a Rogers State University student-organized web designing group named STUDIO III MEDIA, which has faculty members Professor Bruce Hartley (former media professional) and Dr. Juliet Evusa as advisors. They also have a community professional volunteer, Susan Rainey, who was a former professor at Rogers State University. Much of the web designing was coordinated and designed by Rogers State University student Blanca Esparza. Both Blanca and Professor Bruce Hartley have worked together throughout most of 2020 on this crucial project for OSTCA. This new permanent web site will be a much-needed change for OSTCA.

The second good news on the horizon is that OSTCA has several university faculty members from different universities doing the groundwork concerning a future online scholarly journal for OSTCA, which hopefully can start up sometime in the near future. The first printed issue of the Journal of the Oklahoma Speech Communication Association (JOSCA) was 1972-73. The last printed issue of the Journal of the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association (JOSTCA) was Fall 1997. This new online journal should provide a significant outlet for faculty and university students to have scholarly publishing opportunities. Garret Castleberry of Mid-America Christian University is the chair of the committee researching the Online Journal.