Thomas Jefferson serves as inspiration for the fourth installment of Ardmore's Community Lecture Series

NEWS RELEASE
Issued - October 16, 2009

ARDMORE, Okla. — Nationally renowned scholar and award winning professor J. Rufus Fears, Ph.D., will discuss the life and leadership of the United States' third president during the next installment of the Community Lecture Series.

As the fourth lecture in the five-part series, Fears will present Thomas Jefferson and Our Empire of Liberty at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Ardmore Convention Center. During his presentation, Fears will focus on Jefferson's innate leadership ability and vision, tying into the series theme, Leadership in a Time of Crisis: The Lessons of the Founding Fathers. "At a time when Napoleon declared himself emperor and ransacked Europe, Jefferson peacefully brokered the Louisiana Purchase," Fears said. "This was a milestone in our country's history, ensuring that freedom and a free market economy would spread across a continent."

The Community Lecture Series is open to the public and provided at no cost, courtesy of several private and public sponsors. No reservations are required, and individuals may attend any or all of the lectures.

"While the lecture series focuses on key events in our country's history, Dr. Fears does a masterful job of relating them to today's world," said Wes Stucky, president and chief executive officer of the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce. "Dr. Fears has captivated the audiences in each lecture, and he promises to continue his impassioned presentations. I want to invite people from across southern Oklahoma to see Dr. Fears before the series is over. They will not soon forget these captivating presentations."

The Community Lecture Series is an extension of the lifelong learning component of the Ardmore 2020 visioning process recently concluded by the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The series' final installment, which will be Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Ardmore Convention Center, will shift from the national level to the state level. Fears will present Lloyd Noble: Patriot, Entrepreneur and Leader.

The Community Lecture Series is sponsored by American National Bank, Ardmore Chamber of Commerce, BancFirst, CableOne, The Bramlett Agency, Community Activities, Inc., of Ardmore, Mike and Betty Jane Cawley, The Daily Ardmoreite, Bill and Carrie Goddard, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Community Foundation of Ardmore, Tommy and Billye Joy Craighead, Elmbrook Management Company, First National Bank & Trust Company of Ardmore, Landmark Bank, Mercy Memorial Health Center, Merrick Foundation, Michelin, N.A., Noble Energy, Inc., John and Joan Snodgrass, The Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation, Wes and Peggy Stucky, and Valero Ardmore Refinery.

For additional information about the Community Lecture Series, contact Mary Kate Wilson at 580.224.6246 or mkwilson@noble.org. You may also visit www.noble.org/lecture. For media inquiries, please contact Adam Calaway at 580.224.6209 or jacalaway@noble.org.

09-053

For media inquiries concerning the Noble Foundation, please contact:

J. Adam Calaway

jacalaway@noble.org

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.