Tag Archives: Rob McClendon

Oklahoma culture, Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: Rocket Man

A half century has passed since President Kennedy challenged our nation to do what most thought to be impossible: Land a man on the moon. Yet in just eight years, Neil Armstrong made that giant step for mankind…thanks in great part to the work of several Oklahomans.

Per capita, Oklahoma has more former astronauts than any other state and many were in attendance at an event to honor the fiftieth anniversary of the race into space.  Former astronauts and NASA workers gathered at the Oklahoma History Center to commemorate the 50th anniversary of JFK’s challenge to Congress:

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.” – John F. Kennedy

Few people embody Oklahoma’s pioneering spirit more than General Thomas P. Stafford…a man whose mother came to the state in the back of a covered wagon, while he later rocketed into space. The same passion that took General Stafford to the moon is still evident today in his work to educate a new generation about science and technology.

This week in our video blog, we visit the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma to look into our country’s aerospace history, as well as, the life of an extraordinary Oklahoman.

~Rob

On the Horizon: Rocket Man from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.

Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: Plight of the Wheat Farmer

Do you know where your food comes from? With so many people moving off the farm and into urban areas it’s not surprising we’ve lost touch with our agriculture roots.

When farmers became capable of producing food beyond the needs of their own families, others in their society were freed to devote themselves to projects other than food acquisition. Historians and anthropologists have long argued that the development of agriculture made civilization possible. The total world population probably never exceeded 15 million inhabitants before the invention of agriculture. Now only about two percent of the population (farmers) are feeding the rest of the world. And many of those farmers are over the age of 50. What will happen when they die off? Who will step up and feed the world?

There IS a new generation of farmer. But where grandpa was solely a farmer and could make ends meet with what he earned, the new farmer has to be smarter and work harder usually at two different jobs. In our video blog this week, I travel to Fairview, OK to visit with a farming family to find out just what goes into a wheat harvest and how they are combining life on the farm with life in the office.

~Alisa Hines

On the Horizon: Plight of the Wheat Farmer from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.

Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: Silly, Silly, Silly

No matter where I travel, nearly everyone I meet shares something in common: A love of home. It is a hometown pride that can often take a strong prescription of rose-colored glasses. But unlike successful personal relationships where we overlook a loved one’s flaws, overlooking your hometown’s shortcomings can be disastrous.

I live in an historic neighborhood that borders Oklahoma State University. Built in the 1930’s, it has parks and boulevards of what where well-maintained, tree-lined streets. Recently though, a troubling trend emerged. Family homes were quickly being bought up by out-of-town investors; turning them into rental property. In an effort to make a quick buck, landlords subdivided rooms cramming as many students in as possible. With no place to park, lawns became parking lots and my quaint, easy neighborhood began to spiral downward quicker than I could have ever imagined.

Many of my neighbors moved away, but others decided our neighborhood was worth saving. What started as a grassroots effort, has evolved into a proposed conservation district. Just as you would protect vulnerable eco-systems, they hope to preserve what is Stillwater’s last remaining historical neighborhood. Their efforts are not alone. Across the state, people are realizing maintaining older neighborhoods is a wonderful form of recycling. In today’s video blog, I want to take you to a similar neighborhood in Oklahoma City that is finding new life.

Rob McClendon

 

On the Horizon: Neighborhood Alliance from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.

Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: Second Chances

I recently went on a trip with my Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership class to a garden in Enid. I was very impressed with what I saw and heard and thought it would be a story my fellow Oklahomans would appreciate. So I went back a few weeks later and am glad I did. I think you will be too.

It’s such an uplifting story and one that has a lesson to learn about giving others a second chance. They work closely with the prison in Enid to help some of the inmates who are getting ready to be released. I’ve done other stories about former inmates and the problems they have right after being released and it’s sad the issues they have with just the basics in life…a job and shelter. One gentleman who was released a couple of years ago, couldn’t find a place to live near where he was finally able to get a job because of the city ordinances in place. It had to do with the fact that if you have a prison record, you can’t live within a certain distance near schools, churches, or parks. Well in the town he was trying to move to, schools, churches, and parks were everywhere so he couldn’t get a house or an apartment. He didn’t have a car so he couldn’t live too far from his place of employment. Luckily, he had a wonderful employer who just happened to have a vacant room on the second floor of her business where he could live. The place had a shower and a kitchenette so it was like a mini apartment within walking distance of work. She understood what it means to give a second chance to someone who has made mistakes and atoned for them.

Now I realize the ordinances in that town were put in place to protect people but sometimes you can go a little bit too far in doing so because of fear. Fear that a person with a not so reputable reputation might do harm to your neighborhood. But we shouldn’t let fear cause someone else to be harmed, namely the person who can’t find a place to live and who just wants to be able to contribute to society. They’ve learned their lesson and done their time and are now ready to step up to the plate and be a good, law-abiding citizen. Will there be some who become re-incarcerated? Sure, but is that because they weren’t able to change or is it because they haven’t been given a chance by society to prove they’ve changed. I believe many times its because they aren’t given that chance so all they’ve got is their old life and old way of doing things. They need a helping hand.
Continue reading On the Horizon: Second Chances →

Oklahoma Horizon TV

On The Horizon: Tradition Meets Technology

In a world where technology seems to run our lives, agriculture serves as a role model of how to merge tradition and innovation. Farmers have proven time and time again how they utilize the past to influence the present and continue to provide for our future.

This week we introduce you to a woman who was on the fast track to a corner office in the corporate world but decided she wanted to give back to the environment…and her neighbors. Coleen Thornton is a prime example of how sustainable agriculture is a beneficial way farming can benefit an entire community. From organic crops to hand spun yarn…everything on Thornton’s farm serves a purpose.

Growing up in agriculture, I often heard the stereotype that farmers are cruel to the environment. This ag entrepreneur proves this theme wrong, because in order to be successful in agriculture, it is vital to be a steward of the land.
~Andy Barth

 

On the Horizon: Tradition Meets Technology from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.