Event to Honor Kerr, Hefner, Other Pioneers Scheduled for Saturday

The Energy Advocates 2007 Centennial Events continue with "A Salute to Oklahoma's Energy Past." The event will honor men and women who have pioneered the energy industry. Among the honorees are the Robert S. Kerr family and the Robert A. Hefner family. Former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating will deliver the keynote address.

Tulsa, OK (PRWEB) June 6, 2007 -- The Energy Advocates will host a "Centennial Salute to Oklahoma's Energy Past" honoring men and women in the energy industry who are now retired or deceased, on June 9th, 2007 at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City, with a reception at 6pm, followed by a dinner at 7pm. Registration availability closes at Thursday, June 8th at 3pm. "It is vital to pay homage to our past that has made our state and nation the great energy leader it is today," commented Mark A. Stansberry, Conference Chair. Slated to deliver the keynote address at the dinner is Former Governor Frank Keating.

The event will honor many individuals and families, including the Robert S. Kerr and Robert A. Hefner families. Robert S. Kerr, Sr. founded the Kerr-McGee Corporation along with Dean A. McGee. He then went on to become governor of Oklahoma and later U.S. Senator. Robert A. Hefner, Sr., served as a state Supreme Court justice and then was a two-term Mayor of Oklahoma City. Both families were active in the energy industry and passed their trade down to their children.

Other honorees include Dewey F. Bartlett, Sr., Dean A. McGee, Jack Graves, Wayne Swearingen, Jim Stafford, Dennis O'Brien, Ruth Knowles, June Brooks, Frank Buttram, Dorsey Buttram, and James Stewart. The Energy Advocates will give Special Recognition to Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick as well as the 42 Oil Patch Warriors. They will also pay tribute with a Special Remembrance/Salute to Josh Cosden, W. G. Skelly, W. K. Warren, J. Paul Getty, The Phillips Brothers, Thomas Gilcrease, Joseph A. LaFortune, Walt Helmerich, Tom Manhart, Claude V. Barrow, Lloyd Noble, Sam Noble, H.R. Straight, W. Alton Jones, H.V. Foster, Burdette Blue, T.H. McCasland, Philip C. Lauinger, Jr., John H. Williams, John E. Mabee, Alfred E. Aaronson, Clarence H. Wright, K.S. "Boots" Adams, Erle P. Halliburton, E.W. Marland, Charles F. Colcord, and Powell Briscoe and others.

There are a limited number of seats left for the event, so early registration is highly suggested. Register by calling the Energy Advocates headquarters at (918) 599-7767 or online at www.energypolicyconference.com.

For more information about the Energy Advocates and upcoming events, visit either www.energypolicyconference.com or www.energyadvocates.org or call the Energy Advocates Tulsa Headquarters at (918) 599-7767.

About The Energy Advocates: Since 1974, The Energy Advocates, a national organization, has provided energy education nationally. The Energy Advocates strongly support all forms of energy. Its primary mission is to inform the general public about our vital energy industry and energy policy issues. To learn more about energy issues, and The Energy Advocates, visit www.energyadvocates.org.

About Frank Keating: Frank Keating became president and CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers in January 2003 after serving two terms as Oklahoma's 25th governor.

As president and CEO of ACLI, Governor Keating is the chief representative and spokesman for the life insurance industry in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. He and his staff work as advocates for nearly 400 life insurance companies that account for 91 percent of total industry assets, 90 percent of the life insurance premiums, and 95 percent of annuity considerations in the United States.

Governor Keating has played a leading role in promoting public policies to boost Americans' retirement security and long-term savings. He regularly advocates on Capitol Hill and to the Bush administration on the need to make Americans' retirement security a national priority.

Born in St. Louis in 1944, Keating grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. His 30-year career in law enforcement and public service included stints as an FBI agent; U.S. Attorney and state prosecutor; and Oklahoma House and Senate member. He served Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the Treasury, Justice, and Housing departments. His service in Treasury and Justice gave him responsibility for all federal criminal prosecutions in the nation and oversight over such agencies as the Secret Service, U.S. Customs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Marshals, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

In 1993 he returned to Oklahoma to run for Governor. He won a three-way race by a landslide and was easily reelected in 1998, becoming only the second governor in Oklahoma history to serve two consecutive terms.

Governor Keating won national acclaim in 1995 for his compassionate and professional handling of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City. In the aftermath of the tragedy, he raised more than six million dollars to fund scholarships for the nearly 200 children left with only one or no parents. His accomplishments as Governor include winning a public vote on right-to-work, tort reform, tax cuts, major road building, and education reform.

Governor Keating serves on the boards of the National Archives Foundation and Mt. Vernon and is President of the Federal City Council, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to improvement of the nation's capital. He is seen frequently on the Fox News Channel as a commentator on a wide variety of topics. Governor Keating also is the author of two children's books, biographies of Will Rogers and Theodore Roosevelt.

Frank and his wife Cathy live in McLean, Virginia. They have three children and four grandchildren.

About IEPC: founded in 1992, the first IEPC was held at the University of Oklahoma. The conference has been hosted by The Oklahoma Royalty Company, The Energy Advocates, The State Chamber, The U.S. Department of Energy, Sarkeys Energy Center/University of Oklahoma, People to People International, The American Gas Association, and Oklahoma Marginal Well Commission. Mark A. Stansberry is the IEPC founder and President of the IEPC founding company, The Oklahoma Royalty Company.

Availability of reasonably priced energy is critical to economic and business development both in the United States and in other countries around the world. It also greatly impacts many other aspects of human development globally.

Past conference locations have included Washington, D.C., Tulsa, OK, and Denver, CO, and Dallas, TX.

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