THE OKLAHOMA CONSERVATION SOCIETY MOURNS THE LOSS OF ONE OF ITS FOUNDING MEMBERS PAULINE HODGES
We are sad to report the passing of Pauline Hodges, Dust Bowl survivor and one of the founding members of the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society. Pauline was a native of Beaver County, born in 1929. She lived through the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
She was a professional educator with a passion for history and particularly history about the Panhandle and the Dust Bowl era.
Because of her knowledge, Ken Burns enlisted Pauline’s talents when he was making his documentary "The Dust Bowl." Pauline was interviewed for the film and invited to Mr. Burn’s headquarters in New Hampshire to serve as an advisor and review the film for accuracy. In 2012 OETA and Mr. Burns partnered to have six community events around the state where an abbreviated version of the film was shown. Following the showing, a panel discussion was held to discuss the impact of the Dust Bowl and the importance of conservation. Pauline was a panelist and represented Dust Bowl survivors. From that point on Pauline was a featured speaker at many conservation events around the state. She served on the steering committee that explored how best to preserve and share Oklahoma’s conservation history. The result was the formation of the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society. Pauline served as an advisor to the board these past eight years. Her leadership and passion for sharing the history of the Dust Bowl and the importance of conservation to Oklahoma will be sorely missed.
If you would like to learn more about Pauline, her oral history is archived on the OSU Library’s website in the Oklahoma Conservation Heritage Collection: https://dc.library.okstate.edu/digital/collection/p17279coll13/id/16/rec/20
We are also providing a link to Pauline’s obituary: https://www.mcneilsfuneral.com/obituaries/Vivian-Pauline-Hodges?obId=42939890#/obituaryInfo