Northern Oklahoma College will celebrate its 125th anniversary Saturday, Oct. 3, with a day of activities on the NOC Tonkawa campus, including a silent auction and purse raffle, historical exhibition and free Quasquicentennial Concert.
The celebration begins with the NOC Foundation Silent Auction/Purse Raffle from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the Renfro Center. The concert is at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25 and include heavy hors d’oeuvres. The event is for patrons 21 and older.
More than 50 items will be available in the silent auction, including OSU Football Suite Tickets, a TS Fork Gift Certificate, a fire pit and other items.
The raffle prize is a Louis Vuitton Diane designer bag valued at $2,700. Raffle tickets are $10 each or 12 for $100, with the drawing held during intermission of the Quasquicentennial Concert.
Funds raised from the auction and raffle will benefit NOC’s First-Generation Scholarship and Program Support.
The college’s 125th anniversary historical exhibition will be open beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Eleanor Hays Art Gallery at the Kinzer Performing Arts Center.
Curated by Gallery Director Audrey Schmitz, the exhibition highlights NOC’s history from its beginnings as University Preparatory School through the present day.
The collection includes a stone mason’s mallet used in the construction of Central Hall, ashes from the 1914 Wilkin Hall fire, vintage Roustabouts costumes, Maurice Brewer’s 1931 football jersey and cleats, historic sports trophies, college yearbooks, student newspapers and other artifacts.
The exhibition also features historical photographs, early diplomas chronicling the institution’s name changes, paintings of campus scenes by NOC Art Professor Emeritus Gene V. Dougherty and 60 framed Faces of NOC highlighting alumni success and the college’s impact on former students.
The day’s activities conclude with the free Quasquicentennial Concert at 6:30 p.m. in the KPAC’s Dineo Heilmann Auditorium.
Northern Distinguished Alumnus and Tonkawa native Jerry Steichen will serve as conductor and host for the concert, which features guest pianist Dr. Thomas Lanners, NOC Fine Arts faculty, the Roustabouts and a 57-member professional orchestra.
A special tribute will honor Heilmann, NOC Fine Arts chair emeritus, former Roustabout and Northern Distinguished Alumnus, for his contributions to NOC and the musical community of north central Oklahoma.
A highlight of the concert will be Lanners’ performance of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” on NOC’s nine-foot Steinway concert grand piano. The Roustabouts will also present a musical journey spanning the group’s history from its founding in 1963 through today.
“This concert gives us an opportunity to celebrate not only Northern’s 125-year history, but also the people who have made music and the arts such an important part of that history,” Steichen said. “Bringing so many musicians with longstanding connections to Northern back to Tonkawa makes this a particularly special evening.”
The concert is free and no tickets are required. Doors open at 6 p.m. A reception will follow the concert, providing guests an opportunity to visit with Roustabouts, musicians and guest artists.
The Oct. 3 celebration commemorates NOC’s founding in 1901 as University Preparatory School and its 125 years of serving students and communities across northern Oklahoma.
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