See these iconic characters come to life June 9-13
at Northwestern Oklahoma State University-Enid, 2929 E Randolph.
2026 Enid Chautauqua Character & Scholar Bios
William Clark
William Clark was an American explorer, soldier, and government official best known for co-leading the Lewis and Clark Expedition from 1804 to 1806. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson after the Louisiana Purchase, Clark and Meriwether Lewis led the Corps of Discovery across the North American continent to the Pacific Ocean, documenting geography, wildlife, and the cultures of Indigenous nations along the way. The expedition provided critical knowledge about the vast western territories and helped open pathways for exploration, trade, and settlement. In later years, Clark continued to shape the expanding nation as governor of the Missouri Territory and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, influencing early federal relations with Native American nations.
Doug Mishler
Since 1993, scholar Doug Mishler has been nationally recognized for bringing “history to life.” Doug has presented figures from Nikita Khrushchev to Dwight D. Eisenhower. He has made over eight hundred first-person presentations of over thirty historical figures, including Stonewall Jackson, Henry Ford, Pablo Picasso, Theodore Roosevelt, Chuck Yeager, Gene Roddenberry, Ernie Pyle, and P. T. Barnum. The voices in his head keep him busy, but also in the last eight years he founded and has been the Managing Artistic Director of Restless Artists’ Theatre. When not in the theatre or doing his characters, Mishler has taught American Cultural history for over twenty years. Like his idol T. R., Doug believes there is still plenty of time to grow up and get a “real job”—but later!
Previous Enid Chautauqua characters
2025: Al Capone
2024: Earl Warren
2023: Chuck Yeager
2021: Gene Roddenberry
2019: Pablo Picasso
2018: General Black Jack Pershing
2017: Hanging Judge Isaac Parker
2016: Nikita Khrushchev
2015: Ernie Pyle
2014: Theodore Roosevelt
2013: Henry Ford
2012: Jack L. Warner
2011: DW Griffith
2010: Stonewell Jackson
2009: Jefferson Davis
2008: George Wallace
2004: Thomas Hart Benton
William Clark Performance
Tuesday,
June 9
7 pmDoug’s Workshop Schedule
Wednesday,
June 10
12 pmTriumphs & Travails of the Core of Discovery as an Exploration of the American Spirit
________Friday,
June 12
10 amHow the Founding Fathers’ definition of the American Experiment Collided with Jacksonian American Individualism
Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist, women’s rights advocate, and powerful public speaker whose life and work helped shape the nation’s moral and political dialogue in the 19th century. Born into slavery in New York, she gained her freedom and devoted her life to speaking across the country about justice, equality, and the promise of American democracy. Her speeches, including the famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” address, challenged Americans to confront contradictions between the nation’s ideals and the realities faced by many of its people. Through her advocacy and moral leadership, Truth helped broaden national conversations about liberty, citizenship, and the meaning of equality in American society.
Rebecca Marks Jimerson
Rebecca Marks Jimerson is an educator, community engager, cultural storyteller, and performer. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma (B.A.), and attended Oklahoma State University post-graduation (M.S.).
Rebecca is the former chair of Historic Greenwood Chamber of Commerce Black Wall Street, Tulsa Oklahoma, one of the oldest African American chambers of commerce. Rebecca co-wrote the play “Resurrecting Black Wall Street,” based on the 1921 race massacre; it was premiered at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, February 2019.
Currently, Rebecca is adjunct communications instructor and curriculum developer, Southern Nazarene University, and provides community engagement for the Tulsa County sheriff’s office. She serves on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Commemoration Society, Tulsa Arts Council, Arts Alliance Tulsa, and the Booker T. Washington Foundation for Excellence.
Previous Enid Chautauqua characters:
2025: Bessie Smith
2024: Coretta Scott King
Sojourner Truth Performance
Wednesday,
June 10
7 pmRebecca’s Workshop Schedule
Tuesday,
June 9
10 amVisions of Freedom: The American Experience through Poetry
________Saturday,
June 13
12 pmGathering of Stories: America’s Collective Oral History
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was one of America’s first internationally recognized authors and helped establish a uniquely American voice in literature during the early 19th century. Through works such as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, Irving blended folklore, humor, and historical imagination to create enduring stories rooted in American landscapes and traditions. His writings helped shape early national identity by celebrating American settings and characters while introducing American literature to global audiences. In addition to his literary achievements, Irving served as a diplomat and historian, contributing to the cultural and intellectual development of the young United States.
John Anderson
John Dennis Anderson is a retired professor of performing arts and communication studies and an acclaimed scholar performer known for bringing major literary and historical figures to life on stage. A
longtime Emerson College faculty member, he has appeared in Oklahoma Chautauquas and cultural programs nationwide.Previous Enid Chautauqua characters:
2022: Christopher Isherwood
2021: Marchall McLuhan
2018: Ernest Hemingway
2014: Henry James
2012: William Faulkner
2007: Lynn Riggs
1998: Washington Irving
1995: William Faulkner
Washington Irving Performance
Thursday,
June 11
7 pmJohn’s Workshop Schedule
Wednesday,
June 10
10 amWashington Irving and American Politics
________Friday,
June 12
12 pmRetracing Irving’s Tour on the Prairies
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt was a humanitarian, diplomat, and one of the most influential First Ladies in American history. During her time in the White House, she redefined the role of First Lady by actively engaging in public policy, advocating for social reform, and traveling extensively to observe conditions affecting ordinary Americans. Following her tenure, she played a central role on the international stage as a delegate to the United Nations and chair of the committee that helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Through her leadership, writing, and advocacy, Roosevelt expanded public expectations of civic leadership and helped shape America’s role in advancing democratic ideals at home and abroad.
Susan Marie Frontczak
For 33 years, Susan Marie Frontczak has brought history and literature to life. She has presented at schools, libraries, theaters, and corporations across forty-three of the United States, Canada, and Europe. Her motto is, “Give me a place to stand, and I will take you somewhere else.”
Previous Enid Chautauqua characters:
2021: Marie Curry
(This will be Susan’s first performance in Enid. The 2021 Chautauqua performances were done virtually due to COVID-19.)
Eleanor Roosevelt Performance
Friday,
June 12
7 pmSusan Marie’s Workshop Schedule
Thursday,
June 11
12 pmWho Influenced Eleanor Roosevelt?
________Saturday,
June 14
10 amHammering Out Human Rights
Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball was an actress, comedian, and pioneering television producer whose career reshaped the American entertainment industry in the mid-20th century. As the star and creative force behind I Love Lucy, she helped define the modern television sitcom and brought innovative production techniques, including the use of the three-camera filming format before a live audience, into mainstream television. As co-founder and later head of Desilu Productions, she became one of the first women to run a major television studio and helped bring influential programs such as Star Trek and Mission: Impossible to the screen. Through her creativity, business leadership, and cultural impact, Ball helped establish television as a central institution in American life and entertainment.
Leslie Goddard
Leslie Goddard, Ph.D., is an award-winning scholar and actress who has been portraying great women in history for more than twenty years. Before launching her full-time business as a historical interpreter and lecturer, she worked for more than a decade at Chicago-area history museums. With a calendar that now includes thousands of lectures and performances, Leslie is known for her engaging programs that blend memorable stories with historical insight. Her roster of characters includes Amelia Earhart, Jackie Kennedy, Julia Child, Lady Bird Johnson, Rachel Carson, Lucille Ball, and Georgia O’Keeffe.
Leslie is also the author of three books on Chicago history and appears regularly in the popular press discussing her research on midcentury popular culture and American women’s history. In addition to both a B.A. and an M.A. in theater, Leslie holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Northwestern University, as well as an M.A. in museum studies. Her website is www.lesliegoddard.info.
Previous Enid Chautauqua characters:
2024: Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson
Lucille Ball Performance
Saturday,
June 13
7 pmLeslie’s Workshop Schedule
Tuesday,
June 9
12 pmTelevision in the 1950s
________Thursday,
June 11
10 amGrowing Up in the Fabulous 50s: The Decade that Changed Us
