Our History

For 75 years Tulsa Town Hall has presented our community with the gift of knowledge, wisdom and experience as shared by the world's most acclaimed leaders in business, politics, media, literature and academia.  Reviewing the topics covered is like reading a cultural history of our world since Tulsa Town Hall was founded in 1935.  Originally lectures were held at the Ritz Theater with luncheon following in the Crystal Ballroom at the Mayo Hotel.  Subscribers numbering 400 were entertained by authors such as...

          Thornton Wilder

          Sinclair Lewis

          Edna St. Vincent Millay

 And speakers addressing issues of the da...

          "Developments of China" by Robert Berkov in 1937

          "The Coming Victory for Democracy" by Thomas Mann in 1938

          " The Ten Greatest Thinkers" by Will Durant in 1939

Over the decades, Tulsa Town Hall speakers documented our changing world, our culture and our interests.

40s and 50s

Thomas Haart Benton

Norman Vincent Peale

Norman Cousins

60s

Maria Von Trapp

Pearl Buck

Helen Hayes

Ralph Nader

70s

David Niven

Vincent Price

Art Buchwald

Charles Kuralt

Donald Rumsfeld

80s

Phil Donohue

William F. Buckley

Gerald Ford

Madam Jehan Sadat

Maya Angelou

David Brinkley

Henry Kissinger

90s

Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Charlton Heston

Judith Viorst

William Raspberry

Lesley Stahl

James Lovell

Dr. Robert Ballard

A new millenium brought to the Tulsa Town Hall stage fresh faces...

Senator George Mitchell

Arun Gandhi

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Jaun Williams

Ken Burns

Bob Schieffer

And thought provoking topics...

"Becoming a Catalyst for Change" by Erin Gruwell

"Lessons of the Roman Empire for America Today" by Dr. J. Rufus Fears