OSU to host performance about ‘father of America’s land-use ethic’

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Oklahoma State University will host one of three Oklahoma performances of Jim Pfitzer’s renowned portrayal of the late Aldo Leopold on April 21.

“Aldo Leopold is considered by many to be the father of America’s land-use ethic, an individual who championed conservation, preservation and wise use of our nation’s environmental resources,” said Ed Miller, interim head of OSU’s Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.

Titled “Aldo Leopold – A Standard of Change,” Pfitzer’s performance on April 21 is free and open to the public. It will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Click Hall, located inside the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center on Hester Street north of University Avenue. Seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Leopold was an American author, scientist, university professor, ecologist, forester, conservationist and environmentalist. He wrote the best-selling book “A Sand County Almanac,” which has sold more than 2 million copies. Leopold died of a heart attack in 1948 while battling a wildfire on a neighbor’s property.

All three performances of Pfitzer’s one-man play are made available by a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council.

The other performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. in Oklahoma City on April 20, taking place at the Oklahoma History Center, and for 2:30 p.m. in Tulsa on April 25, taking place at the Hardesty Library.

Sponsors include NREM, OSU’s Department of Interactive Biology, Oklahoma Wildlife Management Foundation, Oklahoma History Center, Jerome Westheimer Family Foundation, Mary K. Oxley Nature Center Association, Tulsa Audubon Society, Dave Zicconi, the Waters family, Oklahoma Leopold Education Project and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.