Community Lecture Series concludes with presentation on the leadership of oilman, philanthropist Lloyd Noble

NEWS RELEASE
Issued - October 22, 2009

ARDMORE, Okla. — Nationally renowned scholar and award winning professor J. Rufus Fears, Ph.D., will shift the focus of the Community Lecture Series from the national to the state level during the final installment of the five-part series. After spending four weeks examining our country's founding fathers, Fears will present Lloyd Noble: Patriot, Entrepreneur and Leader at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Ardmore Convention Center. During his presentation, Fears will examine Noble's life from a boy growing up in Indian Territory to becoming one of the country's most revered oilmen and a dedicated philanthropist.

"Oklahoma owes Lloyd Noble a tremendous debt of gratitude," Fears said. "After the Dust Bowl, Noble, who was always civic-minded, became a champion of our agricultural industry. He founded The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation to assist farmers and ranchers in our region. Today, the organization has become his legacy, assisting almost 1,700 agricultural producers in our region and conducting invaluable plant science research that is stretching around the world."

The Community Lecture Series is open to the public and provided at no cost, courtesy of several private and public sponsors. No reservations are required.

"The lecture series has been an amazing journey through our country's history," said Wes Stucky, president and chief executive officer of the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce. "Each step of the way, Dr. Fears has captivated audiences with his passionate presentations and showed how our history directly ties to today's society. This final lecture on Lloyd Noble promises to be the perfect conclusion as Dr. Fears shows how one of our native sons changed the world."

The Community Lecture Series is an extension of the lifelong learning component of the Ardmore 2020 visioning process recently concluded by the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The series is sponsored by American National Bank, Ardmore Chamber of Commerce, BancFirst, CableOne, The Bramlett Agency, Community Activities, Inc., of Ardmore, Mike and Betty Jane Cawley, The Daily Ardmoreite, Bill and Carrie Goddard, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Community Foundation of Ardmore, Tommy and Billye Joy Craighead, Elmbrook Management Company, First National Bank & Trust Company of Ardmore, Landmark Bank, Mercy Memorial Health Center, Merrick Foundation, Michelin, N.A., Noble Energy, Inc., John and Joan Snodgrass, The Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation, Wes and Peggy Stucky, and Valero Ardmore Refinery.

For additional information about the Community Lecture Series, contact Mary Kate Wilson at 580.224.6246 or mkwilson@noble.org. You may also visit www.noble.org/lecture. For media inquiries, please contact Adam Calaway at 580.224.6209 or jacalaway@noble.org.

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For media inquiries concerning the Noble Foundation, please contact:

J. Adam Calaway

jacalaway@noble.org

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.