Hall of Fame Member Biographies
Ann Lacy
Higher education in Oklahoma requires the participation of diverse people. One group plays a special role in helping colleges and universities achieve excellence: philanthropists. Oklahoma City University, and, indeed, the state and the nation, have been blessed by the philanthropic efforts of Ann Lacy. She attended Oklahoma City University, the University of Central Oklahoma, and the University of Oklahoma. Boundless in energy, she has engaged business successfully in several capacities: in manufacturing, finance, and petroleum. She has always loved the pursuit of knowledge, writing, and dance. She has written many books, is a playwright, songwriter, a former Oklahoma City Mummers Theatre performer, and model. She founded Fashion Oklahoma in 1986. In 2001, Ann Lacy turned her attention to supporting the internationally-known work of Jo Rowan and John Bedford at OCU. With her contributions of both time and money the program was named for her, the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management. She was also instrumental in raising $7.25 million for the renovation of the Edith Kenney Gaylord Center, which includes eight state-of-the-art dance studios considered to be the finest collegiate dance building in the Western Hemisphere. As her love of students grew, she established the OCU-NYC Spring Break Workshops, in which students spend one week learning to live and work in New York City from alumni professionals. It is with gratitude and pride that the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society inducts Ann Lacy into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.