STILLWATER, Okla. — The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum has received a $40,000 contribution from the Oklahoma Historical Society, an agency of the State of Oklahoma.
“We are pleased to be able to help the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with funding for planning, marketing, renovation and operational related expenses,” said Bob Blackburn, Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma Historical Society. “We recognize the historical significance the Hall and Museum represents to the sport of wrestling and want to keep it in our state.”
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame was founded in 1976 to preserve the history of the sport, to recognize extraordinary individual achievement and to inspire youth to lofty goals. It has been maintained through the generosity of private support.
“I want to thank Bob Blackburn, Mike Morgan, and Calvin Anthony for helping support our proposal for funding,” said Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board of Governors Jim Keen of Ann Arbor, Mich. “We appreciate all that the Community of Stillwater, Oklahoma State University and the State of Oklahoma have done for the Hall and Museum to remain a viable attraction for the local, state, and national sports fan and wrestling community.”
The money will be used to offset costs related to renovations, long-range strategic planning, printed promotional materials, operational and maintenance expenses.
“We have a national Board of Governors and wrestling community that have been generous with their support of the Hall over its 29-year history,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the Hall of Fame since September of 2004. “However, for the Hall to sustain a viable operating budget, we must seek additional sources of revenue. When I explained our financial situation to Calvin Anthony, a former and newly re-elected Board Member, we immediately went to work on contacting our state representative, Mike Morgan, and Bob Blackburn to pursue funding from the State. Both Mike and Bob realized that the museum is a historical treasure for the sport and realized the need to support the Hall’s continued presence in Stillwater and the state.”
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