Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The keynote speaker at “Milestones in History,” the 2026 Oklahoma History Symposium, was the Honorable Glenn English, retired CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and former ten-term US representative from Oklahoma’s Sixth Congressional District.
English spoke about his two decades as a US representative from Oklahoma and his leadership of the lobbying arm of America’s 900+ electric cooperatives. The electric co-ops are the ultimate “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” industry. Starting in the 1930s with President Franklin Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Act, co-ops transformed rural America. Hear about a truly grassroots initiative that took hold and thrived in areas for-profit companies refused to serve. The co-ops are doing it again with high-speed broadband service, bringing modern life to rural areas.
The 2026 keynote sponsor was Oklahoma’s Electric Cooperatives.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed during the program do not necessarily represent those of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
The keynote speaker at “Milestones in History,” the 2026 Oklahoma History Symposium, was the Honorable Glenn English, retired CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and former ten-term US representative from Oklahoma’s Sixth Congressional District.
English spoke about his two decades as a US representative from Oklahoma and his leadership of the lobbying arm of America’s 900+ electric cooperatives. The electric co-ops are the ultimate “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” industry. Starting in the 1930s with President Franklin Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Act, co-ops transformed rural America. Hear about a truly grassroots initiative that took hold and thrived in areas for-profit companies refused to serve. The co-ops are doing it again with high-speed broadband service, bringing modern life to rural areas.
The 2026 keynote sponsor was Oklahoma’s Electric Cooperatives.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed during the program do not necessarily represent those of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
