Photograph used for a story in The Daily Oklahoman newspaper. “Hundreds of lawyers from all over the state were on hand for the official opening of the Oklahoma Bar Association's new $300,000 Bar Center on Lincoln Boulevard south of the state Capitol building.” Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

The Oklahoma Bar Foundation is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2026! It is with the help of many generous and dedicated lawyers that we have grown throughout the years, and we look forward to celebrating with you at an event on Sept. 18. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn for exciting updates on this event!

It was back in 1946 that the idea and purpose of the OBF began to take shape. The OBA was operating out of various locations and looking for a place to call home. The idea was that a separate tax-exempt organization – the OBF – could construct a building on land it would own to serve as a permanent home for Oklahoma lawyers.

The vision then-OBA President Gerald B. Klein had for the foundation was, however, much broader. The minutes of the meeting establishing the foundation read:

Our primary purpose is to improve the administration of justice, to advance the general welfare of its members, and to serve the interest of our clients and the public. The Oklahoma Bar Foundation will, therefore, be devoted to those ends. Each lawyer is under an obligation to give his support and cooperation.

As only the third bar foundation in the nation when it began, the executive secretary of the OBA called the creation of the foundation “one of the boldest and most imaginative steps in the history of the organized bar ... a step which will inure to the benefit of all lawyers in Oklahoma and redound to the public interest.”

After the completion of the bar center project and building on the collective support and cooperation of Oklahoma lawyers, the foundation looked for other ways to fulfill its purpose and make an impact. One of those was scholarships that would benefit future lawyers and provide recognition to those who had served the foundation and legal profession well. The OBF now administers eight scholarships annually, totaling approximately $60,000.

The first foundation scholarship honored a giant of the bar, Maurice H. Merrill, in 1968. Funded by donations from lawyers across the state, Mr. Merrill was recognized as a beloved professor at the OU College of Law with a long and glorious career at the school. The $500 Maurice H. Merrill Award is given each year to an OU College of Law student involved in the study of public law.

In 1969, a new infusion of funds came to the foundation in the form of a charitable trust established by Tulsa philanthropist Leta M. Chapman, as well as a later bequest to the OBF in her will. Through her gift, Ms. Chapman sought to support her interest in education and honor Tulsa attorney John Rogers, who served as counsel for the Chapman family interests for many years. The $2,500 Chapman-Rogers Scholarship is awarded annually to a student at each of the three state law schools.

Three more scholarships were established in the 1980s and 1990s. OBF Past President A. Francis Porta honored his son, who predeceased him, with a gift to the foundation in his will. The $500 Phillips Allen Porta Award is given each year to the OU College of Law student who has the highest grade in legal ethics.

The Thomas L. Hieronymus Memorial Award honors longtime Woodward attorney Thomas L. Hieronymus with a $500 scholarship to a second- or third-year student at the OU College of Law who intends to practice oil and gas or other natural energy law. Mr. Hieronymus served as the OBF president in 1975 and was recognized by the OBA for 60 years of law practice.

The W.B. Clark Memorial Scholarship was created by Ponca City native Frances C. Eubanks in honor of her father, attorney W.B. Clark. This scholarship is awarded annually to students at the three law schools who are from Kay County.

2016 was the 70th anniversary of the foundation, and in celebration of its past and in looking forward to a bright future, the OBF established the Partners for Justice Scholarship, which is a $5,000 scholarship awarded to students at all three Oklahoma law schools who have demonstrated a need for financial assistance, are in good academic standing and the have proven their ability to succeed as lawyers.

One of two new scholarships created in 2025 is the Emerson/Spector Award, a $500 scholarship awarded to the student at each of the three law schools with the highest grade in family law. This award honors past OBA Director Marvin C. Emerson and OU College of Law Professor Robert G. Spector.

Finally, the Judy Hamilton Morse Memorial Scholarship is a $5,000 scholarship awarded to one student at each of Oklahoma’s three law schools who is in good academic standing and has demonstrated a commitment to high legal standards and involvement in pro bono activities. This award honors Ms. Morse, a former OBF president and a renowned Oklahoma lawyer.

The OBF’s purpose, as stated in 1946, to improve the administration of justice and benefit Oklahoma lawyers and the public, is advanced through the OBF scholarship program as another part of the access to justice pipeline. The OBF is committed to making an impact on the lives of future lawyers, as well as those who so generously brought us to our 80th year, as we seek to bring justice home to Oklahomans.

Ms. DeMoss is the executive director of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.