Viewing farmers as "the foundation of American liberty and civilization," State Superintendent of Public Instruction and School namesake Evan Dhu Cameron urged Oklahomans to afford "agriculture the place of honor and esteem" he believed it deserved. For him and those who thought as he did, choosing city over farm life was an "unnatural and dangerous tendency" because it destroyed the family structure that made agricultural production possible. [1]

 

1. "Cameron Calls a Meeting For Benefiting Rural Life," Lawton Constitution, February 19, 1909.