Beth and Jim Tolbert have enjoyed a long and rich engagement with the civic life of Oklahoma City . They have provided leadership and support for the Arts, Education, Health Care, Social Welfare, and Economic Development. The common threads that unite their very individual efforts are a love of design, a passion for anything that improves the quality of life of Oklahoma City and almost anything that relates to reading and the wider appreciation of books.
Beth served on the Metropolitan Library Commission from 1982 until 1992 and was Chair from 1989 until 1992. During her term as Chair she was instrumental in the formation of the Library Endowment Trust. A lifetime member of the board of the Arts Council of Oklahoma City she twice served as co-chair of the Festival of the Arts. She has served as a board member and chair of the Oklahoma City Arts Commission providing significant leadership in the development of public art competitions and the selection of art for public building. Her most satisfying and demanding experience was as Co-Chair of the Design Solicitation Committee which administered the international design competition for the Oklahom City National Memorial. For these and many other contributions she was awarded the Mary Baker Rumsey Lifetime Commitment Award by the Junior League of Oklahoma City in l997.
Jim is currently serving as chair of the State Arts Council, the regional Mid America Arts Alliance and the Dean A Mc Gee Eye Institute. He is chair emeritus of the Myriad Gardens Foundation. He also is a lifetime board member and two time festival co chair and board chair for the Oklahoma City Arts Council. He is a former chair of the Oklahoma Foundation for the Humanities and their endowment trust Humanities in Oklahoma . He serves as Chair of the Board of visitors of World Literature Today. In 2002 he chaired the committee that recommended to the governor, the appointment of Fran Ringgold as Oklahoma 's Poet Laureate. He has received many awards and honors including the Dean A McGee Award and the Life Time Achievement Award from the College of Medicine Alumni Association .
In l977 the Tolbert's purchased the Full Circle Bookstore which has grown to become the largest independent bookstore in the state and an institution in Oklahoma City . Full Circle has taken as part of its mission the support of Oklahoma authors and the encouragement of literacy and writing. Under the imprinter Full circle Press it has even published two books.
Beth and Jim have four children and eight grandchildren. In l999 they were jointly recognized by the Oklahoma Health Science Foundation as Oklahoma Treasures.
The Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma County includes 12 libraries and five extension libraries. Libraries include Belle Isle, Capitol Hill, Ralph Ellison, Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library and Southern Oaks in Oklahoma City, as well as Bethany, Choctaw, Del City, Edmond, Midwest City, Village and Warr Acres. Extensions are located in the communities of Harrah, Jones, Luther and Nicoma Park and include Wright Library in Oklahoma City . You can also reach us at www.metrolibrary.org.
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