George Nigh named King of Oklahoma Senior Follies

Former Gov. George Nigh will serve as the 2016 King of the Oklahoma Senior Follies.

He will reign over all the acts in the Ziegfeld-style extravaganza, which will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 and 3 p.m. Aug. 21 at Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 S May Ave.

Nigh is the fourth Follies King, chosen because of his outstanding service to the community and the state. Others who have served as Follies King are Leland Gourley, Barry Switzer and Dick Sias.

Nigh served four terms as governor, more than anyone in Oklahoma history. He was the first governor to win re-election to a second term. He also served four terms as lieutenant governor. He was elected to the state House of Representatives from McAlester for three terms, the first time when he had just graduated from college. In 1953, he introduced the bill that made “Oklahoma!” the state song.

Nigh also served as president of the University of Central Oklahoma, a position from which he retired in 1997. He now serves as director and adviser in public relations for the International Bank of Commerce in Oklahoma City.

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He wrote his autobiography, “Good Guys Wear White Hats: The life of George Nigh,” in 2000.

He is married to Donna Nigh, and together they established the Donna Nigh Foundation, a nonprofit organization serving Oklahomans with developmental disabilities.

Senior showcase

This year's Oklahoma Senior Follies will showcase senior stars of stage, television and screen. Performances will feature the Follies Beauties (outstanding women from the community), singers, dancers, a ventriloquist, a magician, a pianist in her 90s and an Elvis impersonator.

Tickets to the show may be purchased by calling the OCCC office at 682-7579 or online at tickets.occc.edu. To learn more, go to www.okseniorfollies.com.