September 20, 2025

logo
Login Subscribe
Google Play App Store
  • News
    • Obituaries
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinions
  • Sports
  • E-edition
  • Calendar
  • Archives
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertisers
    • Form Submission
    • About Us
    • News
      • Obituaries
      • Lifestyle
      • Opinions
    • Sports
    • E-edition
    • Calendar
    • Archives
    • Contact
      • Contact Us
      • Advertisers
      • Form Submission
      • About Us
Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame announces final artist selected for Merle Haggard bronze sculpture
news
November 1, 2023
Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame announces final artist selected for Merle Haggard bronze sculpture

Singer had Checotah connection

MUSKOGEE – After conducting a national search for several months, the Merle Haggard Statue Committee made up of community and industry leaders in Muskogee, Oklahoma, have finalized their selection for the artist to create this work of art.

Haggard was born in Bakersfield, California, in 1937, but his parents, Jim and Flossie Haggard, owned a farm near Checotah before leaving the state in 1935.

The artist receiving this commission is Benjamin Victor, currently living in Boise, Idaho. Benjamin has become known nationally for his beautiful work, specifically with his unique brand of detailed results on skin and faces.

Benjamin, originally from Bakersfield, only a “stones’ throw” away from where Merle Haggard lived in the same city. Five out of his eight siblings have become skilled musicians in a variety of musical genres.

Ben said, “I was raised listening to Merle’s captivating songwriting and remarkable voice as far back as I can remember.”

In his first semester of art school, Benjamin took a required sculpture class. He said, “as I picked up the clay for the first time, the Lord manifested a gift in me that is hard to explain with words.”

Victor talks of how much support he received from his professors very early on in school and from his family and the almost automatic drive he felt to create this work. His finished pieces can be found in more than 50 public spaces from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC to Rome, Italy.

Chairman of the Merle Haggard Statue Committee for the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, Derek Gibson stated, “Our committee has had the vision to honor Merle Haggard with a memorial statue at the Civic Center in Muskogee since it formed in 2015. We are proud to have raised the funds privately by likeminded “Okies” and are ready to roll! In my opinion, Ben Victor is the finest sculptor today to capture Merle in a way that will honor Merle for generations to come.”

Merle Haggard has become a legend in country music and has left behind a legacy for Muskogee, Oklahoma because of his great song “Okie from Muskogee.” Recorded at the Muskogee Civic Center on July 17, 1969, the song has taken on an internationally recognized life of its own.

“Okie from Muskogee” has been performed by musicians throughout the world in pubs in Ireland, on bluegrass radio stations in Australia, and covered by scores of recording artists.

The site selected for the sculpture to reside will have a view of the Civic Center where the iconic song was recorded and you can see “old glory waving down at the courthouse, while next to the finished statue. The project is expected to take about 12 months to complete.

When submitting his work and story for this commission Benjamin said he was humbled to apply for this project. It was clear that he had a lifetime of great respect for Merle and felt everything he has done thus far has prepared him for this important work.

Benjamin Victor’s gallery of work can be seen on his website benjaminvnvictor. com.

School Board Association honors Pippenger, Madewell
A: Main, news
School Board Association honors Pippenger, Madewell
September 17, 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY - Eufaula School Board President Jeff Pippenger and Checotah School Superintendent Monte Madewell were honored for their contribution to education during the annual Education Leadership ...
A: Main, news
Brace yourself for traffic disruptions
September 17, 2025
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will begin its long-awaited street project on Main Street (SH 9) in downtown Eufaula next week. An ODOT spokesman said traffic control will begin Monday, Sept...
A: Main, news
McIntosh is Candidate for 2025 Miss Indian Oklahoma
September 17, 2025
Miss Janaya McIntosh of Eufaula is a candidate for the upcoming 2025 Miss Indian Oklahoma pageant. The Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women (OFIW) pageants offer young Native American women a chance to...
A: Main, news
Ford holding food drive
September 17, 2025
Ford dealers around the world are joining together to conduct the World’s Largest Ford Dealer Food Drive, now through Sept. 25. The local dealership where you may drop off food is Sam Wampler’s Freedo...
A: Main, news
LEA 2025 Golf Tournament Sept. 26
September 17, 2025
The 2025 Lake Eufaula Association Golf Tournament is just a week away, to be held Friday Sept. 26 at Arrowhead Golf Course, 3657 Main Park Rd., Canadian. Registration is at 8 a.m., shotgun start is at...
A: Main, news
POW/MIA Ceremony is Friday
September 17, 2025
On Friday, Sept. 19 the VFW Post 8798 Auxiliary will host a dinner in honor of soldiers who have not returned home from battle. The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the Post dining room on SH 9 east.
ePaper
google_play
app_store
Editor Picks
A: Main, news
Lake Eufaula Out of Darkness Walk this Saturday
September 17, 2025
Don’t miss the Lake Eufaula Out of Darkness Walk this Saturday, September 20. Come walk and show your support as locals bring awareness to suicide and how you can prevent it. “Being able to see the wa...
A: Main, news
Flag exchange drive
September 17, 2025
VFW Auxiliary 8798 would like to help you properly dispose of your worn out flags. We will exchange your worn 3x5 United States American Flag for a brand new one. Dates will be shared over the upcomin...
A: Main, news
Tribal Town Spelling Bee Sept. 27
September 17, 2025
The Eufaula-Canadian Tribal Town and the MCN Language Preservation Program will host the 10th annual Mvskoke Language Spelling Bee Competition on Sept. 27 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Eufaula Indian Co...
A: Main, news
Suspect awaits sanity decision in Minner case
By MICHAEL BARNES 
September 17, 2025
When a June 10 headline shook the community—Selby Minner, beloved blues musician and cultural icon, found dead—the shock reverberated through Rentiesville and far beyond. The one arrested for her murd...
Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosts 4th Annual Capitol Camp
news
Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosts 4th Annual Capitol Camp
By LaDonna Rhodes Staff Writer 
September 17, 2025
117 FFA and 4-H students from across the state convened at the Oklahoma State Capitol for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s 4th Annual Capitol Camp held Sept. 3 – 4. The camp was an immersive twoday experien...
Facebook

THE EUFAULA INDIAN JOURNAL
100 N. 2nd Street
Eufaula, OK 74432

(918) 689-2191

This site complies with ADA requirements

© 2023 THE EUFAULA INDIAN JOURNAL

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Policy