Will Rogers Storyteller: American Humor from the Beginnings to the Oklahoma Cowboy

Will Rogers is one of the most unifying figures in American and World history.

• His ever-widening magical lasso encircled the globe and encouraged people everywhere to ignore their differences and live as one.
• He was a stage entertainer, humorist with a national audience, newspaper columnist, humanitarian, film actor, and much more.
• Over time, he became a national icon.
• People everywhere would quote his homespun wisdom delivered in an "ah shucks" manner that was both appealing and unpretentiously informative.

Rogers roots in American culture and history also went very deep. He inherited his comic style, especially in storytelling, from Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, and the humorous Oklahoma rural traditions where he was raised. He also wore his Cherokee heritage lightly, but proudly. During the last years of his life, he was a traveling ambassador and humanitarian who used his celebrity status to help the poor, homeless, and victims of national tragedies. When he died in a tragic airplane crash in Point Barrow, Alaska, in 1937, the entire world grieved his passing. His gift of laughter was a gift of hope.