USAO supporter and long-time advocate of social studies education Eugene Earsom is
a 1970 graduate of the Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts. He earned a master’s degree
from the University of Oklahoma in 1981.
He is the program director for the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education. Prior to OKAGE, Eugene was an educational consultant for the Educational Development and Instructional Team in Oklahoma City, director of social studies education and social studies coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Education and was a social studies teacher in Moore and Yukon.
He received the Outstanding Service Award from the Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies in 2004, the Star Employee Award from the Oklahoma Department of Education in 1999, the Linda Myers Chozen Award for Teaching Excellence in Civic Education from The Close Up Foundation in 1996-97, the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year in 1989-90 and the Oklahoma Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 1988-89.
He has been a member of the Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies, National Council for the Social Studies, Council of State Social Studies Specialists, Oklahoma Education Association, National Education Association, Oklahoma Council on Economic Education, Phi Delta Kappa, Oklahoma Educator Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Institute for Teaching East Asia and the American-Soviet Youth Exchange.
Eugene has had the opportunity to study and train in Japan, China, Indonesia, Oklahoma, California, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Washington, D.C. His personal travel has taken him to Canada, Mexico, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Italy, the United Kingdom and several other countries. He is a life member of the USAO Alumni Association and has served on the board of directors three different times.