Representative Barbara Staggs is a twelfth –year Democratic legislator from District 14, which covers the eastern half of Muskogee County and the western-most strip of Cherokee County. She serves Muskogee, Ft. Gibson, Braggs, and Hulbert communities. She has been a member of the following committees: Appropriations and Budget, Common Education, Public Health, Retirement Laws, Career and Technology Education, Economic Development, and Higher Education.
Having spent twenty-five years in public education as a teacher, principal and superintendent, Representative Staggs is keenly interested in supporting legislation which will benefit education- whether it is Career and Technology Education, Common Education, or Higher Education. In prior sessions she has been the Chairperson of all three education committees. She believes that sound public education systems are critical to the economic growth and quality of life in Oklahoma. Any legislation dealing with children or the elderly is also a primary concern of hers.
In 1996, she authored the legislation which designated Muskogee as the site as the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame Museum. In 1999, additional legislation was passed creating an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame Board of seven members. This state-wide organization was formed to facilitate fundraising and to establish a permanent museum facility to honor the history and legacy of Oklahoma’s music. The Friends of Oklahoma Music is responsible each year for the induction ceremony which is the outstanding event of the year for the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Staggs was born in Hulbert and moved to Muskogee while only a few weeks old. She attended public schools in Muskogee, graduated from Northeastern State University in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in education. In 1968, she received a master’s degree in English and in 1987, a doctorate in education, both from the University of Tulsa. Her dissertation concerned a study of the implementation of selected legislative policies in school districts in northeastern Oklahoma.
She has been married for 47 years to Ross Staggs, who retired after more that 40 years as the owner of a small business in Muskogee. They have two sons: Rick (44) who lives in Nevada and Matthew (38) who lives in Muskogee. She and her husband are members of the First Baptist Church in Muskogee.
She is a member of Leadership Oklahoma, Breakfast Optimists, Soroptimist, Int., Five Civilized Tribes Museum, Service League of Muskogee and the Chambers of Commerce in Muskogee and Fort Gibson.
For her outstanding track record of public service, especially in the realm of kick starting the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame at the legislative level, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame is proud to announce Barbara Staggs as the 2006 recipient of the Governor’s Award for excellence in service to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.