On Thursday, Oct. 18, the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage at the University of Oklahoma will release “The Story of Freedom in America,” by the late Professor Rufus Fears.  The Story of Freedom in America will be free and open to the public on freedom.ou.edu, OU’s hub for online civic education.
 
Fears was a noted scholar and award-winning OU teacher.  In his career at OU, he won Professor of the Year three times, and his courses were full every semester.  He passed away on Oct. 6, 2012, having just recently completed filming of  “The Story of Freedom in America” to be part of the Institute’s civic education outreach program, freedom.ou.edu.
 
“Dr. Fears was a unique treasure.  He was a tireless, dedicated teacher.  When we taped these lectures, we knew it was a special opportunity. Little could we have known that these would be the final lectures of such a great teacher,” said Kyle Harper, director of the institute.
 
The Story of Freedom in America “was his way of giving all of us one last gift,” said OU President David Boren. “He will always be remembered at the University of Oklahoma, where he leaves such an important legacy.”
 
The Story of Freedom in America is a complete, 18-lecture course, free and open to the public. Fears, with his inimitable style and his true wisdom, explores the American experience of freedom from the Revolutionary War to the present day. He tells the stories of struggle, sacrifice and heroism that created the unique model of American freedom.
 
Freedom.ou.edu was created as part of OU’s commitment to civic education.  It is the goal of the university and freedom.ou.edu to share these final lectures on the broadest scale possible, so that the legacy of Dr. Fears can be experienced by those who wish to remember a beloved teacher and by those who did not have the opportunity to hear him in person.