FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                          April 11, 2005 

NORTHWESTERN MUSEUM RECEIVES NEW EXHIBITS 

            A specimen of the ancient and now rare Jacob’s Sheep has been added to collection of the Museum of Natural History at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. The mounted sheep’s head and nine other specimens come from the extensive collection of the late W. B. “Woody” Blackstock of Bartlesville.

            The black and white Jacob’s Sheep, whose name comes from the patriarch Jacob in the Old Testament, has four horns.

Northwestern also received mounts of a fallow deer, pronghorn antelope, Rocky Mountain elk, Dall sheep, Stone sheep, Russian boar, Pacific sailfish, dolphin, Canada goose and widgeon (duck).

            The new additions were donated to Northwestern by Blackstock’s daughter, Ruth Grant of Fort Collins, Colo. Other items from the collection were donated to the Oxley Nature Park in Tulsa; Har-Ber Village at Grove; the Children’s Museum at the Will Rogers Museum at Claremore and the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks.

            “This donation was very generous. We added some North American mammals that we did not have, as well as some excellent mounts of flying birds and fish,” said Dr. Vernon Powders, professor of biology and curator of the museum. “Mrs. Grant visited the museum before deciding to make the donation, and we’re very proud to be a recipient of these materials.”

            Blackstock, who died in 2004 on his 91st birthday, worked for Phillips Petroleum Company for 48 years, retiring as the gas and gas liquid settlement director. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America and served as a deacon at his church for 58 years. He was a member of the Bartlesville Park Board and a long-time member of Ducks Unlimited, serving as state chairman for two years. The local Bartlesville chapter of Ducks Unlimited has been named in his honor.

            Blackstock was an avid hunter and fisherman his entire life and fished and/or hunted most of North America from Alaska and Canada to Mexico. He held the Master Angler’s Certificate and was a life member of the North American Hunting Club.

            Most of the Blackstock collection now is on display in the Northwestern Museum located on the second floor of Jesse Dunn. It is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday when classes are in session. Special tours may be arranged by calling Powders at (580) 327-8564.

-NW-

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