Barbara Masterson Staggs (July 18, 1940 – November 22, 2014) was a longtime educator in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

and a legislator in the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...

. During her time in the legislature, Staggs assisted as a member of the Common Education Committee and was integral in passing many bills, such as one that lead to the creation of the

Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, located in Muskogee, Oklahoma, honors Oklahoma musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The induction ceremony and concert are held each year in Muskogee. Since its establishment in 1997, the Hall of Fa ...

in Muskogee. Staggs earned a bachelor's degree in Education from

Northeastern State University Northeastern State University (NSU) is a public university with its main campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The university also has two other campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow as well as online. Northeastern is the oldest institution of high ...

and both a master's degree in English and a doctorate in Education from the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

. She worked as a classroom teacher for 15 years, then moved up in school administration until she became Superintendent of Public Schools in

Talequah, Oklahoma Tahlequah ( ; ''Cherokee'': ᏓᎵᏆ, ''daligwa'' ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century ...

. Aftr three years in Talequah, she decided to run for the Legislature.

Early life and education

Barbara Staggs was born in her grandmother's home in Hulbert, Oklahoma in 1940 to parents Truman and Veleria Masterson. She was an only child and three weeks after her birth, was moved to and raised in Muskogee. Staggs graduated from

Muskogee High School Muskogee High School (MHS) is a three-year public high school in Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S.. It is accredited by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. Muskogee High School is part o ...

in 1958. She lived her entire life in Muskogee, other than a brief time she spent in Tahlequah, Oklahoma while she was serving as superintendent of the school district. In 1959, Barbara married Ross Staggs on the 29th of August. She received her undergraduate degree in Education from

in 1963. She received her master's degree in English and her doctorate in Education from the

in 1968 and 1987 respectively.

Career

After her education, Staggs taught in Muskogee for 15 years. During her time as a classroom educator, Staggs taught English, drama, speech, and broadcasting. After her time in the classroom, Staggs served as the assistant principal for six years and served as the principal for three years. She was the first female to hold the position of secondary principal in Muskogee. In 1990, Staggs started as the superintendent for Tahlequah public schools. Again, she was the first woman to hold this position and served until 1993 when she decided to run for office.

Legislative accomplishments

Her first term beginning in 1994, Staggs was the first female elected to the legislature in district 14. Some of her accomplishments in office include aiding in passing a bill that provided funding to the

Oklahoma Department of Libraries The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) is a department of the state of Oklahoma and serves as the official state library for the state of Oklahoma. ODL provides information services and management to the state, assists local public libraries, ...

as well as passing a bill that made it legal for persons with disabilities to hunt with a

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fi ...

. Staggs helped with the creation of the

in Muskogee, OK as well as aided in the bill that made throwing objects off of an overpass a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

. She was strongly involved with education legislation and served on the Common Education Committee, and in other capacities. Staggs served for 12 years until her retirement in 2006.

Service and volunteer work

After her retirement in 2007, Staggs was elected to the Chairmanship of Muskogee County Democrats and worked as a Northeastern State University representative. While in retirement, Staggs served her hometown in many facets, including volunteer work with the following organizations: *Leadership Oklahoma *Muskogee Morning Optimists *Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Museum *

Five Civilized Tribes Museum The Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma, showcases the art, history, and culture of the so-called "Five Civilized Tribes": the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole tribes. Housed in the historic Union Indi ...

Three Rivers Museum The Thomas-Foreman Historic Home, also known as the Grant Foreman House, is a house in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States, built by Judge John R. Thomas on a tract of prairie land. It was later named after Thomas' son-in-law, Grant Foreman, by ...

*Muskogee Development Corporation *NSU Alumni board *Board of Directors of Southwest Educational Development Laboratory *

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

*Port of Muskogee board * Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women *Oklahoma Foundation for the Education of the Blind *Noon Lions Club *Service League of Muskogee *Lakewood Girl Scouts *

Soroptimist Soroptimist International (SI) is a global volunteer service organization for women with nearly 72,000 members in 121 countries worldwide. According to Soroptimist.org, their mission statement says that, "Soroptimist is a global volunteer organiza ...

* CASA *Women's Leadership Conference *2010 for Freshman Girls

References

External links

Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program {{DEFAULTSORT:Staggs, Barbara Women state legislators in Oklahoma Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives 1940 births 2014 deaths 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Muskogee, Oklahoma Northeastern State University alumni University of Tulsa alumni