Oklahoma State University Libraries celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with acclaimed artist Ken Brown on June 25, becoming the permanent home for Brown’s calligraphed version of the Declaration of Independence. 

Special guests included OSU President Jim Hess, former regent and professor Lou Watkins, Cimarron Chapter members of the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution, and more. 

Brown was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, in 1941. He enrolled at OSU in 1961, discovering his talent for calligraphy art. He left OSU shortly after, starting a successful commission-based business in Dallas. Later in his studio in Hugo, he created his Declaration of Independence art piece to celebrate the United States Bicentennial in 1976. His art piece earned recognition at the time, being hung in the office of then-United States Speaker of the House Carl Albert. 

Brown's calligraphed version of the historic document features his signature lettering style, using India ink and birch plywood. Instead of replicating the signatures exactly, he arranged them in historical order in which the document was signed. 

The OSU Libraries also featured an 1833 copy of engraver William J. Stone’s Declaration of Independence at the event. Stone was commissioned by John Quincy Adams, then secretary of state and a future president, to create an engraving of the document for preservation. The engraving is printed on delicate, thin-woven paper and is 26 x 29 inches.