RSU Bartlesville Senior Reflects on Woolaroc Internship

To plan for his future, RSU senior Sam Anderson went back to the past.

Over the summer semester, Anderson served as an intern at Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve in Bartlesville.

Woolaroc is a world-class art museum and 3,700-acre wildlife preserve located southwest of Bartlesville, originally serving as the ranch retreat of oilman Frank Phillips.

According to Anderson, his appreciation for the museum long preceded his interest in pursuing a career in history or museums.

"Growing up in Bartlesville, I'd been to Woolaroc several times over the years, and I always loved it - every time. It's such a remarkable museum," Anderson said. "As I got older, I became more and more interested in becoming a museum director myself, so in addition to majoring in general history, I sought out museum internships. Woolaroc made the most sense, since it's right here in Bartlesville."

Anderson told RSU Bartlesville Campus Director Ronda Riden about his interests, and she said an internship at Woolaroc was the fruition of a long-planned partnership with the museum.

"Samuel is a brilliant student who has always had a passion for history," Riden said. "When speaking with him and knowing about his desire for an internship, I knew the exceptional opportunity for him would be Woolaroc.

"A few years back I met with Woolaroc CEO Kevin Hoch with a vision of partnership," she continued. "We wanted more than just allowing RSU students free entrance to Woolaroc - we wanted students to have the opportunity to enhance their educational journey with hands-on engagement at Woolaroc with internships, and this vision has now come full circle."

With Riden's help to facilitate discussions between Anderson and Woolaroc Director Shiloh Thurman, Anderson experienced an internship that began in early June and lasted through the final week of July.

"There weren't any 'typical' days. My duties and what I did were never really repetitive," Anderson said. "Basically, I shadowed Mr. Thurman as he went about his duties at the museum, learning about the art, how it was acquired, about Mr. Phillips, some of the programs with which the museum is involved, and things you would never think about - how humidity affects the collection, for example, or testing some of the taxidermized displays for arsenic as - at certain times - arsenic was used in taxidermy, so there's a process for getting rid of that. It was extremely informative, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity. It really validated my desire to be a museum director."

Anderson's final week of the internship was spent helping with Woolaroc's KidsFest, an event that features arts and crafts, games, live music, inflatables and more.

Currently on track to graduate in the spring 2025 semester, Anderson said he plans to either look for a job or start working toward his master's degree.

For more information about RSU Bartlesville, visit www.rsu.edu/bartlesville.

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