Hall of Fame Member Biographies

John Bedford

John Bedford served as dean of Oklahoma City University’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management for more than two decades, building a fine arts program of national distinction. A native of Alabama, he earned three degrees at the University of Oklahoma. In collaboration with his wife, Jo Rowan, chair of the OCU Dance Department, Bedford helped to grow the dance department from four majors to more than 200, and developed new undergraduate and graduate programs in arts management. Earlier, he was manager of the Dallas Ballet and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2005.