Paul F. Lambert, Ph.D., was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. He holds degrees from Murray State College, East Central Oklahoma State University, and Oklahoma State University. Lambert served the Oklahoma Heritage Association for thirty-two years as executive director, president, and historian in residence. He retired from the Oklahoma Historical Society in 2016 after serving ten years as membership and development director and coordinator of the annual Oklahoma History Conference. He has authored, co-authored, or edited sixteen books related to the history of Oklahoma and the petroleum industry, including You Know We Belong to the Land: The Centennial History of Oklahoma with Bob L. Blackburn.