by Sandy Sloan
It must have been kismet when David Goldenberg and his wife, Elizabeth-Leigh, decided to purchase a home in midtown Tulsa 10 years ago. At the time, the couple was traveling back and forth from their home in Connecticut to help care for Elizabeth-Leigh’s mother in Muskogee. “We love Tulsa,” Goldenberg comments from his new office on the 2nd floor of the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, “but at the time, we didn’t give it much more thought.”
Back home in Connecticut, Goldenberg was the senior dean at the University of Hartford, coming full circle as he was the first alumnus to obtain this position. In all, he spent 23 years at Hartford, in both an administrative and educational capacity, teaching law and economics. Goldenberg’s background is in academia. He’s worked in universities across the country for the past five decades, never venturing into the arts and museum administration world…until now.
So how did he end up as the new Executive Director and CEO at the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum? “I was just enjoying my sabbatical in Tulsa,” states Goldenberg. “I was writing my newest book, Trials That Shaped America, and taking every Friday off to visit museums and sites in the area. My wife claims there has never been a museum that I haven’t wanted to step into. We visited every museum in the area, from Woolaroc to the Will Rogers Museum, and saw every attraction, from the Blue Whale of Catoosa to the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. We were enjoying being here when Elizabeth-Leigh and friends mentioned that the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum was searching for a new Executive Director. I decided maybe it was time to stop commuting.”
While only on the job since June 1, Goldenberg already has many innovative ideas he plans to implement. “This city is rich in history, but so far the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum has been a quiet museum. My goal is to make the museum appeal to the people in new and informative ways.” One of Goldenberg’s first goals is to bring the museum’s collections to its members. “What this means is our members will receive value-added benefits to their membership by receiving reproductions of historical letters, photographs or artifacts in the mail each month. Each reproduction will come with a letter from the museum explaining how this item is important to the history of Tulsa. Our members will be able to read stories about what life in Tulsa was like during WWII, 1890, or during the 1960’s.” As with every other museum, the Historical Society’s collections are massive and deserving a wider audience.
Since 1987, the Tulsa Hall of Fame has been the cornerstone of name recognition for the Tulsa Historical Society. “Other than this one night, how much does the average citizen of Tulsa know about us?” Goldenberg comments. “I plan to change this by ensuring the historical society rises to be an even more valuable resource to the city. We will also keep up with the ever-changing challenges of the day and things that interest Tulsans.” Photojournalists and researchers from around the world use the Historical Society as a resource, but everyday Tulsans may have no idea of the historical significance of the museum. Goldenberg hopes to change this narrative.
Although raised in an orthodox household, Goldenberg considers himself quite reform. “My wife and I joined the Jewish Community Center and we both enjoy exercising there,” continues Goldenberg. “I look forward to becoming a part of the Jewish community here in Tulsa, although we are not in a rush to join a congregation. Right now, I am too busy thinking about the direction of the museum.”
Besides being a historian, Goldenberg is also a storyteller. His resume states he has the highest percentage of wins of any Division One university basketball coach. “I read that you were a basketball coach”, I inquired. Turns out that while working as the academic advisor at Bradley University, the team was in Italy and the coach had a family obligation and wasn’t able to be at the game. He appointed Goldenberg as an honorary coach and he won the game. “I have a record of 1-0 as a coach,” jokes Goldenberg. I’m confident Goldenberg has many other stories to share over his interesting academic career.
When not thinking about the direction of the museum or re-telling stories from his past, Goldenberg and his wife can be found enjoying Tulsa’s parks, especially The Gathering Place, or if he’s lucky, making plans to go see a San Francisco Giants game since they are now a tiny bit closer to the West Coast!
