German president opens major exhibition on Peasants' War of 1525
The exhibition, at the town's Museum of Bavarian History, commemorates the 500th anniversary of the manifesto of the peasant movement, known as the twelve articles, written in 1525.
These included principles such as self-determination, justice and social participation, which are an outstanding and enduring testament to Germany's history of freedom, Steinmeier said.
He added that the country is experiencing threats and attacks to liberal democracy - both from within and from outside - with a force that many had not thought possible.
Steinmeier, to applause, remarked that ironically, those who agitate against democratic institutions and only want freedom for themselves or for their group are the ones citing historical freedom movements.
The exhibition, titled "Project Freedom - Memmingen 1525," is open until October 19.
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Notable moments in Nigh's later career As governor, his notable appointments included the first women named to serve as Oklahoma Supreme Court justices, Alma Wilson and Yvonne Kauger. Kauger, appointed in 1984, served as a justice until 2024. A consummate politician, Nigh referenced both his youth, and later his age, while running for office in different decades, something former Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Taylor – who's also from McAlester – wryly noted. 'One thing to keep in mind, back in 1950 when he ran for state representative, his campaign slogan was 'Give a young man a chance.' He used that all through the state representative time and actually when he ran for lieutenant governor,' Taylor said in 2013. 'Then in 1978, when he ran for governor, he changed that slogan to 'Experience counts.'' In 1987, he founded the Nigh Institute of State Government at what's now known as the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. He also served as a 'distinguished statesman-in-residence' at UCO until 1992, when he was named as the university's 18th president. He held that position until 1997, when he retired. Former Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican, remembered Nigh as setting the standard for public leadership in Oklahoma. 'He devoted his life not just to governing, but to elevating our state's spirit – whether through promoting Oklahoma tourism, supporting education or simply being a good neighbor," Fallin said. "He was the kind of statesman every generation hopes for.' According to the National Governors Association, during his career, Nigh chaired the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors, co-chaired the Interstate Oil Compact Commission, served on the Executive Committee of the Southern States Energy Board, chaired the southern Growth Policies Board, and presided over the Council of State Governments. Nigh was also a popular graduation speaker at schools throughout Oklahoma. When he gave the commencement speech in 2024 at East Central, it extended his streak of giving at least one such speech to 75 years. In some years, he delivered as many as 20 graduation addresses. He delivered recorded remarks for Epic Charter School's online ceremony during the COVID-19 pandemic graduation of 2020. His first such speech came in 1950 at a rural two-room, eighth-grade schoolhouse known as Plainview, located north of Arpelar in Pittsburg County. Nigh, then a senior at East Central, was running for the state Legislature but didn't have a car, so he hitchhiked to the ceremony. While the speeches differed from year to year, Nigh said in 2015 they maintained a consistent theme. He wanted graduates to know, 'You can do it from here. … Wherever you are in Oklahoma, you can become successful.' Nigh married the former Donna Mashburn, who was an airline ticket agent, on Oct. 19, 1963. She had a 10-year-old son, Berry Mashburn, and together, George and Donna had a daughter, Georgeann. Both George (in 1989) and Donna Nigh (in 2008) earned induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, considered the highest honor that can be given to an Oklahoman. Burke said George assisted Donna in establishing and maintaining the Donna Nigh Foundation, which provides services to Oklahoma's developmentally disabled. In addition to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, George Nigh was a member of the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Conservation Hall of Fame, McAlester High School Hall of Fame, Eastern Oklahoma State College Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame and was an East Central University Distinguished Alumnus and the recipient of the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award, among other honors. Former Gov. David Walters, a Democrat, recalled Nigh's final public speech, delivered to a packed house of 950 people in Tulsa on June 28, two days after Nigh was checked out of an Oklahoma City hospital after being treated for pneumonia. During the event – in which he was presented with the first Albert Nigh Award for lifetime public service – Walters said Nigh, after he was seated, led the crowd in a raucous singing of 'Oklahoma.' 'I can say without exaggeration that a great man has left this life … a great, great man,' Walters said. 'He believed in public service and devoted his life to it as a legislator, lieutenant governor, and served as governor longer than any other. But the elected positions paled to who he was, a devout Oklahoman, always encouraging others to work together for the common good.' In 2000, Burke published his biography of Nigh, 'Good Guys Wear White Hats: The Life of George Nigh.' The title was a nod to Nigh's political trademark. "What I want the history books to say... is that the state prospered, the people prospered and the state grew,' Nigh said in 1982 after winning re-election. 'I hope history records this was a good period for Oklahoma. I pledge that I will always wear the white hat." Nigh is survived by his wife of 61 years, Donna; daughter Georgeann Duty and husband Steve; his younger sister, Mary Cargill; and grandchildren Macy, Ayla, Chase, Berry and Gray. 'I'm saddened to hear of the loss of a true Oklahoma statesman and public servant," said current Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican. "George Nigh guided Oklahoma through difficult times and led with kindness and humility. Sarah and I are praying for his wife Donna and their family and friends as they remember and honor a life well lived.' This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: George Nigh, former Oklahoma governor, longtime politician, dies at 98 Solve the daily Crossword
