Oklahoma's favorite son, Will Rogers, is remembered every day at the Will Rogers Memorial museum in Claremore, Okla.  He will receive special attention as Oklahomans celebrate 100 years of statehood.

   "A Centennial Salute to Will Rogers" will be the theme of a "Books and Authors" dinner on Friday, March 16, 2007 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.  The dinner is a highlight of the Will Rogers Writers' Workshop, which will be attended from writers from all across the country, March 15-17, 2007.  Additional information may be found at the workshop Web site www.willrogersok.org.

   Jesse Mullins, Jr., editor of the American Cowboy magazine, will be the featured speaker at the dinner.  Mullins, a graduate of Oklahoma State University, has communicated his love of the American West in the bi-monthly publication for the past 12 years.

   Kem Rogers, a grandson of the beloved cowboy-philosopher, will be a special guest at the dinner.  He will present the 2006 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award to John Boston of The Signal, Santa Clarita, Calif.

   The two top winners of the Will Rogers Writing Contest, George Waters of Pasadena, Calif., and Eileen Mitchell of Paltine, Ill., will be recognized at the dinner.

   Mullins was honored with the presentation of the Will Rogers Communicator Award in July 2006 on the occasion of the second annual "National Day of the American Cowboy", an event that resulted from a campaign by the magazine and its readers.

   Under his direction, American Cowboy published a three-part series on "Will Rogers, America's Most Beloved Cowboy."  He has placed Will's production of "The Roping Fool" on the magazine's Web site www.americancowboy.com.