Joe Russel Kreger (born 1939 in Tonkawa, Oklahoma) [1] served twice as poet laureate of the American state of Oklahoma. [2] He was previously appointed in 1998 after the death of Betty Shipley, [3] and reappointed in 2021. [2] Kreger was the first poet laureate of the state to be considered primarily a "cowboy poet,", [2] preceding Eddie Wilcoxen (2011–2012) and Jay Snider (2023-2024). Born in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, [2] Kreger has spent most of his life as a rancher. [3] [4] [5]
His poems have been published as Lookin' at Life (1997, Innovative Broadcast Corp) and Still Lookin' (2000, Doane Agricultural Service). [6] [7]
Joe Kreger was born in Tonkawa, Oklahoma. [1] His father was a medical doctor who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. [1] Kreger earned a bachelor's degree in animal science in 1961 [7] and a master's in agricultural education in 1968 from Oklahoma State University. [8] He served in the U.S. Army Reserves, worked for Redbud Hereford Ranch, taught at Northern Oklahoma College, and then founded his own ranch, Kreger Ranch. [7]
The High Plains Journal has published numerous poems by Kreger: [9]
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