Award-Winning Journalist and Po-Hi Graduate Mike Boettcher to Appear May 17 in Ponca City

World-renowned broadcast journalist Mike Boettcher will return to Ponca City Friday, May 17, to deliver remarks and answer questions in a fundraiser for the Po-Hi Alumni Hall of Fame Endowment Fund. The upcoming “Evening with Mike Boettcher” will give attendees an unvarnished look into war correspondence and terrorism investigation.

Boettcher is a 1972 graduate of Ponca City High School as well as a charter inductee of the Ponca City High School Alumni Hall of Fame.

“Evening with Mike Boettcher” will take place at the Conference Center of Pioneer Technology Center. Doors of the PTC Conference Center will open at 6 p.m. with an appetizer buffet provided by Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters and a cash bar presented by fellow Po-Hi graduate Rick Hancock and Rusty Barrell Supper Club. HteaO will sample several tea blends.

Boettcher’s presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. with Ponca City Public Schools Superintendent Adam Leaming serving as Master of Ceremonies. Boettcher will be introduced by his sister-in-law, Suzanne Boettcher. Audience members may write down questions for Mike to be read by Leaming.

Boettcher is a multiple Emmy and Peabody awards recipient for his work reporting from war zones across the globe. He has survived IED blasts, bombings, gunfire and kidnapping. His latest contribution is “An American Bombing: The Road to April 19^th (2024)” now streaming on Max, formerly HBO Max. It is executive produced by his good friend and former NBC colleague Katie Couric.

“Mike’s first-hand knowledge of reporting on our troops engaged in combat and fighting terrorism is second to none,” says event co-chair Sandy James. “He saw the Berlin Wall come down and was embedded with our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also covered the bombing in Oklahoma City and was one of four journalists approved to interview Timothy McVeigh in prison. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for our community to hear from one of own who has lived the experience.’”

The event host is the Law Firm of Boettcher, Devinney, Ingle and Wicker. Event sponsors include Rick and Carol Scott, Quality Pools and Spas, the Renfro Family Foundation, Greenwood Aerospace, Evans and Associates Enterprises, Tom and Sherry Muchmore and Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters.

Tickets to the event are $30 with proceeds to fund scholarships for graduating Wildcats to further their education including technical training and certifications as well as pursuing college degrees. Tickets are available at Ponca City Chamber of Commerce, 402 E/. Grand and the Board of Education Building, 613 E. Grand. To purchase tickets directly on-line visit https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/KHNZWBGKC325J.