Louisa McCune


Louisa Douglas McCune was a philanthropy executive and magazine editor, working in the contemporary arts and animal well-being. She was the executive director of the in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where she was engaged with arts and culture, education, animal well-being, environmental conservation, and historic preservation. Under McCune's direction, the foundation has established two major animal well-being initiatives for the state of Oklahoma, to make the state "the safest and most humane place to be an animal by 2032", and to increase Oklahoma's cat and dog "live release" rate to 90 percent by 2025. Both of these efforts are a part of the foundation's initiative.
McCune was also the editor in chief and co-founder of ', a contemporary arts magazine published quarterly by the Kirkpatrick Foundation. Her background in publishing and editing includes a thirteen-year term as editor in chief of Oklahoma Today, preceded by an internship at Harper's Magazine and freelance work for ', ', George, Mirabella, New York, ', and Harper's Magazine's Franklin Square Press . Her first job in journalism was at the Enid News & Eagle '', as a general assignment reporter. McCune's last publishing project was '' '','' which she co-edited with Teresa Miller. The book was distributed by the University of Oklahoma Press.
McCune often credited a number of influencers in her work, including Christian Keesee, Steven Walker, Joan Henderson, and Lewis Lapham.
McCune died August 10, 2024, aged 54, from cancer.

Education

McCune graduated from Enid High School in 1988 from her hometown of Enid, Oklahoma. She studied at Colorado Mountain College from 1988 to 1989, and then the University of Colorado, Boulder, from 1989 to 1990. In 1992 she graduated with a bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University.

Kirkpatrick Foundation

McCune joined the in April 2011 as executive director. She is also secretary of the Board for the foundation.
In 2016 the foundation published '. It is the first comprehensive study of a geographic region and its animal population. In 2018, McCune oversaw the production of ', a manual created for veterinarians to use when dealing with cases of animal cruelty. The original version of the manual was created by .
As part of the Kirkpatrick Foundation's Safe & Humane initiative, the was established in 2015 as a triennial event, hosted and directed by McCune. Other conferences organized under McCune's direction include the event in April 2018 and the Intersection conference for, where the "Animal Friendly" Oklahoma Specialty updated license plate was unveiled.

''Oklahoma Today''

From 1997 to 2011, McCune served as editor in chief of Oklahoma Today magazine, a bimonthly print publication focused on the culture, food, places, people, and history of Oklahoma. Under her direction the magazine was awarded three Society of Professional Journalists Best Magazine awards, two Magazine of the Year awards from the, and other national and state-level recognition.

Publications

In addition to contributions to these literary publications, McCune has judged the National Magazine Awards,, and the,an award honoring college-level creativity.

Boards

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Professional awards

  • Community Service Award
  • Pride of the Plainsmen Award
  • Achiever Under 40
  • Bill Thurman Memorial Media in the Arts Award at the Oklahoma Governor's Arts Awards
  • Forty Under 40 Oklahoma City Leaders
  • Thirty Under 30

Interests and advocacy

McCune is an advocate for animal well-being, including farm animal welfare, particularly for pigs and chickens, rural communities, and fair markets for farmers and ranchers. She has also expressed opinions regarding private prisons and the over-incarceration of Oklahoma citizens. In 2016, McCune led a non-partisan public education initiative for Kirkpatrick Foundation related to, also known as Right to Farm.
McCune has been a painter since her teenage years, crediting Alex Georges of Houston, Texas, with introducing her to the hobby. Over the years, she has exhibited paintings in Oklahoma City, once at a small salon showing in 2000 and again in 2018 at .

Personal life and accomplishments

McCune is the daughter of Edward Allison McCune, a surgeon, and Margaret Douglas Rucks McCune, a homemaker. Her great-grandfather, W.W. Rucks, was the co-founder of Oklahoma City's Wesley Hospital, which went on to become Presbyterian Hospital and later . Her grandmother, Louise Earthman Rucks, wrote a column for thirty-six years about animals for The Daily Oklahoman called "Hound Hill", which is now the namesake for McCune's residence. McCune's paternal great-grandfather, John Starr Allison, was known as the pioneer town physician in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, for many decades until his death in 1955. Her paternal grandfather, Edward H. McCune, was an educator, recognized for his published works of poetry. He also coached Pretty Boy Floyd in basketball during his time in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. McCune is of Scottish descent. McCune has three older siblings: Joe McCune, a lawyer; Allison Davis, an entrepreneur; and Evelyn Stival, a homemaker.
McCune is the mother of three sons, with whom she resides: McCune ; Rucks; and Edward. Her eldest son appeared in a Flaming Lips film, Christmas on Mars, as "the baby", in a dream sequence with a Martian marching band. She was married to Chad Elmore from 2004 to 2015.
From September 1992 to May 1993, McCune lived in West Africa, where she had temporary employment with Evergreen Helicopters on a World Health Organization project to eradicate onchocerciasis. McCune received her FAA Pilot's License in 1993. In 2002, she founded the Sallie McFarland Rucks Memorial Reader Series at Wilson Arts Elementary School in Oklahoma City. She is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City. In 2006, McCune successfully nominated editor Lewis Lapham to the American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame. In his letter of support, Kurt Vonnegut described Lapham's absence from the hall of fame as being akin to Babe Ruth not being in Cooperstown. He was inducted in February 2007.