Who We Are
The People Behind the Project
Crockett and Tonya, the visionaries behind the Lincoln School Project, met during their shared time at Langston University, eventually leading to their marriage and the birth of their three children and grandchild. Tonya grew up in Wichita, Kansas, while Crockett is a native Ozarker and West Plains High School Graduate born and raised in West Plains.
His father, Crockett Oaks Jr. (among other family members), attended Lincoln School until it closed in 1954 following the Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. the Board of Education. Crockett grew up in Lincoln School's history, having always known about it and its past, but he and his wife both discovered renewed interest upon their move to West Plains in 2020.
They both saw the immediate need to preserve West Plains' African American history and culture. They felt a sense of passionate obligation to save Lincoln School and its historical value. This pursuit for preservation led to their purchase of the building from the City of West Plains, a restoration project in 2023, and now their vision to make Lincoln School a cultural hub for community programs, events, and connections.
Crockett and Tonya’s goal is to continue providing viable and credible programming options for all people. What was once a symbol of division and marginalization in the West Plains community is now having a positive impact on a more inclusive future.
The ultimate vision is for the entire community to accept ownership of Lincoln School's past while moving toward a brighter future, individually and united through Lincoln School’s programming.
Crockett Oaks III
A Legacy of Lincoln School
Crockett W. Oaks III is a public historian, historic preservation advocate, civic leader, and retired U.S. Army Colonel whose work explores how communities can use history, place, art, and dialogue to strengthen understanding and belonging.
He is the co-founder and executive director of the Lincoln School Project in West Plains, Missouri, which he established with his wife, Tonya L. Oaks. Together, they restored the historic Lincoln School, a one-room school built in 1926 to educate Black children during segregation, and transformed it into a cultural and educational center devoted to public history, community memory, art, and civic engagement.
The work is deeply personal. Oaks’ father, Crockett W. Oaks Jr., attended Lincoln School as a child. After returning to West Plains following more than three decades away, Oaks became increasingly committed to preserving the history of the African American community historically known as “The Hill.” That commitment has grown beyond the restoration of a single building to include public art, historic preservation, educational programming, cultural tourism, community dialogue, and efforts to preserve other important sites of local African American history.
Oaks brings an unusually broad professional background to this work. His career has included service as an Oklahoma City police officer, FBI Special Agent, international corporate security and business-integrity executive with Shell, senior higher-education administrator, and more than three decades of service in the United States Army and Army Reserve, retiring at the rank of Colonel.
In 2026, Lincoln University awarded Oaks an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of his contributions to historic preservation and community engagement. He also serves his hometown through elected civic leadership on the West Plains City Council.
At the center of his work is a simple belief: preserving history is not only about protecting the past. It is also about helping communities decide what they will remember, what they will learn from that memory, and what they are willing to build together because of it.
Tonya Oaks
Pursuing Connection through History
Tonya L. Oaks is a community leader, educator, cultural preservation advocate, and co-founder of the Lincoln School Project in West Plains, Missouri. Her work centers on creating meaningful opportunities for learning, connection, and community engagement while helping preserve and share the stories of people and places that have too often been overlooked.
Together with her husband, Crockett W. Oaks III, Tonya helped acquire and restore the historic Lincoln School, a one-room school built in 1926 to educate Black children during segregation.
Since its restoration, Lincoln School has become a cultural and educational center that brings together history, art, youth programming, public conversations, and community partnerships.
Tonya has played an important role in shaping the character of the Lincoln School Project from its earliest days. Her contributions have included educational programming, student and youth engagement, community outreach, fundraising, partnerships, artistic direction, and the many behind-the-scenes details required to turn an ambitious preservation effort into a welcoming and active community institution.
Her commitment to education and community empowerment is also reflected in initiatives such as the Lincoln School Scholarship and programs designed to connect younger generations with history, creativity, service, and opportunity.
For Tonya, preservation is not simply about maintaining a historic building. It is about ensuring that the people whose lives were connected to Lincoln School—and the larger African American community surrounding it—remain visible within the story of West Plains and the Missouri Ozarks.
Through the Lincoln School Project, Tonya continues to help create spaces where history can be experienced personally, where young people can see themselves within the larger story of their community, and where people from different backgrounds can come together through education, art, conversation, and shared experience.
At the heart of her leadership is a belief that history is most powerful when it creates connection—between generations, between communities, and between the lessons of the past and the possibilities of the future.
Photos by Gray Photography.