Jon Finch likes nothing better than to lure an impassive student to a Broadway show and watch the transformation.

A strong supporter of the arts, both regionally and nationally, Finch has made it his job to guide and encourage young people to appreciate, if not participate, in the fine arts arena.

"Nothing brings me more satisfaction than to expand a student's horizons beyond what they've learned in the classroom,"  Finch says.  "It is fascinating to watch their enchantment with the theater...it changes their lives."

Well aware of Finch's abilities, the University of Central Oklahoma's President Roger Webb wasted no time bringing the once-retired Finch to UCO to design and act as consultant for the President's Series, Broadway Tonight.

Webb said he believes it is the "university's mission to enlighten and enrich both students and the community with cultural and educational offerings."

Finch knows this business of entertainment.

He travels with a slim address book packed full of phone numbers that go beyond aunts, cousins, and childhood friends.  He thinks nothing of picking up the phone to dial people like Shirley Jones or Carol Channing or Betty Garrett.  These people are true friends.

Actress Shirley Jones calls Finch a "true impresario of this business--the arts and music."

A native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Finch's introduction to the world of entertainment began as a young man who thought traveling with a circus might help his attempts to write children's literature.

Finch learned how to clown and spent a summer entertaining the audiences of a Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus clutching a dog named Beauregard.  He hung out with aerialists, bareback riders, a human cannonball named Hugo Zaccheni, and an elephant trainer with a doctoral in English Literature.

Despite the glamour and glitz of performing, Finch found his true calling behind the scenes.

Five years of publicity and promotions work for the circus led Finch to New York and the Broadway theater where he broke ground as company manager for Hello Dolly! with Channing.

He learned to appreciate the "long hours of rehearsal, learning lines and the ache of a dancer's legs."

Over the years, he toured the country with Shirley Jones in Maggie Flynn, Chita Rivera in Sweet Charity, and Robert Goulet in The Happy Time.

But Finch never divorced himself from Oklahoma and finally, tired of days on the road and "all motels looking the same."

Teaching English and journalism made sense to Finch who carried his enthusiasm to the classrooms of Northeastern State University.

He was a natural for helping Dr. Don Betz, vice president of University Relations, organize the Sequoyah Institute, a vision of Webb's, who was president at the time.

Under Finch's direction, the community enjoyed the talents and stature of Gregory Hines, Richard Thomas, Carol Channing, President Gerald Ford, President Jimmy Carter, Shirley Jones, Carol Lawrence, John F. Kennedy, Jr., and journalist Helen Thomas.

Finch said audiences grew from 150 to over 1,000 in Tahlequah as the program developed.

In 1997, Finch was chosen as the recipient of the Governor's Arts Awards for national and statewide achievement in contributing to the cultural enrichment of the state of Oklahoma.

At Webb's request, Finch soon joined the UCO staff to oversee the development of the Broadway Tonight series.

Since its inception in 1998, Broadway Tonight has presented entertainers like John Astin, Shirley Jones, pianist Pearl Kaufman, Sandi Patty, Roger Williams, Betty Garrett, Carole Cook, Carol Lawrence, Betsy Palmer, journalist Helen Thomas, The Lettermen, Patti Page, and Broadway shows Tap Dogs, Me and My Girl, Phantom, Jekyll & Hyde, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Forever Plaid, Lost Highway, and many more.

"I love the arts because it teaches us about life, gives us an appreciation of our own individuality...we learn about mankind."