Harold Verne Keith, the son of Malcolm Arrowwood and Arlyn Kee Keith, was born on April 8, 1903, in Lambert, Oklahoma Territory, where his father was a grain buyer. From 1921 to 1924, Keith attended Northwestern State Teachers College. In addition to his studies, he wrote for daily and weekly newspapers in Watonga, Alva, Cherokee, and Enid, Oklahoma. After transferring to the University of Oklahoma, he became sports editor for the Oklahoma Daily, the student newspaper. Many of his columns dealt with the history of Sooner athletics, emphasizing the individuals as well as their accomplishments. Some of these columns were picked up by daily newspapers throughout the state.

Keith's experiences as a long-distance runner for the University of Oklahoma Brief Garland, 1971 The Runt of Rogers School, 1971 The Bluejay Boarders, 1972 Susy's Scoundrel 1974 The Obstinate Land, 1977 Forty-Seven Straight: The Wilkinson Era at Oklahoma, 1984 taught him the philosophy he later put...