He had his early education in a one-room schoolhouse, before winning a Quiz Bowl scholarship for college, subsequently attending University of Tulsa for his BA.
Since 1980, Revard had become notable as a Native American poet and writer, and published several books, as well as numerous articles about the literature.
[1] His mother was Thelma Louise Camp, a white woman, and his biological father was McGuire Revard, who was Osage.
[1] He was mentored by Professor Franklin Eikenberry, who supported him in applying for a Rhodes Scholarship for study at Oxford University, where Revard matriculated at Merton College in 1952, taking a second class English BA degree in 1954.
[citation needed] Revard's major scholarly focus throughout his career was on medieval scholarship and poetry and their social context.
[6] In 1971-1972, Revard went to England on a sabbatical, where he tried to do medieval research at Oxford during a period of student unrest and disruption that damaged important library resources.
During this period, he also started writing and sending out poems, which appeared in journals and anthologies, including Voices from the Rainbow: Contemporary Poetry by American Indians released by Viking Press in 1975.
[citation needed] He served the American Indian Center of St. Louis as board member, Secretary and President.