FOCUS Magazine Spring 2015

FOCU SALUMNI MAGAZINE of OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITYSPRING 2015 OKCU.EDU

20YEARS LATER

Oklahoma City University remembers through art and education

Robert Henry, President Susan Barber, Provost

ADMINISTRATIVE CABINETJim Abbott, Assistant Vice President

for Intercollegiate AthleticsKent Buchanan, Assistant Provost

Joey Croslin, Chief Human Resources OfficerLiz Donelly, Dean of Students

and Acting Vice President for Student AffairsGerry Hunt, Chief Information Officer

Mary Jenkins, General CounselDonna Nance, Chief Financial Officer

Charles Neff, Vice President for University-Church RelationsMarty O’Gwynn, Vice President

for University Advancement and External RelationsSandy Pantlik, Senior Director of University Communications

Elizabeth Sheppard, Assistant Vice President for DevelopmentKevin Windholz, Vice President for Enrollment Management

ALUMNI RELATIONSCary Pirrong, BS ’87, JD ’90, Director of Alumni Relations

Mike Slack, BA ’07, MA ’12, President, Alumni Board

EDITORIAL STAFFSandy Pantlik, Senior Director of University Communications

Leslie Berger, BA ’02, Editor of FOCUS and Director of Public Relations

April Marciszewski, Art Director of FOCUS and Graphic Designer

WRITERSRod Jones, MBA ’12, Assistant Director of Media Relations

Terry Phelps, Professor of EnglishRich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications

PHOTOGRAPHERSJosh Robinson, Web Content Coordinator

M.J. Alexander, School of Music Director of Media and MarketingTanner Ives, Assistant Sports Information Director

Michael Anderson, performingartsphotos.comJerry Hymer, Hymer Photography

FOCUS A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73106-1493

(405) 208-7000Story Ideas: [email protected]

Alumni News: [email protected]

FOCUS is produced semiannually by the Communications and Alumni departments for alumni, parents, and friends of Oklahoma City University.

Oklahoma City University pledges to recruit, select and promote diversity by providing equality of opportunity in higher education for all persons, including faculty and employees with respect to hiring, continuation, promotion and tenure, applicants for admission, enrolled students, and graduates, without discrimination or segregation on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, handicap or disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

The Chief Human Resources Officer, located in Room 108 of the Clara E. Jones Administration Building, telephone (405) 208-5075, coordinates the university’s compliance with titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Printed on recycled paper.

CONTENTS

FEATURESLearning Grammar with Style 5

Witty Professor Wins Over 14

Toastmasters, Students

Vocalist's Legacy Continues 16

With Each New Scholarship Student

OCU Honors the Donors 26

Who Have Given So Generously

Events Debut Symphonic Music, 37

Celebrate President's Partners

DEPARTMENTSPresident's Message 1

Letters 2

University Update 4

Alumni 12

Homecoming 13

Giving 16

Athletics 17

Class Notes 19

In Memory 23

O N T H E CO V E R

TIME HEALSTheatreOCU explores the lives of those affected by the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the School of Law works to further the legal profession with a new center supporting homeland security, and the Stars community reflects on the terrorist act of 20 years ago.

PA G E 6

Members of the “20th Anniversary Oklahoma City Bombing Project” cast. Back row, left to right: Benjamin Roberts, BFA acting freshman; Lauren Matheny, BFA acting and English minor senior; Elizabeth McCreight, BFA acting senior. Middle row: Tanner Bradshaw, BFA acting senior; J.D. Whigham, BFA acting senior; Cody Wimmer, BFA acting senior; Michelle Roselle, BA theatre performance senior. Front row: Amy Fuhrman, BFA acting senior; Emily Hawkins, BFA acting senior. Not pictured: Corrinne Mica, BFA acting/theatre for young audiences and directing minor senior, and Ian McGee, BFA acting junior. Photo by Josh Robinson

Stay Up-To-Date Between Issues: okcu.edu // Read the Archives: okcu.edu/focus

FROM THE PRESIDENT

okcu.edu // 1

A University in Service and Connection to its CityOUR UNIVERSITY’S BOND TO OKLAHOMA CITY has never been stronger, as this issue of FOCUS will attest. More than a century ago, OCU, then Epworth, tied its future to Oklahoma City and we have never looked back.

As this issue goes to print, we are preparing for the grand opening festivities celebrating the move of our School of Law to its downtown location, an evolution made possible by the support of our community, donors, alumni, and dedicated employees. All have chosen to invest in the bright future of our university and students. I believe it is an investment that will show extraordinary returns.

We often say that OCU is “Oklahoma City’s University.” That sentiment has perhaps never been more evident than through the projects planned by our university to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. During the official weekend marking the anniversary, April 16 – 19, our School of Theatre will perform an original, verbatim play based on the interviews of people impacted by the bombing 20 years ago. This groundbreaking work by an award-winning playwright is a gift to our city and its people.

The School of Law will open the Judge Alfred P. Murrah Center for Homeland Security Law & Policy to examine the legal issues central to protecting and securing our nation, especially in the area

of domestic terrorism. The bravery and commitment needed to do projects like these require special students and a special university. They also speak to our liberal arts core, reaching across schools and disciplines to create authentic experiences for our students to interact with their world. OCU alumni and supporters should be very proud that the tradition of the Oklahoma Standard is alive and well at our university.

This spring, there is much to celebrate across our campus and across our city. Jan and I are honored to be a part of this remarkable, resilient, and shining OCU family.

Best Regards,

Robert and Jan Henry

President Robert and Dr. Jan Henry Photo by M.J. Alexander

Left: Oklahoma City University School of Law's new building downtown. Right: The Survivor Tree at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Photos by April Marciszewski

PRESIDENT’S POST

Lauded LeaderPresident Henry received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service from Leadership Oklahoma on Feb. 28.

Congratulations on receiving the Lifetime Award. You are most deserving of it. Oklahoma is very fortunate, and you have served all of us well.

REGENT IKE GLASS JR.Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

I’m so proud to be a student in your school, Mr. Lifetime Achievement.

NANCY BLANKENSHIPOklahoma City

BRAVO, ROBERT!

This year, LOK definitely got it right! My applause and best wishes.

DON BETZPresident, University of Central Oklahoma

2 // FOCUS Spring 2015

Tidings of Joy“Vespers” was the perfect way to remember the true reason for the season. It was spectacular.

CHRISTOPHER REENPresident, Publisher The Oklahoman

Friday evening was glorious. We thoroughly enjoyed your holiday party. Thank you for making our holiday special by having us as your guests.

MELVIN AND JASMINE MORANSeminole, Okla.

A very happy Christmas and greetings for 2015!

EMMA NICHOLSONBaroness Nicholson of Winterbourne

Future CounselPRESIDENT HENRY,

Thank you for taking the time to meet and have lunch with me. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation about law school, Will Rogers, crab cakes, and everything in between. I really appreciate your input regarding this next step in my life.

Sincerely,

TRIPP LOPEZ

More than 250 Oklahoma City University singers and orchestral musicians celebrate “Songs of Comfort and Joy” at the Christmas Vespers performances. In its 36th year, this community Christmas tradition blends carols, scripture, poetry, and seasonal music. Photo by performingartsphotos.com

Hundreds of letters come across President Robert Henry’s desk every semester. Following are excerpts of what friends of the university have to say about President Henry and OCU.

DROP US A LINE: [email protected] // 3

PRESIDENT’S POST

Friendly ExchangeI sure hope this letter brightens your day. I was at an antique shop here and found this old circa 1935 picture card of your beautiful school. It’s an old-time classic for sure. So I thought to myself, “By golly, I’ll send it back home where it can be appreciated.” Our heritage is important to all of us. Lots of changes, too, over the years, I suppose. Enlarged, it will make a nice display.

Well, I gave $5 for it so if you want it for $6 or $7 or so, why that’s sure OK. Throw in a little postage if you want, too.

My wife says if I hear from you I will have to take her to lunch. I am 86 years old and still going strong.

I like to call my little hobby “a redistribution of happiness.” Our world sure needs it.

LOWELL JOERGStockton, Calif.

MR. JOERG,

Thank you so very, very much for sending along the OCU postcard! I am glad your keen eyes spotted it and that you were kind enough to send it my way. I love seeing small artifacts such as this, so it truly did brighten my day with its arrival.

I will find a nice spot to display the postcard, and I know others will enjoy it as well.

Thanks again for taking the time to send it along,

ROBERT HENRY

P.S. Enclosed is $10 — you lose — take your wife to lunch!

Championship TeamOn behalf of the NAIA, our staff and the Lawrence Host Committee, I want to congratulate you on winning the 2014 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship! To achieve such success takes dedication, time and a tireless work ethic.

It was great to see the Stars capture their second-consecutive national championship title. The student-athletes, coaches and fans that represented Oklahoma City University in Lawrence were excellent ambassadors for the university and the NAIA.

JIM CARRPresident and Chief Executive Officer National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

Charitable NotesThank you so much for your generous support of the Basket Ball Cancer Gala. Together we made a significant difference in the fight against cancer.

SHERRI COALEUniversity of Oklahoma Women’s Basketball Head Coach

Thank you for coming to our philanthropy event this semester. At “Chops Tackle Hunger,” we raised over $800 for Feeding America!

JOSEPH SIMPSONVice Chair for External Relations Lambda Chi Alpha — Theta Delta Chapter

The postcard, mailed in 1935, describes OCU, saying, “the tower of the administration building may be seen from most parts of the city.”


UNIVERSITY UPDATE

Grad Admissions Gains DirectorMichael Harrington has joined Oklahoma City University’s admissions department as director of graduate admissions.

He has spent 14 years working in higher education, including admissions roles at the University of Tulsa, Texas Tech University, Asbury Theological Seminary, and Oklahoma Baptist University.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and a master’s degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. He also completed graduate studies in higher education at Texas Tech and is working toward a Doctor of Education from Oral Roberts University.

Business Programs Among Nation’s BestOCU’s Meinders School of Business was ranked No. 2 in the country in the 30 Great Small Colleges for an Accounting and Finance Degree list by the Master of Finance Degrees website.

The rank order among the top 30 schools — out of a pool of more than 500 — was determined by consensus of Master of Finance Degrees staff, “based solely on the presence of innovative and exceptional programs,” according to the report.

The organization noted OCU’s Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation and stated that “many accounting firms, including the so called ‘big four’ audit firms — which are Deloitte, PwC, Ernst and Young, and KPMG — recruit Oklahoma City University graduates.”

OCU earned the AACSB accreditation last year, joining the ranks of less than 5 percent of business schools worldwide.

Master of Finance Degrees is a Web resource for prospective finance students in their schools search. The site also helps users explore career options.

Culture for CaringKramer School of Nursing Professors Staci Swim and Vanessa Wright, BSN ’11 and MSN ’13, gave a presentation at the third annual Middle Eastern Nurses and Partners in Caring Science Conference this February in Jordan. Their talk, titled “The Lived Experience of Nurse Educators’ Encounters with Incivility in the Educational Environment,” was based on group research conducted last August as part of a qualitative research course.

Student Nurses Association members donate baby blankets to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Hospital. Pictured at center, Michelle McEver, MSN ’10, is the unit manager.

Broadway Banter: World-renowned actress and singer Patti LuPone answered questions from musical theatre students and City-Rep Artistic Director Don Jordan, BA ’80, during a visit to OCU. The Tony Award-winning performer brought her concert, “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, … Played That Part” to Oklahoma City in March. Photo by Josh Robinson

Michael Harrington

BOOST YOUR CAREER: okcu.edu/careers // 5

UNIVERSITY UPDATE

‘Soul of Society’ ReleasedChild advocate and OCU sociology professor M. Nicole Warehime recently released a book about how children and youth are shaped by the cultures through which they are raised. “Soul of Society: A Focus on the Lives of Children and Youth” was printed by Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Warehime hoped to raise a discussion about how people describe children and youth as the future of society. She explores how this future can create platforms for a cleaner environment, improvements in education, better health care systems, and increases or decreases in social welfare programs, among other issues.

In the book, contributing researchers discuss children and youth as the “souls of society.” This perspective can be interpreted as analyzing how a society prepares them to become the future. Researchers from six different nations investigated the daily lives of children and youth in seven countries. Three broad themes emerged — interaction with place or environment, developing with the various agents of socialization, and reaction to deviance and crime in their daily lives.

Warehime’s areas of research interest include aggression and violence, interpersonal violence and child maltreatment. She is an active member of the International Society for Research on Aggression, where she serves on the recruitment committee and received a Young Investigator’s Award for early scholars in the field.

As a child advocate, Warehime serves on the board for the non-profit organization Redeeming the Family. The organization serves Oklahoma children affected by the incarceration of a parent.

Warehime earned her Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from OCU in 2002, and a master’s and doctorate in sociology from

Grammar Turned on its HeadBY TERRY PHELPS, PH.D.

Grammar often prompts frustration, embarrassment, insecurity, miscommunication, and debate. Why? Grammar books are loaded with abstract, terminology-laden rules and exceptions that hinder understanding.

Consequently, I have written an e-book, “Grammar Upside Down,” to make it easier to understand grammar and to show applications beyond correctness: clarity, conciseness, and style. The title comes from the method I employ: instead of beginning each concept with a rule or definition and terminology, I begin with examples of patterns and lead the reader through simple analysis to see the patterns. Then I provide the rule/definition/terminology for what the reader has already figured out. The focus is on learning the patterns, not the

terminology. Many students have told me that after completing my book, they really understand grammar for the first time. Example?

Consider the semicolon. When renowned novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr. spoke in OCU’s Distinguished Speakers Series 12 years ago, he disparaged semicolons: “All they do is show you’ve been to college.”

On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln once wrote, “With educated people, I suppose, punctuation is a matter of rule; with me it is a matter of feeling. But I must say I have a great respect for the semicolon; it’s a useful little chap.”

Indeed, semicolons are useful.

the University of Oklahoma in 2004 and 2008, respectively. She now serves as the chairwoman of the department of sociology and criminal justice and the director of the Master of Science in criminology program at OCU.

Career Services for LifeThe Martha Burger Career Services Center recently welcomed Amelia Hurt and Casey Theivagt to its staff as director and assistant director. Both are dedicated to helping students and alumni with career planning and development goals.

“Alumni are a very special part of the OCU community, and our commitment to success extends beyond the classroom walls,” Hurt said. “The mission of Career Services is to prepare individuals for a lifetime of professional and life success, not just the job that comes after graduation.”

Staff members are available to assist students and alumni who are navigating the professional world for the first time and those considering a career change. The center also seeks to connect with alumni who are in a position to provide leadership and insight to students and graduates. Among the services offered are resume review, interview preparation, on-campus recruiting events, job fairs and various online resources. For more information, call (405) 208-5171 or email [email protected].

Amelia Hurt

Casey Theivagt

SCHOOLED ON SEMICOLONSRead Terry Phelps’ short lesson at okcu.edu/focus

Editor’s Note: “Grammar Upside Down” will be available soon at

amazon.com.


THROUGH HISTORY

The ‘20th Anniversary Oklahoma City

Bombing Project’ depicts ‘new chapters’

through first-person stories

EmergingStories by SANDY PANTLIK

TEXT: text // 7

WHEN BRIAN PARSONS INTERVIEWED FOR THE ASSOCIATE DEAN OF THEATRE POSITION AT OCU

last February, he proposed the School of Theatre do something to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in downtown Oklahoma City. When Parsons got

the job, he quickly emailed Music Dean Mark Parker and reconfirmed his commitment to lead a project exploring the healing process that followed the tragic April 19, 1995, event when 168 lives were lost and a city was forever changed.

Parson’s dream, the “20th Anniversary Oklahoma City Bombing Project,” will come to life April 16 – 19 when OCU students and faculty produce and perform an original play based on interviews, conducted two decades after that fateful spring morning, with more than 35 first responders, family members of victims, survivors, and officials.

“OCU is Oklahoma City’s University,” Parsons said. “We have a unique opportunity and responsibility to respond through art. In some ways this work is a living memorial and a celebration of the tenacity, recovery, and healing process.”

Performances are free to the public, and a percentage of proceeds from the play’s publication following the event will be donated to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.

“We are extremely grateful for the help we received from the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum and its executive director, Kari Watkins,” Parsons said. “It is our intent for this play to parallel the mission of remembrance, resilience, and hope.”

Parsons said when he proposed the play, OCU’s theatre season had already been set with 58 shows, more than any theatre school in the country produces. Due to the project’s importance, the play was worked into the season on the weekend of the official anniversary commemoration of the bombing.

OCU commissioned award-winning playwright Steve Gilroy, author of several works, including “Motherland,” which toured the United Kingdom in 2009. The powerful drama shared the stories of women whose everyday lives were touched by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gilroy, who lives in England and is director of performing arts at Northumbria University, specializes in the genre of verbatim theatre, a documentary for the stage usually based on personal interviews and transcripts.

Gilroy and Parsons had worked together at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London years before. “When Brian approached me about the project, initially I wasn’t sure,” Gilroy said. “Partly due to the logistics of working on a project so far away, and I had a number of other projects going on in the U.K., and I had just become a new father.

“In the end, I thought this opportunity is never going to come around again. What an amazing chance to learn about a whole community coming together around

The Oklahoma City Bombing Project cast meets with director Courtney DiBello and playwright Steve Gilroy for a read-through of the original script. Photo by Josh Robinson

this seismic, tragic event. I thought, ‘This is going to be a really interesting journey. Hold on to your hats.’ And that’s what it’s been like. I have no regrets.”

The personal interviews that form the foundation of the play were conducted by OCU students, faculty, Gilroy, and Parsons.

OCU English professor and Carrithers Endowed Chair in Writing and Composition, Brooke Hessler, played an essential role in the project. Through a service-learning initiative since 2002, Hessler has been teaching OCU students to conduct oral histories related to the Oklahoma City bombing. She and her students collaborated with Parsons and Gilroy to collect and transcribe interviews. Hessler is also the dramaturg for the project.

Gilroy listened to the hours of recorded interviews to write the script for the two-hour play. He said the Oklahoma City bombing project reminded him of his work on “Motherland” when he met and interviewed women who witnessed severe injury to their sons and daughters through war.

“The most dominant feeling at the beginning was trying to process the emotions. If I’m not in the interviews, I am listening to the recordings. Sometimes


it kind of creeps up on you. I am making lots of notes, thinking about it from a technical point of view, how one story connects to another story, how are we going to theatricalize this. Then afterward, maybe an hour later, I find myself choking on my dinner because I’m welling up. Through the interviews, you hear people revisit the pain of these experiences, but also you get to share the joy of their recovery and their transformation through their experiences.”

Gilroy said in this verbatim process, usually interviewers have to work quite hard to coax stories from people.

“For this project, there is this incredible honesty that comes from people. I haven’t seen that before in any other project I’ve done. I think that is something about the people of Oklahoma City. As soon as you start, people will talk about their experience of the bombing and that’s one thing; but once they start to go beyond that, there are all sorts of different stories that say a lot about peoples’ ability to recover. They find themselves 20 years later where they are no longer defined by what’s happened and they are able to open new chapters in their lives.”

In verbatim theatre, the way the interviewee tells a story is exactly how the dialogue is represented in the play, resulting in an authentic, truthful experience for everyone involved, from the actors to the audience. The playwright weaves the dialogue together to create a story.

“What’s been amazing is we had our first conversation in October. Normally this process would take at least a year to complete,” Parsons said. “It shows how much the people of Oklahoma City and those involved in this project are keen to share their experience and take the time to continue the process of healing and remembrance.”

Courtney DiBello, instructor of stage management and faculty adviser at OCU, will direct the production. She believes another special part of the play is that the student actors and crew were either not born yet or were babies at the time of the bombing.

“For these students who are participating in the production, and to a large extent the students who will be seeing the production, this is an education as well as a theatrical experience. Especially for the student actors, it is a new experience for them to work on a character that isn’t fiction. They are going to be playing contemporaries who went through something. Even though they (the students) weren’t personally impacted, their lives’ trajectory would have been different without this event. Their parents raised them differently because of this event. The world was different because of this event. I think there is a huge impact not just for the global audience but for the micro community of us. It will change them.”

OCU is Oklahoma City’s University. We have a unique

opportunity and responsibility to respond through art.

—BRIAN PARSONSAssociate Dean of Theatre

‘‘

Cast member Emily Hawkins, a BFA acting senior from Dallas, has a role in the play and conducted interviews for source material. She has been in theatre since she was 8 years old. Photo by Josh Robinson

20th Anniversary Oklahoma City Bombing ProjectPresented by TheatreOCUKirkpatrick Fine Arts Center, OCU CampusBurg Theatre

• Thursday, April 16, 8 p.m. • Friday, April 17, 8 p.m. • Saturday, April 18, 8 p.m.• Sunday, April 19, 2 p.m.

Admission is free. Four-ticket limit per reservation. Call (405) 208-5227 for tickets, or visit okcu.edu/ticketoffice

ATTEND THE PLAY: okcu.edu/ticketoffice // 9

Emily Hawkins, a senior BFA acting major from Dallas, has a role in the play and conducted interviews.

“It has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, personally and professionally,” Hawkins said. “It is a story of strength, as opposed to a story of weakness. You have an immense responsibility to do

these people and their stories justice. It’s a bit daunting. Along with the significance of the project, it has been amazing to really learn how to put a show together from scratch so when we are out in the industry, we can create our own work as well.”

Bryan Bauer, a junior BFA theatre design and production major and business major from Edmond, and stage manager for the play, said the entire cast and crew is emotionally invested.

“Everyone has been so kind and gracious — because we are students, we were babies when this happened, we are learning alongside the people watching the play,” Bauer said. “I think there is something fascinating about new works in general. It is awesome to be a part of something that is bringing new theatre into the world. It is even more impactful because I grew up in Oklahoma, we go to school here, it is close to home. This play is going to be published with the original cast listed. In all the plays we’ve read before, we see the original cast on that first page of the script. Now that will be us.”

Gilroy said there are about 30 characters in the play. “The student actors will never forget the relationship they make with the person they play or have interviewed. It becomes quite a special experience. One that isn’t like any other acting experience they will have in their

lives unless they do another work like this. They don’t know yet how they will be transformed, but it will stay with them for a long time.”

Living in London, Parsons experienced the constant domestic terrorism threat of the Irish Republican Army, and was within a mile of the Harrod’s department store bombing in 1983 by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. “The OKC bombing is vivid for me. I was 27 years old and I remember the images from the aftermath of the bombing. I would have never imagined then that I would someday interview people directly involved in the event, or commission a play about it. This is a common humanity story of that day and every day after. A story about every single one of us and the ways we adapt and survive. We have been truly blessed by the people who have spoken to us. It is an incredible range of testimony and experience. This play is about today, 20 years after the event. It’s been an honor and a privilege. It is our gift to the city and to the people.”

Parsons has a vision for the play beyond the April 2015 production. He wants every high school in Oklahoma to have access to the play by creating an educational package that includes scripts, a documentary produced by OCU about the making of the play, a teacher’s packet, and all the materials students will need to research, rehearse, and create their own productions.

“This play offers a way to educate children about the Oklahoma City event and about terrorism. It is our role as artist educators to document this history and make sure the day is never forgotten, the victims are not forgotten, and the people who remain with us are not forgotten.”

OCU has created a fund to accept donations to produce the materials needed to make the script available to more than 1,400 high schools in Oklahoma. To learn more, contact Kassie McCoy, OCU director of development, at [email protected] or (405) 208-5435.

“The overwhelming message that comes from everybody interviewed for this project is the regeneration of the city as the background. But I think in the end, it is going to be about these very powerful individual stories that when woven together are going to create quite a much bigger human story about recovery,” Gilroy said.

At left: Writer Steve Gilroy explains to the cast how to approach verbatim theatre. At right: Cast member Corinne Mica gives her thoughts on student presentations researching the Murrah Bombing. Mica is a senior working toward a BFA in acting and theatre for young audiences with a minor in directing. Photos by Josh Robinson

They find themselves

20 years later where

they are no longer

defined by what’s

happened and they

are able to open new

chapters in their lives.

—STEVE GILROYPlaywright

‘‘

“I think there is a huge impact not just for the global audience but for the micro community.” —COURTNEY DIBELLO, Director


OCU’s engagement with preserving the personal stories related to the Oklahoma City bombing began more than a decade before the current theatre project.

Since 2002, OCU English professor and Carrithers Endowed Chair in Writing and Composition, Brooke Hessler, has guided her students in conducting oral history interviews with people whose lives were connected to the bombing. More than 300 students have participated in service-learning collaborations at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum through this initiative.

Hessler teamed up with Parsons and Gilroy to bring those years of perspective to the theatre verbatim project by conducting oral histories, establishing contacts for interviews, and providing dramaturgical assistance with the script.

This semester, Hessler’s Honors Composition students earned service-learning credit for transcribing oral history interviews for the script, and Hessler is leading a unit on verbatim theatre as a form of arts-integrated social activism in the tradition of the WPA “Living Newspapers” performances.

Additionally, Hessler, Parsons and Gilroy are working on a scholarship of teaching and learning project to examine how verbatim theatre helps students learn and why it is an especially important genre for college students.

“What they are really doing is learning the story behind the story they are telling,” Hessler said. “As a researcher on storytelling, I’m looking at verbatim theatre to see how it embodies storytelling. It is a different way to experience history by being inside it yourself, and the students are doing that. They are living the stories as the people who lived history and it’s becoming a part of them in a way that it wouldn’t ordinarily.”

Hessler believes this project offers a uniquely liberal arts educational experience by reaching across disciplines and into the community. “There’s this complex web between general education and what we do out in the world. My students are able to see that because of this project.”

A Uniquely Liberal Arts Experience

Adrienne Pierce, a BFA acting freshman, and professor Brooke Hessler discuss the personal significance of items that people attach to the fence at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The fence originally served to create a safety barrier at the bombing site but quickly became a site for remembering the victims and expressing resilience. Hessler has taken her honors English composition classes to the memorial for years to volunteer and help catalog the items for the museum. Photos by Josh Robinson

Brooke Hessler's class talks about why people would feel drawn to leaving objects on the memorial’s fence.

Bombing victim Paul Gregory Beatty Broxterman had a collection of patches in his Murrah Building office, and patches came to have significance for one of Hessler’s first students who volunteered at the memorial and later became a firefighter.

ADVANCING LAW: murrahcenter.org // 11

With the recent move of the Oklahoma City University School of Law to its new downtown location, proximity might seem to be the strongest tie between the law school and the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. However, the bond goes much deeper.

The historic Central High School now home to the School of Law served as the command center following the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building 20 years ago. For several weeks, the building,

that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards,’” said Dean Valerie K. Couch.

The Murrah Center opening includes a National Summit on Homeland Security hosted by the School of Law in collaboration with the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum and the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Law and National Security.

On the Forefront and Home FrontThe aftermath of the bombing and the 9/11 attacks brought to the legal forefront a need to further explore homeland security law and policy. The Murrah Center will offer analysis of the legal issues the U.S. Department of Homeland Security faces, including national security, counterterrorism, disaster and crisis management, domestic use of the armed forces, cybersecurity, and more. The center will serve as a voice on domestic security matters for states, towns, and municipalities, and provide insight and support to public and private sectors on matters of homeland security.

“We want to continue the conversation on how to prevent domestic extremism,” said Josh Snavely, dean for advancement and external relations at the law school. “Integral to our mission is the education of the next generation of lawyers in this relatively new field of law. Our goal is to prepare future military lawyers, Department of Justice lawyers, and Department of Homeland Security lawyers.”

Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating and former General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Joe Whitley chair the advisory board for the new center

“We launched this center,” Snavely said, “because we need to talk about how to create a legal framework and policies to prevent these acts, not react to them.”

For more information about The Alfred P. Murrah Center for Homeland Security Law and Policy, and the National Summit on Homeland Security, visit murrahcenter.org.

Reflections: A Defining MomentRon Norick serves as chair of the Oklahoma City University Board of Trustees and was Oklahoma City mayor when the Murrah building bombing happened. “It wasn’t a moment you train for,” Norick said. “It was the furthest thing from my mind that we would have a terrorist attack in Oklahoma City.”

In December 1993, voters had approved the first round of Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS 1) that would become the impetus for the city’s renewal. When the bombing occurred, work halted. “We immediately shifted our priority from planning MAPS to taking care of the city.”

Norick remembers the overwhelming response from not only Oklahomans, but from across the globe.

“The first telegram I received that day was from Yehud, Israel, one of Oklahoma City’s sister cities. We were getting telegrams and phones calls from around the world. More than $3 million was donated for the victims without even asking for

it, from change sent from school children to $1,000 checks. The world stood by us.”

He also remembers the command center set up in the Central High School building, which is now the Oklahoma City University School of Law. “I still think of it today every time I enter the school from the underground parking area on the west side. After the bombing, that’s where all the services were set up to provide food and medical attention for rescue and recovery workers, and communication posts for all the agencies involved. In the building itself, Southwestern Bell made space available where the first response teams could sleep when they came off a shift.”Ron Norick

Building on a Legacy of Resilience

2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the loss of life, loss of innocence, and loss of the building that once bore the name of Judge Alfred P. Murrah. Taking inspiration from the city’s legacy of resilience, Oklahoma City University School of Law is establishing a unique center for homeland security law and policy dedicated to preventing such tragedies.

then the offices of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, housed first responders, medical teams, and service providers, and city, state, and national leaders directing the rescue and recovery efforts at the bombing site.

Building on that unique connection and filling a critical need to examine the legal issues central to protecting and securing the nation, the School of Law partnered with the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to open The Judge Alfred P. Murrah Center for Homeland Security Law and Policy. The Murrah Center officially launches April 17 – 20, 2015, in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the bombing.

“The Oklahoma City bombing was one of the worst acts of domestic terrorism in our nation’s history. The Murrah Center enables us to commemorate the victims, honor the citizens who have labored to rebuild our city, and work collaboratively with partners to fulfill the Department of Homeland Security’s mission of ensuring a ‘homeland


ALUMNI

BY ROD JONES

It’s been a long, bumpy road in life for Claudia Lovelace. After spending much of her younger years either on the streets or behind bars, she’s now on a smooth and more predictable path as executive director of Skyline Urban Ministry.

As rough and chaotic as her former years were, Lovelace says her life experiences make her uniquely qualified for her position.

“I am able to relate to prison inmates and people who are on the fringes of society, probably because I have already been where they have been,” Lovelace said.

Born in southern California, Lovelace ran away from home at the age of 14 and raised herself on the streets of South Central Los Angeles. Drugs and prostitution were the cornerstones of her life.

Claudia Lovelace, executive director of Skyline Urban Ministry, stands in the organization’s Food Resource Center in February. Photo by Rod Jones

A M I S S I O N TO S E R V E

Struggles Aid Alumna’s Ministry to the Needy

SKYLINE’S MAJOR PROJECTSLovelace talks about the United Methodist ministry: okcu.edu/focus

“Everything you hear people say about the ’60s is true — drugs, sex, and rock and roll. That was how I was living,” she said.

Lovelace promised herself that if she were still living on the streets by the time she turned 24, she would leave the city in search of a better life. She sought help through a government program, earned some money and explored new states and cities.

She came to Oklahoma on a vacation and “fell in love with it in a week. I gave my two-weeks notice at work and moved out here, mostly out of excitement by Oklahoma’s liquor-by-the-drink laws.”

She later joined the Army in her early 30s, but was kicked out after two years because of drinking problems.

“My life was a mess, and the problems escalated. I was in relationship after relationship.

“Around 1993 I decided to get sober. I checked into a treatment center in Tulsa and eventually became a counselor. It didn’t last — I relapsed.”

She studied the Bible while serving time on a DUI conviction — not her first — and joined a United Methodist prison ministry.

“I was 46 years old and on my way to prison. Most women slept in, but I got up early and watched TV. I prayed, ‘If this is how I’m taking care of myself, I’m through.’ I felt immediate relief from that.

“Shortly after I was released from prison, I gave my life story at St. Luke’s (United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City). The whole congregation stood up and applauded. I knew right then that I was where I needed to be,” Lovelace said.

She worked in prison ministry for a while, and soon decided to grow into higher church leadership positions. For that, she would need more education.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma City University while working as a drug and alcohol counselor. She had previously obtained credentials as a licensed practical nurse, so she fit right in at the treatment centers.

After graduating from OCU in 2002 with a religion degree, she became a pastor at a church near Pauls Valley. Desiring more education, she went to Perkins Theological Seminary at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and earned a Master of Divinity in 2007.

She returned to Oklahoma City and became pastor of the South Lee United Methodist Church, across the street from Capitol Hill High School. While there, the conference district superintendent asked her to consider moving to Skyline.

“I was known for preaching and teaching the homeless. The bishop asked what I had to give. I said, ‘I’ve been on assistance, I’ve been homeless, I’ve been in the same situation as the clients. That’s what I have to give — my experience.’”

With very little administrative experience, Lovelace became a student again, taking classes on her own and from the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits to learn how to run the ministry.

As someone who has failed herself on multiple occasions, Lovelace says she understands the patience sometimes required to turn a life around.

“We should accept people who are struggling to change, not run them off for being different. When they want help, we should help them, and not be obsessed with disappointment if they slip,” she said. “There are no ‘throw-away’ people.”

okcu.edu/alumni // 13

ALUMNI

classroom, eager to gain new knowledge. Her inquisitive nature extends to the class discussions.

“I admit, I ask a lot of questions in class,” she said.Nearly all of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences faculty know

who she is. The professors who have taught her — many of them for multiple courses — have come to appreciate her willingness to learn for the sake of learning. Although she hasn’t officially walked through Commencement at OCU yet, the English department presented her with an Honorary Master of Liberal Arts Award in 2010.

“(OCU has) opened my world and made me interested in so many new things,” she said. “This is my school. I would feel like a traitor if I went anywhere else.”

3 0 Y E A R S O F C L AS S

Student’s Knowledge Pursuit Leads to Lifelong Learning BY ROD JONES

Longevity and consistency — two words that would certainly apply to the college career of Oklahoma City University student Nancy Blankenship.

Actually, career might be an understatement — Blankenship has taken a class per semester for nearly 30 years now, only taking a break whenever major life events occur like welcoming a new grandbaby. She’s not working toward a particular degree, just enjoying the classroom experience.

“Every class I take just makes me want to take another,” Blankenship said after running down the list of classes she has completed, which includes the entire course catalog of the School of Religion. She has since moved on to take almost everything offered in the English department and is working her way through the history course listing.

After hearing a college professor give a lecture at her church in the 1980s, Blankenship decided she needed to learn more about the topic of his lecture.

“Bill Martin spoke to our Sunday School class,” she recalled. “I realized he knew a lot of things the rest of us didn’t know, and I’d have to take the class to find them out.”

After finishing Martin’s intro to biblical literature class in 1988, Blankenship took another class, then another, and another until there was nothing left to take in religion.

As an avid fan of literature, she moved on to the English catalog.“People ask why I’m still in school,” she said. “It’s because I don’t

know everything yet.”Blankenship said by taking one class at a time, she’s able to focus

on one topic and is less likely to become overwhelmed. Even though she has held a 3.95 GPA, she has taken some classes for no credit. She’s not so much interested in grades as she is the simple pleasure of learning new things.

Blankenship’s transcript shows all “A’s,” except for one “B” in a drama class she took about 10 years ago.

Before coming to OCU, Blankenship earned a degree from the University of Oklahoma. She taught high school and junior high in Moore while her husband went to law school.

She says she met her husband while they were in third grade together in Clinton, Okla., and they’ve been together since.

“On our first date, I was taller than he was,” she noted. “The next year he grew and didn’t stop until he was 6-2.”

After he finished law school, Blankenship herself returned to the

People ask why I’m still in school. It’s because

I don’t know everything yet.

‘‘Nancy Blankenship has been an OCU student almost 30 years. Photo by Rod Jones

FACULTY FEATURE


A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Finance ClassBY TERRY PHELPS, PH.D.OCU Professor of English

Jose Andrade, BA ’10, BSB ’10, and ME ’11, remembers a pun from Dr. Ron Shaw’s class in Finance: “Interest has ‘accrual’ way of accumulating, payable or receivable, the result of different timing in cash flow.” Another pun: “Two banks with different rates have a conflict of interest.” Andrade said Shaw’s humor not only made classes more interesting but helped make the concepts memorable.

According to Evan Way, MBA ’12, Shaw’s technique also worked in evening classes “when even with ample amounts of coffee, it was sometimes difficult to stay focused while discussing the nuances of corporate finance. Nonetheless, he always managed to keep the entire class engaged with energetic lectures and anecdotes from his past experiences working in industry. I always enjoyed his teaching approach, which encompassed mathematically working through financial scenarios, because it so precisely married academic applications to real-world issues affecting businesses and governments.”

Andrade once made a video introducing Shaw as the Godfather, and the nickname stuck. Four years ago, Shaw established the Meinders School of Business Toastmasters Club, where as “Godfather,” he mentors anyone who wants to put in the effort to become a better speaker.

Shaw won the club, area, and division contests to make it to the state humorous speech contest in 2013 and was named one of the five funniest Toastmasters in Oklahoma in 2013.

Giving a speech or teaching a class, Shaw has a definite persona. Way recalled, “Only once did I see him without a tie at OCU, but he made sure to note that he was still wearing a jacket.” And Andrade described Shaw’s style in telling a joke: “He stops for a second, removes his glasses, holds them in his hand, tells the joke or interesting fact/story/detail, and then puts his glasses back on.”

Shaw’s humor shines in his pig story. Raised in Gause, Texas, population 400, he was president of the Future Farmers of America chapter and planned to show a pig at the Houston Livestock Show. This required training because, as Shaw said: “You do not want a fat, out of shape pig. Since by nature pigs are prone to be couch potatoes, it requires some road work and some body building to develop a show pig. The animal does not need to learn tricks, just stand and walk and look good — similar to the Miss Universe contest or one of the big dog shows. You want to develop the Schwarzenegger of swinedom. It was a little embarrassing to be seen taking my pig for a walk or jog around the pasture, particularly in cattle country. Since he could not pump iron, I constructed stairs that he would have to

Finance professor Ron Shaw with Jose Andrade, BBA ’10, ME ’11, and Su Cheen Theng, MBA ’14, at the 2013 Toastmasters International state conference.

FACULTY FEATURE

okcu.edu // 15

climb to get to his food. I took him to the big show in Houston but won no money. However, I sold him at the local FFA competition and made some money there.”

Life on the farm led to an undergraduate major in food science, which encompassed commercial food product development, quality assurance, manufacturing processes, and distribution, with lots of chemistry and microbiology. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food science at Texas A&M in 1970 and 1971.

Then he completed Naval Officer Candidate School and served as an officer on a naval destroyer during the Vietnam War. He initially deployed to the Western Pacific for artillery support for ground forces and plane guard duty for aircraft carriers, but his ship was eventually based in Seattle, where it made local news.

“The headline sounded like it came from World War II: ‘Naval Destroyer Torpedoes Japanese Toyota.’ Our ship had torpedo tubes mounted on the deck. The tubes used compressed air to launch torpedoes into the sea with the torpedoes becoming self-propelled thereafter. Though empty of torpedoes while in port, each tube had a protective cap over the seaward end to protect the contents and inner workings from the elements. During routine maintenance and testing of a tube, the cover would be removed, and the compressed

air blast would be released. This time the sailor conducting the test failed to remove the cover before releasing the compressed air. The heavy cap was blown across the pier into a line of new Toyota sedans just off a ship from Japan.”

After leaving the Navy, Shaw worked as a food manufacturing production manager for a food

manufacturing company in Seattle and a director of product development for a pizza chain in California. Then he and his wife, Dorothy, opened a couple of pizza restaurants and a Mexican food restaurant in Texas. While there, he earned a Ph.D. in finance at the University of Texas at Arlington, teaching as an adjunct and visiting professor. He came to OCU in 1995.

Andrade said: “Dr. Shaw was a demanding yet kind professor. He encouraged me and fellow students to be prepared for class and in general. With his example and encouragement, others have followed in his footsteps to achieve success.”

Meinders School of Business Dean Steve Agee lauds Shaw for his Toastmaster honor and contributions to the school’s “continuous improvement, engagement, innovation, and impact. He is well-liked by his students as a classroom teacher and by his peers in the

business school with regard to his academic research, participation on committees, and work with the Toastmasters.”

Shaw has been married to Dorothy since 1971, and they have two children and three grandchildren. His hobbies include cooking, ballroom dancing, shooting, hunting, and fishing. He is an elder in the Messiah Lutheran Church. He has taught several classes with Junior Achievement, a national organization in which volunteers teach short courses in business, economics, and career preparation in public schools to help young people think about and prepare for careers and understand the economic system.

He has published and presented numerous articles and papers and has been interviewed frequently by local television reporters about state and national financial issues.

These illiterate

2-year-old rodents

have discovered the

concepts of assembly

lines, mass production,

and division of labor.

‘‘

A Prize-Winning Speech, Condensed“I was at war. I was under attack. I was outnumbered. I had a gang of squirrels stealing the nuts from my pecan tree. My pecans are important to me. Holiday food! I’m not going to let a bunch of bushy-tailed bandits — overgrown rats — steal my nuts that I grew, on my tree, in my yard. I get emotional. I get angry. Then I think: Be logical. First, squirrels are really small and I am big. Second, stupid squirrels can’t even count and I have gone to college. Third, these squirrels can’t even read the words ‘12-gauge shotgun’ and I have three of those. Reading up on squirrels, I understand that the squirrels we see are only 1 to 2 years old. Most squirrels in the wild don’t live past three years. Isn’t that great?! So I’m dealing with a bunch of illiterate 2-year-olds. No problem. … I wrap the tree trunk with smooth sheet metal. Their greedy little claws can’t climb smooth metal. Stupid squirrels.”

Shaw’s Toastmasters speech continues with squirrels jumping from his neighbor’s garage, so Shaw adds steel higher in the tree and then places a metal backboard between the garage and tree, but the squirrels outsmart him, with one squirrel somehow climbing the tree and dropping pecans to other squirrels below.“What is going on here? These illiterate 2-year-old rodents

have discovered the concepts of assembly lines, mass production, and division of labor. I must be dealing with Albert Einstein of squirreldom. Well at least I’m still bigger than they are.”

Shaw erects more barriers so “Now my tree looks like some kind of outer space communications antenna. So I hook it up to my television and get 110 channels and watch ESPN for free. I sleep well that night. I dream. I dream of pecan pies. I dream of chocolate covered pecans. I dream of roasted pecan pepper sauce served with a big platter of roasted squirrels.“Next morning, what do I see? Yes! I see no squirrels on my fence.

Yes! I see no squirrels on my neighbor’s garage. Yes! I see no squirrels in my … no! I see no nuts left in my tree.”

Singing has been a lifelong love for Frances McMillan Oney, BM ’54 and MAT ’67. Growing up two blocks from Oklahoma City University, she remembers walking through campus in the 1940s and marveling at the architecture while dreaming of attending OCU.

Oney thought her family’s economic hardships would prevent her from attending college, but little did she dream that the generosity of a donor would give her the opportunity to study music at OCU and change the course of her life.

While growing up, Oney was active in church, singing in the choirs at Wesley United Methodist Church and University Place Christian Church. A fellow member at University Place recognized her talent and her family’s inability to afford higher education. He responded by helping award an Elks Club Scholarship to cover the cost of her OCU education.

After decades of teaching voice, including three years on the OCU

faculty, directing choir in numerous churches, and “realizing it was time to give back,” Oney and her husband, Ted, BS ’56, recently established the Frances McMillan Oney Endowment for students enrolled in the Bass School of Music’s vocal program.

“My life was totally changed — who I am and the opportunities I have had — because one man believed in me,” she said. “I can do no less. I call it completing the circle because there are still students who need someone to believe in them financially.”

Oney has many fond memories of her time as a student. She served as vice president of Phi Delta Sorority and Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity and was named OCU Princess in 1953. She values the personal connections she attained with faculty and staff, in particular her vocal instructors Vera Neilson and Inez Silberg. A desire to provide a similar student experience for others led Oney to designate her scholarship for undergraduate soprano students.

“I am a soprano and it influenced me so much,” she said. “I want to make it possible for others, and I want it to go on in perpetuity.”

Oney considers her scholarship gift akin to her decades of work in music, “a gift of love.”

GIVING

Mehr Endowed Scholarships Fund Students’ DreamsWhen Charles Mehr, BA ’43, graduated from OCU he was half a world away, serving as a Navy ensign in World War II. As the Commencement announcer read his name, Mehr’s mother walked across the stage to accept his diploma.

Decades later, Mehr’s generosity has enabled dozens of OCU students to receive their own diplomas and make their mark in the world of performing arts. Through a series of donations — including real estate, cash gifts, and planned gifts — Mehr established several endowed scholarships at OCU to support dance performance and music theater students.

Mehr’s brother-in-law, Richard Poole, Ph.D., recalled a conversation the two had when Mehr first considered forming the scholarship programs.

“I told him, ‘Don’t wait until you die because if you do it now, you’ll get to have a lot of interaction with it,’” Poole remembered. Mehr took that advice. He passed away last year but enjoyed several years of interacting with his scholarship recipients, attending their performances, and encouraging them in their dreams for their careers. Mehr took time to write to each student. Poole continues to receive letters on Mehr’s behalf from past recipients who express deep appreciation for his support, encouragement, and influence.

Mehr Scholarship recipients have gone on to perform on Broadway, in professional musical tours, as Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, and in other highly successful careers.

“Because Mr. Mehr made it possible for these students to receive

the comprehensive training in dancing, acting, and singing with the solid liberal arts education available at Oklahoma City University, they are living their dream,” said John Bedford, dean of OCU’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management. “Scholarships supported by an endowment continue in perpetuity. There will be many more dance performance majors in the future who will be able to live their dreams because of Charles Mehr.”

Mark Parker, dean of OCU’s Bass School of Music, recalled Mehr as a man of the arts.

“He cared about students having access to opportunities that the arts schools at OCU provide so well,” Parker said. “He was so generous and gave from his heart so that talented students could have the chance to receive an OCU education. The scholarship endowments he created will affect untold numbers of students for generations to come.”

Poole noted that Mehr set up the scholarship programs to support high-quality students who want to pursue performing arts studies.

“He wanted deans and department heads to have flexibility in the criteria for awarding scholarships. His idea was to provide administrators with a tool to get the best students and enhance the programs at OCU,” Poole said. “Charles was very talented, had an excellent voice himself, and he loved the performing arts.”

Charles Mehr

Frances and Ted Oney


Alumna Gives Voice to New Students

HOME OF CHAMPIONS: ocusports.com // 17

Webster Triumphs for Fourth National TitleBY RICH TORTORELLI

OCU’s Emily Webster captured her fourth 101-pound Women’s College Wrestling Association title Feb. 14 at the Petty Sports and Recreation Complex in St. Louis.

Webster, a senior from Sedalia, Mo., finished her college career 118-0 as the first OCU wrestler to end unbeaten with four national crowns. Webster, the top-ranked 101-pounder, became the third wrestler to win four WCWA individual championships.

She reeled in WCWA wrestler of the year after her 10-0 technical-fall victory over Marina Doi of King (Tenn.). Webster completed

her senior season with 31 victories and five falls. She tore through the tournament with four technical-fall wins for her 12th career tournament title.

Second-ranked Oklahoma City finished third nationally with 195 points as King took its second team title in a row. Nine Stars took all-America honors as Cody Pfau became the 109-pound national champion, and Kayla Aggio finished as 143-pound runner-up.

OCU’s all-Americans included Brieana Delgado, who finished third at 130 pounds, Shelby Morrison, who was fourth at 116; Heather O’Connor, in fifth place at 191; Heiley Garcia, sixth at 143; Carla Ponce, seventh at 130; and Yvonne Galindo, eighth at 155.

Several OCU rowers will represent the United States in the World University Games July 3 – 5 in South Korea.

The U.S. team held its selection camp at the Oklahoma River. The World University Games is second only in size and scope to the Olympic Games.

OCU’s men’s rowers who made the team are Stephen George, Hadzo Habibovic, and Baruch Price. From the OCU women, Sara Coleman, Liz Mathews, Leigh Smith, and Kayla Yraceburu will represent the United States. OCU coach Liza Dickson will guide the U.S. women.

WO R L D - C L AS S R OW E R S

Stars Named to U.S. World University Games Team

OCU’s Emily Webster finished her college career undefeated and with four national crowns. Photo by Tanner Ives

ATHLETICS


ATHLETICS

C H A M P I O N S H I P R U N

Cross Country Earns Second Consecutive National Title

BY RICH TORTORELLI

Top-ranked Oklahoma City University captured its second consecutive national crown in the NAIA men’s cross country championships in November at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kan.

Peter Koskey led the Stars with a third-place individual finish in the 8,000-meter race. Koskey, a junior from Keringet, Kenya, paced five OCU runners who took all-America honors with top-30 finishes.

OCU turned in a meet-best 55 points, while second-ranked Southern Oregon had a runner-up showing to repeat last year’s two top teams in the national meet. OCU lived up to its season-long billing atop the NAIA rankings as the Stars have owned the No. 1 spot for 10 consecutive weeks dating back to the 2013 postseason ratings.

Oklahoma City has 57 national championships in all sports. “We are super excited to defend the national title,” said Oklahoma City coach

Conor Holt, who was NAIA coach of the year for the second year in a row. “The men ran with heart and pride and got the job done for OCU.”

Koskey, Arya Bahreini and Mackenzie Wahpepah-Harris of OCU became two-time all-Americans. Koskey recorded a time of 24 minutes, 44.20 seconds to be 7.8 seconds off the pace.

OCU’s Csaba Matko came in fifth place, while Bahreini took 13th. David Mountford placed 18th, and Wahpehpah-Harris posted a 21st-place showing for Oklahoma City.

Along with OCU’s program-best 15th-place finish in the women’s race, the Stars finished third in the combined standings.

H A L L O F FA M E R S

Crabaugh, 1994 Softball Team Honored

OCU celebrated its rich athletic tradition during the induction of the 2014-15 group of OCU Athletic Hall of Famers Jan. 17 in the Shdeed Great Hall inside the Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.

The newest Hall of Fame class consists of OCU Baseball Coach Denney Crabaugh and OCU’s 1994 national championship softball team.

Crabaugh also was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Jan. 3 in Orlando, Fla. He already holds membership in the NAIA Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Crabaugh has compiled a record of 1,268-398-2 (.761 winning percentage) in 26 years as OCU’s coach entering the 2015 season.

OCU Softball Coach Recognized by NFCA Hall of Fame

OCU softball coach Phil McSpadden entered one of softball’s most elite fraternities, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame, on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas.

The 2014 NFCA Hall of Fame class included McSpadden, SUNY Cortland head coach Julie Lenhart, Alabama-Huntsville head coach Les Stuedeman and NFCA executive director Lacy Lee Baker.

McSpadden has built the most storied program in the NAIA at OCU, capturing eight national championships, the most in NAIA history.

McSpadden’s induction into the NFCA Hall of Fame made him a member of four halls of fame, including the OCU Athletics Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of Fame.

McSpadden has been recognized as national coach of the year by the NFCA three times, NAIA coach of the year eight times, region coach of the year once and Sooner Athletic Conference coach of the year four times. He and his staff have been NFCA NAIA coaching staff of the year seven times.

In his 28th year at OCU, McSpadden leads all current NAIA softball coaches in wins with a 1,423-355 record entering the 2015 season. He has guided OCU to 12 national championship games, four national runner-up finishes, 26 trips to the NAIA Championships, 18 50-win seasons and four 60-win seasons.

Tammy BraithwaiteTuesday ButcherSue FairhurstTina HolmesKelly McKellarTracey MosleyBrandy RicoHeather Strouse

Crabaugh has guided the Stars to the 2005 national championship and three NAIA runner-up finishes in 12 trips to the NAIA World Series. OCU won an NAIA single-season record 73 games in 2004.

Crabaugh has coached 80 all-Americans, 62 NAIA scholar-athletes, 10 CoSIDA academic all-Americans, seven NAIA players of the year, four NAIA Hall of Famers, 64 Major League Baseball draftees and 132 future professionals at OCU.

Oklahoma City’s 1994 softball team captured the first of eight NAIA championships OCU’s softball program has won.

The Lady Chiefs wrapped up the national title with a 3-1 victory over Athens State (Ala.) on May 21, 1994 at the Rainbow Softball Center in Columbia, Mo. OCU had five all-Americans on the 1994 team: Tammy Braithwaite, Sue Fairhurst, Tracey Mosley, Jenifer Wells, and Kim Wilson.

The all-tournament team for the 1994 NAIA Championships included Braithwaite, Fairhurst, Mosley, Wells, Tuesday Butcher, and Mindi Wilson of OCU. Mosley set six tournament records on the way to becoming tournament most valuable player.

1 9 94 N AT I O N A L C H A M P I O N S H I P T E A M R OST E R

Denney Crabaugh

Vikki ThompsonBrandy “Moose” TylerJen WellsKim WilsonMindi WilsonHead coach Phil McSpaddenAssistant coach Kathy LewisStudent assistant Za Smith

INSTA PICS: @okcualumni // 19

CLASS NOTES

1946

Joella F. Utley, BA ’46, received the Distinguished Citizen Award from Wofford College in South Carolina.

1954

Richard Cohoon, BS ’54, was chosen for induction into the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction.

1963

Rebecca Meyer, BA ’63, was recognized for her achievements and public service at the sixth annual AARP Oklahoma Indian Elders Honors ceremony.

1965

Enoch Kelly Haney, BA ’65, was a featured artist in the “Crossroads of Commerce: A History of Free Enterprise in Oklahoma” exhibit.

1967

Joe Paul Case, BA ’67, completed a two-year term as president of the Western Massachusetts Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He previously served as executive vice president and, for eight years, as council commissioner.

1969

Jane Jayroe, BM ’69, started the 11th season of her “Esther Women” speaker series.

Justice Yvonne Kauger, JD ’69, released her book, “Art of the Oklahoma Judicial Center.”

1971

Leona Mitchell, BM ’71 and Hon. DM ’79, was inducted into the Oklahoma African-American Hall of Fame.

1972

Joanie Jezek Jedlicka, BA ’72, retired as business/computer teacher at Oklahoma City and Putnam City Schools after 40 years.

1974

John Coyle III, JD ’74, received the Lord Erskine award “for a long and distinguished career of providing the highest level of legal services to his clients and the legal community.”

Demetra George, ’74, D. Music ’07, performed in the Nevada Opera Theatre Association’s concert “From Italy With Love” in Las Vegas. George also presented a concert at the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus, for ambassadors and honored guests. The concert included opera, Broadway and Christmas songs in nine languages.

1975

Jan Foutch, BM ’75, was named vice president of LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma.

LeFlore County Associate District Court Judge Ted Knight, JD ’75, retired after 32 years on the bench.

Ron Raines, BM ’75, is a soloist on the recently released album “Cherished Moments: Songs of the Jewish Spirit.”

1977

Glenn Devoll, JD ’77, was named vice president of the Oklahoma Bar Association.

Cleveland County Sheriff Joe Lester, MCJA ’77, was recognized as a “Great Graduate” by his high school alma mater, Broken Arrow.

1978

Tony Lacy, BA ’78 and JD ’80, was named co-chairman for the Arts Council of Oklahoma City’s Opening Night celebration.

1981

Kevin Acers, BA ’81, published a collection of poems in a book titled “Dead Mouse Poems.”

1983

Rick Luke, MBA ’83, was appointed chief financial officer of MicroSeismic.

1984

Timothy Callahan, MBA ’84, is the executive director for contracts for the Defense Contract Management Agency.

1985

Virginia Campbell, BM ’85, launched her 32nd annual Piano Artist Series with fellow alumnus Kyle Dillingham, BM ’02.

1986

Two alumnae were honored during the Journal Record’s Woman of the Year program: Elizabeth Kerr, JD ’86, legal counsel for the University of Central Oklahoma and Keri Coleman Norris, BA ’94 and JD ’97, general counsel for LegalShield.

1988

Shine Chiang, BSB ’88, gave East Central University’s 2014-15 Boswell Lecture.

The United Nations appointed Sandra Mitchell, JD ’88, as assistant secretary-general to serve as deputy commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Cindy Koss, MAT ’88, was named deputy superintendent of academic performance and planning at the Oklahoma State Department of Education.


CLASS NOTES

Komson Sevatasai, MLA ’88, was named vice president of sales and marketing for Paresa Resort in Phuket, Thailand.

Pamela J. Tarling, BA ’88, gave a presentation at a meeting of the Edmond Genealogical Society about one of her great-grandmothers, who was tried and convicted during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.

1989

Aliya Chaudry, MBA ’89 and JD ’98, received the Community Engagement Professional of the Year award during the Campus Compact Heartland service-learning conference in Nebraska.

Mark Murdaugh, BA ’89, joined the Purk & Associates, P.C. firm in St. Louis as an associate.

1990

Vernon Finley, ME ’90, was named chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

Carroll Freeman, MPA ’90, professor in opera studies at Georgia State University, was a judge in the Metropolitan Opera National Council District Auditions in Idaho.

Ramona Tumblin-Rucker, MBA ’90, is the project manager over the Washington University/BJC Medical Center Campus Renewal Project in St. Louis.

1991

City of Edmond Public Works Director Herb Blomquist, MBA ’91, was designated a national Public Works Leadership Fellow by the American Public Works Association.

Kristin Chenoweth, BM ’91, released her first live album “Coming Home” and performed a nationally broadcast concert on PBS. Chenoweth returned to her hometown of Broken Arrow for the concert and to give a master class.

1992

The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council appointed Nathan Barnard, JD ’92, to the administrative appeals board.

Brandon Hobson’s, BA ’92, book “Deep Ellum” was listed in the Reader’s Digest Best Short Books You’ll Ever Read.

Margaret Williams, BM ’92, joined the Arts Consulting Group Inc. in Denver as senior consultant.

1993

Richard Hall, BS ’93, was named vice president for academic affairs at Sheridan College in Wyoming.

GQ magazine published a feature story about “The Bachelor” host Chris Harrison, BA ’93.

Music teacher Missy Kannady, BM ’93 was named teacher of the year at North Elementary in Bixby.

John Sawyer, BM ’93, and Vince Leseney, MM ’94, performed in a concert with Tony Award winner Beth Leavel in Oklahoma City.

Michael McNamara, MBA ’93, was appointed as managing director for the Americas for Veritas Petroleum Services.

John Sawyer, BM ’93, was featured as part of the Broken Arrow PAC’s Upclose Series in a concert called “Love Songs.”

1994

Jane Haskin, MBA ’94, CEO of First Bethany Bank & Trust, was selected as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker.

Travis Marr, BS ’94, was named managing director of Prism Healthcare Partners, a Chicago-based healthcare consulting firm.

Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health company, named Tony Sommer, MBA ’94, head of sales for its U.S. Vision Care division.

Liz Tate, JD ’94, joined the faculty at Purcell Public Schools as an English teacher.

Buzz Williams, BS ’94, became head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies basketball team.

Jason Younker, ME ’94, was inducted into the North Bend Hall of Fame in Oregon.

1995

Wade Blevins, BA ’95, won the World Traditional Wushu Championships in China in the bare-handed division, beating out some 3,000 top martial artists there competing from around the globe.

John Martin, BA ’95, was named athletic director of St. Gregory’s University.

Tim Moore, JD ’95, became speaker of the North Carolina House.

Timothy O’Grady, JD ’95, joined the Stange Law Firm as a senior associate in St. Louis.

Lee Shilling, JD ’95, was appointed as a special district judge for McClain County.

1997

Brent Greenwood, BFA ’97, received the “Best in Show” award at the 22nd Annual Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale in Denver.

Kristen Tumminello’s, MM ’97, musical, “Woosical, Jr., The Story of Rue,” was featured at the New York New Works Theatre Festival in Times Square.

1998

Lindsay Foster, BA ’98, computer lab manager from Parkview Elementary in Maryland, was selected to attend a prestigious week-long professional development experience hosted by Discovery Education’s Discovery Educator Network.

Kelli O’Hara, BM ’98, played Mrs. Darling on NBC’s “Peter Pan Live.” O’Hara was also in the Metropolitan Opera’s “The Merry Widow.”

1999

Stephen Cortes, JD ’99, was granted membership into the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys.

ON FACEBOOK: OCUalumni // 21

CLASS NOTES

Jennifer M. Grigsby, MBA ’99, became CFO of the American Energy Partners affiliates American Energy — Woodford LLC and American Energy — Minerals Holdings LLC.

Robert A. Hammeke, JD ’99, joined the Denton law firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice as a partner in the Kansas City, Mo., office.

Michael Harker, BA ’99, published a book titled “The Lure of Literacy: A Critical Reception of the Compulsory Composition Debate” on SUNY Press. Harker is an assistant professor of English at Georgia State University.

Travis Watkins, JD ’99, co-wrote a book titled “SuccessOnomics.”

2001

Peter Markes, BME ’01, was named to Oklahoma Superintendent of Education Joy Hofmeister’s transition team.

Lara Russell, JD ’01, was appointed as special district judge for Rogers, Mayes, and Craig counties.

2002

Emily J. Biscone, JD ’02, was selected to the Professional Hockey Players’ Association Workers’ Compensation Panel of Attorneys.

C. Cole Crabtree, JD ’02, joined the Jaburg & Wilk, P.C. law firm in Phoenix as partner.

Jeromy Smith, BS ’02, and Lyndy Franklin Smith, BPA ’02, founded the Lexington Theatre Company with its debut production, “Concert with the Stars” in Kentucky.

Dr. Seth Vannatta, MA ’02, released his book titled “Conservatism and Pragmatism” on Palgrave Macmillan press. The book is about classical British conservative thought and classical American pragmatist philosophy. Vannatta is a philosophy professor at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

2003

Stephania Grober, MBA ’03, was named vice president of sales and marketing at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma.

Jeremy Hays, BM ’03, played the role of Raoul in the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera.”

Michelle Berg Moon, B.S. ’03, is director for Facility Sales and Service for the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, and vice president of the National Association for Catering and Events. The Tobin Center is the major performing arts facility in San Antonio.

Rachel Pierce, BA ’03, was hired as co-anchor of NBC2 News Today in Fort Myers, Fla.

K.T. Turner, BS ’03, began his second season as assistant coach of the Southern Methodist University basketball team.

2004

Tyrone Van Aswegen, BSB ’04, earned his PGA Tour card for the second consecutive season.

Tiffan Borelli, BM ’04, is starring as the millionaire murderess Candice Mossler in Investigation Discovery’s top-rated series “A Crime to Remember.”

Susan Sikes Wills, JD ’04, became president of the Tom Green County Bar Association in Texas.

2005

Guerin Austin, BA ’05, is the new rink-side reporter for the NHL Boston Bruins hockey team.

Todd Lamb, JD ’05, won re-election as Oklahoma’s lieutenant governor.

Karilyn Ashley Surratt, BPA ’05, was pictured on the December/January cover of Reader’s Digest representing the Radio City Rockettes.

2006

Emily S. Anderson, JD ’06, joined the tax staff at Arledge and Associates PC, an Edmond accounting firm.

Brett Manis, BA ’06, took a civil service position at Tinker Air Force Base. Manis and wife Lauren (Phelps) Manis, BA ’03 and MLA ’05, had their newest daughter, Carolyn, born Jan. 10.

LeAnne McGill, JD ’06, will serve a one-year term on the Oklahoma Bar Association’s 17-member Board of Governors as chairwoman of the OBA Young Lawyers Division.

2007

Emily E. Campbell, JD ’07, attorney for the Dunlap Codding firm, was named to the 2015 Oklahoma Rising Stars list as one of the top up-and-coming attorneys in Oklahoma.

Osagie D. Ehigie, BPA ’07, coordinated the Black Water Middle School’s “Yuletide Magic: Winter Dance Showcase” in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Danielle Estes, BM ’07, performed in Lyric Stage’s “The Golden Apple” in Irving, Texas.

Kent Hathaway, BFA ’07, and Meredith Ziegler, BME ’10, were named Rising Stars during the Teacher of the Year ceremony at the Oklahoma State Fair.


CLASS NOTES

Keith Hines, BM ’07, starred in the Olivier Award-winning hit musical “Jersey Boys.”

Lesley Mealor, BPA ’07, toured with the “Sweet Charity” show last year and has been auditioning for future shows, judging for several dance competitions and teaching in Atlanta.

2008

Austin Brown, ’08, went on a national tour with his group, Home Free.

Rachel Pappy, JD ’08, signed a publishing deal with CelebrityPress to co-write a book titled “Get in the Game.”

The play “Beyond the Stratosphere,” written by La’Charles Purvey, BA ’08, was performed at the Poteet Theatre at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City.

USA Today did a feature story about UFC fighter Chas Skelly, ’08.

2009

David Holt, JD ’09, was named director of investor relations at Hall Capital.

Brett Knight, BSB ’09, was named to the 2014 ionOklahoma 30 Under 30 list.

Matthew McMahan, BM ’09, made his Broadway debut as Feuilly with the “Les Miserables” cast at the Imperial Theater.

Colin Nel, BSB ’09, took his first career professional victory in the Wild Waves Golf Challenge on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.

Jeff Riles, BA ’09, accepted a position with Enel Green Power North America, owner and operator of renewable energy plants with projects operating and under development in 21 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Based in Washington, D.C., Riles is the manager of regulatory affairs for the company’s U.S. Central Region.

Elizabeth Wythe, BS ’09, is managing the ticketing system for the Minnesota Twins. The system includes the team’s spring training in Florida and major concerts at Target Field.

2010

OCU alumni in the Putnam City School District were named Teachers of the Year at their respective schools. Lindsey Williams Cofer, BS ’10, was honored at Tulakes Elementary, and Ashley Cain, BFA ’11, at Capps Middle School.

Kim Faure, BPA ’10, was in “Cinderella” at the Broadway Theatre in New York City.

The OKCBiz Forty Under 40 list for 2014 included Elizabeth Newton, BS ’10, development officer for the Children’s Hospital Foundation, and Spencer Hicks, MLA ’10, founding member and co-CEO of OKC Comedy.

2011

Caitlin Darby, BPA ’11, is teaching jazz and tap in the musical theatre department at the International Conservatory of Performing Arts in Texas.

Leah Diaz, BS ’11, is finance assistant for Disney Theatrical Productions in New York City.

Jeremy Allen Fisher, BFA ’11, was the lighting designer for the Tennessee Shakespeare Company’s production of “Twelfth Night.”

The Wirral Weekly News in Liverpool, England, did a feature story about Laura Jones, BS ’11, and her plans to join the professional golf circuit.

David Scott, BSB ’11, was promoted as interim executive director of the Oklahoma Democratic Party.

2012

C. Lauren Clark, JD ’12, and Jeff Kline, JD ’12, were named to the 2014 ionOklahoma 30 Under 30 list.

DeEtta Cravens, BA ’12, was included in an episode of the PBS program “To the Contrary” about increasing diversity in the Foreign Service.

Michaela Hutchison, BS ’12, was inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.

Jeff Kline, JD ’12, associate attorney for the Bays Law Firm was named to the OKCBiz Forty Under 40 list for 2014.

Nick Orfanella, BM ’12, starred as Jon in the Skyline Theatre Company’s production of “tick, tick … BOOM!” in New Jersey.

Jeff Poulin, BS ’12, was one of the presenters and panelists at the Oklahoma Arts Conference presented by the Oklahoma Arts Council.

Kaylin Zeren, BFA ’12, performed solo shows of the popular children’s book character and play “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse” at elementary schools around the Houston area.

2013

Emily Dimmitt, BA ’13, and Kaleb Oakleaf, BA ’14, became worship leaders at Village United Methodist Church.

2014

David R. Bublitz, MFA ’14, was invited to give readings at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago as part of the Open Door series.

Alex Enterline, BFA ’14, starred in the national tour of “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”

Jessica Garvey, BA ’14, was recognized in the “Hire This Woman” feature on the ComicsAlliance website.

Kara Heinz, BS ’14, was hired by Holland America Cruise Lines as librarian for the MS Zaandam, which will be cruising to Alaska, South America, Hawaii, and Antarctica. Heinz is preparing to eventually work in shipboard event management.

Tami Hines, JD ’14, joined the Hall Estill law firm as an associate.

Eryn LeCroy, BM ’14, is playing Emma in the national tour of “Jekyll and Hyde.”

Malini Pannirselvam, BA ’14, a volunteer with the World Food Programme, launched her own henna art business to raise funds and sponsor food aid.

Stacy Tomberlin, DNP ’14, was selected as one of 20 participants in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners Future Leaders program.

okcu.edu // 23

IN MEMORY

B.C. Clark Jr.A P R I L 4 , 1 9 1 3 – F E B . 4 , 2 0 1 5

Benton Clyde Clark Jr. passed away peacefully Feb. 4 at the age of 101. He was born April 4, 1913, in Purcell, Okla.

He met the love of his life while attending Oklahoma City University and married Ruth Carroll on leap day, Feb. 29, 1936. They were married for 59 years before her death on March 4, 1995. He later married Jeroldine Zachritz, and they enjoyed 11 years together until her death on Sept. 14, 2008.

Among his many philanthropic and civic endeavors, he established the B.C. Clark Jr. Chair endowment fund at Oklahoma City University’s Meinders School of Business and the B.C. Clark Jr. Endowment at OCU.

He most recently served as chairman emeritus of B.C. Clark Inc., a family-owned retail jewelry firm celebrating 123 years in business in Oklahoma. He worked in the family business as a young teenager until his early 90s, making an indelible mark on the success of the business.

He served honorably in the Navy as a gunnery officer during World War II. The jewelry business was always his first love, but he also gave back to his community in many ways.

Among the many notable honors he received are the Pathmaker Award from the Oklahoma County Historical Society, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Jewelers Association, the Wall of Fame Humanitarian Award from the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation , an Honorary Doctorate of Commercial Science from Oklahoma City University, 2007 Alumnus of the Year — Classen High School, and the Silver Beaver Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

He was a longtime member of the Fortune Club, Men’s Dinner Club, and the Quail Creek Golf and Country Club. He was a founding member of May Avenue United Methodist Church and a devoted member of Nichols Hills United Methodist Church.

Bunny BriggsF E B . 2 6 , 1 92 2 – N OV. 1 5 , 2 0 1 4

Bunny Briggs, the elegant and versatile tap virtuoso whose career bridged dance eras, from Bill (Bojangles) Robinson’s to Savion Glover’s, died on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas. He was 92.

Bunny earned an honorary doctorate of Performing Arts in American Dance from Oklahoma City University.

In the world of tap, which especially prizes the passing of traditions from generation to generation, Bunny was a prodigy early on and a mentor in his later years. He danced on the streets of Harlem as a small boy, and on Broadway, “The Ed Sullivan Show” and at the Newport Jazz Festival as an adult.

He performed in the 1989 Broadway musical revue “Black and Blue,” and as a jazz percussionist with the likes of Count Basie, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington, who once described Mr. Briggs as “the most superleviathonic, rhythmaturgically syncopated tapsthamaticianisamist.”

Bunny was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in “Black and Blue,” which originated in Paris. The 1989 movie “Tap” featured several generations of tappers, including Bunny, who helped emphasize the legitimacy of tap as an authentic, vernacular American art form and illustrated its torch-passing tradition.

Bunny Briggs

Gordon Wilson AllisonD E C . 3 0 , 1 92 6 – F E B . 5 , 2 0 1 5

Gordon Wilson Allison, 88, of Oklahoma City, passed away Feb. 5 in the hospital, surrounded by his family. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather, known to his grandchildren as “Daddy G.” He was born Dec. 30, 1926, to W.L. and Ida Ward Allison in Scott, Ark.

Gordon was a long-time Oklahoma City University trustee and an early member of the executive board of the School of Religion. The Allison family endowed a classroom in the Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel.

Gordon graduated from Morris High School in England, Ark., as class president in 1944. He then served in World War II in the Merchant Marines on a T-2 Tanker sailing the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf transporting oil and gas to Europe. He was honorably discharged in July 1946.

After returning home from the war, Gordon married Margaret Jane Walker and began farming in Arkansas. In 1958, Gordon entered the insurance industry as a producer and worked his way into management. He spent 28 years as a corporate officer of several public companies. In 1972, he moved his family to Oklahoma City and founded American Trustee Life Insurance Co., where he worked as chairman and CEO.

Gordon enjoyed many achievements and civic duties, serving as a member of the board of directors of the Oklahoma Independent College Foundation, chairman of the finance committee and board of directors of Village United Methodist Church, member of the board of directors of Mid-Central BanCorp. of Warsaw, Mo., and president of the Association of Oklahoma Life Insurance Companies.

Gordon Allison B.C. Clark Jr.

Chariyar NillpraphanM A R C H 4 , 1 94 0 – O C T. 3 0 , 2 0 1 4

Chariyar “Yaya” Nillpraphan, 74, passed away on Oct. 30, surrounded by family. Chariyar was born March 4, 1940, in Thailand. Chariyar worked 19 years, from 1990 to 2009, at Oklahoma City University’s Dulaney-Browne Library in the Government Documents department. She was a resident of Oklahoma for more than 40 years and a resident of Arlington, Texas, for the past six years.

Marjorie N. SussexAU G . 3 , 1 92 0 – D E C . 3 1 , 2 0 1 4

Marjorie N. Sussex, age 94, formerly of Oklahoma, died Dec. 31 in Columbus, Ohio. Marjorie was born August 3, 1920, in Kansas City to Virgil and Tracie (Stanton) Mossman.

She was head of and taught in the foreign language department at Oklahoma City University from 1968 to 1998, and she retired in 1998.


IN MEMORY

Lulu FordD E C . 1 2 , 1 9 1 8 – D E C . 1 4 , 2 0 1 4

Lulu G. (Muff) Ford, age 96, passed away Dec. 14. She worked in the OCU Chapel office and Wimberly School of Religion from

1987 to 1997.Muff was a proud Kansan by birth but lived her adult life in Tulsa and Oklahoma

City. Her working career consisted of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, Village United Methodist Church, and Oklahoma City University. Her years of teaching Sunday School at “Village” affected many lives, and her decades singing in the church choir enabled her to know the alto parts to most every song in the hymnal. She was an organizational whiz, an avid sports fan, and a friend to all. Working crossword puzzles and cryptoquotes in ink topped her list of hobbies but nothing was more important to Buddy (her grandma name) than her family.

1 93 7

B.C. Clark Jr.

1 94 0

L. Newell Darner

1 94 3

Charles E. Mehr

1 95 7

Vivian A. Bonifield

1 95 4

Patsy R. Bryan Arnold ShortWilliam R. Strain

C L AS S O F

Lulu G. (Muff) Ford

Carl Tobias SchlesingerO C T. 1 2 , 1 92 6 – N OV. 9, 2 0 1 4

Carl Schlesinger, 88, died Nov. 9, leaving family and friends to remember a vibrant man who loved the printed word, The New York Times, tap dance, music, writing rhymes, union and printing history, and entertaining audiences.

For his efforts to recognize and promote the dance form, Carl received the Heritage Award-American Dance from Oklahoma City University School of American Dance and Arts Management in 2001 and a Flo-Bert award in 2009.

Born to William and Lillian Schlesinger on Oct. 12, 1926, in the Bronx, N.Y., he launched a penny newspaper at age 10 and ultimately published two books on printing, including a biography of Ottmar Merganthaler, the inventor of the linotype. He co-produced and narrated the award-winning film “Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu,” which has won numerous awards around the world. Commemorating the first use of color printing in the paper, Schlesinger composed “The New York Times Color March” and in 1999 it was recognized by Times’ publisher Arthur Sulzberger as the paper’s official march. It has been performed across the country, including at Oklahoma City University.

His career as a printer began in 1946 when he worked at Fairchild to serve a five-year printer’s apprenticeship learning linotype and page make-up. He went on to work for other major New York newspapers and joined The New York Times in 1952. In 1967, he was invited to head up a printing program in Nairobi, Kenya, teaching the art and establishing a school with the newest machinery. He also worked for the Flying Doctors Service of East Africa. In 1975 he returned to The Times developing a retraining program for the linotype operators to learn keyboarding. Schlesinger retired from The Times in 1990.

Nancy Virtue LewisN OV. 9, 1 94 9 – S E P T. 24 , 2 0 1 4

Former OU-Tulsa Vice President and State Representative Nancy Virtue Lewis passed away Sept. 24, after a long illness. Nancy was born in Oklahoma City on Nov. 9, 1949, the daughter of the Rev. Dick Virtue and Suzanne Starr Virtue of Norman.

She received a BA in political science from Colorado College and a Master of Arts in teaching from Oklahoma City University. She taught at Norman High School until 1977. Shortly after Title IX passed, Nancy coached girls’ track, and in her second year, the Norman High team took second in state. She returned to Colorado Springs in 1977 and continued teaching, concentrating on students with mental health or behavioral issues at a hospital and a youth ranch.

While at Norman High, Nancy joined other teachers in lobbying for public education. Nancy said that as they talked to state legislators, she noticed they were all “for education,” but at the end of each session, little positive seemed to have happened. She decided to leave the classroom and became the first paid

lobbyist for Oklahoma Education Association. Nancy served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1982 through 1986, directing her efforts toward children and education.

She later served as an administrator at Tulsa Community College and as vice president of OU-Tulsa when illness forced her retirement in 2005. Nancy was a founding trustee of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and a board member of the Foundation for Tulsa Schools and the Community Service Council. She was a member and president of the Tulsa County Library Commission.

okcu.edu // 25

IN MEMORY

1 9 6 0

Charles E. Brown

1 9 67

Bob M. Cockerill

1 976

Nancy V. Lewis

1 9 8 1

Leroy W. Bridges

1 9 8 6

Ina M. BrantleyLelah Price Craig

1 95 9

Charles Wayne Stice

J. W. “Bill” McLeanA P R I L 2 , 1 92 2 – O C T. 2 3 , 2 0 1 4

J. W. “Bill” McLean passed away Oct. 23 in Dallas at the age of 92. Bill was born on April 2, 1922, in Okmulgee, Okla., and grew up in Muskogee with his parents, Lawrence White McLean and Margaret McGill McLean, and his brother, George.

Bill received an honorary doctorate in Commercial Science from Oklahoma City University in 1980 and was named to the Oklahoma Commerce & Industry Hall of Honor at OCU.

At the University of Oklahoma, he was undefeated in collegiate debate, president of his fraternity and the ROTC’s ranking cadet colonel. While at school, he fell in love with Eleanor Jane Johnson and they were married just after graduation. Bill served in the Army for three years, finishing number one in his class of field artillery officer candidates at Fort Sill, participated in four World War II major battles, won a battlefield promotion to captain and was awarded the Bronze Star for valor under fire.

Bill’s 40 years of banking included 26 as a CEO. He also served as Bank of America’s first director of marketing and was responsible for the nationwide licensing of what is now VISA card.

Outside of banking, Bill was on the board of directors for four decades of Reading & Bates Corporation, which became one of the world’s largest offshore drilling contractors. Additionally, he provided volunteer leadership for many civic organizations.

Charles Wayne SticeS E P T. 2 8 , 1 9 3 7 – M AY 2 , 2 0 1 4

Charles Wayne Stice, age 76, passed away May 2, 2014. He was born Sept. 28, 1937, to Charles Henry and Lela Irene (Burris) Stice in Elk City, Okla.

Wayne graduated from Oklahoma City University with a BA in mathematics and English. At OCU, he joined Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity where he made many lifelong friends and, after graduation, he joined their international staff as traveling secretary. Returning to OCU for post graduate work, he met and married Barbara May Leland, and the couple had a daughter, Kelly Jo.

He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from OCU in 1992.After teaching high school math for two years, Wayne joined Public Service

Company of Oklahoma, a part of Central and South West Corporation. This led to a 30-year career with increasing responsibilities in operations, human resource management, and business planning. He retired from Central Power & Light Company and the CSW System in 1994. He returned to school, sat for the CPA exam, and joined Alan Lucke & Associates for a challenging and satisfying third career.

Wayne’s accomplishments were many but among the more meaningful were his participation in a two-month exchange of Oklahoma businessmen with the Republic of South Africa and completion of Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program. He was president of the Corpus Christi Town Club, president of the Pharaoh Valley Neighborhood Association, and senior warden and treasurer of All Saints' Episcopal Church.

Arnold ShortO C T. 3 , 1 9 3 2 – S E P T. 2 6 , 2 0 1 4

Former Oklahoma City University NCAA basketball all-American Arnold Short died Sept. 26, in Oklahoma City.Short had served OCU as athletic director, tennis coach, and assistant basketball coach after a prolific playing

career. He earned several distinctions, including induction into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.Short became OCU’s first all-America honoree in 1953 and gained the national recognition again in 1954. He piled up

1,527 points while averaging 20.1 points a game as a Chief. He holds the single-game school record with 23 free throws made against Baylor in 1953 and the single-season mark of 232 free throws hit in 1953-54.

In the 1952 All-College Tournament, Short poured in 70 points in three games to earn tournament most valuable player and lead OCU to the tournament title. From 1951-54, OCU went 55-21 with three NCAA Tournament appearances and finished in the top 15 of the national rankings twice with Short’s help and guidance from coach Doyle Parrack.

Short went on to become a two-time all-star with the Phillips 66ers in the National Industrial Basketball League and was named all-Army twice.

In 1970-75, Short returned to OCU as assistant basketball coach to Paul Hansen and as an instructor. From 1980-86, Short guided OCU’s athletic department as athletic director and tennis coach.

Short joined the OCU Athletics Hall of Fame and the All-College Tournament Hall of Fame in 1979, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Oklahoma District Tennis Association’s Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 2007, Short completed 20 years as pastor of Ridgecrest United Methodist Church. Short had served as pastor of churches in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Arnold Short, left, set OCU records in the ’50s and was named All-College MVP.


S ince the founding of our University in 1904, this enterprise of United Methodist higher education has

been sustained by donors who realize they are investing in the future by supporting our students. Oklahoma City University is privileged to recognize our donors for the 2014 calendar year, and we invite you to join us in honoring them for their generous support of the University. These individuals and organizations are as diverse as the student population they support with their contributions, yet they have a common goal of sustaining a mission which has resulted in thousands of exceptionally equipped servant-leaders for our community and our world.

Our staff has worked carefully to ensure that this list of donors who have made cash gifts, pledges and pledge payments of $1,000 or more between January 1 and December 31, 2014, is as accurate as possible. If you know of an error or omission or have questions regarding this information, please call the OCU Office of University Advancement at (405) 208-7000.

Beginning this fall, OCU will recognize donors after each fiscal year. The 2014 – 15 list will appear in the next issue of FOCUS.

H O N O R R O L Lof

D O N O RS

COMPLETE LISTINGFor a comprehensive list of our overall 2014 Honor Roll of Donors,

please visit okcu.edu/focus.

s Member in memorium « OCU employee

okcu.edu/give // 27

Ad Astra FoundationSteve Agee«

Ann Simmons AlspaughAhmed and Ola Nawar AmayemAmerican Fidelity FoundationAnschutz Family FoundationGlen and Kolee BaileyTroy BaileyBancFirstLouise L. BassHoward K. Berry, Jr.G.T. and Libby BlankenshipDennis« and Chris Box«

Boys & Girls Club of Oklahoma County, Inc.John BroganMartha BurgerClyde R. Evans Charitable TrustCompliance Technology Group, LLCJoe and Valerie« CouchCrowe & DunlevySam and Bushra DahrPhil H. Deschners

David DonchinCleo Drabeks

Dick and Cynthia DuggerEmmanuel and Irene EdemEl Dorado Corporation

Matthew and Jill EppersonPaul and Debbie FlemingJose FreedeWilliam Scott GallagherGeorge W. and Louise W. Brown

Memorial TrustSteve and Carol GoetzingerHarry Goldman and Jettie PersonJack GolsenGoodin Family FoundationKenneth and Janet GoodinHarris Foundation, Inc.Hartzog, Conger, Cason & Neville, LLPGretchen HartzogHC Financing LLLPRobert Henry« and Jan Ralls HenryGary and Sue HomseyKevin HoosCliff and Leslie HudsonNiles Jackson and Barbara ThorntonJexal Foundation, Inc.Bill and Stacy JunkFarouk and Noha KanaaKarl F. and June S. Martin Family FoundationSteven and Carrie KatiganLou C. Kerr/The Kerr Foundation, Inc.Tom and Linda Klos

Ann LacyLinda Petree LambertLarason Blue Ridge Rams, LLCTimothy and Linda LarasonKurt and Cathy LeichterDuke and Linda LigonTom and Judy LoveJason and Carly MadererSteve MathisPhilelle D. McBrayerGlynn and Sandy McCauleyAubrey and Kathleen McClendonTom and Brenda McDanielTim McLaughlinJohn McShaneBud and Marilyn MeadeMidtown HC, LLCJeaneen NaifehNorick Investments, Inc.Christian O'DonnellTed and Frances OneyPearl M. & Julia J. Harmon FoundationPhillips 66Premier Assets, Inc.Tawfik and Siham RamadanGeorge and Mary Ellen RandallGeorge and Nancy Records

Records-Johnston Family Foundation, Inc.Richard P. and Norma T. Small FoundationRobert Glenn Rapp FoundationSarkeys FoundationAnne L. SchneiderStuart and Pamela SchroederSchwab Charitable FundBill and Pam ShdeedDick and Jeannettes SiasSimmons Charitable FoundationNikki SingerSSM Health Care of OklahomaRichard and Glenna TanenbaumThe Ann Lacy FoundationThe Kerr Foundation, Inc.The Robert A. Parman FoundationCullen and Bonnie ThomasTrust Company of Oklahoma Trust Company of Oklahoma — TulsaJack TurnerSteve and Marsha TurnerVanguard Charitable Endowment ProgramJerry and Melinda VannattaWatson Family FoundationWesley Foundation Board of DirectorsWilliam Scott Gallagher, P.L.L.C.Frank and Carol Williams

STARS BENEFACTORS$10,000–$99,999

Ann Simmons AlspaughAnadarko Petroleum CorporationWanda L. Basss

Martha Burger Clays and Eleanors CarrithersChesapeake Energy Corporation, Inc.The Chickasaw NationJeroldine Zacharitz Clarks

Marvins and Enas DawsonDevon Energy CorporationThe Luther T. Dulaney FamilyJosephine W. Freede

Jerry Gamble and Jane Jayroe GambleGaylord FamilyHarris Foundation, Inc.Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, Inc.Inasmuch FoundationClara Edith Joness

Lou Kerr/The Kerr Foundation, Inc.Kerr-McGee Corporation, Inc.Kirkpatrick FamilyAnn Lacy and James Alexanders

Kurt and Cathy LeichterHaskell L. Lemon Family

Tom and Judy LoveThe J.E. and L.E. Mabee FoundationMcLaughlin Family Charitable FundHerman and LaDonna MeindersThe Meinders FoundationGary M. MooreThe Samuel Roberts Noble FoundationFamilies of Henry NorickRon and Kandy NorickOklahoma Conference

of The United Methodist Church

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company Foundation, Inc.

The Robert A. Parman FoundationPetree FamilyRobert & Ruby Priddy Charitable TrustSarkeys FoundationDick and Jeannettes SiasJeanne Hoffman SmithVivian Wimberlys

Flora Rouse Winters

FOUNDERSCUMULATIVE GIFTS OF $1 MILLION OR MORE

Founders are an exceptional group of donors who have earned a place of distinction through their commitment to Oklahoma City University and their remarkable generosity, which continues to advance the university’s mission. Each has made cumulative gifts of $1 million or more.

DISTINGUISHED STARS BENEFACTORS$100,000 & ABOVE

Phil and Cathy BuseyRandy and Connie CalvertChesapeake Energy Corporation, Inc.Communities Foundation of OklahomaDelaware Resource Group of Oklahoma, LLCDevon Energy CorporationE.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation

Lin Wei-HsienMcLaughlin Family Charitable FundBill MeeCharles E. Mehrs

The Meinders FoundationHerman and LaDonna MeindersRon and Kandy Norick

Oklahoma City Community FoundationOklahoma Conference

of the United Methodist ChurchOklahoma United Methodist FoundationRay and Pat PottsGene RainboltSous Family Foundation, Inc.

Ziad SousThe Chickasaw NationWanda L. Bass Foundation, Inc.WCM Investment CompanyNorman G. Wilkss


PRESIDENT'S PARTNERS

President’s Partners is Oklahoma City University’s annual giving recognition society showcasing the generosity of those who contribute $1,000 or more during the year. Such loyal donors, whether they make unrestricted gifts or gifts designated toward their areas of interest, inspire others to make a difference for the university at a leadership giving level each year.

GOLD$5,000–$9,999

Access MLP Operating, Inc.Phil and Jo AlbertAmerican College of Bankruptcy FoundationRobert and Nancy AnthonySue Ann ArnallMohammed and Becky AtiyehTerry BaransySusan Barber« and David NagleBeasley Oil CompanyDoc and MarEllen BensonAndrew and Debby BentonJoel and Jackey BieberBob Mills FurnitureVivian Bonifields

Bobbie Burbridge LaneButterfield Memorial FoundationSteven and Taolo CargillRoy and Pat ChandlerCole Family Charitable FoundationKeri Coleman Norris and Ty NorrisWallace H. and Emogene G. CollinsDesign+Build Group, LLCDexter Johnson Education TrustEnable Oklahoma Intrastate

Transmission LLCFirst National Bank of OklahomaFrankfurt-Short-Bruza Associates, P.C.Jerry Gamble and Jane Jayroe GambleGeorge Kaiser Family FoundationMichael Gibson«

Robert and Debra GrayChris HarrisonKeegan HarrozNicholas HarrozHatton W. Sumners Foundation, Inc.Larry« and Gay HellmanInasmuch FoundationIslamic Society of Greater Oklahoma CityJames and Phyllis JacksonSheryl JacobsRandy and Connie JonesKennedy Consulting Team, LLC

John KennedyKhichi FamilyKimray, Inc.King Family Properties, LLCRobert KingKirkpatrick Foundation, Inc.Eric Laity«

Art« and Betsy LeFrancoisHarrison and Elaine LevyRobert MeindersBob and Margaret MillsDaniel and Andrea MorganAli MoussaDolores NeustadtNorth Oklahoma City District

of The United Methodist ChurchOCU Rowing TeamOKC Pro SoccerOklahoma Bar Foundation, Inc.Oklahoma City National Memorial

FoundationJake Pfarr and Jana Wingo-PfarrJames PickelThomas and Lisa PriceJeffry and Julie PuryearJames RavannackRobert Dean Gray, PCPaul and Kim SandersRebecca SchneiderChris and Jeanie SholerSmith & Pickel Construction, Inc.Jeanne Hoffman SmithSouthern Media, LLCBarry and Rebecca SwitzerThe Ayco Charitable FoundationThe Burbridge FoundationThe Professional Basketball Club, LLCTheatre Arts, Inc.Tom and Lisa Price Charitable FoundationWal-Dot FoundationWilliams Box Forshee & Bullard, PCPaul and Linda WoodyHub Worrell

SILVER$2,500 TO $4,999

Brian and Julia BakemanBank of OklahomaBank of Oklahoma FoundationRonald and Debbie BarnesHamden and Robyn BaskinCarter and Cara BaumertBlue Cross/Blue Shield of OklahomaJohn BroganJack BushRod and Peggy CampbellDoug and Rose CarlsonBrian CravenJohn and Cindy CrittendenJoe and Sherry CrosthwaitAl and Sandra Cusack

Dougherty Family Charitable Trust Fund of Triangle Community Foundation

Dennis and Nancy DoughertyDW Trucking, LLCEchols and AssociatesEthics and Excellence

in Journalism FoundationChristopher and Jacqueline FiegelGeneral Board of Higher Education and

Ministry of The United Methodist ChurchGranite Fiberglass Pools and SpasGreat Plains Coca-Cola Bottling CompanyGreg McCracken & AssociatesBradley GungollIrene HamCarol M. HansenJane B. HarlowJames and Jean HartsuckHC Services, LLCBrad and Kim HenryHenry-Adams CompaniesConor Holt« and Camille HerronJ.R. and Patsy HomseyJohn and Janet HudsonIBM International FoundationBryan and Melanie JesterJohn Q. Hammons Two, LPMike JohnstonStephen JonesMindy LambertDavid LeeLance LodesLSB Industries, Inc.Marathon Oil CorporationRobert and Marty MargoPat McGarrity and Leroy BallMercy Accounts Payable Shared ServicesVicki Miles-LaGrangeMelvin and Jasmine MoranBob and Carol NaifehOG&E Energy Corp.Marty« and Deborah« O'GwynnOklahoma Bar AssociationOklahoma Employees Credit UnionOklahoma Energy Resources BoardOklahoma Natural Gas CompanyRichard and Gayle ParryCorey Phillips and Adam de la GarzaMarsh and Debbie PitmanPresser FoundationPuterbaugh FoundationRonald Raines and Dona VaughnRalph A. Sallusti, PCPat and Marianne RooneyRalph and Sandy SallustiMeg SalyerIra and Sandra SchlezingerJames SchmidtTony and Phyllis ShelbyAndy and Julia ShoupRoger and Barbara SimonsElliott Fenton and Lu SimpsonSooner Beer Company

Craig Stinson and Krista JonesThe Regeneration ProjectTinker Federal Credit UnionTriangle Community Foundation, Inc.Deb Tussey«

University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc.Jim WadeMark and Gale WoodJohn M. Yoeckel

BRONZE$1 ,000 TO $2,499

A. Cusack & D. Cusack Investments, LLCJim« and Annetta AbbottDavid and Kathie AelvoetRhodly and Betty AldenJerome and Judy AltshulerAmerican Fidelity Assurance CompanyAnn Sherman PhotographyWalker ArensonLuann AtkinsAmy L. BankheadMichael and Anita BarlowEd BarthDavid and Laura BealMark« and Teena« BelcikLance and Linda BenhamJean BennerMary S. Benner«

Loyd and Judy BensonKevin BerryPaul and Colleen BicketTravis and Elise BlalockMike and Rita BlaserDavid BohnertCharlie and Cassie BowenBradshaw Santa GertrudisLarry and Marie BradshawJoellyn F. BrownJim and Betty BruceNorman and Karen BryantKent« and Lauri BuchananDoug and Rhonda BucklesBob and Barbara BunceLinda ByfordCarol ByrdCharlie« and Ann CantrellJoe and Kristin CarsonCentral Liquor CompanyKyle and Susan ChambersCharles and Cassandra Bowen

Charitable FoundationClassic Cabinets, Inc.Donald and Karen ClewellLawrence« and Chris CobbSteve ColemanCommerce BankConklin Family FoundationThomas ConklinConocoPhillips, Matching Gift ProgramRay Cornelison

HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

okcu.edu/give // 29

J.W. CoyleCrawley Petroleum CorporationDuane CummingsVivian DaleRobert DanielsMark and Jackie DarrahMark Davies« and Kristin Alex DaviesRichard Wansley and Meredith DavisonKyle Dean«

Michael DeckerPete and Karen DelaneyDell, Inc.Patricia R. DempsDerryberry & Naifeh, LLPJuliet DixonRobert DoengesBill and Liz« DonnellyMark and Jennifer DoremusMatthew and Christina DowellFrederick DrummondKaren Eby«

Drew and Linda EdmondsonJim Egans

Robert and Nancy EllisErnst and Young LLPBarbara L. EskridgeStanley and Saundra EvansJim and Christy EverestWade Christensen and Mary FallinJames and Miki FarrisJalal FarzanehMohammad FarzanehBrad and Celine FergusonJoe and Marti FerrettiFirst Commercial BankDenise Flis«

Charles and Carla FlournoyTimothy FoleyFoundation Management, Inc.

FPOVMelba and Kenny FrazierGray and Karen FredericksonHelen M. Gaudin«

Gerald L. Gamble Company, Inc.Warren and Jill GotcherNate and Linda GranthamKyle GravesBarry and Anne GrayGreater Kansas City Community FoundationGreater Oklahoma City

Chamber of CommerceJoe and Shannon GreenhawEmily GuthrieRick and Lee HallHomer and Treva HancockMeredith and Helen HardgraveBrian Harvey«

Health Care Service CorporationJohn and Melvena HeischBrian and Molly HendersonLinda HenryDavid« and Lucy HerendeenHeritage Trust CompanyBrian and Laura HobbsDan and Sarah HoganHoganTaylor, LLPGlede and Teresa HolmanHome Creations, New Home BuilderHenry and Laura HoodHouston Astros Baseball ClubKaren Howick Ronald HowlandEric and Kami HuddlestonHunzicker BrothersIntegris Health, Inc.Ronnie and Shahnaaz IraniJ.D. Rohrer, PCScott Jackson

James Farris Associates, LTDRobert and Mary« JenkinsBarry Johnson« and Melissa Smith-JohnsonBill and Ann JohnstoneJ.T. JonesLaurie L. Jones«

Tom Jones and Leslie TregillusDonald JordanJourney House Travel, Inc.Justin Sullivan Alwf, Inc.Yvonne KaugerNancy I. KenderdineJohn and Jane KenneyAlan and Angela KenningtonMichael and Candace KiehnSandy KimererJohn and Aggie KnappCraig and Julie KnutsonLois and Stanley KruschwitzMichael and Summer KrywuckiKVSP — Perry Broadcasting Co., Inc.William and Laura LaingLambert Company, LLCLambert Investment Company, LLCLangston University FoundationGreg and Erin LarsonDan and Phyllis LarsonLazy K PropertiesSyd LewisBilly LewisFoster and Judy LindleyDave and Lana LopezJanis LoveLove's Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc.Edward« and Marie LyonsMA+ ArchitectsDonald and Barbara MacPhersonChetan MangalwedheAlan MarcumMassey Family FoundationJohn MasseyGregory McCrackenRick McKeeKen and Debbie McKinneyLarry and Rozia FosterBurrel and JoAnn McNaughtPhil McSpadden«

Clinton and Jennie MedberyThomas and Brandi MiegerJoel and Nikki MilibandJason and Cindy MillerGlen and Yvonne MillerBrad and Valerie NaifehBernard NashNatural Stone Design LLCNicole A. NelsonDavid and Betty NittlerNorthcutt Law FirmMarc NuttleOGE Energy Corp. Foundation, Inc.Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors BureauOklahoma City Repertory TheatreDavid Ooley

Orthopedic Associates, Inc.Michael and H. Anne O'SheaPanhandle Oil and Gas Inc.Sandy Pantlik«

Mark Parker«

Kevin PerryJerry and Charlette PerrymanPeter and Karen Delaney Family FoundationJames PetersonJoseph PhillipsDavid PitzerPitzer's Lawn Management, Inc.Suzanne E. PointerPaul and Bridget Poputa-CleanFord and Sheryl PriceGeorge Proctor and Nancy DumoffProsperity BankProStar Services, Inc.David and Kim RainboltSteven and Julie RaneyGhazi and Hoda Rayan Stephen and Sue ReelJohn and Charlotte RichelsJeff Riles and Joe SangirardiCarol RitcheyRiver Oaks Golf ClubJohn RobinsonWyatt and Joni RobsonJ.D. and Patricia RohrerCasey R. Ross-Petherick«

James and Sharon RowanShannon B. RundellJohn and Lois« SalmeronWes and Suad SalousGary and Carol SanderShane and LaDonna SandersGary and Anne ShanerStephanie ShanorAnn C. ShermanLee Allan and DeAnn SmithRobert and Sharon SmithShelby SmithBill and Jean SmithDarrell and Margaret SmokewoodDouglas Sorocco«

Spartan Resources, LLCBob« and Pam SpinksAndrew« and Ellen SpiropoulosIrwin and Kelley SteinhornScott StoneVictoria K. Swinney«

Jack and Jill TalleyMarvona and Michael TavlinClayton and Marnie TaylorThe Economic Club of OklahomaThe Lewis and Butler FoundationLisa ThenAuda M. ThomasRon ThomasJames and Elizabeth TolbertLinda TuckerWindle and Shirley TurleyElaine R. Turner



Frosty and Gayla TurpenUMB Bank, NAUnited Methodist Higher Education

FoundationW.M. Smith Energy LLCJoseph and Cynthia WalkowskiWarhawk LegalJonathan and Paula WatsonTerry WestEllen Jayne WheelerMartha E. WhiteChuck and Renate WigginLarry and Ashlie WilhelmBrent Foster and Keri Williams Foster«

John and Beverly WilliamsBob WillinghamLawrence and Sheryl Young

NEBULA SOCIETY

"Nebula," the material from which stars are formed, is an appropriate description of this generous group of donors whose investment in OCU is essential to creating stars from each generation of OCU students. Nebula Society donors make unrestricted gifts of $1,000 or more annually to the OCU Fund, providing flexible resources to meet unexpected challenges or take advantage of exciting opportunities.

GOLD$5,000+

Phil and Jo AlbertTerry BaransyVivian Bonifields

Linda Petree LambertHarrison and Elaine LevyOklahoma City Community FoundationRobert Henry« and Jan Ralls HenryGeorge and Nancy RecordsDick SiasRichard P. and Norma T. Small Foundation

SILVER$2,500–$4,999

AnonymousEthics and Excellence

in Journalism FoundationChristopher and Jacqueline FiegelIrene HamJerry Gamble and Jane Jayroe GambleJeaneen NaifehMarty« and Deborah« O'Gwynn


Marilyn Abercrombie-JoynerHelen Hinman Abernathys

Kay AdairJean M. Affeldts

Bess M. Aikenss

Victor F. AlbertBetty J. AldenRhodly L. AldenJ. Bart Aldridges

Geronimo AlexanderKatherine Alexanders

Stephanie B. Allisons

Nabhan AlnabhanAnn S. AlspaughJerome K. AltshulerJudy M. AltshulerAlan B. AndersonKalpa M. Andersons

William Ed Archers

Dorothy M. Atkinss

Joseph N. AtkinsJosephine E. AtkinsRaymond T. Ayerss

Troy E. BaileyWilliam S. Baileys

Julia BakemanT. Brian BakemanSusan C. Barber«

Roland K. Barkers

Linda C. BarnettMarguerite P. Barretts

Clark Basss

James C. BassKay BassWanda L. Basss

Bruce L. BatesR. Thomas BeadlesFloy S. Beans

Jean Frances Beattys

Gladys Beavens

George P. Bensons

Travis T. BensonHoward K. Berry Jr.Florence Bettiss

Florence G. BirdwellRobert L. Birdwells

James H. Blossoms

Norma R. Blossoms

Caroline L. Blues

Johnny A. Blues

Kathleen Tucker Bones

Vivian A. Bonifields

Opal Bostons

Edna H. Bowmans

Loretta Kay BradleyEsther E. Brindleys

Alan B. BrookingAlbert H. Brookss

George W. Browns

Kleida W. Browns

Louise W. Browns

Henry W. BrowneEllen L. Bryans

Robert A. BryanLillian B. Bryants

Paul T. BryantTanya S. BryantBecky BuchananJames C. BuchananMary L. Buress

Martha A. BurgerBob G. BurkeClarence W. Burrs

James L. Burtons

Vince Busbys

Jack G. BushRobert ButkinM.K. ButlerHugh V. Bylers

Chester CadieuxDebbie CadieuxMabel Campbells

Bettie CareyJohn M. CareyJohn Hoyle Carlocks

Henry Carlsons

Lucille Carlsons

Eleanor Carritherss

Claudia Carroll-PhelpsRoy W. ChandlerB.C. Clarks

Jeroldine Zacharitz Clarks

Bard H. CoatsDonna R. Coats

GOLD STAR SOCIETYThe Gold Star Society recognizes donors who provide support for OCU through deferred or estate gifts. Such legacy gifts can touch OCU in a variety of ways. Some donors wish to have their gift applied wherever the need is greatest. Some choose to establish a scholarship endowment for deserving students or fund an endowed chair or professorship to help the university attract and retain outstanding faculty. Others direct their support toward a particular program or project. OCU is truly grateful to each of these whose generosity and commitment leaves a lasting legacy.

Marsh and Debbie PitmanJames SchmidtTony and Phyllis ShelbyNiles Jackson and Barbara Thornton

BRONZE$1 ,000–$2,499

Walker ArensonDavid and Laura BealLoyd and Judy BensonJoellyn F. BrownKent« and Lauri BuchananDoug and Rhonda BucklesBob and Barbara BunceRay CornelisonVivian DaleKyle Dean«

Frederick DrummondRobert and Nancy EllisJim and Christy EverestJoe and Marti FerrettiR. Nathan GranthamJoe and Shannon GreenhawJane B. HarlowRonnie and Shahnaaz IraniRobert and Mary« JenkinsBill and Ann JohnstoneJ.T. JonesCraig Stinson and Krista JonesYvonne KaugerLou C. Kerr/The Kerr

Foundation, Inc.Dan and Phyllis LarsonKurt and Cathy LeichterDuke and Linda LigonFoster and Judy LindleyDavid and Lana LopezTom and Brenda McDanielBurrel and JoAnn McNaughtDan McNeill«

Melvin and Jasmine MoranRon and Kandy NorickDavid OoleySandy Pantlik«

George and Mary Ellen RandallSteven and Julie RaneyJeff RilesJohn RobinsonPat and Marianne RooneyShannon B. RundellGary and Carol SanderGary and Anne ShanerStephanie ShanorBob« and Pam SpinksMarvona and Michael TavlinRichard Wansley and

Meredith DavisonChuck and Renate Wiggin

okcu.edu/give // 31

Carol H. CochranMary E. CoffeyChristine CollinsElizabeth Herring Collinss

Jack T. Conns

Lois A. CoopriderDon E. CopelinGeorge D. CraigLelah P. CraigCatherine Crains

Nuell Crains

Pearl E. Crains

Lisa Crone-SheldonRussell Croochs

M. Joe CrosthwaitBessie B. Cunninghams

Curtis B. Cunninghams

A.S. DahrPhilip E. Daughertys

Herbert E. Daviss

Ena Dawsons

Marvin Dawsons

Michael L. DeckerPhil H. Deschners

Judith H. DillonPeter G. DillonWilliam C. Doengess

Catherine E. DoughertyDennis J. DoughertyNancy DoughertyPatricia J. DowningCleo Drabeks

John Prather Easts

Larry A. EberhardtEmmanuel E. EdemIrene EdemPhyllis K. EdsonOrville E. EdwardsSarah S. Edwardss

Jim A. Egans

Violet Egans

Pat EitzenRonald P. EitzenDonald G. EmlerJuel Emricks

Jill A. EppersonMatthew A. EppersonBroneta D. Evanss

LeVerda Evanss

C. Randolph EverestHarvey P. Everests

Ellis E. Fairs

Marjorie J. Fannings

Clifford E. FarmerEsther W. Farmers

Jalal FarzanehMohammad FarzanehSylvanus G. Felixs

Elliott C. FentonLee Findlays

G. Russell Fletchers

O.F. Folmers

Joe FoorSharon G. ForeTed Fosters

Paul A. FoxJosephine W. FreedeMilton H. Freelands

Robert D. FryNick L. GalesMarion B. Galloways

Gerald L. GambleMichael GardnerBarbara GarrettVelma Gillettes

Elizabeth Girtmans

Roger Givenss

Gordon D. GoeringJack E. GolsenJennie Goodson-Cannons

John S. GorrellDorothy M. Grahams

Drucilla L. GravesMary Greenshieldss

Kenna R. GriffinMary K. GrissoJacque GrotjohnMo GrotjohnNorma Rowe Gunns

Larry M. HaagColbert F. HacklerAttieson H. HalbrookLee P. HallRichard E. HallTreva R. HancockCarol M. HansenHerschel Willis Harders

Allen K. HarrisHelen O. Hartmans

Basel S. HassounRichard P. HastingsPatricia HatamyarGretchen L. HatleyMorris L. HatleyBeryl HawkinsElton M. Hendersons

Robert H. HenryElizabeth A. Hensleys

John G. Herveys

J.B. Hitts

Orina E. HokeTom R. HokeConnie HollandWayne HollandGary B. HomseyFrank L. Hortons

Karen A. HowardFlorence Hrons

Lyndall F. Hudsons

Darrell W. Hughess

Verna Hursts

Ronald G. JacobJane A. Jayroe GambleDixie S. JensenDonald F. Jensens

Baxter Johnsons

Dexter Johnsons

Patricia A. JohnsonClara E. Joness

Sybil R. JonesM. Farouk KanaaNelma M. KarnsWilliam T. Karnss

Joseph W. KaufmanRoumaine Kearses

Iva B. Kelleys

Richard B. Kellss

Nancy I. KenderdineLou C. KerrKaren L. KirkpatrickSteve C. KnightEwald J. Kramers

Jim D. KutchMary J. KutchAnn LacyGrace D. Lamars

Sally J. Langstons

Margaret M. Larasons

Tim M. LarasonRuth G. LeebronCathy J. LeichterKurt LeichterHaskell L. Lemon Familys

Helen Lenns

W. Penn Lerblances

Frances Norick Lillys

Ona E. Loewensteins

Lloyd L. Longs

Janis S. LoveFred R. Lynchs

Andrea L. MacMullinDonald W. MacPhersonMary N. MailmanElda Maniss

Harlene MarleySamuel E. MarrsJames L. Martins

Callie Jane Maschals

Michael P. MassadW.C. Mathess

Margaret G. Mathiss

Christopher A. MauldinDorothy Mayess

Aubrey K. McClendon

Gene L. McCornackMariann McCornackJane M. McCreights

William G. McCreights

Brenda S. McDanielTom J. McDanielRichard F. McDivittDean A. McGees

John R. McInnisBurrel J. McNaughtJoAnn McNaughtDoloris A. McVayCharles E. Mehrs

Herman MeindersLaDonna MeindersL D. Meltons

Nellie R. Meltons

Gene H. Midyetts

Patrick K. MilesFrances Milhouses

Paul W. Milhouses

Glenn E. MillardMary A. MillardBonnie L. MillerGlen O. MillerLewis Millers

Maudie M. MillerRetta MillerRoberta E. Millers

Yvonne MillerNannette E. Millesons

Frederick F. MischlerMargaret L. MoedtNile W. Montgomerys

Chloe J. MooreGary M. Moores

Helen G. Moores

Loy Morriss

Marian Morriss

Theresa L. Morriss

Eugene H. MorrisonFrederick J. Murnanes

Debbie Musick«

David P. NagleJeaneen E. NaifehRaymond NaifehDennis B. NeffClara L. Neils

Gene A. Nelsons

Grace Nelsons

Charles Nesbitts

Margaret E. Newtons

Helen Nicholsons

Margaret NorickMarjorie J. Noricks

Ronald J. NorickJohn W. NormanTal Oden




Patricia OrzaVincent F. OrzaNeva L. Osbornes

M. Lavell OwenRaymond H. Owens

Evelyn Parkers

Mark E. Parker«

Richard H. ParryMargaret F. Pates

Bernie L. PattersonNell Pattersons

Marcella A. Pecks

Jane B. PelleyGeorge Pellingers

Brenda D. PenwellCharlette R. PerrymanJerry W. PerrymanF.M. Petrees

Margaret E. Petrees

Terry O. PhelpsRichard W. Pickenss

F. Warren Pixleys

Patricia J. PottsRay H. PottsPamela R. Prentice Parrishs

Winona S. Presleys

Emma Prices

Robert R. Prices

Aran R. Priddys

Betty Quinlans

George R. RandallMary Ellen RandallGhazi M. RayanJeanne Reeds

Ellen G. Reids

Margaret K. Replogles

Mary E. ReplogleRobert E. ReynoldsKathleen Rhodess

Helen A. Riddles

Esther A. Robinsons

Charles A. RockwoodWarren O. Rombergers

Casey R. Ross-PetherickFlora Rouse Winters

Erma L. Rouses

Maryetta H. Rowes

Dennis N. RubensteinRichard N. RyersonJoseph H. SahmauntArthur W. SalisburyOrval J. Samss

Mary C. Sargents

Freeda M. Sarjents

George B. Saunderss

J.B. Saunderss

Michael D. Schag

Merrill SchnitzerPamela B. SchroederStuart R. SchroederGeorge W. Scotts

Hugh W. ScottShirley D. ScottMinnie Sebas

Cheryl SeguineRobert W. SeguineRuth E. SeidemanGarvin SennJohn Shakelys

Pamela H. ShdeedWilliam F. ShdeedGeorge H. Shirks

Ruby Lu SimpsonNaomi L. SingerCarl W. Skinners

Ruth Skinners

Emma P. Smiths

Jeanne Hoffman SmithJessie C. SmithShelby L. SmithWilliam E. SmithAlberta W. Soloways

Ziad SousLynnie C. Spahns

Robert H. Spahns

Carol V. Spencers

Arlene Staatss

Barbara F. SteinbergGrace M. Stephensons

Irene StewartWalter Stillers

James R. StithCarl W. Stokess

J. Russell StoneWayne D. StoneWilliam R. StrainHope R. Strasners

Lemuell Summerss

Irene Swateks

Rosalinn H. Swinkas

Glenna G. TanenbaumRichard I. TanenbaumMarvona S. TavlinMichael J. TavlinDonald W. Tharps

Charles R. Thigpens

Mary E. Thigpens

Bette Thomass

Marge Edwards Thomass

Pete ThomasTom A. Thomass

Abbie Thompsons

Edith ThompsonKelly R. Thompson

MacKenzie C. Thompsons

Howard B. Thorntons

Peggy Thorntons

Gladys M. Tuckers

M. Kevin TullyPatricia R. TullyMelinda D. TuneAlireza VahabzadehRobert W. Van HouseNellie Mae Vandegrifts

Wilbur Vandegrifts

James Vanderpools

Jerry B. VannattaMarianne B. Vannattas

Betty L. Veatchs

George E. VickreyNadine Vincents

Mildred S. Voaks

James L. WadeLarry R. Wades

Mary J. Wades

C. Gene WalkerJerald C. WalkerVirginia K. WalkerDora Warnes

Warren K. Watsons

Herman Wegeners

Mary Wegeners

Miriam M. Wests

Helen L. Westervelds

Clarrissa E. Wheats

William H. Wheats

Ellen Jayne WheelerGladys B. Whetstine

Alice B. Whittens

Spudds Wideners

R. A. Wildmans

Annette G. Wilkess

Norman G. Wilkss

Max V. WilliamsDrew WilliamsonLizette R. WilliamsonFlorence O. Wilsons

Raymond D. Wilsons

Owen Wimberlys

Vivian Wimberlys

Georgia Wintons

Jacqueline M. WiseCharles C. WislerFrances J. Wislers

Lisa M. WolfeBetty L. WoodenEvelyn Wynell Woodruffs

W.W. Woodworths

Rose Woodworths

Willis C. Worleys

Hubert R. WorrellCeline M. Wyatts

Euclid M. Wyatts

Kiyoko Yamamotos

Lisa YeMark YeBeverly A. YoungCarl W. YoungMary Wells Youngs

L.S. Youngbloods

Edna Zaspels

okcu.edu/give // 33

Alumni Association

Alumni Legacy Endowed ScholarshipAlumni Lifetime Membership Endowment

Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management

American Spirit Dance Company EndowmentAmerican Spirit Dance Company

Endowed ScholarshipPeg Leg Bates American Dance & Dance

Management Endowed ScholarshipJohn Hitt Endowed ScholarshipAnn Lacy and James E. Alexander

Endowed ScholarshipTom and Brenda McDaniel

Endowed Scholarship for Dance and Arts Management

Charles E. Mehr Endowed Dance ScholarshipLee Paramore Endowed Dance ScholarshipMarcella Patterson Endowed

Dance Teacher ScholarshipRitz International Foundation

Endowed ScholarshipJo Rowan Endowed Dance ScholarshipAlleyne F. Schweinle Endowed ScholarshipBetty Stockard Endowed Scholarship

Athletics

OCU Baseball EndowmentMelvin Decker Memorial Athletic

Endowed ScholarshipDevon Boathouse Quasi EndowmentEducation Athletic Endowed ScholarshipWilliam A. Grana Endowed ScholarshipPaul Hansen Memorial Endowed

Athletic ScholarshipBrian Harvey Academic Soccer

Endowed ScholarshipAbe Lemons Endowed Athletic ScholarshipEugene H. Morrison Endowment

for Men's BasketballEugene H. Morrison Endowment for BaseballEugene H. Morrison Endowment

for Men's GolfWilliam Nashert Endowed ScholarshipHugh and Diane Scott Athletic EndowmentStar Elementary School Memorial

Endowed ScholarshipGeneral James L. Wade Athletic Endowment

Dulaney-Browne Library

William & Romaine Bailey Religious Library Collection Endowment

Logan Cary Science & Engineering Library Book Endowment

Dulaney-Browne Library EndowmentElizabeth Clark Gordon Memorial

EndowmentB.D. Lack Endowment

General University

8000 for OCU Endowed ScholarshipPalmer C. Abercrombie Endowed ScholarshipAfrican American Endowed ScholarshipAFS Employee Dependent

Endowed ScholarshipEmery O. and Bess M. Aikens ScholarshipAmerican Indian Alumni

Endowed ScholarshipJames Noble Atkins Memorial

Book EndowmentTroy Bailey Endowed ScholarshipBrian and Julia Bakeman

Endowed ScholarshipErminda and Sophia Banning

Endowed ScholarshipBruce & Marjorie Bates Endowed ScholarshipMcKinley Billy Endowed ScholarshipJames H. & Norma R. Blossom

Endowed ScholarshipClyde & Evelyn Bowen Endowed ScholarshipHomer S. & Margaret Brauer Anderson

Endowed ScholarshipEdward W. and Ethel Mae Brindley

Endowed ScholarshipAlice Brown Endowed ScholarshipEllen L. Bryan Endowed ScholarshipJames C. Buchanan III & Becky Buchanan

Endowed Scholarship & Capital Expenditures

C.W. Burr Endowed ScholarshipCampus Beautification EndowmentH. Arthur Carlson & Mary Lucille Carlson

Memorial Endowed ScholarshipRoy Chandler Endowed ScholarshipChapel Maintenance Endowment — Harris

FoundationChinese Endowed ScholarshipChurch of the Good Sheperd

Endowed Scholarship

Clint Foundation Endowed Scholarship

Student Senate Coffia Award Endowed Scholarship

Council for Excellence Endowment

Hazel & Russell Crooch Endowed Scholarship

Devon Energy Clara Luper Endowed Scholarship

Distinguished Speakers Series Endowment

Kamil Eddie, Sr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Walter N. & Alice K. Epler Endowed Scholarship

Broneta Evans Endowed Religion Scholarship

Fair-Folmer Endowed Scholarship

George D. Findlay Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Gerald L. & Jane Jayroe Gamble Endowed Scholarship & Capital Expenditures

Richard Gibbens Endowed Scholarship

J.E. Hall Endowed ScholarshipRichard E. Hall Endowed

ScholarshipPaul Hansen Endowed Scholarship

for the Hearing ImpairedJohn & Martha Hardt Endowed ScholarshipMary E. Harris Endowed ScholarshipJudge Robert Henry Endowed ChairDan Hogan Endowed ScholarshipHolland Family EndowmentHomeland Endowed Scholarship

for Native American StudentsHonda Native American

Endowed ScholarshipHoopes Endowed ScholarshipFrank Horton Memorial Endowed ScholarshipIndian Misson Land EndowmentClara E. Jones Endowed ScholarshipPaul Jones Native American

Endowed ScholarshipIva B. Kelley Art & Law Endowed ScholarshipAnn Michele King Memorial Endowed

Scholarship

Lambda Chi Alpha Endowed ScholarshipClara Luper General Endowed ScholarshipOG&E Clara Luper Endowed ScholarshipFred & Margaret Lynch Endowed ScholarshipFred R. and Margaret Lynch Endowed

Methodist ScholarshipWilliam D. Maril Memorial

Endowed ScholarshipCordis Martin Endowed ScholarshipMichael & Eunice Massad Endowed

ScholarshipD. & E. Mayes Endowed ScholarshipAnabell McConnell Memorial

Endowed ScholarshipMcDaniel Endowed Leadership ScholarshipDean McGee EndowmentFlora H. McKay Endowed ScholarshipGenevieve Middagh Endowed ScholarshipBishop & Mrs. Paul Milhouse

Endowed Scholarship


ENDOWED FUNDSEndowment gifts serve as a meaningful way to support the university, not only providing for today’s needs but continuing to make a difference in perpetuity. A named endowment conveys values in a powerful way, creating a legacy that outlives the donor. An endowment, which may be established with an investment of $25,000, can build up over time, and even receive an ultimate gift through a donor’s estate. Oklahoma City University is grateful for our generous donors whose commitment will be carried into the future, impacting generations to come.


Gene Nelson Endowed ScholarshipOikos Endowed ScholarshipJohn F. Olson Endowed ScholarshipJohn F. Olson Memorial Endowed LectureshipHarvey L. & Laura M. Parker Methodist

Endowed ScholarshipRichard & Gayle Parry Endowed

Fund for OperationsGertrude M. Patton Endowed ScholarshipJerry W. and Charlette R. Perryman

Endowed ScholarshipF.M. Petree Endowed Book ScholarshipTerry & Lauren Phelps Endowed ScholarshipD.N. Pope Endowed ScholarshipOlen D. Presley Endowed ScholarshipC.L. & Aran Priddy Endowed Scholarships

for American Indian StudentsWinnifred Reneau Endowed ScholarshipScottish Rite Endowed ScholarshipRotary Club Endowed ScholarshipBud & Ronald Sahmaunt Native American

Endowed ScholarshipA.C. Scott Endowed ScholarshipGeorge C. & Sara Scott Endowed ScholarshipL.E. Shackelford Endowed ScholarshipL.L. Shirley Endowed ScholarshipM.L. Simmons Endowed ScholarshipCharles E. Simpson Endowed Memorial

ScholarshipRuth Ida Skinner Unrestricted EndowmentSloan-Fitzwilliam-Fanning Endowed

ScholarshipWilliam H. Smith Endowed ScholarshipLynnie & Robert Spahn Endowed ScholarshipE.A. and Winnie Stewart Endowed

ScholarshipLemuell Summers Endowed ScholarshipRosalinn Swinka Endowed ScholarshipEsther Taylor Endowed Memorial ScholarshipH. Emerson Thomas EndowmentTom A. Thomas, Jr. and Bette C. Thomas

Unrestricted EndowmentColonel William Thompson Endowed

ScholarshipUnrestricted Endowed ScholarshipUnrestricted EndowmentJerald C. Walker International

Endowed ScholarshipH.H. Wegener Endowed ScholarshipMiriam West Endowed ScholarshipLouis Allen Whitten Endowed ScholarshipDean Thomas A. Williams Memorial

Endowed ScholarshipFlorence O. Wilson Endowed ScholarshipFlorence O. Wilson House EndowmentFlora Rouse Winter Endowed ScholarshipJackie and Bill Wise Endowed ScholarshipBetty L. Wooden Endowed ScholarshipEuclid M. & Celine M. Wyatt

Endowed ScholarshipEdna L. Zaspel Endowed Scholarship

Kramer School of Nursing

R.T. Ayers Family Endowed ScholarshipDenise Burton Endowed Nursing ScholarshipDavid & Barbara Green Endowed Nursing

ScholarshipBrandon L. Hubbard Endowed ScholarshipKramer Nursing Endowed ScholarshipHarold & Edith Maris Memorial Endowed

Nursing ScholarshipElaine Masters Endowed Leadership

ScholarshipMSN Education Track Endowed ScholarshipNursing Endowed ScholarshipNursing Dean's Endowed ChairDaphyn Owen Endowed Scholarship

for Kramer School of NursingEd & Lorraine Reynolds Endowed Nursing

ScholarshipRuth Kramer Seideman Endowed ScholarshipMarvel Williamson Endowed Nursing

Scholarship

Meinders School of Business

American Floral Service Marketing Endowed Chair

C.R. Anthony Endowed Chair in Competitive Enterprises

Jeanne Reed Bowman Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Alan B. Brooking EndowmentMartha Burger and Donald Rowlett

Endowed ScholarshipBurwell Endowed ChairChester Cadieux Endowed Undergraduate

Scholarship in the Meinders School of Business

Chesapeake Energy Endowed ScholarshipB.C. Clark, Jr. Endowed Chair in the Meinders

School of BusinessCoca Cola Entrepreneur Speaker Series

EndowmentJack Conn Endowed Chair in Meinders

School of BusinessAnn Covalt Endowed ScholarshipWilliam C. Doenges Endowed ScholarshipB.D. Eddie Endowed ScholarshipHarvey P. Everest Endowed Business

ScholarshipHenry James Freede Endowed ProfessorshipMichael Gardner Endowed Business

ScholarshipGolsen Family Endowed Business

ScholarshipJ. Leland Gourley Scholarship in BusinessJames A. Graves Endowed ScholarshipMo & Jacque Grotjohn Endowed Business

ScholarshipT.K. Hendrick Endowed Chair in Marketing &

ManagementBill Hutton Memorial Endowed ScholarshipGeorge C. Jones, Jr. Endowed ScholarshipKerr McGee Business Endowed Scholarship

William M. Leebron Endowed Business Scholarship

Charles B. Love Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Tom J. McDaniel Endowed Scholarship Fund in the Meinders School of Business

Dave and Jean McLaughlin Endowed Scholarship

Meinders School of Business Endowed Scholarship (Brick Campaign)

Meinders School of Business Enrichment Endowment

Herman Meinders Endowed Scholarship in Business

Kathryn Meinders Endowed ScholarshipMiss America Women in Business

Endowed ScholarshipRobert Z. Naifeh Endowed Business

ScholarshipSamuel Roberts Noble Foundation

EndowmentNorick Endowed Chair in MarketingFamilies of Henry Norick Endowed

ScholarshipVince and Patty Orza Endowed

Business ScholarshipB. Claude Shinn Endowed Accounting

ScholarshipWalter Stiller Endowed ScholarshipSwartz Endowed ScholarshipPeter Swartz Endowed Business ScholarshipRichard and Glenna Tanenbaum Endowed

ScholarshipSam Tune Endowed Business ScholarshipWilbur & Nellie Vandegrift Endowed

Business ScholarshipVerle & Lawrence Watson Endowed

Business ScholarshipWarren K. Watson, Sr. Endowed Chair

in ManagementC.W. Wisdom Endowed LectureshipWillis C. Worley, Jr. Endowed Scholarship

Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation

Jung Adair EndowmentErnestine Baker Memorial EndowmentClaude & Ollie Bell Scholarship EndowmentClaude & Ollie Bell Children's

Center for the ArtsOllie & Claude Bell Endowment

for Religious Life ProgramsOllie May Bell Religion ScholarshipElsie Blakeley Endowed ScholarshipBoyce Bowdon Award EndowmentW.E. & Ruby Bowers General

Endowed ScholarshipRuth J. Brooks ScholarshipNeola Carpenter EndowmentEleanor Lou Carrithers Chair

in Composition & WritingDuane Alan Carson Memorial EndowmentElizabeth Cowherd Memorial ScholarshipVirgil A. Cowherd Endowed ScholarshipJohn Crooch, Sr. Endowed ScholarshipRussell & Hazel Crooch Endowed ScholarshipFloyd & Doris Croxton Memorial Scholarship

EndowmentElliott C. Fenton EndowmentJ. Edward Ford EndowmentRichard E. Gibbens ScholarshipElmer Graham Endowed ScholarshipGeorge Graham Endowed ScholarshipMary Evans Greenshields Scholarship

EndowmentJohn & Martha Hardt Scholarship

EndowmentVivian Head ScholarshipDe and Jean Hinckley ScholarshipHulet Family Scholarship EndowmentMildred Humphrey Endowed ScholarshipRobert & Linda Humphrey Scholarship TrustDwight R. & Ruth M. Hunt Endowed

ScholarshipBetty Jean Jacobs Scholarship Endowment


okcu.edu/give // 35

Johnson-Rainwater Memorial MinisterialJessie Mae Jones Scholarship EndowmentKarns Memorial Endowed ScholarshipRobert S. Kerr, Jr. ChairPaul L. Kienholz FundTannie & John King Endowed ScholarshipLet's Get it Done CampaignDavid Long Memorial Endowed ScholarshipRetta Miller Scholarship FundMarvin & Kaye Nelson and Jean & Lowell

Powers Clergy ScholarshipOK Conf CTV OCU & CONG DevelopmentOK Conference Memorials ScholarshipOkeene First United Methodist Scholarship

EndowmentOld Testament Endowed ChairAmos L. Osborne Memorial ScholarshipGlenda M. Pate ScholarshipMargaret E. Petree Music ScholarshipMargaret E. Petree Scholarships & AwardsRussell & Louise Rowley Scholarship

EndowmentGene & Doris Russell Endowed ScholarshipCorinne L. Sare Scholarship TrustMorton Seigman ScholarshipDavid and Paula Severe FamilyEstelle Shepard Endowed ScholarshipOwen B. Skinner ScholarshipBess Smith Memorial Scholarship

EndowmentD.C. & Ruth Smith Endowed ScholarshipAugusta Specht EndowmentPat Sprouls Endowed Memorial ScholarshipJim & Helen Taylor Scholarship EndowmentLouise Turner EndowmentUM Higher Education Foundation PartnerMartin & Ramona Voytko EndowmentDail & Frances West Religious Leadership

ScholarshipMiriam West Endowed Scholarship

Petree College of Arts and Sciences

American Association of University Women Endowed Scholarship

Webster Lance Benham Endowed Memorial Professorship

Theo "Doc" and MarEllen Benson Endowed Scholarship

Virginia Berry Endowed Art ScholarshipJohnny Blue EndowmentAnn Carlton Book Endowed ScholarshipJean Boyle Endowed English ScholarshipRuth Jeanette Brooks Endowed Fine Arts

ScholarshipJane Atwood Brown Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipSarah Bernice Butkin Endowed

Presidential Discretionary Scholarship in the Arts & Sciences

William J. Coffia Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Robert P. and Betty Dennis Endowed Scholarship

Eileen W. and Raymond J. Dougherty Scholarship

Roberta M. Eldridge Miller Endowed Art Scholarship

Endowed Chair in Islamic StudiesRobert Fink Endowed Chemistry ScholarshipGamble-Buchanan EndowmentGreat Plan Endowed ScholarshipBrooke Haley Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipDennis Hawkins Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipElizabeth Hensley Endowed Scholarship

(Quasi)Homer C. Hyde Classical Studies ScholarshipArne V. & Louise Hunninen Endowed Biology

ScholarshipRita Louise Kacey PL+US Endowed

ScholarshipCallie Jane Maschal Norick Art Gallery

EndowmentDean Nellie R. Melton Endowed ScholarshipSusan C. Barber and David P. Nagle Endowed

ScholarshipClara Cates Neil Endowed ScholarshipMarjorie J. Norick & Frances Norick Lilly

Endowed ScholarshipOCU Film Institute EndowmentRoberta Olson Great Plan Endowed

ScholarshipOutdoor Laboratory and Environmental

Studies EndowmentPetree-Lambert Family Arts and Sciences

Endowed Honors ScholarshipPL+US Alumni Endowed ScholarshipDr. Raniyah Ramadan Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipMary Ellen & George R. Randall Great Plan

Endowed ScholarshipBill Richardson Endowed Art ScholarshipEsther Robinson Endowed English

ScholarshipRockwood Biology Endowed ScholarshipGeorge B. Saunders Endowed ScholarshipSingapore MDIS Endowed ScholarshipC.Q. Smith Memorial Endowed ScholarshipJeanne Hoffman Smith EndowmentDr. Elaine D. Smokewood Endowed

ScholarshipArlene Staats Endowed ScholarshipGrace M. Stephenson Endowed ScholarshipMarjorie Nell Sussex Endowed Spanish

Scholarship (Quasi)Edyth Arnold Swartz Endowed ScholarshipHoward & Peggy Thornton Endowed Mass

Communications ScholarshipBradley H. Wahnee Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipDarbeth Whitten Endowed Chair in HistoryKen Yamamoto Endowed Memorial Art

Scholarship

Saint Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University

Martha Jean Lemon Endowed Scholarship SPST OKC

Richard and Johnece Ryerson Endowed Seminary Scholarship

School of Law

American Academy of Medical Ethics Endowed Scholarship

John Amick Endowed Law ScholarshipWilliam H. Bell Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipFred A. Biehler Endowed ScholarshipVon Creel Endowed ScholarshipCrowe & Dunlevy Diversity Endowed

ScholarshipPhil Daugherty Memorial Endowed Law

ScholarshipMarjorie Downing Endowed Law ScholarshipFelix EndowmentTed Foster, Sr. Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipFriedman-Lerblanc Endowed Law ScholarshipMelba R. Gaudin Law Library EndowmentRoger Givens Endowed ScholarshipHatton Sumners Law Endowed ScholarshipLloyd Henry Endowed Law ScholarshipJohn C. & Hallie Jean Hervey Memorial

Endowed Law ScholarshipW. Feagin Hood Endowed ScholarshipWayne Eugene Johnson Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipT. Hurley Jordan Endowed ScholarshipNancy I. Kenderdine Endowed ScholarshipKerr Challenge I EndowmentKerr Constitutional Endowed Law ChairRobert S. Kerr, Jr. Natural Resources/

Environmental Law ChairLaw Scholars Endowed ScholarshipLaw Building EndowmentLaw Dean Position EndowmentLaw School Energy EndowmentDonald W. MacPherson Endowed ScholarshipTom and Brenda McDaniel Endowed

ScholarshipBaker H. Melone Endowed Memorial

ScholarshipLoy & Marian Morris Endowed Law

ScholarshipJudge Raymond Naifeh Endowed Law

ScholarshipNative American Legal Resource Center

EndowmentCharles Nesbitt Awards EndowmentNorman & Edem Endowed ProfessorshipOAMA Endowed ScholarshipOCU Law General EndowmentJustice Marian P. Opala Endowed ScholarshipPate & Knarr, PC Commercial Banking Law

Endowed Scholarship

Ray Potts Endowed ScholarshipWayne Quinlan Memorial Endowed

LectureshipAmy Rinehart Memorial Law ScholarshipSeize the Moment Endowed ScholarshipRoger Stephens Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipHope Strasner Endowed ScholarshipDouglas M. Todd Endowed ScholarshipErnest L. Wilkinson Endowed Law AwardWilliam M. Wilson Endowed Law Scholarship

School of Theatre

John & Helen Abernathy EndowmentMaybelle Conger Endowed ScholarshipMarianna Davenport Endowed ScholarshipTreva Hancock Endowed Drama ScholarshipClaire Jones Endowed ScholarshipCharles E. Mehr Endowed Theatre ScholarshipEllen G. Reid Endowment

University-Church Relations

Robert Adair EndowmentBarnett-Widener Ministerial Endowed

ScholarshipHerbert and Marguerite Barrett Endowed

Religious ScholarshipHerbert & Marguerite Barrett Mission

Endowed ScholarshipFrank G. Blackwood Endowed Religious

Leadership ScholarshipBishop Bruce P. Blake Endowed ScholarshipR. Fisher Blanton Endowed Religious

Leadership ScholarshipKathleen Tucker Bone Endowed ScholarshipVirginia P. Bryant Endowed Religious

ScholarshipClay & Eleanor Carrithers Endowed

ScholarshipFlora & B.C. Clark Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipMary Coffey Endowed ScholarshipBessie B. Cunningham Religious Leadership

Endowed ScholarshipLulu S. Doenges Endowed ScholarshipJames & Violet Egan Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipDonald & Suzanne Emler Religious Education

Endowed ScholarshipWesley UMC — Elliott C. Fenton Endowed

ScholarshipGrace & Alma Garten Endowed ScholarshipJoyce & Gordon Goering Endowed

ScholarshipDorothy Graham EndowmentA.R. Bert Larason Endowed ScholarshipLester W. & Mary E. Maddox Endowed

ScholarshipElda A. Manis Endowed ScholarshipW.C. & Clarabelle Mathes Endowed

Religious Scholarship



Glen O. Miller Endowed Ministry ScholarshipRetta Miller Religious Leadership Endowed

ScholarshipDennis & Susan Neff United Methodist

Endowed ScholarshipGladys Teter Nichols Endowed ScholarshipOklahoma United Methodist Conference

Endowed ScholarshipDana Owen Endowed ScholarshipHorace & Evalyn Patton Memorial ScholarshipRobert & Emma Price Endowed ScholarshipRoy W. & Jeanne Reed Endowed ScholarshipWarren Romberger World Christianity

Endowed ScholarshipColonel Thomas L. & Ruby L. Simpson

Endowed ScholarshipBishop W. Angie Smith Memorial

Endowed ScholarshipGeorge Sneed Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipCharles & Mary Thigpen Endowed

ScholarshipMackenzie C. Sr. & Thelma Thompson

Endowed ScholarshipUnrestricted Church Gifts EndowmentWagoner United Methodist Endowed

ScholarshipPhil Wahl Endowed Scholarship

Wanda Bass School of Music

Ann Simmons Alspaugh Music Endowed Scholarship

Josephine E. Atkins Endowed Music Scholarship

Wanda L. Bass Chapel Organ EndowmentWanda L. Bass Music Endowed ChairWanda L. Bass Organ Endowed ChairWanda L. Bass Music Center EndowmentWanda L. Bass Piano Support EndowmentJean Frances Beatty Endowed Music

ScholarshipFlorence Birdwell Endowed ChairRobert & Florence Birdwell Endowed Vocal

ScholarshipEdna Hoffman Bowman Endowed Music &

Performing Arts ScholarshipClarence Burg Endowed Music ScholarshipNaomi McCasland Burton and James L.

Burton Student TravelPearl English Crain Endowed ScholarshipHerbert E. Davis Music EndowmentWilliam H. Dougherty Endowed ScholarshipJ. Emrick Endowed Music ScholarshipEsther Wessel Farmer Endowed Piano

ScholarshipMyrtle S. Forsythe Endowed ScholarshipLoretta T. Freeland Endowed ScholarshipMarjorie Lee Germany Endowed ScholarshipMary Jean Hackler Endowed Music

ScholarshipMorris Hatley Canterbury Choral Performing

Arts Endowment

William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship

Ann Hundley Hoover Endowed ChairKurt & Cathy Leichter Endowed Music

ScholarshipElizabeth Loewenstein Endowed Music

ScholarshipEthelene Cindy Long Memorial Native

American Endowed ScholarshipMartin Mailman Endowed Band ScholarshipRuth Mayer Memorial Endowed Music

ScholarshipPhilelle & Charles McBrayer Endowed Piano

ScholarshipBrenda McDaniel Endowed Music

ScholarshipCharles E. Mehr Endowed Music ScholarshipDarlene Milligan Endowed Music ScholarshipWit and Carolyn Music Endowed ScholarshipNellie J. Moss Endowed ScholarshipMusic School Endowed ScholarshipRobert & Jeaneen Naifeh Meditation Garden

Endowed FundOpera Society Founders EndowmentMargaret Petree Endowed Music ScholarshipFrances W. Preston BMI Endowed Music

ScholarshipNancy Laughbaum Ragsdale Endowed

ScholarshipMargaret K. Replogle Endowed Music

ScholarshipRoyal Sarjent Endowed ScholarshipInez Silberg Memorial Endowed ScholarshipWilliam Elza Smith Endowed Church Music

ScholarshipForest and Gloe Stith Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipWatkins-Soloway Music ScholarshipVerle & Lawrence Watson Endowed Music

ScholarshipAleta Winkler Memorial Endowed Music

ScholarshipGeorgia M. Winton Endowed Scholarship

Wimberly School of Religion

J. Bart Aldridge EndowmentMrs. Glen C. Archer Endowed ScholarshipWilliam E. Archer Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipNova M. Atkins Endowed Religion ScholarshipWilliam & Romaine Bailey Endowed

ScholarshipWilliam J. Bassett Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipJean Frances Beatty Endowed Scholarship

in ReligionOllie & Claude Bell Endowed Professorship in

Church HistoryBettis, Bussell & Hunt Ministerial Endowed

ScholarshipAustin and Marjorie Bizzell Ministry

Endowed Scholarship

Fred & Opal Boston Religious Leadership Endowed Scholarship

Edith Carlson Memorial Endowed Scholarship

A.R. Carpenter Endowed ScholarshipRay & Florence Carroll Endowed ScholarshipRuby Chase Memorial Endowed ScholarshipJ. Cecil & Elva Coover Endowed ScholarshipCowden-Epperson Endowed ScholarshipNuell C. Crain Endowed Religious Leadership

ScholarshipF. Lahr & Blanche Einsel Endowed

ScholarshipBishop & Mrs. Paul V. Galloway Endowed

ScholarshipBarbara & J.M. Garrett Religion Leadership

Endowed ScholarshipWilliam D. Greenshields Memorial Endowed

Religious Leadership ScholarshipNorma Rowe Gunn Endowed Religion

ScholarshipMary Jean Hackler Endowed Religion

ScholarshipVernon V. Harris Endowed Chair in Christian

EducationHyde Endowed ScholarshipPaul Jones Religious Education Endowed

ScholarshipRobert Jones Memorial EndowmentCarl Jung Seminar Endowment (Quasi)Kramer Ministerial Endowed ScholarshipMartha Jean Lemon Endowed LectureshipMartha Jean Lemon Endowed ScholarshipBlanche & Lloyd Long Service Endowed

ScholarshipLydia Lukenbaugh Endowed ScholarshipLeroy Massengale Endowed ScholarshipBess & Calvin McGalliard Memorial

ScholarshipPaul W. Milhouse Endowed Religion

ProfessorshipGlenn E. & Mary A. Millard Endowed

ScholarshipNile & Adena Montgomery Endowed

ScholarshipBilly B. Nelson Memorial Religion Endowed

ScholarshipOakerhater Endowed ChairBeverly Osborne Memorial Religious

Leadership Endowed ScholarshipRay & Lavell Owen Endowed ScholarshipF. Warren Pixley Endowed Religious

ScholarshipW. Carroll Pope Memorial Endowed

ScholarshipWinona Presley Endowed Religion

ScholarshipMargaret K. Replogle Endowed Religion

ProfessorshipGlen Rhodes Memorial Endowed ScholarshipHelen Riddle Church Leadership Endowed

ScholarshipRiley Endowed Chair in Religion

Vernon Roberts Endowed Religion Scholarship

Neal & Hazel Rock Memorial Endowed Religion Scholarship

Maryetta Rowe Endowed ScholarshipArthur W. and Joi D. Salisbury ScholarshipDon Schooler Memorial Endowed

ProfessorshipMinnie M. Seba Endowed Ministry

ScholarshipAlice Sincox Endowed ScholarshipRobert J. Smith Memorial Endowed Religious

Leadership ScholarshipLeslie G. & Irene Stewart Endowed

ScholarshipRussell Stone Endowed Religious Leadership

ScholarshipBettie Ewert Stoneking Endowed ScholarshipClarence Sutton Religious Leadership

Endowed ScholarshipNaomi Thomas Endowed ScholarshipClaude & Patty Todd Endowed ScholarshipUnited Methodist Women's Endowed

Religious Leadership ScholarshipHerbert Voth Endowed Religious Leadership

ScholarshipOwen Wimberly Center for Continuing

Education Endowment (Quasi)Owen & Vivian Wimberly Endowed

ProfessorshipVivian Wimberly Center EndowmentW.W. Woodworth Endowed ScholarshipRichard K. and Effie D. Wootten Endowed

Scholarship


OKLAHOMA UNITED METHODIST GIFTSJohn and Sherri BrownMark and Leslie BrownJ. Edward Fords

Jeannine GibbensJean HinckleyTommy KarnsDarren and Kathleen LaptadBrett and Christine ParrDavid and Paula SevereShelby Lee SmithHelen G. TaylorRex and Sacra Vaughan

UPPER ECHELON: okcu.edu/advancement/development/presidents-partners // 37

CELEBRATIONS

President’s Partners is OCU’s annual giving recognition society showcasing the generosity of alumni and friends who contribute $1,000 or more annually. Donors can make one or several gifts throughout the year to reach these levels of giving. Members enjoy fellowship and entertainment with other benefactors at the annual Holiday Gala.

Windows to the West celebrated an original work composed by Edward Knight and performed by the Oklahoma City University Symphony Orchestra in celebration of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's 50th anniversary. Prix de West Artist Wilson Hurley's five triptychs at the museum inspired the composition. OCU alumni and longtime supporters Phil and Cathy Busey, along with their company DRG, were presenting sponsors of the Feb. 20 event.

Top: At Windows to the West, OCU President Robert Henry, Aaron Mooney, Phil and Cathy Busey, Benjamin Nilles, and Edward Knight pose by a triptych that inspired the musical composition.

Second row, left: Debbie, BSB ’77, and Paul Fleming, BSB ’76, pose by the End of the Trail statue at the Windows to the West event.

Second row, right: OCU dance students perform a selection from their annual Broadway-style show Home for the Holidays at the Holiday Gala for members of OCU’s President’s Partners.

Third row: Patsy Homsey, J.R. Homsey, and Ann Johnstone attend the Holiday Gala.

Photos by Jerry Hymer

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PAIDPERMIT #2384OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

The Oklahoma City University Difference

PREPARE TO RISEOCU’s dance, theatre, and music schools are in the nation’s top tier.

TOPRANKED

of Meinders School of Business seniors are employed by the time they graduate.

95%Three of the last 10 Oklahoma Teachers of the Year are OCU grads.

3 of 10

of OCU science students are accepted into their professional school of choice.

90%of the University’s nursing grads passthe RN Licensure examon their first attempt.

96%

Listed as a Top 25 school in the 2015 U.S. News & World

Report ranking of Best Regional Universities in the West. okcu.edu