STATE Magazine, Spring 2020 by Oklahoma State

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WORTH THE INVESTMENT An OSU education really pays off.

68% On average, Oklahomans with a bachelor’s degree earn 68% more than high school graduates.

$1M That’s $1 million more over a lifetime.

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10 And options ranging from OSU’s award-winning Freshman Research Scholars program to our Top 10-rated Honors College curriculum give our students a leg up starting the minute they graduate.

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In T his Issue PHOTO GARY LAWSON

New Frontiers The lead gift for Oklahoma State University’s New Frontiers campaign to boost the agricultural program is born out of an alumni couple’s desire to feed the world. Pages 66-81

2 SPRING 2020

Launching Gift

Growing Leaders

Success Story

A $50 million gift from alumni Larry and Kayleen Ferguson’s family foundation kicked off the campaign.

As head of OSU’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Justin Quetone Moss is excited for the chance to grow the next generation of agriculture leaders.

The Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station is larger — much larger — than it sounds.

Foundation Leadership Former OSU Alumni Association President Blaire Atkinson is taking the reins from longtime OSU Foundation leader Kirk Jewell as he retires.

New Aviation Center Oklahoma State University is investing in a new flight training center, the Ray and Linda Booker OSU Flight Center, which is set to officially open by fall 2021.

Tier 1 Research Oklahoma State University’s four Tier 1 Research Initiatives aim for an extensive impact in Oklahoma and beyond.

Drones Initiative These projects apply the versatility of unmanned systems to societal needs, covering such topics as first response, environmental monitoring and forecasting natural disasters.

Plus... 4

Letter from the Editor

Socially Orange

President’s Letter

STATEment

Wellness with Ann Hargis

Campus News

103

Cowboy Way

104

Cowboy Chronicles

108

Legacy Link

109

Outstanding Seniors

117

Chapter News

120

Chapter Leader

121

Alumni Update

124

Weddings

125

Births

126

In Memoriam

Rural Renewal At Oklahoma State University, a team of researchers is creating the Rural Renewal Initiative to stop — and reverse — the downward spiral of rural communities.

S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 3

STATE

Letters

BR A N D M A NAGEMENT

Lacy Branson, Codee Classen, Paul V. Fleming, Valerie Kisling, Chris Lewis, Michael Molholt & Benton Rudd | Design Phil Shockley, Gary Lawson & Brandee Cazzelle | Photography Kurtis Mason | Trademarks & Licensing Pam Longan & Leslie McClurg | Administrative Support Department of Brand Management | 305 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078-1024 405-744-6262 | okstate.edu | statemagazine.okstate.edu | editor@okstate.edu osu.advertising@okstate.edu Contributors: David Bitton, Derinda Blakeney, Aaron Campbell, Will Carr, Rachel Eng, Harrison Hill, Jeff Joiner, Christy Lang, Lindsay Lynch, Amanda O’Toole Mason, Karolyn Moberly, David C. Peters, Sara Plummer, Tyler Roberds, Shannon Rigsby, Donald Stotts, Kylee Sutherland, Paige Thomas and Nick Trougakos .

O S U A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N Tony LoPresto I Chair Tina Parkhill | Vice Chair Kent Gardner | Immediate Past Chair Rob McInturf | President Pam Davis | Vice President of Engagement and Strategies David Parrack | Vice President of Finance and Operations Treca Baetz, James Boggs, Larry Briggs, Ann Caine, Michael Carolina, Kurt Carter, Kent Gardner, Angela Kouplen, Tony LoPresto, Mel Martin, Aaron Owen, Tina Parkhill, Joe Ray, Tom Ritchie, Darin Schmidt & Tina Walker | Board of Directors Lacy Branson, Will Carr, Chase Carter, Lucy Hodges, Lerin Lynch & Sarah Bildstein Wanzer | Marketing and Communications OSU Alumni Association | 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, Stillwater, OK 740787043 | 405-744-5368 | orangeconnection.org | info@orangeconnection.org

O S U F O U N D AT I O N Jerry Winchester | Chair Blaire Atkinson | President Donna Koeppe | Vice President of Administration & Treasurer Chris Campbell | Senior Associate Vice President of Information Strategy Shane Crawford | Senior Associate Vice President of Philanthropy, Leadership Gifts Stephen Mason | Senior Associate Vice President of Philanthropy David Mays | Senior Associate Vice President of Philanthropy Jamie Payne | Senior Associate Vice President of Development Services Robyn Baker | Vice President and General Counsel Pam Guthrie | Senior Associate Vice President of Human Resources Deborah Adams, Mark Allen, Bryan Begley, Bryan Close, Jan Cloyde, Patrick Cobb, Ann Dyer, Joe Eastin, Helen Hodges, David Houston, Gary Huneryager, A.J. Jacques, Brett Jameson, Kirk Jewell, Griff Jones, Robert Keating, Diana Laing, John Linehan, Joe Martin, Rob McInturf, Ross McKnight, Bill Patterson, Jenelle Schatz, Becky Steen, Terry Stewart, Lyndon Taylor, Phil Terry, Jay Wiese & Jerry Winchester | Trustees Jennifer Kinnard, Chris Lewis, Amanda O’Toole Mason, Heather Millermon, Karolyn Moberly, Michael Molholt, Lauren Knori, Kyle Stringer & Benton Rudd | Marketing and Communications OSU Foundation | 400 South Monroe, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, OK 74076-1749 800-622-4678 | OSUgiving.com | info@OSUgiving.com STATE magazine is published three times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring) by Oklahoma State University, 305 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078. The magazine is produced by the Office of Brand Management, the OSU Alumni Association and the OSU Foundation, and is mailed to current members of the OSU Alumni Association. Magazine subscriptions are available only by membership in the OSU Alumni Association. Membership cost is $45. Call 405-744-5368 or mail a check to 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, Stillwater OK 74078-7043. To change a mailing address, visit orangeconnection.org/update or call 405-744-5368. Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, genetic information, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This provision includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services. The Director of Equal Opportunity has been designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies. Contact the Director of Equal Opportunity at 408 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078-1035; telephone 405-744-5371; or email eeo@okstate.edu. Any person (student, faculty, or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based on gender may discuss his or her concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with OSU’s Title IX Coordinator at 405-744-9154.

This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the vice president of enrollment management and marketing, was printed by Royle Printing Co. at a cost of $0.97 per issue: 37,622 | April 2020 | #8019 | Copyright © 2020, STATE magazine. All rights reserved.

4 SPRING 2020

From the Editor's Desk I’m not familiar with author Brenda Schoepp’s works, but the farmer is credited with a profound line that caught my web-browsing eye: “My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher, but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer.” It’s a powerful statement, both lofty in its hyperbole and pragmatically grounded, that serves as a reminder of just how important agriculture is to our lives and the foundation of not just modern society but civilization itself. As a land-grant institution, Oklahoma State University’s history is rooted in an agricultural tradition. Over its 130-year history, OSU has grown to become a leader in a wide swath of disciplines, but it has never forgotten its roots. With January’s announcement of a transformative gift from the Ferguson Family Foundation, the university is spectacularly positioned to build on that tradition with the New Frontiers campaign. The campaign aims to see us expand our reach as a beacon of research in agriculture and natural resources and further cement our position as a global leader in those fields. Sparked by the $50 million naming gift, the campaign aims to fund a new state-of-the-art teaching, research and extension facility and take on higher aspirational goals to benefit humankind. As Larry Ferguson notes in our cover story, OSU has the potential to be a light to feed the world. With this gift, another landmark contribution from OSU alumni, we again finds ourselves in a strong position to continue building on the prestige and reputation so hard earned by generations of faculty and alumni. Let’s keep building, together. Go Pokes! Mack Burke Editor

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, I just wanted to let you know how delighted I am to see you honor the OSU wedding of Mr. Chase Carter and Mr. Coleman Hickman in the Winter 2019 STATE magazine. I am happy to know that acceptance and inclusion are part of the fabric of OSU. Best wishes and every blessing to all the new marriages celebrated in your pages. Sincerely, Dr. Don Conkling, 1975, DVMMagazine STATE Brenda Conkling, 1973, Journalism

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On Jan. 15, @okstate celebrated Kayleen & Larry Ferguson and the Ferguson Family Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $50 million commitment to provide the lead gift for #AgNewFrontiers & endow the renamed Ferguson College of Agriculture.

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S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 5

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Donors and Dreams A match made in heaven As a public land-grant university, Oklahoma State could not carry out its mission of teaching, research and outreach without the ongoing support of our donors. Our donors are fueling our success and growth with gifts and pledges of all sizes. In January, OSU alumnus and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was on hand as we announced and celebrated a $50 million gift from alumni Kayleen and Larry Ferguson. This gift jumpstarts our fundraising campaign to create a state-of-theart agriculture research and teaching facility and creates an endowment to fund its operations. The college was renamed the Ferguson College of Agriculture. This gift is among the largest in OSU history and will benefit our university, our state and our world. Beginning on Page 66, you can learn more about the Fergusonsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vision and hopes for OSU agricultural programs, as well as details about the much-needed new facility. Speaking of donors, much of our fundraising success over the last 17 years is due to the excellent leadership of OSU Foundation President Kirk Jewell, who is retiring this year. This edition includes stories about Kirk and incoming foundation President Blaire Atkinson, who is leaving her position as president of the OSU Alumni Association (beginning on Page 12).

Research is a core part of our land-grant mission, taking place across our campuses. OSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tier 1 Research Initiatives showcase our strengths and our commitment to make major differences in areas of utmost importance in our world. In this issue, you can read about two of our significant initiatives: unmanned aerial vehicles and rural revival (beginning on Page 18). With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting all of us as this goes to press, know that First Cowgirl Ann and I hope this finds you safe and healthy this spring.

Go Pokes! Burns Hargis OSU President

At the Ferguson College of Agriculture announcement (from left): donors and alumni Larry and Kayleen Ferguson, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, OSU President Burns Hargis and division vice president Dr. Thomas G. Coon.

6 SPRING 2020

PHOTO GARY LAWSON

FIGHTING COVID-1 9 As this issue of STATE was going to press, Oklahoma State University — like the rest of the nation and the world — was in the midst of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

This is a developing situation. For the latest information, visit go.okstate.edu/coronavirus. The OSU Foundation and OSU Alumni Association are working together on the Cowboy Family initiative, which offers assistance to Cowboys in need and provides ways for Cowboys to help each other. For more information, visit cowboy.family.

STATEMENT

Dear OSU Alumni and Friends, As the calendar turned over to 2020 in January, it opened a busy new season of change at Oklahoma State University. Our New Frontiers campaign — a $50 million capital campaign for a new teaching and research facility to replace the aging Agricultural Hall — kicked off in January with a celebration. Read more about the lead gift from the Ferguson Family Foundation and OSU alumni Larry and Kayleen Ferguson beginning on Page 66. Generous donors kept the changes coming with the March announcement of the Ray and Linda Booker OSU Flight Center (Page 62), set to officially open by fall 2021. The OSU Foundation had major changes at the top, with the retirement of longtime leader Kirk Jewell in May. Blaire Atkinson is moving from president of the Alumni Association into Jewell’s position as president of the OSU Foundation. Her appointment shows we are adding to a legacy of trusted leaders who strongly believe in the Foundation’s mission to unite donor passions with university priorities to achieve excellence. (Stories begin on Page 12.) Of course, Atkinson’s return to the Foundation left the top spot open at the Alumni Association. But it didn’t take long before Rob McInturf was selected to fill that role and lead us into an exciting future (Page 40). You’ll be able to spot our members even more easily soon when the Alumni Association launches a new brand with the interlocking OSU logo to better reflect our support of the university and its graduates. Members can also look forward to an updated orange ball car decal this summer.

The Alumni Association is also introducing an updated membership model over the coming months that focuses on life membership and support for OSU traditions. Keep your eyes peeled for updates about the changes; you won’t want to miss this exciting opportunity! This spring of change is continuing on our Stillwater campus — and around the world under the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes became the norm after spring break, and they continue as we go to press. Even as things change, OSU traditions hold fast. In that regard, we thank you all for being Loyal and True Cowboys!

Go Pokes!

Rob McInturf

Blaire Atkinson

Kyle Wray

President OSU Alumni Association

President OSU Foundation

Vice President for Enrollment and Brand Management

8 SPRING 2020

PHOTOS P H I L S H O C K L E Y, GARY LAWSON

ONCE A COWBOY, ALWAYS A COWBOY

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WELLNESS

Dear Cowboy Family, I love many things about Oklahoma State University, but one thing I have always loved is our land-grant mission. The impact the university makes not only on the local community, but also on the state, national and international level is something I love to share when the opportunity arises. In 2019, I was contacted by the Ferguson College of Agriculture and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. They were excited to share the development of a new wheat variety called Baker’s Ann. Of course, I loved the name, but then I was told it actually had been named after me. I was so honored! It was not until I started understanding the complexities of researching wheat variations and wheat production that I began to fully grasp the magnitude of the honor. This particular wheat has taken 12 years to develop. That means the microscope and lab work began about the same time Burns and I arrived on campus. The three characteristics of the wheat are sophistication, stamina and strength. Designed specifically for baking, the properties of this wheat lend itself to fewer additives in the milled flour. As someone who champions wellness whenever the opportunity arises, this is important to me. When the 2019 wheat variety trial data was released, Baker’s Ann topped the Goodwell research trials, coming in at 100 bushels per acre. This is

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something that, according to the experts, is rare. In addition, the milled flour also performed well in the test kitchen and exceeded baking expectations. I am still learning and understanding all that is involved, hoping to represent OSU and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission in a manner worthy of this incredible honor. Meeting some of the producers and sharing their excitement for this new variety adds to the thrill of this new experience. The next step is working with artisan millers while also working on an artisan milling project specifically for OSU wheat varieties. I’m honored to support the efforts of one of the premier land-grant universities in the nation. It has been an incredibly fun and rewarding project in which to be involved.

Ann Hargis OSU First Cowgirl

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S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 11

OSU Foundation names 7th president

Former OSU Alumni Association leader Blaire Atkinson transitions to new role within the Cowboy family

o matter what Blaire Atkinson’s job has been, her professional mission to advance Oklahoma State University and strengthen its ties with the Cowboy family has remained the same. This spring, the native of Vici, Oklahoma, transitioned her leadership role from the OSU Alumni Association to the OSU Foundation after being named its seventh president in December. The move is a homecoming of sorts for Atkinson, whose service to OSU began with a job at the fundraising organization in 2011. At the Foundation, she provided strategic direction and oversight in human resources, marketing and communications, donor relations and

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special events as the senior associate vice president of development services before becoming president of the OSU Alumni Association in 2018. “I am overwhelmed with excitement about the opportunity to serve the university as the next Foundation president,” Atkinson said. “I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to serve in an organization that has such a far-reaching impact at my beloved alma mater. The decision to transfer back to the Foundation from the Alumni Association was not made lightly, as I have tremendous enthusiasm and respect for the work done by the Association and believe I can continue to support their mission in partnership from the Foundation.” James Farris Associates, an international human resources firm, facilitated finding a replacement for longtime president Kirk Jewell before his May retirement. The process utilized a well-rounded search committee comprised of OSU executives, Foundation staff and representatives of the organization’s board of trustees. Jerry Winchester, chairman of the Foundation’s board of trustees, sat on the search committee. He said it was important the group found someone who could effectively implement the strategic and tactical plans of the Foundation in a way that was consistent with the direction of the university. “The Foundation only exists for the benefit of the university, so we

have to be strategically linked. Blaire understands this and has the skills to move us to the next level,” Winchester said. He added that in addition to being a helpful and considerate steward of donated resources, the Foundation needs to act as a force multiplier for the school, its stakeholders and alumni. “Blaire has proven she can look at complex situations and build a consensus to move in the right direction while engaging all the various parties,” he said. “She will constantly push us to reimagine what we need to be in the future.” Mike Holder, Oklahoma State University vice president for athletic programs and director of intercollegiate athletics, agreed. “Blaire is a team player, and her passion for OSU will strengthen the relationship between the OSU Foundation and every facet of the university,” he said. “I’m excited about working with her, and I’m confident her unselfishness and big-picture perspective will help athletics compete at the highest level.” Lyndon Taylor, head of the search committee and a former Foundation chairman, said he was eager to see how Atkinson will continue working with donors to advance the university. “There is tremendous momentum at the Foundation, and we are excited that Blaire will continue the outstanding legacy of strong leadership,” he said. Atkinson graduated from OSU with a degree in business administration and

STORY AMANDA O’TOOLE MASON | PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY AND GARY LAWSON

holds Senior Professional in Human Resources and SHRM Senior Certified Professional certifications. Prior to joining the OSU Foundation in 2011, she spent several years overseeing human resources at various organizations in Oklahoma. Atkinson is dedicated to improving the state through quality education and is passionately devoted to OSU. She is a member of Leadership Oklahoma Class 30 and has been involved in various community volunteer organizations over the years. Atkinson and her husband, Matt, met at OSU and have three children, Wyatt, Westin and Morgan. Kirk Jewell praised Atkinson’s selection: “I am thrilled with the appointment of Blaire to this position and am confident she will continue to exceed expectations by building upon the Foundation’s mission of uniting donor passions with university priorities to achieve excellence.”

The president provides general supervision and ensures appropriate control over the affairs of the OSU Foundation. The president also serves as a senior adviser to OSU administration on matters relating to the development, implementation and integration of private fundraising programs and activities. The president serves at the discretion of the board of trustees of the OSU Foundation. “The Foundation employs incredibly talented people, all passionately committed to supporting quality education in the next generation — a passion I share and care deeply about,” Atkinson said. “I fully believe in the mission of our land-grant university to improve the lives of people in Oklahoma and the world through teaching, research and outreach. I am excited to help inspire others to support the impact Oklahoma State makes.”

The OSU Alumni Association has named Rob McInturf as its new president. Page 40

OSU Foundation president retires Kirk Jewell closes out his career serving OSU

n May 1, Kirk Jewell retired after completing a nearly 17-year career helping transform Oklahoma State University. As president of the OSU Foundation, he grew and led a team dedicated to supporting the university’s fundraising needs while creating an award-winning culture. He joined the OSU Foundation in 2003 as chief operating officer and chief financial officer following a 20-year career with The Oklahoma Publishing Co. in Oklahoma City where the certified public accountant served in senior financial and management positions. He’s been at the helm of many transformational efforts at the OSU Foundation, including the $1.2 billion Branding Success campaign, which exceeded its fundraising goal 15 months ahead of schedule. More than 100,000 individuals and corporate partners participated in the campaign, including nearly 45,000 first-time donors to OSU. The campaign saw a surge in endowed scholarships and fellowships, endowed chairs and professorships, increased support for facilities such as the new home for Spears Business, and funding for programs like the Learning and Student Success Opportunity Center and the Spears School’s Center for Advanced Global Leadership and Engagement. “Private support allows OSU to provide more scholarships, strengthen academic and athletic programs, remain competitive when recruiting scholars for faculty positions, and construct

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better facilities,” Jewell said. “Everyone here is working together to offer the very best educational experience.” Most recently, he has been part of the launch of the $50 million New Frontiers campaign for the Ferguson College of Agriculture and the $375 million Brighter Orange, Brighter Future campaign, which prioritizes needs- and merit-based scholarships, internships and study abroad support, and funding for programming that supports students’ overall health and well-being. “Kirk has done a tremendous job leading his team and connecting loyal members of the Cowboy family with our greatest needs,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “We are truly grateful for the numerous ways he and his wife, Jan, helped propel this university forward.” Over the years, Kirk and his wife, Jan, have supported OSU in numerous ways. The couple, who met at Oklahoma State and married in 1972, established the Jan Jewell Endowed Scholarship Fund, donated to Pete’s Pet Posse — of which they were a part of the inaugural class with their late schnauzer Bella — and supported the arts, athletics and other areas.

STORY AMANDA O’TOOLE MASON | PHOTOS CHRIS LEWIS

Dear Cowboy Family, In the fundraising profession, we are trained to help unite peoples’ passions and resources with university priorities in ways that are personally meaningful. When we do this right, magic happens. The last year of my career has been full of those magical moments. Last fall, we opened the culmination of a multiyear project, The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts. To say it has been transformational is a huge understatement. To be present for the opening night — hearing Kelli O’Hara perform and watching the New York Philharmonic play OSU’s Alma Mater — is a memory I will never forget. Excitement continues to build throughout our community and the Cowboy family. Students are already benefiting from the world-class training and performances coming to OSU. Currently under construction, the Greenwood School of Music facility will further add to the tremendous momentum generated by The McKnight Center’s inaugural season. In January, I sat on the front row as OSU President Burns Hargis announced a historic $50 million gift from Kayleen

and Larry Ferguson and their family's foundation to benefit OSU Agriculture. The Fergusons are motivated to help “feed the world” and believe Oklahoma State University can help execute that mission through top research, education and Extension. It’s been among the best days of my 17 years at the OSU Foundation. You can read more about their amazing gift on Page 68. About a week later, I held back tears as President Hargis honored Adrienne Sanogo with a scholarship created and named in her honor through the Brighter Orange, Brighter Future campaign. Dr. Sanogo has become a spokeswoman for the $375 million student success campaign, sharing her story of how she went from being a homeless student on OSU’s campus to ushering in the next generation as the associate dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences. The full story can be found on Page 58. In March, I watched OSU break ground on the Ray and Linda Booker Flight Center (Page 62). The facility will have a major impact on the student experience and OSU’s work with the aviation industry. It is made possible in part by Linda Booker’s

memorial gift honoring her aviationenthusiast husband Ray, who passed away in 2019. Linda’s lead gift is an inspiring expression of love. I am confident that these important and meaningful moments will continue long after my retirement this spring, especially with Blaire Atkinson taking the helm at the OSU Foundation. Oklahoma State has the best alumni, friends and donors, and a tremendous staff at the OSU Foundation who work tirelessly to connect the Cowboy family with transformational projects. This has been the most incredible season of my blessed career. It’s been an honor for Jan and me to serve you. Continue to seek and support your orange passion, and always watch for opportunities to make a little magic of your own.

Kirk Jewell OSU Foundation President, 2003-2020

S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 15

STUDENT NEWS

IMPACT Spotlight

Occupation: Associate Professor, Soil Sciences

Setting OSU Agriculture on New Frontiers Oklahoma State University alumni Larry and Kayleen Ferguson and the Ferguson Family Foundation recently announced a $50 million gift to help elevate OSU Agriculture and its programs. Their gift leads the way in the New Frontiers campaign to transform the newly named Ferguson College of Agriculture. Half of the gift will create an endowment for the college's operations, while the rest will kick-start the funding for a state-of-the-art research and teaching building that will be among the most advanced in the nation.

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Sergio Abit

What is challenging about using the current lab facilities? The main challenge is the inability to rearrange the setup to fit the type of teaching technique that you want. Every class is different, every exercise is different and when you have setups that are bolted to the ground, the creativity is limited by the facility that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working in. Why are you excited to have more interdisciplinary laboratory spaces? Laboratory spaces are designed to accomplish three things. Number one is for teachers to show students how to do things, second is for students to learn by doing those things themselves and third is to learn from one another by teaching one another. To have a space that I can rearrange to suit the kind of creative teaching technique that I want to implement for a particular exercise will be an incredible tool for educating students. What impact do you think this campaign will have on you and your fellow faculty? I work with tremendous colleagues in this department who produce top-notch research results that are used by various people across the country, and they would benefit greatly from having updated research spaces. Four out of the five wheat varieties grown in Oklahoma are produced in this department. Our grass breeding team produces turf that is used in ballparks across the nation. They do that with limited lab spaces. With more modern labs, I'm sure they can reach even greater heights.

Occupation: Associate Vice President, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Damona Doye

What does the gift mean for OSU Agriculture? In a word, it is transformational. It means generations of faculty and students will have both wonderful space and extra support for innovation in delivering on our land-grant mission. It is an investment that will pay dividends within the state, nation and world for years. Our alumni will be able to take new pride in the building that houses our always strong college and division. How will updated facilities create more opportunities for research and Extension programs? Our ability to deliver outstanding research and Extension programs is dependent on our ability to attract and retain the best and brightest faculty, staff and students. Having new facilities and extra resources will be a great asset in this process. Ongoing access to modern labs and the latest in technology is critical to scientific advancements. The planned facilities will be new and different. The purposeful focus on flexibility, adaptability and collaboration will support both disciplinary and interdisciplinary work. The space should foster different types of interactions, which may lead to new partnerships, new teams and new initiatives. What about the Fergusons' gift and the New Frontiers campaign excites you the most? At a time when budget constraints are challenging, the Fergusons' gift is a gift in multiple senses. It provides clear financial support and it also is a morale booster. The jumpstart to the New Frontiers campaign is terrific. For me personally, the programming endowment is especially exciting as it is a gift that keeps on giving, providing flexible resources to invest in strategic opportunities.

Hometown: Stillwater, Oklahoma Major: Plant and Soil Sciences and Agricultural Communications

Adrienne Blakey Class of '20

What was your initial reaction to the historic gift announcement? I'm really excited that we have people like the Fergusons who are willing to invest in the future of OSU and the future of our students, especially in leading that particular goal of the Ferguson College of Agriculture contributing to end hunger and feeding the people of the world. What does it feel like seeing all these people come together to support this project? One of the things that crossed my mind as they shared a little bit more about their story was that I hope to be in some sort of similar situation someday to be able to contribute to my alma mater. I think it’s incredibly inspiring that they are so selflessly giving to Oklahoma State and giving to students that they don’t necessarily know individually. What are some memories that you will take away from being at the New Frontiers announcement? As I was sitting watching the presentation, I was able to sit by Wes and Lou Watkins, who are dear contributors to my middle school, high school and collegiate experiences. I’ve known them for a really long time, so to get to sit next to them and watch this whole thing unfold is a huge piece of the memory of today. In terms of sights and sounds — the orange and black confetti. It just can’t get better than that. Go Pokes!

S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 17

T I E R

R E S E A R C H

I N I T I AT I V E S

THE BIG PICTURE OSU SETS ITS SIGHTS ON GLOBAL SOLUTIONS WITH ITS TIER 1 RESEARCH INITIATIVES

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STORY HARRISON HILL | PHOTO USRI

At Oklahoma State, Cowboys dream as big as the sky. They also put in the work to turn those dreams into reality and make a difference. In an effort to produce significant results, both in Oklahoma and around the globe, the university has now launched four Tier 1 Research Initiatives. Large, broad and influential, these interdisciplinary research efforts aim for a far more extensive impact than a normal research project. “In a typical project, we hope to answer an important scientific question and advance the field with a single — though significant — step,” said Dr. Kenneth Sewell, vice president of research. “Tier 1 Research Initiatives target important problems faced by society, identify the barriers and unknowns that are preventing that problem from being solved, and then bring all of our scientific training, engineering skills and human capacities to bear to generate real solutions.” This issue of STATE features two of the four initiatives: one, how drones can be used in service of our health and safety, and two, the renewal of rural communities. The other two Tier 1 Research Initiatives, which focus on opioid research and microbiome research, will be featured in the fall issue of STATE. “OSU’s Tier 1 Research Initiatives are led by some of OSU’s most productive and accomplished researchers, so I am certain that there will be quality science conducted, with results that advance human knowledge in important fields of study,” Sewell said. “I truly believe that by joining forces across disciplinary boundaries the way our faculty have done and focusing on real-world problems the way our Tier 1 efforts do … these initiatives will have palpable impact on the lives of many thousands of Oklahomans. And as the fruits of these initiatives are shared with colleagues elsewhere, the same will be true for people far beyond Oklahoma’s borders.”

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HIGH-FLYING SOLUTIONS T I E R

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OSU IS USING ITS LEADERSHIP IN DRONE RESEARCH TO TACKLE ISSUES CLOSER TO THE GROUND FOR ALL OF US DECADES OF HISTORY Every university that purchases a drone and fiddles with its software can say, “We do drone research,” says Andy Arena, the father of Oklahoma State University’s unmanned systems research. But only an elite few can design and build unmanned aircraft from scratch, then use their expertise in a rapidly emerging technology to improve and protect lives. One of OSU’s four Tier 1 research initiatives includes a selection of unmanned aircraft research projects. The projects apply the versatility of unmanned systems to societal needs, covering a wide range of topics including first response, environmental monitoring and forecasting natural disasters. Other topics in the Tier 1 research initiative tackle finding solutions to navigating an atmosphere increasingly crowded with drones including unmanned traffic management, urban air mobility, pilot visibility of drones and wind estimation for airport and low-altitude operations.

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The foundation was laid in 1995 when Arena took over a capstone design class for aerospace engineers. Previous classes designed an airplane only on paper. Arena knew having the engineers build their plane designs would teach them more than calculations alone ever could. “I had this strong opinion that students don’t learn anything unless they see consequences of their actions,” he said. “If you just design something on paper, you’ll never see the consequences of your actions. Nothing ever fails.” Under Arena’s guidance, students built their airplane designs, then competed against each other’s fixed-wing unmanned aircraft systems. OSU was one of the few universities doing anything like it. “It fit perfectly into OSU,” he said. “There is a long history here of people doing hands-on work. Every university in the world does theory, but there weren’t people doing the kinds of things OSU was doing.” OSU competed for 10 years in an international competition called Design/ Build/Fly, sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “Ten years ago, we had won that contest more than all other universities combined,” he said, competing against the likes of Purdue University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “We stopped competing because the contest became too restrictive. We wanted the students to be able to use state-of-theart materials. In 2010, we started Speedfest, a competition for colleges around the state where high schools can compete as well.”

STORY SHANNON G. RIGSBY | PHOTO USRI

“We’re doing new things other people haven’t even thought of yet.” DR. JAMEY JACOB DIRECTOR, UNMANNED SYSTEMS RESEARCH INSTITUTE

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INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS

Dr. Ranjeet John

Dr. Hamed Gholizadeh

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OSU’s unmanned systems research has expanded into an interdisciplinary powerhouse. With a background in design, researchers are envisioning new ways to use drones for payload delivery or to gather data, collect it much faster or gather new data entirely. The possibilities are endless. “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity,” Arena said. “That’s really what happened with the program. We were in this position where we were building airplanes so we had know-how, facilities and experience. At the same time, there was this explosion of what people call drones. We were ready to meet that.” Dr. Jamey Jacob, director of the Unmanned Systems Research Institute, joined Oklahoma State in 2006, bringing with him a specialization in rotary wing aircraft such as quadcopters, which people typically think of as “drones.” Projects under his wing also include high-altitude kites and autonomous blimps, known as inflatable structures or soft goods. “We’re doing new things other people haven’t even thought of yet,” Jacob said. “We’re pushing the envelope to develop concepts that may be on the field from two to 10 years from now.” OSU’s new unmanned systems development center, Excelsior, opened last fall, providing a dedicated space for unmanned systems research including work with the environment, ecology, weather, climate change and national security.

“This exemplifies our philosophy of really understanding what we are doing,” Jacob said. “(At many universities), you end up with a lot of aerospace engineering researchers who focus on theory and not practically implementing their ideas. Our hands-on focus gives us the capability to do things for research programs and customers at the government and industry level that other universities can’t do. We can go from a clean sheet of paper, design, build and flight test an aircraft in a matter of months. Other universities do things on paper, try to go out and buy something or rely on simulations.” The USRI also employs full-time research engineers. “It’s not just graduate students,” Jacob said. “While graduate students form the backbone of any university research program, they tend to focus on long-term, hard-to-solve research problems and don’t have the time to help out faculty or other graduate students to solve the timesensitive problems. Our research staff can work with faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students across campus as well as external customers to provide innovative solutions with a very rapid turnaround time.” Having research engineers with experience in specialties such as remote sensing or photogrammetry on staff puts projects ahead of the curve. Students spend less time figuring out what they need to do and more time involved in research itself, he said.

PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY

ATLAS

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ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

Jacob has found drones are an efficient environmental monitoring tool, navigating areas that are hard to reach or measure. And not all unmanned vehicles fly. When studying water quality, small, autonomous boats can reach more remote areas than traditional methods. “The boat goes out and takes measurements in the water and reports those back,” he said. “Traditionally, if you want to get water quality measurements, you put someone in a kayak, and they paddle out to get samples taking up time they could instead be using to analyze the data. At the end of day, it always comes back to data.” OSU’s unmanned systems teams were crucial in monitoring the spread and the efficacy of the treatment of the Yellow Floating Heart invasive lily at Lake Carl Blackwell. Aquatic ecologists used satellite photos to measure the amount of the lake affected, but the photo quality and cloud cover made some calculations difficult. OSU’s USRI upped the game with a multispectral sensor that could photograph in five bands: blue, green, red, near-infrared and red-edge. Standard, off-the-shelf UAVs have only three. “These extra bands enable better discrimination of YFH from native aquatic vegetation and value added products like percent canopy cover,” said Dr. Ranjeet John, an assistant biology professor at the University of South Dakota. “This UAV imagery also enabled validation of lakewide estimates of YFH derived from satellite imagery.”

PHOTO USRI

“Drones can help us measure vegetation volume in timeand cost-efficient ways.” Victoria Natalie, a research engineer with USRI and an OSU grad, is working with OSU’s geography and geology departments as well as the USDA, Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Weather Service. She uses drones to take multispectral images to predict cotton and peanut yields. Another project with winter wheat measures plant height and creates a three-dimensional map. Natalie is using the 3D canopy model to measure crop volume under different nitrogen treatments. “Measuring vegetation volume using traditional methods is a difficult task and needs extensive field sampling, which are expensive and limited in their ability to cover large areas,” said Dr. Hamed Gholizadeh, an assistant geography professor. “Drones can help us measure vegetation volume in timeand cost-efficient ways.” For the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Natalie is mapping river connectivity as it relates to the endangered Arkansas River Shiner, a small minnow. The fish requires more than 100 miles of flowing river for its long-term survival, and it’s being affected by reservoir construction, which has broken up long stretches of river.

DR. HAMED GHOLIZADEH ASSISTANT GEOGRAPHY PROFESSOR

FIRST RESPONSE

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“Their expertise on unmanned systems and regulatory requirements has tremendously helped us shape this project.” DR. SARAVAN KUMAR CEO, MAXQ

Drones are also changing the face of what’s possible on the front lines of first responses. After the 1995 Murrah Building bombing, the late Jon Hansen, the face of the recovery effort with the Oklahoma City Fire Department, said the building’s structural damage prevented the department from sending crews inside. He needed a way to assess the situation, search room to room and communicate with the injured. Dr. Ben Loh, USRI graduate and research engineer, created OSU’s All Terrain Land and Air Sphere (ATLAS), which is encased in a protective cage. Typical drones have exposed propellers and require a coordinated landing. If one turns over, it can’t right itself and take to the air on its own. “With most aerial platforms, propulsion noise is always an issue if using a microphone to pick up the victim’s voice at a disaster area,” Loh said. “One way to overcome that is to land the aerial vehicle to stop the propeller. With something like the Murrah bombing scene, most exposed propeller platforms like a quadcopter can easily get caught by the debris or dangling wires in the building. A quadcopter without a prop guard could accidentally hit an obstacle and flip over. This could mean the end of the mission since it cannot recover to flight.” Loh’s ATLAS design has a spherical cage around the aircraft, protecting the propellers from debris and people from the propellers.

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“The spherical frame can endure an uncoordinated landing,” Loh said. “The cage allows … ATLAS to roll away from obstacles and recover to flight.” ATLAS is also designed to carry a payload specific to the mission, from cameras and carbon dioxide sensors to LiDAR, an instrument that uses pulses of laser light to build a complex threedimensional terrain map. Loh also created a version with a foam-board cage that is an affordable option for STEM teachers in elementary and secondary education. Another first response project couples OSU’s unmanned aerial system expertise with local startup MaxQ. Created by OSU grads, MaxQ is developing lightweight drone-delivery compatible packaging solutions. CEO Dr. Saravan Kumar said the containers make it possible to keep critical supplies such as blood, vaccines and medicines at precise temperatures to preserve lifesaving abilities. Jacob said they’re also working on a parachute system, testing for drop deliveries in battlefield applications. Kumar said MaxQ is thrilled to be in partnership with USRI. “Their expertise on unmanned systems and regulatory requirements has tremendously helped us shape this project. USRI’s facility and resources are top-notch,” he said. “Through this partnership, we were able to prototype and conduct demonstration flights for the drone-delivery packaging. Without this partnership, it would be incredibly difficult for us to proceed with this project.”

FORECASTING DISASTERS

The applications of UAVs in natural disasters are also broad. UAS-gathered data can enhance forecasts, improving researchers’ ability to predict the direction and intensity of wildfires. In a wildfire, UAS can also be used to obtain an accurate map of the spread of the fire to prevent firefighters from being surrounded. Jacob and his team will be using solar balloons this spring to send up infrasonic sensors in hopes of “hearing” the early stages of an earthquake. Dr. Brian Elbing, a professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering, and his team have developed a system of microphones that capture lowfrequency sound or infrasound that will be used on the balloons. “Earthquakes make noise below the level of human hearing,” Jacob said. “You can pick these up when the fractures below the ground start rubbing against each other.” The USRI constructs its own balloons. When fully inflated, they’re as wide and tall as a dump truck. The insides are dusted with charcoal to turn the balloons black so they will absorb heat from the sun, which gives the balloons buoyancy. “The benefit is that they stay aloft for a very long time,” Jacob said. “They use no fuel and can fly at very high altitudes, floating along with the currents of a developing storm where nothing else can fly.”

THE POSSIBILITIES

The project with balloons has even loftier applications than predicting natural events and disasters. “NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory wants to check them for a future flight on Venus,” Jacob said. “What we are doing with them is using the fact that we have a lot of earthquakes here as a diagnostic tool to test interplanetary drones that will eventually fly on other planets such as Mars and Venus. That way, we can evaluate their interior geography using ultrasonic sensors. So Oklahoma essentially becomes a testing ground for these new sensors.” It’s this way across the board. Perhaps Natalie said it best in calling the UAV landscape the “wild west of aviation.” From designing drones to helping the Army to improving first responses, natural disaster predictions and environmental monitoring, researchers have only scratched the surface of what is possible. And Oklahoma State University is leading the charge. “Everybody in the country, every university, will say, ‘We do drone research,’” Arena said. “They may work on the software. We do soup to nuts. We can design, fabricate, test, fly — everything from absolute scratch. There is no place that does what we do.”

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“We’re focusing on going places traditional unmanned aircraft can’t.” LEVI ROSS TORNADO INTERCEPT AIRCRAFT, DESIGNER AND PROJECT LEAD

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STORY MACK BURKE | PHOTO GARY LAWSON

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FLYING INTO THE STORM OSU RESEARCHERS ARE ADVANCING THE STUDY OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH A HIGH-SPEED DRONE REAL MEASUREMENTS With dark clouds encroaching on OSU’s Unmanned Aircraft Flight Station, a group of researchers prepares to fly a drone directly into a foreboding storm ... in the name of safety. Few pilots would intentionally draw up such a flight plan, but the Tornado Intercept Aircraft (TIA) is designed to penetrate storms, withstand the tempest and return with groundbreaking data. “We’re focusing on going places traditional unmanned aircraft can’t,” said designer and project lead Levi Ross. “It’s a very exciting aircraft and it does what most Unmanned Aerial Systems cannot do.” There’s still more work to be done, but Ross said his team is building a system that he hopes storm chasers and meteorologists will someday trust to gather better data to improve weather models. The TIA project is just one facet of the Tier 1 Drone Initiative’s exploration of how drones can address safety and environmental challenges. OSU Vice President for Research Dr. Kenneth Sewell said the initiatives aim “to tackle some of society’s challenges head-on,” and the TIA project is a somewhat literal embodiment of that vision. The project speaks to Oklahomans’ noted fascination with weather phenomenon and the advancement of technology and methods that could improve severe weather forecasting and save lives. And it’s not the only one of its kind taking off at OSU’s new Unmanned Systems Research Institute lab, dubbed Excelsior at its grand opening last November.

Together, it all adds up to a better understanding of severe weather, and that makes it highly practical for Oklahomans and potentially everyone who finds themselves in the path of a storm. “It all boils down to how well you can actually measure what the atmosphere is doing right now,” said Unmanned System Research Institute Director Dr. Jamey Jacob. “The more data you get, the better your forecast is going to be. Measuring the atmosphere is the real focus of our project — to be able to get enough data and feed that to the meteorological community … such that you can not only predict if a tornado is going to happen, but you’re going to be able to forecast it with enough fidelity that you’ll be able to say ‘Hey, in an hour, you’re going to get a tornado in this region, and it’s going to be an EF-3, and it’s going to last for a fivemile tract.’” The craft has a 44-inch wingspan, weighs a mere 18 pounds and can reach speeds over 150 miles per hour thanks to its turbo-jet engine. And its stealth bomber-inspired design makes it perfect for “punching through” squall lines. The drone had successfully flown many times before, including placing second at OSU’s Speedfest in 2017. But the latest tests have it flying through heavier rain. Large aircraft undergo much testing to gauge how much water they can handle, but that’s not always the case for smaller craft. S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 27

“We’ve flown through light [rain],” Ross said. “Now we’re testing this water-shielding material to see if we can keep water from interfering with the aircraft’s components. We’re also testing how much water can go through the turbine, to determine what conditions we can fly in and what will be too much and choke out the engine.” The TIA has no landing gear, which also plays to its advantage, allowing it to carry more weather-measuring instruments and to take off from the top of a modified OSU storm-chasing vehicle or even a researcher’s outstretched arm. “The end goal of this aircraft is to be able to fly it through severe weather and get data — temperature, pressure, humidity — that meteorologists are trying to track,” Ross said.

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SPECIFIC DATA FROM WITHIN

Of course, instruments already exist that measure those data points, but meteorologists seeking a clearer picture of the storm need data from within. “Normally, weather measurements are gathered by weather balloon, but if I launch a balloon, it’s going to go wherever the wind takes it. … If I can take a jet and put it in an exact location at a specific altitude, we can give scientists the exact data they’re looking for — what the temperature, pressure and humidity is at a specific spot,” said researcher Dane Johnson. That directly translates to better and more cost-effective forecasting. “This can be done with other aircraft, such as a manned aircraft, but the cost of running that manned aircraft for a single day is more than all the money we’ve spent on this entire aircraft,” Johnson said. “We can produce these aircraft for significantly less money, and there’s no reason to put helicopters or manned aircraft in the air. It means less risk on human life and more data.” With a custom-made fiberglass shell, the TIA can withstand much higher wind speeds than most drones. It also has a higher top speed, besting its foam counterparts by about 50 mph. While the Excelsior team has to keep the craft within the line of sight, due to FAA regulations, the ability to launch the craft from the top of a storm-chasing vehicle and follow it allows for swift response times and timely, informative data gathering. The work of researchers like Victoria Natalie also plays into projects like the TIA. She studies how wind and weather interact with topography. Jacob said bringing all of the research together gives a fuller picture.

PHOTOS GARY LAWSON

METEOROLOGIST TRUST

National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Piltz is familiar with the TIA project. Jacob and Piltz first met when Jacob discovered there was a meteorologist in Tulsa who happened to be a drone hobbyist. Since then, Piltz has provided Jacob and his team with guidance from a meteorological perspective. In short, he’s guiding them toward what meteorologists need. Piltz said there’s no doubt the TIA is an ambitious project, but after nearly a decade of seeing OSU research in action, he is confident Jacob’s team can deliver. “Having watched them work over the last eight years, they’ve always hit their mark,” he said. “While it won’t be easy, I think they can do it. It might not happen overnight. … Even if we don’t get the full-blown, dramatic intercept of a tornado, being in the area and making those measurements still might lead to the collection of important data.” When they do deliver, Piltz said, OSU’s research could mean the next big leap in severe weather study and forecasting. “It could help us understand how tornadoes are formed and give us a better understanding of what we’re seeing on radar,” he said. That, in turn, shapes how meteorologists relay information to the public. “Every little step you can take to make your message a little smarter to the public, it’s a big deal really, especially in Oklahoma ,” Piltz said. “[Oklahomans] hear so much about severe weather. If we can key in on those days where they really need to pay attention, that helps. Any number of days have tornado

potential … but if we can save our high-end language for the truly high-end days, we’ll get a much better public safety reaction, and everyone will be much better off.” Piltz said there’s not much more meteorologists can do with radar than they’re already doing. Advancing the science of weather forecasting will depend on getting more data. “The sexy stuff is we’re going to fly these near tornadoes, but more importantly, it’s about getting that data, the stuff you can’t see,” Jacob said. “There’s a lot that you get today from satellites, ground towers and radars. They represent a paradigm shift dating back to the mid-80s changing how we predict severe storms. We believe using drones in this way will be another paradigm shift in capability. “Most of your predictions today are coming from two different things: the ground network — and Oklahoma has the benefit of the most advanced ground network in the world — and weather balloons. We have only one location in the state that launches weather balloons — and only two a day — and that’s where we get all of our observations about the upper atmosphere. That’s the stuff that meteorologists are really craving, because it tells them what’s going on aloft. It provides profile from the temperatures, and tells them how much energy is actually within the atmosphere.” Jacob said that can help meteorologists answer the big question that hangs in the minds of Oklahomans as the storm presses toward them: “Is the cap going to blow?”

“Having watched them work over the last eight years, they’ve always hit their mark.” STEVE PILTZ NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGIST ON OSU RESEARCHERS AT USIL

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REVIVING COUNTRY LIFE OSU’S RURAL RENEWAL INITIATIVE AIMS TO REVERSE THE DOWNWARD SLIDE OF SMALL COMMUNITIES

STORY HARRISON HILL | PHOTOS TODD JOHNSON

Tucked between Oklahoma’s rolling plains and livestock ranges are hundreds of rural communities. Many are struggling. At Oklahoma State University, a team of researchers is developing a major effort to not only stop the decline of these rural communities but to reverse it: the Rural Renewal Initiative. “We’re going to start working here in our own back yard, in Oklahoma, recognizing that these issues are global issues,” said Tyson Ochsner, a professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and one of the initiative’s leaders. He sees the initiative as having an immediate impact. “The initial change is going to be the researchers going and getting engaged in communities. That is going to happen right away, this year,” he said. The mission of the Rural Renewal Initiative is to launch the renewal of rural communities in Oklahoma and beyond through interdisciplinary research, student involvement and community engagement. The initiative plans to start its work in Tillman and Harmon counties. Ochsner knows the struggles of rural communities well, having grown up on his family’s farm near Chattanooga in Tillman County. Likewise, Shane Robinson, another key researcher leading the initiative and an agricultural education professor, is from Hollis in Harmon County. “These are communities that we love, and these two counties are on the USDA’s list of persistent poverty counties,” Ochsner said. “They’re also on the USDA’s list of counties experiencing prolonged population loss. In fact, they are the only two counties in the state on both lists, making these counties obvious starting points.” Persistently impoverished counties have had 20 percent or more of their population living in poverty for more than 30 years. Harmon and Tillman are two of 12 such counties in Oklahoma. “If we succeed in this effort, our vision is a future where these rural renewal movements are growing in every state, across the country and ultimately, in every nation around the world,” Ochsner said. For Oklahoma in particular and the world in general, a focus on rural renewal is vital.

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SEED GRANTS With funding provided through the Tier 1 Research Initiatives program, the Rural Renewal Initiative is distributing seed grants to OSU researchers to focus on a variety of rural issues. “There is a grant for rural broadband and the internet of things (a system of interrelated computing devices). There’s one for rural health care systems and what role they can play in stimulating economic development. The third one is for training and equipping rural youth to be entrepreneurs and good citizens in their communities,” Tyson Ochsner said. The seed grants provide the funding to help create new innovation and ideas, Woodring said. “And that could be in technology, that could be in health care or that could be in a wide variety of sectors. And the seed grants create opportunities for those sectors to converge in ways that haven’t been applied before locally.”

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“We have to rely on people in rural places,” Robinson said. “Those are the people who, in so many ways, are providing the food necessary to feed the world.” In the early 1900s, much of western Oklahoma was referred to as no man’s land, and it still feels that way to many, Robinson said. Besides Tulsa and Oklahoma City, the whole state could be considered rural, he added. “A rural town is one that is small and isolated. It is disconnected. It is even ostracized in some ways,” he said. “But then on the other side, it’s a place of hope. It’s a place of growth. It’s a place of permanence.” The Rural Renewal Initiative is part of OSU’s Tier 1 research initiatives, a program with four designated research areas focused on solving public needs. “As a land-grant institution, OSU’s mission is to serve the public, our people,” Robinson said. “So we have a real mission here to serve, and to extend our reach to the folks on the far corners of this state and beyond.” Reaching to Oklahoma’s far corners, to the struggling rural towns, is more than just a job for the team because they all have rural ties and have seen the issues facing these places firsthand. “You hear a lot about the issues of cities like crime and poverty, poor schools and deteriorating neighborhoods,” said Paul Weckler, a professor in biosystems and agricultural engineering and an initiative leader. “If you look into rural areas, they have all those problems, too.” The picturesque family farm in small-town Oklahoma is becoming rare, Weckler said. It is getting harder and harder to maintain a rural lifestyle due to declining populations, hospital closures, lack of internet access and many other problems.

“Change takes time,” said Mark Woodring, assistant dean for rural health at the OSU Center for Health Sciences and an initiative leader. “These rural communities didn’t get into the position they are in overnight; certainly, these challenges are not going to be resolved overnight. But we can begin with incremental, positive steps forward today.” The initiative plans to create opportunities for positive momentum, working hand in hand with these communities, Woodring said. This starts with research and relationships. “I think we owe it to the communities that we want to help — whether that’s in Oklahoma or across the globe — that if we have a program or intervention or a change in their community, to do the research to measure and understand its impacts,” Ochsner said. OSU is currently one of only a few universities focused on using interdisciplinary research to foster rural renewal, he added. “I think interdisciplinary research has been missing,” Ochsner said. “We’re trying to find research-based ways to start sustainable renewal in the communities and not just saying, ‘Here’s a program. Let’s try it.’” The initiative is a way for OSU to focus some of its research efforts and resources to thinking outside the box and creating new ideas and solutions for the problems facing rural communities, Weckler said. “We have access to people who understand research and grant funding. We have people who are leading experts in the world on their subjects,” Robinson said. “It’s all about bringing the really tough, challenging problems to these experts.”

PHOTOS TODD JOHNSON

RURAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM A Ph.D. isn’t required to solve problems, and the inaugural Rural Scholars program — starting this summer — is a prime example. The team plans to train students and send them to rural communities where they will live and work conducting research during the summer. “OSU students are incredibly bright. They’re involved in really deep studies here at Oklahoma State University. Some of them are research scholars already,” Shane Robinson said. The team sees the value in engaging students, especially those who come from rural backgrounds themselves. “A student aspect is going to provide some fresh eyes and perspective,” Mark Woodring said. “We know that they look at the world differently than we do. Our research leadership team has deep roots in rural communities, but the students have had different experiences than us, and we really value that diversity of thought and perspective.” Paul Weckler knows there are students out there who are as passionate as the researchers. “The hope is that we can bring students together who have a desire to live and work in rural places,” Weckler said. “We can share with them some of the needs that we were able to define and discover, and they can be part of the solution to the problems.” Rural Renewal Initiative leaders have already received positive feedback from residents in the targeted counties. The researchers note one community member telling them: “We are so thankful for OSU living its mission. We are proud to be a part of this. And we are so happy that you are here.”

RURAL RENEWAL SYMPOSIUM The initiative plans to launch the Rural Renewal Symposium at OSU in October. “I would say there are three big things we hope to accomplish with the symposium this fall: No. 1, and perhaps most importantly, it brings people together,” Tyson Ochsner said. “That is beneficial both for the residents in these rural communities, as well as for the researchers who are trying to get engaged in this kind of research.” The second element is research presentations from the rural scholars. The team wants to give these students a chance to share their experience and work, Ochsner said. Finally, a Rural Renewal Prize will be awarded. “We want to raise public awareness of the needs for this kind of research and recognize a researcher who’s really making a positive impact for rural communities,” Ochsner said. “Anyone can be nominated.”

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BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE OSU RESEARCHERS ARE WORKING TO CONNECT RURAL OKLAHOMA WITH BETTER BROADBAND ACCESS

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The digital divide remains very real for many Oklahomans. Even today, fewer than half of rural residents here have broadband access. As nearly every conceivable facet of life moves online and into the cloud, rural communities are falling further and further behind — the divide between the digital haves and have-nots grows more stark. With just 79 percent of all Oklahoma residents — city dwellers included — having broadband access, Oklahoma is well behind the national average of 94 percent. But researchers at Oklahoma State University aim to change that. They’re looking at innovative ways to fill that gap, bringing rural Oklahomans access that’s arguably as important in the 21st century as electricity was in the 20th century. Agricultural economics professor Brian Whitacre wrote his dissertation on the urban/rural divide in 2005 and has been studying rural broadband ever since. About 800,000 Oklahomans don’t have a broadband connection in their homes, he’s found. “As you might expect, most of those are in rural Oklahoma. All my papers start off the same way: People who don’t have access to this technology are going to fall further and further behind. They won’t have opportunities to make income, to apply for jobs, to check on their health care or to participate in civic discourse. Really, it affects all aspects of life. Think about everything you do on the internet every day: getting your news, making a bank withdrawal. If you can’t do that on a daily basis, and you have to go physically do that, you’re spending a lot of time on other things that you could be using more productively.” Still, Whitacre said he is optimistic. In the past few years, he said there has been a shift toward innovation, and OSU’s new Rural Renewal Initiative is helping lead the way.

STORY MACK BURKE | PHOTO KANE KINION

PHOTO TODD JOHNSON

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“I’m optimistic that the conversation has changed from not just providing infrastructure but to what we’re calling digital inclusion, which is addressing the cost and digital skills pieces of the puzzle,” he said. To address the challenge, OSU has launched several pilot projects. The first is focused on bringing broadband to rural libraries. Over the past three years, Whitacre and his team have partnered with 15 libraries in communities of 2,000-3,000 people to provide Wi-Fi hotspots. “People can go to the library and check them out, bring them home with them and basically have a broadband connection for a week,” he said. “They can connect it to their phones, to their tablets, their laptops. It’s been an amazing program in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish. Each library does a couple hundred loans a year. The patron response has been overwhelming. They’re using it for their kids’ homework, job searches, to earn extra income and even start small businesses in some places.” OSU’s Extension program funds the project for the first year (about half with grants from AARP), then the library takes over with local sponsors such as banks and nonprofits. Perkins librarian Alison Bloyd said the program has been a wild success, despite some apprehension at first.

“It’s intimidating for a small library with very few resources,” she said. “Had Brian [Whitacre] not brought it to us, we would not have pursued it, at least not at that time. But it has been a big success. We continually have a waitlist of anywhere from 10 to 20 people. We’ve only had positive responses.” Patrons without home internet access, those temporarily without internet and those who need to supplement their internet coverage all use the program. “I think OSU taking the initiative in researching and planning is absolutely critical,” Bloyd said. “Reaching out to rural libraries is the best use of [these researchers’] resources. I don’t know how they could directly reach their intended audience otherwise. Rural libraries are the hub of a community, sometimes a county, and people seeking services generally come to libraries. So to be a point to not only distribute information but to provide services is critical for rural libraries.” Sarkeys Distinguished Professor in Agricultural Science Tyson Ochsner said Extension has done a lot of work to incorporate libraries and community approaches to deliver technology. Now, with support from the Rural Renewal Initiative, OSU researchers are evaluating and refining the communications technologies themselves. The latest step is a new technology called TV white space, which repurposes unused television frequencies to deliver broadband. Partnering with Pioneer Telephone Cooperative, a large phone co-op based out of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, the project’s initial focus will be on Tillman and Harmon counties. OSU researchers will install TV white space transmission equipment on area towers with the goal of delivering broadband speeds of 20-25 megabits per second. “Folks in these places, their current options are getting them maybe 3 megabits per second, sometimes 2 or even dropping down to 1, depending on quality of service,” Ochsner said. “We’re hoping to make a dramatic improvement to their speed of internet access, and hopefully at a cost that will be feasible to the end user and the business. If this looks like something that’s going

OSU researchers are hopeful that TV white space devices, like the one shown here, can be used to dramatically improve internet speeds in rural areas.

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to work for these rural areas, then obviously that’s something Pioneer Telephone Cooperative or others could incorporate into their business plan. If we can get good, reliable high-speed service to farm and ranch headquarters then we want to set up another technology called LoRa.” Ochsner describes LoRa, short for longrange, as similar to a Wi-Fi router. But instead of a few rooms in your house, it can cover several miles around a farm or ranch headquarters. “So, then it opens up this opportunity for internet of things (IOT) application on farms and ranches,” he said. “Some of the things we envision under that agriculture ‘internet of things’ would be cropland monitoring stations. We’ll be working with some of the farmers to design and test monitoring stations that easily deploy to put into cropland and send them information about soil conditions, crop conditions and weather conditions for that field using that LoRa technology. Others might be keeping track of things. We envision having tags on livestock, or even equipment, where the farmer/ rancher can open their phone and see a map of where their assets are located, which would allow them to keep a better handle on their operation.” Ochsner said the project is about more than bridging the rural/urban divide: It’s also a potential revolution for agriculture in Oklahoma. “We’re hoping to create new streams of useful information for these farmers and ranchers,” he said. “Farms and ranches have gotten larger and larger, so there’s more money riding on the decisions that these producers make. They need the best source of information they can get about the conditions of their crops, livestock and other assets.” Over the next year, OSU researchers will set up a prototype test of the TV white space system and develop crop monitoring stations and livestock monitoring applications. “That could open the door to larger grants needed to scale this up to do the research and to involve more operations, more communities,” Ochsner said. “After that, the aim would be scaling it up and engaging more communities, more farms, more ranches.” Dr. Sabit Ekin, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, said the technology has been in existence for about a decade. Microsoft has set up systems

PHOTO TODD JOHNSON

“I think OSU taking the initiative in researching and planning is absolutely critical.”

in about a dozen states. Ekin and fellow project lead Dr. John O’Hara, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, are hoping to spread awareness of the technology and its potential. “People are using it, and it’s real; people just aren’t aware of it,” he said. “There is some improvement that needs to be done, but these devices are already out there on the market.” Ekin believes OSU is the first to explore its use in Oklahoma. Working in partnership with two companies — Pilot Telecommunications and Canopy Technology — whose towers OSU will use to anchor the new equipment, Ekin believes OSU researchers can make a big difference in Oklahoma. “This is something other communities in rural Oklahoma can look to in the future and say, ‘Hey, why can’t we set that up? It’s cost effective, OSU showed that it works.’ At that point, you’ll be stepping back and saying, ‘Wow, not only did this work, but it’s working for real people and pretty quickly,’” he said. OSU could reap financial benefits from developing intellectual property, as well, but Ochsner said that’s not the driving force behind the project or the broader Rural Renewal Initiative. It’s about people. “For those of us working on this Rural Renewal Initiative, that’s our motivation,” he said. “We’re thankful for all the research opportunities we’ve had over our careers and time here at OSU, and we want to really hone in and focus on this socially relevant research that’s going to make a difference in someone’s life.” It all comes back to the question of what will the future look like for rural communities, he said. Broadband access is just one facet of that question, but the answer comes from engaging with those communities on issues that matter. “It’s not just working here on campus,” he said. “It’s actually getting out in the community and partnering with these folks and working together to find solutions that will lead them to the future they want for their communities.”

ALISON BLOYD PERKINS LIBRARIAN

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT RURALRENEWAL.OKSTATE.EDU.

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Merging in Strength

OSU’s new College of Education and Human Sciences is poised to increase its impact

klahoma State University’s new College of Education and Human Sciences will launch July 1 on the Stillwater campus, uniting programs from the former College of Human Sciences and College of Education, Health and Aviation. “This brings together the vast knowledge and skills of two outstanding colleges,” OSU President Burns Hargis said. “The new College of Education and Human Sciences combines our passion, expertise and resources to better deliver on our land-grant mission and serve our students and the world.” Gary Sandefur, OSU provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, points to other institutions that have seen enrollment growth and

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increases in research funding after similar decisions. “We are building on the strengths of these academic programs in preparing the next generation of leaders in education, health and more,” Sandefur said. Stephan M. Wilson, who has been serving as dean of the College of Human Sciences and interim dean of the College of Education, Health and Aviation, led the transition toward the new college beginning in early 2019. “These two colleges have been around for more than a century, and both have strong, proud legacies,” Wilson said. “Together, we are leveraging our resources to make a larger, more direct and meaningful

impact in the lives of Oklahoma citizens, current and future students and more.” Programs across the new college prepare health professionals, teachers, counselors, psychologists, designers, education and aviation leaders and more. Faculty research, service and Cooperative Extension aim to improve the day-to-day lives of people, schools, communities and society at large. “Our graduates are creative thinkers and problem-solvers,” Wilson said. “For this college, in all that we do, people are at the center. That’s a unique opportunity and responsibility. People are both the means to the end and the end itself.” The College of Education and Human Sciences will focus on identifying and solving challenges

STORY CHRISTY LANG | PHOTOS COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SCIENCES AND GARY LAWSON

AT A GLANCE The new combined College of Education and Human Sciences cites these accomplishments: ■ Largest preparer of certified teachers in Oklahoma. ■ Largest collection of health programs on the Stillwater campus with roughly one-third of students pursuing a degree related to mental, physical or relational health. ■ Nationally ranked programs in early childhood education, educational technology, fashion design and production and merchandising.

“We can be proud to stand where we are now and on the shoulders of those that went before us.”

■ A robust research portfolio that studies human development across the lifespan, K-12 and STEM education, nutrition and disease prevention, learning and technology, human environments and pilots and aerospace safety.

STEPHAN WILSON, DEAN

facing the state. Wilson noted the broad themes for the new college — contributing to a healthier, better educated and more just society, adding that working toward these goals will happen in a more integrated and holistic way than ever before. “Whether it’s about educating people in K-12 or pre-public school settings or through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at OSU, these programs are not really changing in an immediate sense. The impact does change as we begin to see them as integrated whole,” Wilson said. “Similarly, when it comes to working toward a healthier society: How do we prevent obesity, hypertension and diabetes? How do we prevent some cancers? We are focused on health

beyond the obvious physical health — also thinking about people’s well-being, whether that’s financial, relational, occupational, in a family context or beyond.” Over the past year, current student leaders in the two original colleges have also begun to connect and plan for the future, and there is a sense of excitement about laying the foundation for a new academic college. “(In the College of Education and Human Sciences), all of our majors have to do with serving others and helping people. I think everyone at OSU does that, but our majors are designed to help people and serve others. It is one big community of serving others,” elementary education junior Emmy Mueller said.

The College of Education and Human Sciences celebrates its rich history as it turns with excitement toward the future. “We can be proud to stand where we are now and on the shoulders of those that went before us,” Wilson said. “At the same time there is a lot of work toward a more just, healthier and better-educated society. We are not done by a long shot. We are excited and energized about the opportunities ahead.”

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CAMPUS NEWS

OSU Alumni Association names new president The OSU Alumni Association’s Board of Directors has named Rob McInturf as the association’s 15th president. McInturf has an extensive background in alumni relations and university advancement. For the past six years, he was the executive director for alumni relations at the University of North Texas. “With his impressive record of leadership and success in alumni relations, we believe Rob is the right person to guide the OSU Alumni Association,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “He and his family will fit perfectly into the Cowboy family. We welcome them to Oklahoma State.” Originally from Elkhart, Indiana, McInturf earned a bachelor’s degree in history and education from the University of West Alabama, where he played baseball, and a master’s degree in advertising and public relations from the University of Alabama. “I have always looked at OSU as a destination, and I have yet to meet an OSU graduate who didn’t love this university,” McInturf said. “I am thrilled, humbled and honored to be chosen to lead this organization, and I can’t wait to get to work with the staff.” Joining him in Stillwater will be his wife, Emily, and their 2-year-old daughter, Cora. Learn more about McInturf at okla.st/robmc.

OSU senior wins prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship For the first time in 15 years, an Oklahoma State University student has been named a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Cole Replogle is an Honors College senior from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, majoring in mechanical and aerospace engineering with a minor in physics. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in research in future propulsion and power at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. “The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards in the world — on par with the Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships,” said Jessica Sullins, Henry Bellmon Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research director. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship program offered around 25 comprehensive scholarships to U.S. students this year. See more about Cole Replogle at okla.st/cole.

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OSUPD CHIEF MARKS 25 YEARS The Oklahoma State University Police Department recently honored Chief Leon Jones’ 25 years of service. He’s been with the force longer than anyone else currently serving. Jones received a plaque in a small ceremony Dec. 19. It will hang in his office as a daily reminder of his accomplishment, he said.

Core Campus Patrol enhances OSU safety Protecting a campus like Oklahoma State University with thousands of people has its challenges, with some of the most congested areas inaccessible by car. That’s why Chief Leon Jones and the OSU Police Department have put a Core Campus Patrol Division in place to reduce response times, increase visibility in highly populated areas and help law enforcement build a relationship with the Cowboy community. Officers in the Core Campus Division work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday — hours when the student, faculty and staff populations in the area are at their highest. The division also includes a satellite office on the second floor of the Student Union. “The Core Campus Division has created a true community policing vibe,

and it has also allowed a rapid response for emergencies that occur in the heart of campus,” he said. Sgt. Adam Queen said the library and student union are prime examples of why the Core Campus Patrol Division is needed. “There are no streets,” he said. “In the academic core, some of the major buildings like Edmon Low Library hold thousands of people but do not sit on roads.” Core Campus shaves off minutes in how quickly officers can reach someone in distress, with officers traveling on foot, by bike or on a Segway. Response times to 911 calls are often measured in a minute or two, and sometimes less. “We wanted a rapid response team. If something should happen anywhere in this educational core where there are

no streets, we’re here, we’re quick and we’re accessible. We don’t have to wait for traffic,” Queen said. “We can get places faster than a car.” Queen said being assigned to Core Campus is more interactive than other positions in the department. “You have to not only like people, but you have to be proactive,” he said. The satellite office in the Student Union also makes a difference in building relationships. “The office is tremendous,” Queen said. “We have a lot of people pass by. The location is really good because people have an idea where it is, and they’re getting used to the fact that it’s here. When I’m working on emails or reports, people stop in.”

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CAMPUS NEWS

OSU alumna inducted into Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame She also served as the founding sponsor of Theta Sigma Phi at OSU, a national women’s journalism fraternity, now OSU Women in Communications. In July 1942, Holmes began her pioneering journey in the military. She was the first woman in Oklahoma to be sworn into the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. After training and a promotion, Holmes served as the WACs’ public relations officer in Washington, D.C. Her three children graduated from Oklahoma State University, and Charles and William went into the military. In 1979, she was elected the second female mayor of Guthrie, where she pushed for architectural renovations and guarded municipal water rights. “She was a selfless public servant,” Volturo said. “She was not about all the glory. She went and did whatever she saw needed to be done.” Holmes died in 1997.

Fall Veterinary Conference offers continuing education The OSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s annual Fall Veterinary Conference includes a keynote speaker sponsored by the Class of 1963. The conference provides continuing education opportunities in small animal, food animal and equine veterinary medicine for licensed veterinarians and veterinary technicians as well as college faculty, staff and students. “The Class of 1963 Distinguished Lectureship endowment provides the funds necessary to bring in leading scientists who can share their expertise on veterinary related matters with faculty, staff and students,” said Dr. Thomas Loafmann, class of 1963 representative. “These speakers have national and international reputations in biomedical research, veterinary science, and medicine and are highly recognized for their contributions to health issues affecting animals, people and the environment.” Veterinarians from Oklahoma and surrounding regions, alumni, faculty, staff and students can benefit from the Class of 1963 Endowment at this year’s Fall Veterinary Conference Nov. 5-6.

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From left: Dr. Carlos Risco, 2019 speaker Dr. Lawrence Schook, and Dr. Thomas Loafmann.

PHOTO TITA BINZ

A standing ovation followed Andrea Holmes Volturo to the stage of the Oklahoma Judicial Center as she accepted Maj. Helen Freudenberger Holmes’ posthumous induction into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame. “Helen Holmes never intended in her life to be first in anything,” Volturo, Holmes’ daughter, told the audience. “The barriers were there, but she did not see barriers. Obstacles were considered opportunities. When she saw needs, she looked for solutions.” A trailblazer in many aspects of her life, after graduating from Oklahoma A&M with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1936, Holmes became the first woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin with a master’s degree in agriculture journalism. A few years later, she added another first to her repertoire: the first woman to teach journalism at Oklahoma A&M University.

Cherokee Nation chief shares tribal history at OSU Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. shared the history of the Cherokee Nation from the past 200 years during a Sovereignty Speaks speakers series luncheon at the Oklahoma State University Student Union. “We are in an era of prosperity the likes of which we have not seen,” Hoskin told the crowd after he was welcomed by OSU President Burns Hargis. He credits much of that to a change in federal law in the 1970s that “allowed us to reconstitute and rebuild,” and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which allowed Cherokee and other tribal nations to operate Las Vegas-style gaming. Another highlight for the Cherokee Nation is the partnership with OSU that’s building the first tribally affiliated medical school in the country — OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation — in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The $40 million facility is currently under construction. Still, Hoskin wants to make sure people don’t forget the past. President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law in 1830, forcing tribes from their lands in what has become known as the Trail of Tears.

Jacob joins new advisory council for Mesonet Oklahoma State University’s director of its Unmanned Systems Research Institute, Dr. Jamey Jacob, is among five faculty members from around the state joining a new advisory council for the Oklahoma Mesonet. Since 1994, the Mesonet has provided the latest in weather measurement and reporting to improve forecasting methods and data. The Faculty Affiliates program aims to encourage faculty and students around the state to take greater advantage of the Mesonet’s resources. Jacob is joined by fellow OSU faculty member Dr. Tyson Ochsner from the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, as well as Dr. Phillip Chilson, Dr. Jadwiga Ziolkowska and Dr. Betsy Van der Veer Martens from the University of Oklahoma.

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STUDENT JOURNEY:

Rachel Brown Rachel Brown is an entrepreneur who dreams of improving mental health treatment. She found her passion at Oklahoma State University, and thanks to help from the Cowboy family, she has been able to take full advantage of opportunities available here. Rachel will earn a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship and nonprofit management in May and will continue her work to grow her business, Strides.

Scholarships have allowed Rachel to be more involved on campus and access such opportunities as studying abroad and working at the Riata Center.

“Without scholarship funding, I likely wouldn’t have been able to live on campus, be part of a Greek organization or study abroad for a semester,” she said. “Each of these things have developed my character, my passions and my skills in ways that will drive me toward success in my future.”

After her cousin’s suicide in 2018, Rachel developed a passion for improving mental health treatment, which evolved into her business, Strides.

“During my time of grieving, I discovered that physical activity is known to boost mental health, but no tools address them simultaneously. Strides is an app that creates customized physical activity training plans designed around mental health with our easy-touse decision tree software. Our mission is to help those with mental illness come to a place where they can say, ‘If I can do this, I can do anything.’”

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Rachel is a student worker in the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship, where she has a designated workspace in the student incubator.

“Between my job and working on my business, I am in the Riata Center more than 20 hours a week. I absolutely love the workspaces, the people and the resources it has. The space also allows me to frequently engage with professors and mentors, which is a huge asset.”

Thanks to the support of the Cowboy family, Rachel was able to have the life-changing experience of studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland.

“I spent an entire semester attending Heriot Watt University. During this time, I visited 13 countries, made close friends and learned so many things that broadened my perspective. The experience made me keenly aware of new and different ways of doing things.”

No matter where you decide to make an impact, your gift ensures that students like Rachel feel the power — and the hope — of having the Cowboy family behind them.

Visit brighter-orange.com to learn how you can make a difference.

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From Breaking Laws to Making Laws Once a high school dropout and federal prisoner, OSU-Tulsa graduate finds a mission through education

ive women are seated in a circle around criminal justice reform activist D’Marria Monday at a table in the Tulsa City-County Library — 7 p.m. on a Wednesday — with laptops, notebooks and an aluminum baking sheet covered with chocolate chip cookies. These women are mothers, workers and educators. They are also activists, a team of volunteers and employees working under Monday’s grassroots community-building organization, Block Builderz. Together, they combine resources to educate and advocate for formerly incarcerated women across Oklahoma. As the team plans a free community education event in Tulsa’s historic Greenwood district on the impact of cash bail requirements, they laugh at each other’s jokes and share which dishes they will bring. But they also discuss the needs, attitudes and disparities prevalent in some of Oklahoma’s most disadvantaged communities. Cookies are passed around the table along with phrases and concepts such as restorative justice and the national socio-political environment. Led by D’Marria Monday, these women have all served time in prison or experienced a loved one’s incarceration. Now they work to help other women in

similar situations in any way they can. Their combined efforts have shaped legislation, helped justice-involved women find employment, transportation and housing, all while battling the fiscal and social barriers that accompany a conviction. Monday is no stranger to these barriers — including being denied for housing and passed up by employers. Before she graduated from OSU-Tulsa and founded Block Builderz, she was a high school dropout and single mother facing 10 years in prison. BREAKING A CYCLE Growing up, prison seemed like an unavoidable destination for Monday. “I was an ambitious child, but my environment weighed down on me,” Monday said. “I was in Girl Scouts. I spoke at my church. Unfortunately, my perspective clouded over time — I was molded into a product of the ghetto, and prison became an accepted fate.” Monday was born in Tulsa and raised in Midland, Texas. Her single mother worked long hours to pay the bills, often leaving her in the care of someone else. Monday lived through addiction, mental illness and several different forms of abuse in her home. She started skipping school and running away, eventually lured into a life of fast money and crime.

Consequences came quickly, too. In her early 20s, Monday was federally indicted for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, known as crack. She was pregnant at the time and gave birth just before being sent to a Florida prison, hundreds of miles from her home and her baby. Monday transferred to a prison in Texas after a year and a half so she could see her son more often. Her mother was taking care of the child and visited when they could. Monday did not want her son to grow up in the same environment she did, but she found it impossible to be an active mother behind bars. “The next time I saw him he wasn’t a baby anymore,” Monday said. “There was a toddler staring back at me with my eyes, but he was still a stranger. Each time he could visit, I had to wait for him to warm up to me again.” Driven by a desire to be a supportive and positive force in her son’s life, Monday worked hard in prison, including five years in a call center. Despite spending most of her days on the phone with others, Monday often couldn’t afford a phone call herself. She only made around $20 a month and spent that on hygiene products, without much money left over to pay for a phone call. “When I was in prison, I realized how much harm I inflicted on my

“When I was in prison, I realized how much harm I inflicted on my community. I was already determined to be a better person for my child. But I began to understand that the generation behind me also needs help to shape their future.” D’MARRIA MONDAY

STORY AARON CAMPBELL | PHOTO RYAN JENSEN

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“We need a seat at the table. There’s a saying in the movement — ‘nothing about us without us.’ Those making decisions about criminal justice need to understand how it affects the communities closest to it.” D’MARRIA MONDAY community,” she said. “I was already determined to be a better person for my child. But I began to understand that the generation behind me also needs help to shape their future.” Education provided a productive escape. Monday never finished high school, but behind bars she completed her GED. She pressed on and took college courses, earning a business certificate and a cosmetology license. She was driven to learn as much as she could to make a difference after her sentence was served. COMING HOME After serving nearly eight years, Monday was released and reunited with her son. She immediately set her sights on home: Tulsa. “I was coming home to my roots. I knew I was going to be the change I wanted to see in the world, and I wanted to see it here first,” she said. Education continued to anchor Monday to her mission. She enrolled in Tulsa Community College and earned an associate degree in business, then immediately transferred to OSUTulsa to earn her bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship. Even though she was raising a child and another baby was on the way, she knew she couldn’t slow down on her education. “I realized time waits for nobody,” Monday said. Oklahoma State was the obvious choice for Monday. She refers to the university as “the family school.” Several of her family members pursued degrees at OSU, including Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday, D’Marria’s uncle. She feels galvanized by her uncle’s legacy at OSU — honored with a place in the OSU Wrestling Hall of Fame, but the family feeling surrounding the university is not exclusive to those sharing her name.

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“I feel supported by OSU. The relationships I’ve formed here are rock solid; the university is my family,” she said. “I’ll never be in the Hall of Fame for wrestling. But I am inspired by my uncle’s footsteps and to make footsteps of my own.” Monday graduated from OSU-Tulsa in 2018. She was working full-time and constantly pouring in extra time and energy to help justice-involved women. With her education, the support of professors and staff at OSU-Tulsa and her experience as a former prisoner, Monday knew she had the tools to help restore the lives of other women affected by the justice system. “That’s how we built Block Builderz,” Monday said. “Reaching out and showing people, ‘Hey, I know what it’s like.” MAKING HER MARK Block Builderz is now Monday’s fulltime job. The organization earned its first grant last year, enabling Monday to hire employees and incorporate more volunteers. The organization operates in downtown Tulsa. Between writing laws, organizing educational events on justice system reform issues, and identifying and helping those who have served their time get back on their feet, no two days look the same for Monday. “At one of our resource fairs, we wanted to highlight stories of people directly impacted by incarceration,” she said. “One woman had been denied enrollment to a vocational school and was told it was because of her criminal history. Someone heard her story and reached out to us, and we wanted to advocate for her. We wrote letters, started conversations, and it worked — now she’s in school to draft construction blueprints.”

The list of titles, projects and partnerships connected to Monday is extensive. She’s a member of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, where she learned how to work with state lawmakers in crafting legislation to improve prison conditions for women. One bill she created alongside state lawmakers was inspired by other women’s experiences of giving birth in prison, alone and shackled to the bed. Oklahoma’s “anti-shackling bill” was signed into law in 2018; it bans the practice and allows women to have a family member with them for comfort. Monday also operates as the northeast field organizer for the Oklahoma Policy Institute, visiting rural areas to organize people involved with the criminal justice system and teach communities to advocate for themselves. She partners with the national Dream Corps “#cut50” campaign to cut crime and incarceration rates. She even worked alongside the city of Tulsa to allow people with tickets and warrants to get them settled at the library instead of jail. “I couldn’t accomplish everything I work for today without climbing the staircase that education provided to me,” Monday said. “TCC helped me down the path to OSU-Tulsa. Now my OSU degree provides me not only the knowledge, but the agency to carry my vision forward.” Monday never takes her eyes off the big picture for her future: improving the lives of people impacted by prison, starting with representation. “We need a seat at the table,” Monday said. “There’s a saying in the movement — ‘nothing about us without us.’ Those making decisions about criminal justice need to understand how it affects the communities closest to it.”

PHOTOS AARON CAMPBELL

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Expanding the Circle of Care

OSU-CHS wins USDA grant to set up telemedicine hubs in northeast Oklahoma

iving in rural Oklahoma, just seeing a doctor can be a challenge. But thanks to a recent grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more patients in some rural and underserved communities will soon be able to visit with a physician face-toface even if they are miles apart with the help of ever-advancing technology. The OSU Center for Health Sciences has been awarded approximately $300,000 from the USDA to purchase telemedicine equipment to provide patient care and clinician training to northeast Oklahoma. The grant, along with matching funds from OSU-CHS, will subsidize the purchase of telemedicine equipment and infrastructure development. “This technology will further extend OSU Medicine’s health services to not only meet growing patient demand but also provide training for medical students, residents and physicians throughout northeast Oklahoma,” said Dr. Kayse Shrum, president of OSU Center for Health Sciences and dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. The telemedicine program provides health services between three hub sites — the OSU-CHS campus and the OSU Addiction Medicine Specialty Clinic in Tulsa, and the new OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah — and seven clinical sites in the Cherokee Nation, including the W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah. The other sites include Cherokee Health Services’ rural clinics in Jay, Nowata, Salina, Sallisaw, Vinita and Stilwell.

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STORY S A R A P L U M M E R | PHOTO A M Y G R E E N

Using telecommunication technology, patients living near these seven rural clinical sites will be able to visit with a physician at one of the hub sites via screens and cameras on mobile telemedicine carts that can be utilized throughout the clinic. “Developing distant learning opportunities helps strengthen our region and fulfills multiple needs for the Cherokee Nation, including expanding access to physicians and medical care to meet patient demand,” said Roger Montgomery, M.D., executive medical director of health services for the Cherokee Nation. With an aging physician workforce and a growing population in Oklahoma, health care needs continue to increase, resulting in a severe physician shortage, especially in rural areas of the state. “The Cherokee Nation, under Chief Chuck Hoskin’s leadership, understands the severe physician shortage crisis in rural Oklahoma and shares our vision of populating rural and tribal areas of our state with OSU-trained primary care physicians,” Shrum said. The goal of the USDA grant and the matching funds is to provide a telemedicine network to train medical students, residents and area physicians to bridge this gap in the physician workforce shortage and provide patient care to meet the growing demand. “With this equipment, distance is not a factor in providing care or collaborating with our partners. We will be able to help meet the demand for patient care and enhance training for our students and residents,” said William Pettit, D.O., dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, which will welcome its inaugural class this fall.

The grant also aims to curb the effects of the opioid epidemic in northeast Oklahoma. In 2015 and 2016, pharmaceutical companies sent 184 million doses of opioids into the 14 counties of the Cherokee Nation, which would be enough for 153 doses per person over two years. Through the telemedicine program, patients will be able to receive care from the OSU Addiction Medicine Specialty Clinic, a part of the National Center for Wellness & Recovery. There is a nationwide shortage of addiction medicine physicians, but it is especially felt in rural Oklahoma. “The lack of available and appropriate training for physicians to treat substance use disorders has created a significant gap in the provision of service,” said Julie Croff, Ph.D., executive director of the National Center for Wellness & Recovery.

“The NCWR is committed to finding innovative solutions, like telemedicine, to treat those in need while also training our health care workforce in this important treatment modality.” The addiction medicine clinic will use the equipment to provide both preventative and treatment services for opioid use disorder, a pattern that causes serious impairment and distress to one’s life. The infrastructure provided through the USDA grant will also provide training for physicians and clinicians throughout northeast Oklahoma on proper prescribing for opioids and complementary and alternative pain management methods from OSU’s addiction medicine team.

Nowata

Vinita Jay

Tulsa

Salina

OSU Addiction Medicine Specialty Clinic OSU Center for Health Sciences

Tahlequah

OSU-COM Cherokee Nation, W.W. Hastings Hospital

Stilwell

Sallisaw Physician/Specialist Location Telemedicine Cart Location

MAP K E L LY S T I M S O N

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OKLAHOMA NEEDS DOCTORS LIKE YOU Choose a career in medicine and make a difference.

OSU-trained physicians work and live in every county in Oklahoma, providing excellent patient care to generations of Oklahoma families. Learn how the College of Osteopathic Medicine at the OSU Center for Health Sciences can help you achieve your dream of becoming a doctor. Learn more about applying to medical school at health.okstate.edu. 1111 West 17th Street | Tulsa, OK 74107-1898 | 918-582-1972

COWBOY CHRONICLES Ever wonder how traditions, events or buildings on campus came to be? Want to learn more about life at OSU during a specific time period? We want to answer those questions and more! Our very own history expert David Peters will be fielding your questions and providing the answers in STATE. We’ll be featuring photos and historical information that is important to you — our readers. Simply submit your questions about OSU or Cowboy history to editor@okstate.edu and look for the answer in the next issue of STATE! If you can’t wait, check out timeline.okstate.edu for more OSU history!

About David Peters As head of the Oklahoma State University Archives, David Peters takes his mission to save, secure and share the university’s story very seriously. Under the leadership of this certified archivist, the department has dramatically expanded its digital content and online presence. With his 32 years (and counting!) of experience at OSU, Peters is known on our Stillwater campus and beyond as the go-to university history expert.

OSU-OKC is the state’s first recognized AWS Academy member. AWS Academy provides higher education institutions with cloud computing curriculum.

Growing with Amazon

OSU-OKC partnerships broaden academic possibilities

hen Amazon workforce recruiters came to town in the summer of 2018, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City put out the welcome mat. What transpired sparked a great and growing partnership. OSU-OKC President Brad Williams knew Amazon would need help processing applicants for the thousands of jobs at its 640,000-square-foot fulfillment center and other metro facilities. In the mid-2000s, Williams worked at the Oklahoma Department

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of Commerce when Dell located a customer support center in Oklahoma City, so he was familiar with the needs of a corporation aiming to build out a workforce when entering a new market. “We had experience with this type of site-location project, and we knew what type of support was needed in order for a company to ramp up operations in the metro area,” Williams said. The college served as the employment hub for the company through December 2019. “It’s just been an awesome experience with OSU-OKC,” said Jamie

Jackson, who managed the Amazon workforce team on campus. “One of the biggest obstacles to hiring a large workforce in a community you don’t know is finding an accessible and consistent location for the huge volume of job candidates and new hires,” Jackson said. “By partnering with OSU-OKC, we connected with a staple of the community and it gave us a different perspective.” The partnership brought more than 15,000 job applicants to campus, and more than 10,000 were hired.

STORY K AT H R Y N M C N U T T | PHOTOS N I C K T R O U G A KO S

“It's just been an awesome experience with OSU-OKC.” —JAMIE JACKSON, AMAZON MANAGER

While the applicants were on campus, college recruiters talked with them about what OSU-OKC could offer. “Our first goal was to help people increase their earning potential, which can be life-changing,” Williams said. “Now we are ready to help them as education opens wide the door of opportunity.” After 12 months on the job, Amazon will prepay 95 percent of tuition for its employees who take courses related to high-demand fields such as nursing, commercial truck driving and information technology. Williams predicts hosting Amazon’s job recruitment efforts will bring many of those employees back to OSU-OKC to continue their education. Jackson said she admires how OSUOKC approaches education by looking at what it can do to make people more marketable for existing jobs. Many workers at the fulfillment center will reach their one-year anniversary in August, making them eligible for the tuition benefit. “I’m so excited for August to come around and see what that means for OSU-OKC,” Jackson said. EXPANDING AREAS The successful partnership moved quickly from Amazon’s e-commerce operation to its cloud computing branch, Amazon Web Services (AWS). As OSU-OKC embarked on its own AWS cloud strategy, it became clear the college needed to prepare students and community members for the way business increasingly is being done. LinkedIn’s list of the Top 10 hard skills employers are seeking in 2020

ranks cloud computing second. Analysts say the worldwide public cloud services market will grow to around $300 billion in 2020. AWS’ range of web-based technologies support companies such as Adobe Systems, Airbnb and Netflix. OSU-OKC is positioning itself to serve as a talent pipeline for these types of companies. “It’s a growing field with a huge gap in the knowledge,” said Lisa Fisher, OSUOKC senior director for community engagement. “Companies are adopting a full- or hybrid-cloud infrastructure and moving all or some of their data to the cloud for redundancy. We want to help educate the workforce tasked with cloud-based responsibilities.” Throughout 2019, the college brought experts to campus for a series of AWS technology forums. And in April, OSU-OKC became the state’s first recognized AWS Academy member. AWS Academy provides higher education institutions with cloud computing curriculum that prepares students to pursue industryrecognized certifications and in-demand cloud jobs. “We are thrilled to work with AWS in this capacity that is shaping Tonya Ward the way the world does business,” Williams said. OSU-OKC offered its first AWS Academy course in cloud foundations in fall 2019. Tonya Ward took the 16-week

course to increase her understanding of cloud philosophy. “I have an IT background, but I didn’t have a lot of strength in the intricacies of cloud technology,” said Ward, the administrator for a law firm in downtown Oklahoma City. “I got a very good understanding of how any cloud system works.” “The world of e-commerce, and now mobile commerce, is evolving at a rapid pace,” Williams said. “OSU-OKC is very pleased to be involved in the types of discussions that are redefining the volume and range of transactions that make possible the world of business.”

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From left: OSU President Burns Hargis, Dr. Adrienne Sanogo and Dr. Stephan Wilson, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences.

Paying It Forward OSU educator's gift and story in annual drive transform into a scholarship opportunity for students

hen Dr. Adrienne Sanogo decided to participate in the annual Cowboy Way drive last year, she had no idea her gift would grow into an endowed scholarship opportunity for students in need. As part of the Brighter Orange, Brighter Future campaign, Sanogo agreed to share her story about the financial support and guidance she received while a student at Oklahoma State University. A first-generation student who at times had to sleep in her car, she credits the help she received from faculty and staff members for a large part of her success. “You have this cadre of faculty and staff, and they help you see the path,” she said. “It’s scary, and you’re not sure what you’re doing. These people are on the path, shining a light on where to go.”

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While sharing her story, the OSU graduate and now associate dean for the College of Education and Human Sciences inspired many fellow Cowboys to give to the campaign to help students struggling with food insecurity, housing and financial roadblocks. The Brighter Orange, Brighter Future campaign has reached 58 percent of its overall goal of $375 million for educational access and student support. The campaign also entails internships, study abroad opportunities, programming for academic achievement and general student well-being. “With the continued squeeze on state funding, the burden of financing higher education is increasingly shifting to individual families,” said President Burns Hargis. “These families and their students need our help.”

STORY KAROLYN MOBERLY | PHOTO DIANA HASLETT

"A lot of people have the potential to give a little, and that little bit goes a long way."

The OSU Foundation wanted to recognize Sanogo for her assistance with the campaign and willingness to talk about her experience as a student. At a January staff meeting for the College of Education and Human Sciences, Hargis and Dean Stephan Wilson presented a $25,000 endowed scholarship in Sanogo’s name. Her colleagues and peers rose to their feet with applause. “Seeing the response as the scholarship in Adrienne’s name was announced was incredibly uplifting and heartwarming,” Wilson said. “Her colleagues were genuine in celebrating and honoring her. Adrienne serves as an inspiration for believing in oneself and persevering to reach educational and professional goals. She is passionate about providing opportunities for our students to succeed, and I am proud to work alongside her.” Tears filled Sanogo’s eyes as she posed for photos and shared hugs and shook hands. Those tears continued well into the weekend as she realized the impact this gift will have on OSU students, she said. “I was in complete shock,” she said. “My first thought was, ‘I get to meet that student!’ I hope they can hear my story and be inspired to work hard toward their dreams.” But Sanogo’s hopes for the scholarship go beyond the students who will receive the award. She hopes it will inspire her family, as well. “This is part of the legacy for my children,” she said. “I gave with a giving heart last year, and it turned into this amazing opportunity. I hope it reminds them that giving back is important and doing the right thing pays off. Ultimately, I hope it creates a ripple effect of giving.” Sanogo has continued this spirit of giving by agreeing to serve as a co-chair for the Cowboy Way this year — the same drive that started this whole journey for her last year. “This is an opportunity to invest in someone else’s future,” she said. “A lot of people have the potential to give a little, and that little bit goes a long way.”

The Brighter Orange, Brighter Future student scholarships and success campaign gives hope to students and families who believe they can’t afford higher education or the life-changing opportunities at OSU.

Here are three reasons this campaign is vital to our students: 1

More than 82 percent of OSU’s student body rely on financial assistance. Many of those students receiving financial assistance come from households with incomes of around $50,000 annually. The cost of attending OSU is pricing some students out, with one year estimated at more than $22,000 (excluding additional personal expenses).

Learn more at:

brighter-orange.com #brighterorange S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 59

Filling the Pipelines

OSUIT’s new bachelor’s degree focuses on industrial leadership

t 20 years old, Hunter Brown had a career, a company vehicle and covered a 200-mile radius servicing 38 natural gas compressors in Texas, something many his age would still be working toward. However, this Oklahoma native was ready to return to his roots and go for something bigger closer to home. After moving back to Oklahoma, Brown began working as a technician for Magellan Midstream Partners LP, with responsibilities that included maintaining the truck loading rack — which fuels around 200 trucks a day — as well as supporting air monitoring and

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permitting equipment and managing eight storage tanks. “My goals with Magellan from day one have been to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible to become a valuable asset to the company,” he said. “I knew I always wanted to pursue a bachelor’s degree but never knew which direction I would go.” Looking to develop his leadership and management skills, Brown began researching degrees. He heard about OSU Institute of Technology’s new Bachelor of Technology in Applied Technical Leadership (BT in ATL) through a few faculty members at

OSUIT and decided to follow his dream of obtaining a baccalaureate degree. “After hearing about the program, I knew that was the path that would not only benefit me with Magellan, but I also knew the Bachelor of Technology in Applied Technical Leadership would be the perfect fit for me,” he said. “Becoming a field supervisor and being able to provide assistance and quality assurance is something I’m extremely passionate about.” Brown said he greatly enjoys the BT in ATL coursework and likes the convenience and flexibility that is baked in. The online program offers an

STORY LINDSAY LYNCH | PHOTO TYLER ROBERDS

“The reason I chose OSUIT was because of the opportunities that were available to me, even before graduating. Not only was it extremely affordable, but I had also heard of the awesome faculty and staff in the natural gas program. When I toured the facilities there on campus, I was extremely impressed and excited to be a part of something so fantastic.” — HUNTER BROWN

accelerated structure that is designed for working adults, just like Brown. “The process of completing schoolwork while also having a very demanding full-time job was concerning to me before enrolling,” he said. “The program is 100 percent online, so I can focus on my job and all of my duties and responsibilities that come with it and pursue and follow my dreams to continue to be successful and obtain upper-level positions with Magellan.” In January 2020, Magellan promoted Brown to operations supervisor in Houston, where he is responsible for 60 technicians. During his interview process, he mentioned his enrollment in the BT in ATL, intriguing the company executives. Brown hopes to complete his degree by summer 2021, but he is working at his own pace. “I am in no rush, and Magellan is extremely supportive of this approach,”

he said. “I am excited and hopeful in continuing to move forward with my career at Magellan, and I know the completion of this program will be another great point to add to my resume.” Although this is a new degree to OSUIT, Brown is no stranger to the campus. He is continuing his education and career goals right where he started eight years ago — at OSUIT. Born and raised in Henryetta, Oklahoma, Brown began taking classes at OSUIT as a junior in high school. He completed 30 hours of college credit hours before graduating as valedictorian from Henryetta High School in 2013. Brown enrolled in applied science in industrial maintenance — natural gas compression technologies and completed his associate degree in less than a year, thanks to the college credits he earned during high school. “The reason I chose OSUIT was because of the opportunities that were

available to me, even before graduating,” he said. “Not only was it extremely affordable, but I had also heard of the awesome faculty and staff in the natural gas program. When I toured the facilities there on campus, I was extremely impressed and excited to be a part of something so fantastic.” Brown earned an internship with USA Compression in Midland, Texas, which led to a full-time job before graduating. Brown hopes that his completing the BT in ATL while maintaining his job will serve as motivation for his younger brother, who started his associate degree at OSUIT last fall. “I would not be near as successful or proud of what I do every day if I hadn’t attended OSUIT,” Brown said. “I have built relationships with personnel, peers and many others that will last a lifetime. OSUIT was and still is the best decision I ever made for my education goals.”

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN APPLIED TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS ■ Experience-focused, with real-world, project-based learning experiences ■ Learner-centered so you can align your learning experiences with your career and educational goals ■ Career-aligned with an accelerated, online educational structure designed for working adults ■ 120 credit hours, 100% online More information: osuit.edu/atl

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Where Dreams Take Flight

coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generosity and passion has cleared the wa for the next chapter in OSU Aviation to take flight.

New Ray and Linda Booker OSU Flight Center set to open in fall 2021

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STORY RACHEL ENG | PHOTOS COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND AVIATION

ay U

couple’s generosity and passion has cleared the way for the next chapter in OSU Aviation to take flight. In March, President Burns Hargis led a groundbreaking ceremony for the Ray and Linda Booker OSU Flight Center, set to officially open by fall 2021. The 11,600-square-foot facility is named after the Bookers, two aviation enthusiasts and longtime Oklahoma State supporters who made a $1 million naming gift last year. “We owe a huge thank you to Ray and Linda Booker for their commitment and vision for our aviation program,” Hargis said. “With this new flight center, Oklahoma State will strengthen its position as the premier destination for aviation education and the home of the best-trained aviators in the country. This facility will have a major impact on the student experience and our work with the aviation industry.” The facility will include spaces for individual flight debriefings, encourage on-site group instruction and discussions and offer state-ofthe-art simulator technology, dispatch space and student common areas. “For most of us, the flight center is our second home,” said Nate Anders, a professional pilot senior from Del City, Oklahoma. “When you aren’t at home or on campus, you are probably at the flight center. And on a nice day with a blue sky, it gets pretty crazy — lots of people, lots of talking and lots of traffic. The idea that we will have private debriefing rooms, where we can speak freely about performance and openly talk to our instructors is imperative and will drastically improve the flight training process.” The energy and student excitement found at the flight center clinched the Bookers’ investment in the project. “We came and met the students and could instantly see how enthused they were and how much they all loved to fly,” Linda Booker said. “I think anyone who goes into aviation has a passion for it. It takes a lot of hard work, skill, time and energy to pursue it. We already knew the demand for pilots was there, and we could see the enthusiasm in these students, so it was a natural fit for both of us.” Together, Ray and Linda made their donation decision. However, before the paperwork was finalized, Ray suffered a life-ending stroke at 84 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. Linda was determined to follow through with the gift so that his legacy would live on through OSU’s aspiring pilots. “I know he would be very happy, and it would be very special to him,” Linda said. “Even to the point where we were before he passed, he was so excited. He was excited about everything OSU.”

Giving has always been about the importance and power of education for them, she said. “We want students to further their education and work hard to be the best they can be, which is exactly what Ray did,” Linda said. “And his message to students would be: If you work hard and study hard, you can be whatever you want to be and do whatever you love to do.”

Ray and Linda Booker OSU Aviation enrolls more than 300 students annually, offering undergraduate degrees in aerospace security, aviation management, technical service management and professional pilot. It is also one of only 18 universities in the nation to offer graduate aviation degrees. Enrollment has increased nearly 40 percent over the last five years, with the professional pilot option experiencing almost 50 percent enrollment growth. “We’ve been outgrowing our space for some time now,” said Lance Fortney, program manager for the OSU Flight Center. “Over the last several years, we’ve been continuously working on upgrades to our facilities, fleet and equipment so our students have a high-quality learning experience. This new flight center plays a major role in ensuring Oklahoma State continues to attract and retain the highest caliber of students.” According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), 620,000 pilots will be needed to fly aircraft by 2036. The ICAO also forecasts a need for 94,000 new air traffic controllers and 1.3 million maintenance professionals. Oklahoma State is determined to capitalize on future opportunities while maintaining the timehonored traditions of its aviation program. The new flight center comes on the heels of a landmark year for OSU Aviation. Early in 2019, the program was selected for the Top Hawk program,

See what it’s like to fly with an OSU flight instructor at okla.st/flight.

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a partnership with Textron Aviation that provides access to the Cessna Skyhawk. Over the last year, the aircraft has supported flight training and promoted OSU Aviation at air shows, aviation contests and recruiting events. “Being named a Top Hawk school is a tremendous honor that reflects OSU Aviation’s rich tradition of excellence and strong national reputation,” Fortney said. OSU also added five new Cirrus Aircraft SR20s to its fleet. The technologically advanced Cirrus SR Series boasts an impressive list of features and capabilities found on today’s advanced airliners. All five aircraft are in use at OSU. “I really believe that with the new fleet, new flight center and influx of students, we are in a position to be one of the best aviation programs in the nation,” Anders said. Industry partners are taking notice of OSU Aviation’s programs, students and accomplishments. In late 2019, OSU established a professional development alliance with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), one of only 12 universities in the organization’s outreach mentor program. The OSU Aviation program and the OSU Flying Aggies now hold the ALPA Aviation Collegiate Education (ACE) Club distinction, the

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first and only Big 12 college to receive this honor. Alliances built between ALPA and leading aviation universities like OSU aim to promote the profession and support aspiring aviators’ career goals. “Our students now have direct access to major airline pilots through a formal mentorship program,” said Dr. Jon Loffi, associate professor of aviation and space and faculty advisor for the OSU Flying Aggies. “Representatives from ALPA will be on campus at least once a semester to provide support to our students and make themselves readily available for questions related to flight training, crew resource management, career paths, job expectations and much more. This puts us in a great position for future partnerships and recognitions within the industry.” IN LOVING MEMORY Ray Booker’s passion for flying began at age 9. He was pulling weeds in Antlers, Oklahoma, when a Piper J-3 Cub aircraft flew overhead, mesmerizing him. Throughout his life, Dr. Booker held many titles — pilot, engineer, meteorologist, entrepreneur, husband and father. Those who knew him described him as a modest family man who never bragged about anything. His

PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY

wife, Linda, said he was always thinking, always reading and always wearing orange. After graduating from Antlers High School, he earned a mechanical engineering degree from Oklahoma A&M College, where he was in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and flew the Piper Super Cub as a pilot training cadet. He went on to become a second lieutenant in the Air Force, training and studying at Pennsylvania State University, earning master’s and doctoral degrees in meteorology. His cloud physics research allowed him to fly on a regular basis, combining his engineering skills with his love of aviation. Dr. Booker returned to Oklahoma to launch his first business, Weather Science Inc. and later joined KWTV (channel 9) in Oklahoma City as a meteorologist. Other business ventures included Aeromet Inc., Aviation Technologies Inc. and Metrodata Systems Inc. Dr. Booker’s business ventures allowed him to build his flight time, add to his flight ratings and advance to flying larger

aircraft. At one point, he owned and flew 11 aircraft. Mrs. Booker also holds a private pilot’s license. Through all of his successes, Dr. Booker never forgot where he came from and the role Oklahoma State played in his journey. The Bookers endowed two scholarship funds and a professorship at OSU, and, in 2005, Booker Residence Hall was named in his honor. In 2012, he was inducted into the OSU Hall of Fame. Dr. Booker was excited to see the new flight center come to fruition and knew the impact it would have on students who share his passion for flying. The couple wanted to ensure the longevity of the program and ultimately increase the number of OSU trained pilots around the world. “With this gift, we will finally have a facility that physically reflects the excellence, pride and tradition by which OSU Aviation is already known,” said Stephan M. Wilson, interim dean of the College of Education, Health and Aviation and dean of the College of Human Sciences. “And even more, Ray’s legacy will live on through OSU Aviation.”

TO DONATE Dream along with us as we strengthen the next era of aviation programs at OSU. To learn more, contact Denise Melot at the OSU Foundation at 405-385-5663 or dmelot@osugiving. com.

From left: OSU Flying Aggies President Jacob White, College of Education and Human Sciences Dean Stephan Wilson, flight center donor Linda Booker, OSU President Burns Hargis and Pistol Pete.

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S R E I G T N N I O L K R F C A T EW N

EL FU E TS UR EN FUT EM T V IE IGH H R AC A B L R A AND U T S UL GE C N RI A AG E C H S U’ TIV S O SI PO

OSU’s advancements in teaching, research and Extension have played a critical role in the state’s economy, our residents’ safety and quality of life and continue to do so today.

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Agricultural education is etched into the DNA of Oklahoma State University. It’s at the core of who we are as a land-grant institution. For generations, OSU’s scientists and students have sought to learn more about the land, how best to grow and sustain a healthy food supply and protect our natural resources. OSU’s advancements in teaching, research and Extension have played a critical role in the state’s economy, our residents’ safety and quality of life and continue to do so today. Research conducted through OSU’s programs have prevented devastation the size of dust bowls and protected crops and animals from catastrophic disease. These advancements have changed the way we protect our land from fires and our water from contamination. They’ve changed the way Oklahomans live. This sense of discovery is fueling the future. OSU’s cultivation of agricultural leaders, impactful research and everwider sharing of our information is an investment in our state and our world.

The New Frontiers campaign seeks to raise $50 million to create a new teaching and research facility to replace an aging Agricultural Hall. The new $100 million facility will be created with modern teaching methods in mind, utilizing flexible lab spaces to serve multiple disciplines and interactive classrooms to harness students’ energy and the excitement for new discovery. It will transform our efforts to be more collaborative and multidisciplinary, bringing all of OSU Agriculture’s expertise to bear on Oklahoma’s challenges and opportunities. It will ensure OSU continues to foster lifechanging discoveries.

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FEEDING THE WORLD – FROM OSU FERGUSONS’ HISTORIC $50 MILLION GIFT LEADS TO A NEW NAME AND A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OSU AGRICULTURE

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NEW FRONTIERS

Alumni Larry and Kayleen Ferguson want to feed the world. They believe Oklahoma State University can help. Inspired by faith, family and strong ties to OSU, the couple unveiled a historic gift through their Ferguson Family Foundation on Jan. 15. A crowd of about 250 people gathered to celebrate the launch of New Frontiers — a $50 million capital campaign for a new teaching, research and extension facility to replace the aging Agricultural Hall. People gasped and rose to their feet when President Burns Hargis announced the Ferguson Foundation’s $50 million gift, which will be split evenly between the campaign and a newly created endowment to support college operations. Orange and black confetti shot through the air when Hargis further explained that the college would be renamed the Ferguson College of Agriculture in recognition of the gift, which is among the largest in the university’s nearly 130-year history. “A lead gift like this doesn’t come along very often,” Hargis said. “The impact on OSU Agriculture is going to allow it to soar, even more than it already has.” Larry Ferguson said his career as CEO of the world’s largest employee-owned dairy company, Schreiber Foods, took Kayleen and him around the globe, feeding people as they went.

“We got to see a lot of people who are hungry, and that really touched us,” he said. “I really believe Oklahoma State can be a center point, a light, to help feed the world. This will really make a difference. We want to see Oklahoma State’s ag program be the best in the world.” The program support and the cuttingedge facility will allow the Ferguson College of Agriculture to grow its status as an unequivocal leader in agricultural and natural resource programs across the country and around the world, said Dr. Thomas G. Coon, OSU’s vice president for agricultural programs and dean of the renamed college. The new $100 million facility will be located north of the Henry Bellmon Research Center on the east side of Monroe Street — diagonally across from Agricultural Hall. Architectural planning is under way, and the university is expected to break ground on the building next spring with an expected completion date in the fall of 2023. The building will include innovative and flexible teaching and research laboratories, dynamic classrooms and space for students, faculty offices, new OSU Extension programming and a sense of community. The state’s 4-H headquarters also will be housed in the building, as will a re-envisioned Dairy Bar.

NEW FRONTIERS FAST FACTS ■

New Frontiers is a $50 million fundraising campaign to support a new $100 million teaching and research building to replace the aging Agricultural Hall.

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The new building will be north of the Henry Bellmon Research Center on the east side of Monroe Street.

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About $30 million has been raised so far.

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The building will feature three pavilions that focus on teaching, student services and research.

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Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2021 and conclude in fall 2023.

STORY AMANDA O’TOOLE MASON | PHOTO GARY LAWSON

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;One can only imagine what discoveries will be made and how the world will change because of the work being done in OSU Agriculture.â&#x20AC;? Burns Hargis

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Architectural planning and programming have already begun on the new teaching and research facility for the Ferguson College of Agriculture, which is set to open between fall 2022 and winter 2023.

“This project will change and modernize our research and the way we teach scientific subjects. It all goes back to the premise of being a modern, land-grant institution,” Coon said. “Research has the promise to change the way we grow food and care for the natural environment we rely on. It can transform Oklahoma’s economy, fostering innovation that will feed a growing world.” Hargis said the facility will help recruit and support “the brightest minds in the world.” “The Ferguson College of Agriculture will be a destination for researchers, professors and students,” he said. “One can only imagine what discoveries will be made and how the world will change because of the work being done in OSU Agriculture.” OSU Agriculture already makes a substantial impact in Oklahoma, and its influence can only grow. At the announcement, Gov. Kevin Stitt said the success and rich history of agriculture in the state is due in large part to OSU Agriculture, which is comprised of the college, the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and two state agencies: the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Combined, the entities account for 40 percent of OSU’s research expenditures and generate 85 percent of the revenue created by patented intellectual property and technology. “I commend the university for the innovation, teaching, research and

extension efforts that have been critical for the growth of our state,” said Stitt, who is also an OSU alumnus. “The research conducted here directly influences what crops are grown, what wheat varieties and breeds are grown in our state, how our livestock are cared for, food safety and how water resources are protected in addition to innovative developments including the usage of unmanned aerial systems.” He noted that agriculture is a $42 billion state industry — the second largest in Oklahoma — with more than 78,000 farms and 300,000 employees. Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma’s secretary of agriculture and a 2004 agricultural economics graduate, said she is looking forward to what the new facility will offer students and the agriculture, food and natural resource industries. “When I think of a new ag hall, I think about the tremendous opportunities for students and our land-grant institution. I look forward to students having a new place to call home,” she said. “I look for ag hall to be a place with cutting-edge technology and a place where our top-tier faculty continue guiding our students on a path to success.” The benefits of the project will directly impact and help drive the state’s economy by elevating student education, research and extension efforts, she said. “I think we will still see this gift’s impact decades from now — for all of Oklahoma and especially for farmers and ag producers,” Arthur said.

NEW NAME. SAME FAMILY.

Students from around the country choose to study agricultural sciences and natural resources at OSU because they know they’ll get a hands-on education that will both challenge them and provide them an opportunity to make a difference, said Dr. Cynda Clary, associate dean of the Ferguson College of Agriculture. That type of learning has become a hallmark of OSU Agriculture. So has the tight-knit family feel that has resulted from quality faculty members who focus and prioritize mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students. “That’s really what makes education happen in our college,” Clary said. The Ferguson College of Agriculture adopted the tagline “New Name. Same Family.” to promote the college’s name change to students, faculty, staff, Extension network and alumni. “It was important to communicate to students and the entire Cowboy family that we haven’t changed who we are — just what we call ourselves,” Coon said. He added that the word “agriculture” encompasses all of the Ferguson College’s programs and departments, including natural resources. Immediately following the event on Jan. 15, Ferguson College of Agriculture signs and decals were installed in Agricultural Hall. Within 24 hours, the college’s social media presence reflected the change, too.

CORNERSTONE DONORS These donors have given $1 million or more to the New Frontiers Campaign: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

PHOTO TODD JOHNSON

Kayleen and Larry Ferguson Virginia and John Groendyke Kay and Win Ingersoll Dr. Barry Pollard/P&K Equipment Frank and Ludmila Robson Anonymous

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PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY

The following day, the college hosted a daylong open house in the Student Success Center where students could pick up Ferguson College of Agriculture T-shirts and pens and sign a “thank you” banner for all of the donors who are making the facility possible. “It’s neat to know there are people out there who want to donate $50 million to students like us to improve our programs here at Oklahoma State,” said Hunter Starr, Ferguson College student council president. “I was always raised to leave things better than I found them, and I think the Ferguson family is the embodiment of that idea. The college of ag here will forever be our home no matter what its name is.” The facility will greatly improve spaces like the Student Success Center, where people gather for career readiness help, student and leadership group activities or to simply visit with friends between classes. The center, which sees as many as 10,000 student encounters annually, is commonly referred to as the fishbowl because of its open windows and how crowded the room can get. Current plans for the new building call for a student services pavilion with an open atrium that will better fit the needs of the college and students. The student services pavilion will be the central point of the building and will be bookended by a teaching pavilion to the north and a research pavilion to the south. In the current building, faculty have to coordinate unplugging equipment between labs to avoid shorting circuits and filter water twice before it’s acceptable to use for experiments. Much of the building was brought online before DNA sequencing was possible and long before computers were common in households. The new facility will immediately solve challenges created by outdated electrical systems, improve safety and accessibility and encourage an atmosphere of interdisciplinary discovery. “What I want students to know about this day, is that it’s something they can always remember. To be part of the creation of something new. Moving

PHOTO TODD JOHNSON

our industry forward. Moving their college forward. Helping to create spaces that are going to live on long after they leave here,” Clary said. “But I also want them to celebrate this moment. To be in this moment. And to realize that this investment that the Fergusons have made is an investment in them. A belief in their potential, and the Fergusons’ willingness to express that belief in a very tangible kind of way and it’s something we should celebrate for a very long time to come.”

FAMILY LEGACY

The Fergusons have already begun transforming agricultural programs at OSU through their contributions to the Ferguson Family Dairy Center. The couple announced the lead gift for that project in 2015 and celebrated its grand opening in 2017. The dairy center’s improved student housing is named Helms Hall in honor of Kayleen’s parents. Kenneth and Kathleen Helms met while students at OSU. Kenneth lived in the dairy dorm and milked cows. Kathleen was the daughter of the dorm’s cook. Larry and Kayleen met in a similar fashion in 1975 in OSU’s Dairy Cattle Center, where they both worked. Larry and his friends ate lunch in the timeclock room, and he noticed Kayleen as she quickly entered and exited the room. He learned her name from her timecard and called that evening to ask her out. Before the end of the year, they were married and living 1,000 miles from home as Larry began his successful career with Schreiber Foods. “It’s about our legacy. My parents met, married and got their master’s degrees all from Oklahoma State in dairy science and agriculture. Larry and I met and married here. He started his career here at Oklahoma State all because of the education that he received here,” Kayleen said. “We’re just very thankful and we want to pass on that legacy of education in agriculture.” In total, Kayleen and Larry have given nearly $55 million to Oklahoma State through the Ferguson Family Foundation.

“The next generation of Cowboys will see some things on campus that will make them say, ‘I want to be like that. I want to have an impact like a professor or alumni,’” Larry said. “We can influence future generations and future alumni by how we act today.” Larry said he and Kayleen are excited to be a part of the project. The university has raised more than $30 million so far, including the Fergusons’ $25 million contribution and commitments from silent phase donors and several Cornerstone Donors who have given $1 million or more. “We’re not alone in this gift. It’s to inspire other people to give and join in,” Kayleen said. “This won’t happen by ourselves. We need Oklahoma State grads, international grads, we need others to join in and see the importance of agricultural education.”

See the New Frontiers announcement ceremony at okla.st/newfrontiers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit OSUgiving.com/New-Frontiers or contact Heidi Williams at hwilliams@osugiving.com or 405-385-5656.

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THE FERGUSONS:

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STORY AMANDA Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;TOOLE MASON | PHOTO BEN EHRLICH

NEW FRONTIERS

“Welcome, students and faculty, to the Ferguson College of Agriculture. We look forward to you being here and being inspired by your future education. We want you to know that you are not alone; there are a lot of people behind you. We support your research, we support your studies, and we just want to encourage you to find your new future here at the Ferguson College of Agriculture.”

Kayleen and Larry Ferguson

Larry and Kayleen Ferguson met while students at OSU in the mid-1970s, believe in giving back to their alma mater and have supported many programs at OSU, including animal sciences and athletics. Larry Ferguson built a successful career at Schreiber Foods, the world’s largest employee-owned dairy company, following his graduation from OSU in 1975. Together, he and Kayleen raised three sons — Bryant, Kyle and Stephen — and lived in several locations as his career grew. The family eventually made it to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Larry retired as Schreiber CEO in 2007. Throughout his career, he served on and led numerous organizational boards, including the National Cheese Institute, Bellin Heath Care Systems and Associated Bank Northeast Regional. Kayleen attended Oklahoma State and received her degree in secondary education from Utah State University in 1978. She has used her love of music and teaching to help influence students and currently serves on the advisory board for Baylor University’s Center for Christian Music Studies. The Fergusons, who now split their time between Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Marco Island, Florida, have given personally and through their Ferguson Family Foundation to benefit dozens of causes, including schools, churches, Christian organizations, the United Way and Make-a-Wish Foundation, to name a few. The Fergusons are also passionate about helping ministers and youth groups experience the Holy Land through trips to Israel. In 2015, the couple announced a lead gift through the Ferguson Family Foundation to revitalize and name the stateof-the-art Ferguson Family Dairy Center at OSU. The gift empowered the program to attract the brightest students possible and enhanced the research-based education offered at the facility, which opened in 2017. The Fergusons were also instrumental in the creation of Helms Hall, the on-site student housing for students who work at the center. Its name pays honor to Kayleen’s parents, who also met at Oklahoma State and who received master’s degrees in education from the university. Both have received several alumni awards from Oklahoma State University over the years. Larry was named the OSU Animal Science Graduate of Distinction in 2002 and was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in 2016. Both were recognized as Distinguished Alumni by the OSU Alumni Association in 2017.

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Growing the Next Generation New head of horticulture and landscape architecture looks forward to the future

ard work, a positive attitude and a series of fortunate meetings led Justin Quetone Moss to a career in agriculture education. Thanks to his recent promotion to head of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University, Moss now has the opportunity to help a new crop of students. A first-generation college student who graduated from McAlester (Oklahoma) High School, Moss attended Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton. An advisor helped Moss get a job at the McAlester Country Club, where he began learning about grass while caring for the greens. He learned about OSU’s turf management option in its horticulture program and headed to Stillwater. “I thought I was going to be a turf golf course guy, hanging out with people like Tiger Woods,” Moss said. But during an internship at a golf course in Little Rock, Arkansas, Moss met two turf professors from the University of Arkansas who were doing product testing to enhance root growth. They asked Moss to help, and Moss soon found himself on a different path — one that led back to OSU. “It was all totally by chance,” he said. “Everything I’ve done I’ve stumbled into, honestly.” He decided to pursue a master’s degree at OSU, doing studies on water quality and looking at water runoff on golf courses. And for his doctorate in crop science, Moss built a device capable of delivering a precise spray for lawn fertilization.

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After earning three degrees at OSU, Dr. Moss spent three years at the University of Wyoming before OSU offered him a new position that would allow him to focus on drought and water conservation. “OSU is my home and my university, and I came back to have an impact here,” Moss said. In the past 11-plus years, Moss has focused 70 percent of his efforts on research via the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station and the rest on sharing that knowledge through OSU Extension. Moss and many others in horticulture work on a warm-season Bermuda grasses breeding program to develop turf grasses for professional football, baseball and soccer teams. The goal is to create warm-season grasses that can handle the cold well to help with water conservation. “The idea is that if you can take out cold-season grasses and put in warm-season grasses, it will almost immediately cut your water costs by 50 percent,” Moss said. Dr. Dennis Martin, professor and Extension/research turfgrass specialist, has known Moss since his undergraduate days and is thrilled to see him leading the department. “It has been exciting and a privilege to serve in the mentoring of Dr. Moss over the years and to see his progression into a caring, compassionate, incredibly talented scientist, educator and leader,” Martin said. As a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma — he is also affiliated with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Cherokee Nation — Moss serves as a co-advisor for the OSU chapter of Minorities

in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Science (MANRRS), a professional development society open to all students that offers help with public speaking, job applications, résumés and more. “A lot of the students who come through MANRRS don’t have a lot of support,” he said. “I try to make those students feel at home and know that I care. … One hundred percent of my success is because of the training and help that I got here. … I had somebody care for me and I want to do that with the students I work with.” Moss is now perfectly positioned to cultivate the next generation of agricultural leaders, scientists and innovators. With the tremendous support the college has received from donors like Kayleen and Larry Ferguson, Moss and other faculty members can now amplify their influence, whether in the classroom, the lab or the field. Ferguson College of Agriculture Associate Dean Dr. Cynda Clary said the Fergusons’ gift will allow students the opportunity to hone their skills and knowledge in modern facilities that can spark career interest, improve engagement and allow faculty members to take better advantage of the many ways students want to learn. “Our commitment is to provide students with cutting-edge educational and collegiate experiences that focus on developing solutions to real-world issues and challenges,” she said. “The college’s longstanding national and international reputation in these areas is reflected in the caliber of graduates and faculty, such as Dr. Moss, who have been part of the Ferguson College of Agriculture.”

STORY DAVID BITTON | PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY

NEW FRONTIERS

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Oklahoma Success Story

Experiment Station research offers a variety of benefits for the state

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STORY DONALD STOTTS | PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY

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he Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station is larger — much larger — than it sounds. “Our name makes it sound like we’re all in one place, but we operate field, greenhouse and research facilities at 18 outlying stations and centers across the state, in addition to laboratories located throughout the university’s Stillwater campus,” said Keith Owens, associate vice president who provides leadership for the Experiment Station system. It’s one of two state agencies administered by Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, conducting research on agriculture, Keith Owens natural resources, rural economies and social issues to address the needs of Oklahomans, their families and their communities. The Experiment Station is the division’s official research arm and typically accounts for approximately 40 percent of all research undertaken by OSU annually. Research expenditures total more than $45 million annually, and roughly 85 percent of royalty payments that come back through the university are from Experiment Station products and programs. “The importance of being able to conduct needed research under local conditions cannot be overstated,” Owens said. “A key element of OSU’s land-grant mission is to help Oklahomans solve local issues and concerns, and the ability to do that effectively is based on being able to provide accurate research-based knowledge so that informed decisions can be made.”

Experiment Station research brings together farmers and ranchers, agriculture commodity groups, industry, community organizations, state agencies and federal competitive grant programs. “I came to the Experiment Station through the division’s other state agency, the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, and can attest to how the two agencies work hand-inglove to maximize state dollars invested in both systems and benefit those we serve,” said Michael Pettijohn, the superintendent of the Central Oklahoma Research Station in Chickasha since 2011. Once a hub of cotton research, the Chickasha station became particularly noteworthy for biofuels research in the 2000s, attracting regional, national and international interest. Today, the station’s research focuses primarily on forage production, providing key insights to beef producers who employ the dual graze-and-grain operations so crucial to Oklahoma’s $3.7 billion annual cattle industry. A key aspect of the Oklahoma Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Goodwell is its ability to conduct larger-scale research, allowing area cattle, crop and forage producers to more easily relate the findings to their own operations. “We’re big on examining water-use efficiency,” said Cameron Murley, the Goodwell station’s superintendent since 2013. “The Ogallala aquifer supplies so much of the water needs in this region of the country that our research tends to attract the interest of agricultural producers, related agribusinesses, community leaders and government officials from the Texas Panhandle up through Oklahoma and well into Kansas.” OSU’s industry-renowned Wheat Improvement Team operates under the auspices of the Experiment Station. Oklahoma typically ranks fifth nationally in wheat production. While

the top four wheat varieties grown in Oklahoma have shifted over the past decade, the one constant is they’re all improved varieties developed through the Experiment Station. “Genetically improved cultivars developed by our interdisciplinary team of scientists address the growing conditions in Oklahoma and the southern Great Plains,” Owens said. “OSU-developed varieties provide the best opportunity for growers in this region, which is why they are in such great demand.” Bermuda grass development is another Experiment Station research thrust that has given OSU national recognition, thanks to the popularity and power of sports. OSU-developed Bermuda grass varieties have proven popular with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the Beijing Olympics and college sports fields. Include golf courses and the list expands almost exponentially. “We didn’t get into Bermuda grass development with the intention of specifically turning out high-end turf for major sports; the resulting products have just been what a number of professional and amateur organizations have needed, and people pay attention to that,” said Dennis Martin, a scientist with the bermudagrass development team. Bermuda grass is a popular turf choice on lawns as well, thanks to its sod-forming growth habit, long-lived perennial nature, ability to rebound from heavy traffic and resistance to many environmental stresses such as heat and drought. It is also exceptionally tolerant to frequent low mowing. “We could fill up the pages of every issue of STATE magazine just talking about Experiment Station projects,” Owens said. “The single most important point, though, is that we measure our successes by how we help others to succeed. We employ research to solve issues and concerns of importance to Oklahomans.”

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Delivering in the Digital Age

OSU Extension launches new website aimed at meeting Oklahomans where they are

Researcher and Extension soil and water conservation specialist Jason Warren works in the field.

“There has been a clearly expressed need from our constituents, those who do use it, that they want digital content.” —DAVID WARREN, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGIES, DIVISION OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES

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STORY MACK BURKE | PHOTO OSU AG COMMUNICATION SERVICES

NEW FRONTIERS

or over a century, OSU Extension has been the go-to source of information for farmers and ranchers, families and communities. With a storied history, the state agency now looks to the future and how it can better serve Oklahomans in the digital age. With educators in all 77 Oklahoma counties, over 140,000 youth 4-H participants and 4,100-plus adult volunteers, OSU Extension serves hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans every year. In 2018, Extension had 1.7 million face-to-face contacts, via group and individual meetings. That commitment to in-person service will continue, but OSU Extension now has a new and improved tool to share its vital trove of data and guidance. In January, OSU Extension launched its new centralized website, an easily accessible repository of fact sheets, interviews, videos and resources. With about 300 topic pages that bring together content about everything from beef cattle and wildfires to nutrition, OSU Extension has Oklahoma covered. “Traffic on the Extension website has certainly gone up over time, and there has been a clearly expressed need from our constituents, those who do use it, that they want digital content,” said David Warren, senior director of digital strategies for the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. “They want content that works on their phones. They want access to services on their phones. We’ll be working to not only create content but also make program information, and in some cases interactive programs, available online.” The push for the site overhaul was driven by analytics with input from research, surveys and focus groups. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 100 percent of people under 30 use the internet daily, and two-thirds of people over 65 use the internet regularly. OSU Extension Associate Vice President Damona Doye said the result is a more user-friendly site that

effectively connects OSU’s academic resources with everyday Oklahomans. It’s an exciting development that Doye believes will help OSU Extension reach even more people. “It is hard to easily explain the depth and breadth of the programming we offer because people are often familiar with only a small component,” she said. “This new site will help us spread awareness about the broad range of educational materials, programs and services we offer and deliver across the state. The new website won’t just be more user-friendly. It will also be more shareable and accessible. And it will point to events and personnel specific to counties.” The Extension site is also home to online training sessions, such as food safety training through OSU’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center (FAPC). “In this past year, we’ve started trying to take those trainings online, so that our Extension educators are able to take training they need, but online training is available for everybody,” said Mandy Gross, FAPC manager of communications services. Whether it’s youth development through 4-H, master gardener, master cattleman, wellness, food safety training, hazard analysis or the human sciences Extension program, the array of programs and services have

been brought together under one allencompassing digital roof: extension. okstate.edu. “It’s not intended to replace the Extension offices, but to boost and better serve them,” Doye said. “It’s there to make sure our research-based factual information rises to the surface as quickly as possible, making it accessible to people and pointing them to our local Extension educators who can better translate it for them.” Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Rodd Moesel said OSU Extension, whether online or in person, is vitally important for Oklahomans. As the president of American Plant Products and Services Inc., he said Extension is the most important source of objective advice in the state — and it’s available to everyone. “Whether for a grower or a consumer, it provides the best science-based information that we can rely on, and it’s curated for our area. The right answer in New Hampshire or the state of Washington is not the same as the right answer in Oklahoma. The fact that we have researchers here that are addressing Oklahoma issues and Extension educators to move that information from the labs and field trials to share with us is absolutely huge. It’s the gold standard for horticulture and agriculture information in our state.”

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A Foundation Rooted in FFA, OSU Former national FFA president from Oklahoma State is making an impact in the nation’s capital

Riley Pagett

IN HIS WORDS: Watch an interview with Riley Pagett at okla.st/pagett.

ike so many in Woodward, Oklahoma, Riley Pagett grew up on his family’s farm, not knowing the impact his small-town roots would have on his life or that his path would lead him to the nation’s capital. “I can’t think of a memory from my childhood that doesn’t involve the farm or sitting around the kitchen talking agriculture with my grandparents,” Pagett said. He got involved early with the National FFA Organization, a premier youth organization that helps members prepare for leadership roles and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture. Pagett viewed joining the organization as a rite of passage for growing up in western Oklahoma. “A lot of people in Woodward are members of FFA,” he said. “It’s like playing a sport in some areas of the country or joining the band. It was something that most people did, and it was an easy connection for me.” During his senior year of high school, Pagett was elected as a state FFA officer. In Oklahoma, state officers serve during their freshman year in college. For Pagett and the other state officers, the college of choice was an easy decision. “My whole team went to Oklahoma State and majored in agriculture,” he said. “It’s kind of an unspoken rule that you attend OSU.” Pagett also grew up in a family full of OSU Cowboys. His grandfather, dad and two older sisters all went to OSU. He was drawn to the strong tradition of the university.

“I would say the three things that really took me to OSU were family, Oklahoma State’s legacy in agriculture, and FFA,” Pagett said. He had his eye on serving the FFA at a national level. During his sophomore year, he ran for state FFA president but lost. “I didn’t feel like it was time for me to be finished,” he said. “I just didn’t think that my time in the blue jacket was done.” Pagett ran for national FFA office during his junior year. Typically, one person from each state is selected annually to be the national officer candidate, and Pagett was chosen as Oklahoma’s candidate for two years. His first campaign ended in defeat, but he won his second attempt. Pagett served as national FFA president in 2010.

Riley Pagett with Tiffany Rogers, national FFA eastern region vice president, during his time as national FFA president in 2010.

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STORY WILL CARR | PHOTOS COURTESY RILEY PAGETT

NEW FRONTIERS

Riley Pagett walks alongside U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

“Without a doubt, I know the reason that I was elected was because Oklahoma State trained me and developed my skills for success,” Pagett said. “I think back on my time at OSU and how lucky and truly blessed I was to be involved with a university that cared so much about my professional growth.” Pagett graduated in December 2012 and wanted to go on to law school. The summer before his classwork began at American University Washington College of Law, Pagett served as a staff assistant for the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture in Washington, D.C.,

where he gained valuable experience through working on the 2014 Farm Bill. “Being a part of the Farm Bill and knowing the kind of implications it would have on people like my dad and mom was a really cool and fulfilling experience,” he said. Pagett went on to serve as a clerk and legislative assistant for the House Agriculture Committee and had a brief stint as a legislative staff member for Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma. Soon after taking that position, a familiar organization would return to Pagett’s life.

“The National FFA called about seven or eight months into my time with Sen. Lankford,” Pagett said. “They were looking for someone to help with their government relations portfolio.” In September 2015, he became the director of advocacy and government relations for the National FFA. In this role, he helped establish and manage relationships with government agencies, legislators and nonprofit organizations — and came full circle with the organization that was so important to his upbringing.

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“Without a doubt, I know the reason that I was elected was because Oklahoma State trained me and developed my skills for success.” RILEY PAGETT “We did some really awesome things,” Pagett said. “We were able to reauthorize the Perkins legislation, which commits funding to career and technical education courses and programs for students.” Pagett and his team also helped revise the National FFA’s federal charter, which had not been revised since the 1950s. He served in this role until April 2019. Since then, Pagett has been with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the chief of staff for the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement. “Our mission is to develop and maintain partnerships focused on solutions to challenges facing rural and underserved communities in the United States,” Pagett said. “We want to connect those communities to the education tools and resources available to them through USDA programs and initiatives.” In this role, Pagett gets to benefit areas of the country that may not otherwise get attention. He also works with minority education institutions, faith-based organizations and disadvantaged farmers to help them access available resources. “I think if we can foster a sense of hope and opportunity or create some kind of wealth or assistance for rural America, that is enough for me to wake up in the morning,” he said. “Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s motto for the USDA is ‘Do Right and Feed Everyone.’ If we make every decision knowing that we’re doing right by people, and at the end of the day we’re helping feed people, then that is a good mantra to live by.” Pagett’s impact on the future of agriculture and his success in Washington can be traced back to his time at OSU. “I think a big part of my time in the nation’s capital, and something that I have been really proud of, is that I have been able to talk about the confidence and skills I learned as an Oklahoma State student,” Pagett said. “I always knew OSU had an influence in the agricultural community, but I now know that we are not only good at research, we’re great at instilling confidence in young people.”

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Top: Riley Pagett poses with U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas, a fellow OSU alumnus. Riley Pagett was named OSU Homecoming King in 2012. He participated in the Sea of Orange Parade with Homecoming Queen Kylie Roper.

Oklahoma Cooking Goes Uptown

OSU alumna opens Boston restaurant with an eye on comfort food — and names it Stillwater

hen Sarah Wade is not preparing dishes or overseeing the kitchen as executive chef and owner of her Boston restaurant, she’s often greeting guests. Inevitably, conversations turn to her story and her rise from Oklahoma native to celebrated chef who opened an up-and-coming eatery featuring reinvented comfort food from her native state. And by the way, she named the restaurant Stillwater, after the home of her alma mater. “I have found that the Oklahoma style of cuisine has been really well received here in Boston because no one else does it,” said Wade, an Oklahoma State University alumna of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “My signature dish is chicken-fried ribeye with a cherry-pepper relish. It’s comfort food with a twist.” Wade opened her upscale restaurant in Boston in 2019. She arrived in the city a few years earlier to work as executive chef at another restaurant. Her quirky, unpretentious menu at Lulu’s Allston led to her competing on the Food Network cooking competition Chopped, where she won the Gold Medal Games in 2018. She used her $50,000 in prize money to open Stillwater.

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Her journey began simply enough in Edmond, Oklahoma, when she took a job making drinks in a local coffee shop at age 16. She loved interacting with customers and the fast-paced environment and decided she wanted to open her own shop someday. For Wade, enrolling in the OSU School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration (as it was then known) made sense if you wanted to manage a customer-focused business that served food. But her dreams of owning a coffee shop were eclipsed by her experiences at OSU, where her culinary career path came into focus. As a freshman in 2002, Wade was required, as are all students in the school, to help with annual guest chef events featuring alumni who return to Stillwater to prepare signature dishes as fundraisers for scholarships. Wade said working in the frenzied kitchen with energetic, talented chefs was transformative. For the next four years, Wade worked every Distinguished Chef Series event she could. “I was that kid skipping classes to be by the chef’s side and prepping their dishes and hanging out as much as I could because I was so excited,” she said in an OSU video interview. After graduating in 2005, Wade jumped headfirst into the demanding world of cooking for hundreds of customers at a time. “I took my first job as a banquet chef at a Renaissance Hotel in Houston right out of college,” Wade said. “I struggled, and I remember being in tears in my kitchen going, ‘This is really hard. I thought I was better than I am and I’m not, and I’m told I’m not every day.’” Though humbled, Wade was determined to not give up on her new career. She dug in her heels and decided to endure — and to work even harder to learn to be the best chef that she could be. “I can now tell young cooks that I’ve been there. It sucks, but if you want to do it, you’ll get through it and then you’ll be so much better for it,” she said. For Wade, the comprehensive education she received at OSU set her on a path to become an

STORY JEFF JOINER | PHOTOS COURTESY OF SARAH WADE

accomplished restaurateur not only in the kitchen, but also on the business side. “As a chef and a restaurant owner, cooking is the least of my worries,” Wade said. “You have to run a kitchen as a business and know how to make money because [profit] margins in a restaurant are very slim. OSU gave me a foundation for being successful beyond cooking.” Winning a popular cooking competition and receiving glowing reviews for her cuisine in a finicky city known for great food have affirmed Wade’s trajectory. But for her, she knew she had really arrived when she was invited back to OSU in 2018 as a guest chef for a Distinguished Chef Series event. “That was amazing. I don’t know which call was more important, the chef event call or the Food Network call,” Wade said. “OSU wanted me back, and that was cool. I’ve done right by my school. That was a big deal.”

Oklahoma State University alumna Sarah Wade (above) and her restaurant, Stillwater, which is located at 120 Kingston St. in Boston.

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Beating the Odds

OSU grad who grew up in foster care aims to ‘be a positive light’ for teens in similar situations

bused in foster care while placed in more than 40 homes over 13 years, Daniel Woodruff refused to let his life be limited. Instead, the oldest of seven buckled down, set goals, focused on his studies and graduated with a marketing and entrepreneurship double major from Oklahoma State University last December. Now the 24-year-old is working at the National Resource Center for Youth Services to encourage area business partners to hire current and former foster care youth.

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He serves on several state and national committees, advocating for foster kids. “I’m busy building community relationships with community partners in hopes of encouraging them to take a chance on an underpopulated, underrepresented population,” he said. For the past four years, Woodruff has worked as a camp leader, helping foster care teens learn independent living skills during the three-day Oklahoma Teen Conference.

STORY DAVID BITTON | PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY

“We’ve stuck together through thick and thin in growing our business. People should really know that Daniel is resilient, hardworking and trustworthy. … He’s truly an amazing person to work with and should be your go-to if you want to get something done. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an obstacle or situation he hasn’t been able to keep level-headed with and overcome.” — PETE CRAVER IV

“I love getting to know the participants and trying to be a positive light in their lives,” he said. Woodruff entered the foster care system at age 5 in Florida. His mother regained custody and moved the family to Oklahoma when he was in seventh grade. Within a few years, he and his siblings were back in foster care. “My freshman year, I was worried about where I was going to stay and what I was going to eat, rather than my education,” Woodruff said. His sophomore year, he moved to a more settled foster home in Locust Grove, Oklahoma. Thanks to an Oklahoma Department of Human Services program, he was able to work as a page at the state Capitol for minority floor leader Ben Sherrer. “Honestly, I credit a lot of who I am today to that one year at the state Capitol,” Woodruff said. “I was like, ‘Whoa, this is really cool to see all these grown men and women in professional attire rubbing elbows and talking about very important things.’ I had an opportunity to sit down with Rep. Sherrer and share a little bit of my story. He listened to me and showed that he cares.” That’s when Woodruff decided to focus on improving his grades. Woodruff aged out of foster care and graduated from high school in 2015 before heading to Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. “I was really, really scared to take the leap because I graduated with like 110 kids and came to college where there are 250 kids in a class,” he said. “I did really bad in school that year but realized that school was doable.” Knowing that his younger brother was planning to attend Oklahoma State University, Woodruff followed him to Stillwater. “We learned how to be brothers while we were here and relied on each other for emotional and vocal encouragement,” he said. “We didn’t have

that in high school because we didn’t live with each other much.” Sherrer advised him to study in the Spears School of Business. And it turned out that Woodruff loved his marketing and entrepreneurship classes. After all, he was already an entrepreneur. His mother would buy candy bars, and Woodruff would resell them to classmates. He also remembers buying sneakers on sale and reselling them for a $30 profit. During an entrepreneurship class, he met Pete Craver IV, 22, an aerospace administration and operations major. “He was answering all the questions, and I realized this guy was on a different level,” Woodruff said. Their friendship turned into a partnership. They started Infinite Prints, a successful T-shirt embroidery company that was in the process of being sold at press time. “We’ve stuck together through thick and thin in growing our business,” Craver said. “People should really know that Daniel is resilient, hardworking and trustworthy. … He’s truly an amazing person to work with and should be your go-to if you want to get something done. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an obstacle or situation he hasn’t been able to keep level-headed with and overcome.” Woodruff would like to go into business with Craver again once Craver graduates in December. He also has dreams of running for state or national office. But for now, Woodruff is busy enjoying being a husband — he married Shelby last October — and fighting for improvements to the foster care system. “What I get from these kids is that there is hope,” Woodruff said. “It is really inspiring to see the kids who make it.”

To get to know Daniel Woodruff better, visit okla.st/daniel.

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2020

he OSU Alumni Association honored four new members of the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Feb. 7 in the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center. Bruce T. Benbrook, Dr. Claud D. Evans, Linda Parrack Livingstone and Neal L. Patterson all received the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest honor. The award celebrates outstanding lifetime achievement in society and professional life.

WATCH THE EVENT

Visit okla.st/HOF2020 to watch the induction video for each honoree as well as the full ceremony.

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STORY WILL CARR | PHOTOS GENESSE PHOTO AND GARY LAWSON

BRUCE T.

Benbrook Bruce T. Benbrook graduated from OSU in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. At OSU, Benbrook served as the student body president and was named the Outstanding Male Graduate. He was also selected as the Outstanding Senior in the College of Business and received the Outstanding Greek Man award. After graduation, Benbrook returned to Woodward, Oklahoma, to work at the familyowned Stock Exchange Bank. He has served as the chairman of the board and CEO since 1981. Benbrook has been a pillar of the Woodward community for decades. He has served as the president of the Woodward Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Foundation, United Fund and the Lions Club. He was a founding director of the Woodward Education Foundation and served two terms as its president. Benbrook also served as president of the Oklahoma Bankers Association and represented the state in numerous capacities at the federal level with the American Bankers Association. In addition to the community and state he loves, Benbrook has given his time extensively to his alma mater. He has held numerous positions supporting OSU, including chairman of the OSU/A&M Board of Regents in 1994. He is also a former president of the OSU Alumni Association. Benbrook has been honored many times by OSU, the city of Woodward and beyond. In 1991, Benbrook was named Woodward’s Citizen of the Year. He has also received the Woodward Education Association’s Friend of Education award on three separate occasions. Benbrook received the first C.E. Williams award for his support of the Plains Indians and Pioneer Museum. In 2014, he was honored with the American Red Cross Community Hero Award for Humanitarian Service. He was named a Spears School of Business 100 for 100 Outstanding Graduate in 2014. Benbrook and his wife, Sheryl, have two daughters, Rachel and Julia. They are all graduates of OSU. Benbrook is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association. MEET BRUCE BENBROOK at okla.st/benbrook.

“Anytime I support any activity at this university with my time or my resources, I don’t think of it as an expense or a donation. I feel like it is an investment in the future of the state of Oklahoma and the future of OSU.” B R U C E T. B E N B R O O K

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DR. CLAUD D.

Evans

Dr. Claud D. Evans graduated from OSU in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural biochemistry. He went on to earn his doctorate of veterinary medicine from Tuskegee Institute Alabama in 1970 and interned at the University of California-Davis. At OSU, Evans was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and served as the chairman of Cordell Hall’s Homecoming Float Committee. He was also a member of the Pershing Rifles and was on the organization’s drill team. After graduation, Evans worked with Ralston Purina Co.’s Veterinary Services, Consumer Products and Chicken of the Sea divisions. He opened his own veterinary practice in 1983 in Okemah, Oklahoma. Evans has several publications to his name, including pieces in Veterinary Clinics of North America and Purina Kennel News. He has presented at the Ralston Purina Co. Professional Marketing Services annual meeting, the AVMA annual convention and the USDA International Agricultural Forum. For 16 years, Evans served on the OSU/ A&M Board of Regents, including two terms as board chairman. He is also a past member of the OSU Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. Evans served on the administrative council for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and is currently a member of the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching. He also served two years as the national chairman of the group. He is highly involved in the Okemah community and Okfuskee County. Evans has been inducted into the Okemah Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame and the OSU Diversity Hall of Fame. He has also received the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Distinguished Alumni Award. Evans and his wife, Elayne, have a ranch in Okemah, where they raise Angus cattle and llamas. They are the parents of Kelli Neal and grandparents of Donavin, Nakiah, Tia and Jazzmin. He is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association. MEET DR. CLAUD EVANS at okla.st/evans.

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“We must always be blessed with the importance of education. That would have to be the bulldozer I would use to move forward because there are many obstacles in our lives.” D R . C L A U D D . E VA N S

LINDA PARRACK

Livingstone Linda Parrack Livingstone graduated from OSU in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and management. She went on to receive a master’s degree in business administration in 1983 and a doctorate in management and organizational behavior in 1992. At OSU, Livingstone was a member of the Cowgirl Basketball team. She was named a Top Ten Senior, President’s Distinguished Scholar and Big 8 Scholar Athlete. She was also a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa. Livingstone currently serves as the 15th president of Baylor University. In that position, she has overseen the development of Baylor’s academic strategic plan, Illuminate, which details Baylor’s pursuit of becoming a preeminent Christian research university. She previously served as dean and professor of management at the George Washington University School of Business, as dean and professor of management at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, and as a tenured faculty member and associate dean of graduate programs at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business. Livingstone has been extensively published and cited in academic and professional outlets, including American Business Review, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of High Technology Management Research, and the book Business and Corporate Integrity: Sustaining Organizational Compliance, Ethics and Trust. In addition to her professional successes, Livingstone serves as a board member for the American Council on Education, Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, and Capital Southwest Industrials Inc. She is also a member of the Waco Industrial Foundation Board. She was inducted into the Spears School of Business Hall of Fame in 2013 and received its first Outstanding Ph.D. Award. Livingstone currently resides in Waco, Texas with her husband, Brad. They have one daughter, Shelby. Livingstone is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association. MEET LINDA PARRACK LIVINGSTONE at okla.st/livingstone.

“One of the greatest blessings I have had is the opportunity to be a part of the Oklahoma State family and the privilege to learn and grow here. I am only where I am today because of the experiences I had here.” L I N DA PA R R AC K L I V I NG ST ON E

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NEAL L.

Patterson

Neal Patterson

“OSU provided the education, relationships and opportunities that helped [my dad] turn into the man he would become. He would have been so very touched to be inducted into the OSU Hall of Fame.” C L AY PAT T E R S ON, S ON OF N E A L L . PAT T E R S ON

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Neal L. Patterson graduated from OSU in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He went on to receive a master’s degree in business administration in 1973. Patterson grew up on a farm on the Kansas-Oklahoma border. During his OSU years, Patterson was a member and treasurer of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He was also a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Delta Sigma Pi and chairman of the Student Association Committee. Patterson was named to the Dean’s Honor Roll seven times and the President’s Honor Roll once. Patterson rose to prominence as chairman and chief executive officer of Cerner Corp., a company he co-founded with Cliff Illig and Paul Gorup in 1979. Under Patterson’s leadership, Cerner grew from a tiny startup to the world’s largest independent health information technology company, an S&P 500 company with nearly $5 billion in revenue and more than 25,000 associates worldwide. During his life, Patterson was recognized as one of the bestperforming and longest-serving CEOs in the world. Patterson was an owner or principal investor in several enterprises, including the Major League Soccer team Sporting Kansas City. Together with his late wife, Jeanne Lillig-Patterson, he co-founded the First Hand Foundation, aimed at children with critical health needs, and the Patterson Family Foundation, a family-led foundation with a focus on rural communities. In addition to supporting entrepreneurial and civic organizations in the Kansas City area, Patterson invested in his alma mater. He helped endow the OSU Center for Health Systems Innovation, helped fund the new Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house and contributed to the new Cowgirl Soccer Stadium named in his honor. He was inducted into the Spears School of Business Hall of Fame in 2010. Patterson died from cancer at age 67 in July 2017. His wife also died of cancer less than two months later. Patterson’s brothers Kent and Bryan are accomplished OSU graduates. His four children — Clay, Lindsey, Cortney and Will — are directors of the Patterson Family Foundation. SEE MEMORIES OF NEAL PATTERSON at okla.st/patterson.

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2019 2020

The Oklahoma State University Alumni Association recognized 41 students as OSU Seniors of Significance for the 2019-2020 academic year.

The Seniors of Significance Award recognizes students who have excelled in scholarship, leadership and service to campus and community and have brought distinction to OSU. They are listed below with their hometown and major. All are from Oklahoma unless otherwise noted. Samuel Alvarado, Enid Biology and Psychology Kristen Ball, Edmond Applied Sociology Taryn Blackstock, Prosper, Texas Applied Exercise Science Thomas Bourke, Tulsa Quantitative Economics Bailey Bruner, Elk City Nutritional Sciences Mckenzie Carvalho, Maxwell, California Agribusiness and Agricultural Communications Nicole Clapp, Oklahoma City Physiology Chesley Comstock, Woodward Agribusiness and Agricultural Communications Brent Cunningham, Bartlesville Accounting Olivia Davis, Fort Smith, Arkansas Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Rebecca Dempewolf, Ardmore Architectural Engineering and Spanish Ty Derouen, Muskogee Microbiology/Cell and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Cole DeWitt, Cherokee Nutritional Sciences Caleb Eyster, Ponca City Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering

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Ellie Fate, Tulsa Elementary Education Chapman Howard, Tulsa Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics Christopher Jones, Edmond Geology Cameron Jump, Edmond Electrical Engineering Molly Landers, Arnett Communication Sciences and Disorders Abdalrahman Mansy, Stillwater Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Whitney Martin, Lawton Economics Cara Meyer, Edmond Chemical Engineering Gentry Meyer, Leedey Chemical Engineering Ty Montgomery, Pratt, Kansas Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Animal Biotechnology Maria Nieto, Cedar Hill, Texas Graphic Design Delaney Nisbett, Oklahoma City Accounting Shazia Qasim, Grapevine, Texas Finance Keely Ratcliff, Amber Nutritional Sciences Treyton Reeves, Gans Accounting

Cole Replogle, Broken Arrow Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Rachel Scott, Georgetown, Texas Animal Science Jacob Sestak, Prague Agricultural Economics Victorya Sizemore, Cleveland Architecture Miranda Stiles, Paden Multimedia Journalism and Strategic Communications Rachel Terry, Edmond Biology Gerardo Toth, Houston, Texas Mechanical Engineering Malorie Travis, Edmond Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Tori Trimble, Jenks Agribusiness Allison Wilton, Fort Sumner, New Mexico Agribusiness Mardi Wisdom, Thalia, Texas Biology Jessica Wolters, Broken Arrow Geology and Geography

STORY WILL CARR | PHOTO GENESEE PHOTO SYSTEMS

THE COWBOY WAY

Marcy Luter has always enjoyed “learning by doing.” From joining 4-H at the age of 9 to her work today as the leadership and management development coordinator at Meridian Technology Center, she’s a hands-on leader. 4-H’ER FOR LIFE The 4-H program has been a cornerstone throughout Luter’s life. A native of Shawnee, Oklahoma, raised by parents who were 4-H alumni, her involvement in the program was a given. Still, she couldn’t have foreseen the impact it would have on her life. “Our parents shuttled us all over the state, and we went on numerous outof-state trips, too.” Luter said. “Our involvement was such a fantastic learning opportunity for us as kids.” Going into high school, Marcy became even more involved in 4-H, discovering her passion for leadership and communication. COWBOY EXPERIENCE Once Luter came to Oklahoma State in 2000, she leaned on her 4-H skills and became active in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. She was a college ambassador, helping steer other students toward career paths in agriculture as she pursued her own degree in agricultural communications. In 1999, she was inducted into the Oklahoma 4-H Hall of Fame. After graduating, Luter went to work in OSU’s Career Services office, helping to develop training for OSU employees to help connect with today’s students. In 2009, Luter became the leadership and management development coordinator at Meridian Technology. “I didn’t have a formal background in training, but I was thrilled when I had the chance to join Meridian’s strong work culture,” Luter said. “I love the ‘learning by doing’ mission of 4-H. I am the type who needs to get my hands dirty to understand how something works.” HOME GROWN Luter and her husband, Ryan, operate a farm and enjoy sharing their love of agriculture with their two children. “We have no expectation that they’ll come back to farm, but it’s critical that they understand how to work hard, move toward their goals and learn how to build strong relationships at every stage of their lives,” she said. Today, Luter serves as a 4-H Cloverbud leader as she prepares her 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son for their 4-H experiences.

STORY PAIGE THOMAS | PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY

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COWBOY CHRONICLES

The Bronze Bull

OAMC’s first national team championship came in livestock judging

he animal husbandry program at Oklahoma A&M College began as the first livestock judging contests in Chicago — the hub for much of the U.S. meat industry — were taking place. Frank Burtis introduced the course in Stillwater in 1899. He requested literature from registered livestock associations because despite the variety of livestock breeds at the experiment farm, most were of poor quality and far from breed standards. In 1902, Burtis took his students to the American Royal Livestock Exposition at Kansas City for their first competition out of Oklahoma. In 1913, coach Charles I. Bray took the team to the International in Chicago, where they came in last. Team members had rarely worked with prize animals, and their scores reflected their inexperience. The loss prompted the college to take steps to improve future stock judging outcomes. The Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station initiated efforts to enhance the livestock breeding programs and expanded acquisitions of registered stock from other states and countries, qualified faculty were hired, and new facilities were eventually built. John A. Craig, director of the station beginning in 1908 and a leading international authority on livestock, purchased Percheron draft horses from France and acquired the first purebred Dorset and Shropshire sheep imported from England. Craig developed the first criteria for livestock judging used at the turn of the century, was instrumental in establishing the International in Chicago, and led the first efforts to improve the breeding stock at OAMC. Warren L. Blizzard joined the OAMC faculty on Feb. 18, 1915, only to discover there were no herd bulls for the beef cattle breeds. He quickly bought 28 head of breeding stock for the experiment station. Blizzard provided a stable academic environment and attracted experienced faculty who established careers with expertise in poultry, beef, dairy, swine, sheep and horses. Student training and educational experiences improved dramatically. College faculty members served as livestock judges at competitions in the state, region and nation and mentored students. Quality stock judging coaches such as Blizzard and William Fowler challenged their college teams and raised expectations. The breeding program enhanced the quality of the livestock students were exposed to, college livestock won ribbons at state and regional competitions, and the results for the livestock judging team improved as well.

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STORY DAVID C. PETERS | PHOTOS OSU ARCHIVES

“(Livestock) judging instills confidence in those people who may be timid and humbles those who tend to be conceited.” DR. HARLAN D. RITCHIE, LATE MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

Members of the OAMC Livestock Judging Team pose with the Union Stock Yard and Transit Co. Trophy in 1925 in Chicago. From left are OAMC President Bradford Knapp, team coach Albert “Al” Darlow, students Louis E. Hawkins, Charles W. Weathers, Harland R. Hamm, Cecil G. Burnham, Norman D. “Zeb” Lowe, William D. Gray, Raphael E. Herndon and animal husbandry head Warren L. “Bliz” Blizzard. Today, the trophy resides in the Animal Science Building.

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COWBOY CHRONICLES

But the school still lacked good facilities. The first building planned and completed under the administration of OAMC President Bradford Knapp was a new Animal Husbandry Building and Livestock Pavilion, located at the east end of Farm Road. It was part of the college’s efforts to develop an agricultural center. In the 1920s, 70 percent of Oklahoma’s population lived in rural areas. The college hoped to attract statewide gatherings of farmers, provide an arena for livestock competitions and exhibitions, and support the Animal Husbandry Department with office, laboratory and classroom space. Construction started in January 1924 and by September,

the facility was completed except for utilities connections. Albert Darlow graduated from OAMC in 1919. He immediately joined the staff of the Animal Husbandry Department and began working on his master’s degree, which he completed in 1922. During graduate school, Darlow served as the assistant coach with the livestock judging teams. OAMC student judging teams were soon competing at national events in dairy, poultry, meat and grains, but in the early years, the collegiate livestock judging teams had the greatest success at competitions in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and ultimately at the International in Chicago.

The OAMC chapter of the Block and Bridle Club sponsored the Little International event in the new Animal Husbandry Livestock Pavilion on Oct. 22, 1925, with 1,600 people attending. The program featured an exhibition of the college’s prize livestock, demonstrated livestock judging skills and included a rodeo, society horse show, rope tricks, dance act and style show, lasting for more than three hours. In November 1925, the college sent its team north for the competitions that would culminate in Chicago. Darlow, now the team’s head coach, remained at OAMC to teach. The team first traveled to Wichita, Kansas, then finished sixth at the American Royal in Kansas

Looking over the champions from the OAMC Shropshire sheep herd are Albert Darlow (right), who helped establish the sheep-breeding program, and Alexander McKenzie (center), who was born in Scotland and hired by Darlow as shepherd/herdsman.

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City. They visited livestock farms in Kansas and Missouri before heading to Ames, Iowa, where they practiced judging the herds at Iowa State College. They stayed briefly at the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin before heading to Chicago. Blizzard accompanied the men, but he focused his attention on the livestock, while the team examined horses, beef cattle, sheep, hogs and varying classes of animals within each group. The team reached Chicago on Thanksgiving morning. That afternoon they watched future legendary NFL player Red Grange appear in his first professional football game. They relaxed on Friday and went to the stockyards early Saturday morning. The judging lasted until 9 p.m., and the men returned to their hotel thinking they had finished in second place. At 2 a.m. Sunday, they were notified they had won. The OAMC team scored 4,459 points out of a possible 5,000. The team was first in judging horses, third in cattle, fourth in sheep and seventh in hogs. Seniors Louis E. Hawkins and Charles W. Weathers tied for seventh place overall with individual scores of 902. Junior William D. Gray and seniors Harland R. Hamm and Raphael E. Herndon completed the scoring with an 885 average. Blizzard’s livestock placed first in eight categories. Once he was notified early Sunday morning of the team’s victory, OAMC President Knapp joined Coach Darlow in traveling to Chicago to celebrate with the team. The International hosted a luncheon for them Sunday that included exposition officials, team coaches and Chicago stockmen. Sunday evening, they were the guests of honor at the American Society of Animal Production Association banquet in the Saddle and Sirloin Club at the stockyards, with over 500 attending. The team provided short presentations at both events. The Society Horse Show honored them on Monday with a silver loving cup for being the top team judging Percheron horses, which had also placed them in first place overall. And Tuesday, an Oklahoma A&M banquet at the Morrison Hotel drew OAMC alumni, Knapp, Blizzard, Darlow and the team.

The Animal Husbandry Building and Livestock Pavilion was completed in 1924. The pavilion was on the site of the future Ferguson College of Agriculture facility.

The first “Little International” was held at the Livestock Pavilion/Arena on Oct. 22, 1925.

“It seemed like we shook hands with everyone in Chicago when we won first place in the judging contest at the International Livestock Exposition. It all seemed like a dream,” Weathers said. With the win, the team received the grand prize: the traveling Union Stock Yard and Transit Co. Trophy of a bronze bull and man, which weighed about 300 pounds. OAMC displayed the trophy on campus until the next International, and the national Block and Bridle Club presented them with a silver loving cup as a permanent trophy. A Stillwater celebration was delayed a bit, as it took a while for the team members and livestock to return home. President Knapp held a special assembly on Dec. 9, 1925, honoring the OAMC team as well as the Garber (Oklahoma) High School team and its coaches, Rufus Cox and Paul Adams, both OAMC graduates in animal husbandry. The

Garber team took first in high school judging at the International, and three of its members said they would enroll at OAMC. The college would achieve permanent ownership of the Union Stock Yard and Transit Co. Trophy after winning its third championship under Coach Darlow in 1928. The team won in 1926 and had the top individuals in 1926 and 1928, James Culbertson and Carl Williams, respectively. OAMC animal husbandry students excelled on a national stage with the superior teaching, quality resources and outstanding facilities in Stillwater, providing a wonderful model for all university programs, and establishing a tradition of excellence that lives on today.

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ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N

Outstanding SENI RS 2019–2020 The OSU Alumni Association is proud to honor 16 students with the 2019-20 OUTSTANDING SENIORS AWARD. This award recognizes students who distinguish themselves through academic achievements; campus and community activities; academic, athletic and extracurricular honors or awards; scholarships; and work ethic. After reviewing the students’ applications, the Alumni Association Student Awards and Selection Committee met with 41 Seniors of Significance who were honored in fall 2019 and selected 16 for this prestigious honor.

SAMUEL ALVARADO GARCIA Enid, Oklahoma Biology and psychology Garcia was named a Wentz Research Scholar in 2018. He also founded OSU’s chapter of Destino, the Hispanic ministry of Cru. In the community, Garcia was a leader for the OU/TU School of Community Medicine MASH Summer

Camp, a volunteer for the Iron Gate Soup Kitchen and the community service chair of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity.

After graduation, Garcia plans to work in health sciences before applying to medical school.

COLEMAN BOURKE Tulsa, Oklahoma Quantitative economics Bourke co-founded Mesh, a social advocacy group for public school students with special needs. He received the President’s Volunteer Service Award and was an ambassador in the Spears School of Business. Bourke served as a

Junior Greek Life coordinator and was the Beta Theta Pi new member educator. After graduation, Bourke plans to work as a software implementation consultant for Bluvault Solutions in Dallas.

CHELSEY ANN COMSTOCK Woodward, Oklahoma Agribusiness and agricultural communications Comstock served as an ambassador for the Ferguson College of Agriculture and was a member of the Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Encounter. She was honored as a recipient of an American FFA Degree and served as

a small group leader at the Oklahoma FFA Alumni Camp. Comstock was also a member of a national Panhellenic women’s fraternity.

Comstock has accepted a position with the youth department of the American Junior Simmental Association in Seward, Nebraska.

BRENT CUNNINGHAM Bartlesville, Oklahoma Accounting Cunningham served as vice president of traditions on the Student Alumni Board. He was named a Top 10 Freshmen man and was the Interfraternity Council Outstanding Greek New Member. Cunningham also served as a facilitator

STORY CHASE CARTER | PHOTOS OSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

for the President’s Leadership Council and was a Spears School of Business Student Government senator. Cunningham plans to begin working in Phillips 66’s finance department this summer.

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OLIVIA DAVIS Fort Smith, Arkansas Biochemistry and molecular biology Davis was named a Niblack Research Scholar and participated in the Cambridge Scholar Program. She also served as treasurer of the Student Government Association. In the community, she was a volunteer with

Karman Legacy Hospice and an intern at the Children’s Hospital Foundation at the Oklahoma Health Center.

Medicine to pursue a career in research and patient care.

After graduation, Davis will be attending the University of Oklahoma College of

CALEB EYSTER Ponca City, Oklahoma Mechanical and aerospace engineering Eyster was the executive director of the 2019 Homecoming Steering Committee and the chief engineer for OSU’s Speedfest competition. He was also vice president of relations for the College of Engineering, Architecture

and Technology’s Student Council and a member of the CEAT Scholars program. In the community, Eyster served as an assistant coach for the Ponca City Wildcats Class AA baseball team.

After graduation, Eyster plans to begin his career in the aerospace industry.

was an organizer for Students for Bernie Sanders and a volunteer planner for St. Crispin’s Church Camp.

Ph.D. in mathematics. He hopes to secure a tenure-track position in academia.

CHAPMAN HOWARD Tulsa, Oklahoma Mechanical engineering and mathematics Howard served as the undergraduate coordinator for the President’s Leadership Council. He was a student speaker at OSU Convocation and a talent committee member on the Student Union Activities Board. In the community, he

After graduation, Howard plans to pursue graduate studies and ultimately earn a

CHRISTOPHER JONES Edmond, Oklahoma Geology Jones was a 2019 Goldwater Scholar, a Niblack scholar and a Wentz research scholar at OSU. He was also a member of the College of Arts & Sciences Student Council. In the community, Jones assisted with the Oklahoma WONDERtorium

Marine Geology Camp and the Kids Writing Club.

in geochemistry at the University of California, Riverside.

After graduation, Jones plans to pursue a doctorate in geology with a focus

WHITNEY MARTIN Lawton, Oklahoma Economics Martin was a programming director for OSU’s Camp Cowboy and was named to the President’s Honor Roll all four years. She was a member of the 2019 Homecoming Royalty Court and served as an OSU Residential Life community

mentor. Martin was also recognized as a Top 5 Economics Senior. After graduation, Martin plans to work as a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank in Oklahoma City.

GENTRY MEYER Leedey, Oklahoma Chemical engineering Meyer served as the Homecoming Steering Committee promotional design executive in 2017 and Walkaround executive in 2018. She was also a College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Student Council executive.

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She was co-chair of the Speakers Board Marketing and Communications committee as well as a campus tour guide. Meyer was also the winner of the Phillips 66 Senior Design Competition.

After graduation, Meyer is moving to Houston to work in ExxonMobil’s Engineers in Operations Program.

SHAZIA QASIM Grapevine, Texas Finance and pre-med Qasim was a Spears School of Business Scholar Leader throughout her time at OSU as well as a Williams Inc. Scholar Leader Scholarship recipient. Outside the classroom, Qasim founded the 5K Waddlethon for the Kappa Delta

Chi Sorority, where she served as vice president and service officer. She also received the Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Shining Emerald Award in 2019.

After graduation, Qasim is moving to Houston to work for ExxonMobil as a financial analyst. She hopes to attend graduate school in the future.

Royalty Court. In the community, Ratcliff was a small group leader for Stillwater KLIFE.

athletics and hopes to apply to OSU’s new physician assistant program in Tulsa in 2021. Ultimately, she wants to work in a small town, helping advance rural health care.

KEELY RATCLIFF Amber, Oklahoma Natural sciences Ratcliff served as president of the College of Human Sciences Student Council and was a facilitator for the President’s Leadership Council. She was an OSU sports nutrition student worker and a member of the 2019 Homecoming

After graduation, Ratcliff will be working as a sports nutrition assistant for OSU

TREYTON REEVES Gans, Oklahoma Accounting Reeves was a four-year player on the Cowboy basketball team. He was named a Top 5 Accounting Senior and received the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award. Reeves was also a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team

member and served as a volunteer for the Special Olympics summer games. After graduation, Reeves plans to earn a master’s degree in accounting and attend law school.

COLE REPLOGLE Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering Replogle was named a Gates Cambridge Scholar and a Goldwater Scholar at OSU. He served as president of Engineers Without Borders and president/vice president of the OSU Quiz Bowl Team. Replogle is also the founder and former

president of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Solvers. This fall, Replogle will begin studying in the Future Propulsion and Power graduate program at the University of Cambridge.

RACHEL SCOTT Georgetown, Texas Animal science Scott was named the AQHA World Champion Collegiate Judging Individual as a member of OSU’s winning team. She is the coach and former member of the OSU Horse Judging Team and served as the president, vice president and

Ferguson College of Agriculture Council representative for Block and Bridle. Scott was also a McKnight Scholarship Leader in Class 6 and the 2017 Animal Science Totusek Outstanding Freshman Student.

After graduation, Scott plans to complete a master’s degree at OSU in equine nutrition. She ultimately hopes to earn a doctorate in equine science and become an animal science professor.

Research Scholar. Terry also conducted research on glioblastomas during her internship at the Stephenson Cancer Research Center.

After graduation, Terry plans on attending medical school and hopes to practice in Oklahoma.

RACHEL TERRY Edmond, Oklahoma Biology Terry served as president of the OSU Student Foundation and Mortar Board and was named to the 2019 Homecoming Royalty Court. She was named a Women for OSU Student Philanthropist Scholar as well as a Life Sciences Freshman

‘Claiming My Voice’

Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame inductee Teresa Miller appreciates the power of words

unning deeper than oak tree roots and spanning wider than open grass plains, storytelling is a tradition cultivated in Oklahoma’s red dirt. As a fourth-generation Oklahoman and the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame’s most recent inductee, Teresa Miller is no stranger to the inseparable relationship between home and writing. Growing up in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, a small town with no movie theater at the time, her main source of entertainment was stories. She loved the Nancy Drew book series and

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even attempted to write an end to the books, yet she attributes the majority of her love for storytelling to more than print. Throughout her childhood, she listened to neighbors, family and friends describe memories and experiences in a connected and meaningful way that influenced her. She visited New York briefly as an aspiring actress after high school, wanting to explore other creative outlets. She returned home after an instructor told her that other actors struggled to understand her accent and suggested she should try writing

instead. She enrolled at Northeastern Oklahoma State University in Tahlequah and earned a bachelor’s degree in English. “Writing was my way of claiming my voice,” Miller said. “And after I graduated from college, I had a choice. I could go to law school or I could focus on writing. It was a big risk, and I secondguessed myself a million times, but I decided to write.” Miller wrote two novels that went unpublished. Her third novel, Remnants of Glory, caught the attention of agents in New York and sold within a month.

STORY KYLEE SUTHERLAND | PHOTO MICHAEL WYKE/TULSA WORLD

“There’s a great sense of belonging you feel as a writer in Oklahoma.” — TERESA MILLER “I knew then that writing was something that was possible,” she said. “It would be hard and elusive, but it was possible.” Her words proved true as challenges quickly arose in her career. After publishing her first book, she went through a period of writer’s block that haunted her. As Miller struggled to find the words to write, she gave a voice to other writers through hosting a TV show, Writing Out Loud. “When I lost my voice, my consolation was that I could point to other writers through Writing Out Loud,” Miller said. “The title was kind of ironic because I couldn’t write but could speak about others’ writings.” Fueled by her desire to support and invest in writers, she founded the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers at OSU-Tulsa. She directed the center and taught classes there for

20 years. She remains appreciative for the personal and professional growth she experienced there, as well as the atmosphere of encouragement, and the opportunity to witness new artists in the field. “OSU-Tulsa is such a nurturing environment,” she said. “One of the greatest blessings of my life was that when my own voice failed me, I had a front-row seat to hear the voices of some of the greatest storytellers in our country. I don’t necessarily mean the most famous — some of the best writing I’ve ever come across has been from my students.” Many of Miller’s students were among the crowd at her hall of fame induction in November, celebrating the woman who gave so much of her time and talent to them. Miller said the night left her humbled. “What a wonderful experience,” she said. “This award felt like an

acknowledgment of the struggle all of us go through as writers, to hone our words and make the most of all the opportunities we are given. I think it was only right that so many of my former students were there to share it with me because it was really about all of us as writers.” Looking from the little girl writing the end to Nancy Drew to the woman writing her own novels, Miller is grateful for where she came from and how it led to where she is now. “Writing itself is a very lonely profession. Only you can reach deep within yourself to find your words and communicate them,” Miller said. “And yet I think there is a wonderful community of those — other writers and readers — who support us in the struggle. There’s a great sense of belonging you feel as a writer in Oklahoma.”

Teresa Miller with (from left) Rick Eggers, Dan Rather and Gary John.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TERESA MILLER

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New Life Members ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N

The OSU Alumni Association would like to recognize and thank the following individuals who are now connected for life to Oklahoma State University through their new life memberships purchased in 2019. Learn about the benefits of becoming a life member at okla.st/forlife or call 405-744-5368.

*An asterisk designates life members who joined as OSU students. Natnael Abebe, ’18 Wyatt Ables* Landon Acree* Allison Adams, ’16 Jana Adams, ’86, ’88 John Adams, ’88 Micah Adams, ’17 Kathy Adkins, ’74 Franchesca Alexander, ’19 Grant Allen, ’19 Krysten Allen* Jordan Allevato, ’19 Zachary Alstatt* Linda Altaras, ’69 John Altland, ’76, ’77, ’90 Rachel Ammons, ’18 Amy Amos, ’01 Annie Anderson, ’08 Justin Anderson, ’04, ’14 Matthew Anderson* Michael Anderson, ’19 Nyoka Anderson, ’19 Bryan Andress, ’86, ’88 Benjamin Andrews* Dawn Andrews, ’08 Shannon Angle, ’02 Connor Angleton, ’19 Cainan Anthony, ’19 Hadley Apple, ’19 Andrea Arbuckle, ’03, ’06 Robert Armbruster, ’69 Mindy Armentrout, ’19 Martha Atuesta, ’18 Tracy Auman* Beverly Aycock, ’06 Emily Baden, ’18 Aletha Bailey* Tanner Baird, ’19 Cynthia Ball, ’72 Richard Ball, ’72, ’79 Tyler Barbee* Steven Baringer, ’19 Mikayla Barker, ’18 Denise Barnard Joe Barnard, ’73 Hallie Barnes, ’19 Laymon Barnett, ’18 Trey Bartlett III* Carson Baumann, ’19

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Jake Bayer, ’17 Sage Becker, ’19 Lance Beckner, ’97 Callie Bedell Josh Bedell, ’17, ’19 Sharon Beets, ’89 Cliff Bell, ’07 Dana Bell, ’08 Rachel Bellah, ’18 Byron Bemis, ’03 Crystal Bemis, ’04 Matt Bennett, ’04 Megan Bernal* Burck Berry, ’11 Leah Berry, ’17 Jordan Bigelow, ’11 Katy Bigelow, ’13 Katie Billings, ’19 Olivia Bills* Colten Bison, ’19 Richard Bisson II, ’18 Tyler Blackburn* Robbie Blackford, ’16 Chase Blevins, ’19 Patrick Blevins, ’19 Ryeann Blevins, ’19 Taylor Blose, ’17 Debbie Bodenhamer, ’79 Brooke Boeckman, ’19 Gerret Boer, ’19 Tyler Bohannan, ’19 Rio Bonham* Brent Bonner, ’02 Gavin Boone, ’19 Kurtis Boucher, ’02, ’07 Daniel Bouchereau, ’19 Jacob Boules, ’19 Andrew Bovee* Joshua Bowlin, ’19 Cade Boxwell* Annette Boyd, ’02 Braden Boyd Madison Boyd* Stacey Boyd, ’17 Michael Bradley, ’92 Langley Branan* Channing Braun* Darcie Breazeale, ’05 Matthew Breazeale, ’05 Danya Brewer, ’19 David Brewer, ’18 Erin Brewer, ’17

Parker Broadbent, ’19 Michael Brock Jr., ’94 Rosemarie Brock, ’94 Kaleb Brooks, ’19 Wilma Brooks, ’64, ’72 Chase Brown* Joshua Brown* Jared Bruns, ’19 Mike Buchert, ’75, ’80 Gwenlynn Budzene April Bulling, ’91 Scott Bulling, ’86 Timothy Burchard, ’19 Carla Burdick, ’84 Sarah Burns, ’15 Desiree’ ButlerMcCullough, ’98, ’01 Blakely Byrd, ’19 Sam Byrd* Elizabeth Caldwell, ’18 Brad Camerer, ’82, ’84 Marilee Camerer, ’83 Craig Campbell* Joseph Cantrell* Nathan Cantu* Amanda Cardinal, ’19 Chloe’ Carrier, ’19 Chris Carter, ’95, ’99 Jacob Castagnola, ’19 Wyatt Catron, ’19 Jonathan Chacko* Savanna Chandler* Kailey Charon* Kylie Chatham, ’19 Monica Chavez* Don Cheatham, ’74, ’75, ’81 Lynda Cheatham, ’71 Randie Cheatham* Keri Chelf, ’17 Ryan Cherry, ’19 Cassidy Chew, ’08 Sydney Choi, ’19 Shelby Christian* Alex Christy, ’19 Benson Chu, ’03, ’09 Tate Chumbley, ’19 Barrett Cieutat, ’92 Suzann Cieutat, ’91 Charles Cirocco, ’19 Casey Citty, ’17 Colton Clark, ’18 Robert Clark, ’18

Kelsi Clawson, ’19 Rhonda Clemmer, ’89, ’90 Aaron Cline, ’89 Jamie Clinton, ’09 Jason Clinton, ’00 Ansley Cloward, ’19 Caleb Coats, ’19 Daijha Cobb* Cashion Coffman, ’19 Lori Cohen, ’19 Dana Cole Robert Cole, ’81, ’84 Corey Coleman, ’00 Culley Coleman, ’19 Colter Comstock, ’19 Scott Comstock, ’86 Arthur Conkwright, ’81 Megan Conover* Kelby Corbett, ’19 Derrick Corey, ’94 Jill Corey, ’96 Pat Cortes, ’19 Mikki Couch, ’87 Jerry Cowart, ’88, ’91, ’95 Launa Cowart, ’94 Jordan Cowger, ’19 Bailey Cox, ’19 Logan Cox* Rachel Cox, ’19 Gary Coy Kim Craig, ’88 Jared Cresswell, ’02 Harold Crosley Jr., ’84 Ian Crowe, ’19 Cole Crownover* Matthew Cullum, ’96 Dean Cummings, ’99, ’17 Mellissa Cummings Troy Cummings* Mike Cunningham, ’87 Olive Ann Curl, ’71, ’93 Brya D’Abrosca, ’18 Lori Dahl, ’90, ’93 Peggy Dailey, ’72 Clay Daily, ’19 Ryan Darcy, ’19 Glenna Darnaby, ’07 Hunter Davidson* Caleb Davis* Colby Davis, ’19

David Davis, ’96 Russell Davis* Trent Davis, ’18 Kathy de la Garza, ’93 Brian Deeken, ’96 Chris Delk, ’91 Codi Demere, ’17 Chris DeMuth, ’84 Lynn DeMuth, ’84 Seth Denton, ’19 Eileen Desmond, ’18 Nathan Dethloff* Cheryl DeVuyst Mechel Dickerson, ’15 Blair Didlake, ’19 Laurel Dieken, ’74, ’76, ’82 Kara Dill, ’17 Cidney Dirickson, ’17 Taylor Disel, ’19 Nathan Dobie* Dalacy Dockrey, ’19 Bekah Dollar, ’18 Logan Douglas, ’16 Deanna Douthit, ’07 Elizabeth Dowler, ’09 Jaret Dowler, ’09 Donovan Dressler, ’97 Jack Drummond, ’18 Jacy Duff, ’19 Emily Duncan, ’18 Mike Duncan Riley Duncan* Wyatt Dunham, ’17 Bryce Dunlap, ’19 Dylan Dyer, ’19 Ryan Dyer* Kimberly Earl-Choate, ’90, ’95 Channing Earles* Randy Easterling, ’79 Kelly Edwards, ’18 Jenneen Elkhalid, ’17 John Elliott, ’96 Madeline Engel, ’15, ’16 Corian England, ’19 Bill English, ’69 James Enterline, ’06 Jennifer Etsch, ’93 Kayleigh Evans, ’19 Rob Evenson Jr., ’13, ’17 Carl Evers* Kaleigh Ewing, ’19

Blake Fabian, ’19 Cathleen Falcon, ’19 Benjamin Farris* Nicholas Favre* Nicholas Feldman, ’19 B. T. Ferguson, ’69 Jana Ferguson, ’79 Perry Fields III, ’84, ’87 Jeff Fife, ’19 Marissa Finch, ’19 Callee Fischer, ’19 Savannah Fisher* Jake Flaspohler* Sydnie Fleming, ’19 Tena Floeter, ’83 Leeann Flower, ’76 Vicki Flowers, ’19 Rylee Floyd* Chord Fonvielle, ’19 Kassidy Ford, ’19 Shelby Ford, ’19 Edward Francis, ’85 Kermit Frank Jr., ’83 Peyton Franklin* Erik Fredrickson, ’18 Kelly Friend, ’00 Annie Frische, ’19 Cody Fry, ’05 Tom Fuller, ’80 Brandon Gage* Allison Gallagher, ’19 Shelbi Gambrell, ’19 Jesus Garcia* Billy Garner, ’19 Desinya Garza, ’19 James Gastineau Jack Gerler* Cody Gervasi, ’16, ’18 Dylan Gibson, ’17 Cassidy Gierhart, ’18 Casey Gilbert, ’16 Scott Gilbert, ’19 Blake Giles, ’19 Tom Gilliland, ’99 Haley Gipson, ’18 Jessica Givens, ’03 Zachary Givens, ’04 Jeff Glasgow, ’09 Mitchell Gliddon* Kaitlyn Glowaski, ’19 Brenna Gollihare* Megan Gonzales, ’13 Dalton Good, ’19 Haely Goodpasture, ’19 John Gorton, ’84 Kaitlyn Graham, ’17, ’18 Pete Graham, ’78 Matthew Granger, ’19 Hunter Gray, ’19 Lauren Gray, ’19 Angelica Gregory, ’19 Tabatha Grider* Cindy Griesel, ’98 Mick Griffith, ’99 Stacia Griffith, ’00 Cara Griggs, ’19 Drew Grunewald* Kaylee Gryzmala, ’15, ’17 Steven Haddox, ’14, ’19 Kyle Hadley, ’13 Paige Hadley, ’13

Taylor Hadwiger, ’19 Justin Hahn, ’01, ’03 Curtis Hale Susan Hale Colby Hall, ’19 Colten Hall, ’16, ’18 Garrett Hall, ’18 Kayla Hall, ’19 Lauren Hall, ’17 Wendy Hall, ’17 Heather Halley* Fred Hampton, ’91, ’97 Morgan Hanna* Donald Harban, ’67 Libby Hardy, ’06 Darcy Hargis, ’14 Ki Hargis, ’14 Benjamin Harmon, ’19 Mike Harper, ’75, ’77 Cassandra Harris, ’19 Deriek Harris Markel Harris, ’19 Jackie Harsha* Vivienne Hasenbeck* Dorion Hasty, ’19 Chase Haverkamp, ’17 Kathryn Hearn, ’19 Amy Hefley, ’95 Calli Heflin* Courtland Henderson, ’18 Larry Henderson, ’79, ’90 Trip Henderson III, ’19 Greg Hendrix Joy Hendrix, ’19 Katie Henry, ’19 Nikole Heon, ’19 Tricia Herber, ’13, ’15 Kerry Herbine, ’19 Hannah Hercyk* Michael Hernandez* Natalie Herndon* Sean Herring, ’17 Ashley Hesser, ’11, ’18 Shawna Hight, ’00, ’17 Kim Hilbig Kirk Hilbig, ’84 Kayla Hildebrand, ’17 Peyton Hillery, ’19 Jeff Hilst, ’84, ’87 Lynn Hilst, ’84, ’92 Allison Hines* Frank Hise Jr., ’87, ’90 Judy Hise, ’89 Molly Hoback* Megan Hobbs, ’04, ’05 Lucy Hodges* Emma Holbrook, ’19 Ryan Hollands* Shari Holloway, ’91 Jon Marc Holt, ’03 Debbi Homan, ’75 Kaylea Hopfer, ’19 Elizabeth Houston, ’18 Johnny Houston* Katherine Houston, ’19 Blair Howard, ’19 John Howard, ’85, ’97 Samantha Howe, ’19 Andersen Hubbard, ’17

Jane Hubbell, ’79 Chuck Huggins, ’94 Sheaylan Hughs, ’19 Pearlie Humdy-Dunn, ’19 Mara Hunziker, ’19 Emily Husmann, ’19 Joanna Hwang, ’69, ’72 Caley Hybsha* Joshua Hyland I* Kara Ibrahim* Grace Ipsen* Steve Irby, ’69, ’72 Ashley Jackson* Chad Jamar, ’02 Sarah Jamar, ’02 Peyton James* Takisha James* Brandon Jaworowski, ’15 Sam Jeitani, ’00 Fernando Jimenez, ’05, ’09 Drake Johnson, ’17 Jenna Johnson* Kyle Johnson, ’19 Tom Johnson, ’05 Kennedy Jones* Lauren Jones, ’19 Livvy Jones, ’17 Maycee Jones, ’18 Philip Jones, ’03 Sheridan Jones, ’19 Teneshea Jones, ’08 Tobias Jones, ’05 Emily Jordan, ’19 Emily Joyce, ’94, ’96 Jonathan Joyce, ’83 Rachelle Joyce, ’01 Will Joyce, ’01, ’04 Jason Juhl, ’92 Sarah Juhl, ’93 Nick Julkowski, ’14 Cameron Jump* James Jurgens* Jordan Jurgens* Blake Kaaihue* Rob Kanmore, ’95 Cheryl Kaufman, ’83 Bryan Keating, ’02, ’04 Sharon Keating, ’72 Braxton Kee, ’19 Heather Keith, ’14 Zach Keller, ’19 Zach Kensinger, ’19 Rayne Key* Lauren Khoury, ’19 Kayla Kifer, ’19 Joshua Kingsley, ’11 Charles Kinion* Jennifer Kintner, ’10, ’17 Jason Kirkland, ’94 Joshua Kochanski* Melissa Koesler, ’02 Hollee Koester, ’17, ’19 Matthew Kolakowski, ’17 Joonmo Koo, ’18 Tim Kovacs, ’89, ’01 Jennifer Krafft, ’04 Gerald Kraft, ’19 Chrystal Kramer, ’16

Randy Kramer, ’16 Josh Krawczyk, ’01, ’05, ’13 Matthew Krehbiel, ’17 Neil Kuehn, ’03, ’04 Garrett Kula, ’19 Hudson Kuykendall, ’19 John Kuykendall, ’19 Wendi Laake, ’03 Matthew Labyer, ’12 Justin Lacy, ’04, ’09 Jennifer Laman, ’19 Becca Lane, ’19 Luke Laster Jr., ’19 Caleb Lavey, ’13, ’14 Samantha Lazarowicz* Grayson Ledergerber* Alyson Lee* Cheyenne Lee* Jasmyn Lee, ’19 Lisa Lee, ’16 Alane LeGrand, ’74 Reed Lemons, ’19 Carson Lenfestey* Ashlee Lester, ’19 Mark Lester, ’92, ’04 Kelvin Leu* Dee Lewis, ’11 Lakan Light, ’19 Kat Lindsay, ’86 Jenna Linholm, ’19 Cerra Linn, ’18 Diego Lippi, ’16 Gen Lisle, ’03 Trevor Lisle, ’04 Bali Little, ’19 Quinn Llewellyn, ’18 Claudia Locke, ’19 Sawyer Locke* Rachel Lockwood, ’13 Ronie Loffelmacher* Lauren Love, ’84 Samantha Love* Jason Lovitz, ’19 Allie Lowe, ’17 Tad Lowe, ’89 Tyler Lowe, ’15 Carley Lowmiller Jacob Lucas* Justin Ludwig, ’14 Brandon Lundmark, ’19 Carson Lyda, ’19 Rodney Lyles, ’69, ’74 Laura Lynn, ’16, ’19 Shane Lyon, ’05, ’18 Hannah Mackey* Luke MacNaughton, ’19 Dallas Mahlandt* Michael Manning* Aniysa Mapp, ’19 CyLeigh Maroney, ’18 Tyler Marshall* Aubrea Martin* Betsy Martin, ’91 Mason Martin, ’19 Samantha Martin, ’19 Amy Martindale Brandon Mason, ’09, ’13 Brittany Mason, ’08 Boaz Massey, ’10 Sarah Matchett, ’19

William Matthews, ’19 Renee Mauldin* Lori May, ’98 John McAskill, ’73 Brandon McCary, ’17 Morgan McCaskey, ’19 Lauren McClaflin, ’15 Connor McCollough* Alexis McCormick, ’19 Christina McCoy, ’07, ’09 Jeremy McCoy, ’03, ’07 Matlin McCray* Brady McCullough, ’83 Cathy McCullough, ’84, ’97 Jeffrey McCullough, ’99 Kody McCutchen* Aubrey McDonald, ’17 Trevor McDonald* Collin McDowell, ’18 Lee Ann McElroy, ’89 Jason McElyea, ’09 Adam McGaughey, ’09 Charles McGechie II, ’18 Mason McGee* Nicholas McGee Sheri Mcgee, ’17 Callie McGinley, ’19 Katie McGrath, ’19 Heather McKee, ’09 Jesse McKee, ’09 Megan McKenna, ’19 Rita McKinley, ’69 Lauren McMahon, ’19 Brett McMurphy, ’85 Jeffrey McNeal* J.D. McNutt, ’76, ’86 Yolanda Mears, ’19 Alex Meeks* Steven Melton, ’17 Rylie Merritt, ’19 Donald Meyer, ’09 Gentry Meyer* Ryan Miles, ’19 Baillie Miller, ’19 Bill Miller, ’77 Ethan Miller* Jennifer Miller, ’07, ’10 Keith Miller, ’74 Kerin Miller, ’79 Levi Miller, ’19 Rachel Miller, ’18 Tanner Miller, ’17 Hanna Minson, ’17 Brandy Mitchell, ’19 Madison Mitchell, ’19 Megan Moffer, ’19 Shelby Mohr, ’19 Ashlee Mongold* Summer Montgomery* Brady Moore, ’19 Mitchell Moreland, ’19 Jose Moreno, ’08 Zachary Morey* Madison Morgan, ’17 Jim Morris II, ’73 Jimmy Morris, ’84 Kaitlynn Morris, ’19 Tristan Morris* Maci Morton*

Nathanial Morton, ’19 David Moss, ’09 Erin Moss, ’10 Cole Mulkey* Jackson Mulliken, ’19 Decembre Mullins, ’17 Tucker Mullins, ’19 Carter Muncrief* Brandon Murphy, ’19 Nicholas Murphy* Valerie Murray, ’19 Jessica Myers* Quentin Myers, ’08 Tyler Myers* Katherine Myles, ’17 Jessyca Naegele* Carly Nash* Brenny Neal, ’65, ’73 Toby Needler, ’00 Anastasia Neese, ’89, ’95 Paul Neese, ’87, ’90, ’95 Baylor Nelson* Michele Nelson, ’08 Michael Nemec* Julie Newhouse, ’02 Megan Newlon* Richard Newman Jr., ’69, ’71 Cameron Newport* Bee Hoon Ng, ’98 Adam Nicholas, ’19 Martha Nickels, ’77 Dane Nielsen, ’19 Blake Nisbett, ’19 Delaney Nisbett David Niska* Braxton Noble, ’19 Ryan Northcutt, ’18 Tyler Nossaman* Devin O’Connor* Saralyn O’Donnell, ’19 Jessica O’Loughlin, ’95, ’99 Michelle Oden Ryan Oden, ’98, ’07 Ujiro Okiomah, ’08 Nicholas Oldenburg* Sarah Oliver, ’19 Brian Orr, ’97, ’02 Krysta Orscheln, ’19 Dala Osborn, ’04, ’07 Kevin Osborn* Cody Ostrum* Kirsten Overgaard* Amanda Pace* Katie Pace, ’04 Taylor Page, ’19 Ronald Paquette, ’75 Janice Park Molloy, ’81, ’86 Dillon Parkhill* Sherry Parks, ’79 Parth Patel, ’19 Jamie Payne, ’95 Brandon Payton, ’02 Erika Payton, ’04, ’14 Dawn Pearce* Jillian Pearce, ’19 Pam Pearsall, ’17 Landen Peeler, ’19

Jim Penn, ’79 John Petersen* John Peterson, ’09, ’14, ’15 Alexandria Petre, ’19 Ryan Petzold, ’17 Karisa Pfeiffer, ’18 Betsi Phillips, ’74 Chad Phillips, ’97 Danny Phillips, ’18 Mike Phillips Sharla Phillips, ’91 Shelley Phillips, ’97 Lauren Pitchford* Maverick Pitchford* Griffin Plew* Robert Poage, ’17 Gabrielle Polakoff, ’17 Destry Pollard, ’19 Lucy Pool, ’19 Claudia Posey, ’08, ’15 George Poulos* Krystina Powell, ’19 Tamara Powell, ’91, ’93 Allison Price* Holden Price, ’19 Sheldon Price, ’19 Jo Ann Prince, ’87 Mike Prince, ’89, ’91 Alyssa Pruitt, ’17 Conner Pruitt, ’17 James Pulliam, ’19 Rachel Puls* William Pyryt, ’19 Steve Rader, ’76 Abigail Ramirez, ’18 Kylee Ramsey, ’19 Michael Ramsey, ’17 Joshua Randolph Jr., ’19 Jacob Raper, ’17 Mitchell Ratke* Allison Ray, ’19 Austin Ray, ’19 Sarah Rechtin, ’19 Brian Reed, ’78 Gwyn Reed Melissa Reed, ’19 Katzee Reese, ’18 Renetta Reeves, ’84, ’89 Shonda ReevesOtakpor, ’94 Kyle Regier* Michaela Reimonenq* Ethan Renner* Blake Retzlaff* Clark Reuter, ’18 Mackenzie Reuter, ’19 Kiah Rhoads, ’19 Paige Richardson, ’19 Christina Richey, ’18 Bradley Rider, ’19 Taylor Rider* Kelly Riebesell, ’18 Sarah Riley, ’19 Alma Rios-Wilson, ’19 Meredith Ritchie* Rachel Ritter, ’19 Jaret Roberto, ’17, ’18 Amy Roberts, ’05 Corey Roberts, ’02, ’08 Ken Roberts Jr., ’97

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Laveda Roberts Megan Roberts, ’09 Katelyn Robinson, ’18 Deborah Roderick, ’82 Mark Roderick, ’82 Amanda Roe, ’07 Timothy Roe, ’09 Alyssa Rogers, ’19 Mercedes Rogers* Nick Rogers, ’19 Stephanie Rojo, ’19 Brenda Rolls, ’84 Mark Rolls Naomi Romero Jason Rooker, ’01 Meegan Rooker, ’01 Alicia Rouse, ’06, ’09 Steven Rouse, ’04 Clint Roush, ’69, ’72, ’78 Pamela Roush, ’69, ’70, ’79 Katherine Rowe, ’83, ’91 Regie Rowe, ’74, ’92 Christopher Royer, ’99, ’07, ’08 Elizabeth Rubio, ’19 Brittany Ruckel, ’19 Justin Rucker, ’19 Samuel Rucks, ’19 Laura Ruiz, ’19 Mason Russell, ’19 Brooke Ryan* Sabrina Ryan* Colton Rychlec-Kelley* Tim Sakabu, ’19 Zach Sales, ’19 Carson Salsbury* Jean Sanders* Brianna Sands, ’19 Camron Sartin* Maria Savino Diaz, ’19 William Schlotthauer* Aspen Schmidt, ’19 Keri Schuller, ’81, ’93 Lindsey Schultheiss Harris, ’09 Austin Schwalk, ’17 Kalley Schwind, ’19 Nicholas Scott, ’19 Courtney Scroggins, ’19 Dominic Seabolt, ’19 M. J. Seals, ’79 Ryan Shahan, ’18 Alexis Shanes, ’17 Hannah Sharpe* Cailey Shaw, ’18 Alexander Shearer, ’16 Alyssa Shearer, ’17 Tara Shelby, ’19 William Sheofee* Katie Shinn, ’07 Taylor Shinn, ’07 Katherine Sholar, ’19 Jordan Short, ’19 Zachary Shreffler, ’10 Daniel Sisco Victorya Sizemore* Jen Slatnick, ’09 Krissy Smeyak, ’98 Alyssa Smith* Dennis Smith

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Emily Smith, ’19 Hailee Smith, ’19 Hugh Smith, ’79 Jeffrey Smith* Jordan Smith, ’19 Kal Smith* River Smith* Rodney Smith Jr., ’17 Sara Smith, ’04 Shelbi Smithton, ’19 Patrick Smittle* Tanner Smoley, ’19 Christopher Snodgress, ’06 Kathrin Sparger, ’17 Chelsi Sparks, ’16 Hailey Spencer, ’19 Dustin Speth, ’01 Amanda Spikes, ’08 Brandon Springer, ’19 Nathan Springer, ’99 Rachael Springer, ’99 Jordan Squire, ’19 Chad Staffileno, ’18 Rachel Stark, ’19 Jenna Steadman* Roger Stephenson Jr., ’19 Barrett Steuart, ’18 Summer Stevens, ’19 Vernon Stevens, ’53, ’70 Garrett Stevenson, ’18 Katey Stewart* Benjamin Stockton, ’19 Tanner Stokes, ’19 Sarah Stoll, ’19 Summer Stolz, ’19 Lindsey Stonegraber, ’19 Courtney Story* Austin Stottlemyre, ’19 Collin Stout, ’19 Janelle Struble* Maci Stuart, ’18 Jean Stubblefield, ’62 Stephen Stumpf* Jamie Surine, ’19 Bailey Sutherlin* Carson Taber, ’19 Shivram Tabibu, ’17 George Tabor, ’05 Abigail Tanner, ’19 Jaclyn Tarrant, ’19 Brooke Taylor, ’08, ’10 Damon Taylor, ’10 Paige Taylor, ’19 Vaneza Taylor-Vazquez* David Teague, ’82 Jennifer Teel, ’18 Matthew Terry, ’14 Connor Thetford, ’19 Andrea Thomas* Brandi Thomas, ’94 Darrell Thomas, ’94 Matthew Thomas* Allison Thompson, ’82 Grace Thompson, ’19 Jasmine Thompson, ’19 Jason Thompson, ’01 Kristen Thompson, ’19 Monica Thompson*

Paul Tikalsky, ’83, ’86, ’89 Keith Tippett, ’72, ’77 Linda Tisdell Len Tontz, ’65, ’73, ’76 Linda Tontz, ’65, ’82 Somer Torres, ’09 Chris Totty, ’19 Matthew Tracy, ’19 Megan Trantham, ’19 Colton Tubbs, ’19 Caitlin Tulloh, ’15 Whitney Turek, ’17 Jack Turner, ’19 Kylee Turner* Pamela Ullrich, ’18 Robin Underhill, ’19 Kristina Unruh* Amanda Upton Emma Vasil, ’19 Brandon Vicknair, ’14, ’17 Barbara Voigt, ’71 Jim Voigt Sr., ’69 Heather Voss, ’01 Jan Voss, ’92 Joseph Voss, ’98, ’03 Melanie Wagner, ’19 Ann Walker, ’19 Cindy Walker, ’86, ’87 Dillon Walker, ’17 Lauren Walker, ’18 Tatum Wallace, ’19 Christian Waller, ’19 Lauren Walley* Carl Walther III, ’84 Taylor Walton, ’19 Rodney Wanger, ’78 Roy Ward, ’11 Regan Watson* Kristin Weaver* Roger Wedel, ’72, ’81 Tracy Weese, ’95 Paige Wekenborg* Kaylee Welch, ’19 Nathanial Welch, ’19 Caleb Westfahl, ’13 Matthew Whalen* Zachariah Whalen, ’19 Chase Wheatley I* Kyle Wheeler* Samantha Whisnant, ’19 LeAnne Whitaker, ’04, ’06 Blake White* Hailey White* Kirsten White, ’19 Madison White, ’18 Patty White, ’93, ’95 Madison Whiteley, ’19 Blake Wieland, ’14 Garrett Wikle, ’16 Devin Wilber* Cheryl Wilborn Chuck Wilborn, ’84 Emily Wilkinson Brady Williams, ’19 Dal Williams* Erin Williams, ’19 James Williams, ’18 Jon Williams*

Madeleine Williams, ’18 Sara Williams, ’89, ’97 Courtney Williamson* Chad Willis, ’05 Jake Willis, ’19 Luke Willson, ’15 Dainyell Wilson, ’97 Jeana Wilson, ’19 Kevin Wilson, ’19 Todd Wilson, ’93 Colton Wimberly, ’19 Heaven Wingard* Brian Wolfe* Kristin Wollam* Becky Womack John Womack, ’73, ’94 Donna Wood Lynn Wood, ’69 Garrett Woodbridge* Zane Word* Hannah Worden* Ashlee Wright, ’19 Trevor Wright, ’19 Calvin Wynn* TJ Yacko* Yeswanth Yaddanapudi, ’17 Allison Yarbrough* Joshua Yates, ’19 Adrienne Young* Dalton Young* Katlyn Young* Lillie Young, ’73, ’79, ’87 Ashley Youngwolfe, ’19 Natalie Ysasaga* Jena Zientek, ’19 Audrey Zinn* Chelsea Zuniga* Mike Zurline, ’79, ’85

PHOTO GARY LAWSON

CHAPTER LEADER PROFILE

Lance Fuller, Tulsa Chapter Lance Fuller knew early on that he wanted to attend Oklahoma State University. “My father had gone to Oklahoma State in the ’60s,” Fuller said. “Growing up, that was the school I always wanted to go to.” And so he did, graduating in 1988 with a degree in management. “I have kept in touch with a number of folks from OSU, and it is always a source of conversation,” Fuller said. “You can always reminisce about what went on, and it is something that ties you together.” Fuller said much has changed on the OSU campus since he attended, and he is proud of how the university has developed. “I get to go back for graduations, sporting events, things at The McKnight Center or Alumni Association meetings,” Fuller said. “It brings home how much I enjoyed my four years and the relationships I built while I was there.”

Fuller first attended a meeting of the Tulsa OSU Alumni Chapter with a friend in 2010 and started volunteering. In 2011, he was selected as a chapter board member. Over the last 10 years, Fuller has been involved with the Tulsa OSU Alumni Chapter in a variety of different leadership roles. He currently serves on the OSU Alumni Association Leadership Council. For Fuller, being able to read scholarship applications for Tulsa area students is one of the coolest things he does. Most applicants talk about how excited they are to attend OSU. “And while you cannot help everyone, you are able to help a number of them,” Fuller said. Fuller encourages all alumni to get involved in their local alumni chapter in some way. For the younger alumni, he encourages sharing ideas in order to help the chapters appeal to the younger generation of alumni.

“Find those folks because you have a bond with them, and you share a common love for this university. Get involved. Help out where you can,” Fuller said. “Just wear your orange and be proud.”

TULSA CHAPTER BY THE NUMBERS 54,510 alumni and friends 4,313 members 3,914 current OSU students from Tulsa 62 miles from Stillwater

Lance Fuller represents the Tulsa OSU Alumni Chapter at the Bedlam Run.

STORY LUCY HODGES | PHOTO COURTESY OF LANCE FULLER

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CHAPTER NEWS

KANSAS CITY A lively group of OSU alumni and friends in Kansas City started the day off right at the chapter’s Cowboy Coffee event in December.

CLEVELAND/MCCLAIN COUNTIES Molly Ratliff (left) and DeCleasha Martin show off their final products from the Cleveland/McClain Counties OSU Alumni Chapter’s I ❤️ Cowboy Cookie Decorating class taught by OSU alumna and Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge participant Lan McCabe.

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TULSA David Nightingale (left) and Richard Burling at the Tulsa OSU Alumni Chapter’s My Heart Bleeds Orange Party. Partygoers were encouraged to write their favorite OSU memory on giant orange sticky notes

STORY WILL CARR | PHOTOS OSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N OKC METRO The OKC Metro OSU Alumni Chapter ended its second Cowboy Brews Cruise at OSU-owned Capitals Ice Cream. Attendees enjoyed a special ice cream called The Strip, which pays homage to OSU and uses orange sherbet.

KAY COUNTY Cowboys and Cowgirls from Kay County built a one-of-a-kind doghouse for a silent auction to benefit the Ponca City Humane Society. The house took inspiration from Bulletâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trailer, Pistol Pete and the OSU Spirit Rider.

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ALUMNI UPDATE

’50s Gabe Martin, ’52 business and public administration science, is celebrating the success of his grandson Damon Ogden, the lead engineer of Boeing’s CST100 Starliner in a collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. John Fasciano, ’54 psychology, has three new greatgrandchildren, along with his 14 grandchildren. He lives with his wife in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Richard Tredway, ’58 architecture studies, ’61 master’s in architecture, and Cherry (Pyron) Tredway, ’61 HEECS, ’92 doctorate in human sciences, celebrated 60 years of marriage with a family gathering past July in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Jerry Carroll, ’58 geophysics, was inducted into the Naval Oceanography Hall of Fame on Dec. 12, 2019, at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Carroll began working at the Naval Oceanographic Office in Washington, D.C., after graduating from OSU. He has helped develop systems used to map the wreckage of nuclearpowered wreckages. Carroll became director of the Naval Oceanographic Office in 1981 and served as special advisor for undersea warfare from 1996 to 2008. Today, he helps organize oceanographic conferences in South America, Asia and Europe, serves on the IEEE USA Energy Policy Committee in Washington, D.C., and the University of Mississippi Gas Hydrates Research Consortium.

’60s

Dennis Logan, ’60 geology, is a retired geologist and married to Judy, who is also a geologist. They have two greatgrandchildren, Mea and Logan. Charlie Cline, ’61 architecture, is a retired architect who has worked in 29 different states, designing some 50 shopping centers and malls, along with many churches.

Laree Hulshoff, ’61 secondary education, ’65 master’s in student personnel and guidance, has founded a nonprofit organization called the Aging Mind Foundation and is honored to work alongside an incredible board to raise funds for Alzheimer’s and dementia research. Kim Ford, ’63 animal science, continues to farm the centennial farm that he has been farming for the last 70 years. Ford is a member of the Carrier Cooperative board and the Garfield County Farm Service Agency committee. Ford also serves as the mayor of Carrier and has been married to George Ann Ford for 47 years. John Ralston, ’65 management, retired from ConocoPhillips as a human resources manager. Linda Davis, ’66 general business, and Harry Davis, ’72 business and public administration, are both retired. William Harrison, ’66 animal science, retired in 2008 after 30 years with Cargill Meat Solutions and moved back to Stillwater in 2014 to be surrounded by his children, grandchildren and OSU activities. Montea Wight, ’67 physical education/health, is enjoying her retirement since 2013 after 45 years in teaching and administration in Oklahoma public schools. She celebrated with birthday cake and turkey for Thanksgiving in Branson, Missouri. Eneth (Randolph) Banks, ’69 accounting, helped her 1969 OSU class celebrate its 50th anniversary. Banks comes from a

family of Cowboys; she expects some of her great-grandchildren to become sixth-generation attendees in a few years. One of her fondest memories was winning an Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College blanket during Homecoming as a freshman. Banks and her son, Michael, have worked together as Banks & Banks, CPA, PC in Stillwater for 30 years, and she works during tax season. Alvin Ward, ’69 business, celebrated 50 years since graduating from the College of Business by visiting the new Spears School of Business during Homecoming in October to receive his 50-year OSU Alumni pin. After retiring from the state of Oklahoma in 2004, Ward enjoys hunting and fishing when he gets the time and jams with his musician friends.

’70s

William Lebo, ’71 management, ’74 master’s in business administration, is still active at age 70 by volunteering in Fort Worth, Texas, pulling illegal street signs and unloading, stocking and delivering groceries at his church. Lebo enjoys seeing so many OSU bumper stickers in North Texas. Walter Wilson, ’71 architecture engineering, received the 2020 Golden Award, the Wisconsin American Institute of Architects’ highest honor. He was the 1971 OSU Alpha Rho Chi medal recipient, a member of the 2011 class of the college of fellows in the American Institute of Architects and the 2020 president of the new Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects.

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ALUMNI UPDATE

Clifford “Lynn” Bowles, ’72 agricultural economics, recently retired after 45 years with Oklahoma Farm Bureau Insurance. He is living in Duncan, Oklahoma, with his wife, Carol. They are enjoying life and running a few head of cattle on his old family farm. Bowles is proud of his son, Austin, who graduated from OSU and was Pistol Pete in 2012 and 2014. Charles Kimball, ’72 sociology, has been awarded the Harley Venters Humanitarian Award by the Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma City for his dedication to improving the lives of others and building interfaith understanding and respect through teaching, outreach and outstanding publications. Len Tontz, ’73 master’s in education, ’76 doctorate in educational administration, and his wife have held football season tickets for over 43 years and are proud of all the Cowboys in their family. Faye Martin Morton, ’74 family relations and child development, received a 2019 Mona Salyer Lambird Spotlight award from the Oklahoma Bar Association Women in Law Committee. Morton has practiced law on behalf of the Oklahoma Department of Securities for 25 years and serves as general counsel and has been an active part of drafting the proposals and rules regarding the Oklahoma Uniform Securities Act of 2004. Morton taught public school for four years before attending law school and is an active member of both the Oklahoma Bar Association and Oklahoma County Bar Association.

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Joseph Westphal, ’74 master’s in political science, has been elected to the Adelphi University Board of Trustees. He served on the board from 2001 to 2009 before stepping away to serve as the undersecretary and chief management officer for the U.S. Army and a U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia. John Brandly, ’75 animal science, retired after 43 years in natural gas pipeline measurement and is looking forward to have more time to spend with his grandsons. James Harwick, ’75 electrical engineer, ’79 management, spent a career in engineering and management and then retired. Harwick wrote a two-volume literary fiction novel under a pseudonym. Charles Henley, ’77 doctorate of osteopathic medicine, was in the first class of what is now the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and has spent over 40 years as an osteopathic physician. He has witnessed many changes in medicine over that time. After graduation and a residency in family medicine, Henley spent 20 years in the Army Medical Corps and seven years as chair of family medicine at OSU. He has also served as the endowed chair for research at OU, founding associate dean of Marian College of Osteopathic Medicine, and now the founding dean of the Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. With several academic appointments in his career, he has always maintained his Oklahoma medical license, lifetime alumni membership and loyalty to his college.

Phil Carlberg, ’78 chemical engineering, ’79 master’s in chemical engineering, is now chief scientist at U.S. Clean Water Technology in Austin, Texas. Mary Etta (Veatch) Campbell, ’79 foreign language, has been married to Dean Campbell for 53 years, has 14 grandchildren, and is retired from teaching and farming.

Roger Gaddis, ’79 accounting, and wife Leigh are celebrating 25 years of service with Gaddis & Gaddis Wealth Management. Derek Hines, ’07 finance, joined the company in 2016 to manage the Durant office and is now a partner with the firm. Gopi Menon, ’79 master’s in chemical engineering, worked for 36 years as a chemical engineer and 10 years as an adjunct professor at the University of Redlands in California before retiring in 2019.

’80s

Vic Doracy, ’80 accounting, ’81 finance, and wife Deborah, ’77 zoology, are both retired and now have two granddaughters. Deidre Waltz, ’85 accounting, has joined Heritage Trust Co. as vice president and relationship manager in the Oklahoma City office. An Oklahoma City native, Waltz brings more than 30 years of diverse trust-based wealth management experience to Heritage. Cara James, ’86 accounting, has been promoted to chief risk officer at Arvest Bank. James previously served as senior vice president and chief compliance officer, a role she held at two other financial institutions before joining

Arvest in 2013. She is both a certified public accountant and certified regulatory compliance manager as well as a member and past chairwoman of the American Bankers Association’s Regulatory Compliance Conference Advisory Board. Karen (Ririe) Distefano, ’87 Spanish, is director of volunteers in mission and disaster response for the south central jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. Wayne Wilczek, ’88 marketing, is director of accounting at the Oklahoma Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. He and his wife, Quen Thurman Wilczek, ’85 sociology, have three sons who are third-generation Cowboys.

’90s

Leigh Goodson, ’90 political science, ’00 doctorate in educational administration, was one of the four recipients of the Fort Hays Alumni Achievement Award during the 2019 Fort Hays Homecoming weekend. Goodson earned her master’s in organizational communication from Fort Hays and worked as an admissions counselor for the university. Trae Gray, ’98 agricultural economics, began 2020 with his firm, Landowner Firm PLLC, being listed on the 2020 Best Law Firms in America list by U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers in energy law in Oklahoma. He has been named to the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list in energy law in Oklahoma. At the end of 2019, Gray was named on the 2019 Super Lawyers list for his practice in the areas of energy and natural resources law, alternative dispute resolution and environmental litigation in Oklahoma. Gray first appeared on the Super Lawyer list as a Rising Star in 2016.

’00s Tracy Aksamit, ’05 theater, recently celebrated over 13 years in human resources at engineering firm AECOM. Darnell Smith, ’06 economics and legal studies, ’08 master’s in natural and applied sciences, is the first director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports program at Texas A&M University — San Antonio. He recently served as the assistant athletic director of compliance at the University of Central Oklahoma. Smith played defensive end at OSU from 2002 to 2006, where he was a threetime recipient of the Arthur Ashe Scholar Award and earned second-team honors on the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American Team. Nathan Huddleston, ’07 construction management technology, has been named a director of the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Huddleston is the vice president of Pope Distributing Co., a family-owned fourth-generation MillerCoors distributorship based in Enid, Oklahoma. After beginning his career at Pope in 2008, he has served in a variety of positions including vice president of sales, brand manager, area manager and sales representative.

’10s

Julie SwaringimGriffin, ’13 human development and family sciences, was recognized as one of 338 Oklahoma NextGen Under 30 honorees. Swaringim-Griffin is director of the TRIO Talent Search program at OSU. She is also pursuing a doctorate in educational psychology, is president of the Educational Psychology Student Society and is teaching an undergraduate inclusion

leadership course. Her goal is to work in administration at a university. Joya Rutland, ’14 strategic communication, is one of four new associates at the Tulsa office of GableGotwals, where she previously worked as a summer associate. Prior to joining the firm, Rutland was a judicial intern for Judge David B. Lewis, vice president of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, and a kindergarten teacher at Teach for America. Rutland received her juris doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where she graduated with honors, competed in the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition and was a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council and the Phi Delta Phi Honor Society. Jesse N. Guardiola, ’15 master’s in teaching, learning and leadership, and the Tulsa Police Department received the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing. Alison Slagell, ’15 agricultural communications, was promoted from U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas’s legislative director to deputy chief of staff. As legislative director, Slagell oversaw all legislative initiative while advising Lucas on policy. Ariel West, ’15 strategic communications, was awarded a NextGen 30 Under 30 award in November. Marissa Foore, ’16 psychology, ’16 sociology, moved from Salina to Topeka, Kansas, and graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, with an education specialist degree.

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ALUMNI UPDATE

Macy Mertens, ’17 agricultural communications, was on track to graduate with her master’s in health care law and policy in December 2019 from Nova Southeastern University.

Addison Ufkes, ’17 agribusiness, started her new position as a donor relations and gift processing specialist in OSU’s POSSE office on July 1, 2019. After her time as a student manager with Cowgirl softball, Ufkes was excited to be back at OSU.

Births Bryce Ward, ’05 agricultural leadership, and Haley (Rader) Ward, ’09 agribusiness and animal science, welcomed son Willis on May 31, 2019. Willis joins 2-year-old big brother Walter. Todd Pierce, ’10 accounting, and wife Katherine welcomed son Mason Alexander on Jan. 3, 2020. Mason joins three older siblings: Chance, Alexis and Aleah. Kelsey Pate, ’12 interior design, and husband Zachary welcomed daughter Janey on Sept. 12, 2019. Janey joined her older sister Josephine. Amanda (Sebring) Hamlett, ’16 sports media, and husband Heath Hamlett, ’14 business, welcomed daughter Adley Mae on Sept. 5, 2019. Adley loves watching OSU football with mom and dad and has already attended her first OSU Homecoming. She cannot wait to go to OSU like her mom and dad did.

Pierce

Friends of OSU Sara Place was recently appointed chief sustainability officer at Elanco Animal Health Inc. She is an expert in livestock sustainability and will serve on a team of scientific experts to identify new opportunities for improving sustainable business practices and operations, boosting the well-being of animals and people impacted by the company and reducing its environmental footprint for protein production. Place recently served as the senior director of sustainable beef production research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and was an assistant professor for sustainable beef production systems in the Department of Animal Science at OSU.

Pate

Hamlett

Ward

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Weddings

Viljoen

Niblett

Green

Holland

Wanzer

Sternberg

Jennifer Sternberg, ’97 Spanish, ’04 MBA, married Andrew Tamayo on Aug. 31, 2019, at the Boston College Connors Center in Dover, Massachusetts, surrounded by family, friends and fellow OSU alumni. The couple now live in Brighton, Massachusetts. Meredith J. (Everett) Brittain, ’98 animal science and agricultural communications, married Jason Brittain on July 19, 2019, in Las Vegas. Elissa (Vogel) Green, ’13 animal science, married Christopher Green on Oct. 5, 2019, at the OSU ConocoPhillips Alumni Center in Stillwater. The couple’s day went perfectly. Stacey Nicole (Stevens) Frye, ’15 marketing, and Marshal Brooks Frye, ’16 accounting and finance, married on May 25, 2019, in Stillwater. They met at OSU. Jessica E. (Krover) Holland, ’16 university studies, married Augustus Holland, ’13 agribusiness, on Oct. 27, 2019, at the Five Oaks Lodge in Jenks, Oklahoma. Gus and Jessica met in Dr. Cooper’s colt-breaking class in 2012 and have been together ever since. The proud OSU alumni are thankful for their love of horses and the Cowboys, which brought them together. Emma (Schemmer) Niblett, ’16 human development and family science, and Trey Niblett, ’16 management, marketing and Spanish, married May 18, 2019, in Norman, Oklahoma, after reconnecting at Oklahoma State University where the couple fell in love, got engaged and spent almost every weekend during football season. Trevor A. Viljoen II, ’07 business administration, and Clara F. Lovelace, ’19 enterprise development, got married Sept. 29, 2019, at the Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, Oklahoma. Kaci Jo Walker, ’16 agricultural communications and animal science, married Blake Walker on Oct. 19, 2019. Kyle Jeffery Wanzer, ’16 construction management and technology, and Sarah Lynn (Bildstein) Wanzer, ’15 sports media, ’17 master’s in mass communication, married on Oct. 20, 2019, at The Springs in Edmond, Oklahoma. After meeting at OSU in 2012, the couple got to know each other through Paddle People and are still involved with the university in various ways.

Frye

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In Memory ’40s Thomas Wright Diehl, ’49 economics, died Oct. 19, 2019, from complications of COPD. Mr. Diehl was born in Stillwater to Daniel and Mary Diehl. While attending Oklahoma A&M, he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and served in the Navy during WWII. He married Elizabeth Rising in 1948. The couple moved to Tulsa, where Mr. Diehl worked for several different companies until starting Diehl Enterprises with his son Dan. In his spare time, he enjoyed working on projects with his son and traveling the world with his wife.

’50s

John Brandenburg, ’51 forestry, died Jan. 14, 2020. He was the former chairman of the Cherokee County (Georgia) Board of Commissioners and a retired three-star U.S. Army general. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and a distinguished military graduate through the Reserve Officer Training Program at OSU. After returning to Canton, Georgia, and retiring from the military in 1984, Gen. Brandenburg spent the rest of his time as a public servant.

’60s

Paul David Sterling Jr., ’63 entomology, ’64 master’s in entomology, ’66 doctorate in entomology, died Oct. 28, 2019, in Maui, Hawaii. He was 78 years old. He was born on July 19, 1941, to Fanny (Ahrens) and Paul David Sterling Sr. on a farm near Chetopa, Kansas. After growing up as a farm kid in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, he graduated from Moore High School in 1959 and became the first in his family to attend college. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from OSU. At OSU, he met and married his wife of 56 years, Mary Belle (Hunt) Sterling, ’64 office administration – secretarial administration. After graduating, he went to work in research for Geigy Agricultural Chemicals. He later moved to Oklahoma City, where he worked for and eventually bought Graham Pest Control. After retiring, Dr. Sterling

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farmed coffee and macadamia nuts on the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. He loved the challenges of tropical agriculture and the friends he made while he and Mary Belle split their time between Kona and Oklahoma City. Dr. Harry Stephen Wohlert, ’64, psychology, ’75 and doctorate in physical education, of Stillwater, died Oct. 29, 2019. He was 84. He was born in Berlin on Feb. 21, 1935, to Stephan and Anna Wohlert. He immigrated to the United States in 1956. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. Following his service, he attended Oklahoma State University for his bachelor’s degree. He went pursued a master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma, where he met his wife of 37 years, Hilde. In 1967, the couple came to Oklahoma State, working as professors in German for nearly 30 years. They developed innovative teaching programs that allowed students to work in Germanspeaking countries as part of the curriculum and pioneered the German by Satellite program, which reached more than 30,000 students across the United States during the 13 years of broadcasting. The program helped rural schools fulfill foreign language teaching requirements by allowing local teachers to supervise in the classroom while Harry and Hilde provided the foreign language curriculum and supporting computer programs. For his efforts, Dr. Wohlert received numerous accolades, including the Noble Endowed Professor of Technology Enhanced Learning at Oklahoma State. While at OSU, he also obtained his doctorate in physical education, pursuing research on the effects of exercise on the heart. He served as president of the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers. Dr. Wohlert is survived by his daughter Christina, son Martin, son-in-law Tim and grandchildren William and Michael.

’70s

Judith Alison Burdge Baze, ’74 home economics, of Hooker, Oklahoma, died Dec. 2, 2018. Born on March 12, 1953, she was the daughter of Lawrence “Jiggs” and Lucille

Lawson Burdge. She graduated from Hooker High School in 1971. After earning her bachelor’s in home economics at OSU, she earned a master’s in home ec from Texas Tech University in 1978 and a master of education from North Texas State University in 1996. In 1977, she married Clifford Baze, who became a Baptist minister. They had two sons, Ryan and Austin. Mrs. Baze worked with special education students in several Texas towns from 1998 until her retirement in 2018. In 2006, the couple moved back to Judi’s childhood home in Hooker to provide in-home care for her mother. Mrs. Baze always found great joy as a daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, and she was especially proud of her grandchildren: Chandler, Hayden, Jade and Hunter.

’90s

Jim Paul Blair, ’94 accounting, died Feb. 11, 2020. He was the son of Jim Blair and Ramona Reed, a Grand Ole Opry performer. Mr. Blair was a talented musical performer who could play anything with strings and had an interest in bluegrass music and western swing. While attending OSU, Mr. Blair played in the Red Valley Barnstormers and became an original member of the Neverly Brothers & the Neverly Hillbillies in 1989. He served at the executive director of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame as well as the CEO and president of the Muskogee Medical Center Authority.

’00s

Danny Hastings, ‘03 master’s in teaching, learning and leadership, died Feb. 10, 2020. He was born Feb. 12, 1951, to Jerry and Darlene Hastings. After graduating from Sooner High School in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in 1969, Mr. Hastings enlisted in the Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego for four years. Mr. Hastings was an educator in the Bartlesville Public School system for 24 years while teaching special education and mentoring the yearbook staff. He had a love for traveling and was a longtime music enthusiast and accomplished musician, releasing almost a dozen albums.

Dr. Robert Provine brought scientific study to laughter Dr. Robert Provine, ’65 psychology, died Oct. 17, 2019, in Baltimore from complications related to nonHodgkin’s Lymphoma at age 76. As a neuroscientist, he brought scientific rigor to the study of laughter, yawns, hiccups and other universal human behaviors that had previously gone largely unexplored. Dr. Provine had spent four decades as a psychology professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County before his retirement in 2013. He continued to teach at the university in recent years as a professor emeritus. He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Psychology Science and the Psychonomic Society. Despite all of his credentials, Dr. Provine embodied the spirit of the scientist who takes pursuits out of the laboratory and into the public square. He was the author of two books, Laughter: A Scientific Investigation (2000) and Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond (2012). Robert Raymond Provine was born in Tulsa on May 11, 1943. His father was a chemist, and his mother was a homemaker. As a high school student, Dr. Provine built telescopes, an endeavor that attracted coverage in local newspapers — his first foray into popular science. “Laughter is part of this universal human vocabulary,” he once told NPR. “Everyone speaks this language. Just as birds of a given species all sing their species’ typical song, laughter is part of our own human song.” He was drawn to the study of laughter, among other behavioral phenomena, in part because he had grown lonely in the laboratory, where he devoted the early years of his career to the study of nerve cells. “I was getting tired of putting electrodes in nerve cells in a windowless room for six- or eight-hour days,” he told the Boston Globe in 2012. “But I was also interested in examining human behaviors using the same kind of rigorous procedures.”

Those procedures, at first, included inviting study participants to sit in a lab and watch episodes of Saturday Night Live or bits by comedians. The setting proved unconducive to laughter and forced Dr. Provine and his colleagues changed course. In what he described as “the spirit of Jane Goodall heading out to Gombe Stream Preserve to study chimpanzees,” he set out on an “urban safari” to observe people laughing in shopping malls and on the street. On one occasion, he wrote, a “large and aggressive woman” mistook him for a store detective. With help from assistant researchers, he observed 1,200 examples of laughter. The team decamped for the acoustic laboratory at the National Zoo in Washington, where they studied recordings of laughter on equipment designed to analyze bird calls. From this research, Dr. Provine drew a number of conclusions. Most fundamental was the observation that laughter usually comes in response not to uproarious humor, but rather to dialogue that he compared to an “interminable television situation comedy scripted by an extremely ungifted writer.” Some laughter might reward a knee-slapping joke, but he found that it serves more often to establish or strengthen bonds between a speaker and the person or people listening. Laughter can be used unkindly, too, to wound or to exclude someone from a group. In other situations, a person may laugh at jokes made by a superior to acknowledge that person’s authority. Outside the confines of a comedy club, people who are speaking tend to laugh more than their interlocutors. Women, Dr. Provine found, laugh more at men than men laugh at women. Only when a man was speaking to a woman did the person listening laugh more than the person speaking. He described laughter as an “honest social signal because it’s hard to fake.”

“We’re dealing with something powerful, ancient and crude,” he once told The New York Times. “It’s a kind of behavioral fossil showing the roots that all human beings, maybe all mammals, have in common.” A reporter for The Washington Post once asked Dr. Provine about the reaction he received from dinner party guests when he told them the subjects of his scientific inquiry. “Everyone always seems interested,” he said. “Then they ask if I am observing them.” If he wasn’t, he added, he “wouldn’t be a good scientist.” “I think the only way to be successful, whether you are doing science or running a restaurant, is that you have to be totally engaged in what you’re doing,” Dr. Provine said. “You can’t turn it on and off.” The Washington Post and The New York Times contributed to this story.

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