CECIL O’Brate

Cecil O’Brate attended what was then known as Oklahoma A&M College from 194648 and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from OSU in 2018.

As a child of the Great Depression, he worked diligently to provide for his family. During the time spent at his grandparents’ farm in Hamilton County, Kansas, he met the love of his life, Frances Cole. The two of them have been married for 75 years. Along with meeting Frances, he also discovered his love for farming and ranching.

While working on the farm, O’Brate saved money for college. In 1946, he headed to Stillwater to attend OAMC and study structural engineering. Two years into his degree, he was given the opportunity to farm 3,000 acres alongside his grandfather and ultimately decided to put college aside.

After years as a farmer and rancher, O’Brate purchased Palmer Manufacturing and Tank Company. O’Brate bought the company when it had only two employees and a few pieces of equipment, but he turned it into a business with millions of dollars in annual sales. After selling in 2013, O’Brate repurchased the company in 2018 and is still in the tank manufacturing business today.

In addition to owning Palmer, he began investing in oil and gas in 1984, which resulted in American Warrior Inc., one of the largest independent oil and gas producers in Kansas.

O’Brate has donated to numerous charities to help those less fortunate, often focusing on children. In 2013, the O’Brate Foundation was established to provide college scholarships and life skills training for students who are graduates of the foster care system or from households with income below the poverty level. Since then, the O’Brate Foundation has provided over $6 million in scholarships to approximately 600 students.

In 2018, O’Brate donated $35 million to OSU Athletics for the new baseball facilities that now bear his name.

Now at 94, Cecil and Frances O’Brate reside in Garden City, Kansas, and are proud parents of four boys: Patrick, Michael, Steve and Mark; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Most recently, he has focused on development in his community of Garden City.