ALUMNI UPDATE
’50s Michael R. Jones, ’51 zoology, said goodbye to the love of his life, Ruth S. Jones, on April 13, 2019. The couple raised seven children and had 15 grandchildren and 11 greatgrandchildren. Their greatgranddaughter, Callie Ulm Gruenwald, graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s in psychology in 2009 and a master’s in counseling in 2021. Their niece, Courtney Jones, attended OSU and majored in engineering.
’60s Phil Stout, ’63 business, started an equity position in January 2021 with SunState Labs, the maker of Dazz Cleaning Tablets, a sustainable brand in household consumer products. Shelagh M. Curtin, ’64 zoology, celebrated her 80th birthday by visiting the Stillwater campus, bringing back memories of her time as a student. Though the campus has changed a lot since she attended, Curtin was still able to find her way around. The Edmon Low Library, Life Science buildings, Physical Science and Student Union are all still in the same places, as well as Theta Pond and her old residence, Stout Hall. After visiting campus, Curtin and her family ate at Eskimo Joe’s and headed back to Tulsa. Richard Gardner Engel ’67 mechanical engineering, is a 77-year-old alumnus living in California. He is proud of his daughter, who is interested in attending MIT in the late Dean Karl Reid’s honor. David A. Hall, ’69 mechanical engineering, was welcomed to GableGotwals as a litigation attorney in the Tulsa office.
He will focus on complex commercial litigation, including employment lawsuits, insurancerelated matters and white collar and government investigations. Previously, Hall worked for an international law firm in Chicago covering a variety of matters. He received his law degree from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where he was articles editor of Northwestern Law Review and president of the Native American Law Students Association.
’70s Dennis Skaggs, ’71 agricultural economics, retired in 2019 after 48 years of banking. Cheryl Marrs, ’74 secondary education, ’80 master’s in education, ’90 Ed.D., is mourning the loss of Fox Wood III, her former father-in-law, who died March 4, 2021. He attended OSU for one year as a graduate student. Patty J. Fisher Dixon, ’75 recreation, was elected vice mayor for a third consecutive year by her Sand Springs Council colleagues. In September 2019 at the Oklahoma Municipal League Conference in Tulsa, the Women in Municipal Government Committee presented Dixon with the inaugural award of Woman of the Year for communities with more than 5,000 in population. Steven Phillip Elwart, a ’75 chemical engineering and life member, retired July 9, after a 45-year career in the energy industry. Elwart served as director of systems engineering at Ergon Refining Inc. in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He plans to spend his time in retirement as a hospice counselor and energy consultant. Pam Street, ’75 elementary education, retired as a diagnostician and now lives in Willis, Texas, with her husband,
John, ’76 chemical engineering, ’77 master’s in chemical engineering. Pam is a dyslexia therapist and continues to work with students virtually. John Thomas Altland, ’76 psychology, ’77 master’s, is the pastor at Jefferson Avenue United Methodist Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Marcus B. Whitt II, ’76 corrections, and his wife moved to Morristown, Tennesee, in July 2021. They purchased a new Harley Davidson trike for trips back to Oklahoma. John Joseph Garvey, ’77 history, has made it into print. Author Chris Rodell of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, included Garvey’s story as Chapter 15 in his latest book, Arnold Palmer, Homespun Stories of the King. The author wrote that Garvey is one of Arnold Palmer’s fans who believed Latrobe was a mystical place even after Palmer died in September 2016. Garvey’s journey to Palmer’s hometown was a little like a pilgrimage to a holy city. He met Palmer a couple of times at golf tournaments in Oklahoma, once in 1962 and again in 1986.
’80s Michael G. Zahler, ’80 EET, has been with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Dallas for 40 years. His education at OSU prepared him for a successful career in missile electronics design and his current role as a senior program manager. Aaron Spencer Fogleman, ’81 history and German, is a distinguished research professor in history at Northern Illinois University, where he teaches courses, directs dissertations and writes books and articles about the Atlantic world and early America. He lives in Batavia, Illinois, with his family.
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