STATE Magazine, Spring 2010 by Oklahoma State

SPRING 2010 Photo / Gary Lawson

Shaping the Future Oklahoma businessman C. Hubert Gragg has spent a lifetime developing friendships, promoting leadership and building national and international businesses.

C. Hubert Gragg, center, stands with, from left: Goldwater Scholar Renee Hale, Udall Scholar Alesia Hallmark, Wentz Scholar Mark Nelson, Udall Scholar Lauren White and Udall Scholar Jeremy Bennett.

In honor of his decades-long friendship with the late governor and U.S. senator Henry Bellmon, Gragg has donated $1 million to the Henry Bellmon Scholarship Endowment and the Henry Bellmon Program Endowment at OSU. Gragg shares Bellmon’s belief that OSU’s top scholars deserve educational opportunities that prepare them to become global-minded leaders equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow. His gift helps ensure Bellmon’s vision lives on.

vol. 5, no. 3

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SPring 2010, Vol. 5, no. 3 httP://Statemagazine.org

Welcome to the spring 2010 issue of STATE magazine, your source of information from the OSU Alumni Association, the OSU Foundation and University Marketing. Our cover mosaic represents the students, faculty, programs and facilities that will benefit from OSU’s $1 billion campaign designed to position OSU as one of the nation’s premier land-grant universities. Read more about this historic undertaking on pages 54-66. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions for future stories.

A Closer Look The new Center for Oklahoma Studies will illuminate the state’s history, culture and current affairs.

Veterans Seize the Day Entrepreneurship program empowers military veterans who dream of starting their own businesses.

Seniors of Significance OSU honors these top seniors for their excellence in scholarship, leadership and community service.

Cowboys on the Move Alumnus teams with the Seretean Wellness Center to advance the late Bud Seretean’s vision of a healthy campus.

Impact Tulsa OSU-Tulsa raises funds to accelerate higher education opportunities for Tulsa-area students.

Orange Door No matter where OSU alumni live, the Orange Door Business Network can connect them with Cowboy professionals and business owners in their vicinity.

for OSU-Oklahoma City.

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Before the sudden death of creative writing professor Ai Ogawa in March, the internationally known poet discussed her writings and her latest award, the 2009 U.S. Artists Award Ford Fellowship in Literature.

Business Leader CEO and alum Rick Darnaby explains to graduating seniors the importance of the new Conceptual Age.

17 A Cowgirl for All Seasons

Ramona Paul’s love of learning and affection for OSU began when she was just a child.

Back in Class A generous scholarship at just the right time enables this out-of-state student to continue his education.

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24 Dean and Carol Stringer have a soft spot in their hearts

Caring Couple

Behind the Words

A Woman of Consequence If academe were an Olympics event, Regents Professor Barbara Stoecker would wear gold.

Alumni Hall of Fame The OSU Alumni Association honors these outstanding alumni for their social and professional achievements.

54 OSU launches a bold $1 billion campaign to fund scholarships, faculty support, facility improvements and program enhancements. $1 Billion Goal

Boone Pickens’ Astounding Gift

Couple Co-Chairs Campaign

Relive the Launch

What Does Success Look Like?

A Look Back

A Classy Reminder Craftsmanship shines during the intricate, hands-on process of creating each and every Official OSU Class Ring.

Honor, Duty & Alma Mater Army Staff Sgt. Lorena Brand is proud to represent OSU in the Big 12 Conference’s military salute.

Puppy Love Exceptional care for his dog Kovu inspires this marketing alum to support OSU’s veterinary medicine program.

The OSU Food and Agricultural Products Center donates meat and other perishable foods to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Mardi Gras, OSU-Style Engraved details prevent a class ring from becoming a mardi gras souvenir.

Misty Maples’ older brother encouraged her to dream about attending college, and now a generous donor’s endowed scholarship keeps the dream alive.

The Science of Laughter The study of laughter is no laughing matter for neuroscientist and alumnus Bob Provine.

Changing Lives At 100, Lola Lehman’s generous spirit continues to help countless students.

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FM with IQ KOSU’s chief engineer keeps the public radio station at the forefront of the ever-changing world of broadcasting.

The Spoils of War

species sound surprisingly similar when metabolic factors are compared equally.

Unique Encouragement

Oklahoma’s Sesquicentennial Commission recruits OSU history instructor to recreate Civil War battles.

Giving Back

Calls & Drawls 76 Scientists discover that different illuStration / graPhic deSign Senior katherine Shirley

War Games

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The world clamored to obtain Germany’s industrial and scientific assets after World War II. But sometimes, the booty wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

Departments

President’s Letter

Crossword

STATEment

FM with IQ

Letters to the Editor

Classnotes

Campus News

O-STATE Stories

104

Chapters

History

110

When you see this logo, go to orangeconnection.org to view behind-the-scenes video and extras about the article. this member-only benefit is brought to you by the oSU alumni association.

Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letter

By now I hope you have heard about the launch of our $1 billion Branding Success campaign. It is an endeavor that will transform Oklahoma State University and put much-needed resources behind our vision of becoming one of the premier modern land-grant universities in the country. It is an audacious but achievable goal. In fact, thanks once again to the enormous generosity of Boone Pickens, we are more than halfway there. We are fortunate to have Ross and Billie McKnight, two of our most accomplished and dedicated graduates, leading the campaign. Many others have already stepped up, but there is much work to do. I hope you will consider what you can do as we seek funds for students, faculty, programs and facilities. Branding Success is the perfect name for our effort. Our brand really is success at OSU. This is evident by the achievements of our faculty and students as well as the impact our graduates in every field are having around the world. You can read about many outstanding members of the OSU family in this issue of STATE, including two remarkable individuals who passed away earlier this year. We were saddened in April by the death of Ed Roberts, who is credited by many as the inventor of the personal computer. Roberts, who earned an engineering degree from OSU, hired Bill Gates and Paul Allen to create software for his device, giving the pair their start and helping launch Microsoft. Gates rushed to Edâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bedside, and both paid their respects in his final months. OSU also lost an esteemed faculty member in March when creative writing professor Ai Ogawa died unexpectedly. She was a nationally acclaimed poet who touched the lives of her students as well as readers worldwide through her skillful handling of many difficult subjects. I hope you enjoy the many stories of OSU success (or, as I prefer, OSUccess) in the following pages. Thanks for your commitment to OSU. Go Pokes!

Burns Hargis OSU President

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MORE THAN IN FEBRUARY, THE OSU STUDENT FOUNDATION RAISED

COWBOY SPIRIT: BATTLE $33,000 FOR STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS THROUGH THE NEARLY 600 PEOPLE OF THE BANDS 2010. WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK NSORS WHO MADE THIS WHO PURCHASED CONCERT TICKETS AND OUR SPO ATIONS. EVENT POSSIBLE THROUGH THEIR GENEROUS DON

ALLEGRA PRINT AND IMAGING ATHERTON HOTEL CAROLINE DIEDRICH MICHAEL & ANNE GREENWOOD HIDEAWAY

JOHN & CAROLINE LINEHAN OSU FOUNDATION OSU STUDENT AFFAIRS STILLWATER NATIONAL BANK TUMBLEWEED

s tat e

Dear OSU Alumni and Friends, Springtime is special at OSU. The days grow longer and warmer. The flowers display their dazzling colors in the Formal Gardens and Theta Pond. And the excitement of graduation fills in the air. We congratulate all the spring 2010 graduates as well as their families. As our newest alumni take their first steps into the future, we wish them the best of luck. We hope they will stay connected to the friends they have made and to their alma mater. No matter where they go, we invite them and all alumni to take advantage of the OSU Alumni Association’s new Orange Door Business Network (see story on page 22), designed to connect alumni to the businesses in their area owned and operated by fellow Cowboys. We encourage you to visit the OSU campus this summer and bring a prospective student or two. Many students and alumni say experiencing OSU’s renowned friendliness and beautiful campus firsthand clinched their decision to attend OSU. This is certainly an exciting time for OSU. In February, we publicly launched the $1 billion Branding Success: The Campaign for Oklahoma State University. This campaign will transform OSU by helping fulfill its potential as one of the nation’s premier land-grant institutions. In a little more than two years, we have already received gifts and commitments of more than $537 million thanks to the incredible generosity of our alumni and friends. When we reach our goal, OSU will no longer be a university that prides itself in doing more with less, and instead become one that does even more with more. Consider OSU’s incredible success since its founding in 1890. Now think about what we can accomplish with dramatically increased funding for students, faculty, facilities and programs. It is very difficult to overstate the impact of this campaign on our future. To learn more about accomplishments already made en route to our goal and how you can help, visit OSUgiving.com.

Kirk A. Jewell President and CEO OSU Foundation

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Larry Shell President OSU Alumni Association

Kyle Wray Associate VP for Enrollment Management & Marketing

Are your legacies a part of this OSU family? If your legacy is not registered with the OSU Alumni Association, they are missing out on all of these great opportunities:

• Grandparent University • Legacy Day at Student Alumni Board Leadership Conference • Gifts from Pistol Pete • Camp Cowboy Scholarship • And Much More...

To register your legacy and become a part of this OSU family, visit orangeconnection.org/legacyform.

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater,O K7 4078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 • FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

letters

UnIvERSITy MARkETInG kyle Wray / ASSOCiAtE ViCE PRESidEnt OF EnROLLMEnt MAnAgEMEnt & MARKEting

Janet Varnum, eileen Mustain, Matt elliott & rachel Sheets / EditORiAL

Paul V. Fleming, austin hillard, Valerie kisling, Matt lemmond & Mark Pennie / dESign Phil Shockley & gary lawson / PHOtOgRAPHy Jessa Zapor-gray / PHOtO COORdinAtOR lex Meyer / WEB university Marketing office / 121 Cordell, Stillwater, OK 740788031 / 405.744.6262 / www.okstate.edu (web) / editor@okstate. edu, osu.advertising@okstate.edu (e-mail) O S U A L U M n I A S S O C I AT I O n rex horning / CHAiRMAn Paul cornell / ViCE CHAiRMAn Jerry Winchester / iMMEdiAtE PASt CHAiRMAn dan gilliam / tREASURER Burns hargis / OSU PRESidEnt, nOn-VOting MEMBER larry Shell / PRESidEnt, OSU ALUMni ASSOCiAtiOn, nOn-VOting MEMBER

kirk Jewell / PRESidEnt, OSU FOUndAtiOn, nOn-VOting MEMBER

John allford, cindy Batt, larry Briggs, Brian diener, P a m M a r t i n , r o n d a M c ko w n , r o g e r M c M i l l i a n , Joe Merrifield, ramona Paul, gwen Shaw, nichole trantham & ron Ward / BOARd OF diRECtORS Pattie haga / ViCE PRESidEnt And COO lora Malone / ViCE PRESidEnt And CPO Melissa Mourer / diRECtOR OF COMMUniCAtiOnS kathryn Bolay-Staude & chase carter / COMMUniCAtiOnS

STATE Magazine Goes Green Many OSU alumni have expressed an interest in going green while staying connected to orange. the OSU Alumni Association now offers life members and others with current annual memberships the option of foregoing the printed version of STATE magazine in favor of reading it online. to discontinue receiving the printed magazine or to sign up for e-mail notifications of each new online STATE issue, log on to orangeconnection. org/STATE. Log in with your username and password or register first with your Alumni Association id number. your delivery preference will take effect for the fall edition. For more information, contact the Alumni Association at 405-744-5368 or info@orangeconnection.org.

COMMittEE

201 conocoPhillips oSu alumni center / Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 / 405.744.5368 / orangeconnection.org (web) / info@ orangeconnection.org (e-mail) O S U F O U n DAT I O n Barry Pollard / CHAiRMAn OF tHE BOARd kirk a. Jewell / PRESidEnt And CHiEF ExECUtiVE OFFiCER Patricia Moline / ViCE PRESidEnt FOR dEVELOPMEnt Brandon Meyer / ViCE PRESidEnt & gEnERAL COUnSEL donna koeppe / ViCE PRESidEnt OF AdMiniStR AtiOn & tREASURER

Jamie Payne / SEniOR diRECtOR OF HUMAn RESOURCES

STATE magazine wants to know what’s on your mind. Please take a moment to complete our online survey so we can better serve your needs in future issues. Visit http://statemagazine.org

SARA IS A STAR! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Sara Roberts’ life as an OSU student. (“A Day in the Life of a Student,” Winter 2009, page 23). As a member of the Kiwanis Club in Sara’s hometown of Weatherford, Okla., I know Sara was very active in the high school Key Club on many levels. I was especially glad to see that she is active in OSU’s Circle K International club and other service organizations. I am not surprised at all! Sara is a star and we are very proud of her. Keep up the good work! Go POKES! Bruce M. Belanger ’84, international business management Weatherford, Okla.

CORRECTIOn In the essay “Fighting in Iraq and Beyond,” (Winter 2009) the essay should have stated 2nd Lt. Luke James was killed by a roadside bomb Jan. 27, 2004. STATE regrets the error. STATE magazine welcomes your letters. information will be edited for length, clarity and style. Please include your year of graduation, major and a daytime phone number. Send letters to 121 Cordell, OSU, Stillwater, OK 74078 or editor@okstate.edu.

gene Batchelder, Monty Butts, Jerry clack, Bryan close, charlie eitel, ellen Fleming, Michael greenwood, Jennifer grigsby, david holsted, rex horning, don humphreys, kirk a. Jewell, griffin Jones, Steven Jorns, david kyle, John linehan, ross Mcknight, Bill Patterson, Bond Payne Jr., Barry Pollard, Scott Sewell, larry Shell, William S. Spears, Jack Stuteville, kim Watson & dennis White / BOARd OF tRUStEES B e c k y e n d i c o t t / S En i O R d i R ECtO R O F M A R K E t i n g & COMMUniCAtiOnS

Jac o b lo n g a n, a b by Fox, ch ri s lew i s, Jo n ath a n Mccoy, leesa Wyzard, katy Brown & heather holmes / COMMUniCAtiOnS

oSu Foundation / 400 South Monroe, P.O. Box 1749 / Stillwater, OK 74076-1749 / 800.622.4678 / OSUgiving.com (web) / info@ OSUgiving.com (e-mail) STATE magazine is published three times a year by Oklahoma State University, the OSU Alumni Association and the OSU Foundation, and is mailed to current members of the OSU Alumni Association. Magazine subscriptions available by membership in the OSU Alumni Association only. Membership cost is $45. Postage paid at Stillwater, OK, and additional mailing offices.

this publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Assistant director University Marketing, was printed by Royle Printing at a cost of $1 per issue. 38,370/May ’10/#3247.

Photo / gary laWSon

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with the title Vi and Vii of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, title ix of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age religion, disability or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. this includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. title ix of the Education Amendments and Oklahoma State University policy prohibit discrimination in the provision or services or beliefs offered by the University based on gender. Any person (student, faculty of staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based on gender may discuss their concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of the title ix with the OSU title ix Coordinator, the director of Affirmative Action, 408 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, (405) 744-5371 or (405) 744-5576 (fax).

ALUMnI GROUPS

Now you can join an Internet group comprised of other OSU alumni who share your interests, major,

year of graduation or other similarities.

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here’s no question that Facebook has become the most dominant social network in existence. It has more than 400 million members from nearly every country of the world and grows by more than 500,000 people a day. But how many of those people are you going to know from Oklahoma State? Thanks to several new tools on the Alumni Association’s orangeconnection.org website, you can enjoy all the benefits of Facebook in a community filled only by loyal and true OSU graduates and supporters. The first new tool is called Groups, and it caters to your history at OSU better than any Facebook group ever could. It scans your profile and academic record for key identifiers such as your major, class year and career. Then when you log in, it suggests you might want to join the “Class of 1971” group or the “Accounting” group, for example. Some groups are pre-populated based on your profile, beginning with your location. More than half of all OSU alumni live within 50 miles of an OSU alumni chapter or watch club. The Alumni Association automatically puts you in the chapter group closest to you so you can immediately begin interacting with alumni in your area. In the near future, chapter leaders will also be able to use the Groups tool to contact you about upcoming events.

Want to start your own group? Go right ahead! Members can create their own groups based on any topic and invite other members of the OSU community to join and interact. Just like Facebook, each group has its own “wall” where members can post stories, pictures, videos and links, which will appear in a live feed. Group members also have their class notes displayed on the group homepage and can chat live with other members online at any given time. The best part is you don’t have to drop your Facebook account to use the groups. In fact, you can use orangeconnection.org’s second new tool, FacebookConnect, to automatically display your Facebook profile picture to group members so you can easily be recognized. To begin interacting with alumni in your area or with your interests, go to orangeconnection.org/groups. You will need to log in with a username or register with your membership ID (located above your mailing address on this magazine) to see what groups are available to you. if you have questions about these new tools, contact Chase Carter at 405-744-2066 or chase.carter@okstate.edu.

CamPUs news

Procedure Offers New Hope Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease may qualify for OsU clinical trial.

3 Million& Counting It’s not every day you come across several million of anything, but the OSU library now boasts 3 million volumes. “Our collection is growing quickly,” says Sheila Grant Johnson, dean of libraries. “Thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library, we made some major acquisitions in the past year.” The library reached its 1 millionth book in 1971 and commemorated the milestone by adding a collection of the writings of Will Rogers. Twenty-eight years later, in 1999, the library reached 2 million volumes and marked the occasion by purchasing Henry Rowe Schoolcraft’s Indian Tribes of the United States with a $10,000 gift from Joe and Adeanya Hunt. Now, just a decade later, the OSU library has reached 3 million volumes and plans to celebrate with another special addition to the library collection. “We hope to add a fine first edition of John Hope Franklin’s 1947 From Slavery to Freedom,” Johnson says. The volume has a strong connection to Oklahoma and will be a prestigious addition to the collection. “Not only is Franklin a notable Oklahoman, but his work on the history of African-Americans also would be a highlight in OSU’s collection of materials on the black experience in America.” In the coming months, the OSU library will look to its generous supporters for assistance in procuring a commemorative volume of this nature. To contribute to the purchase of the 3 millionth volume, contact George Wendt, OSU Foundation, at 405-385-5125 or gwendt@OSUgiving.com.

the OSU Medical Center and the OSU Center for Health Sciences will partner in a clinical research study for people with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease. the trial will involve a novel medical device known as an Anastomotic Coupler System. the small, alloy metal implant creates a connection between a specific artery and vein to allow more Nader oxygenated blood to quickly return to the lungs. it’s intended for patients who use supplemental oxygen due to significant shortness of breath. Potential benefits may include improved breathing and exercise capacity, the ability to walk farther and an improved quality of life. OSU Medical Center is one of only nine sites nationwide selected to host the clinical trial, sponsored by ROx Medical inc. the other sites, including the University of California’s Los Angeles Medical Center, are large metropolitan areas. “OSU was chosen because of the experience and reputation in pulmonary device trials of dr. daniel nader, medical director of the Center for Respiratory Medicine,” says Jan Slater, OSU Medical Center chief executive officer. nader, who was involved in the successful implant of Oklahoma’s first recipient in december 2009 and continues to monitor the patient’s progress, is assistant professor of internal medicine and principal investigator of the OSU Center for Health Sciences. to qualify for the trial and procedure, patients must be diagnosed with advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease, complete a course of pulmonary rehabilitation and undergo several medical tests. Half of the trial group will receive the implant, while the other half will be assigned to a control group and continue only their medical therapy. Patients who participate in the control group for one year may be eligible to receive the implant if they still qualify. Enrollment in the clinical trial called the WALK trial continues until summer 2010. For more information, visit http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ and type “emphysema Oklahoma” in the search box, or call the OSU Physician’s Center for Respiratory Medicine at 918-584-5336.

John Steinbeck’s depiction of the Depression Era-migrant workers in The Grapes of Wrath swept across the national consciousness like an Oklahoma prairie fire. It burned away other images of Oklahomans and left behind the charred term “Okie.” A word once used solely to refer to the state’s residents became a generalized pejorative descriptor of Oklahomans. like Steinbeck’s novel, kindles ambivalence among Oklahomans. Some wear the label with pride, associating it with loyal, hardworking, friendly people, while others cringe at its use, particularly by non-residents. Everyone mounts a defense of some type. Still, the word lingers and with it the negative perception of Oklahomans as poor, uneducated, indigent farm workers. Oklahomans have been trying to overcome the Steinbeck image for 70 years, yet how Oklahomans perceive themselves and the effects of those views remain largely unknown. Who are Oklahomans? How do they think? What forces shaped their perceptions? How do their perceptions influence policy — essentially, what makes an Oklahoman an Oklahoman? Finding answers to these questions stimulates numerous research opportunities, many of them multidisciplinary. But until now, there has been no place to gather information about ongoing university research, exchange ideas or form collaborations — no clearinghouse for Oklahoma studies.

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OSU Library Dean Sheila Johnson, along with Carol Moder, chair of OSU’s English Department, and History Professor Elizabeth Williams, proposed a new Center for Oklahoma Studies “to illuminate the state’s history, culture and current affairs.” Their plan recommends specialized studies in Oklahoma history and dialects to work in tandem with the library’s oral history project. In support, the College of Arts & Sciences has hired two new faculty members to develop the proposal: Western historian Ron McCoy and Dennis Preston, an expert in sociolinguistics and dialectology. The library recruited Mary Larson, anthropologist and oral history specialist, who will assume leadership of the library’s Oklahoma Oral History Research Program. “People in Oklahoma are like a mosaic,” says McCoy, who is currently researching Lakota winter counts and the painted tipis and shield designs of the 19th-century Kiowa. “Put it all together, and you start getting a very multifaceted picture of Oklahoma — a complex history. By bringing people and ideas together, the center becomes a way the university can contribute to the overall culture, to an overall awareness and appreciation of one of the most diverse heritages a state could possibly have,” he says. “Culturally and ethnically, Oklahoma has been at a crossroads long before statehood. We need to learn where we are. How we got here, and maybe where we’re going to go. Many people aren’t particularly aware of how diverse Oklahoma is or the tremendous strength and opportunity that come from this diversity.”

“The way people talk reveals their history, perceptions, values, even their future,” Preston says. Nowhere is that study more exciting than Oklahoma, which “is at enormous linguistic crossroads” as well. Oklahomans’ speech is both diverse and distinct. Although influenced by bordering states, it differs from other regional dialects and even from section to section within the state, he says. “What makes Oklahomans distinctive from a linguistic point of view? And what does that tell us about the way Oklahomans perceive themselves and the way they think,” he asks. “In one study, more than half say Oklahomans’ speech is most similar to Southern speech. Is that because of the vocabulary, grammar and vowel sounds, or does it have more to do with perception?” Preston explores these questions along with others about dialect differences among Oklahomans: “Do those living in the Panhandle sound like those living in Little Dixie? What is language like in the state’s small, immigrant and AfricanAmerican communities?” While McCoy and Preston’s credentials lend prominence to the Oklahoma studies project, their role as co-directors involves more than their individual research. “Ron and I want to go beyond history, English and the library to engage other departments and facilitate cross-disciplinary research,” says Preston, who already envisions collaborative projects with cultural geography, experimental psychology and artists. “We want to get people from other departments involved. We want to bring together people who are interested in Oklahoma but who haven’t shared information before.”

The Center for Oklahoma Studies will facilitate information flow, McCoy says. “It’s as if building a bee colony that adds to itself as it goes along — just as Preston’s dialect studies bring in history and psychology. By bringing in new perspectives and letting them ferment, calling attention to an area and drawing in resources, a rounded, fuller picture emerges.” Johnson says the library’s main emphasis will be expanding the oral history programs. Larson, who has experience in creating oral history research programs, will work collaboratively with other faculty to teach students oral history methodology that meets national standards. As a repository, the library plans to make interviews widely available through the Internet. The emphasis on oral history also involves reaching out to communities, another crucial element in its development. “Since this is for Oklahoma studies, it’s not just to engage the interest of academics. We want to engage people outside academe,” Preston says. “The center will be doomed if it doesn’t have a very strong outreach component so that Oklahomans are engaged in it and by it.” As it matures, the co-directors expect the center will provide resources for teachers as well as presentations for the public. “Ten years from now I see it bringing together faculty and students from across campus to identify, study and preserve Oklahoma’s vibrant culture, history and ethnic and linguistic diversity,” Johnson says. “We have much to be proud of including some very talented and successful Oklahomans who have made wonderful contributions to music, theater, arts, dance, commerce — in all areas actually.” Perhaps it is time to retire the “Okie” image.

ike many people, Mike West had aspirations of owning his own business, and in 1990, his desire came to fruition when he formed MRW Group, a human capital and talent acquisition consulting firm specializing in executive search, career management and recruitment consulting services. And, like many business owners, West soon discovered ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu was correct when he claimed “opportunities are multiplied as they are seized.” Taking advantage of such an opportunity, West is a participant in OSU’s newly established Veterans Entrepreneurship Program. VEP is an entrepreneurial training program aimed at empowering veterans and equipping them with the resources they need to turn their business ideas into workable business models, helping them

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create their own companies and making their ventures sustainable. “I knew I was going to learn a lot when I heard the program was being held at OSU and taught by such reputable faculty,” West says. “Although I’m not an OSU alum, because of this program, I will always be a Cowboy.” VEP is presented by the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship and School of Entrepreneurship in OSU’s Spears School of Business and offers a three-stage learning experience that provides business support and resources for veterans of the U.S. military to launch or expand their own businesses. Participants complete an online self-study session and an intense eight-day on-campus bootcamp, followed by 10 months of mentoring and support from VEP faculty members and volunteer entrepreneurs. The creators of OSU’s VEP program, Michael Morris and Nola Miyasaki,

Photo / gary laWSon

helped launch a similar program at Syracuse University. Now, as head of OSU’s School of Entrepreneurship and director of OSU’s Riata Center for Entrepreneurship, respectively, Morris and Miyasaki have created a program at OSU that empowers veterans by providing them access to resources and instruction from elite entrepreneurship educators from around the country. Arguably the most impressive aspect of VEP is that the entire program — transportation, accommodation, books, food and instruction — is provided free to participants. OSU alumni and supporters have rallied around the program and donated thousands of dollars to help make it possible. “I believe we owe it to these veterans who have paid such a price in serving their country,” says Morris, a veteran himself. “The whole idea is to empower veterans and to show them a path forward that centers on entrepreneurship.” Joe Perez, a participant from San Antonio, says the program came at just the right time for him and because the costs are covered, VEP is nothing short of a blessing. Last year, Perez had a rewarding job managing his family’s business, but

VEP participants (front row, from left) Joe Perez, Tiffany Mansfield and Mike West learn from Spears School faculty members and VEP program organizers (back row, from left) Michael Morris and Nola Miyasaki. “It was great preparation for the resident course,” Mansfield says. “At the resident course, we’ve fostered some great relationships and we’ve helped each other out along the way. At the end, we’ll be

“The whole idea is to empower veterans and to show them a path forward that centers on entrepreneurship.” suddenly decided he wanted to start his own business. Two days later, he received a call about the program and decided to seize the opportunity. “Everyone says they want to help veterans coming out,” Perez says. “But OSU actually has a program in place that enables returning soldiers to start businesses. That is impressive.” Tiffany Mansfield, a participant who plans to publish an electronic magazine for young professionals and veterans, is excited about the support system the program creates among participants. She says the online portion allows participants to think more in-depth about their businesses and correspond with others to further develop their businesses.

able to encourage, network and pass on information to each other.” VEP is not only helping participants, but it is also making an impact on those working in the program. Jon Wiese, Riata distinguished professor of entrepreneurial practice in the Spears School and VEP instructor, says it has been humbling to see the program develop because of the caliber of the instructors and participants. “I was honored when I was asked to teach at VEP because of who the participants are,” Wiese says. “I was intimidated about teaching the veterans because of what they have done for us. They served our country so we can do what we do, and I want to make sure the material I present to them is the very best it can be.”

This mentality is fitting, because even beyond their military service, the participants are extraordinary people. In order to participate in the program, participants go through a rigorous application process to demonstrate their interest in starting and growing a venture. Priority is given to veterans who are disabled and who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. For the inaugural VEP program, 36 outstanding veterans from locations throughout the U.S. were selected to participate. Applications for the next VEP will be available in June and due by Oct. 1. They can be found online at http:// entrepreneurship.okstate.edu/vep. “The 2009–2010 program is really the beginning of a more expansive program we plan to undertake,” Miyasaki says. “The foundation will be laid by this first group as they begin businesses and mentor the classes to come. It will become an even more powerful program for veterans supporting each other.” l au r e n n . W i l l i a M S a n d r u t h i n M a n

Our Alumni Association membership supports the Legacy Program, including Grandparent University, encouraging our children to become Cowboys at an early age.

We are OSU.

Shane Zerr â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;96 Loren Zerr Taylor and Colton Zerr

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 â&#x20AC;˘ FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

Seniors of Significa nce Photo / Genesee Photo Systems

The 2009-2010 Seniors of Significance represent approximately one percent of the graduating class. The OSU Alumni Association honors these seniors for excellence in scholarship, leadership and community service and for bringing distinction to OSU. Kyle Andrews Tulsa, Okla., finance Austin Beerwinkle Hydro, Okla., aerospace and mechanical engineering Stacey Brandhorst Weatherford, Okla., public relations

Jared Crain Woodward, Okla., plant and soil science Amanda Dexter Broken Arrow, Okla., accounting Stephen Eller Haskell, Okla., biosystems and agricultural engineering

Brady Brewer Hunter, Okla., agricultural economics and accounting

Elaine Enix Fort Collins, Colo., Spanish

Janea Butler Cherokee, Okla., hotel and restaurant administration

Dell Farris Addington, Okla., agricultural economics

Sarah Cary Tulsa, Okla., civil and mechanical engineering

Abbie Field Tulsa, Okla., accounting and Spanish

Race Clark Claremore, Okla., chemical engineering

Libby Francis Tulsa, Okla., nutritional science, allied health and Spanish

Billy Collins Plano, Texas, chemical engineering Manny Cortez Stillwater, Okla., mechanical engineering Jerod Cottom Morrison, Okla., agricultural economics and accounting

Kimberly Geddie Richardson, Texas, political science Ana Gessel Plano, Texas, animal science, biochemistry, and molecular biology â&#x20AC;&#x201D; pre-vet Aubrey Gooden Edmond, Okla., Honors finance

Adam Greer Tulsa, Okla., nutritional science

Clint Merritt Ardmore, Okla., animal science

Renee Hale Fishkill, N.Y., chemical engineering

Bridget Miller Wylie, Texas, health education and promotion

Jayne Harris Ft. Gibson, Okla., health education and promotion

Jessica Moore Fairfax, Okla., landscape architecture

Hailey Harroun Chewelah, Wash., animal science and agricultural communications

Kalyn Neal Oklahoma City, Okla., agribusiness

Carrie Highfill Enid, Okla., animal science Dee Dee Ngoc Van Thy Ho Oklahoma City, Okla., industrial engineering and management Sarah Hodge Murphy, Texas, marketing Ideen Jahanshahi Stillwater, Okla., mechanical engineering Michelle Jones Medford, Okla., animal science and agricultural communications Leah Kuehn Sidney, Neb., animal science and agricultural communications Jessica Lay Broken Arrow, Okla., biosystems and agricultural engineering Megan McCool Cushing, Okla., agricultural communications

R. Tyler Powell Guthrie, Okla., agribusiness Travis Schnaithman Garber, Okla., agribusiness Kayla Spalvieri Chandler, Okla., elementary education Beau Stevens Nacogdoches, Texas, fire protection and safety technology Sadie Stockdale Springfield, Mo., political science Taryn Tate Shawnee, Okla., nutritional sciences Jared Whittington Cushing, Okla., applied sociology Jonathon Wyckoff Blackwell, Okla., accounting and finance Hayley Zimmerman Dallas, Texas, international business and Spanish

wellness. This includes a series of exercise ud Seretean challenged Oklahoma videos developed by Mary Talley, the center’s State University to have the healthiest wellness program manager, and heart-healthy campus in America. The philanthropist and alumnus put his money where his mouth was, recipes from Elizabeth Lohrman, the center’s dietitian. repeatedly donating to health and wellness “The partnership between the Seretean efforts on campus. In fact, when he passed Wellness Center and Fitterlife is the perfect away in 2007, he left nearly $5 million to blend of business and academia,” Purdie says. OSU, with one-third of that going to the “The wellness center is able to showcase our Seretean Wellness Center, which was previareas of expertise, while that information ously named in his honor. is then shared on a national level. Fitterlife As part of the effort to meet Seretean’s challenge, OSU launched the Cowboys on the looks to us to provide the wellness expertise required to effectively run the website. ” Move program in February 2009. The simple Cowboys on the Move for students will be demo website allows OSU faculty and staff to launched in the fall. That program will have track their minutes of exercise. Within four health and wellness information specific to months, the campus had logged more than 1 students, which will lead to a competition million minutes, showing the demand for the between the students and the faculty and staff. product. Based on that success, the site was completely redesigned and additional compo- The goal is to get the entire campus moving. There will also be an iPhone application nents were added to make it more comprehenavailable soon. sive for health and wellness. “As our nation debates the current state of This involved another donation from an healthcare, it is my belief the most important alumnus. Brad Cost is a 1998 landscape component of the future healthcare revolution architecture graduate who owns five compawill be quick access to healthcare resources,” nies, including Genesis Interact LLC. That Cost says. “Fitterlife is designed with that software company recently released www. concept in mind, giving you complete control FitterLife.com and its OSU-specific version, pres www.CowboysOnTheMove.okstate.edu. The over your healthcare, including the past, present and future. wellness center and Fitterlife partnered to “The Fitterlife concept is bringing health create the customized site and the compreand wellness full circle by giving easy access hensive database required to run such an to a user’s healthcare while, at the same extensive program. Cost and his partners have donated all the services, labor and server time, providing a scientific-based approach to health and wellness.” space for this project. Before starting his own companies, Cost “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to FitterLife for the vision and effort provided to was a senior systems engineer at OSU. In addition to his work with FitterLife, he supports the Seretean Wellness Center and to the OSU OSU as a corporate sponsor of the Tulsa campus,” says Robin Purdie, director of the center. “We hope this partnership will lead to Business Forums through the Spears School of Business. He and his wife, Kendria, have been the vision we have of making OSU America’s OSU and athletic supporters for more than healthiest campus.” a decade. In return, the staff of the wellness center provided Fitterlife expertise in health and

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Facts about Cowboys on the move • The program’s goal is to encourage people to log 150 minutes per week of physical activity. incentives are provided at sign-up (cowboys on the Move shirt), 900 minutes (cowboys on the Move gym bag), 1,800 minutes (cowboys on the Move paperweight) and 3,600 minutes (cowboys on the Move watch). • CowboysOnTheMove.okstate. edu is comprehensive, allowing you to track your physical activity minutes and calories to determine how many calories you need to burn to lose weight. Free heart-healthy recipes are also provided. • The site also acts as a social networking site, allowing communication and group scheduling with those on your list who are interested in running, walk ing and cycling. • A secure, HIPAA-compliant medical component will also be added. • Non-OSU employees can create a free account on www. FitterLife.com. companies may also contact Fitterlife to discuss creating their own personalized, customized version to help employees reach their goals. research shows healthy employees are happier, more productive, absent less and have lower health-insurance claims.

Robin Purdie and Brad Cost

photo / Gary Lawson

Impact Tulsa OSU-Tulsa seeks to raise scholarship funds for immediate impact.

he cost of a higher education is at a record high nationwide, yet a college degree is more important now than ever in an increasingly global marketplace. That’s why OSU-Tulsa is trying to raise scholarship funds that will have an immediate impact on students who need assistance to earn a degree. OSU-Tulsa President Howard Barnett says the effort focuses on ensuring student-access to a world-class education at OSU. “I believe it’s critical, especially during the economic downturn our nation is experiencing, that resources are available for those who want to further their education and earn a degree,” Barnett says. “At this time, OSU-Tulsa has limited scholarship funding to offer students who need assistance. However, to meet the most immediate needs of the Tulsa community, it is essential that we increase this source of funding so we can provide higher education opportunities to more students.”

The goal is to secure $4 million for scholarships, including $1.5 million for endowments and $2.5 million for the new Impact Tulsa scholarship program. Barnett says that while endowments are very beneficial for universities as a source of long-term revenue, scholarship funding is needed now to make an immediate impact in students’ lives. “There continues to be a significant need for scholarship funding that we are striving to meet. Supporting students by easing the burden of rising tuition and making an internationally respected OSU degree available to more Tulsa-area students is our top priority,” Barnett says. Donations to the Impact Tulsa scholarship program will be used immediately, making approximately $500,000 per year available for deserving students if fundraising goals are met. In addition, Barnett says the funding will help OSU-Tulsa reduce its reliance on tuition waivers, making funding available to support ancillary services necessary for a quality education.

The Impact Tulsa scholarships will benefit both traditional and non-traditional students in any field of study at OSU-Tulsa. Barnett says he can understand the hesitation to make donations during this challenging economic climate, but this is also an economic issue for the betterment of Tulsa. He added that it is critical to ensure that talented, worthy students have an opportunity to pursue their educational goals. “Educated and qualified graduates strengthen our community’s workforce and economy and add to our quality of life,” Barnett says. “Making an investment in our students’ education is making an investment in Tulsa’s future. And every gift can make a difference now toward that goal.” T r i s h M c B e at h

photo / Phil Shockley

Enter the

Search the network Is your doctor an OSU grad? How about your dentist or your veterinarian? For die-hard OSU alumni, the answer is undoubtedly yes. When searching for your local accountant or florist, there are many things to consider. If your prerequisites include an OSU diploma hanging on their walls, then the new Orange Door Business Network is your connection. The Orange Door Business Network is an online searchable directory of businesses owned or staffed by OSU alumni that you can access when searching for vendors or services in your area. It provides an opportunity for you to locate a variety of businesses sharing your love of OSU. Launched this spring, the network is a win-win opportunity for our alumni, says Larry Shell, OSU Alumni Association president. It is a connection to OSU-friendly businesses across the country. Alumni can search the listings by location or category. The goal is to have an online tool that will be effective for everyone.

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“We created the Orange Door Business Network as a mechanism for connecting alumni in a new way,” Shell says. “OSU is very dear to our hearts, and when given the chance, being able to do business with others who feel the same is ideal.” Shell also hopes the program will serve as a relocation tool for recent graduates moving to new cities across the U.S. “We are working to include listings from a variety of locations,” Shell says. “We want the graduate moving to Dallas, for example, to have a way of finding a new dentist or doctor or landscape designer. Having this tool available to our alumni means they will be able to locate services and connect with fellow alumni and businesses that support the university.” You can begin searching the Orange Door Business Network at orangeconnection.org/orangedoor.

Join the network Are you a loyal and true Cowboy who owns your own interior designer business or photography studio? Maybe you work for a business that bleeds orange just like you. If you want to do business with fellow Cowboys, the Orange Door Business Network is your connection to OSU alumni across the country. The network provides an opportunity for a business to promote its connection to OSU as well as its services. For a minimal fee, businesses will be part of an online listing, similar to the yellow pages, including company names, contact information, logos and descriptions. OSU alumni and OSU alumni-owned businesses also will be designated in the network listing. For more information about joining the network and promoting your business or services to more than 200,000 OSU alumni and friends, visit orangeconnection.org/joinbusiness. If you know of a business that should be part of the Network, please e-mail your suggestion to orangedoor@orangeconnection.org.

illuStration By graPhic deSign Senior ShelBy oliVer

Dean and Carol Stringer Call oSu-oklahoma City Home 24

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After 45 years of marriage, L.E. “Dean” and Carol Stringer can finish each other’s sentences. What they

“Students become nurses, police, firemen … they improve their lives … but they also improve ours.”— Dean Stringer

Photo / Phil Shockley

have to say about their love for Oklahoma State University, the centrality of students and the importance to technology is powerful. Dean Stringer grew up in western Oklahoma near Sayre. His passion for all things orange began as a student at OSU. He graduated and left Stillwater for Harvard law school. By 1961, he returned to Oklahoma to practice law at Crowe & Dunlevy in downtown Oklahoma City. It was there in a candy store in the 1st National Bank Center that he met Carol, a Dallas native. The couple, now in their 70s, tells the story of their first meeting in great detail and with smiles on their faces. As to how Carol became an OSU fan, Dean says, “She was an easy convert. Once she started meeting OSU people, they really liked her and she liked them.” The relationship with the Stringers and Dean’s alma mater has been fostered over the years through Dean’s service to his community. He has served as chairman of the OSU Foundation, president of the Alumni Association, president of Friends of the Library, and on the OSU A&M Board of Regents. While serving as a regent, Dean became keenly aware of the OSU-Oklahoma City campus. “Logistically, it was a great place to meet,” Dean says. James Hooper was the president of what was then called OSU Technical Institute. According to Dean, Hooper had high ambitions for the campus. “It struck me at the time that possibly I could help,” Dean says. He was approached by OSU-OKC president Jerry D. Carroll about serving on the OSU-OKC President’s Advisory Board in 1998. More than a decade later, the Stringers continue to help. They have established the Dean and Carol Stringer OSU-OKC Endowed Scholarship that will be fully funded through the OSU Foundation with the remainder of his charitable gift annuity. The $108,990 gift

represents the largest single charitable annuity gift in the history of OSU-OKC. “The two traits I’ve notice about OSU-OKC are the focus on students and its orientation toward service. Those two things continue to impress me,” says Dean, who serves as chairman of the OSU-OKC President’s Advisory Board. Carol adds, “Our focus has to remain on the students. They should be involved in decision-making all along the way. If it wasn’t for them, none of us would even need to be here.” The Stringers continue to give because they understand that the need for scholarships is compelling. “What’s so impactful about the student body at OSU-OKC is that in so many instances, going to college there is a lifechanging experience. Students become nurses, police, firemen … they improve their lives … but they also improve ours,” Dean says. The Stringers see an emphasis on technology as the key for OSU-OKC’s continued growth. Within the last year, enrollment has jumped from 5,900 students in 2008 to more than 7,100 in 2009. Instructional technology continues to be a focus as classrooms are being equipped for a more technology-driven generation of students. Courses emphasizing renewable energy, such as wind turbine technology and health services degrees are propelling graduation rates upward. The Stringers make frequent trips to the Oklahoma City and Stillwater campuses, often taking their three grandchildren, Sam, 11; Charlie, 9; and Emma, 6. Dean observes that over the last few decades, the changes in the OSU-OKC campus are innumerable. “If you haven’t been on the Oklahoma City campus in awhile, people would be surprised that it looks like a real college campus!” he says. When asked what advice he would give others who may be considering making a scholarship gift, Dean says, “Scholarships fill a real need. You will provide an opportunity for one person to accomplish something that really, really matters.” e V e ly n B o l l e n B ac h

The poet Ai died March 20, 2010, following a brief illness. She was one

Photo / Charles m. P. sirait

of OSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most acclaimed scholars and the only Oklahoman to receive a

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1947 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2010

2009 U.S. Artists Award. A talented poet and honored teacher, Ai will long be remembered for her eloquent insight into human suffering and her belief in the triumphant human spirit. Ai discussed her life and her award with STATE magazine several weeks before her unexpected death.

a i ’s n at i O n a l awa r d s

• 2009 United States Artists Ford Fellowship in Literature • 1999 National Book Award for Poetry for Vice • 1978 Lamont Award for the Best Second Book published in the country, Killing Floor presented by the Academy of American Poets • 1987 American Book Award for Sin presented by the Before Columbus Foundation • National Endowment for the Arts awards, 1978 and 1985 • Guggenheim Fellowship, 1975 • Bunting Fellowship at Radcliffe Colleg

n 1969, a young graduate student from Arizona with her newly adopted pen name, Ai, pronounced “I,” which means “love” in Japanese, won a $2,000 Ford Foundation Fellowship to Columbia University. “But it wasn’t enough to pay my way to Columbia. I was simply poor,” says creative writing Professor Ai Ogawa, now an internationally known poet. “I just didn’t have the money to go. I held off turning it down for a long time, but I turned it down.” Last fall, four decades after winning that fellowship, Ai was honored with the 2009 United States Artists Ford Fellowship in Literature. Only one artist from each state receives a U.S. Artists Award for creativity each year. Sponsors such as the Ford Foundation donate funds for each winner’s $50,000 prize to encourage the artists to continue their work.

Ai’s Remarkable Journey By Ja n e t Va r n U m

“I look back on my life, and see I overcame being poor and lots of family stress. If you really want to succeed, you can.”

“I feel really honored,” says Ai, 62, author of seven books of poetry since 1973 and winner of many national literary awards. “It’s interesting that it’s come full circle, sort of, after so many years.” a G O O d m at C h

Shortly after accepting a one-year visiting professorship to OSU in 1999, Ai won the National Book Award for Poetry for her book Vice. Before any other university could lure her away, OSU offered her a job as full professor with tenure. “The OSU president, the chair of the English Department and the dean said, ‘Let’s make this woman an offer she can’t refuse,’” she says, laughing. “It turned out to be a good match.” For a decade — except 2002-2003 when she took a sabbatical as the Mitte Chair at Texas State University in San Marcos — Ai taught creative writing to OSU grad students and undergraduates. “Most students are truly interested in writing well,” she says. “But how much work (continues on next page)

harsh trUths

they want to put into it is a whole different thing. Some don’t really want to do the work, they just want to be famous.” Her goal to teach students the difference between good and bad writing and how to do at least a minor critique of poetry is basic to a solid liberal arts education, she says. “Teaching isn’t about making them write my way. It’s about helping them find their own voice, their own way of writing.” a VO i C e F O r m a n y

People often mistake Ai’s free-verse poetry, typically written as first-person monologues, as autobiographical. Her poetry, which vividly explores the thoughts of both victims and abusers, gives voice to people of all ages, races, professions and socioeconomic backgrounds. Characters range from children to the elderly, predatory priests to war veterans, abusive parents to pop culture icons. “Usually I just find characters I like and write about them,” says Ai, who earned a bachelor’s in Japanese from the University of Arizona and a master of fine arts in creative writing from the University of California at Irvine, where she adopted her pen name. “I feel more like a playwright. Monologues are a blend of poetry and playwriting where I can be the actor, director and producer — all the roles.”

Ai wonders if her family tree provides an innate advantage when she’s developing her character-driven monologues. Like one of her favorite writers, “My family has been mixed since at Shakespeare, she creates characters with least 1790. Maybe all these races make me fatal flaws and failures. In “The Mother’s able to get into all my fictional characters,” Tale,” a woman explains to her son why a she says. “And maybe I just have empathy husband must beat his wife, and in “The for people.” Prisoner,” a father forces his young son to Ai never knew her father or even about crawl on smashed Coke bottles and admit his existence until she was 17. to wrongdoings he didn’t do. “I’m a child of scandal. My mother had In some of Ai’s monologues, historical an affair with a Japanese man while she was figures such as J. Edgar Hoover and J. Robert married to her first husband.” When Ai’s Oppenheimer justify their actions, while other father learned about the pregnancy, he told monologues focus on iconic figures such as Ai’s mother to go home to her own family. the Kennedys, Jack Ruby, Marilyn Monroe Ai was born in 1947, two months premaand James Dean. ture, at her grandparents’ home in Albany, In her poem “Jimmy Hoffa’s Odyssey” Texas. “My grandmother, whose name was Ai reveals her dark humor, as she calls it, Margaret, put me in a shoe box and gave me when the missing mob boss describes the hot toddies — whiskey — the Irish remedy aliens who abducted him. for everything.” When Ai moved to Oklahoma, a new Ai grew up mostly in Tucson, Ariz., with world of characters began to emerge as she her mother and younger half-sister, but she explored her Native American genealogy,

“I found my gift and took it all the way.” particularly her great-grandfather’s possible link to Cheyenne and Choctaw tribes. “Oklahoma turned out to be a gold mine for me. In Oklahoma, so many people mixed together — like my family.” Ai describes herself as half Japanese as well as a combination of Choctaw-Chickasaw, African-American, Irish, Southern Cheyenne and Comanche. She originally intended to write a memoir, but the piles of archival records, correspondence and biographies — even the dead ends concerning her own ancestry — contained details too intriguing to ignore. “I couldn’t stand it,” she laughs. “I thought, ‘I’ve got all this great material, I’ve got to use it somehow.’” Much of the resulting poetry fills her eighth book, No Surrender, to be released in September by W.W. Norton & Company.

Ai’s poem “Passage” (opposite page) from her book Dread is reprinted with permission from the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company Inc.

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remembers a time when her family lived in San Francisco and her fellow fifth-graders called her a “nigger Jap.” “I looked more Japanese than I do now,” she says. “My mother said if anyone asks, tell them your grandfather is Indian.” The half-truth left Ai wondering until her mother revealed that Ai’s father was Japanese. Ai was 17 and her mother refused to speak of it again until she was 21. “I didn’t know how to confront her about it. I felt deprived. I was confused about how I looked.” Ai was 26 when her mother finally revealed her father’s last name, and Ai legally changed her name to Ai Ogawa. “I thought it might force her to tell me more,” she says, although it didn’t. “I thought, ‘It’s my name.’ I was young and mad at her. I thought she deserved it.” Ai’s first poem, written at age 12, was the result of her Catholic school assignment to write a mass before being fed to the lions. “The nuns made me read it out loud. I didn’t realize until later it was because it was good.” (continues on page 30}

PassaGe For allen Ginsberg sunflowers beside the railroad tracks, sunflowers giving back the beauty God gave you to one lonely traveler who spies you from a train window as she passes on her way to another train station. she wonders if she were like you rooted to your bit of earth would she be happy, would she be satisfied to have the world glide past and not regret it? For a moment, she thinks so, then decides that, no, she never could and turns back to her book of poetry, remembering how hard it was to get here and that flowers have their places as people do and she cannot simply exchange hers for another, even though she wants it. that’s how it is. her mother told her. now she believes her, although she wishes she didn’t. at fifty-three, she feels the need to rebel against the inevitable winding down. she already feels it in her bones, feels artery deterioration, and imagines cancerous indications on medical charts she hopes will never be part of her life, as she turns back to the window to catch the last glimpse of the sunflowers that sent her thoughts on a journey from which she knows she will never return, only go on and on and then just go. — ai

At 14, she experimented with haiku and continued writing poetry throughout high school. In 1967, she won a National Defense Foreign Language Fellowship to attend an intensive language summer course at Columbia University. “And off I went to New York.” But Ai didn’t feel like she fit in with her Ivy League colleagues and admits she spent too much time soaking up the culture when she “should have been studying.” When her favorite cousin who was like a brother to her died in Vietnam, she was too distraught to finish the program.

Ai starts to cry remembering an especially depressing time when her English teacher realized the family needed help and arranged for a Christmas dinner from Catholic social services. “People were so nice,” Ai says. “I look back on my life, and see I overcame being poor and lots of family stress. If you really want to succeed, you can. But it takes help, people helping you.” Ai says she blocked her mother’s alcoholism from her memory, even after her mother died in 2003, until a relative’s death several years ago triggered the painful memories. Now Ai realizes the raw emotion of that turbulent time influenced her poetry. She wrote “Child Beater” from an abusive mother’s point of view while working on her master’s degree. “I was able to draw somewhat on my mother,” she says.

State in Detroit. When she won the Lamont Prize in 1978 for the Best Second Book published in the country, Ai and her husband spontaneously moved to New York. “We didn’t have jobs or anything. I just resigned my tenure track position and we moved to Long Island. That’s where I made my career,” she says. Jobs were plentiful for those willing to work as visiting professors. “I went wherever there was a job, but I always had to travel. That’s why our marriage broke up.” She spent seven years teaching at Cambridge University and then short stints at the University of Kentucky, Holy Cross and Arizona State. “Then my long odyssey began before I got another good job, here at OSU in 1999,” she says. “The 1990s were bad for me. I had always done so well. It was odd. I wasn’t winning any awards.” Funding for visiting professorships dried up, jobs disappeared and eventually she sold her archives to the New York City

“I feel more like a playwright. Monologues are a blend of poetry and playwriting where I can be the actor, director and producer — all the roles.” She returned to Tucson, where her third “She was more of a threat than she was violent, stepfather had taken everything, even the but that’s pretty bad too.” furniture and kitchen appliances, when her During that time, Ai signed up for an parents divorced. “We kept our food in an individual review session with the poet ice chest. My grandmother would come by Galway Kinnell, who was giving a reading with ice every day,” says Ai, who used her on the California campus. He encouraged remaining fellowship money to support her Ai to mail him a poem she was writing and younger sister and mother. through written correspondence soon became “When Mama’s last marriage ended, she’d her mentor. drink scotch and get riled up,” Ai says. “She “I never did write that poem,” she says lost it for several years.” with a laugh. “But he gave me advice on my poems, and he gave my manuscripts to his publisher.” It resulted in her first book, Cruelty, published in 1973. She began teaching at the University of Massachusetts at Maryland and then Wayne

public library for income. “If it hadn’t been for friends and selling my archives, I don’t know ...,” as her voice trails off. “I feel I’ve done pretty well in my career,” she says. But the recent U.S. Artists Award represents triumph over a lifetime of challenges. “I could have given in and not gone anywhere with my work,” she says. “But being a writer, an artist, is so fulfilling. It’s an inspiration. It would keep me going. “I found my gift and took it all the way.”

the Department of english plans to establish a creative writing scholarship in ai’s memory. Please send contributions to ai scholarship, Department of english, 205 morrill hall, stillwater, oK 74078. Please make out checks to the “osU Foundation.” the memo line should read “ai memorial scholarship Fund in english.”

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history Reserve your place in OSU history

OSU alumni, family and friends

ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center brick pavers are newly priced in 2010.

To order a brick paver, call 405-744-5368 or visit orangeconnection.org.

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater,O K7 4078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

Photo / Phil Shockley

BY M at t E l l i o t t

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innovation. a new age of conceptualization. the death of the information age. the breakneck pace at which business moves. Some of these are 21st century phenomena. But some haven’t changed since rick Darnaby was a student at oSU in the 1970s. “the key is bringing value and getting a reward for it,” says Darnaby, managing partner of the business consulting company, the Darnaby group and the Conceptual edge, who returned to oSU as commencement speaker last December. Darnaby’s career has seen him atop the food chain of companies including monsanto, the nutraSweet Co., motorola and Somera Communications. he’s a 1979 graduate of oSU’s master’s degree program in business administration and received his undergraduate degree in marketing. “Bringing value and getting a reward for it is a concept of innovation that’s the same no matter what,” says Darnaby, a montecito, Calif., resident. “When i came out of school, we were told what you’re being told now — that we’re entering a new age. a new era. a new space. and that time it was called the information age.” Back then, computers took up entire buildings. information was accessible only to a select few. nowadays, it’s available to anyone with an internet connection, and pocket-sized phones are more complex than the computers that once took up whole buildings.

“What we’re entering now, we believe, is called the Conceptual age,” he says. “everybody in the world has the same data available instantly. What do you do with it? it’s going to require conceptualization. Why is conceptualization important? the fact of the matter is, product life cycles right now are about one-twentieth of what they were. “We launched the first mobile phone at motorola. then, the life of a mobile phone was around five years. today, i go through them every three to four months. the point is product life cycles are much shorter and market expectations higher. everything needs to be done faster, cheaper and better. that’s why we have to develop our conceptualization abilities. it’s combining all the other complicated elements beyond the linear information or the technical information, the technical capability of the technology, and turning it into market application — expeditiously.” a tulsa, okla., native, Darnaby wasn’t always this attuned to the business world. the light didn’t click on until a couple of years after he started as an undergraduate at oSU. there, he began working part time for Collegiate Products, a company that leased miniature refrigerators to students. Drifting as a student, he left oSU after two years, traveling with the company while working full time. he figured he would be stationed on college campuses, so he could still finish school. But nonresident tuition

and residency rules threw a wrench in those plans, so he headed back to oSU. “When i went back to school, it was like a completely different world,” he says. “everything made sense to me. i didn’t even take notes. i could just listen in class and that’s what i did. if it meant something, it would click and it stuck with me.” after graduation, his friends were interviewing with oil companies. Darnaby, whose late father was in the oil and ranching business, wasn’t interested. he wanted to work for a company that was on the cutting edge of product development. he loaded up his long-suffering car, an old mercury, and hit the road with the goal of visiting 10 companies on a cross-country job quest. a chemical manufacturer he chose, monsanto, was in the St. louis, mo., area, so he headed there. he company at the the time was known for making the playing surface astroturf and herbicides such as ramrod and a the time, lasso. at it had just developed roundup. Farmers used its chemicals to kill weeds that hampered food production. hat helped them produce more that crops, while monsanto’s seed

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Photos / Phil shockley

research helped bring about hardier crops that were more resistant to drought and pests. When Darnaby met with the company, it was beginning to transition into its current form as a biotechnology and agricultural firm. He walked into Monsanto’s St. Louis, Mo., office, with two rejection letters the company had already sent him. The receptionist made him wait for hours. “I said, ‘I want to see someone in H.R.,’ and she said, ‘We don’t do that. We recruit on college campuses,’” Darnaby says. “’I said, yeah, but you didn’t come to my campus.’ She finally went back and got a junior H.R. person. That person said, ‘Mr. Darnaby, this isn’t very typical. We don’t do this.’ I said, ‘Look, why don’t you just let me talk to one of your bosses for a few minutes. So, she arranged it so I could have a ten-minute meeting with an H.R. director.” Within 10 minutes of meeting the human resources director, he had a dinner date with the general manager. “I handed her these two rejection letters. She says, ‘Well, Mr. Darnaby, these letters clearly state that we don’t have any openings for you here. Why did you drive all the way to St. Louis?’ “I said, ‘I couldn’t let you make the same mistake three times, ma’am.’”

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After dinner, he had a job offer. But, amazingly, he turned it down because it wasn’t what he wanted. So, he continued on his trip. He walked in on Procter & Gamble, Abbott Labs and Boise Cascade. By the end, he had four or five other offers. He headed back home, through St. Louis, and stopped back by Monsanto. They made two more offers while he was there. One he decided was good enough, and he started his career. He’s not sure if that could happen today. But, no matter if it does, he always counsels students to do whatever they can to distinguish themselves from other candidates. “Particularly,” he says, smiling, “if you can distinguish yourself in a matter that is something that they’re looking for. Clearly, these people were looking for persistence. I’m sure the receptionist still thinks I’m crazy.” He ended up president and chief executive officer of its Canadian subsidiary, Monsanto Canada, leading its chemical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, electronic and food ingredients units. Monsanto, already a controversial company for its chemical background, was at the forefront of public debate, as it is today, over its genetically-modified crops, their safety and how they cross-breed with non-GM crops.

Also, Darnaby, in his late 30s at the time, did not have an engineering or science background. Meanwhile, groups hostile to biotechnology and GM foods put his diplomacy and management skills to the test, too. But, he relied on an excellent science and technology education he received as an undergraduate at OSU to help him understand the technology. Also, his marketing professors instilled in him a strong ability to craft products tailored directly to their markets. And he relied on his management skills to work with those opposed to Monsanto’s efforts. “Monsanto was and is one of the greatest companies on the face of the Earth,” he says. “We had products that fundamentally helped feed the world, regardless of what anybody says. Roundup, for example, is the most brilliant molecule, in my opinion, ever invented. It is absolutely nontoxic, kills anything green and does not stay in the soil. We were getting pounded by the environmental movement because it was a chemical. We took a lot of blows to the chin and unnecessarily so.” Most of the resistance he encountered was on the biotechnology side. He spent two years leading this charge and came away with vastly different views on religious groups and dealings with the government than he had previously.

Alumnus Rick darnaby advises graduates attending the 2009 december commencement ceremony to distinguish themselves as much as possible when competing for a job because creativity and innovation are essential in every work environment today.

“Biotech was just coming about. it was so new nobody knew how to regulate it. Biotechnology, genetic manipulation, is fundamentally just expediting a naturally occurring process. it is a brilliant science. it was very intellectually stimulating but, simultaneously, scary and frustrating. i was very concerned about the religious groups because they felt that biotechnology was inappropriate.” But, he ended up appreciating the religious groups in the end, finding them to be better checks and balances on industry than regulation. and he found governments to be solely interested in taking credit for industry’s advances and taxing them. he left monsanto in Canada in 1990 for the nutraSweet Co., (a monsanto subsidiary) where he became president and led a hugely successful global post patent strategy for aspartame, a case study still featured in mBa programs across the nation. that landed him an interview

with motorola chairman Bob galvin about the company’s corporate vice president post. he became the first motorola operating executive without a technology background since its founders. after just a few months, he became its general manager and senior vice president supervising its consumer solutions group where he oversaw consumer products globally. By the time he left the company in 2001, he was also regional president of its european, middle eastern and african operations and a fluent French speaker. he credits oSU partly for his success. he cited courses he had with marketing Professor lee manzer that helped him immensely during that time. “it’s about transforming technology into compelling products. that’s where i found my niche. Being a part of a polytechnic university like oSU and having lots of engineering friends helped with that.” after a few months on the public speaking circuit, he eventually joined Somera Communications, where he spent four years as the mid-sized telecommunications company’s chief e left it in 2004 and executive officer. he started his management consulting he Darnaby group, which company, the helps clients with strategic planning and brand management. the firm also has its own marketing and advertising agency targeting mid-sized to small clients and new businesses. his year he’s launching the this dge, a new age people Conceptual edge, development firm focusing on innovation capabilities in management. is career took him all over the his e has lived in St. western world. he ustin, louis, Brussels, madison, austin, ew York City, Dallas, Fontainebleau new ondon, (France), montreal, toronto, london, Chicago and indianapolis. SU, he cherishes his memories of oSU, he noted during his commencement

speech to fall graduates. he often reflects on when, as a student, his dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. oSU students and faculty reached out to him and helped him through that time. “there was little we could do. For the last two months, i drove to a tulsa hospital in the evenings. the nurses arranged his room so i could work on my thesis or sleep. When i think of oSU, i think of the faculty and my classmates who altered my schedule and covered my back when i couldn’t be here,” he told the graduates. that day, inside gallagher-iba arena, he presented students with two choices, to be victims or beneficiaries e urged them of the Conceptual age. he to bring innovation to the world and be rewarded for their efforts. “Conceptualization deals with the human processing of data — so far it can only be performed by people, people like you. n the information age, the new “in frontier was data. in the Conceptual age the new frontier is resting about half way between your left and right ears.”

Seasons

A Cowgirl for

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Ramona Paul, assistant state superintendent of schools for Oklahoma and Oklahoma Today’s 2009 Oklahoman of the Year, is orange through and through.

Photo / Phil Shockley

orn and raised an OSU Cowgirl, Paul’s relationship with OSU has been a lifelong one built on the strength of education and a love of learning. As a child, she and her parents lived just north of Stillwater, and both her mother and father were on the faculty of what was then Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College. As a preschooler, Paul spent her time in the College of Human Environmental Sciences’ Child Development Lab. Later in elementary school, she walked to her mother or father’s office after school. “I spent a lot of time on campus, literally,” Paul says. “Those were pleasant years as a child.” Paul enjoyed nursery school at the Child Development Lab so much that she recalls crying all the way home when she was sick and the nurse had to send her home. Spending so much time on campus taught Paul the value and importance of higher education, she says, and gave her a glimpse of the faculty’s impact on students. “Being at OSU influenced me to want to teach here,” she says. Originally, Paul wanted to become a veterinarian but was told girls could not be veterinarians. She reasoned that because she liked children as much as she liked animals, maybe she could teach children. She began her career in OSU’s Family Relations and Child Development Department, from which she holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in human development and family science.

“It was a very comfortable thing for me to do,” says Paul, who taught OSU students as well as children in the Child Development Lab. “I understood what it was to teach in a university setting.” After OSU, Paul became an assistant professor at Texas Woman’s University, where she directed the children’s lab and taught graduate and undergraduate classes. During that time, she also served as a national consultant for Head Start. Next, Paul worked as a child develdevel opment educator at the University of Alabama’s Center for Developmental and Learning Disorders in Birmingham. As part of a team of specialists including a pediatrician, nutritionist, speech patholopatholo gist and psychologist, she and the others evaluated special-needs children individuindividu ally and then convened to develop a plan for each child. At the University of Alabama, she also established a classroom for special-needs preschoolers and invited children with typical development to participate. These children served as role models for the special-needs students, she says, although they didn’t know it because they were just having fun playing together. Paul went on to pursue her doctoral degree at Purdue University while working as a graduate teaching assistant there. After completing her Ph.D., she returned to her home state to become a middle school administrator for Edmond Public Schools. (continues on next page)

Afterward, she joined the Oklahoma State Department of Education as an early childhood specialist. While in this position, Paul proposed a program for 4-yearolds that has since made Oklahoma’s early childhood program number one in the nation for the past five years. Paul drafted the program’s model with three distinctive characteristics she refers to as Oklahoma standards. The first standard required the program to be available to all children, not just those from low-income families. Second, the program would only employ teachers certicerti fied in early-childhood education. In other states, it was customary to hire teachers who only had a high school diploma. And lastly, Paul’s program called for equal pay for early-childhood education teachers. In the past, the trend was for early childhood education teachers to be paid less. The standards Paul required for Oklahoma’s 4-year-old program is what makes it successful. Today, 75 percent of Oklahoma children attend the earlychildhood education program, a number unmatched by any other state, she says. “It’s wonderful,” Paul says. “It shows the importance of high quality early-childearly-child hood education.”

A number of studies have focused on Paul’s early-education program, which show the success of kindergarten students who participated in the early childhood education program versus those who did not. One five-year study by Georgetown University indicates students who participated in early education programs were socially and intellectually ahead of their counterparts. After working for the State Department of Education, Paul moved to the Oklahoma City Public Schools’ human resources department. When State Superintendent Sandy Garrett was elected, Paul returned to the State Department of Education, where she works today. Looking back on her career and her life’s work, Paul says Oklahoma State is where she and her family got their start. “My mother and father both have a master’s degree from OSU, and my brother and I are both OSU graduates,” Paul says. Today whenever she visits OSU, Paul says she notices its growth, especially new buildings such as the North Classroom Building and the numerous student suites and apartments. When Paul was a student, Willard and Murray halls were girls’ dormitories, and male and female students lived on different parts of campus.

Photo By gary laWSon

“My mother and father both have a master’s degree from OSU, and my brother and I are both OSU graduates.” — Ramona Paul

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“The main changes I see are the new programs and better facilities,” Paul says. “It’s still the same friendly university with high-quality faculty.” She also notes the excellent and exciting leadership of President Burns Hargis and his wife, Ann, as a new and positive change. Paul continues to stay involved with her alma mater. She has served about 20 years as an Associate for the College of Human Environmental Sciences and currently serves on the Alumni Association’s board of directors and is in her second year on the Women for OSU’s Leadership and Philanthropy Council board. “Through these organizations I have become associated with more universitysponsored events and alumni,” Paul says. She also funded a classroom in the Human Environmental Sciences building called the Ramona and Homer Paul Classroom, and she speaks to different classes when she can. She serves on the board for RISE, a special-needs program funded by the Oklahoma Legislature, OSU and private funds. For OSU and Oklahoma’s early development program, Paul has many hopes. “We will continue to expand programs for children even younger than 4 on a voluntary basis with highly trained teachers,” Paul says. “We want to provide the very best for our children.” S t e p h a n i e K . tay l o r

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A letter in the mail blessed Evan Townsend, business management junior from Desoto, Texas, more than he could imagine. Townsend was finishing his spring semester with thoughts of not coming back to OSU in the fall. When a letter arrived in the mail notifying him of a scholarship he received, Townsend knew he could to return to OSU. Townsend’s father passed away in November 2008. With the cost of out-ofstate tuition and the loss of an income, Townsend and his mother didn’t know how he could return to OSU for the fall 2009 semester. The Howard J. Shipp Scholarship, designed to increase diversity at OSU, made returning to school possible for Townsend. He could also receive this scholarship his senior year. Townsend says that OSU found him and he knew

he wanted to attend the first trip he made to Stillwater. “I took a visit in late March and I knew I wanted to go here,” Townsend says. “The people were incredible and the support staff was very inviting and welcoming. The campus is just immaculate. I wanted a big school but a small school. That is what OSU is to me; it is a very family-type atmosphere. It was perfect. I knew I wanted to be here, and something

special was there. As soon as I rolled up on University, I knew I wanted to be here.” Townsend loves OSU and the possibility of not returning to Stillwater in the fall was devastating to him. The Howard J. Shipp Scholarship made continuing his education possible. “I am probably the biggest OSU supporter ever,” Townsend says. “I wear orange all the time. Eight-five percent of my closet is orange and I wear orange when I go home.” When Townsend received the letter, he says a celebration was a must in the Townsend home. “I went home one weekend and a letter came in the mail that told me I was awarded the Howard J. Shipp Scholarship,” Townsend says. “I was excited; my mother

Scholarship kept Townsend in Stillwater 40

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was excited and we went to dinner to celebrate the scholarship. It was such a blessing and it came at the right time. ” The Howard J. Shipp scholarship has blessed Townsend in more ways than he can describe. “Being an out-of-state student, year to year it is quite tough to find funds to continue to go here,” Townsend says. “The Howard J. Shipp scholarship has helped me tremendously to be here another year.” Because of his love for school, sports and business, Townsend has decided he wants to go into sports management. Growing up watching CNN and reading the newspaper with his parents has helped direct his path. “I want to work in sports management and be an athletic director at either the

collegiate level or the high-school level,” Townsend says. Townsend has not had the privilege of meeting his donor. If he does, he will express his gratitude and allow Shipp to see the blessing this scholarship has been to him. “I would shake his hand and say, ‘Thank you so much for being generous enough to fund a scholarship’ and also tell him the scholarship has allowed me to stay here one more year and continue my education,” Townsend says. “It has been such a blessing for me and my mother in paying for school and out-of-state fees. I am truly grateful for what he has done.” Because of the impact that this gift has made in Townsend’s life, he wants to pass on the generosity and help out more students like him in the future.

“Ultimately, it makes me want to donate and give back once I graduate and become successful. I want to fund a scholarship for a student or two,” Townsend says. “It goes a long way. If you reward somebody, then you will be rewarded yourself. I think being able to give back is a good thing. I love doing community service and I believe that funding a scholarship would be the best thing for a student.” Townsend has been able to make numerous OSU memories and has enjoyed having the opportunity to be a part of the OSU family. He understands and appreciates the selfless act of providing a scholarship and how it can impact a student’s life. “I’m grateful; that’s it,” he says. h e at h e r h o l M e S

“Ultimately, it makes me want to donate and give back once I graduate and become successful.”

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By e i le e n M u S ta i n

If academe were an Olympics event, Regents Professor Barbara Stoecker would wear gold. The professor of nutritional sciences and Fulbright scholar has received tributes as a researcher, teacher, advisor and administrator. Last fall she received two new honors, OSU’s Eminent Faculty Award, recognizing the highest level of scholarly achievement, and the International Faculty Excellence Award, acknowledging faculty distinction in international teaching, research or outreach programs and activities.

Nutritional scientist Barbara Stoecker, Regents Professor, Fulbright scholar, recipient of 2008 International Faculty Excellence Award and the Eminent Faculty Award, OSU’s highest honor

These awards reflect her scholarship and commitment to education, but they don’t tell the entire story — the story of the individual successes that extend from OSU students to Africa. And neither will Stoecker. While she’ll discuss her work, she turns aside personal praise. “I haven’t done any project solely,” she says. “They’ve all been collaborative.” Colleagues and students tell a slightly different version of Stoecker’s achievement. “I had the privilege of reviewing materials nominating Dr. Stoecker for the OSU Eminent Faculty Award,” says Christine Johnson, associate professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Human Environmental Sciences. “The most moving tribute to her credentials and credibility came from the letters of support from OSU colleagues as well as experts in the field of nutritional science and international aid. Those letters speak to her research expertise, her personal and professional commitment to make a difference, and her quiet, unassuming strength as a scholar, a humanitarian, a fine human being and global citizen.” Unpretentiousness characterizes Stoecker, says Julie Barnard, publication manager for the college. “She avoids any form of self-promotion even though she is someone who truly has made a difference in the world. Dr. Stoecker’s work has affected the lives of many people today and will far into the future, like ripples in water. She has vast influence.” (continues on next page)

Her peers recognize Stoecker as an international authority on micronutrients, but she did not begin her academic career researching trace elements or international nutrition problems. A trip to Jamaica when she was a food science undergraduate triggered her shift to the study of nutrition. “I saw my first malnourished child,” she explains. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Kansas State University and a doctorate in nutrition at Iowa State University. Four years working

in Thailand with a nutrition research institute and a department of pediatrics fueled her interest and gave her valuable experience with international nutrition issues. Since coming to OSU in 1987, Stoecker has researched the role of micronutrients in child health in Thailand, China, Jordan, Iraq and Africa. She also studies chronic disease, such as osteoporosis, in her lab on campus. Her publication record is prodigious despite an equally impressive workload. Describing the scope and complexity of Stoecker’s

work, Daniel Brackett, director of research in the surgery department at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, says, “Barbara worked in the research laboratory and in the field in Northern and Southern Ethiopia, Kenya and Thailand. She supervised students and graduate students, and she wrote manuscripts reporting her scientific findings and grant proposals to fund her research — all while she successfully chaired the Department of Nutritional Sciences at OSU.” Most of her international work is in Ethiopia where she Photo By aMelia WilSon

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“Barbara Stoecker is the heart of our department.”

has taught, developed curriculum and helped numerous Ethiopian graduate students secure funding to attend OSU. She was instrumental in launching Ethiopia’s first graduate program in applied human nutrition at Hawassa University in 2007 and served as thesis advisor for the program’s first graduates last spring. Stoecker’s malnutrition research in Ethiopia includes a current study examining the role of zinc on cognitive function in what she describes as “some of the most zinc deficient areas in the world.” Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the project is in collaboration with Michael Hambidge, University

Regents Professor Barbara Stoecker, shown here at the Hawassa University graduation in spring 2009, played a key role in the 2007 launch of Ethiopia’s first graduate program in applied human nutrition and served as thesis advisor for the program’s first graduates last spring.

a big difference in building the of Colorado Health Sciences academic capacity of Hawassa Center in Denver, and OSU University in particular and our colleagues Tay Kennedy, nutricountry in general.” tional sciences, Laura HubbsStoecker’s hand is also Tait, human development and evident in the incorporation family science, and David of premedical requirements in Thomas, psychology. the OSU nutritional sciences’ “Our funding for work in curriculum. “I’ve always been Southern Ethiopia has been really interested in providing not only for research but for a strong nutrition background building up research resources for premed students,” she says, in a large, impoverished univernoting that she wants them to sity which has an enormous think of nutrition as a mode of educational responsibility,” disease prevention. Hambidge says. Several Niblack scholars “There are innumerable who studied with Stoecker are examples of Dr. Stoecker’s in medical school, and Adam contributions within Ethiopia Greer, Niblack scholar and to building research capacity senior, soon hopes to be. He with her unflagging commitcredits Stoecker for inspiring ment and quiet, effective him to work internationally and diplomacy.” for her instruction and advice Praising Stoecker’s work during the year he conducted with student scholars, Johnson research under her direction. says many of her students hold “She’s brilliant,” he says. prominent positions throughout “I’ve learned a lot from her. She the world. knows as much about nutri“While they’re attending tion as anyone in the scientific OSU, we just try to involve community, and she’s one of the various scholars in our the nicest people I’ve ever met. ongoing research — some to She’s a well-known expert in the international research and some to our osteoporosis work,” nutrition, yet she takes time out of her busy career to teach me Stoecker says, although she how to conduct research and does acknowledge that some give me advice about my profesof her international students sional endeavors.” “have gone back and done really Motivating students to important things.” become excited about research One of those former and to think broadly about students, Yewelsew Abebe, who is now associate vice presi- international application are dent for research and extension among Stoecker’s goals. “Science changes so fast. Students really at Hawassa University, says need to understand the research Stoecker’s guidance didn’t process,” she says. end with Abebe’s graduation “All their lives they will from OSU. need to update their health and “It continued with medical knowledge. Having the purpose of addressengaged in research will make ing nutritional problems in them better questioners of the Ethiopia through training information they read.” and research programs,” she says. “Dr. Stoecker has made

In addition to her ongoing research and work with students, Stoecker says she’s eager to help establish and sustain graduate nutrition programs in the five African universities involved in a new partnership with OSU. Three of the universities are in Ethiopia and two in Kenya. “Food and nutritional security is the first project,” she says. “Not having trained professionals puts the countries at a disadvantage in making policy.” Looking back over her career, Stoecker says it’s been a pleasure to be part of the college’s nutritional sciences department. “Our department is strong, and it was when I came here. It’s been exciting to see it grow, renovate and expand and become wellknown nationally.” The department’s national reputation comes from the long and successful history of its dietetics program, she says. “If your students go out and do a good job, it builds the reputation of the department, and our students have been doing that for a long time.” And Stoecker, despite downplaying her own role, is a seminal figure in creating OSU’s strong nutritional sciences program. “Her exceptional research, the way she cares for students, her tireless service to the university on behalf of the department and her passion for advancing international nutrition all have served to increase the OSU nutritional sciences reputation for excellence in the U.S. and abroad,” says Nancy Betts, professor and department head. “Barbara Stoecker is the heart of our department.”

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Induction into the OSU Alumni Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed by the OSU Alumni Association. It recognizes outstanding lifetime

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achievement in society and professional life.

The OSU Alumni Association named four outstanding OSU alumni to the Hall of Fame in February

2010: Donald D. Humphreys, Gary W. Sparks, Carl Thoma and Marilynn Benbrook Thoma. 47

Donald D. Humphreys of Dallas, Texas, earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and management in 1971. He currently serves as senior vice president and treasurer of the ExxonMobil Corporation. Humphreys was born Jan. 25, 1948, in Manhattan, Kan., and grew up in Tulsa, Okla. As an OSU student, he joined the Sigma Nu fraternity. After graduation, Humphreys served in the U.S. Army before obtaining a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1976, he began a long and distinguished career with Exxon Chemical Company, where he has held a variety of management positions in domestic and foreign operations. In 2006, Humphreys was elected senior vice president and treasurer of the ExxonMobil Corporation management committee.

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Humphreys serves as a director on the boards of Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Junior Achievement Worldwide and Council of the Americas. He is a member of Financial Executives International, the American Petroleum Institute and the Conference Board’s Council of Financial Executives. He recently served on the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council. In 2007, the Spears School of Business inducted Humphreys into its Hall of Fame and the OSU Alumni Association presented him with the Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2008, the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology inducted him into its Hall of Fame. He serves on the board of trustees for the OSU Foundation and is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association. He and his wife, Cathey, have three daughters, Megan, Melissa and Mary.

Gary W. Sparks of Jenks, Okla., earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1966. He is the founder of Sparks Sports, an architectural firm in Tulsa, Okla. It was his creativity and vision that led to the “Raise the Roof” campaign for Gallagher-Iba Arena and the renovation and expansion of Boone Pickens Stadium. Sparks was born on July 30, 1941, in Murphy, N.C. As an OSU student, he participated in many architectural design competitions. He attributes the OSU School of Architecture’s emphasis on design as a major factor in his successful architectural career. After gradugradu ation, Sparks served in the U.S. Army until 1968. He worked for the OSU Campus Architects and several firms in Tulsa prior to becoming a founding partner in Sparks Martin Easterling in 1978. In 1986, Sparks founded SPARKS Inc. His company has designed award-winning projects across the United States includincluding Stillwater National Bank, Tulsa; St. Pauls United Methodist Church, Muskogee; Asbury United Methodist Church, Tulsa; John

Q. Hammonds Arena, Tulsa; residences in Hawaii and athletic facilities for Baylor University in Waco. He has been licensed to practice architecture in 18 states. The firm, offering architecture, interior design and engineering service, has grown to more than 60 people with offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Sparks is an original member of the OSU Iba-Fenimore Society and past president of the Eastern Oklahoma Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He is a past president of the Oklahoma Council of Architects and a board member of the National Council of Architectural Registration. He is a member of First United Methodist Church of Tulsa and serves on the board of trustees. Sparks has remained connected to OSU as an alumnus, serving on the advisory board for the College of Human Environmental Sciences and as a member of POSSE. He was the architect for the Remember the Ten memorials in Gallagher-Iba Arena and Strasburg, Colo., and is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association. Sparks and his wife, Jerri, have three daughters, Beth, Jill and Julie, and seven grandchildren.

Carl Thoma of Chicago, Ill., earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 1970. He received a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in 1973. Thoma is a managing partner of Thoma Bravo, LLC, which manages private equity funds. Thoma Bravo is currently managing $2.5 billion and was one of the early partnerships in private equity, launching its first fund in 1980. Thoma was born on Oct. 12, 1948, in Roswell, N.M., and raised on a ranch west of Boise City, Okla. As an OSU student, Thoma represented the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources on the Student Senate, was president of the Blue Key honor society and was named to Who’s Who. Who. He served as lieutenant commander of Sigma Nu fraternity. Thoma began his career in private equity with the First National Bank of Chicago. In 1980, he founded Thoma Bravo, LLC, which has invested more than $4 billion in growing compacompa nies over the past 35 years. Fortune, The Wall Street Journal and Business Week have cited Thoma for his investment leadership. He is most noted for his success in Pagenet, where his firm made

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more than 100 times its investment and secured numerous cellular licenses that are now a critical part of AT&T cellular network. Thoma has served as chairman of the National Venture Capital Association and the Illinois Venture Capital Association, on the boards of Copia, the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, Northwestern Evanston Hospital and the Illinois Institution of Technology. Thoma is actively involved on the advisory councils of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Illinois and National Venture Capital Associations. He was inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 1998 and was named by the Illinois Venture Capital Association as the first recipient of the Stanley C. Golder Award as a leading venture capitalist in Illinois. He remains involved at OSU, serving currently on the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship advisory board and during the late 1990s on the Oklahoma Higher Education Regents Committee for the evaluation of state colleges. The Spears School of Business inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1996, and in 2002 he received the OSU Distinguished Alumni Award. Thoma is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association. He and his wife, Marilynn, have two children, Margo and Mark.

M arilynn Benbrook Thoma of Chicago, Ill., earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics education from OSU in 1970 and a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in 1974. She serves as proprietor of Van Duzer Vineyards in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Thoma was born on June 25, 1948, in Woodward, Okla., to Douglas and Pauline Benbrook, both OSU graduates. While at OSU, she served as the College of Human Environmental Science’s Student Council president and the Chi Omega sorority rush chair. She was tapped for the Mortar Board honor society and President’s Leadership Council. She met her husband, Carl, at OSU, and they married shortly before traveling to Stanford University for graduate school. After graduating from Stanford, she and her husband moved to Chicago where she pursued her talent for consumer marketing at Quaker Oats, managing the Aunt Jemima and Cap’n Crunch brands. Thoma then shifted her focus to the marketing and early stage development of the cellular telephone industry with Cellular

Network and to call center services with Proxy Communications. With her husband, she developed vineyards and wineries in Napa Valley and Mendocino County before consolidating the family interest in Van Duzer Vineyards. Thoma is actively involved in civic philanthropy in Chicago and nationwide. She chaired the capital campaign to build the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier and serves on the executive committees of the boards of directors of the Chicago Humanities Festival and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. In 2002, Thoma and her husband endowed the Thoma Chair in Operations, Information and Technology at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. In 2006, they endowed the Marilynn Thoma Chair in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at OSU and provided lead gifts for the college’s teaching restaurant, The Ranchers Club and the biannual Oklahoma Wine Forum. In 2004, Thoma received the Human Environmental Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 2009 the Women for OSU Leadership and Philanthropy Council named her Philanthropist of the Year. She is a life member of the OSU Alumni Association. She and Carl have two children, Margo and Mark.

Photo / Genesee Photo systems.

a special thank you to the following event sponsors who so graciously provided support for this event. Presenting sPonsors

Proud & immortaL

BuLLet

CONOCOPHILLIPS

CRAFTON TULL SPARKS

JOHN ALLFORD

OSU FOUNDATION

DAVID REED ARCHITECTURE

JOHN & DONNA CLACK

ROSS MCKNIGHT

JAMES D. COBB

OSU FOUNDATION

FRANK HARRISON

SPEARS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

JOHN & SALLY NEAS

suPPorting sPonsor BANCFIRST

LoyaL & true COLLEGE OF HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES KENT & MARGO DUNBAR

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A BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN OSU. ON FEB. 26, 2010, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT BURNS HARGIS ANNOUNCED BRANDING SUCCESS: THE CAMPAIGN FOR OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, A BOLD UNDERTAKING TO RAISE ONE BILLION DOLLARS AND POSITION OSU AS A LEADER IN EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND PUBLIC SERVICE.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE STORY OF THIS HISTORIC INITIATIVE >>

BRANDS SUCCESS LIKE NEVER BEFORE FOR YEARS, Oklahoma State University has taken pride in doing more with less. Although the university has had limited resources, it has been able to produce nationally recognized scholars and ground breaking faculty research. Each new discovery and award built momentum. Today, with President Burns Hargis at the helm, OSU is ready to break down financial barriers and achieve success like never before.

Enter Branding Success: The Campaign for Oklahoma State University – the largest educational fundraising campaign in Oklahoma history and one of the largest in the nation. Its audacious goal is to raise $1 billion for OSU to enable the university to better fulfill its land-grant mission of providing a premier education to its students, research that will benefit the world and programs that extend the university’s knowledge statewide.

The need has never been greater at Oklahoma State, and now is the time for us to seek significant private funds so we can serve our students, support our faculty and fund vital research at a much higher level than ever before. This campaign will secure OSU’s place as one of America’s premier public universities and a leader among land-grant universities,” says Hargis.

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SO WHAT WILL $1 BILLION DO FOR OSU? Branding Success will focus on four areas of need – scholarships, faculty support, facility improvements and program enhancements. Each of these areas has a targeted goal and together, they impact every facet of the OSU system. STUDENT SUPPORT

FACULTY SUPPORT

$500,000,000 STUDENT SUPPORT Oklahoma State plans to add $500 million in scholarships – encompassing 50 percent of Branding Success’ goal. This vitally important area will provide the margin of excellence needed to attract and retain top students. Additional scholarship dollars will have an immediate impact on both retention and graduation rates, helping our students focus on education instead of financial distractions like debt and tiresome work schedules. The nation’s top 20 land-grant universities boast a 91 percent first-year retention rate and a 76 percent 6-year graduation rate. In order for OSU to compete with these institutions, 350 more freshmen need to return for their sophomore year, and 483 additional students need to complete their degrees at OSU. Scholarships are the first step in helping the university achieve these results, which will be life-changing for those 833 students and the countless others who will earn an OSU degree – the ultimate brand of success. The scholarships created throughout the life of this campaign will make success attainable for even more deserving students. “We want to make sure that any student who is willing and able should earn a degree at Oklahoma State University. Nothing is more important than student success,” says Hargis.

FACILITY SUPPORT

PROGRAM SUPPORT

$200,000,000 FACULTY SUPPORT

Every great university is distinguished by prized teachers and knowledge experts. OSU recognizes the important role faculty play in making the university a success and plans to add $200 million in faculty support through Branding Success. “This is a marketplace like any other marketplace. And there’s a lot of great faculty on this campus that a lot of people would just love to have, and we want to keep them,” President Hargis says. Where average faculty salary is concerned, OSU trails the top 20 land-grant institutions by nearly $19,000 per faculty member. Branding Success will help narrow that gap while creating new faculty positions and funding valuable research endeavors. OSU is well on its way to meeting the goal for faculty support thanks to the surge of gifts in 2008 triggered by a $100 million gift-matching challenge from OSU alumnus T. Boone Pickens. In a span of just six weeks, donors gave an astonishing $68 million, which will be matched dollar-for-dollar by state funds, to endow faculty chairs and professorships. These academic designations not only recognize outstanding faculty, but they provide those faculty members with the funding needed to be successful. This initiative added more than 106 endowed chairs, bringing OSU’s total to 266. This unprecedented growth demonstrates the revolutionary generosity of OSU donors, which jump-started the campaign for OSU.

$200,000,000 FACILITY SUPPORT

$100,000,000 PROGRAM SUPPORT

For many potential students and faculty members, a campus visit provides their first impression of OSU. Once they decide to attend, the buildings, classrooms and laboratories they toured become their second home. OSU is constantly working to improve its facilities and equipment to meet the ever-evolving educational and research needs of the campus, which is why Branding Success calls for $200 million for facility improvements.

OSU’s main campus may be in Stillwater, but with four branch campuses and extension services in Oklahoma’s counties, it reaches far beyond the city limits. As a land-grant university, OSU has a responsibility to share its knowledge and use that knowledge to impact the state and beyond. OSU has a number of promising programs that do just that, but without appropriate funding these programs would cease to exist. Through Branding Success, $100 million will be added to OSU, ensuring programs reach their full potential.

There is a diverse list of projects, which includes renovations to the Student Union, new buildings for the Spears School of Business and the College of Human Environmental Sciences, a new visual and performing arts center, and additions to the Equine Critical Care Unit, among others. Once completed, these facility improvements will provide a 21st century learning environment armed with state-of-the-art equipment needed to support research and instruction. Once these projects are completed, OSU will be able to educate the modern-day student like never before. “For faculty members, especially scientists, to go anywhere, one of the most important things is not even salary; without the tools, you cannot get your work done,” says Dr. Estella Atekwana, professor and Sun Company Clyde Wheeler Chair in Hydrogeology.

OKLAHOMA STATE has high expectations, not only for its

students and faculty, but also for itself. One billion dollars has a lasting impact on any institution, and OSU plans to use every dollar raised to propel the university forward to achieve President Hargis’ long-term vision of success. This campaign will infuse OSU with the capital needed to fuel transformative initiatives and unleash the promise of people and ideas. “This campaign is indeed audacious and historic in its scope and magnitude. The money we will raise through Branding Success: The Campaign for Oklahoma State University will have a tremendous impact on OSU, our faculty, and students

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The university’s programs transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries and allow knowledge to take place outside the classroom. Among some of OSU’s most outstanding programs is the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, allowing disabled veterans who have dreams of starting their own businesses to learn from world-class faculty members and develop viable business solutions at no cost to them. This is just one of the hundreds of programs that extend OSU’s resources beyond its doors, improving the lives of others. Branding Success will direct funding to existing programs to enhance the services they offer. It will also help to build new ones that will further broaden OSU’s reach.

as well as our state and beyond, benefitting generations to come. This is our time to redefine the future of OSU, raise expectations, seize opportunities and do something truly purposeful and exceptional,” says Hargis. Branding Success began Dec. 4, 2007, and will last until Dec. 31, 2014. This $1 billion campaign will transform Oklahoma State by taking it to new heights. With more than half of the $1 billion goal already met, OSU is well on its way. If you’d like to learn more about how you can get involved in this historic initiative, watch videos, read more about priorities or meet campaign people, visit OSUgiving.com.

For the second time in less than two years, Pickens announces $100 million challenge gift to OSU.

T. BOONE PICKENS UNDERSTANDS THAT THE TIME FOR OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY TO MOVE FORWARD IS NOW. “I think everybody’s going to be involved in the campaign because I think we all feel good about the university now, and now is our time,” Pickens says. “Everybody understands what we’re going to do when we get the money, and they know it’s just another step forward. This is not the last campaign, but it’s the most important one because it’s today. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be a part of it.” Pickens is more than a part. On Feb. 26, he made yet another transformational gift that challenges other donors to adopt his sense of urgency. His $100 million challenge gift establishes the Pickens Legacy Scholarship Match, which is detailed on the next page.

“These are exciting times at OSU, and the possibilities are limitless,” Pickens says. “I was amazed at the sheer number of people who stepped up to support the stadium project and then the $100 million match to endowed chairs and professorships. There is no doubt in my mind we will succeed again.” The university’s biggest booster adds that his generosity may grow if enough donors accept his challenge. “I will match up to the first $100 million that comes in, but I said, ‘If it goes over $100 million, call me,’” Pickens says. “I may change, but I’ll be there for 100 (million).” This is the second time he has issued a $100 million challenge to OSU donors. In the summer of 2008, Pickens gave the

same amount to match gifts to endowed chairs and professorships. In response, more than 900 donors gave more than $68 million in just 40 days, adding 106 new endowed chairs and professorships. The result was an amazing success for OSU, and this gift is expected to have the same kind of impact. This makes the third gift of at least $100 million from Pickens to his alma mater. In 2006, he announced the largest donation ever for collegiate athletics, $165 million to fund the renovation and expansion of the football stadium that now bears his name. He also gave $63 million to finish the renovation of the stadium in 2008.

PICKENS LEGACY S C H O L A R S H I P M AT C H

THE IMPACT

OVERVIEW

Photo / gary laWSon

On Feb. 26, 2010, OSU alumnus T. Boone Pickens made a surprising and incredible announcement to provide a testamentary matching gift of up to $100 million. This commitment illustrates the enduring generosity of Mr. Pickens to his alma mater, as well as challenging and inspiring our alumni and friends to create their own philanthropic legacies to benefit OSU.

GIFT ELIGIBILITY

You know me -- I want us to be the best in everything we do at Oklahoma State,” Pickens says. “We are not going to be second to anyone either academically or athletically. I know the leadership now in place at OSU with Ann and Burns (Hargis) has been a game-changer. We are on the move in ways I could have never imagined a few years ago.” “You all are lucky with me because you’ve got a guy who loves the school more than anything, and I am very competitive,” Pickens said. “And from time to time, you catch me with money.” His repeated gifts are a major component to the mosaic that each OSU donor contributes to. This mosaic is revealing a beautiful picture: Oklahoma State University as “the nation’s premier landgrant institution,” as OSU President Burns Hargis likes to put it.

Kirk Jewell, OSU Foundation president and CEO, also spoke of the depth of gratitude he has for Pickens’ gift.

• Donor may name their own endowment and determine selection criteria. • Corporate matching gifts may count toward minimum eligibility. • The $100 million match is available on a first come, first served basis. • Donors/Families can “band together” as long as it goes into one endowed scholarship/fellowship fund at the minimum level. • Deadline: Oct. 31, 2010

STUDENT IMPACT The Impact of a $500,000 Matched Endowment NO. OF STUDENTS 2

$1,560

VALUE OF ANNUAL AWARD

“Boone’s generosity is beyond legendary,” Jewell says. “He has repeatedly made astounding donations that are transforming the university that he loves so much. In addition to the sheer magnitude of another $100 million gift, it encourages thousands of other donors to utilize this opportunity to match their donations for scholarships. This gift, when fully matched and funded, will produce $10 million per year to help students attend OSU. That is a staggering impact.”

• There is a $50,000 minimum gift size for match eligibility.

$3,125

“As the school gets more notoriety and we get more money into the school – and we are about to expand our programs and pay our people more – we’re going to have more and more success,” Pickens says. “I think we’ve learned a lot in the last three or four years. We’ve learned how to handle success in a lot of things. We have branded success. Going forward we will be even more successful with all that’s going to happen. I’m confident of that.” Hargis expressed his gratitude to Pickens for his incredible donation.

“We are extraordinarily grateful to Boone for his continued generosity to Oklahoma State,” Hargis says. “Boone’s amazing gift, combined with the many other advance gifts we have already received, puts us in a strong position to meet and even exceed our billion dollar goal before Dec. 31, 2014 – the target date for the completion of the campaign.”

• Gifts that qualify under the matching guidelines include outright gifts (cash, stocks, etc.) or pledge commitments of up to five years directed to new or existing scholarship/fellowship endowments within any area of the university.

= Number of Student Awards with original gift = Number of Student Awards including matched gift

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READ MORE OSUgiving.com/pickensmatch

MEET CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP »

Photo / gary laWSon

M KNIGHTS C

HOW IMPORTANT is Oklahoma State University to Ross and Billie McKnight? Simply put, without OSU, there is no “Ross and Billie McKnight.” The co-chairs for Branding Success: The Campaign for Oklahoma State University met in 1971 when Ross was a senior and Billie was a freshman. As president of the Student Government Association, Ross selected himself as a judge for the Freshman Queen contest, where Billie was competing. She didn’t win, but the couple took the real prize, as that meeting was the first step toward their lifetime of happiness. “We’re really blessed, and we’re blessed with our relationship because of OSU,” Ross says. “I really want other people to be able to experience that type of relationship-building. Whatever success we’ve experienced later in life has probably come from the interactions that I’ve been able to make with great people.” Billie notes that OSU is a family tradition. Both of her parents came to Oklahoma A&M, with her father playing both football and baseball. Ross and Billie’s children, Trent and Meggan, join their parents as proud alumni.

“OSU is a tradition that has carried on, and that’s something that brings you all back to have something in common,” Billie says. Meanwhile, Ross and Billie have gone on to have success not just personally but also professionally. Ross dons many hats as a rancher, banker and oilman, and he was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1996 and a Graduate of Distinction of the Department of Animal Science in 1998. He was a co-chair for the Next Level Campaign, which raised more than $100 million for OSU’s football stadium expansion. This couple has both the OSU passion and the experience to

ARE COMMITTED TO GIVING BACK TO THE SCHOOL THAT BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER

lead them throughout this audacious seven-year endeavor. Kirk Jewell, president and CEO of the OSU Foundation, calls the McKnights ideal candidates for this position. “Ross and Billie are the perfect choice for co-chairs of the Branding Success campaign because of their passion for OSU,” Jewell says. “Their lives were transformed at OSU, including meeting one another here. They are doing a remarkable job of leading this bold initiative, and they never do anything less than all the way. They will help ensure that OSU is successful and will fulfill its potential.”

We know this campaign will be a success,” Ross says. “We know Oklahoma State University is going to take its rightful place and not be denied the funds we need for chairs, scholarships and research. You can count on us. You can count on Billie, you can count on (OSU President) Burns (Hargis), you can count on me.”

BRANDING SUCCESS L AU N CH ES WITH FAN FARE

I have been at Oklahoma State since 1986 and have never seen such an enthusiastic commitment to funding the academic mission of the university,” says Carol Moder, associate professor and head of the Department of English. “As a former chair of the general faculty at OSU, I am well aware how critical it is to our future success that we generate much-needed funds for scholarships, which in the broadest sense includes both student and faculty support.”

R E L I V E T H E E V E N T AT O S U G I V I N G .C O M 62

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My first thought (looking at the goal of $1 billion) was, ‘Wow, that’s a lot of zeros,’” says Valerie Carpenter, a senior from Jenks.

What a great day,” says OSU President Burns Hargis. “It’s our goal to be the best. It’s audacious. The future is now. It’s our destiny. OSU will have the resources it needs to truly become America’s premier land-grant university. Go Pokes!” PhotoS / gary laWSon & Phil Shockley

I was so shocked to discover the ambitious goal of $1 billion and to know that our generous alumni have done so much to help in the past two years,” says Annie Schwandt, a senior from Enid.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS AT OSU LOOK LIKE? Ten students are $1,000 closer to their goal of a college education after winning the first round of the OSU Foundation’s innovative OSUccess scholarship contest. Students had five weeks to submit their answer to the question, “How do you define success at OSU?” through a variety of creative outlets. Any student in good academic standing at any of OSU’s five campuses was eligible to enter the contest at OSUccess.com via a text entry of 300 words or less, a video of 30 seconds or less, or a photo with a caption of 30 words or less. Nearly 600 students entered the contest with excellent submissions in all three mediums. “Because half of this $1 billion campaign is focused on scholarships, we wanted to engage our students and increase their awareness of the campaign, its priorities and the future impact,” says Kirk Jewell, OSU Foundation president and CEO. “Not only has this contest tangibly demonstrated our goal to help students, but it also has started a dialogue with them about what Branding Success means – to them and to OSU. It has been embraced beyond our expectations and we’re looking forward to seeing future iterations throughout the campaign.” The winners were chosen by a panel of five judges made up of OSU faculty, staff and a student. They worked together to choose the best entry in each medium and from each campus, along with two random selections. One of the judges was Bonnie Ann Cain, APR, senior communications specialist for the OSU Library.

Keith Richardson OSU-TULSA, MARKETING

Andrew Willoughby OSU-STW, POLITICAL SCIENCE

Helen Orcutt

OSUIT, PHOTOGRAPHY

Joel Watson OSU-CHS, D.O.

Tiffany Taylor OSUIT, CULINARY ARTS

Morgan Baily

OSU-TULSA, POLITICAL SCIENCE

Erika Phillips

OSU-OKC, VETERINARY TECH.

Jezire Hudson

“Reading through all the entries really makes you appreciate everything OSU does for the state and our community,” says Cain. “It was so difficult to narrow it down to two finalists from each campus. There were so many excellent entries. I wanted them all to win!”

OSU-STW, SOCIOLOGY

The contest will return with a new question each semester throughout the rest of the Branding Success campaign. What follows is a portion of some of the winners. For more information or to see the entries, visit OSUccess.com.

Jennifer Parker

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Luis Serrano

OSU-STW, BIOSYSTEMS & AG ENG.

OSU-OKC, MANAGEMENT

. . . Ultimately OSU is synonymous with success, and each person that has ever had a part of the rich OSU history and tradition leaves the university knowing the many levels of success and takes this knowledge into the world to share as a Cowboy for life.

Succeeding is not only getting up every morning to go to class with a sole objective, but also growing as an individual by attending student groups, networking and meeting people. No matter how hard my classes seem to be, or how full my schedule is, I already know that the road of success will lead me to achieve my goal. With determination, patience and a single goal in mind, any OSU student can become a successful Cowboy.

A LOOK BACK It’s hard to imagine just how much a comprehensive campaign can change a university. While Branding Success will be the largest comprehensive campaign in OSU history, it’s not our first. Bringing Dreams to Life launched on June 1, 1994, and had a lasting impact on the university. This is a look back at our first campaign and how it changed the face of Oklahoma State. The original goal was $125 million, but OSU donors went beyond original expectations, allowing the university to continue raising the bar until the campaign ended in June 2000. In fact, the campaign vastly exceeded its goals in each category and eventually more than doubled our initial overall goal, raising $260,483,538. Here are just a few of the notable achievements made during the course of Bringing Dreams to Life: BRINGING DREAMS TO LIFE

T H E I M PAC T • Almost $92 million was given for student scholarships, fellowships and programs. That includes 19 new Presidents Distinguished Scholarships and five new Distinguished Graduate Fellowships, both of which are elite awards attracting premier students to OSU. • More than $15 million was raised for athletics, including the expansion of Gallagher-Iba Arena. The ‘rowdiest arena in the country’ more than doubled in size, keeping its historic feel while providing state-of-the-art amenities. • Nearly $47 million was directed to improving the physical campus. New buildings included the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center, the Advanced Technology Research Center that houses the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, and the Donald W. Reynolds Technology Center at the OSU Institute of Technology in Okmulgee. Willard Hall, home of the College of Education, was also renovated. • More than $30 million in endowed faculty positions and lectureships were added, including 15 chairs, 12 professorships and 16 lectureships. These positions help us attract and retain the best teachers, researchers and speakers. • More than $4 million was designated for the Edmon Low Library, which included renovating of the Peggy V. Helmerich Browsing Room, redesigned to make it a warm, inviting showcase piece for the library and a venue appropriate for various public events. • More than $72 million came in for annual support of programs. This included support for programs such as the OSU-Tulsa Center for Poets & Writers, the OSU-OKC Second Chance Program and Oklahoma Gardening.

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A QUICK SNAPSHOT STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS & PROGRAMS GOAL: $35,000,000

RAISED: $91,998,603 ENDOWED FACULTY POSITIONS & LECTURESHIPS GOAL: $28,000,000

RAISED: $30,316,950 LIBRARY GOAL: $2,000,000

RAISED: $4,195,588 PHYSICAL CAMPUS GOAL: $23,000,000

RAISED: $46,784,064 ATHLETICS GOAL: $12,000,000

RAISED: $15,017,631

411

407

166

8-1-2

81-1-2

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Signat ure of Success ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Premier Naming Opportunities

Make your signature of success in OSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s billion dollar campaign. The ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center has given our alumni their first visible home on campus. We must continue our efforts to secure the future of this campus landmark. With several premier naming opportunities available, a gift to the Alumni Center will ensure it is beautifully maintained for future generations of Cowboys. For more information or to make your signature of success, call 800.622.4678 or visit orangeconnection.org/give.

Pictured above: Emeriti Suite Additional opportunities include: Traditions Hall, Formal Gardens and Patio, Suite Entrance and more.

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater,O K7 4078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 â&#x20AC;˘ FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

Each One is

PhotoS / MeliSSa Mourer

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F O r m a n y, t i m e s P e n t a t OsU is like nO Other. FrOm the FriendshiPs made tO the Pl aCes and thinGs e xPerienCed, BeinG a s t U d e n t at O s U i s a wOnderFUl time. As the years go by and the memories dim, the Official OSU Class Ring is a lasting testament that does not fade. What makes the ring even more special is what happens even before you slip it on your finger. For most who wear the ring, the idea of how it was made conjures up images of large machines and a standardized, impersonal approach to its creation. However, this image does not come close to showing the intense dedication and hand craftsmanship that goes into the making of each and every one of the Official OSU Class Rings. From the time a student or alumnus places an order for a ring, the process takes on a very personalized and individual life of its own. The men and women who work in the Balfour facility in Austin, Texas, are truly craftsmen. Many of them have been there not just years but decades. They have an intimate knowledge of what it takes to make each ring a work of art. (continues on next page)

t h e O F F i C i a l O s U C l a s s r i n G s ta n d s a s a t e s t a m e n t n O t O n ly t O a G r a d U at e ’ s P e r s O n a l a C C O m P l i s h m e n t s w h i l e at O s U , B U t a l s O a s a s y m B O l O F h i s O r h e r a l m a m at e r . 7

p h oTo S 1 – 5

Each ring is individually made, beginning with a wax cast, and then each wax version is tediously molded and shaped to ensure the final ring is flawless. Each cast is sized and created specific to the request of the recipient. Once several wax rings have been created, they are placed on what is called a ring tree. The wax tree is used to create a mold and can contain two dozen rings at once. This is the only phase in the process of making the rings during which the individual rings are grouped together. p h oTo S 6 –7

Once the gold is poured into the molds and the initial formation of the ring has occurred, the rings are again separated as the tedious process of cleaning, polishing and finishing begins. It is at this point in the process that the rings truly begin to take shape. Prior to these final steps, the rings are nothing more than masses of unpolished gold with none of the beauty or shine of the finished product. p h oTo 8

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During the detailing and polishing stages, each ring is carefully crafted with meticulous attention to detail. Each person who touches the rings has a very specific job. One woman, Maggie, is responsible for bringing out the detail work on the sides of the traditional rings. It’s a job she’s been doing for more than

35 years and is one she enjoys. While the detail work on the OSU ring is difficult for others to manage, Maggie has mastered the process and says she enjoys the challenge. p h oTo S 9 – 10

Each step along the way reveals hints of the finished product. Once the rings have been buffed, polished and shined, they are ready for the final two steps, the personalization and stone setting. While the face of the ring is a constant, what can be engraved inside is anything but. The engraved words give alumni the opportunity to make the rings their own. After the rings are engraved, any requiring stones are sent to the stone setter. For the rest, it is time for a final inspection and packaging. From beginning to end, the creation of an Official OSU Class Ring represents each alum’s personal connection to OSU, and a distinct connection to the men and women who worked to make it. To learn more about the Official OSU Class Rings and to see a video of them being made, visit orangeconnection.org/ring. MeliSSa Mourer

STUDENT UNION O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

Imagine...a single building where so much of campus life occurs. More than 1.5 million people pass through its doors every year. On average each OSU student uses the Union five times per week. The OSU Student Union is truly a one-stop shop that has continued to evolve to meet the needs of a dynamic University.“ — H A R RY B I R DW E L L , 1 97 1 -7 2 S G A P R E S I D E N T

THE STUDENT UNION is the busiest building on campus, and for good reason. It houses almost countless services for students, faculty and staff. Where else on campus can you buy food from a variety of restaurants including an incredible steakhouse, get a haircut, watch a movie, hear a speaker, book your travel, visit a convenience store, apply for scholarships and much more?

But recent studies and focus groups tell us changes are necessary for the Union to keep up with the needs of today’s students. If we are to maintain the legacy of this campus giant and all it represents for future generations of OSU students, we must invest in necessary facility improvements and infrastructure upgrades. The students understand this, having voted a $53 million fee upon themselves to help fund a two-phase renovation. Your donation will help us complete this project.

Visit OSUgiving.com/StudentUnion to make a gift today.

She proudly represents OSU in the Big 12 Conference’s military salute airing during conference basketball and bowl games. Staff Sgt. Lorena Brand, an Army soldier for 13 years, never thought she would be asked to appear in a video honoring Big 12 alumni who serve in the military. “I am very proud and honored to have participated in this public service announcement,” says Brand, a 1996 finance graduate selected by the Big 12 Conference to represent OSU in the televised tribute to the military. “I would do it again if asked.” After graduating, Brand enlisted in the Army in January 1997 as a way to quickly pay off her student loans. She is currently assigned to the 120th Infantry Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas, as a unit supply specialist. There she acquires supplies for units training to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan, and she ships equipment to other brigades in the United States that are part of the First Army’s two divisions, east and west. As an OSU student, Brand carried a full class load, worked and was a member of Phi Mu sorority. She says her busy schedule was beneficial to her later in the Army because it taught her to work hard, accomplish goals and never quit when something seems too hard. “The Army has also helped me strive to be a better person,” she says. “It has given me more self-confidence, more courage to attempt new things, and it has given me a family outside of my immediate family.” Army life has increased her passionate pride and love for the military and her country. She understands what it means to fight for her country and take a stand for freedom. “I take more pride in the freedoms that are taken for granted nowadays,” Brand says. “And I start crying whenever the National Anthem is played.”

Even though the Army has given her lifelong friends and taken her to places she used to dream of seeing, like Germany, Paris, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium, Brand says military life can be hard, especially during deployments when she’s away from her parents and sister, all OSU alums. On Brand’s first deployment to Iraq in 2005, she didn’t quite know what to expect. She only knew what she had heard on TV or from others in the Army. She spent a lot of time worrying that her military vehicle would be hit by an explosive device or have mechanical problems. She says it was her most difficult deployment and a scary time. Another terrifying time for Brand was the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting inside Fort Hood. That afternoon, Brand was on her way to an appointment on base when emergency response vehicles sped by her. She says they were not letting people into any buildings, so she returned to her office stunned and scared and was not allowed to go home until 7 p.m. “I couldn’t believe somebody had just shot and killed soldiers on American soil where we are supposed to feel safe,” she says. “Phone lines were jammed with people calling their loved ones letting them know they were safe.” Even though being in the military isn’t easy, Brand plans to reenlist in two years. “I’m grateful for the opportunities the Army has given me,” she says, “and for the person the Army has helped me to become.” r ac h e l S h e e t S

Erdoes helps school that helped his beloved pet

ovu is described as a “chronic counter surfer” by his owner. Kovu (Swahili for scar) is a 4-year-old ridgeback standing almost 3 feet high. Bred to serve as a protective guard dog, the hair on his back permanently stands on end forming a ridge. According to his master, Peter Erdoes of Edmond, Okla., the dog will eat anything and everything. So it was no surprise when Erdoes had to take Kovu to Dr. Margret King’s veterinary clinic in Dec. 2007. “We thought Kovu had chewed the orange extension cord to the Christmas lights,” recalls Erdoes. “He had an obstruction in his digestive tract. Dr. King (OSU ’93) gave us two options — take him to a veterinary hospital in Oklahoma City or the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.” An OSU graduate himself, with a major in marketing and minor in German, Erdoes chose OSU. “I expected them to recommend exploratory surgery,” Erdoes says. “Refreshingly, they kept him under observation for a couple of days. The veterinary hospital had a three-dimensional X-ray so they

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could get a good look at what was going on inside Kovu. Treatment was not profitdriven but purely based on what was medically necessary and what was in the best interest of the dog and the dog’s owner.” A fourth-year student is assigned to each case at the veterinary hospital in addition to attending faculty, residents or interns. “The veterinary student would call me every day after Kovu’s walk and tell me how he was doing,” Erdoes says. “It was top-notch care! Everything was done out of concern for the animals, the love of veterinary medicine and teaching the students.” It was that exceptional care Kovu received that inspired not one but two gifts to OSU’s veterinary center. The first gift of $10,000 was made through the Cowboy Calling Program. “When I attended OSU, I was a Cowboy Caller,” Erdoes says. “We would get excited when someone called in and gave $200 or $300. I know these callers are OSU students — not some marketing firm. I have given to the Spears School of Business and to the German section of the Foreign Language Department for several years running. I always give through the Cowboy Callers; I remember those days. “The first time I donated to the veterinary college, I said 10 and the caller said $10? And I said no, $10,000. The Cowboy Caller said oh — oh, I’ll have to get my supervisor.” That generous gift helped renovate the veterinary hospital’s Kirkpatrick Foundation Small Animal Critical Care Unit. The entire project was accomplished with private donations. The main treatment room was enlarged, four large runs for giant/large breed dogs was built, a separate feline ward and a “quiet room” for patients recovering from anesthesia were also added. The second gift through the Cowboy Callers was another $10,000, which allowed the purchase of two oxygen cages in the Kirkpatrick Foundation unit. “One of the reasons I will continue to give is the fact that a veterinary student today faces debt of $120,000-plus,” Erdoes says. “A young veterinarian will have a long hard road to pay off their

education debt. The fact that they willwill ingly go into the profession of veterinary medicine knowing they will have that debt but do so because of their love for animals is mind-boggling. They pursue this career because of their love, not because it is a path to fame and fortune.

“I am absolutely flattered that they would name two oxygen cages after me for what I would consider as a small donation. It shows that the money is well-spent and that it is a very tangible donation.”

“One of the reasons I will continue to give is the fact that a veterinary student today faces debt of $120,000-plus. A young veterinarian … pursue(s) this career because of their love, not because it is a path to fame and fortune.”

The Kirkpatrick Foundation Small Animal Critical Care Unit operates 24/7, 365 days a year, serving clients in Oklahoma and adjacent states. The Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is one of 28 veterinary colleges in the United States and is fully accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The center’s Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital is open to the public and provides routine and specialized care for small and large animals. It also offers 24-hour emergency care and is certified by the American Animal Hospital Association. For more information, visit www.cvhs. okstate.edu or call 405-744-7000.

Peter and Kim Erdoes pose with their beloved dogs, Kovu (left) and Steely, in their Edmond, Okla., home.

illuStration By graPhic deSign Senior eric BrySon

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Calls & Drawls Scientists discover that different species sound surprisingly similar when metabolic factors are compared equally.

Take a cod. Shrink it, hypothetically, to

the size of a cricket, and then heat it to the cricket’s body temperature. Don’t be surprised if the cod starts chirping like a cricket. “When you convert metabolic factors such as size and temperature, how often the fish produces a song will sound more or less the same as the cricket,” says Alex Ophir, an OSU zoology professor and neuroendocrinologist. “And the length and loudness of their calls will be about the same, too.” Huh? That’s the result of a ground-breaking OSU and University of Florida study of about 500 species’ audible communication methods that links how they “talk” to how their bodies convert chemicals into energy — their metabolic rate. (continues on next page) 77

“I don’t think we realized what we The cod and cricket example (yes, were getting into,” Gillooly says. The Ophir says, a cod makes a sound like a result was a mountain of information low “errrrrrrrr”) is just one of many that Ophir and his counterpart, biologist Jamie “that is arguably the biggest data set that’s ever been analyzed.” Gillooly of the University of Florida, studTo compare a cod to a cricket, they ied by taking the work of other researchdecided to look at body temperature and ers and comparing animal calls — the body size, the two most important deterfrequency, duration, pitch and intensity minants of metabolic rate, says Ophir, — and plotting them against their body who holds a doctoral degree in animal temperature and size, critical components behavior from McMaster University in of their metabolic rate. Hamilton, Ontario, and a bachelor’s It’s the first time in history anyone has linked so many different species’ audible communication to a common general factor. The link is doubly important when one considers scientists have been studying animal calls for centuries. Gillooly and Ophir in January published their investigation in the proceedings of the Royal Society, the United Kingdom’s national science academy. The discovery set the scientific press a-buzz. Articles have appeared in The Scientific American and Science Daily, including one carried by more than 50 other news outlets including YahooNews. com and U.S. News & World Report. The Discovery Channel’s The Daily Planet in Canada also featured it. The two started the study in 2007 when Ophir was doing his postdoctoral work at Florida. Gillooly, an expert in how organisms use and store energy, told Ophir he wanted to look into a possible link between communication and metabolism. Ophir was skeptical but intrigued. He decided to help mainly because he simply wanted to know the answer. Gillooly says he wanted to work with degree in behavioral neuroendocrinology Ophir in part because the professor is a from the University of Texas. gifted scientist with invaluable expertise “When you convert these metabolic in the nerve firings and muscle contracfactors and plot them on a graph, you tions behind organisms’ social actions and find these animals just line up along this activities. Ophir’s research at OSU focuses predicted line more or less exactly,” Ophir on the brain mechanisms behind social says. “So, if you assume all things are behaviors, particularly monogamy among equal, body temperature and size, and prairie voles and the regions of the brain hold the metabolic rate constant, the calls associated with the practice. The scientists began by laboring through semantics, exhaustively figuring out how to classify the calls according to the unique sounds, pulses and syllables that compose each species’ distinctive calls. Then, the two read paper after paper, poring over figures, sonograms and muscle contraction rates.

“So, if you assume all things are equal, body temperature and size, and hold the metabolic rate constant, the calls across all organisms sound the same for the most part.”

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across all organisms sound the same for the most part.” It’s the equivalent of converting each of their 500 species into one species that simply speaks different languages — just like humans. “With all scientists, our purpose is to understand how the world works,” Gillooly says. “Whenever you can understand something across a large diversity of species from insects to whales and birds, it’s really exciting.” The results open up new areas for further study that could lead to new insights into ecology, including the effects of climate change and how natural selection influences communication methods. Ophir says heat has been shown to increase metabolism, and if communication is linked to metabolism as their study indicates, the calls of animals such as fish and reptiles, which rely on the environment to regulate their body temperatures, will become higher than normal as temperatures rise. Because higher pitches travel shorter distances, warmer climates could force animals that rely on their calls for communication to live even closer together in order to interact. That could cause populations to collapse into smaller areas, cramming more into a square mile than before, and potentially lead to resource depletion and issues with food, disease and habitat limitations. All these changes could end up affecting ecology on a global scale, Ophir says. “Who knows what you can do with these research results. With this giant database, we and other scientists can start asking some really interesting questions, such as how does the habitat you choose affect the kinds of calls you make,” Ophir says. “The research potential is just as creative as whoever is studying it wants it to be.” M at t e l l i o t t

arents of teenagers often agree it takes more than words of wisdom and encouragement to convince a 16-year-old that earning an education has true value. Sometimes, the task requires an incentive that is a little more tangible. Misty Maples, a human development and family science freshman with an option in child and family services, can vouch for a spendable means of inspiration. Maples’ older brother, Danny, earned his GED in 1995. Today, he is working on a Ph.D. in chemistry at OSU. Once he realized the importance of education, Danny found an inventive way to help his parents inspire his younger sister. “He would reward me at the end of every semester with $100 for having a 4.0 GPA,” Maples says. She was in the fourth grade when Danny decided to start adding a bonus to her education. Maples says the “bribing” paid off. She graduated from Silo (Okla.) High School in 2008 with all A’s on her transcript. The support from her brother instilled her desire to succeed in academics at an early age. Since she has begun her career in higher education in the College of Human Environmental Sciences, Maples and her

Encouragement Unique

A scholarship from Virginia Sasser, right, is helping Misty Maples, seated, take the first step toward the dream to pursue a career in family policy, law and advocacy.

Photo / Gary lawson

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brother agree, it was all worth it. Danny says he believes OSU and the human development and family science program was definitely the best choice for her.

An inspired decision Maples says her past and the people who helped her were the inspiration for her decision to major in child and family services. Born to a mother addicted to drugs and alcohol, she was adopted by Dan and Brenda Maples when she was 14 months old. “I have chosen this career area because of my love for children and families,” Maples says. “If it had not been for people in my life that cared about me when I was a baby, there is no telling where I would be today. I could be living in a terrible situation if it had not been for the system.” Maples says because her siblings were several years older and had already moved out, married and started families of their own, she and her parents often spent weekends visiting them during her middle and high school years. It was during a trip to see Danny and another brother, Randall, who is also working on a Ph.D. in chemistry at OSU, that she fell in love with the campus. “I didn’t know much about it before, but once my brothers showed me around campus, I fell in love with everything about it,” she says. “The campus is so beautiful, and Stillwater is such a nice town.” When it came time to consider her degree options, Maples was most impressed with the human development and family science program at OSU. “I had never seen an institution put so much emphasis on this type of major,” she says. “Family services, social work, therapy and all of the related areas are so important in our society, but no one seems to ever really stop and think about these jobs. I love how the College of Human Environmental Sciences gives this career area the attention that it deserves.” The diversity on campus and the multitude of opportunities for student involvement gave Maples another reason to consider OSU as her future alma mater. “There are infinite possibilities available to OSU students,” she says.

GeneroUs Gifts, helpinG hAnds Encouragement from her brothers and the rest of her family drove Maples to earn good grades in high school and choose an ambitious major. With four siblings attending college, she soon realized financing an education would take more than moral support. “I am paying for college on my own,” she says. “I had to try for all of the scholarships I possibly could in order to decrease the amount of loans I would have to take out.” Her efforts paid off and she received numerous scholarships. One was the Virginia Sasser Endowed Scholarship, a substantial award granted to a full-time freshman from Perkins, Okla., who is majoring in human development and family science and experiencing financial need. As there were no students from Perkins who met the criteria, Laura Little, CHES coordinator of prospective student services, contacted the Sassers to see if they would consider waiving the requirement for Maples.

“If it had not been for people in my life that cared about me when I was a baby, there is no telling where I would be today.”

After reviewing Maples’s application and reading her childhood story, Virginia Sasser says she was honored to be able to offer a helping hand. “We were very proud to extend the scholarship to Misty,” Sasser says. “She is very serious, and we are glad to help her achieve her goals.” Maples and her family were ecstatic when they learned she had received the award. “It was wonderful to know that someone believed in me enough to award me this amount of money,” she says. “I am so grateful. Virginia Sasser has been a tremendous part of my experience at OSU.”

the roAd AheAd Maples completed her first semester at OSU in December. Though she says the beginning was a little stressful, her experience has been great so far. “OSU is everything I was looking forward to, and more,” she says. “I absolutely love it here. I love the classes, the work and my goofy friends.” She takes advantage of many campus opportunities such involvement in the Human Development and Family Science Club, hall government and campus ministries. While she doesn’t get to see her brothers as much as she thought she might, they do spend time together when their schedules allow it. “We have supper together sometimes and watch our favorite shows. We take trips home together on some weekends, and we meet for lunch when we can get our schedules to coincide,” she says. Maples plans to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in May 2013. She says it is still too early to know exactly what career she will pursue, but she hopes to attend law school and become involved in the legal realm of adoption. “I want to play a part in giving children and families the same opportunity someone gave me long ago.” lindy WigginS

— Misty Maples

For Bob Provine, laughter is no laughing matter. In fact, the OSU alumnus could be one of the great buzz kills of his generation. As the world’s foremost researcher of laughter and other obscure, neglected behaviors, he’d like to remind those who revel in humanity’s ability to reason, its advances, capabilities, arts and speech, to not get too high on themselves. “People think of themselves as being conscious, rational beings in total control of their behavior,” says Provine, a 1965 psychology graduate who is now a neuropsychology professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “In fact, large amounts of our behavior are governed by irrational, unconscious processes. There’s only a thin veneer of civilization separating us from the animals.” Nowhere is that more evident than in what follows when someone makes a funny, says Provine, who has been studying what goes on behind our actions for more than 40 years. Contrary to popular belief, many species are laughing with us and not at us. (Google “The Rat Tickler.”) Provine has found the act of laughing isn’t so much a response to humor as it is about social relationships, a series of neuron firings, muscle contractions and vocalizations shaped by millennia of evolution.

Provine credits a rigorous psychology program at OSU and some arduous microbiology courses with giving him the tools to start an academic career that eventually led to the then-emerging field of neuroscience. 82

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“I think my greatest academic achievement was getting a ‘B’ in Edward Grula’s advanced microbiology class. It was probably the most challenging course I had up to that point. He was doing some serious research then and became the inspiration for my own lectures later.” The Tulsa native went from OSU to Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., where he studied the nervous system development of chicken embryos and, later, cockroaches, under two professors considered the founders of modern developmental neuroscience, Rita Levi-Montalcini and Viktor Hamburger. After getting his doctoral degree in 1971, he worked as a research professor at the university with joint appointments in psychology, biology and ophthalmology. In 1974, he was appointed to his current position and has published articles and books on everything from the development and evolution of bird flight to nerve fiber outgrowth and machine intelligence.

But there was once a time when Provine himself was governed by some impulses that, well, at least the powers that be at OSU considered irrational and inappropriate. He gets a dry chuckle these days when he looks back on his mischievous days in Stillwater. “Back then OSU had a dean of men and a dean of women,” he says. “They were the enforcers. I saw those people all the time, over such offenses as suggesting in a dorm newsletter that bowling should not be a major intramural sport. It was usually something they suspected that I was thinking or doing. They never caught me doing anything.” For example, as a student senator, dismayed by decaying Quonset huts that housed the campus’s intramural sports leagues, he joined an effort to hold a campus-wide student vote to approve a tuition increase that would pay for better facilities. Also, Parker Hall, his campus residence, was known as “Dorm B,” but Provine and his frequent accomplice, the author Brooks Mitchell, and a few of his neighbors started a movement to rename it after the famous Comanche Chief Quanah Parker. “Quanah was quite the hell raiser. Presumably he killed at least thirty-five people in battle. And everyone thought it was just great when he took up the ranching business instead of warfare. He was a Native American, an Oklahoman, and we were pretty impressed with him.” So one day they organized a vote, and a majority of dorm residents decided in favor of naming it after Parker. But OSU administration would have none of it.

“We told everyone to start having their mail sent to Parker Hall. The administration threatened to have any mail delivered to Parker Hall be returned ‘address unknown. We found out that was illegal and pointed out that the post office had to deliver to what they knew the address to be. Eventually, the administration relented and it became Parker Hall.” Overall, Provine looks back fondly on his time at OSU, especially the campfire nights spent partying down at the Cimarron River, the closest thing to a beach within miles. “Some of those darn farmers would call the police on us,” he says, laughing. “They must’ve been horrified at the thought of students having a good time.” Or laughing.

Bob Provine’s work has been profiled in many tV appearances (on the BBC, 20/20, Dateline NBC, Scientific American Frontiers), in newspapers and magazines ranging from Time to the New York Times. Discover Magazine has published three features about his work. An accomplished writer as well, his book, Laughter: A Scientific Investigation, has been published in three languages. He’s been on dozens of nPR shows (Science Friday, Morning Edition, All Things Considered), has an essay in the annual publication The Best American Science Writing and is a regular contributor to the Today’s Leading Bob Provine Thinkers book series. He recently published a paper in Evolutionary Psychology on tearing and another on how deaf signers laugh and a paper on online emoticons in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology. He also contributes to the online scholar site EDGE.org. His work was most recently depicted in an Ode Magazine article penned by fellow OSU alumnus Blaine greteman.

illuStration By graPhic deSign Senior JacoB gilBreath

War Games

Oklahoma’s Sesquicentennial Commission recruits this Civil War reenactor and OSU instructor to recreate historic battles.

Cal Kinzer’s fascination with Civil War history began in third grade. “My grandmother noticed my enthusiasm about seeing The Alamo starring John Wayne, and she said if that interested me I would really be fascinated by my great-great-grandfather, Jay Fairbanks,” says Kinzer, now a history instructor at the OSU Institute of Technology in Okmulgee. “According to family history, he was a sergeant in a New York Regiment during the Civil War. He fought at Gettysburg and Lookout Mountain and was with Sherman on his March to the Sea.” Kinzer was hooked. He began an exhaustive and lifelong study of the War Between the States, and 40 years later, he’s a Civil War reenactor who’s earned the rank of Union captain of the 24th Missouri Regiment — an actual regiment during the 1860s. He’s worn both the blue and the gray in many reenactments of famous battles and appeared in numerous films and television specials. Portraying a Civil War soldier, he’s camped, participated

OSU history instructor and Civil War reenactor Cal Kinzer, far left, commands Company 5 at the Pea Ridge battlefield site in Arkansas. Below left, Kinzer resembles his great-great-grandfather, Jay Fairbanks, right. in military drills and marched across Civil War-era battlefields. Because of his experiences and knowledge, the State Historical Society has appointed Kinzer to the Oklahoma Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission in advance of the 150th anniversary of Oklahoma’s participation in the Civil War. The sesquicentennial commission will assist the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma History Center in organizing activities beginning in 2011 that accurately recreate historical events. “I know the Historical Society is planning at least one big reenactment at Honey Springs, probably next year,” Kinzer says. “That may be the biggest reenactment Oklahoma has ever had. As far as I know, there never has been a documentary about the Civil War in Indian Territory, so that could be something to consider. Documentaries have focused on bits and pieces — Cabin Creek, Honey Springs, Fort Gibson — but not on the entire war.” Kinzer incorporates his battlefield experiences into his classroom lectures, and he makes sure students understand the great impact the Civil War and its leaders had on Oklahoma. In 1862, President Lincoln signed the Morrill Land Grant Act that created agricultural and mechanical universities across the U.S. “Without that,” Kinzer says, “there wouldn’t be an Oklahoma State University.” R e x Dau g h e r t y

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Giving Back FAPC donates to Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

“Five hundred thousand Oklahomans will wake up today and wonder where their next meal will come from. Oklahoma ranks as the sixth hungriest state in the nation, but thanks to donors, volunteers and advocates, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is ‘Fighting Hunger ... Feeding Hope.’”

his excerpt from the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma tugs on the hearts of many Oklahomans, including specialists from OSU’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center. Thanks to the approval of the OSU/A&M Board of Regents, the center can now donate perishable food products to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and has given 600 pounds of ground beef to the nonprofit organization. This action allows the FAPC to forgo disposing the meat and other perishable food items through sealed bid or public auction and simply donate the surplus directly to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. “The FAPC’s mission is to add value to Oklahoma,” says Chuck Willoughby, FAPC manager of business and marketing relations. “We are honored to have this opportunity to add value to people’s lives beyond our day-to-day activities of assisting manufacturers, processors and entrepreneurs.” Most of the meat generated from FAPC and the animal science department is sold through FAPC’s Cowboy Meats. However, before the regents’ approval, if these products were not sold in a timely manner, they had to be discarded, according to OSU Policy 3-0126 – Disposition of Surplus Property. The FAPC estimated a $3,700 inventory loss in 2001 and a $6,900 inventory loss in 2003 because of discarded items. “All in all, we have done a pretty good job of selling meats from research and

Since its inception in 1980, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma has distributed more than 293 million pounds of food worth more than $468 million. In fiscal year 2008, the Food Bank distributed 25 million pounds of food, enough to feed 63,600 Oklahomans every week. However, its greatest need continues to be protein products. “This is a win-win situation,” says OSU President Burns Hargis, who helped establish the Regional Food Bank and has served as the organization’s president. “The FAPC will be able to make use of teaching activities, but we want to have perishable food surplus in a timely manner this option to donate when the need or and help meet a need in our statewide opportunity arises,” Willoughby says. community, which extends the teachBecause of this and a request from ing, research and extension mission of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the university.” the FAPC asked the OSU/A&M Board of The board’s approval also allows Regents to consider the donation of perishable food items to the Regional Food Bank the FAPC to handle the meat processing for individuals and businesses that may of Oklahoma but under strict guidelines want to make a donation to the Regional that provide accountability and demonFood Bank. strate responsible inventory management “The Food Bank often will have and stewardship of OSU resources. individuals and business entities who “This OSU initiative will help many are willing to donate live animals and/ Oklahomans who are struggling to put or meat in need of further processing food on their tables, and for that, we are but have difficulty finding processors to extremely grateful,” says Rodney Bivens, donate their services,” Willoughby says. executive director of the Regional Food “Thus, the FAPC would like to consider Bank. “Since the recession hit, we’ve providing the processing services of live experienced a significant increase in animals and/or meat donated to the Food demand. In July 2009 alone, we distribBank when such activity fits the current uted 3.1 million pounds of food — the needs of the teaching, research and extenmost ever distributed in a single month sion programs and does not over burden in the 30-year history of the Regional current FAPC resources.” Food Bank.” the regional Food Bank is a private nonprofit organization that acts as a link through which the food industry and community may donate food and other goods. the products are then distributed to more than 700 charitable feeding programs and schools in 53 central and western oklahoma counties. For more information about the regional Food Bank, go to http://www.regionalfoodbank.org/.

Mardi gras, oSu-Style when riChard G r ay s O n , a 198 2 O s U Gr a d Uat e , realized he had lOst his OsU Class rinG, he was in COmPlete shOCk. It happened on Valentine’s Day in New Orleans when Grayson was riding the Bacchawhoppa float in the Krewe of Bacchus Parade to help throw beads, footballs, doubloons and cups to the crowd. Toward the end of the parade, Grayson’s ring slipped off his finger and into the hands of someone in the crowd. Exhausted from spending hours riding the Mardi Gras float, Grayson says he didn’t realize he had lost his ring until the next day. He resigned to the fact that his ring had most likely been swept away and would end up in the garbage somewhere. “My ring finger felt naked without it, and I worried about what I would have to do to replace my ring,” Grayson says. Luckily, Sheila David, along with the OSU Alumni Association, came to Grayson’s rescue. David happened to be at the same Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans that day, when one of her friends caught a handful of beads thrown from the float. The friend noticed a small object that turned out to be a ring. “We all looked and said this is the real thing,” she says. “We knew it had to be a mistake and wasn’t meant to be thrown with the beads.” They debated about who they should return the ring to, and David ended up holding it until the next business day. David says she knew the ring belonged to

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an OSU alumnus because the university’s name and symbols were engraved all over it. She then got online, researched OSU and contacted the Alumni Association. “There was no doubt in my mind I was going to return it,” David says. “The owner had worked hard for that ring.” David mailed the ring to Cheryl McKinzie, the program assistant in charge of the Official OSU Class Ring program, who then returned it to Grayson. “I e-mailed him at work, and he immediately called me,” McKinzie says. “He was amazed. He started telling me the story about how he lost the ring.” The Alumni Association became the official record keeper of class rings when

“When some people say they don’t want an engraving, I really stress getting it because it allows the ring to be tied to the owner.” the Official OSU Class Ring program first began in 2000. McKinzie was easily able to return the ring to the correct owner because the ring program pairs engravings with owners’ names and contact information in its records. “When some people say they don’t want an engraving, I really stress getting it because it allows the ring to be tied to the owner,” McKinzie says. Alumni are allowed to have up to 18 characters engraved on the inside of their ring at no extra charge. The majority of alumni get their name, initials or graduation year engraved on their rings. Grayson says his years at OSU brought many worthwhile memories and experiences to his life. His family moved to Oklahoma from Hong Kong during his senior year of high school. Grayson’s father was an executive for Phillips Petroleum in the International Department,

which led his family to move from Tokyo to Singapore to Hong Kong to Bartlesville, Okla. Grayson started at OSU as a freshman in the fall of 1978. “I am a third-culture kid, stuck between Asian culture and American culture,” Grayson says. “Oklahoma State meant I got to be an American and got to learn about football, The Strip, Streakers Night and turtle races at the Mason Jar. “It was the most consistent time in my life and the longest I had ever stayed in one place,” Grayson says. “OSU meant stability.” Today, Grayson works for ConocoPhillips, a company that means a lot to his family. His grandfather worked for Conoco in western Oklahoma. His father and his uncle each worked for the company for more than 30 years, and Grayson and his sisters were born in Jane Phillips Hospital in Bartlesville, Okla. ConocoPhillips and Oklahoma State also have a very close relationship since there are many OSU alumni who work for the company, Grayson says. He has often heard that ConocoPhillips hires more OSU students than any other company. “My connection to Oklahoma State provides an instant commonality with many of my coworkers that others do not possess,” Grayson says. “Often the first conversation I have in the morning begins with ‘The Pokes looked good last night.’” Grayson also stays connected to OSU through the Association’s magazine, website and alumni events. He also attends meetings and watch parties hosted by the Houston Alumni Chapter. Grayson says he is grateful to David and the Association for returning something that has meant so much to him. “My class ring signifies one of the best times in my life, and my attachment to my family’s deep roots in Oklahoma,” Grayson says. “It signifies the common history I have with anyone who ever attended Oklahoma State.” S t e P h a n i e k . tay l o r

Centenarian

Alumna with generous spirit helps countless others in century of life

Photo / Phil Shockley

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ore than 75 years after earning her degree from Oklahoma State University, Lola Lehman says when she looks back on her life, she knows it has been better because of the education she received. During the 1930s and the Great Depression, Lola Herd Lehman and her sister, Lottie Herd, attended Oklahoma A&M with the help of $150 in scholarship funds. They lived in a one-bedroom apartment and left school twice because of financial difficulties. Another sister, Leone, also attended the university during that period. In 1932, Lehman received a bachelor’s degree in home economics from the College of Home Economics, now known as the College of Human Environmental Sciences. Both sisters went on to earn master’s degrees at other universities, but they never forgot the generosity shown to them through scholarships at OSU. “It took me six years to get through college because I had to take time off to work and save my money,” Lehman says. Now 100, Lehman has committed the latter part of her life to helping students achieve their dreams of attending college in spite of financial troubles. “Lots of students have ambitions but feel like they can’t afford to pursue their dreams,” Lehman says. In 1974, she and her sister set out on a mission to assist those students. estabThat year, Lehman and Herd estab lished the Lola Lehman and Lottie Herd Scholarship in the College of Human Environmental Sciences and the Daniel C. and Mary L. Herd Memorial Scholarship in the College of Education in honor of their parents. Lehman has also made significant contributions to the Edmon Low Library through an endowment fund. “My sisters and I all had better lives because of our OSU educations,” Lehman says. “I think back to the $150 we needed so desperately and how much it helped us to stay at OSU. Lottie and I were just doing our part to help students the way others helped us.” After 37 years serving as a home extension agent in Arkansas, Lehman retired with her sisters to their hometown of Woodward, Okla. She says one of the things she is most proud of is the OSU scholarship she and her sister created. “We’re blessed in heaven for helping each other, and that’s not very common these days,” Lehman says.

Over the years, Lehman and her family have been honored several times by administrators, faculty and students at OSU. In 1975, then-OSU president Robert Kamm hosted a luncheon to show appreciation for the sisters and their support of the university. Both Lehman and Herd were recognized in 1989 by the College of Human Environmental Sciences as Distinguished Alumnae. “We deeply appreciate the support Lola and her sister have provided to students in the College of Human Environmental Sciences,” Dean Stephan Wilson says. “The scope of their influence is difficult to measure as it certainly extends to multiple generations across the state of Oklahoma and beyond.” During the past 35 years, Lehman’s generosity has helped hundreds of students earn a higher education degree from OSU through scholarships from the funds provided by the three endowments. More than 200 students have received scholarships from the Lola Lehman and Lottie Herd endowment fund in the College of Human Environmental Sciences. The amount for the individual awards has risen from $300 in the ’70s to $1,000 today.

W h a t o t h e r s s ay “I was a student at OSU and worked my way through school, commuting from Tulsa to Stillwater. This scholarship was truly a financial blessing, as it allowed me to minimize the number of hours that I needed to work in order to pay for my daily commute. My education at OSU was the perfect preparation for the career that I have built, and I will be forever grateful to OSU, Lottie Herd and Lola Lehman for their generosity.” — Teddie Price, 1991 design, housing and merchandising gradu graduate, Lola Lehman and Lottie Herd scholar,

apparel replenishment division employee of Wal-Mart Store Inc. “The Lola Lehman and Lottie Herd scholarship helped me in many ways. It not only provided financial support to help me cover the cost of my education, but also allowed me to see the impact that giving has on others. I had the privilege of sitting with (Lehman) during (an awards) lunch and learning about the person who had donated the scholarship I was about to receive.” — Ben Coffin, executive chef for Celebrations Catering, two-time Lehman and Herd scholar, School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration graduate. “As an OSU student, I relied on the generosity of others through scholarship gifts to fund my education. I am so grateful for the financial assistance and even more grateful for the encouragement this scholarship provided to continue academic excellence and participation in campus leadership and community service. Due to the scholarship gifts I received as an undergraduate HDFS student, I was able to continue my education in the field of physical therapy. I completed my Master of Physical Therapy degree in 2006 with the same academic work ethic and commitcommit ment to leadership and community activiactivi ties Ms. Herd and Mrs. Lehman promoted with their initial gift to CHES. I am forever indebted to two generous sisters who started a wonderful scholarship endowendow ment through CHES. I hope to exemplify their character as I serve my community, patients and professional colleagues.” — Janie Johnson Taylor, 2003 human developdevelop ment and family science graduate, Lehman and Herd scholar. “They realized during their years at OSU that donors sacrificed to provide scholarships to them and they then followed through with their plan to support future OSU students. Their scholarship has touched the lives of many Human Environmental Sciences students and those students have in turn impacted many other lives. Lola Lehman, at 100 years old, is still highly engaged in the belief that giving back because someone gave to her is the best possible thing she and her sister could do.” — Shiretta Ownbey, CHES associate dean for academic programs. l i n dy W i g g i n S

ChaPters

College Alumni Boards Joining the OSU Alumni Association provides a number of benefits, such as invitations to alumni events and discounts at the OSU Student Store. Another benefit for alumni who join the Alumni Association is automatic membership in their college alumni groups. Each academic college and branch campus has its own alumni board, which helps alumni from those entities stay connected to OSU as well as to their specific colleges or campuses. The alumni boards host reunions, membership drives and homecoming activities. “We try to get alumni more involved,” says Shannon Boynton, administrative assistant for the Spears School of Business. The importance of college boards is their ability to provide different resources and activities that address the specific needs of their alumni, Boynton says. For example, the way the business college connects with its accounting alumni may be different from how the College of Arts and Sciences wants to connect with its music alumni. The Spears School of Business alumni board communicates regularly with its alumni to keep them up-to-date. In order to recruit new members, the board sends letters to 25- and 50-year graduates congratulating them on their anniversary. The letter includes their anniversary pin and a membership application. The business alumni board meets each fall and spring. Its goal is to recruit alumni willing to donate time and knowledge to the college by speaking to business classes and informing students of Alumni Association activities, Boynton says. Another college board, the osteopathic medicine alumni board, meets the first Wednesday of every month at the Oklahoma Osteopathic Founders Foundation in Tulsa, Okla. Because the Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery did not join the OSU family until 1988, many of its alumni don’t necessarily consider themselves to be OSU alumni. “Their loyalty is not always toward OSU. We have to maintain

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Osteopathic medicine alumni

Veterinary Medicine awards ceremony

Osteopathic Medicine class of 1977 reunion activities (above and upper left)

College of Education alumni board that osteopathic relationship tie and then remind them their alma mater is now OSU,” says Ryan Miller, director of alumni for the OSU Center for Health Sciences. The osteopathic medicine alumni board provides an online newsletter for its alumni, as well as frequent e-mails about events, activities and updates

on colleagues. Each year, it hosts a Continuing Medical Education Conference in May, a golf classic in early summer and several national conventions that include alumni lunches, receptions and dinners for physicians. The veterinary medicine alumni board also hosts veterinary medicine conferences across the country. Last February,

The College of Arts and Sciences alumni board hosts a spring jazz event.

The osteopathic medicine alumni board welcomes Pistol Pete to play a round of golf.

Alumni boards plan reunions, such as this osteopathic medicine class of 1983 reunion. the college board held a reception at the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas. “Individual alumni have more in common with their specific college boards and identify better with them,” says Derinda Lowe, coordinator of alumni affairs for the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. The veterinary medicine alumni board prints an annual alumni magazine and sends letters twice a year to class representatives, who distribute them to their classmates. The College of Arts and Sciences alumni board meets twice a year and stays connected to its more than 47,000 alumni

through the college’s website, social media, e-mails, and annual alumni magazine. Each year the college hosts a spring event that alternates between Tulsa and Oklahoma City and features music by the OSU Jazz Band. During homecoming weekend, the OSU Alumni Association works with the college boards to recognize their specific alumni at picnics and reunion activities. Last year, the College of Arts and Sciences hosted a reunion for alumni, faculty and staff in newly renovated Murray Hall. Other colleges such as the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology and the

Spears School of Business host receptions to recognize their 25- and 50-year graduates prior to the homecoming football game. Reunion events for the College of Human Environmental Sciences and the College of Education are traditionally held on the Friday of homecoming. The College of Education alumni board hosts a picnic on Willard Lawn for its faculty, staff and alumni, and their families. There is a barbecue-style buffet and recognition of the 25- and 50-year graduates. Each alumni board works hand in hand with the Alumni Association to keep alumni connected, says Kay Porter, program manager and American Indian Alumni Association representative. Every time alumni join the Alumni Association, a portion of the $45 membership fee goes back to the colleges, says Lora Malone, vice president and chief programs officer. The Alumni Association’s database of OSU alumni also helps the different college boards when they send newsletters and notifications to their alumni. In return, the college boards assist the Alumni Association by encouraging active membership, helping updating records and reporting information from OSU Alumni Association meetings to the colleges. Joining the Alumni Association is a win-win situation for alumni. Not only do members receive the benefits of the Alumni Association, they receive all the resources and benefits of their individual colleges. S t e P h a n i e k . tay l o r

ChaPters

new Chapters Orange pride is spreading as new OSU Alumni Association chapters form across the country. In the past year, new chapters have started in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Des Moines, Iowa; San Diego, Calif., and in the Texas panhandle region. The Texas Panhandle Alumni Chapter began last summer in mid-August when four alumni who call themselves the “Core Group” joined forces. These founding members are Marc Wilson, president, Cassie Rash, vice president, Mollie Barney, secretary, and Scott Mitchell, treasurer. The four officers came up with a twoyear plan to target alumni living within the more than 100-mile region the chapter encompasses, says Wilson, adding there have been at least three previous attempts during the past 20 years to start an alumni chapter in West Texas. The plan for the new Texas Panhandle chapter is to organize quarterly meetings and events in Amarillo, Texas, and host guest speakers such as university, news and sports representatives at as many meetings as possible. About 100 people attended the kickoff meeting in November, Wilson says. The chapter also held a watch party in November for the Colorado game, and in February hosted OSU alumnus Robert

three years, says he had no idea there were so many OSU alumni in West Texas until he helped organize the chapter. He says word-of-mouth is the key to ensuring the success of new chapters, which are important for building personal and business relationships. Wilson and the other officers are using a number of different communication tools to overcome the problem of connecting with alumni in the area. Josh Pulver, director of chapters for the OSU Alumni Association, provided

Texas Panhandle Alumni Chapter

recruiting cards to the officers, which include their names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Wilson says the cards come in handy when he or the other officers see people wearing an orange shirt or displaying OSU bumper stickers on their cars. The Texas Panhandle officers also use Facebook, e-mail updates and general announcements from the OSU Alumni

“Most of us don’t go back to Stillwater very often, so this gives us at least one tie to the university after we graduate. It is a way to meet new people we already have something in common with.” Allen, a recruiting analyst and reporter for scout.com, as the guest speaker. One drawback for the Texas Panhandle chapter, Wilson says, is the long distances many alumni have to drive to attend meetings. “We are different from the big city chapters because we are regional. Our biggest problem is connecting with people. “But people are responding pretty well given the distance they have to come. They have an interest in making our chapter successful.” Wilson, who lived in Amarillo for

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local bar that has become the group’s watch party location. “Having an official location helps people get in the habit of going to a certain place,” Escott says. “Tavern at the Beach even bought an OSU flag and displayed it out front during our watch parties, and they listed our chapter events on their website.” So far, the San Diego chapter has hosted mostly watch parties for football and basketball games. In the future, Escott says the chapter hopes to participate in

Association to connect with alumni. Another new chapter that also covers a large area geographically is the San Diego Alumni Chapter. It was formed by Allison Escott, chapter president, and two other alumni who began hosting community events together. To help spread the word, the OSU Alumni Association set up an e-mail address for the San Diego chapter and began promoting the group on its website, Facebook and other social networking sites. The San Diego chapter also began partnering with Tavern at the Beach, a

Big XII Alumni events, such as an annual golf tournament and chili cook-off. Networking events and trips to local attractions such as Disneyland and nearby Temecula wineries are also a possibility. Escott says the San Diego chapter will help alumni in the area stay connected to OSU even though they live far away. “There are a lot of OSU alumni in the San Diego area,” she says. “Most of us don’t go back to Stillwater very often, so this gives us at least one tie to the university after we graduate. It is a way to meet new people we already have something in common with.” Wilson and Escott agree the number one short-term goal for new chapters is to recruit more active members. “Since we just got the San Diego chapter started, we are still trying to build interest,” Escott says. “We have some challenges, but hopefully as we have more events we will see a better turnout.” Besides building interest, the Texas Panhandle chapter also strives to recruit students for OSU. “Our vision is to become a mechanism for student recruiting,” Wilson says. “We are trying to help the university and the community at the same time. Each time we meet, we are making history.”

washington, d.C.

Alumni Brighten Capitol Hill with Orange OSU alumni turned the United States Capitol orange in February for the annual Oklahoma Congressional Delegation event followed by a reception hosted by the Washington, D.C., Alumni Chapter. President Burns Hargis and other OSU representatives presented the university’s Orange Book to Oklahoma’s congressional members. The Orange Book outlines the university’s needs in terms of federal funding for OSU’s ongoing and proposed

projects, says Larry Shell, OSU Alumni Association president. The reception that follows is an opportunity for OSU alumni to network and develop camaraderie with each other. “Those who attend also get to meet the Congressional delegation,” Shell says. “Meeting delegates creates stronger, longer-lasting relationships for them.” About 120 OSU alumni and six of Oklahoma’s seven legislators attended the reception. All of the legislators spoke briefly, as did Hargis and chapter president Lance Smith. This year’s reception was held at the newly opened U.S. Capitol Visitors Center. “It’s a lot of fun for alumni who work at the Capitol and who live in the Washington, D.C. area to get to attend

Rep. Tom Cole, Rep. Mary Fallin, OSU President Burns Hargis, Sen. James Inhofe and Rep. Frank Lucas

Jared Young, Joe Brettell, Liz Lathrop and Erica Brettell

Lance Smith, Adam Miller, Burns Hargis, Corey Farrell and Steve Cummings

the event,” says Pattie Haga, OSU Alumni Association vice president and chief operations officer. Kathy McNally, OSU Foundation associate vice president of development, has attended the event the past three years. She says it’s an honor to meet, interact with and renew relationships with the Congressional delegates. “It’s also a great opportunity to network with former OSU students and alumni and hear how they think their education has benefited them in their current position,” McNally says. “Some have been on Capitol Hill for a while, and some are new to the Hill. It’s great to see them still wearing their orange pride so far away from Stillwater.” S t o r i e S By S t e P h a n i e k . tay l o r

Chris Storm and Bill Brewster

Herb Huser, Dana Huser and John Visina

CrOsswOrd

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Is this the of

future Homecoming?

kOsU

All In a Life’s Work kOSU’s chief engineer combines his love of learning with an aptitude for building and fixing electronics systems to keep kOSU at the forefront of the ever-changing world of radio broadcasting.

Listen to KOSU anytime, anywhere, through live audio streams at www.kosu.org. In central Oklahoma tune your radio dial to 91.7 FM or in northeastern Oklahoma to 107.5 FM.

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or 35 years, Chief Engineer Dan Schroeder has been instrumental in bringing news and entertainment to KOSU’s listeners. As news has unfolded over the decades — from Watergate and the Challenger space shuttle disaster to the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 terrorist attacks — KOSU’s technical ability to deliver the news also has changed dramatically. “Back in 1975, there were no computers, no Internet and no cell phones. All I had to worry about then was fixing the transmitter, some magnetic tape recorders and the audio mixing consoles,” Dan says. “Today, we use computers in everything that we do, from the delivery of our on-air sound to the Dan Schroeder cultivation of KOSU listener members.” Dan believes in learning by doing. “The first thing I remember building was a little crystal radio when I was 10 years old so I could listen to the two big AM stations in Tulsa. A year later, I began building my own ham radio systems and earned my amateur radio license when I was 13.” His early interest in electronics was influenced by his father, J.D., who graduated from Oklahoma A&M with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1940, and his older brother, John, who graduated from OSU with a degree in electrical engineering in 1973. Together, the Schroeder boys were regular fixtures at Tulsa area parts stores, harvesting equipment to build radio systems during the summer months. Despite Dan’s early interest in and knowledge of electronics, he actually

prepared for a career as an educator during course work at OSU in the earlyand mid-1970s. But he shifted gears as a doctoral candidate to pursue a full-time opening as KOSU chief engineer. Then-station manager Ed Paulin hired Dan, whose first day on the job was Dec. 29, 1975, which was, ironically, the 20th anniversary of KOSU’s very first radio broadcast. Thirty-five years later, Dan doesn’t plan to retire just yet. He’s hard at work building a new radio station at 88.3 FM that will vastly improve KOSU’s signal strength on campus and around Stillwater. When he does finally hang up his microphone, Dan says he’d like to be remembered as the person who worked tirelessly to make KOSU sound better in every way. There’s no doubt that will happen. Dan’s lifelong effort to cultivate the power of sound and the spoken word is what makes KOSU a powerful symbol of OSU’s mission of outreach and service.

Kelly Burley KOSU Executive Director

166

151

secure the of

future Homecoming

OSU is nationally recognized as having “America’s Greatest Homecoming Celebration”. Its future is in the hands of OSU faithful like you. Without support for the Homecoming and Student Programs endowment, OSU’s Homecoming celebration could lack the color, excitement and pride you see here. For information about securing the future of Homecoming, call 800.622.4678 or visit orangeconnection.org/give. 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater,O K7 4078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 • FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

I am a member of the Alumni Association to support longstanding traditions such as Homecoming. My dues support the Alumni Recruiting Network to encourage students to attend OSU.

I am OSU. Lillian Williams â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;67

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 â&#x20AC;˘ FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

C l a s s n O t e s

’30s J.D. Edmonsen ’34, an sci, worked as an Oklahoma county extension agent in Kay, Osage, Woodward and grant counties before his retirement in 1966. He turned 100 on nov. 12, 2009.

’40s William Alfred Hartman ’40, chem eng, is retired. Both of his parents, thomas J. and Mary (Jarrell) Hartman, were graduates of Oklahoma A&M. Jesse C. Grissom ’42, agron, of Miami, Okla., volunteers on the Class of 1942 Library Endowed Scholarship Fund Selection Committee. Paul Geymann ’47, ed, ’51, M.S., is O-Club life member no. 30. He was a letterman on the 1946 nCAA championship basketball team. today he’s an avid golfer who has shot his age or better since 1997. Ebba Marie (Jensen) Johnson ’47, HEECS, still works as an archivist and historian emeritus for her church. She has 10 great-grandsons and one great-granddaughter, all living in Oklahoma. Her grandson Brock Johnson graduated from OSU in May 2009 with a degree in vocal music. Thomas E. Gaines ’49, mgmt, and his wife, Frances, have seven g r a n d c h i l d r e n a n d 13 g r e a tgrandchildren. G.F. Parsons ’49, an sci, ’69, M.S., occup and adult ed, married Wanda Lee following the death of his wife, Mae (gregg) Parsons, in 2005. they were married 59 years.

’50s nesmer v. Calzolari ’50, ind eng, and his wife, Jean, have eight grandchildren. two of their sons and their only daughter are OSU graduates. Charles Eisenhauer ’50, dairy sci, and his wife, Mary Jo, have three sons, six grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren. they farm and own an insurance and real estate agency.

Eldon Waugh ’50, elec eng, is married to norma and retired from Og&E as Sooner Power Plant manager. He continues with his beekeeping hobby. Edward P. Edmiston ’51, an sci, and Dolores J. (Ravaioli) Edmiston ’51, bus ed, have six children. Five attended OSU and four are OSU graduates. Among their 14 grandchildren, two are OSU graduates and two are OSU students.

neal H. Wall ’55, sec ed, ’56, M.S., retired in 1986 from the U.S. Army and again in 1996 as CEO of the northeast georgia diagnostic Center. He and his wife, nancy, moved to Cordova, tenn., to be near their daughter. they enjoy overseas mission trips to former Russian states. William v. york ’55, geol, and his wife, geleeta, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in August 2009 with a trip to Alaska.

victor F. Wolff 51, ag eng, and his wife, Janice, have three greatgrandsons whose parents are all OSU alumni and “true-orange” OSU fanatics.

Don Hensley ’56, ag ed, and his wife, Sharon (Boyett) Hensley ’56, Engl, live in Brownfield, texas, and Ruidoso, n.M. they are retired and say life is good.

Laird J. Barnard ’52, agron, says his grandson Steve Ruby and wife Lacey, both OSU graduates, have presented him with his first great-granddaughter, nicknamed Maggie.

William C. Long Jr. ’57, ag ed, ’62, M.S., sec ed, and his wife, Joan, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. they live in Plano, texas, where William works as a property tax consultant for BP. their granddaughter attends OSU.

Robert Jackson ’52, elec eng, is chairman of the Winston-Salem, n.C., section of the institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Charles L. Annibale ’54, an sci, is retired from the U.S. department of Labor, where he was director of regions operations. Charles J. “Chuck” DeBlaker ’54, elec eng, and karleen F. (Anderson) DeBlaker ’52, gen admin, are both retired. Chuck retired in 1989 after 28 years with Honeywell in St. Petersburg, Fla. Karleen retired in 2004 after six years in public office as a Clearwater, Fla., city commissioner followed by 24 years in elected office as Pinellas County, Fla., clerk of the circuit court. John Fasciano ’54, psych, and his wife, Beverly, celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary in June with their five daughters, their spouses and 15 grandchildren. Reuben A. “Barney” kirkpatrick ’54, mech eng, and Mary A. (Gray) kirkpatrick ’54, home life, say having four grandchildren at OSU makes their trips to campus more fun. Bernie Wilson ’55, ed, and his wife, Ann, ’56, home ec, own Bernie Wilson and Sons insurance company in tampa, Fla. Bernie played football four years on scholarship.

J.R. “Bob” Penick ’57, Engl, stays busy in retirement with golf, tennis, concerts and travel. three of his four children live nearby in the greater Cleveland area. the other lives in California along with his two grandchildren. Gerald Briscoe ’58, an sci, and his wife, deborah, live on a ranch and have a cow-calf operation near Chandler, Okla. they have four children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. daughters Kelly and Lori attended OSU, and grandson Ryan, son of Kelly, is a junior at OSU. gerald says he hopes grandson Jake (left), Lori’s son, will be a Cowboy in 2024. Georgia Laman ’59, elem ed, and her husband, Bill Laman ’60, sec ed, attended OSU Homecoming along with 19 other Willard ii women and their husbands. georgia says it was a wonderful week filled with laughing, sharing stories and seeing campus improvements. David Lundquist ’59, mech eng, and his wife, Carole, celebrated their 50 th wedding anniversary. david is retired from American Airlines, where he was a project engineer.

William Story ’59, bus, and his wife, Christina, live in Spring, texas, but spend a lot of time at their mountain home in Evergreen, Colo. William is president of Oil international Ltd.

’60s John Reynolds ’60, mech eng, ’61, M.S., and Charlene Reynolds ’59, bus ed, celebrated their 50 th wedding anniversary Aug. 15, 2009. they have eight grandchildren, and the oldest is a junior at OSU. James P. Smith ’60 an sci, and his wife, Molly, have a grandson attending OSU institute of technology at Okmulgee and three other grandsons, triplets at Owasso High School, who aspire to attend OSU. Gerald Benn ’61, nat sci, ’75, Ed.d., retired from teaching at northeastern State University in 1994. His wife, Charlotte, is retired from tahlequah Public Schools. gerald was a three-year letterman in football at OSU. Pat Porter ’61 gen bus, is retired from delta Airlines, and his wife, Emily Porter ’61, HEECS, is president of Bonham Economic development Corporation and the Bonham tourism Association. Carl Rose Jr., class of ’61, has retired from a family-run farm and gas and oil operation. His sons, Mike and david, have taken his place. Mike Thomas ’62, an sci, ’65, prevet, ’68 dVM, and Barbara (Smith) Thomas ’63, gen admin, live on a farm near ninnekah, Okla., where they manage a cow-calf operation. their daughter, Michelle (thomas) Flanagan, ’85, bus, works in marketing at Fort Sill, Okla., and their son, Joe, and his wife, Valerie, are teachers in Phoenix. Mike and Barbara have five grandchildren. Philip Corlew ’63, civil eng, ’65, M.S., is self-employed as a forensic civil engineer. He is a member of the illinois State Board of Professional Engineers and a Fellow of ACEC, ASCE and the national Academy of Forensic Engineers. He has three field

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champion Brittany Spaniels, including one national runner-up champion. Samir A. Lawrence ’63, M.S., civil eng, has been promoted to senior structural director for Parsons. Linda Potts Andersson ’64, FRCd, says her husband, Andrew “Andy,” passed away May 29, 2008. Gary W. Johnson ’64, elec eng, is married to Coe Ann (Swift) Johnson. gary is an aerospace consultant who is serving as the safety and mission assurance expert consultant to the nASA Orion standing review board. Richard D. Skinner ’64, M.S.,’67, Ph.d., chem eng, and his wife, Sandra ’60, FRCd, ’64, M.S., enjoy attending grandparent University with their grandchildren. they have attended every year with their granddaughter natalie davis. John k. Tyree ’64, sec ed, is offensive coordinator and assistant football coach at Sul Ross State University in west texas. Thomas Luckinbill ’65 hist, and his wife, Rhonda, live on a small farm in Blanchard, Okla. thomas is retired from the U.S. Air Force and from being an educator in Oklahoma. Michael Agan ’66, acct, and his wife, Carolyn, rode bicycles on the Lewis and Clark trail from St. Charles, Mo., to Seaside, Calif., in 2008, covering 2,200 miles in six weeks. the book Riding with the Blue Moth was their inspiration. Terence C. kern ’66, bus, has taken senior status as a U.S. district judge on the federal bench for the northern district of Oklahoma. He is the only OSU graduate to serve on the federal bench in Oklahoma. He was appointed to the bench in 1994 by President Bill Clinton and served as chief judge from 1996 to 2003. He holds a juris doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and a master’s of law from the University of Virginia School of Law. He has served on the Judicial Conference Committee on Security and Facilities and was chairman of the tenth Circuit Space and Facilities

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Committee. in 2001, he received a Leadership Legacy Award and the distinguished Alumni Award from OSU and was named to the Beta theta Pi Hall of Fame. Ralph Charles “Chuck” McFate ’66, dairy sci, ’69, M.S., ag ed, works part time for Four County Mental Health following his retirement from John deere Works. He continues community service work for the Coffeyville (Kan.) Lions Club, Habitat for Humanity and his mens’ prayer breakfast. His wife, Linda (Wallace) McFate ’66, HEECS, ’69, M.S., is adviser to more than 50 honor students at Coffeyville Community College’s Eta gamma Chapter of Phi theta Kappa. Linda recently received the Kansas region and international society’s distinguished Adviser of the year award. the chapter includes the 2009 international guistwhite Scholar and the Kansas region Phi theta Kappa president. Johnyne (Craythorne) Rees ’66, Engl, ’71, M.A., is married to thomas Rees, vice president at Occidental Oil and gas, and has nine grandchildren.

Jerry Holder ’69, bus, sold his tulsa company, Allegra Print and imaging, after 24 years and is now looking for his next pursuit. He and his wife, Jane, have four grandsons and one granddaughter and love OSU, family and friends. Marc S. Minoff ’69, HRAd, works at Hudson Valley Resort and serves on the board of OSU’s new york City Alumni Chapter. His wife, debbie, is a senior sales manager at the resort. Martha White ’69, an sci, and her husband Jack White ’71, mech eng, say their granddaughter Reese Erryn White, born Aug. 6, 2009, attended her first OSU’s home football game last September.

’70s Terry Brewer ’70, ag ed, and his wife, Edith, are retired and enjoy golf, traveling and working on missions with their church. kenneth H. McCabe ’70, an sci, and his wife, Janice, are enjoying retirement.

James R. keller ’68, spec ed, retired after 32 years with Phillips Petroleum Co. He and his wife, nancy, live on grand Lake at grove, Okla., where they are active in church, CASA and teaching Round dance.

R. J. Hollon, ’71 ag ed, is retired from teaching agriculture and now a registered Angus breeder. He and his wife, Robbie, live in Woodward, Okla., and have four children and six grandchildren.

Robert F. “Bob” Hawkins ’69, an sci, is retired. His son, Jim Bob, daughter-in-law Julie and grandchildren tanner and Carli live in Stillwater. their daughter, Carla, is a pharmacist in Edmond.

kathy (kruta) Rhodes ’71, spec ed, says her son, toby Rhodes, a 2002 OSU graduate and baseball center fielder, graduated from the University of Oklahoma School of dentistry and now practices at dental depot in Midwest City. Her daughter, tara Rhodes

keep Us Posted! Whether you’ve changed jobs or last names or added a new cowboy or cowgirl to the mix, we want to hear about it! Members of the oSu alumni association can submit classnotes for publication in the STATE magazine and on the orangeconnection.org website. to submit information, visit orangeconnection.org and click on update your information or contact us by phone at 405-744-5368 or by mail at 201 conocoPhillips oSu alumni center, Stillwater, ok 74078-7043, c/o classnotes.

Hendricks, a 1999 OSU graduate, gave birth to her third child, a son, Michael James, on May 30, 2009. Steven W. Taylor ’71, pol sci, was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in november 2009 and also elected vice chief justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma. William Spielberger ’72, mktg, is president of triangle Royalty Corp. His daughter Leigh Ann Spielberger and her husband, dustin downing, are both OSU graduates. Philip Tullius ’72, zoo, has two sons attending OSU. Sean is a fifth-year senior in chemical engineering and Brent is a freshman in HRAd. John T. McGinnis ’73, sec ed, ’79, M.S, HPER, retired as a principal from tulsa Public Schools in 2009 and now enjoys playing lots of golf and being a grandfather. Roger Walker ’73, mech eng, ’74, M.S., took a new job with Aera Energy, an oil producing company. He and his wife, Susan, live in Bakersfield, Calif., and recently celebrated their 29 th wedding anniversary. Ted L. Evicks ’74 ag ed, ’85, M.S., retired from the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service after 36 years but says he and his wife, Anne, are too busy with their four grandsons, one granddaughter and their cowcalf operation in Hartshorne, Okla., for time to travel. David Wasson ’75, HRAd, and his wife, Ronna, own Ronna and david Landscaping in tulsa. they have two sons. Robert is an accounting student at OSU-tulsa, and Michael recently married. Albert Maxwell ’77, phys ed, works as a lay pastor in Forest County, Penn. He and his wife, Ann, have six children, 15 grandchildren and nine greatgrandchildren. Jerry D. Winchester ’77 agron, ranches and custom harvests pecans. He and his wife, Karen, have three children and four grandchildren. Elizabeth Burns ’78, journ, ’86, M.S., curr and instr, is in her 10 th year as principal of Childers Middle School in Broken Arrow, Okla.

an OsU love story Outstanding Senior Award and an Academic All-American It was their love for OSU that brought them together. Award from ESPN The Magazine. Candace graduated in the On Sept. 19, 2009, Darnell Smith and Candace Figures top 10 percent of her class and was a member of several honors exchanged wedding vows surrounded by vibrant orange flowers, societies, including Phi Kappa Phi and the National Society of orange bridesmaid dresses and orange tuxedo ties. They knew Collegiate Scholars. right away when planning for the big day that they wanted an After three years of friendship, they began dating a few OSU-themed wedding. months before Darnell graduated in May 2008. And when “We chose the OSU theme because it’s home to us and closest Darnell took a job with the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado to our hearts,” Darnell says. Springs, the couple continued their new dating relationship Darnell earned his undergraduate degree in economics in long distance. 2006 and his master’s in natural applied science in 2008, and To keep the relationship strong, the couple constantly talked Candace earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2007. on the phone, sent texts and e-mail messages and made a point to They met in a sports marketing class in fall 2005 and visit each other every couple months. instantly became good friends. The friendship they maintained “We stayed prayerful, and we stayed in constant communicafor three years gave them time to get to know each other, they say, tion with each other,” Darnell says. “The effort you put into it is and to establish a strong foundation for a relationship. what you get out of it.” Darnell says Candace became the person he went to for advice “We chose the Right before taking another and encouragement. OSU theme job as director of compliance at “I felt so uplifted and inspired by everything we talked about,” because it’s home the University of New Mexico, he says. “I can’t help but be happy around her and overwhelmed to us and closest Darnell proposed to Candace with joy.” to our hearts.” on his birthday in January 2009. Candace says she could tell he was different from They chose OSU’s campus as the backdrop for their engagement everyone else. photos and Walnut Creek Chapel in Oklahoma City for the “He had the same Christian values as me and was a good wedding. Today they live in Albuquerque, N.M. friend,” she says. “That’s what made me like him the most.” “When my wife came down that aisle and had that dress Candace’s favorite OSU memory with Darnell is when he met on, I was overcome with emotion,” Darnell says. “She looked her parents at the Multicultural Student Center awards banquet. so beautiful.” “We were both receiving an award, and we saw each other Darnell and Candace say they miss OSU sporting events, there,” she says. “Darnell came to where I was sitting to meet my homecoming, the orange fountain, the library lawn, Stillwater parents. They were meeting their future son-in-law, and none of and hearing the bell tower ring throughout the town, and they’ll us knew it.” always cherish OSU because it’s where their perfect OSU love Darnell and Candace were both involved in several activities story began. at OSU. Darnell played defense on the OSU football team from 2002 to 2006 and received numerous awards for his achiever ac h e l S h e e t S ments on and off the field, including the Alumni Association

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ketch the Spirit young alumna doodles her way to fashion success by designing clothing for alumni who want to show their school spirit with style.

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Photo / ketch the SPririt

Looking back on their education, many people can remember daydreaming in class and doodling on notebook paper. Few, however, can say they turned those doodles into a reality. Cortney Ketchum, a 2008 alumna, is one person who did. Ketchum started her own online fashion boutique, Ketch the Spirit, from drawings she made on napkins while earning her bachelor’s in broadcast journalism and advertising from OSU. While she had little expertise in fashion apparel design, she had two other things, a love for fashion and the desire to wear something besides T-shirts to OSU sporting events. The combination inspired Ketchum to sketch clothing designs on napkins in her free time. She would scan the drawings and send them to her mom in Tulsa, who would then make them for her. “A lot of it was me being stubborn. I’d jot it down and be determined to make it a reality,” Ketchum says. “I put my mind to it and started drawing.” Once Ketchum began wearing her designs to OSU football games, other students began to take notice. Ketchum says the number-one Cortney Ketchum thing that prompted her to start making her designs available to others was demand. Students were always asking her where she got her clothes. “Fans wanted to be supportive and look cute while doing it,” Ketchum says. “I was attending games and saw how everyone was stuck wearing a T-shirt.” Ketch the Spirit officially started in February 2009 with the launch of a website. In order to start the company, Ketchum had to get a license from the Collegiate Licensing Company. Ketchum sent her drawings exactly the way she intended the designs to appear and waited for approval from the licensing agency. Sometimes her designs would be rejected based on specific details. Before getting a license, Ketchum searched for a U.S. manufacturer to make a high-quality product and began learning all she could about logos, licensing and design. “I didn’t have any background in design,” Ketchum says. “A lot of it was learning as you go.” Ketch the Spirit began with three universities, Texas Tech, Texas Christian and Oklahoma State. Ketchum had requested licenses for other schools, but only those three were approved by the Collegiate Licensing Company by the time she launched her company. “I wanted OSU to be my first school, and the other two just fell into place,” says Ketchum, whose office is headquartered in Dallas.

Besides being available online, Ketchum’s clothing line can be found at boutiques near the universities Ketch the Spirit designs for. In Stillwater, the apparel is sold at Wooden Nickel. In Tulsa, her designs can be found at three locations, Chrome Clothing Company, Pavilion on the Square and Tapestry of Faith. Since its beginnings in early 2009, Ketch the Spirit has seen much growth. “We’ve more than tripled in size,” Ketchum says. “And I’ve learned more about designing than I ever knew.” The company has grown from its original three schools to designing for a total of 20 schools, with additional schools planned for the fall of 2010. Ketchum’s goal is to continue to add schools every six months or the beginning of each fall and spring semester. Ketchum has already begun work on the fall 2010 fashion line and is excited for it to become available to the public. She describes the new line as similar to the traditional designs but more “sassy” and “distinct.” “They will scream school spirit, which is our main goal,” Ketchum says. “I wanted them to be something I would wear every day and be proud of, and that’s what we got.” Seeing people wearing her designs is always a rewarding feeling for Ketchum, and a bit surreal. She remembers the first time she saw students and fans wearing her designs at the Georgia game last year. “It was a humbling experience,” she says. “And I knew I had come so far from a drawing on a napkin.” Ketchum maintains a strong connection to her alma mater in part because of Ketch the Spirit’s “Having the Alumni success. “I attend more sporting Association is like events to see the girls and the having a little of styles they are wearing,” she says. Stillwater in Dallas. She is also actively involved I enjoy wearing my with the Dallas alumni chapter. orange out.” In February, she donated a piece of clothing to the chapter’s auction to raise scholarships for OSU students from the Dallas area. Networking through the OSU Alumni Association enables Ketchum to meet a lot of great people. “Having the Alumni Association is like having a little of Stillwater in Dallas,” Ketchum says. “I enjoy wearing my orange out.” Ketchum’s long-term goal for her company is to make Ketch the Spirit clothing available for every college across the country. “I want people to be loud and proud and show off their pride,” she says. “I know I love OSU, and I want other people to feel the same way about their schools.” S t e P h a n i e k . tay l o r

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION 400 South Monroe / Stillwater, OK 74074 Ph. 800.622.4678 / Fax 405.385.5102 giftplanning@OSUgiving.com / OSUgiving.com

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Listen to audio excerpts of OSU alumni sharing their compelling life stories and college memories or read their interview transcripts at www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/ostate.

uncompromising commitment to excellence Throughout Richard W. “Dick” Poole’s lengthy and distinguished career at OSU, he demanded the best of himself and expected it of others. Richard W. Poole provided bold and innovative leadership to the College of Business Administration (now the William S. Spears School of Business) and to OSU during his exemplary career. In his interview for O-STATE Stories, Poole provides keen insight and unique perspective on administrative decisions, initiatives and events that helped shape the course of the university for four decades. Poole was born and grew up in Oklahoma City, graduating from Classen High School in 1946. He had two paper routes and got up every morning at 3 a.m. to fold and throw his papers, and after high school, he enlisted in the Army and was selected for Officer Candidate School at the age of 18. Poole enrolled at the University of Oklahoma and received a bachelor’s degree in business in 1951 and an MBA in 1952. After graduation, he worked for Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company and later was employed by the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, where he was mentored by Stanley Draper, Paul Strasbaugh and James Webb. In 1958 Poole moved to Stillwater, where he completed doctoral studies in economics in 1960, becoming the first individual to earn a Ph.D. in the OSU College of Business Administration. He then began a meteoric five-year rise from instructor to full professor to dean of the college in 1965. During his seven-year tenure as dean, Poole secured approval for a Ph.D. program that eventually included the awarding of doctorates in finance, marketing and management. He developed stronger working relationships and partnerships with the business community that resulted in significant additional scholarships and research grants for the college and focused on issues and solutions related to Oklahoma’s economy. During his years as dean, the college moved into the new College of Business Administration Building, and enrollment increased by more than 50 percent.

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In 1972 Poole was appointed to the newly created position of vice president for University Relations, Development and Extension. His 16-year tenure was remarkable for innovative initiatives and integrated marketing of OSU. Student enrollment increased dramatically, reversing a steady decline in previous years, and OSU’s enrollment became the largest in Oklahoma. Fundraising also increased significantly. Under Poole’s leadership, OSU implemented an ambitious decade-long centennial celebration that coordinated and integrated hundreds of events and activities across the campus, including the Centennial History Series, which produced 26 volumes of OSU history. In his O-STATE Stories interview, Poole also shares his contribution and personal insight into the sometimes contentious process of selecting “official” colors and logos for OSU. This contribution has had pervasive and far-reaching influence on the image and marketing of OSU. Poole’s leadership was marked by urgency for action and uncompromising commitment to excellence. He often noted, “If you expect the very best of people, you will often get it.” For the full text and audio of Richard Poole’s interview, go to www. library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/ostate.

The voices of History Although the Oklahoma Oral History

Roy “Cole” Hinds ’78, geol, is a senior geologic adviser for devon Energy. His daughter Rebecca graduated from OSU last spring, and his daughter Rian currently attends OSU.

Research Program has been hard at work documenting the stories of Oklahoma for several years, it officially “opened its doors” this spring. the program, housed in newly completed offices on the second floor of the Edmon Low Library,

Jan Hubbard ’78, mgmt, is an attorney for derryberry and naifeh law firm in Oklahoma City. Her practice areas include professional responsibility, administrative law, criminal defense and general civil litigation.

provides space for oral history staff and faculty and serves as the public consultation area for the library’s oral history collections. the OSU library is seeking private funding to create an endowed chair for the head of the Oral History Program. A gift of $500,000 or more will create an endowment to support travel, continued education and program development. Chairs qualify to receive matching funds from the Oklahoma State Regents. An endowed chair or professorship is one of many ways to support the library’s oral history endeavors. Opportunities are available to establish scholarships for undergraduates and fellowships for graduate students working for the oral history program. those will be doubled if they meet the criteria of the Pickens Legacy Scholarship Match (read more on page 59). gifts of any size can offset the costs of travel, equipment and transcription, and a major gift will name the program. to contribute, contact george Wendt, associate vice president of development, at 405-385-5125 or gwendt@ OSUgiving.com. Learn more about the projects and listen to interviews from the program’s website at www. library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/.

O-STATE Stories, a project of the OSU Library’s Oklahoma Oral History Research Program, chronicles the rich history, heritage and traditions of OSU. For information or to propose interviews, contact Jerry gill at 405-744-1631 or email jerry.gill@okstate.edu.

Larry Patterson ’78, eng, and his wife, kathy ’78 elem ed, are retired and enjoy traveling full time in their motor coach although they still call tulsa home. Cathy George Dillard ’79, dHM, ’83, M.S., appl beh studies, is proud of her son, derick, who portrayed one of OSU’s Pistol Petes for 2009-2010, like his father, the late Rick W. dillard, did from 1976 to 1978. Cathy recently learned her mother’s side of the family is related to Frank Eaton, the real-life inspiration for Pistol Pete.

’80s Todd Humphrey ’80, org admin, and his wife, Cindy, ’79, psych, are parents of a son, Madden, who will graduate from OSU this spring, and a daughter, Morgan, a sophomore at the University of denver. todd is president of Humphrey and guarantee Abstract Co., and he and Cindy own Pastimes Restaurant in Enid. Trey Smart ’80, journ, recently celebrated 28 years of service with First Baptist East Church, where he is minister of education. Carol (Aaron) Maciula ’81, spec ed, ’96, M.S., app behav studies, and her husband, Robert, are new grandparents of Ainsley Jane Peters (daughter of OSU graduate Andrea (Maciula) Peters and Chris Peters) and Mai Blaklee Maciula (daughter of OSU graduates Philip and Aleia (Vest) Maciula). Mark Stinchcomb ’81, mech ag, works as an account manager for Ridley Block Operations. His daughter Calli Anne married Sam Mcnickle last June, and they both teach in Edmond, Okla.

Bob Sims ’82, mktg, senior vice president of industrial Piping Specialists inc., and his wife, DeAnn, are proud of their oldest daughter, a recent OSU graduate now working in San Antonio, and their youngest daughter, a junior at OSU. Brent D. Bowen ’83, pol sci, ’89, Ed.d., is professor and head of aviation at Purdue University. Felix M. Cue ’85, Ph.d., econ, is a professor at interAmerican University. He co-authored a book in 2009 that is for sale in bookstores and universities in Puerto Rico. Rhesa Funk ’85, journ, owns Funk Promo Products, a promotional products company near St. Louis, Mo., that has expanded to all 50 states. Rick Scanlan ’85, mgmt, ’89, mgmt sci and comp syst, is director of sales engineering for Accusoft Pegasus. His daughter Hilary is a graduate student in speech pathology at OSU. William neil Thomas ’85, acct, married his wife, Lisa, on July 31, 2004, in texas. He has been a member of the Army Reserves for 32 years, owned a business in the tax industry since 1997 and participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in iraq in 2006-2007. Anne Marie Levens ’86, soc, ’89, M.S., bus ed, retired in 2008 and enjoys traveling in her motor home with her newlywed husband, david Martin, who has become a Cowboy fan. Richard L. Moore Jr. ’86, ag econ, has become president of Empire truck, a family business started by his grandfather in 1956. Richard has been employed there since 1988.

’90s Linda Savage Hale ’90, elem ed, teaches sixth-graders at Hominy Public Schools. Her husband, James, is police chief in Cleveland, Okla., and both of their daughters are OSU graduates. Tammy Lee ’90, mktg, works as manager of aftermarket sales for John deere and is president of the Kansas City Cowboys, the local alumni association chapter.

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Stephan Mathis ’90, acct, is a partner at the law firm Smakal, Munn and Mathis in tulsa. His wife, Rachel (Carver) Mathis ’92, speech, is a partner at the law firm Richards & Connor in tulsa. they are parents of two children, Kyle and drew. kevin L. Davis ’92, elec tech, and his wife, Michelle, are parents of a new baby, Syler Watson davis, born Jan. 20, 2009, and a 16-year-old daughter, Jordan. Kevin is manager of engineering for Kiamichi Electric Cooperative. David Bryan krivy ’92, elec tech, works as a network administrator for Putnam City Schools. He and his wife, Sarah, celebrated their first wedding anniversary last May. Jody R. Black ’93, mech eng, lives in Knoxville, tenn., and works as CAP program director for Alstom Power. His wife, Angie, is a certified teacher. Eric Frazier ’93, mktg, and his wife, Hayley (Schmeidbauer) Frazier ’95, mgmt, are parents of their first child, Carley Jeanne Frazier. Hayley works for L-3 Vertex in Oklahoma City, and Eric works for the Oklahoma Army national guard. Patrick L. Gearhart ’93, mktg, is president of the Wichita division of the Bank of Kansas. Jerry Harvey ’93, d.O., is a physician at greystone Medical Clinic, a family practice clinic he opened in Cabot, Ark., in 2009. Ethan Little ’93, mech power tech, and Gerrye Sue Dale Little ’93, gen bus, live in Hot Springs, Ark., where Ethan works in sales for Voith. the couple and their children, Shelby, 10, and Hunter, 5, love to watch OSU sports on tV. Brent kisling ’94, ag econ, and Jennifer (Berg) kisling ’95, journ, celebrated the 10 th anniversary of their Maple Place Bed and Breakfast in Enid, Okla. they have two children, Layne, 12, and Bree, 8, and Brent also works as executive director of the Enid Region development Alliance to encourage economic growth in Enid and garfield County. Donald McCroskey ’94, M.S., appl behav studies, retired from Cushing Public Schools in 2006 and

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in memory when osU alumnus ed roberts, 68, died on April 1, 2010, global news outlets including The New York Times, CBSnews.com and MSNBC.com praised him for inventing the personal computer and for other numerous contributions he made to society as a physician, engineer and inventor. Roberts, an electrical engineering major in the 1960s, credited OSU’s willingness to give students open access to the university’s mainframe computer with inspiring his revolutionary idea for the personal computer. The rest, as they say, is history. The following article appeared in OSU’s Impact magazine for the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology in 2002.

PC Inventor Opens Door to Information Age Without question, Dr. H. Edward Roberts, “father of the personal computer,” transformed our lives. More than any other invention, the personal computer opened the door to the Information Age, placing the power to communicate in the hands of ordinary people and altering forever the way we work and learn about the world. Although we take it for granted today, in 1968 the PC existed only as a concept in the mind of OSU electrical engineering graduate Ed Roberts, who credits his OSU experiences for sparking the idea. “OSU’s open policy was a bold idea for the times,” Roberts says. “OSU was one of the few universities that gave undergraduates direct access to the school’s mainframe computer instead of making them submit programs to white-coated operators who were the only ones authorized to touch the precious machines.” As an OSU student, Roberts had access to the IBM 1620 located on the first floor of Engineering South. “We just signed up and used it as much as we wanted,” he says. “There was never any problem as far as I know with the computer being damaged or abused. Everyone took care of it like it was their own.” He says the power of computing opened up a whole new world, “and I began thinking, ‘What if you gave everyone a computer?’” “Almost every aspect of the multibilliondollar personal computer industry began with Ed’s inventions and company,” says Karl Reid, CEAT dean. “These contributions include the first computer to be offered in kit form, the first personal computer, the first personal computer

publication, the first personal computer convention and the first software publisher micros. “In addition to his groundbreaking inventions, he exemplifies the very best qualities of the outstanding engineer,” Reid says. “Ed possesses an inquisitive and inventive mind and a pioneering and generous spirit who uses his talents to improve the quality of life for others. By the time the Miami, Fla., native arrived on the OSU campus in 1965, he’d already accomplished a great deal. He held a Heart Association Fellowship at the University of Miami School of Medicine for four years — during which time he worked with a veterinarian who performed more than 200 open-heart surgeries on dogs and studied zoology at Stetson University and electrical engineering at the University of Miami. He had also joined the Air Force and developed an interest in electronics design. Roberts attended OSU as part of the Air Force’s Airman Education Commission Program. He chose OSU because his brotherin-law had completed an electrical engineering degree several years earlier and recommended it. Roberts originally planned to study medicine but got “sidetracked” with the Air Force and raising a family, and by the time the Air Force sent him to OSU, he was past the age limit for medical school. After graduating from OSU, Roberts was assigned to Albuquerque, N.M., as a research officer working on “special weapons,” which at the time were top-secret laser weapons. “I was the only electrical engineer in my solid state laser weapons group,” he says. “ Most of the group consisted of Ph.D. physicists involved in making the lasers operate.” Roberts, who discovered that no one knew how to point these systems with accuracy, spent the next four years becoming an expert on high accuracy pointing systems and designing

the first laser fire control system in the U.S. military. “For four years, a new OSU electrical engineering graduate was the Department of Defense expert on laser fire control systems,” he says. While serving as a commissioned officer in Albuquerque, Roberts started his own company called Micro Instrumentation Telemetry Systems. MITS designed and produced one of the first hand-held electronic calculators and — when Hewlett Packard and Texas Instruments entered the calculator business — MITS introduced the Altair 8800, the first inexpensive general-purpose microcomputer. It used Intel’s new 8080 microprocessor, which, unlike the logic chips that animated calculators or electronic watches, could be programmed to do a significant number of tasks. When Popular Electronics featured the Altair on its January 1975 cover, phone calls poured in from people wanting to sell him software. “We decided that the first person to show up with operating software would be the one we hired,” says Roberts, who subsequently hired Bill Gates and Paul Allen to write a basic programming language that could run on the small machine. “People laughed at us when we said we were building desktop computers,” Roberts says. Yet before Roberts sold the company to Pertec in 1977, MITS sold approximately 50,000 Altairs. During the sale of MITS, Roberts served as vice president of Pertec and invented what could be considered today as the first laptop computer. Pertec didn’t foresee any potential for the product, Roberts says, “so I figured it was time for me to go somewhere else.” Roberts, who signed a five-year, non-compete clause when selling MITS,

purchased a 1,000-acre farm and began producing cattle, hogs, corn and soybeans in southern Georgia. In 1978 he started, and served as president, Agridata Inc., a firm that designed management software for farmers and ranchers.

“People laughed at us when we said we were building desktop computers.” Because age limits no longer affected eligibility for medical school, Roberts then turned his attention to his lifelong dream of becoming a physician and, at the age of 41, entered Mercer University School of Medicine. In 1988, after a two-year residency at the Medical Center of Central Georgia, Roberts established a practice as doctor of internal medicine in Cochran, Ga., foregoing a more prominent or prestigious medical appointment to serve the small

community. During the first 10 years of his medical practice, he also served as president of Data Blocks, a process control computers business, and as an adjunct professor in electrical engineering at Mercer University from 1988 to 1994. Roberts, who invented a basic relay computer for the heart-lung machine and an electronic vital signs monitor, still tinkers with computers in his machine shop. Most of his work relates to medical applications and involves software rather than hardware, but he says, “I’ve always loved computers. For me, working with them has been an avocation, rather than a vocation.” He was inducted into the Georgia Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and received OSU’s 2002 Melvin R. Lohmann Medal. With his home workshop full of new ideas or inventions, Roberts admits, “I see myself as more of an engineer than a doctor.” Ja n e t Va r n u M

remembering a mentor In this joint statement posted on the Gates Notes website (April 1, 2010), Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul G. Allen paid tribute to Ed Roberts. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and early mentor, Ed Roberts, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Ed was truly a pioneer in the personal computer revolution, and didn’t always get the recognition he deserved. He was an intense man with a great sense of humor, and he always cared deeply about the people who worked for him, including us. Ed was willing to take a chance on us — two young guys interested in computers long before they were commonplace — and we have always been grateful to him. the day our first untested software worked on his Altair was the start of a lot of great things. We will always have many fond memories of working with Ed in Albuquerque, in the MitS office right on Route 66 — where so many exciting things happened that none of us could have imagined back then. More than anything, what we will always remember about Ed was how deeply compassionate he was — and that was never more true than when he decided to spend the second half of his life going to medical school and working as a country doctor making house calls. He will be missed by many, and we were lucky to have known him.”

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Lyndonna (Imke) Williams ’95, acct, and her husband, Kevin, are raising two future Cowboys, dezmond, 4, and tajon, 2. Lyndonna is a financial accountant for Charles Machine Works. Scott A. Waterbury ’96, gen bus, and his wife, Cari, are parents of their first child, Kathryn Marie Waterbury, born March 13, 2008. Scott is director of sales and marketing for King Architectural Metals in dallas, texas. Daniel kurtenbach II ’96, sec ed, has a new job as Edmond Memorial’s football coach. James Hemphill ’97, M.S., civil eng, is project manager for Poe & Associates inc. Jim and his wife, debra, enjoy attending Cowboy football and basketball games. Marilyn Appiah ’98, d.O., is now a board certified physician at integris Physician Services. Shannon P. Calhoun ’98, d.O., is president and owner of Elite Radiology imaging Specialists P.C. and also a teleradiology independent contractor. now spends time traveling, fishing and volunteering.

’00s

Ginger Welch ’94, FRCd, ’96, M.S., ’04, Ph.d, ed psych, and her husband, Forrest Britton, are parents of their first baby, Addy grace, born Oct. 2, 2009.

Stephen Hardison ’00, plant and soil sci, and Carrie (Hennigh) Hardison ’02, ag econ, are parents of a son, tristan Owen Hardison, born April 27, 2009.

John C. Womack ’94, M.S., arch, is a professor of architecture at OSU. His son, Bryan Womack ’04, chem, graduated from nSU School of Optometry and is now a doctor of optometry in Oklahoma City.

Cory Reid ’00, fin, and kara Gowan Reid ’00, elem ed, are parents of three sons, Caden, 5, Carter, 3, and Cole, 1. Cory works for SPC office products.

Melissa Addison ’95, gen bus, works in human resources at Union Public Schools. She and her husband, Joshua, have three children, Sophie, 11, daelyn, 12, and drake, 13. Bridget L. Jones ’95, mktg, ’06, M.S., mgmt, works in Los Angeles as senior recruiter in digital media for the disney ABC television group of the Walt disney Co. Jenny kauk ’95 mgmt, and Brock kauk ’94, gen bus, became parents of their third daughter, Audrey Faith, on Jan. 21, 2009.

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Amanda Hendrickson ’01, cell and mol bio, is a dentist who owns Bristow dental designs with her husband, Leroy gartrell. Leah (Hale) Mansfield ’01, FRCd, works as a parent educator for Family and Children’s Services. She and her husband, Britt, married on dec. 28, 2008, and have been busy remodeling a house. Lori Hutchins Henderson ’02, journ, is a development officer for the American Legion Children’s Home. She and her husband, Josh, live in Ponca City, Okla.

Scott Storey ’02, ag ed, ’03, M.S, ag, relocated to Bennington, Okla., to become an agriculture education instructor for Bennington Public Schools. He and his wife, Amanda Storey ’03, ag ed, ’04, M.S., ag, are parents of Seth, 4, and Emily, 1. Heidi (Miller) Wilburn ’02, journ, works as a real estate agent and sales associate for Keller Williams Realty. She and her husband, Brandon Wilburn, are parents of a son, Chase. Adrienne Jacobs ’04, nutri sci, is a community dietitian for the Chickasaw nation. She and her husband, Eddie, live in Ada, Okla., and are parents of Leyton Jack Jacobs, born April 6, 2009. Justin Lacy ’04, mgmt, earned an MBA from Saint Louis University and was recently promoted to employee relations manager at Lumiere Place Casino and Hotels in St. Louis, Mo. Meredith Barnard-Milwee ’04, FRCd, married Josh Milwee in June 2009 and teaches kindergarten in Sapulpa, Okla. Rebekah McBride ’05, MiS, works as a computer specialist for the FAA in Oklahoma City. She and her husband, Anthony, are parents of a son, Benjamin, born Oct. 28, 2008. Andrew yearwood ’05, mech eng, and Miranda yearwood ’06, HdFS, are parents of a son, Caleb, born Jan. 7, 2008, and an adopted daughter, Hope, born May 27, 2008. Andrew works as an engineer iii for Matrix Service inc. Trey Bowen ’06, mktg, and his wife, Lacy, married Aug. 1, 2009. trey works as executive team leader for target. Mark Hugh Mabrey ’06, mktg, works as a loan officer for OnB Bank in Sapulpa. Mark married Krysten Casselman on June 27, 2009. Jennifer McGalliard ’06, mgmt, married tad Mcgalliard on Aug. 16, 2008. Jennifer works for Halliburton’s duncan Manufacturing Center in training and development. kevin Mehler ’06, hort and land arch, works as a grounds assistant at Preston trail golf Club in texas. He says it is a new and wonderful

experience to learn to rebuild fairways, tees and greens while the course undergoes renovation. Maria Jo Schroeder Percell ’06, journ, and her husband, James, are parents of their first child, Avenlea Elyse, born July 1, 2009. Maria is an administrative clerk for Sunoco Logistics. Eric Savage ’06, mgmt sci and comp syst, and Courtney Savage ’01, mktg, are parents of a daughter, Corinne Emma Jane Savage, born June 13, 2009. Jim Barnard ’07, univ studies, is CEO of Post Oak Lodge at Persimmon Ridge, LLC, in tulsa. His wife, Julie, ’75, Engl, works as publications manager for OSU’s College of Human Environmental Sciences. Jon R. Hamill ’07, fire prot and saf, works as a health, environment and safety specialist for Occidental Petroleum Corp. in december, he graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University with a master’s in occupational safety and health. Amanda Faith McConnell ’07, journ, recently relocated to Welch, Okla., to become assistant vice president for Welch State Bank after spending nine months traveling Europe and teaching kindergarten in germany.

life members Glen D. Fergason ’49, math, lives in Antlers, Okla. His son david graduated from OSU in 1973 with a degree in zoology, and his grandson, glen d. Fergason iii, graduated in 2000 with a degree in zoology. tim Blanchard ’82, pol sci, was named the Seattle Area Best Lawyers Health Care Lawyer of the year for 2010. tim also serves as chair of the American Health Lawyers Association Annual institute on Medicare and Medicaid Law.

in memory Leon Sonntag ’39, agron, died dec. 11, 2009. He lived in Austin, texas. Garland Price ’48, ag ed, died Oct. 3, 2009, at age 88 in Wo o d l a n d P a r k , Colo., where he was living with his son, Ron. during World Wa r i i , g a r l a n d served in Europe as a B-17 navigator in the 92nd bomber group of the 326th Bomb Squadron. After graduation, he worked as a customer service adviser for Kay Electric Rural Co-op in Blackwell, Okla., and later as manager of Sumner-Cowley Rural Electric Co-op in Wellington, Kan. in 1988, he and his wife, dorothy, retired to norman, Okla., where they were active members of McFarland United Methodist Church in norman, Okla. garland was predeceased by his wife, and is survived by his son and his daughter, Linda Koepke. J. Mack Oyler ’53, dVM, ’69, Ph.d., physiology, died dec. 31, 2009, in grove, Okla., where he had a general veterinary practice for 12 years following graduation. After earning his Ph.d., he taught at OSU, the University of georgia and Virginia Polytechnic institute and State University. in 1985, he served as dean of

OSU’s veterinary center. He was a life member of the AVMA and OVMA, serving as OVMA president in 19881989. He was named OSU College of Veterinary Medicine distinguished Alumnus in 1998. Memorial contributions may be made to the “J. Mack and Mary J. Oyler Seminar Room” at the CVHS in care of the OSU Foundation, 308 McElroy Hall, Stillwater, Okla., 74078. Mar y “Jenny” (Grissom) nichols ’55, home econ, died nov. 20, 2009. She married Joe nichols ’55, M.S., ’56, a few days after she graduated. they lived in several places in Oklahoma and Colorado before settling in Fort Worth, texas, in 1971. She was active in many church and community organizations and received a number of awards. She is survived by Joe and by daughter Lynn Ann. Rolan v. Decker ’58, chem, died Jan. 22, 2010, in Oklahoma City. He taught chemistry 31 years at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford before his retirement. He served as president of the faculty senate and was active in the Oklahoma chapter of AAUP, serving twice as state president. He had recently received a 50-year membership pin

from the American Chemical Society. As a student at OSU, he was a member of Omicron delta Kappas well as other honor societies, was co-chair of Religious Emphasis Week and was a member of OSU bands for four years, serving as president of Kappa Kappa Psi his senior year. Rolan and his wife of 49 years, Priscilla (Smith) Decker, ’61, pre-med, had four children, including Joel k. Decker, ’89, com sci, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. virginia Lea norris Hess ’58, journ, died March 13, 2010. Virginia moved from Wyoming to Oklahoma in 1954 to attend OSU, where her mother had graduated in 1929. As a student, Virginia was a charter member of gamma Phi Beta and editor of the Daily O’Collegian. After graduation, Virginia moved to Ponca City, Okla., where she worked as the society editor of the Ponca City News. She and her first husband, Marion L. Mackey, were the parents of two children, Shaun Mackey and Cecilia Mackey Birch. in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Virginia worked for the Oklahoma Employment Agency and later she owned and operated Maxwell Apartments. in 1975 she married William “Bill” Hess. Stanley Eugene Gilliland ’62, food sci, M.S., and a longtime member of the OSU animal science faculty, died Jan. 6, 2010. After graduating from OSU, he earned a doctorate in food science at north Carolina State University in 1966 and spent 10 years there as an assistant professor. in 1976, he returned to OSU, where his research and work in the dairy food industry brought him both national and international acclaim. He helped develop OSU’s Food and Agricultural Products Center and retired as Regents professor and Sitlington Endowed Chair in the animal science department. Memorial contributions may be made to the Stanley E. gilliland Memorial Scholarship in Food Science via the OSU Foundation, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, OK, 74076. John Hulon Bryant ’64, arch, died Feb. 9, 2010, in tulsa at age 68. After graduating from OSU, John earned a master’s from the University of illinois in 1968 and worked as a professional architect at the Benham group in Oklahoma City. But his true passion was teaching. From 1970 to 1976, he was a Regents

professor of architecture at Auburn University. Afterward, he received a Senior Fulbright Research Scholarship to study ancient Japanese architecture, which became the foundation for his later specialization in teaching non-Western architecture classes at OSU. Following his year in Japan, John served as head of OSU’s School of Architecture from 1977 to 1985. He returned to Japan as part of two delegations of U.S. architectural educators asked to facilitate the reestablishment of architecture schools when that country re-opened relations with the West. After leading the department, John served as a professor, teaching design studio and non-Western and Japanese architecture, the latter of which was frequently voted “Favorite Class” by students. in 1997, John was chosen as a Fellow of the American institute of Architects. He retired in 2000. John is survived by his wife, Linda, and daughter, Mary Ellen. James Earle Shamblin, professor emeritus of industrial engineering and founder of OSU’s Center for Local government technology, died Jan. 12, 2010. At OSU, James participated in the Extension Service Program, ran numerous research projects and provided consulting to more than 20 industrial firms. the engineering college presented him with the Outstanding teacher award in 1968-69 and 1972-73. He received multiple honors and awards and was a member of many professional organizations. George a. Gries, former dean of OSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, died nov. 11, 2009. Before coming to OSU in the late 1960s, george was a professor of plant pathology and botany at the Connecticut Experimental Station, Purdue University and the University of Wales, Swansea. He also was head of the University of Arizona’s departments of plant pathology, botany and biological sciences. He and his late wife, Mary Lou, retired to green Valley in 1982. Memorials may be made to the george A. and Mary Lou gries scholarship fund in care of the OSU Foundation, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, Okla., 74076 .

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PhotoS / oSu SPecial collectionS

The Southern Railroad delivered three freight cars loaded with 72 crates of German lab equipment to Stillwater on April 3, 1948. The 65 tons of equipment broke several hoists and chains during the short trip from the rail yard to the OAMC campus. At first the Russians were blamed for some of the missing equipment because they had dismantled the accompanying factories nearby, but years later it was discovered that some of the equipment had been removed by the Germans and ended up in Austria. Others items apparently disappeared in transit and at the shipyards in Virginia.

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wo months after World War II officially ended, an American engineering team examining German industrial sites for possible war reparations discovered one of the most coveted trophies of the defeated nation. Still intact in the American Zone near Frankfurt, Germany, was the KlöcknerHumboldt-Deutz (KHD) research laboratory, considered one of the top diesel engine research facilities in the world. Its value in U.S. currency was estimated between $1 and $3 million. The specialized lab was quickly slated for removal to the United States, partly because the U.S. hoped to acquire German scientific and technical advances and partly to keep it out of the hands of the Russians. The American military hired German laborers to dismantle and crate the expensive precision equipment, paying them with coal to heat their homes and food scraps from military mess halls. Within a few months the dismantled lab was shipped to the Camden Quartermaster Warehouse in Alexandria, Va.

meChaniCal ChallenGes Meanwhile, OAMC President Henry G. Bennett and engineering dean Col. Phillip S. Donnell, a veteran of the war, were working to bring additional resources to campus. When they learned that the KHD lab, described as “a complete, modern research laboratory of great size,” would be awarded to an American university, OAMC became one of more than 100 institutions to bid on it. Oklahoma A&M’s proposal in September 1947 included the construction of a 26,000-square-foot building within six months, an annual appropriation of $150,000 for five years and construction of a permanent facility for the lab.

The world clamored to obtain Germany’s industrial and scientific assets after World War II. But sometimes, the booty wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

In March of 1948 the U.S. Department of Commerce, in cooperation with the U.S. Office of Education, announced the lab would be awarded to OAMC , where Stillwater’s strategic distance from “vulnerable coastal areas” was deemed favorable. Originally known as the Diesel lab, it was quickly renamed the Oklahoma Power and Propulsion Laboratory and arrived in Stillwater via three Southern Railroad freight cars on April 3, 1948. The 72 crates of equipment weighing 65 tons were guarded at a temporary location around the clock until OAMC’s new facility on the northeast corner of campus opened six months later on Oct. 25, 1948. Almost immediately, problems were discovered. Minor damages incurred during packing and shipping were expected, as well as rust damage from the three years of storage. But as the unpacking continued, other challenges emerged. Twenty boxes listed on the inventory never arrived. Most electric motors had been removed or were severely damaged, and much of the instrumentation was missing. Almost everything that remained would require overhauling and recalibrating. Donnell wrote to Bennett in February 1949 that it “proved not to be quite as pictured and as certified by the individual responsible for packing in Germany,” and “the publicity about the fabulous German apparatus is largely a fiction.” What remained was valued at only $150,000, and the college invested almost $100,000 more to bring it into working condition.

PersOnnel PrOBlems Part of OAMC’s proposal included hiring a separate scientific and support staff under the guidance of a national advisory committee. In September 1948, OAMC hired Walter Scott Burn, an international authority in diesel research from England, to be director, and recruited

Otto A. Becker, one of the lab’s top assistants in Germany, to coordinate the lab’s reassembly. Donnell hoped Becker could join the OAMC team as the chief experimenter in time for the grand opening a month later in October. Initial contacts with the U.S. State Department implied an efficient immigration process. However, this also proved to be an exaggeration. Another year passed as they worked through the morass of emigration and exit permits, visas, protocols, travel arrangements, and even then, Becker arrived without his fiancé in December 1949. During this time, Burn traveled around the country attempting to initiate contracts from government agencies and corporations to underwrite the lab’s work. Burn also battled the college business office over appropriations. Although considered a separate research entity, the lab depended on the college for the initial start-up costs, which had been much higher than originally budgeted. Growing resistance to the program continued, even within the School of Engineering, and state revenues were declining. With the unexpected death of President Bennett in 1951 and Donnell’s 1955 retirement following a three-year leave of absence, the Oklahoma Power and Propulsion Laboratory could not survive without its two strongest champions. It ceased to exist on Feb. 15, 1955. A few staff relocated on campus, including future college vice president James H. Boggs, but most left. Surviving equipment from the “world-renown” lab was integrated into the existing engineering research labs. All that remains today are the memories stored in 24 boxes of office documents shipped to the OSU library 55 years ago. daV i d c. P e t e r S oSu SPecial collectionS & uniVerSit y archiVeS

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CMY

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SPRING 2010 Photo / Gary Lawson

Shaping the Future Oklahoma businessman C. Hubert Gragg has spent a lifetime developing friendships, promoting leadership and building national and international businesses.

C. Hubert Gragg, center, stands with, from left: Goldwater Scholar Renee Hale, Udall Scholar Alesia Hallmark, Wentz Scholar Mark Nelson, Udall Scholar Lauren White and Udall Scholar Jeremy Bennett.

vol. 5, no. 3

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