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In T his Issue
A Century of Homecoming The Cowboy family made the long-awaited centennial celebration one to remember. Relive the history and the magic of America’s Greatest Homecoming. Pages 66-89 (Cover photo: Phil Shockley)
66
72
84
Blast from the Past
Centennial Snapshots
Fit for a Queen
Explore the history of Homecoming, from the first official parade in 1930, to the first fountain dyeing in 1999 and much more.
Cowboy faithful returned to campus in droves for the celebration, and STATE photographers were there to capture countless moments.
Crowned Homecoming Queen in 1959, Gaytra Coggins’ family remains loyal and true.
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8
A Grand Opening for Greenwood The Greenwood School of Music opened its doors to students in September with a milestone celebration.
22
22
Rare Air
Plus... 4
Editor’s Letter
5
Socially Orange
OSU launches a new institute aimed at uniting the state’s aerospace innovation economy — the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE).
7 President’s Letter
30
115 Alumni Update
Cowboys in Space OSU alumni are making names for themselves and making history in the commercial space race.
54 Campus News 104 Cowboy Chronicles 109 Cowboy Way 110 Chapter News 116 In Memory 117 Births 119 Weddings
30
60
Top 5 OSU Traditions We asked alumni and students to weigh in on the top five OSU traditions. Did your favorite make the list?
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STATE
Letters
BR A N D M A NAGEMENT
Megan Horton | Interim Associate Vice President of Brand Management Erin Petrotta | Director of Marketing and Student Communication Shannon Rigsby | Public Information Officer Mack Burke | Editorial Coordinator Dave Malec | Design Coordinator Dorothy Pugh | Managing Editor Codee Classen, Paul V. Fleming, Valerie Kisling, Chris Lewis, Michael Molholt, Benton Rudd and Lauren Knori | Design Phil Shockley, Gary Lawson and Brandee Cazzelle | Photography Kurtis Mason | Trademarks and Licensing Leslie McClurg and Kinsey Gutierrez | Administrative Support Department of Brand Management | 305 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078-1024 405-744-6262 | okstate.edu | statemagazine.okstate.edu | editor@okstate.edu osu.advertising@okstate.edu Contributors: Jordan Bishop, Jane Braden, Aaron Campbell, Will Carr, Alexis Embry, Harrison Hill, Amanda O’Toole Mason, David C. Peters, Kyle Stringer and Kylee Sutherland
O S U A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N Tina Parkhill | Chair Kurt Carter | Vice Chair Tony LoPresto | Immediate Past Chair Rob McInturf | President Gina Lowe | Vice President of Marketing David Parrack | Vice President of Finance and Operations Jessica Medina-Benningfield | Executive Director of Engagement Treca Baetz, Ann Caine, Michael Carolina, Ben Davis, Scott Eisenhauer, Becky Endicott, Todd Hudgins, Aaron Owen, Joe Ray, Darin Schmidt, Taylor Shinn and Baloo Subramaniam | Board of Directors Lacy Branson, Will Carr, Chase Carter, Avery Hudson and Lerin Lynch | Marketing and Communications OSU Alumni Association | 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, Stillwater, OK 740787043 | 405-744-5368 | orangeconnection.org | info@orangeconnection.org
O S U F O U N D AT I O N David Houston | Chair Blaire Atkinson | President Robyn Baker | Vice President and General Counsel Donna Koeppe | Vice President of Administration and Treasurer Scott Roberts | Vice President of Development Chris Campbell | Senior Associate Vice President of Information Strategy Shane Crawford | Senior Associate Vice President of Principal Gifts Pam Guthrie | Senior Associate Vice President of Human Resources Blaire Atkinson, Bryan Begley, Bryan Close, Jan Cloyde, Ann Dyer, Joe Eastin, Jennifer Grigsby, David Houston, Gary Huneryager, A.J. Jacques, Brett Jameson, Griff Jones, Robert Keating, Diana Laing, John Linehan, Joe Martin, Greg Massey, Robert McInturf, Ross McKnight, Gail Muncrief, Bill Patterson, Jenelle Schatz, Becky Steen, Terry Stewart, Vaughn Vennerberg, Beverly Walker-Griffea and Jerry Winchester | Trustees Jennifer Kinnard, Lauren Knori, Chris Lewis, Amanda O’Toole Mason, Heather Millermon, Michael Molholt, Benton Rudd and Kyle Stringer | Marketing and Communications OSU Foundation | 400 South Monroe, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, OK 74076-1749 800-622-4678 | OSUgiving.com | info@OSUgiving.com STATE magazine is published three times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring) by Oklahoma State University, 305 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078. The magazine is produced by the Office of Brand Management, the OSU Alumni Association and the OSU Foundation, and is mailed to current members of the OSU Alumni Association. Magazine subscriptions are available only by membership in the OSU Alumni Association. Membership cost is $50. Call 405-744-5368 or mail a check to 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, Stillwater OK 74078-7043. To change a mailing address, visit orangeconnection.org/update or call 405-744-5368. Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, genetic information, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This provision includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services. The Director of Equal Opportunity has been designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies. Contact the Director of Equal Opportunity at 408 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078-1035; telephone 405-744-5371; or email eeo@okstate.edu. Any person (student, faculty, or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based on gender may discuss his or her concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with OSU’s Title IX Coordinator at 405-744-9154.
From the Editor's Desk After waiting a century to celebrate the centennial of America’s Greatest Homecoming, the Cowboy family was asked to wait a little bit longer. In a heartfelt message last summer, the OSU Alumni Association revealed there would be no 2020 Homecoming festivities. This October, OSU faithful returned to campus in droves, ready to celebrate a milestone 101 years in the making, and it did not disappoint. In this issue, we dive into the history of OSU’s unrivaled homecoming tradition (Page 66), unforgettable moments from the past, and, of course, the magic of the centennial celebration. In other news, Cowboys have taken part in some noteworthy launches as of late. In July, 82-year-old alumna Wally Funk made history as the oldest person to go to space. That record didn’t hold for long as William Shatner, 90, made a similar trip aboard Blue Origin in October, but Funk’s historic moment captivated the nation. In this issue, we tell her story, relive her visit to campus and look at other Cowboys who are making names for themselves among the stars (Page 30). Then, in August, OSU celebrated a different kind of launch — the creation of the new Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (Page 22). This ambitious new institute aims to bring the state’s aerospace innovation economy together under one umbrella. September brought more to celebrate with the grand opening of the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music. In concert with The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, the new, state-of-theart facility will elevate OSU’s music and performing arts programs to falsetto heights. Alumni returning to the Lushanya Stage at The McKnight Center will tell you, “it's changed everything.” (Page 14). We also catch up with the Hargises, who have been busy with the launch of the new Hargis Leadership Institute (Page 88), recognize a major gift from Francis and Kathleen Rooney to benefit the construction engineering technology program (Page 90) and revisit audio treasures from the past (Page 104). We also have a little fun with the Top 5 OSU traditions (Page 60). We weren’t sure what kind of response we’d get when we put out a social media poll this fall, but after about 80,000 responses, we feel pretty good about our sample size. And finally, though the game happened after our publication deadline, we had to include a nod to the Cowboys' unforgettable Bedlam victory at Boone Pickens Stadium (Page 119). Happy holidays! Go Pokes! Mack Burke Editor
This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the senior vice president of executive affairs, was printed by Royle Printing Co. at a cost of $0.99 per issue: 33,895 | December 2021 | #8772 | Copyright © 2021, STATE magazine. All rights reserved.
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STATE Magazine 305 WHITEHURST OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY STILLWATER, OK 74078
EDITOR@OKSTATE.EDU STATEMAGAZINE.OKSTATE.E D U
#okstate
Join the conversation on social media with the Cowboy Family.
Cowgirl in Space @okstate
OSU alumna and legendary pilot Wally Funk is breaking records today as she embarks on the New Shepard rocket and becomes the oldest person to fly into space at the age of 82. We hope you enjoy the view. #GoPokes
Distinguished Alumni @OKStateAlumni
Loyal and True @OSUFoundation
The new Loyal and True decals are here! The Loyal and True giving society recognizes donors who give cumulative annual gifts of $100 or more. Recent #okstate graduates can receive a decal for a gift of $50. Give today and get your 2022 decal! More info: okla.st/LoyalAndTrueDecal
Barry Sanders Immortalized @OSUAthletics
Congratulations to our 7 Distinguished @okstate Alumni pictured with OSU President @drshrum, OSU Alumni Association President @RobMcinturf and OSU Alumni Association Board Chair Tina Parkhill, who were honored at halftime of today’s game! #GoPokes
Historic Enrollment @BeAnOSUCowboy
The greatest to ever do it. Congratulations, Barry Sanders! #RingofHonor #Heisman
OSU is proud to welcome the 2nd-largest incoming class and the most diverse class in school history. OSU also had the largest one-year increase in new transfer students in school history.
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Visit social.okstate.edu for more social media connections.
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ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Cowboy family, There’s no better time to be on the campus of Oklahoma State University than at Homecoming. Dyeing the fountain, crowning the king and queen, and all of the activities capped off with our famous Walkaround, parade and the football game are elements that have truly made it America’s Greatest Homecoming. This year marked my first Homecoming as president and coincided with the centennial celebration, making it an extra special time for me, my family and the entire campus community. I hope you were here to enjoy it with us! As I look over my list of priorities, one at the top is creating a far-reaching and deliberate strategy that will shape and guide our university for years to come. Over the next nine months, we will be engaging in a structured, system-wide process of listening not only to students, faculty and staff on our Stillwater campus, but also at our partner campuses and across the Cowboy family — from alumni, Extension, donors and friends, as well as the business community. I want to hear from all of our audiences to form the broadest, most accurate view of the future for Oklahoma State University, so please reach out with your hopes, ideas and feedback. I can assure you my team and I are dreaming big! We anticipate launching our process to develop the strategy as soon as we return from the winter holidays. I am also excited to share the news that OSU was awarded more than $10 million in new research grant funding during September. This is a record-setting achievement, and congratulations are in order for the entire campus. These awards are critical to pursuing our work as a modern landgrant institution, along with the generous support of our alumni and donors. Thank you for the support, words of encouragement, and pride you convey to all of us working to advance the mission of Oklahoma State University. Whether at Homecoming, Cowboy athletic events or virtually, it’s always wonderful to connect through our devotion to all things orange.
Go Pokes!
Dr. Kayse Shrum OSU President osupres@okstate.edu
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Celebrating IN THE KEY of GREENWOOD OSU hosts grand opening for the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music
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STORY KYLE STRINGER | PHOTOS LAUREN KNORI
Michael and Anne Greenwood at the Greenwood School of Music grand opening celebration.
A ‘Dreams-Come-True Day’ The grand opening celebration for the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music was a long time in the making. Oklahoma State University marked the milestone on Sept. 11 with a standing-room only crowd nearly four years after the Greenwoods announced their lead gift in 2017. But a new building has been needed for at least the last decade to alleviate the strain on the Seretean Center, which served both the music and theatre programs. “OSU Music has always been so very talented and done so much, but with limited resources. Now, with the addition of this state-of-the-art facility, they at long last have all they need to be
even better and to grow professionally,” Anne Greenwood said at the event. She wore a gold treble clef pin with pearls marking the Key of G. “This is a dreams-come-true day,” she said. While guests were arriving for the celebration, a jazz quartet played in the lobby, showcasing the talented students the building benefits. Student involvement extended into the event with a surprise performance by a small ensemble from the Cowboy Marching Band, which played “Ride ’Em Cowboys” hours before Oklahoma State went on to beat Tulsa during the second home game of the season. Anne Greenwood
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Many members of the Cowboy Marching Band have experienced the Greenwoods’ generosity through their consistent support. Johnn McCray, a junior music education major and baritone section leader in the marching band, said he was fortunate to be assigned to the event for the weekend. “While I know that my individual job was small, as a group it was important for us to show appreciation for the generous gifts of the Greenwoods and all the other amazing people,” McCray said. “The Cowboy Marching Band is only able to exist as an organization with the support of fans and alumni. By playing at the opening, we were able to say thanks in more ways than I think words would be able to express.” McCray said his excitement for the new building will boost his experience as a student. “The fact that I get to rehearse in ensembles, practice my instrument and go to class in modern and acoustically sound spaces is very important not only for my growth as a musician, but also my mindset,” he said, adding that he has seen an improvement in morale among students and faculty since the building partially opened last spring. “Attending classes in a building that has a growth mindset designed into it is very rewarding and pushes me to be better because I know there are people like the Greenwoods who are investing in my success.” Students from the sciences, business, engineering, education and many other disciplines also play in the school’s music ensembles and comprise the celebrated OSU Marching Band, said Glen Krutz, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
“ This new building quite literally serves the entire OSU campus.” - GLEN KRUTZ Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
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PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
Senior vocal education major Martha Beaty speaks at the grand opening event.
A Game Changer Since 1970, OSU’s music students have called the Seretean Center home, but crowding has become more of an issue. With 12 practice rooms to be shared among thousands of students, the young musicians practiced outside or in the hallways, bathrooms and any other usable space they could find. Senior vocal education major Martha Beaty received raucous applause at the grand opening event when she spoke about the new building’s 28 practice rooms, which can accommodate small and large groups. The building also includes 35 studios, three large rehearsal halls, two chamber rehearsal rooms, a state-of-the-art recording studio and flexible classroom spaces, each finetuned with the necessary tools to help students succeed. And the facility’s lobby connects to The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, where students will get the chance to perform and have access to unique experiential learning opportunities alongside some of the world’s top performers. Beaty added that the facility would have blown her away on her audition day four years ago. “Over the past decade, the Cowboy family has intentionally woven visual and performing arts into the fabric of OSU's identity,” said OSU President Kayse Shrum. “The Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music is the latest example of how we continue to elevate the arts as an integral part of OSU's land-grant mission.” Jeff Loeffert, director of the Greenwood School of Music, said the trajectory of the performing arts has been profoundly improved. “The Greenwood School of Music enables our students to achieve at levels we never dreamed possible and be prepared to meet the ever-changing landscape of the workforce in the performing arts,” he said. Faculty members like Brant Adams, professor and coordinator of music theory, are looking forward to their students having attractive and high-functioning spaces for their learning and development. He sees this new environment as one that will attract future students.
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From left: First Cowboy Darren Shrum, OSU President Kayse Shrum, Anne and Michael Greenwood, Dean Glen Krutz, OSU Foundation President Blaire Atkinson and Greenwood School of Music Director Jeff Loeffert
Inspired Giving In addition to the Greenwoods, more than 100 people contributed to the new facility, including 19 major gift donors. Many people, like Bob Spinks, pooled their gifts with other alumni to honor music school leaders both past and present. “As a proud graduate of the OSU music program, I am always interested in and supportive of the music program. However, for me it runs a little deeper,” said Spinks, who worked as an undergraduate and graduate assistant for former band director Paul Montemurro through much of the ’70s. There he met his wife, Pam, and forged lifelong friendships with mentors and music professors. “A common phrase one hears today is ‘taking something to the next level.’ Music requires this all the time through ever-improving performance skills — but music is also about humanity and inspiration,” he said. “I found those things at OSU 50 years ago, and they have been at the core of my personal and professional life ever since.” Donors and family members have ensured that Montemurro, Margaret Nichols, Z. Randall Stroope, Hiram Henry, Max Mitchell, Boh Makovsky and dozens more are
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honored with named spaces or busts in the new building. These tributes honor and memorialize loved ones. At the grand opening, Dr. Shrum thanked the donors who made the dream of the Greenwood School of Music a reality. “I look forward to building upon the significant ways the visual and performing arts integrate into OSU’s long-term vision,” she said. “This arts corridor was once just an idea. I cannot wait to see what the future holds.” The university and OSU Foundation continue to work with donors to name the remaining prominent spaces and reach the project’s $15 million fundraising goal. As of this magazine’s printing, $1.4 million is still needed to complete the campaign. Visit okla.st/GSOM-Grand-Opening to watch a replay of the grand opening event.
to all our naming gift donors You helped make the Greenwood School of Music a reality. Anne & Michael Greenwood Edward E. & Helen T. Bartlett Foundation Jonathan Drummond Malinda Berry Fischer & Dick Fischer Inasmuch Foundation Caroline & John Linehan Judy & Richard Edmonson Friends of Music Jan & Kirk Jewell Betsy & Doug Koontz Pam & Gary Lanman
For more information
K. John Lee Family Catherine & Ronald Barney Diane & Richard Buchanan Ken Corbett Shari & Chuck Darr Sissy & Bob Gabriel Barbara Gabriel George Julie & Glen Krutz Lisbeth & Gaute Vik Mike Bode & Preston Carrier Dawn & Blake Forcina
or to learn how you can support the Greenwood School of Music, contact Laura Ketchum at 405-385-0701 or lketchum@osugiving.com.
Diane Staines & R.E. Graalman, Jr. Pamela Montemurro-Reding & Christopher A. Reding Robert & Anna Whitlock Henry Pat & Roger Tucker Band Alumni Group Choir Alumni Group Music Education Alumni Group
‘It Has Changed
EVERYTHING’ Alumni return to Stillwater to perform at McKnightCenter
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STORY JORDAN BISHOP | PHOTO GARY LAWSON
B
ill Scott Sheets remembers looking at his tour schedule and seeing one location jump off the page: Stillwater. The 2015 Oklahoma State University alumnus knew about The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts because he performed at the Night of Orange and Black fundraiser when he was still in school. In fact, a photo of him singing “The Impossible Dream” was used in ads for The McKnight Center, but he actually has never been in the building. That is all changing this year. Sheets is just one of a few alumni who will be making their McKnight debuts: vocalist Sarah Coburn will finally get to perform after her show was canceled last year and French hornist Ernesto Tovar Torres will be on stage with the Philadelphia Orchestra. “I have to say that it is definitely very humbling,” Sheets said. “A lot of my professors will be there. Nervous isn’t the right word, but I will have a little bit more anxiety. I just want them to know that, hey, I turned out pretty good. “I will definitely have a lot of pride going in to perform not only near my hometown of Owasso [Oklahoma] but also where I went to school and learned to do all of this.” Sheets was scheduled to portray Johnny Cash in a new take on a show he has been performing for the last five years: Million Dollar Quartet Christmas. Performers portraying Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley round out the quartet in the show, which took place in November. It is a role that Sheets relishes getting to do, which is beyond the dreams he held when he first came to OSU. A singer by trade, acting was not his forte. But after working with B. Peter Westeroff in the Theatre Department and professor April Golliver-Mohiuddin on his voice, he became a multifaceted talent. “As a music education major, our motto was to be a lifelong learner,” Sheets said. “That is the kind of mindset I try to have with this kind of role. Even though I know it so well now and do it so many times, there is always something new. There is always something more that you can add to it to make it a better show.” Golliver-Mohiuddin hopes that when students from the new Greenwood School of Music see Sheets, Coburn and Tovar perform, they will see where their studies can take them.
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SAR AH CO B U R N
B I LL SCOT T S H E E T S
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“I think often you hear these world-class performers, and you think, ‘Oh, well they are from New York or they went to Juilliard,’” GolliverMohiuddin said. “They have all of these extra opportunities. But Bill is from Owasso, Oklahoma. He came from a good choral program in his high school, which is what most of our students are coming from. They can come to OSU knowing that you can be like Bill Sheets or Sarah Coburn. “They see these people coming from New York and Europe and know that these are native Oklahomans and if they can do it, I can do it. It is fantastic.” Coburn has traveled to Europe to perform in Vienna, as well as all over the United States including Seattle, Washington, D.C., and of course, New York City. Now, the 1999 OSU graduate gets to add Stillwater to her list. Initially invited to perform as part of The McKnight Center’s inaugural season, Coburn’s concert became one of the many events canceled worldwide because of COVID-19. It was an especially rough year for Coburn as she lost her father, former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, to cancer and was diagnosed with breast cancer herself. Since it was caught early, surgery was an option for her treatment. With in-person events starting to become the norm once again, though, Coburn is excited to finally get on stage at The McKnight Center. “Not only am I so grateful for the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience, but I am so grateful to actually sing again,” said Coburn, a soprano. “My body went through a bit of trauma this year, and singing feels like the most healthy thing I can do right now.” Coburn, set to perform Jan. 29, is ready for audiences to hear her with accompanist Lyndon Meyer and violinist Rossitza Goza. “When choosing songs for a performance, I am a bit old-fashioned,” Coburn said. “I like beautiful music. Life is short, and I am not really that interested in challenging the audience with something crazy or odd right now. Call me sentimental if you like, but I prefer beautiful melodies and lush accompaniments.” With The McKnight Center and the Greenwood School of Music, OSU now has visual beauty to match. “It is spectacular and an amazing blessing for OSU,” Coburn said. “I loved every minute of my time in the OSU music department; the training and education was first-class. Having the facilities to match the caliber of the faculty is the icing on the cake.” When the alumni were in school, all their performances took place at the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts, which — while historic — was lagging behind other institutions.
PHOTOS SUSAN RODEBUSH, JESSICA GRIFFIN AND COURTESY OF BILL SCOTT SHEETS
“We have always had really great teachers, but to have world-class performers be graduates of Oklahoma State University — it really has changed everything.” — LANETTE LOPEZ COMPTON “You could tell that our building, the Seretean Center, that while I loved it and loved performing there, it was dated,” Sheets said. “They needed something more akin to the level of quality that they were putting out. The music program there is so good, as well as the choir program and the opera program. Now, they have a place that is more suited to the level of quality that they can produce.” The high quality that OSU produces has drawn notice from the top tiers of the music profession. Coburn and Sheets have performed all over, and Tovar is playing for a “Big 5” orchestra. Looking back, he said it is surreal to see how far he has come. “I think I was just focusing on trying to put my best sound out there and best product and tried to do well in auditions like every other musician,” Tovar said. “You win some and you lose some so I think you learn more from your failures. You sort of learn what not to do. You put in the hours and the work. It is a lot of practicing and a lot of late nights.” Tovar — the fourth horn in the Philadelphia Orchestra — said it took him a lot of time and
E R N E S TO TOVAR TO R R E S
effort, as well as help from his instructor, Lanette Lopez Compton. “I think what stuck out to me about OSU was that they had a really good marching band and a really small music department at the time,” Tovar said. “Lanette Compton and I really sort of thought that it would be a great fit for me. I think more than music, it was just learning how to work well with others, being yourself and trying your best.” Tovar made it into Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music after graduating from OSU in 2014. Before he finished his master’s degree, he earned a spot in the Atlanta Symphony, where he played for two years, which launched him into a position to audition for the Philadelphia Orchestra. “Making it to one of those orchestras, to a “Big 5” orchestra, is like Marcus Smart making the Boston Celtics,” Compton said. “You don’t know they will make it. They all have that dream. All these horn majors have that dream. He came out of high school in Frisco and was very talented, but so are thousands of other students, and that’s just from Texas. “Potential is a bad word for us. I see potential all day long, but it is really nothing without incredible work ethic and perseverance.” Having The McKnight Center host these highprofile performances allows the professors to see how well their former students are doing in their careers and gives current students a look into what their life could be. “We didn’t have these beautiful practice rooms and beautiful offices with these great acoustics,” Compton said. “We didn’t have these world class symphonies like Philadelphia coming through to help us inspire these students. A lot of these students who come from Oklahoma have not seen a huge orchestra. I didn’t do that until I was much older. They can literally walk down the street and see the best players in the country, if not the world. “I get emotional thinking about those students who have succeeded after graduating coming back and giving back. We have always had really great teachers, but to have world-class performers be graduates of Oklahoma State University — it really has changed everything.”
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Going Orange
New slogan promotes OSU’s land-grant mission, public impact research
ORANGE IS THE ANSWER. O
klahoma State University has a new message: “Orange is the Answer.” Born out of a strategic branding campaign by the Department of Brand Management, the new slogan reflects OSU’s commitment to the land-grant mission and the power of public impact research. “With a new president we also have new strategic directions,” said Monica Roberts, then interim assistant vice president for strategic communications. “So we started thinking about a branding campaign that focuses on who we are as ‘the modern day land-grant institution.’
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Roberts recently took a new position as assistant vice president for external affairs and strategic communications for OSU Medicine, but she and the Brand Management team were the driving force behind the development of the new campaign. She said simplicity is key in marketing and branding. The brand and the message should be instantly recognizable, whether it’s a slogan on billboards, in videos or on bus wraps in Tulsa and streetcars in Oklahoma City. “So we brought it back to our color, which is synonymous with OSU in Oklahoma,” she said. “It marries that idea with this bedrock research that
STORY MACK BURKE | PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY AND GARY LAWSON
“It goes back to that land-grant mission. From the very beginning — from 1890 to the present day — we’ve adapted our research methods and teaching methods to meet society’s needs.” MEGAN HORTON, INTERIM ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
we’re really founded on. And, of course, that call to give back.” The Brand Management team brought in the Student Government Association and student focus groups to test the new campaign. “What we learned, which is perhaps no surprise, is that orange is a core part of our identity,” Roberts said. “That’s maybe a given, but the question was how to push that further, how to personify orange. We eventually landed on this tagline that everyone is rallying behind — the colleges, the OSU Foundation, the OSU Alumni Association. We’re seeing everyone embracing it across the board.” If “Orange is the Answer,” what’s the question? Given the scope of OSU’s research, the question could be pretty much anything. OSU answers society’s questions with impactful research and discoveries. “Research finds answers to questions, but then OSU takes those answers and we make it practical, so it can benefit people’s lives,” Roberts said. OSU’s pandemic response is a great example of this. In the spring of 2020, OSU’s Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab (OADDL) received certification to test human samples for COVID-19 after making a remarkably quick transition from animal to human sample testing. During more than five months of human COVID-19 testing, OADDL maintained its full animal testing caseload while also processing 111,093 total COVID tests. “That was a really relevant, impactful example of how that research comes to fruition to make a difference,” Roberts said. Though the campaign is comprehensive and system-wide in scope, its early promotional focus will highlight OSU excellence in aerospace, agriculture, health, energy and STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Recent highlights include the launch of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Education and Research, the new Ferguson College of Agriculture, the new Veterans Hospital in Tulsa, OSU’s One Health initiative, the new McKnight Center and Greenwood School of Music and all of the incredible outreach coming from the university, its researchers and Extension agents.
Megan Horton, interim associate vice president for Brand Management, said the new slogan speaks to the curious and inquisitive nature of OSU’s faculty and students — as well as a call to serve others. “It goes back to that land-grant mission. From the very beginning — from 1890 to the present day — we’ve adapted our research methods and teaching methods to meet society’s needs,” Horton said. “Being Cowboys, we’re typically pretty humble. We don’t tend to brag about our success, and that’s why we wanted to make sure the land-grant mission and our commitment to Megan Horton serving the needs of this state were front and center with this campaign.” With the new slogan, the sun is setting on “America’s Brightest Orange,” but Horton said it remains a part of the OSU story. “Orange is the Answer” is a natural extension of that message, Horton said. “I think ‘America’s Brightest Orange’ will always be part of who we are,” she said. “While this campaign is what we’re doing today and moving forward, we’ll probably still use ‘America’s Brightest Orange’ when we talk about who we are. “Over the past 10 to 15 years, OSU has experienced historic and exponential growth. Monica Roberts We really are poised to propel forward and address the world’s most pressing needs. That’s what we wanted to share with this campaign.”
CAMPAIGN REACH 16 Static Billboards — Statewide (Oklahoma) 7 Digital Billboards — OKC 7 Digital Billboards — Tulsa 1 OKC Street Car Wrap 1 Tulsa Bus Wrap KOSU NPR radio station spots 3-4 per day for 3 months. KGOU NPR radio station spots 1-2 per day for 3 months. 4 Oklahoman Print ads (so far) 4 Tulsa World Print ads (so far)
S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 19
WHERE CAN YOU FIND RESEARCH THAT IMPROVES LIVES?
IMPROVING THE LIVES OF OKLAHOMANS AND BEYOND IS OUR SPECIALTY AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY. We do this through accessible, innovative research that makes an impact through technology, health resources and drought management. And that’s just the beginning. We are constantly exploring and discovering ways to enhance the local and global landscape. Our agricultural research scientists are involved in an international effort to address water security and resource management issues across the world plus we recently launched the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education. From the land to the sky, our experts are passionately pursuing knowledge to create change.
ORANGE IS THE ANSWER.
Rare A 22 W I N T E R 2 0 2 1
STORY MACK BURKE | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON AND PHIL SHOCKLEY
Air Already regarded as Oklahoma’s aerospace leader, OSU is poised to
expand its reach with the creation of a new institute that will bring the state’s aerospace innovation economy together under one umbrella.
S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 23
The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE) will support partnerships among university, commercial, military and governmental agencies and serve as a resource for developing the state’s aerospace ecosystem. That includes generating high-tech jobs and cutting-edge research that attracts commercial enterprise and military sustainment support. The comprehensive scope of OAIRE includes K-12 and higher education outreach programs focused on STEM connections, building the aerospace workforce pipeline and promoting community involvement. READY FOR LAUNCH At a special announcement ceremony in August at OSU DISCOVERY in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum stressed the importance of driving cross-industry collaborations and why OAIRE will benefit Oklahoma businesses, schools and the state as a whole. “Oklahoma State University offers a complete turnkey solution for Oklahoma’s aerospace industry needs,” Dr. Shrum said. “From K-12 enrichment and workforce development, through faculty and graduate research to groundbreaking innovations in industry partnerships, we are leading the state to advance this important economic engine. “Today, we’re announcing the formation of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education. Oklahoma State University is the clear leader in aerospace within our state. We’ve had a partnership with NASA for more than 50 years. We’ve been training pilots for more than 80 years. Our depth and breadth of knowledge, faculty and research investments cannot be matched. We’re so proud of this very long history in aerospace and aviation excellence.” Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Innovation Elizabeth Pollard echoed Dr. Shrum’s excitement when she spoke at the launch announcement. “The Oklahoma economy is at an inflection point,” Pollard said. “Disruptive technology is changing the
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face of every industry and forcing all states to reassess how best to compete and remain relevant in a knowledgebased innovation economy. Innovation is the key driver to economic growth and prosperity. It is critically important to Oklahoma’s future. It will grow and diversify our state economy, accelerate our state’s competitiveness and create large-scale, high-paying jobs for Oklahomans. “[OAIRE] will be at the forefront of innovation in the aerospace realm, and I commend Oklahoma State University for their successful programs and continued partnerships with the state. Prominent research and development activity related to aerospace has been under way for decades at OSU, and with their leadership in this dynamic industry, Oklahoma will be wellpositioned to lead the ever-evolving aerospace frontier.” EXPANDING EDUCATION Aviation is one of the fastestgrowing programs in OSU’s College of Education and Human Sciences. OAIRE will expand aerospace research and course offerings in Oklahoma City at OSU DISCOVERY and in Tulsa at the Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center. This will allow students greater access to OSU’s undergraduate and graduate programs, which will be tailored to meet the needs of the aerospace sector in the surrounding area. Professionals seeking aerospace-related degrees can take aerospace or systems engineering
core courses in Oklahoma City, Tulsa or Stillwater. For K-12 schools, programming will include technical training, career placement and entrepreneurial opportunities for student engagement and retention. OSU will prioritize outreach to Native American and other underrepresented K-12 students with the goal of developing a diverse talent pipeline for Oklahoma-based companies. Dr. Cecilia Robinson-Woods, superintendent of Millwood Public Schools in Oklahoma City, said one of her major concerns is preparing students for future careers. She said partnering with OSU has been a tremendous help in showcasing opportunities for them. This summer, for example, OSU welcomed more than 1,500 students to STEM camps. “This partnership with Oklahoma State and aerospace helps us tremendously in regard to assuring that we’ll be able to train teachers to prepare kids, and then giving kids opportunities to see jobs in these high-paying
Dr. Kenneth Sewell, OSU vice president for research, addresses a crowd of industry leaders, guests and media members at the OAIRE launch announcement at OSU DISCOVERY in Oklahoma City.
industries. We’re very, very excited for the partnership to add exposure, starting with the STEM camps this [past] summer. Sending 1,500 kids to just be exposed to what a career in aerospace or engineering or STEM would look like is an amazing start.” Dr. Shelbie Witte, Kim and Chuck Watson Endowed Chair in Education, heads the School of Teaching, Learning and Educational Sciences. She believes OAIRE will provide partners with a plethora of opportunities to engage with research to address real-world problems. “OSU and the College of Education and Human Sciences continue to show we are experts in bridging educational research and innovation with the lives of Oklahomans,” Witte said. “K-12 outreach programs are the hallmark of our land-grant mission at OSU. The work we do in teacher education and teacher preparation can be strengthened by our K-12 partnerships, and likewise, K-12 classrooms can benefit from our collaborations.”
PARTNERING TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS With the largest and oldest aerospace engineering program in the state, OSU has a storied history with aerospace, defense and aviation research. The university has longstanding research partnerships with the FAA, Air Force, Navy, Army, and Special Operations Command. OSU faculty members conduct research with such industry partners as Boeing, Pratt and Whitney, Kratos, Skydweller, Zivco, Frontier Electronics Corp., Vigilant Aerospace Systems, Toyota and many others. Paul Tikalsky, dean of OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, said OSU has more than $80 million under contract just this year related to aerospace and aerospace education. “OSU’s is the first aerospace program in the state and twice the size of any other,” Tikalsky said. “We continue to expand our faculty and research operations and are now
teaching more than 500 undergraduates in just aerospace engineering and another 1,000 in related fields. OSU brings expertise to industry partners in everything from advanced propulsion systems to avionics, unmanned systems, aerostructures, cybersecurity, re-engineering, airfield design, human factors, pilot training and much more. The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education is part of the next generation of OSU and Oklahoma’s growing economy.” Brenda Rolls, CEO of Stillwaterbased Frontier Electronics Systems, said the strength of OSU’s engineering programs remains an important factor in her company’s success, with roughly 90 percent of Frontier’s degreed employees coming from OSU. “We congratulate Oklahoma State on this significant and game-changing initiative, and we look forward to the robust advancement of the aerospace and technology business sectors within Oklahoma,” Rolls said.
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BREAKING BARRIERS Dr. Jamey Jacob, director of OSU’s Unmanned Systems Research Institute and a mechanical and aerospace engineering professor, believes OAIRE represents a natural extension of OSU’s push to break down silos in favor of multidisciplinary research and collaboration. “We still want to do the same great work we’re doing now, but being able to encompass all things aviation and aerospace at OSU will create exciting new opportunities,” Jacob said. “OSU has a very rich aerospace history and tradition. One of the reasons that USRI is a Tier 1 Research Initiative is because it builds on that legacy, laying the groundwork for the great potential we see in the future. Aviation and aerospace are among the largest industries in the state, and OAIRE asks what can we do to help support that with our areas of expertise and all of the great ongoing research at OSU.” Jacob said that includes not only the research at USRI but also the work of people like Dr. Susan Stansberry, who serves as principal investigator for OSU’s NSPACE project (NASA STEM
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Pathway Activities — Consortium for Education) and all of the faculty working on OSU’s world renowned pilot training program, just to name a few. OSU has partnered with NASA education for 54 years. NSPACE is a $46 million, five-year cooperative agreement with NASA that has served over 542,000 K-20 students and over 107,000 teachers in 16 activities over the past four years. It also supports 68 employees at five space centers and NASA headquarters. Additionally, Jacob said Oklahoma continues to attract more aerospace companies, such as Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, which is developing large-scale, autonomous drones for the military. Another is Skydweller Aero, a Spanish-U.S. company that established its global headquarters in Oklahoma City this summer and recently donated a storied electric motor to OSU. “This is really a prime opportunity to fulfill our Tier 1 objective to engage in groundbreaking research while simultaneously supporting our landgrant mission to support the people and industry of Oklahoma,” Jacob said.
THE FUTURE Dr. Jon E. Pedersen, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences, said he’s excited to partner with OAIRE and what the new institute will mean for the future. Pedersen sees OAIRE as another step in OSU’s aviation ascendency, a process that traces its roots back to the founding of OSU’s Flying Aggies in 1948 and all of the rich history associated with aviation in Oklahoma. “We continue to evolve and grow as an aviation program, adding resources such as the Ray and Linda Booker OSU Flight Center, which is going to be superior to any other flight center in the nation,” he said. “OAIRE is another unique resource that will continue to expand our efforts in aviation and allow us to continue to work collaboratively enhancing the learning and experiences through our aviation programs. OSU Vice President for Research Kenneth Sewell said investing in and creating a center of excellence changes everything. OAIRE will allow research to continue year-round at speed. Whether it’s a proof of concept, a full prototype, or research and development,
“
It’s not just one piece of aerospace. It’s not just manufacturing, drones, defense or sustainment. It’s what people in the industry call ‘the whole stack.’ DR. KENNETH SEWELL, OSU VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH
Other benefits will flow as well. “This also will allow us to hire professional engineers and researchers that will be a part of this entity without other responsibilities,” Sewell said. “So it augments our responsiveness so we’re not having to scale up every time we get a new project. We want to be scaled up constantly so we can respond to the needs of industry, as well as go after federal grants and funding sources that can support that in a sustainable way. “We keep all of our great faculty experts. We’re not pulling them away from the classroom to focus full-time on research, nor are we disrupting our ability to be responsive to the private sector and the federal government.” That’s the research side. On the education side, Sewell said OAIRE creates synergy across departments and programs. “We have these research programs on one side of the house and these outreach programs on the other side. This allows us to marry those better,
”
Sewell said OSU will be uniquely equipped to meet the challenge. “This is not just dropping a name over it,” he said. “This is creating an infrastructure that makes it more of a 365 research operation. It’s not 24-7, but it’s essentially non-stop. “Most university research is projectbased. In other words, you develop an idea, you write a grant proposal, submit that proposal, get it funded, hire the graduate students who are going to work on that proposal. You start the project, and you finish it. Rinse and repeat. Projects have a beginning, middle and an end, and you’re continually starting new projects. That makes it difficult to respond rapidly, particularly to industry needs.”
to make the STEM ed programs better while enriching the experience for our graduate students and our current students.” Sewell said doing so also helps fill the state’s skilled labor pipeline for jobs in high demand. That effort starts with K-12 partnerships and continues throughout students’ college careers. Sewell said the K-12 outreach element of OAIRE will bring different kinds of students together and illuminate STEM possibilities at the next level. “We see that as being a big part of that connection,” he said. “We operate programs on behalf of NASA, some of which are nationwide. We want to work with NASA and other agencies to expand those programs and do all that we can to inspire young people to pursue unique research opportunities at OSU.” OSU’s summer STEM camps are already making an impact. For college students, the impact can be measured in graduation and retention rates. “Students who are involved in research almost never drop out,” Sewell said. “The retention rate is enormous. So even just from the standpoint of keeping students engaged, this engagement effort is worth it.
S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 27
“
We continue to evolve and grow as an aviation program...
”
DR. JON E. PEDERSEN, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SCIENCES DEAN
President Kayse Shrum speaks during the OAIRE launch announcement at OSU DISCOVERY in Oklahoma City.
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“The other side of this is a twoway street for companies. Geographic regions that have strong relationships between their research universities and the private sector are an economic magnet for companies. They know they’re going to have a pipeline of workers and potential interns, and cultivating opportunities for graduates through these partnerships helps keep more talent right here in Oklahoma.”
STATISTICS
PRIME LOCATION Sewell said Oklahoma is already an attractive destination for aerospace companies. It’s a lot easier to get clearance to test a drone in a stretch of open prairie in Oklahoma than dense
metropolitan areas. He said there’s also a military-friendly atmosphere in Oklahoma, business-friendly tax structures and unique opportunities to partner with Oklahoma’s tribal nations. “The tribal communities with large land areas and the sovereignty over use of that land offer incredible testing grounds for some of these technologies,” Sewell said. “We’re partnering with the tribes, and so are these companies. It’s not just one piece of aerospace. It’s not just manufacturing, drones, defense or sustainment. It’s what people in the industry call ‘the whole stack.’ “We want to be diversified as a state economy and have expertise at OSU that spans the full spectrum of that ‘stack.’”
The timeline is dependent on resources, which are being secured at the university, state and federal level. In the meantime, Sewell said OSU and OAIRE are extremely well positioned to take on even more high level aerospace research, particularly the kind of practical research that has potential to change lives for the better. “If anyone’s ever going to fly a drone at low altitudes to bring someone an Amazon package across a city like Atlanta, they’re only going to do it because in some place like Oklahoma, we’ve perfected the technology so that everybody, from the city officials to the FAA, is comfortable we’re doing that safely,” he said.
Aerospace
Aviation
OSU produces 70% of the state’s aerospace engineering degrees.
OSU aviation has longstanding pride and tradition dating to 1935 with the Civilian Pilot Training program offered by then-Oklahoma A&M College.
OSU has the top aerospace engineering program in the state with more than 500 students enrolled and 80+ graduates per year. OAIRE engineering faculty have completed more than $16.7 million in research in the past three years. OAIRE faculty have ongoing aerospace engineering-related research awards of more than $33.8 million and aviation research and education-related awards that total over $4.8 million. OSU has worked on projects with NASA for more than 50 years. OSU is the lead of the NASA WINDMAP University Leadership Initiative team, a $5.2 million effort to develop weather monitoring and forecasting for advanced air mobility. OSU leads NASA’s Oklahoma Space Grant and NASA educational programs, such as NASA’s Native Earth/Native Sky program aimed at tribal students and the NSPACE program, which provides competitive and innovative STEM educational opportunities to K-16 students and educators across the country. Over the last 10 years, OSU’s aerospace engineering enrollment has grown over 62% (from 334 to 543 students).
OSU aviation is one of the fastest-growing programs in the College of Education and Human Sciences. The new Ray and Linda Booker OSU Flight Center offers a 11,600-square-foot facility that includes spaces for individual flight debriefings, offices, student common areas, dispatch and more. In 2019, OSU aviation was selected for the Top Hawk program, a partnership with Textron Aviation that provides students with access to the Cessna Skyhawk. OSU has a special agreement with PSA Airlines, giving students a direct path to American Airlines through its PSA Cadet Program. OSU is home to the historic and nationally recognized Flying Aggies, a student flying club founded in 1948 by former World War II pilot Hoyt Walkup.
S TAT E M AG A Z I N E .O K S TAT E . E D U 29
Oklahoma State University alumni are breaking barriers, setting records and contributing to technological advances so significant they sound like science fiction. And they have been since the early days of the space program.
Wally Funk
, 82, has been a pioneer her
Jonathan Ritchie
, 44, is one of three Cowboys
entire adult life. In the 1960s, she
at Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic,
participated in the Mercury 13, a
another company that’s opening the
program for young women aspiring
possibilities of space tourism.
to become astronauts. In July, she traveled to space with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
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STORY SHANNON G. RIGSBY | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON
Wally Funk Alumna’s joy embodies her passion for life with no limits Oldest woman in space, Wally Funk, 82, returned to visit her alma mater in October. Arriving at Stillwater Regional Airport, she was greeted with an orange-carpet treatment, fanfare, media and celebration. She struck the same pose stepping from the plane as she did emerging from the space capsule, arms thrown wide, and the same one she shares at presentations, lunches and photos — grand, dramatic and the epitome of Wally. She was exuberant. With the OSU Marching Band playing, she danced down the orange carpet with Pistol Pete, hugged students and took questions from reporters. She dramatically demonstrated the safety belts necessary for the trip into space with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. “The launch was so fantastic. You can’t believe it. We learned to sit in and out of our seats a lot. My seat was No. 3. And you have to strap, left, front, this one, this one and be completely buckled in hard,” Funk said. “And they would come check and see if it was hard enough, and if it wasn’t hard enough, he would just do it for you. I sat there, and we took off, and it was fantastic.”
‘THIS IS THE BEST’ A special event was held in Funk’s honor at The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts that evening. Dr. Jon Pedersen, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences, presented her with a plaque commemorating the Wally Funk annual scholarship for aviators in the professional pilot program. “I’ve led a very charmed life,” Pedersen told her. “I’ve met a lot of people, presidents, dignitaries. And I’m sincere about this, Wally: This is the best.” Dr. Kat Gardner-Vandy, assistant professor of aviation and space, credited a book about the Mercury 13 for inspiring her to get her pilot’s license. She was the only female in the class. “I knew I had a place there because of this book,” she said. “Enthusiasm can get you so far, but it’s really perseverance, tenacity and grit that will really propel you forward. And I thank you for being that role model for SEE MORE me and where I am today, but at okla.st/Wally. also for all other young women.”
ANSWERS AND WISDOM A Q&A session was scheduled next. A tidy list of questions had been prepared, two seats made ready on an inviting, bright stage. But Funk would not be tamed. The questions went out the window as she marched on stage, arms wide and expressive, talking to the audience more than any would-be interviewers. She insisted the house lights be raised, and with her whoops of appreciation, they were. She celebrated the young members of her old sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. She cheered with the Flying Aggies, snapped photos with the camera she brought onstage, bathed in the spotlight and adored the adoring. “It was so fantastic seeing everybody in that audience,” she said. “I wanted to go and hug every one of them.” Then she shared wisdom that only Wally Funk can share.
“Stress is when you lose faith and then you get fear. Do not lose faith.” “Negativity contaminates your energy.” “If your goal is to keep saying ‘yes I can do it,’ keep moving forward with confidence.” “Don’t ever sit on a pile of negative.” “Any woman who does not enjoy camping across the country on a clear, frosty morning with a good horse and a gun and a pair of dogs doesn’t know how to enjoy life.”
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A GLOBAL LIFE It would be easy to publish a chronological list of her accomplishments, an asterisk marking the moments she broke the glass ceiling for women. There were the 2½ years in her 20s that she spent traveling 80,000 miles through 59 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, covering most of the distance in a VW camper with a dog named Little Toot. The years when she was the first woman to work as a plane crash investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board could be noted, or her time that made her most renowned as one of the Mercury 13, a 1960s program that put a group of young women through testing to become astronauts before the program was canceled without explanation. A list of pilot certifications she holds would be appropriate to note, the vast majority she earned at Oklahoma State University. Over six decades, she’s introduced about 4,000 people to flying and shepherded 3,000 to private pilot’s licenses. But a catalogue of her accomplishments has been done before and is too long to list here. So why was Wally Funk so successful? Why did she brush off society’s gender stereotypes and march on with unquestioning faith in her next move? She grew up at 7,000 feet in Taos, New Mexico. A combination of aristocratic ideals of proper presentation and manners mixed with freedom granted by her parents enabled her to pursue what she wanted, when she wanted. As long as her manners were in place and she looked presentable enough, Funk could set her own agenda. In small 1940s Taos, Funk came and went, riding horses, target shooting, skiing, taking part in adventures and spending days with the Taos Pueblo Indians. So great was her freedom that her mother, Virginia, would ask her, “Where will you be sleeping tonight, Wally?” Funk would reply, “‘I don’t know. Maybe in the barn, maybe my tree house, maybe on the floor, maybe out at a pueblo.’ They never, never asked me twice,” she told the crowd at McKnight. “I owe a bunch of my success to my parents.”
THE TAOS MOUNTAIN There’s a popular question asked in self-help books and repeated across social media: “What would you do if you were not afraid?” From Funk’s earliest memories, her childhood bedroom looked out on Taos Mountain. Virginia told her to trust the mountain for her direction. “You don’t talk to it,” Funk said. “You don’t pray to it. It tells your heart what you’re supposed to do, and then you take that and go do it. And that’s how I’ve lived my life.” Funk didn’t question what she wanted to do. There was no vacillation, no uncertainty, no anxiety in deciding the next right step. In her mind, if she had an inkling to accomplish something, she believed the mountain had given her the inspiration and would give her the strength. “I did exactly what Wally wanted to do because the spirit of that Taos Mountain told me exactly what I was going to do,” she said.
‘THROW IT A FISH’ Funk also steers clear of the negative that comes her way. Others may store it in their hearts like a packed trunk, considering and reviewing, stewing over an ugly sentiment, wasting precious energy and time. Funk said the Taos Pueblo Indians taught her to “throw it a fish” when someone said something hurtful. She was denied a job at an airline, reportedly because it lacked a women’s restroom in its training facilities. When she wanted to take male-dominated classes like auto mechanics or engineering, she was told to enroll in home economics. Each time she was disappointed, she “threw it a fish” and moved on. “It means, ‘Let it go,’” she said. “The Indians taught me if someone is not nice, throw it a fish and walk away.”
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ON TO OSU Before her senior year in Taos, Funk boarded a train for Stephens College, a girls’ school in Missouri. It was a place of rules and feminine expectations, dresses and dress shoes. Funk was happiest in jeans and T-shirts. She found a compromise by studying physical education, where she could be more casual in the gym. But a skiing accident that cracked her vertebrae ended that. When the dean called her mother, warning that Wally was not doing well in her classes, Virginia asked the dean if there was an airport in town. He said there was. Her mother said, “Well, get her out there, and set her flying.” She became a member of the Flying Susies at Stephens College. They competed at flight competitions, but another group always won. She told the crowd at The McKnight Center, “How do you think I got here? I was a Flying Susie at Stephens. Who do you think I competed against? I competed against you guys, the Flying Aggies. You all won time and time and time after time. … And so, my parents said, ‘Are you going to come to Illinois or Indiana for school?’ I said, ‘No, I’m going to Oklahoma State, and you can drive me there tomorrow.’” She earned every certificate OSU had to offer, including single engine seaplane, which she earned by flying a Piper Cub that was outfitted with pontoons at Lake Carl Blackwell or Boomer Lake in town. She had clear words of instruction for anyone wanting to be an astronaut, singing the praises of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. She said the media got it wrong: She was not rejected as an astronaut because she was a woman, but NASA said it was because she didn’t have an engineering degree.
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THE SPACE DREAM In 1961, Funk was testing with Mercury 13. Her dream to this day is to be an astronaut — and she’s still striving for a visit to the International Space Station. The NASA researchers probed and prodded, made her swallow three feet of hose, drink a pint of radioactive water, put freezing cold water in her ears — which amounted to three to four seconds of excruciating pain — and put needles in her hand to test her nerves. Instead of focusing on the pain, she counted herself lucky that she was included. They placed her in a sensory deprivation tank and left her in the darkness to float in water the same temperature as her skin, rendering it physically invisible. She floated for more than 10 hours. There were some who couldn’t tolerate the absence of sensory perception or the claustrophobia of being locked in a tank. She thought at one point as she lay in the blackness, “What an exciting adventure I’m in.” When Bezos contacted her, Funk, who has not kept up with modern conveniences like online shopping, didn’t know who he was. But she was delighted with the opportunity. She launched with Bezos, his brother, and an 18-year-old student skyward on the rocket New Shepard, to spend a few minutes 62 miles above the Earth’s surface. “When we got into space, it was so fabulous,” she told The McKnight Center crowd. “The whole flight was so easy, it was incredible.” The vehicle landed so gently she couldn’t feel it. Of course, she wants to go up again — to the ISS. At 82, Funk continues to turn out new pilots. She fell in love with planes at 7 years old and has never fallen out of it. For so many people, life contracts and narrows as they top 70 and 80. They pack away their dreams as if they’re no longer allowed or proper, and they retire as good folk are supposed to do. COVID-19 is the closest Wally Funk has come to retirement. The pandemic brought her the most difficult time of her life with unaccustomed boredom and isolation. The series of events at Oklahoma State brought her new levels of unmitigated joy. She has no plans to stop teaching, speaking or inspiring. “Honey, I’m going to go to 120,” she said. “You have to be your own person. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do.”
From
imagination reality to
OSU graduate is helping Virgin Galactic open space to tourists
When Oklahoma State University alumnus Jonathan Ritchie interviewed with The Spaceship Company, he arrived in the windswept desert of Mojave, California, to find empty buildings and empty spaces. His tour was comprised mostly of imagination; a guide pointed out where a composite manufacturing line would go, the spot across the way where the assembly warehouse would be constructed.
About two dozen employees were working under the leadership of British business magnate Sir Richard Branson and aerospace engineer Burt Rutan at the time. They had all signed on to work on one wild proposal: make commercial space tourism a reality. “It was literally a small group of people in the desert with an idea,” Ritchie said. “I just ate that up. I said, ‘I am in. Let’s do this.’”
JUST WORK HARDER Ritchie had a strong work ethic. That, along with a “‘What could I do if I tried?’ attitude,” has taken him to a managerial position with Virgin Galactic, a company dedicated to opening suborbital space flights to the world. Ritchie, who grew up fascinated by the long-outdated technology of steam engines, knew he would be an engineer. His father was a teacher. His mother, a geophysicist, invented a 3D radar used to find pockets of petroleum. His older brother earned a perfect score on a college entrance exam. “I knew real quick I was never going to be the smartest guy in the room,” he said. “I thought, ‘OK, I’ll just have to work harder.’” He chose Oklahoma State for an undergraduate degree. It was close to home, he had older siblings in attendance and after some research, he believed it would serve him best for an engineering degree. He couldn’t pursue his passion for steam engines, so a week before school started, he paged through the course catalog to decide the type of engineering for his major. He found mechanical engineering with an aerospace option. “I thought, ‘Well, mechanical engineering, that sounds like me, and with an aerospace option, now that has pizzazz. That has flair.” he said.” Who is not excited about space? Right? It has space in the name.’” As he was transitioning from general courses to degree specifics, Ritchie said he got lucky when aerospace was separated into a separate degree program. He decided two bachelor’s degrees would give him a leg up in the workforce, and it fit his life philosophy to “just work harder.”
STORY SHANNON G. RIGSBY | PHOTOS JONATHAN RITCHIE
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Jonathan Ritchie with his wife Sara and their kids who all made this journey with him.
TAKING CHANCES Ritchie met his wife, Sara, at OSU. The start of their relationship is clearly marked by a particularly “dark period” on his transcript when studies suddenly became less important. As the sun was setting one evening on a rural hill outside Stillwater, he dropped to one knee. He was in his third year at OSU. He didn’t have a ring, but the moment was too perfect to let pass. He asked her to marry him but interrupted her before she could reply. “I said, ‘Now before you answer, you need to know — someday, life is going to be good. We’re going to have a family, and I’m going to have a job. And I’m going to come home one day and tell you, Honey, I’ve done a thing. I quit my job, and we are going to do this crazy thing.’” She said “yes” anyway. They married and had their first child before he graduated. His was the first graduating class after 9/11. He had come to terms with the idea that he probably would have to leave Oklahoma to get a job in aerospace, but he could find no aerospace jobs at all. He picked up a copy of “Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft” from the library. He applied to every aerospace manufacturer in the U.S. and Canada. He snagged one interview in Texas, but the job didn’t pan out. After a year of searching, he was hired by a privately owned Oklahoma City aerospace company. “We were a repair station, so every morning you show up at the loading dock to see what arrived,” Ritchie said. “Some guy somewhere has a jet that can’t fly because there’s a broken part somewhere in this box, and you better fix it and get it back to him. It was drinking from the firehose. You had to learn fast. It was a phenomenal experience.” After a year, Ritchie moved on to a job at Nordam, an aircraft product and service company in Tulsa, grateful he could have a career in aerospace in Oklahoma. And then his boss left for The Spaceship Company. Ritchie was happy at Nordam, but one question nagged him. “Could I join him if I tried?” he thought. “Could I succeed there if I really tried and worked hard at it?”
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Four months later, he applied for a job with The Spaceship Company as a program manager for interior development, responsible for all aspects of the project being done right, on time and on budget. He had never been a program manager before. At home, four more children, including one set of twins, had followed the first. “I always thought I was going to start my own business doing something,” he said. “Instead, it was ‘Hey, honey, I quit my job, and we’re buying an RV and moving to California because I’m going to work on spaceships.’” They put their house on the market. They packed up their family of seven — five children under the age of 11 — along with the bare necessities and a chocolate lab named Murphy. They hit the road in a 24-foot camper on a blustery January day as subzero temperatures and snow blanketed Oklahoma behind them. Ritchie likens it to a “Grapes of Wrath” migration. They softened the blow of change by calling it their “five-year California vacation plan.” “We would make dinner and then it’s like, ‘OK, kids, everyone stand up. It’s time for bed’ so we could turn all the seats into beds so we could lay down. It was one of those things that I look back and think, ‘Good Lord, why is Sara still with me? She has been in with both feet wherever I go,’” he said.
OPTING FOR FLAIR When Ritchie arrived in Mojave, The Spaceship Company was jointly owned by Scaled Composites and Virgin Group. In 2012, Virgin Galactic would become the sole owner. But in 2011, Scaled Composites had prototype vehicles that needed an interior suitable for paying passengers. The interior behind the pilots’ seats could be merely functional and efficient or it could have Virgin flair. Ritchie and the company opted for flair. “Do we make this very utilitarian so that it looks like a NASA experience that people have seen, or do we say, ‘No. This is a Virgin Galactic experience, and we are going to give you the full-up, complete, everything you want to experience.’”
‘MOTHERSHIP’ AND PLATFORMS A trip on a Virgin Galactic ship takes passengers higher than they’ve ever flown before — even before being released from the mothership, up where the atmosphere fades to black, and the divisions and boundaries that mark existence on earth disappear. Round windows line the sides and top of the craft, offering maximum visibility whether passengers are strapped in a seat or floating around the cabin. The seats are mounted to the sides of the fuselage, providing valuable maneuvering space underneath. Ritchie later accepted the job as the program manager for spaceship serial No. 1, Enterprise, which was being built by Scaled Composites. Ritchie had to receive it, get all the knowledge transferred and obtain all the ground support equipment. He took a team of engineers and embedded within the Scaled Composites facility. “Those were some fun days,” he said. “When I wanted to have a meeting, we would literally go out and sit on the hangar floor, under the spaceship in a circle and talk through what we wanted to do. We would look at each other, like we are really doing this. It was awesome.” By 2016, Ritchie was the program manager for Unity, spaceship serial No. 2, and he had absorbed the duties of the chief engineer as well. “Following that same mantra — ‘I’ll just succeed by working harder’ — I looked up one day and realized my kids are growing up, and I’m missing it,” he said. “And this program is cool, but it’s not worth them.” Ritchie resigned. Rather than accepting it, wishing him well and posting his job, Virgin Galactic leaders asked why. He told them he was doing the job of the program manager and the chief engineer role, and it was taking too much. His family needed more of his time and attention. “They said, ‘Which job would you stay for?’ I said, ‘Chief engineer.’ So at that point, I became chief engineer of Unity, and someone else got to be program manager, so I didn’t have to chase parts or worry about fabrication status. I could focus on what really energized me, which was engineering.”
Before Covid, Ritchie did stand-up meetings with his lead engineers on a platform high in the hangar. “At the end, I have everyone put their hands in the middle and yell, ‘One, two, three, spaceships!’ It’s been a fun place to work for sure.” As Virgin Galactic has taken people to space, the company has transitioned from a development mindset to production. Necessary changes were made for the new direction, and Ritchie moved from chief engineer to director of systems engineering. The company has continued to grow, with more than 1,000 employees today. Some of them are what he calls “airplane people,” and others he loving refers to as “space cases,” because they are consumed with space. Ritchie, though, has an engine out of a Stanley steam car in his garage. “It’s one of my prized possessions,” he said. “What does it do? Absolutely nothing but sit there.” His family’s five-year California vacation plan is now on year 11, and he wouldn’t change a thing. He gets to use the word “mothership” in his everyday conversations. Did he lay out the plans for his life and execute them to be a key member of a company on the cusp of some of the most significant technological developments in modern history? Not at all. “Sometimes when I push back from the desk and I think about it, it’s a little bit surreal. A whole lot was just do the thing that’s hard because it’s hard,” he said. “Also, I’m not disillusioned about being some fantastically wonderful, amazingly capable person in everything. But I had so many good influences saying ‘You can do it.’ I had never been a program manager before but because I had all of those good influences saying to me, ‘Just try it.’ It didn’t seem so unrealistic to just try.”
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STUDENT NEWS
IMPACT Spotlight
Women for OSU Rewards Students for Academic Excellence and Service The Women for OSU Endowed Scholarship is a prestigious award that recognizes academic, philanthropic and volunteer activities among OSU's students. Funds for this endowment are generated through private donations and sponsorships from events, which allow students to become stronger leaders and educated philanthropists. Women for OSU awards annual scholarships to students who are passionate about making a positive impact in the world around them. At the 2021 Women for OSU Spring Symposium, the organization recognized 13 students with the hopes of providing each the opportunity to continue pursuing their philanthropic passions while at Oklahoma State. For more information and to support Women for OSU scholarships, visit: OSUgiving.com/women
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Hometown: Seoul, South Korea Major: Educational Leadership
Rachel Kim
Class of '22
What impact has the Women for OSU scholarship made in your life? Receiving the Women for OSU scholarship brought me so much joy, and I was thankful not just from myself, but also from my family and colleagues. I was honored to receive this award together with them. I have always tried to be a hard worker and do my best, so being recognized with this honorable scholarship means a lot. It greatly encourages me to move forward academically and work toward giving back to the people who have supported me. What motivates you to continuously pursue your education? I want to work where I can serve disadvantaged people and students. I have been shown so much generosity and love from people, so I want to give back to those who really need it. One of my dreams is to open an educational center where disadvantaged students can learn English with the Bible, so they can learn the power of the word, as well as English skills, which is very crucial to making better lives in South Korea. How would you say thank you to the Women for OSU donors that made your scholarship possible? Having this scholarship means a lot to me as an international student. I will remember to care for international and local people with the generosity that Women for OSU shows. Thank you so much for inviting me to this group and giving me the chance to learn how to serve others with the care and generosity that Women for OSU does.
Hometown: Stillwater, Oklahoma Major: Management Information Systems
Wesley Sims
Class of '22
What made you choose to come to OSU? As I grew up in Stillwater, going to Oklahoma State University was always my dream. The sense of family and benevolence OSU demonstrated always stuck out to me. I’ll be the first one in my immediate family to graduate from OSU and hopefully the first of many. What does it mean to you to be named a Women for OSU scholar? As a Women for OSU scholarship recipient I get to see their strong foundation and culture exemplified. Words cannot describe how the culture and opportunities here at OSU have helped me throughout my academic career. With their investment in me, they have enabled me to continue pursuing my dreams of being the first one in my family to graduate from OSU. What would you say is your Orange Passion? I am most passionate about helping others and giving back. The generosity of Women for OSU has helped relieve a financial burden off my family and helped me in my academic journey. The impact of their generosity cannot be measured. Women for OSU and so many others have helped me along the way, and I feel that doing the same for others is one way I can pay that forward.
Hometown: Stillwater, Oklahoma Major: Nonprofit Management
Mallie Reuter Class of '22
What campus organizations are you involved in? I am involved heavily in President's Leadership Council. I am able to mentor and guide 20 freshmen students by fostering a safe space for discussion, learning and self reflection. I am also the director for TLX, OSU's high school leadership conference. I am currently designing two conferences for 300 talented and influential high school students. I also work as a F1rst2Go Leader for the Office of First Year Success. I advise and mentor 10-first generation college students. How has the Women for OSU scholarship affected you? The Women for OSU Scholarship has given me the means to invest more of my time in philanthropy and community service. I have been able to learn the skills of how to build a culture of life-giving community advocates through Women for OSU. How has Women for OSU influenced you and your future career goals? My experience with Women for OSU has shaped my mind and heart towards loving and serving people through creating sustainable solutions and connections. I was able to see the beauty of people coming together to accomplish one goal, and I want to pursue a career that rallies people together.
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The Class of 2021 is comprised of more than 4,200 students.
Growing Despite Challenges
OSU celebrates another historic year for enrollment and diversity
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Karen Chen
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ith many universities reeling from enrollment downturns due to the pandemic, Oklahoma State University is seeing its numbers rise. For fall 2021, OSU had 24,660 students enrolled — an increase of 255 students from last year. Additionally, historically marginalized and underrepresented students made up more than 30 percent of the incoming class — the most diverse OSU class on record. “OSU is intentional in what we do to provide access and equal opportunities for student success,” said Karen Chen, interim vice president of enrollment management. “Our world-class faculty, dedicated staff and state-of-the-art facilities holistically support students and ensure their success is our priority. Through strategic initiatives, we are committed to students’ academic, personal and professional development. Students and their families know that coming to OSU means they’re part of the Cowboy family.”
Larry Burns, associate director of Institutional Research and Analytics (IRA), said the enrollment increase was a bit of a surprise in light of the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. “A lot of our partner schools are having lower enrollment, both at the undergraduate and the graduate level — but we’ve done well in both, and that’s really good for us,” Burns said. As associate director of IRA since 2017, Burns has followed OSU’s enrollment trends closely. “I think that we just have lots of great academic offerings, and the quality of our institution is just something that students are looking for,” Burns said. Dr. Jason F. Kirksey, vice president for institutional diversity and OSU’s chief diversity officer, said that as OSU’s student body has grown, so has its diversity. Kirksey said what began with Nancy Randolph Davis breaking the color barrier in 1949 as OSU’s first Black student now continues through the work of campus organizations like the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force.
STORY HARRISON HILL | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON AND PHIL SHOCKLEY
“The university’s strong and unwavering commitment to sustaining and enriching our culture of inclusion magnifies the influence and value of an OSU degree.” DR. JASON F. KIRKSEY, VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL DIVERSITY AND OSU’S CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER
“We are certainly fortunate and excited to experience continued growth in student enrollment, particularly among underrepresented, underserved and marginalized students,” Kirksey said. “The strength of the OSU brand continues to expand, and this area of enrollment growth evidences this fact.” As a land-grant institution, OSU is committed to being open and welcoming to every member of the OSU family, Kirksey said. The history of diversity and inclusion at OSU offers a rich and authentic narrative that few people have explored or recognized, he added. “From Ms. Davis’ enrollment in 1949, to AllAmerican and Olympic athletes in the 1960s through today, to 42 years of diverse representation on the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents, to the university’s first chief diversity officer in 1992, and a comprehensive executive-level division focused on diversity and inclusion established in 2005, OSU has served as a leader in for a very long time,” Kirksey said. “The way we continue fostering a culture of inclusion and facilitating a sense of belonging is by continuing to be thoughtful, intentional and courageous in broadening and deepening our efforts to fulfill the goals, responsibilities and obligations of our land-grant mission.”
The growing diversity at OSU also has a direct and immediate benefit to graduates, Kirksey said. “The university’s strong and unwavering commitment to sustaining and enriching our culture of inclusion magnifies the influence and value of an OSU degree,” he said. National, state and local funding agencies continue awarding research, programming and student support grants to OSU faculty and staff into the millions of dollars for projects specifically centered around diversity and inclusion, Kirksey said. “These numbers illustrate the tangible value the broader society places on educating and preparing a diverse workforce. The net result is an elevation in the overall status and stature of OSU,” he said. “At OSU, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is not just about presence, but instead reflects a deeper and meaningful Dr. Jason F. Kirksey purpose.” For Chen, increasing enrollment is a priority, but having a diverse OSU student body is crucial, as well. “As our student population continues to evolve, we have the opportunity to also evolve,” Chen said. “We need to continue to create an inclusive, equitable and successful environment for all students.”
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Building Relationships
A day in the life of recruiting future Cowboys
Copan Combs, an OSU senior admissions counselor, speaks to prospective students visiting the Stillwater campus.
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opan Combs jokes that he sometimes feels like a parent when he sees one of his students starting college. But, rather than 18 years, he only gets to know them for a little over a year. Combs is a senior admissions counselor at Oklahoma State University. For a lot of students and their families, he is their first impression of OSU. Whether visiting high schools in his territory — southwest Oklahoma and North Texas — or welcoming potential students on their visit to OSU, he is representing America’s Brightest Orange all the time, from his orange blazer all the way down to his orange shoes.
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OSU has 25 admissions counselors who cover all of the United States and the world. Some, like Combs, are based in Stillwater. In other areas where OSU brings in a lot of students — such as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Tulsa and Oklahoma City — there are counselors who live and build foundational relationships in those communities. Combs understands how important his job is. It isn’t always about recruitment, either, as he helps parents understand scholarships and financial aid options and answer questions they might have about OSU or the college selection process. “We have passion for a lot of things,” Combs said. “Obviously we’re passionate about OSU, but we’re proud to help out in general. There are so many
STORY JORDAN BISHOP | PHOTO GARY LAWSON
“We have passion for a lot of things. Obviously we’re passionate about OSU, but we’re proud to help out in general.” COPAN COMBS, SENIOR ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR
things. If we don’t know an answer, we connect future students to someone on campus who does. For example, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is confusing for a lot of people and we connect them with our Scholarships and Financial Aid Office team to help.” Combs earned his degree in marketing and sports management, but after interning with OSU Athletics, he realized he wasn’t meant to be in the background. He wanted to be out meeting people and telling them about OSU. He has the unique position of getting to work in the territory where he grew up. A native of Sentinel, Oklahoma — a town of about 900 southeast of Elk City — Combs understands how important it is for students in those small towns to see someone from any college, let alone the largest land-grant university in the state, come to their high school. “When I was growing up, bigger high schools had other colleges come up, but we didn’t really have anybody from any university come out there,” Combs said. It’s why admissions counselors are almost always on the road representing OSU in a small town in Oklahoma — or Tulsa, Dallas or somewhere in California. They also have to stay on top of the latest grant and scholarship dates, as well as who their contacts are at all of the high schools in their territory. When they can’t make it to a school, they are in touch with high school counselors and keep up with students by phone, email or text. “Pre-COVID, we could find a Panera Bread or a Starbucks and set up for like four hours so parents could come and talk with us,” said Suzanne Edwards, an admissions counselor based in the DFW area. The pandemic made that more challenging but admissions counselors created ways to stay connected with students virtually.” Since Edwards is a parent, she said she has gained a newfound respect for how OSU reaches out to prospective students compared with other schools.
OSU admissions counselors spend a large part of their time communicating with prospective students and their families. Each text and email coming from an admissions counselor is uniquely tailored to each student in an effort to get to know them better. “If you ever wonder if all the work you do and if the effort pays off, it does make a difference,” Edwards said. “Kids know us by name. They see a picture on the website and actually hear us on the phone and know we are genuine.” No matter how many road trips they take, how many handwritten postcards they send out and how many campus introduction videos they have to watch on rerun, admissions counselors always keep their energy high for every visit. When students come to visit OSU, it could be their one and only impression, and that comes with a high level of pressure. It takes the effort of the whole campus to recruit a student, but admissions counselors are often the face of the university, day in and day out. Combs believes the best part of his job is genuinely establishing a relationship with a student, their family and their school. “I had a mom a couple of weeks ago whose daughter is a sophomore [at OSU] now call me,” Combs said. “I hadn’t talked to her in about two years, but she started asking about tailgating, and I was getting those questions because I was her OSU contact. “Sometimes those relationships carry on.”
Note: Admissions counselors are just a part of the effort to recruit new Cowboys. There are many admissions and scholarship staff who process applications, creatively communicate and oversee the scholarship awarding process after students decide to apply. Each academic college and many student service offices have teams of recruitment staff who coordinate efforts with admissions staff to promote all undergraduate majors and the OSU student experience across campus.
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Understanding Place: Ideas and Process Jan. 11 - April 9, 2022
AN EXHIBITION BY OSU PROFESSOR LIZ ROTH
Liz Roth, Zhangye, 2019, hand-pulled screen print, 22 x 30 inches.
BLOW UP II: I N FL ATAB LE CO NTEM P O R ARY ART
Feb. 8 - May 1, 2022
BLOW UP II: Inflatable Contemporary Art was organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA. Left: Lizabeth Rossof, 5 XI’AN AMERICAN WARRIORS, 2019, nylon fabric, electric fans, variable dimensions. Right: Sharon Engelstein, Seeker, 2012, nylon fabric, electric fan, 156 x 129 x 188 inches.
720 S HUSBAND STREET | STILLWATER, OK MUSEUM.OKSTATE.EDU | 405-744-2780
Legendary Performances SARAH COBURN January 29, 2022
Tickets on sale now!
STOMP February 18-19, 2022
PILOBOLUS DANCE COMPANY: THE BIG FIVE OH! TOUR March 24, 2022
SPECIAL VALENTINE’S DAY EVENT
BERNADETTE PETERS FEBRUARY 14, 2022
BOX OFFICE HOURS: MON-FRI 9 A.M. - 4 P.M. AND TWO HOURS BEFORE SHOW TIME.
McKnightCenter.org | Box Office (405) 744-9999 705 W UNIVERSITY AVE, STILLWATER, OK 74074
Alumni are honoring former staff member Louann Waldner (left) with a named space in the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall after she spent years mentoring students.
Honoring an Influencer New Frontiers study room to be named after Louann Waldner
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ouann Waldner dreamed of creating a space in Oklahoma State University’s Agricultural Hall for students to call their own in the mid 1990s and early 2000s when she worked as the college’s first director of student and career services. Hired in 1996 by Paul Hummer, associate dean for instruction at the time, Waldner handled anything from recruitment and career development and “everything in between.” She left OSU before the Student Success Center opened in Agricultural Hall — but not before helping to lay the groundwork for what it has become today. With the encouragement of Hummer and Associate Dean Ed Miller, Waldner improved career development, student recruitment and helped introduce programs still in operation like Freshmen in Transition (FIT) — a living and learning program that offers students academic and community mentorship along with
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extracurricular, professional and service activities that promote personal growth and development. Waldner recalled bringing her children up to the residence halls where the FIT students lived, hosting student ambassadors for meals and building strong relationships with young adults who were finding their way. Beyond the programming, she wanted to be sure students had access to someone who believed in them. “It’s great to have a space, but my passion was hiring people who had a heart for helping people,” said Waldner, who is now the provost at College of the Sequoias in California. Her service-to-others mindset clearly made an impact; a group of former Ag Ambassadors recently made a gift in her honor to name the Dr. Louann Waldner Study Room in the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall. “I don’t even have words … I was nearly in tears when I found out,” Waldner said. “It’s amazing to
STORY AMANDA O’TOOLE MASON | PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUANN WALDNER
The Dr. Louann Waldner Study Room is one of many study spaces that will support the Student Success Center in the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall when it opens to students in 2024. The Student Success Center will continue providing tools and opportunities for educational, personal and professional growth with a philosophy of “students helping students.”
me how easy it is to make an impact on someone, but that’s the amazing part of my job. What it really comes down to is being kind, listening and caring.” The space is one of several flexible meeting rooms that will help support the Student Success Center when the facility opens in 2024. Cynda Clary, associate dean of the Ferguson College of Agriculture, said the center’s existing space isn’t large enough to grow or facilitate all of its programs, services and outreach activities. In the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall, the Student Success Center will be prominently located on the first floor and will be equipped with 16 individual computer workstations, flexible collaborative workspaces, a graduate student ambassador support area, staff offices for program coordinators and direct access to flexible meeting rooms and tutoring rooms. “You’ll feel that energy immediately when you enter the building,” she said. “Student interaction and involvement will be the first thing you see.” Clary said it is meaningful to see alumni honor faculty and staff through the campaign. “Alumni — both young and old — have this sense of pride, and they’ve created a tradition of giving to the next generation. They’re saying a certain person or program or space mattered to them and that they want similar experiences to be available for future students,” she said. “It’s a message of gratitude and a message of hope for the future that they’re trying to model.” New Frontiers donors Christina and Yancy Wright said they were excited to learn that other young alumni were contributing to the campaign. “I believe it’s a reminder that it is the people and relationships inside the building that impact students,” said Christina Wright, ’05 agricultural economics. “Long after the coursework ends and the students leave campus, the relationships formed are what stays. An individual leaving a legacy that impacts people generations later is synonymous with many OSU Agriculture graduates.”
She and Yancy Wright met while they were both students in the college and believe they have a responsibility to pay the generosity they experienced forward. “Maybe we are biased, but we believe OSU is a premier land-grant institution and is poised to continue that mission successfully well into the future,” Yancy Wright added. “That being said, it’s time that there are facilities that match, that develop students for the industry demands of today, and support innovative research and extension programs.” Waldner hopes people won’t think this story is just about her. She wants them to be inspired to make a gift to the campaign if they’re able. “I hope people remember not only the time they spent at Oklahoma State, but also how their experience here developed them and made them a better person,” she said. “I hope people remember the significant influence people had on them.” The New Frontiers campaign launched in January 2020 to raise $50 million in private gifts to support the creation of a new facility for OSU Agriculture. At this printing, less than $3 million of that goal remained, thanks to the generosity of nearly 400 donors. Several naming opportunities, including for the Student Success Center, remain across a wide range of giving levels. Any gift, regardless the size, matters and can be made in honor of an influential mentor or member of the OSU Agriculture family.
To learn more about the campaign, visit OSUgiving.com/ New-Frontiers or contact Heidi Williams at 405.385.5656 or hwilliams@ OSUgiving.com.
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Save the Date HE R I TAGE SO C IETY
SPRING CELEBRATION
4.29.22
McKNIGHT CENTER for the performing arts
We are excited to host a socially distanced, in-person gathering at The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts at Oklahoma State University. Join us to celebrate the legacy of our Heritage Society members with OSU community speakers and student musical performances!
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A HERITAGE SOCIETY MEMBER? The Heritage Society recognizes OSU’s alumni and friends who have made future provisions of any value for the OSU Foundation in their estate plans. This includes bequests, trusts, annuities, life insurance, retirement plans or other means. If you have chosen to support OSU through one of these methods, we invite you to join the Heritage Society. When you share the good news of your generosity with us, we can ensure your wishes for its use are met, including requests for anonymity.
Heritage Society members enjoy the satisfaction of providing a pipeline of future support for our students, faculty, staff, facilities and programs. For more information about the Heritage Society or to let us know your support of OSU already includes an estate provision, please contact: Office of Gift Planning | 800.622.4678 | OSUgiving.com/estateplanning
Meeting Critical Needs Pete’s Pantry helps OSU students with free food and more
Sarah Easterly, left, and Garrin Williams are both SGA Food Insecurity Committee Members who help students struggling with food needs.
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STORY KYLEE SUTHERLAND | PHOTO GARY LAWSON
“I think it’s incredible how the pantry can morph to meet students’ needs. That’s our heart behind it, to meet students wherever they’re at to the best of our ability.” LARA HAYS, SGA FOOD INSECURITY DIRECTOR
A
s Cowboys, we are all part of the same family. So when a nutrition graduate student found that 43% of OSU students in 2018 had struggled with food insecurity in the last year, the Cowboy family rallied to take care of its own. Almost four years later, this initiative continues to grow with students and community members meeting this critical need through Pete’s Pantry. A unique partnership involving Leadership and Campus Life, Our Daily Bread and the Student Government Association, Pete’s Pantry is a free food and resource pantry curated for student needs. “We began working on this model to create a space where we were able to provide food that was similar to what someone could access by going to Our Daily Bread, but in a more studentfriendly model,” said John Mark Day, the director of leadership and campus life and chair of the Basic Needs Task Force. The pantry began as an SGA pop-up pantry in the student body vice president’s office in 2019. It grew into the conference room as the pandemic moved classes online in 2020. It began to transition toward a resource center as it expanded to meet students’ needs with students donating coats during the ice storm in spring 2021 and the Red Pantry Committee supplying the pantry with free menstrual hygiene products. “I think it’s incredible how the pantry can morph to meet students’ needs,” said Lara Hays, the SGA food insecurity director. “That’s our heart behind it, to meet students wherever they’re at to the best of our ability.” Along with supporting the pantry, the Basic Needs Task Force collaborated with Our Daily Bread to schedule OSU Nights at Our Daily Bread the third Thursday of each month and Our Daily Bread mobile market traveling to the OSU Family Resource Center. Rachael Condley, director of Our Daily Bread, said the partnership encapsulates both ODB and OSU goals: to meet the needs of students and empower them to choose what they want to eat.
“As [the Basic Needs Task Force and Our Daily Bread] dreams and goals collided, we were able to share each other’s strengths and meet students’ food needs,” Condley said. “We want to make sure that people are empowered to choose what they eat; that’s our heart for ODB, mobile market and our partnership with Pete’s Pantry, too. It’s such a fantastic initiative and I know we are all working hard to find what are the exact needs of the students and how we best meet those.” Now, through the tireless efforts of the Basic Needs Task Force, SGA and Our Daily Bread, the initiative is continuing to grow and preparing to transition to a new location with refrigeration and freezers, more stocking options and continued space for the Red Pantry health and hygiene products as well. Hays said she’s excited for this expansion and the opportunity for more students to be impacted and involved. “When I was younger and didn’t finish my food, I would hear the phrase I’m sure we’re all familiar with: ‘There are starving kids in Africa who would love to have that,’” Hays said. “But there are starving kids in your hometown, too. Being a part of these initiatives is something simple that you can do to have a positive impact on the people immediately surrounding you.” Pete’s Pantry shows the deep care the community and university have for OSU students, Day said. “If students are hungry, they’re not going to be successful on campus,” Day said. “This has been an exciting project to work on because everyone immediately sees the need and is excited to get involved. Pete’s Pantry is a perfect example of the way our community comes together to provide care and support for the Cowboy family.”
Help support Pete’s Pantry by donating to the Food Insecurity Endowment Program Fund at OSUgiving.com/ food-security.
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ONCE A COWBOY, ALWAYS A COWBOY
Continue your Cowboy legacy with an online graduate degree. We offer online graduate degrees in high-demand and rewarding careers. With flexible degree programs and all the support and services of an in-person degree, Oklahoma State University provides a one-of-a-kind online graduate experience.
OSU waives the application fee for our OSU alumni and has a special nonresident tuition rate, making an OSU graduate degree even more affordable.
Learn more at osuonline.okstate.edu
CAMPUS NEWS
OSU sees record month for grant funding Oklahoma State University set a new monthly record for research funding in September with more than $10 million in grant funding awarded across campus. “These grants are critical to pursuing our work as a modern land grant institution, and I encourage our faculty and staff to keep up this mission-critical endeavor,” OSU President Kayse Shrum said. Dr. Kenneth Sewell, OSU vice president for research, said grant proposals from faculty to federal agencies are becoming more ambitious, and the research funding boost serves as a clear indicator of OSU’s rapidly growing breadth of expertise. “OSU research leaders have been stepping up their game for several years
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now,” Sewell said. “But somehow, these trying times we have been enduring as a society in recent months seem to be energizing our faculty to form larger, more ambitious interdisciplinary teams to tackle bigger problems. “Of course, it’s great to see this energy and ambition. But it’s even greater to see these proposals get funded at a high rate — a sure sign that OSU researchers have the expertise and innovative ideas our society needs.” A large portion of the $10 million came from the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology — which broke its own monthly record in September with $7.8 million in grants awarded.
These grants are used to advance many academic fields, Sewell said, but they can do more than that. “These funds also involve and engage OSU students — and often, K-12 students — in ways that energize their own ambitions and passions,” Sewell said. There will always be month-tomonth fluctuations in these metrics but if OSU keeps setting new records, the university’s overall trajectory will continue to rise, Sewell said. “OSU students I talk to seem to truly love the research culture at our university, and K-12 students who are exposed to OSU research often have their horizons broadened and begin planning exciting careers that involve college degrees,” Sewell said.
OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology awarded top DoD STEM grant Oklahoma State University’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology (CEAT) has been awarded the largest university grant in the National Defense Education Program from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The $6 million grant, which will be administered over the next four years by the DoD, is for the development and implementation of additional STEM education programs for schools with economically disadvantaged or underrepresented students The goal is to create a pathway for successful careers in engineering and innovation. At a special announcement ceremony in November at OSU DISCOVERY in Oklahoma City, OSU President Kayse Shrum welcomed Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK3), Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex Director Wade Wolfe, as well as representatives for Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford and Rep. Stephanie Bice.
Dr. Shrum said it was fitting to make the announcement on National STEM Day. “As the former Secretary of Science and Innovation, I know the value of a strong STEM workforce to the state of Oklahoma,” she said. “As I served, I had the opportunity to go around and visit with many CEOs and I heard repeatedly that the most important thing they are looking for when expanding their businesses or relocating is a qualified workforce. … Having a qualified STEM workforce means early engagement with our young students.” OSU is one of only seven universities across the nation to receive funding from the DoD for the purpose of educating the next generation of STEM workforce employees and creating a relationship with defense industry partners who can leverage the knowledge gained by those students as a means to support their national initiatives. Together these universities and nonprofit organizations will receive a total of $43 million over three- or fouryear periods, depending on the award. OSU and Harvard University each
received the largest university grants in the program at $6 million each. Awardees, consisting of a local education agency, institutions of higher education, and nonprofits, are focused on activities related to STEM. The award aims to engage students and educators through STEM education, outreach and workforce initiatives from early childhood through postsecondary education. Dr. Paul Tikalsky, dean of the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, said OSU DISCOVERY, located in the heart of Oklahoma City’s Innovation District, will be the hub of activity for CEAT, OSU’s College of Education and Human Sciences, and its partners. DISCOVERY will scale up its K-8 grade STEM summer and transdisciplinary teacher training at three school districts adjacent to Tinker Air Force Base, the state’s largest military base. The student programs will prepare thousands of students for engineering career pathways and opportunities to earn scholarships to pursue engineering careers at OSU.
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Lou Watkins named to CEHS Hall of Fame
Lou Watkins is a two-time graduate of Oklahoma State University, a past member and chair of the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents and even met her husband of 57 years, former state senator and U.S. Rep. Wes Watkins, at the OSU library. Most recently, Lou Watkins was inducted into the 2021 OSU College of Education and Human Sciences Hall of Fame, the highest honor bestowed by the college. The recognition celebrates her lifelong commitment to empowering others through education and public service and honors her significant contributions to the college and the university. “As a student, alumna, donor and regent, Lou Watkins has touched Oklahoma State University in a variety of ways and made an incredible impact,” said former OSU President Burns Hargis. “I particularly appreciate her vision and support as a member of the OSU Board of Regents during my time as president. There is no finer example of ‘loyal and true’ than Lou and her husband, Wes.” LEARN MORE about Lou Watkins here: okla.st/louw.
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OSU joins Catholic Charities to resettle Afghan refugees Oklahoma State University is partnering with Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma (CCEOK) to help with the relocation and settlement of up to 40 Afghan families who were evacuated by the U.S. government after the fall of the Afghan government. The first group of Afghan refugees arrived on campus in early November and are housed in approximately 25 unoccupied Residential Life units. Although the full needs of the families are still being determined, CCEOK and OSU are working on providing English as a second language training through the English Language and Intercultural Center, transportation through the OSU community bus network, adult and child programming through the Family Resource Center, assistance
with food and furniture drives and volunteer translation services offered by international and other student groups at OSU. These families, many with young children, are arriving with nothing but the clothes on their backs. CCEOK is seeking household items, monetary donations and gift cards to provide long-term assistance for these families. A website has been created to provide ongoing updates, answer frequently asked questions and coordinate assistance needed for this project. You can learn more at okla.st/ afghan. Questions about the project can be directed to Dr. Randy Kluver, dean of the School of Global Studies and Partnerships, at sgsp@okstate.edu or at 405-744-6606.
Study Abroad Office celebrates 25 years
New, free streaming app covers all things OSU Oklahoma State University is joining the streaming revolution. Inside OSU is available on desktop and mobile at insideosu.com. An Inside OSU app is available to download for Amazon Fire, Apple TV and Roku. There is no charge to download or access Inside OSU apps or content. Inside OSU will feature live coverage of events on campus such as homecoming, commencement, guest speakers and performances from OSU’s Greenwood School of Music. Users will also find content about OSU athletics, academic programs and student life. Archived footage and original programming will also be featured on Inside OSU, which will replace OStateTV.
The Oklahoma State University Study Abroad and National Student Exchange Office celebrated its 25th anniversary with a reception as part of OSU’s 100th Homecoming Celebration. In addition to recognizing 25 years of education abroad programming, the office announced the expansion of its current iteration into the Center for Global Learning as part of strategic efforts across campus to increase accessibility for more OSU students in study abroad programs, global internships, research and service learning projects. In the 25 years since founding the office, OSU has sent more than 15,000 students on global learning programs. Restructuring the office allows OSU to increase critical international partnerships and serve a larger population of students with branded programming abroad and courses designed to prepare students as tomorrow’s global leaders. One of the center’s goals is to increase student participation in global academic programs to 25 percent of the total OSU student population by 2027.
Training simulator gives OSUPD help for stressful scenarios Every day a law enforcement officer puts on the uniform, there’s a chance they could be faced with a life-or-death decision. These split-second decisions are difficult to train for unless officers are subjected to high-stress situations that replicate the conditions. The Oklahoma State University Police Department now has a new tool that can do just that, thanks to the Division of Institutional Diversity, which purchased a training simulator with privately raised funds. Dr. Jason F. Kirksey, vice president for institutional diversity and OSU chief diversity officer, took part in the OSUPD’s Citizens Academy in 2019, a 20-hour course covering everything
from officer training requirements to crime scene evidence preservation. Participants also spent time on the Stillwater Police Department’s training simulator. The opportunity to step into an officer’s shoes with the simulator truly opened Kirksey’s eyes. The more scenarios he experienced, the more calm and focused he became, he said. “This was essentially the motivation behind the decision to purchase the simulator for OSUPD,” he said. “The benefit of our officers having the opportunity to regularly use this type of simulator is immeasurable. In a few hours, it helped an ordinary citizen be better equipped, both physically and
mentally, to engage in both calm and intense law enforcement situations. OSUPD Chief Leon Jones is grateful the Division of Institutional Diversity invested in the officers and community with the purchase. “The value of this training tool is beyond measure,” he said. “It will better prepare our officers and can be used as an educational resource for giving our community members a glimpse into the types of split-second decision-making our officers are asked to be prepared for every day.”
MBA program celebrates 60 years Oklahoma State University’s awardwinning MBA program celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021. The program graduated its first student in 1961 and over the past 60 years has graduated more than 4,500 individuals. The OSU MBA has been recognized over the years in the “U.S. News & World Report” rankings, including the part-time MBA program jumping to No. 52 in the 2022 rankings of 273 college and universities surveyed. The part-time
MBA ranks second best in the Big 12 Conference. The OSU online MBA is ranked No. 32 overall by “U.S. News & World Report.” “We are proud of the tradition of excellence established by our MBA program and its many outstanding graduates,” said Dr. Ken Eastman, dean of the Spears School of Business. “The program has evolved over time to meet the needs of our students. It began as a traditional program in Stillwater,
began offering a part-time program in Tulsa and then a fully online program available to students across Oklahoma, the nation and the world. Our rankings show that we have maintained a highquality educational experience for our students regardless of how they are earning their degree.” LEARN MORE by visiting mba.okstate.edu.
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OSU’s Singh to lead EPSCoR research program The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education has named Dr. Raman P. Singh as director of the Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (OK EPSCoR). “I hope to support growth in all areas of research relevant to the state of Oklahoma,” said Singh, an associate dean and Helmerich Family Endowed Chair of Engineering at Oklahoma State
University-Tulsa. “Concurrently, I hope to support diversity and inclusion for traditionally underrepresented groups. My overarching goal is to help foster an innovative economy by leveraging science and technology for the benefit of all residents of our state.” Singh, who is also the director of the Helmerich Research Center, said OSU has a vast amount of research in energy, health care, aerospace, manufacturing, clean water and agriculture. “We are lucky to have recruited such an accomplished scholar who also has the extraordinary people skills needed for this role,” said Dr. Kenneth Sewell,
OSU vice president for research and member of the Oklahoma EPSCoR Advisory Committee. “Dr. Singh seems ideally suited.” In the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, Singh holds joint appointments as a professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering and the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Singh also serves as the vice president of the Society of Experimental Mechanics. In 2020, Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed him to the Governor’s Science and Innovation Council.
Tulsa Veterans Hospital celebrates groundbreaking
Leaders from across government, academia, health care and philanthropy came together Oct. 15 to celebrate the ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Veterans Hospital in downtown Tulsa. The new hospital, which will be housed on the expanded OSU Medical Center campus, will convert the existing Kerr-Edmondson buildings into a modern 275,000-square-foot, 58-bed medical-surgical hospital for veterans. The project is a collaboration involving the federal government, state of Oklahoma, Tulsa County, city of Tulsa,
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private philanthropy and Oklahoma State University. “The new Veterans Hospital in Tulsa will be transformative in many ways, and Oklahoma State University is proud to be a part of this visionary project, said OSU President Kayse Shrum. “All of the partners involved in the new hospital owe a debt of gratitude to Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford for their commitment to see this project funded at the federal level, as well as other state, city and county leaders who have provided resources to ensure that
this modern health care facility for our veterans could become a reality. “Expanding the OSU Medicine academic health care campus is a win for our medical school and our veterans in northeast Oklahoma by providing them the best care possible in an exceptional medical facility. We appreciate the tireless support and effort of The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation for their leadership on this project from the very beginning.” The facility is slated to open to patients in late 2024.
TRADITIONS GALORE We asked Oklahoma State University fans and alumni to vote for their favorite Cowboy traditions. After receiving more than 80,000 votes on social media, we’re ready to share our Top 5.
Pistol Pete Michael Albright remembers the first time he saw Pistol Pete, he thought he was seeing a superhero. “He was this gun-toting Cowboy who was rough and tough and going around the field showing who was boss,” said Albright, an accounting senior from Stillwater. “I saw him and thought, ‘That is a superhero.’ So I would dress up as a Cowboy and walk around, spin my gun, and I wanted to be Pistol Pete.” Albright got his wish — he and Parker Wilson are the two current Pistol Petes. They take the job seriously. Everyone who has ever portrayed the OSU mascot is a member of a larger fraternity where everyone knows everyone else on the list and the years they were Pete. Wilson knows this firsthand — his father, Rick, portrayed Pete from 1984-86. “I think that is really cool that when we all get together, we all have thousands of stories,” said Parker Wilson, a fifth-year finance major from Sapulpa, Oklahoma. When they put on the head and costume, they both know they are representing more than the university
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— they’re also portraying the namesake of the character they play: Frank Eaton. A legendary U.S. marshal, Eaton became famous for getting revenge on six men who shot his father down in cold blood before embarking on his career working for “hanging Judge” Isaac Parker. Eaton appeared in a 1923 Armistice Day parade in Stillwater. Students who saw him decided his Old West Cowboy appearance was much more suitable for their university than the Tigers, which they had been previously. Pistol Pete became the official mascot in 1958. “Yeah, I am a mascot, but I am playing a real person, and that plays a lot into the way that Pete carries himself,” Wilson said. Albright, who has visited Eaton’s homestead in Perkins, Oklahoma, many times, said every potential Pistol Pete is required to read a book titled “Veteran of the Old West” before they try out. “I think it is phenomenal. It really makes us unique and something that we can tie ourselves to as part of the Cowboy family,” Albright said. “It is so close to us. This guy was an OSU fan, he represented our university. The tradition is really great. You can’t find it anywhere else.”
STORY JORDAN BISHOP | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON, PHIL SHOCKLEY, COURTESY PARKER WILSON
For almost half a century, Eskimo Joe’s has been synonomous with Stillwater and OSU. Although it is a global brand, it will forever be home at the corner of Elm Avenue and West Street. Founder Stan Clark is proud to this day, that no matter how far away someone moves after college, they will always be able to get cheese fries when they come back to OSU. “It is the highest honor,” Clark said. “I poured my heart and soul into it for the last 47 football seasons, so there is nothing more exciting or humbling than to see people coming back to talk about the great time they had at Joe’s.” Since its opening on July 21, 1975, Joe’s has gone from a little bar hosting “the coldest beer in town” to the twostory establishment that still has the homey feeling of “Stillwater’s Jumpin’ Little Juke Joint.” “People always tell me they met their wife there or met their husband there,” Clark said. “They had their first date there. Literally, thousands of love stories have started there over the last
47 years. I hear that all the time. It is kind of amazing just to be a part of somebody’s life.” Clark is proud of his partnership with OSU. Over the years, coming to Joe’s whenever you are back in town or after Walkaround during Homecoming week has become a time-honored tradition. Clark was even the grand marshal of the Sea of Orange Parade one year, an experience that he will remember forever. Joe’s also participates every year during the parade and has had a collaborative Homecoming cup for years. What has kept Joe’s the same experience as it was 20 or 30 years ago? Clark thinks it is how the employees always treat customers like they are family. “Our mission statement is very simple, it is ‘To delight every guest by giving my best,’” Clark said. “We didn’t ever plan to be the biggest, but we did plan to be the most special. We wanted to mean something to this community.”
Eskimo Joe’s
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Brian Campbell, Harry Clawson and Robin Herrod like to get out early to start setting up their tailgate tents. The trio have been tailgating for the last eight years at their spot right next to the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts. It is prime real estate as it has become a stop for friends and family. “It is like a big orange picnic, it really is,” Campbell said. Queso is always on the menu at their tailgate and entrees depend on the weather and time of day. “We’ve done breakfast, lunch and dinner here,” Campbell said. “You name it, we have done it. Burgers, dogs, Robin makes unbelievable sliders. Today, we are doing tacos. We will do chili when it gets a little cooler.” As for what makes OSU’s tailgating special, the participants say it is a combination of things. First off, there is more land to tailgate on compared with other Big 12 Conference schools they have visited. The fact that Eskimo Joe’s,
Hideaway and The Strip are so close to campus helps, as well. But the main thing everyone points to is the friendly atmosphere. “It is really the perfect meshing of community and university because all the people who come here are pretty respectful,” Campbell said. “Where we sit at the football games, some of the people we see every year are coming back, and we have friends who are right over there. There is definitely a family feel to it, and there is camaraderie and it’s almost like a big pep rally before the game.” The University of Georgia fans who followed their team to Stillwater in 2009 were especially complimentary of OSU’s tailgating setup, Campbell said. “We are the brightest orange, that is for sure,” Campbell said. “We have had other people from other schools who have come here and told us how great our tailgating was. “All the other colleges need to come here and see how it is done.”
No matter where you go, the “Pistols Firing” hand gesture and yelling “Go Pokes” at the top of your lungs have become one way everyone knows you root for America’s Brightest Orange. No one seems to know where the saying came from, per se. David Peters, head of the Archives Department at OSU’s Library, said the saying probably came when Oklahoma A&M changed its name to Oklahoma State University. Although OSU was initially known as the Tigers because of its reputation as the “Princeton of the Prairie” not many were fans of the moniker. It eventually changed to the Aggies, but there was
still a growing call to change the mascot to the Cowboys. Reporters covering the team even started referring to the team as the A&M Cowboys with nicknames like the Waddies, Cowpunchers and Cowpokes. Pokes is apparently what stuck, and now it’s everywhere. When the Cowboys and Cowgirls are playing, “Go Pokes” is often heard. But what about when you are ending a phone call with a friend? You got an A on your chemistry test? You have to say “Go Pokes,” of course. It is something that never leaves you, either. A few years ago, Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders was back
in town at Boone Pickens Stadium and of course, he had to say “Go Pokes” when the camera found him on the sideline. Even back in May, when former President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch at O’Brate Stadium, he learned how to do the Pistols Firing gesture and got wild applause for it. “Go Pokes” is part of the everyday lexicon of an OSU fan. Along with the Pistols Firing hand symbol and words, which you can hear play-byplay announcer Dave Hunziker say for every touchdown, they are true OSU traditions.
‘Go Pokes’
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Homecoming
This fall saw the triumphant return of America’s Greatest Homecoming after a 2020 cancellation because of the pandemic, and for everyone at OSU and in Stillwater, it was huge. Chase Carter and the rest of the OSU Alumni Association staff had been waiting for this moment for two years. Carter, director of marketing and engagement systems for the Alumni Association, said it was a hard decision to postpone the 100th Homecoming celebration last year, but it was the right thing to do. “Nobody wanted to have a centennial celebration where we weren’t able to have the house decorations or the Sea of Orange Parade like we remember,” Carter said. “We wanted to celebrate it like it should be celebrated.” Homecoming is what truly separates OSU from other universities when it comes to traditions, Carter said. While others can claim to be older or more historic, OSU’s claims of the greatest are hard to argue with. Walkaround alone averages about 80,000 people looking at the different Greek house and residential hall decorations, and it has become a can’tmiss affair for many cowboys. “We hear from people all the time who come to it for the first time and are really blown away by the magnitude of
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it all,” Carter said. “It is a really great showcase of the Cowboy spirit and that family mentality of bringing everyone together for this one fantastic event.” What makes Carter and the Alumni Association most proud is that while it has been around for a century, a family can come and feel like they are seeing Homecoming at the magnitude it was 30 or 40 years ago. Homecoming hasn’t dwindled down or faded away, but it has remained a crucial stitch in the fabric of OSU. “I think it is a testament to the students who for so many years have viewed this as a celebration of welcoming alumni back to campus, and they recognize the significance of that. I don’t think they want to be part of losing that tradition; they love that tradition,” he said. There is a reason Homecoming was picked No. 1 by so many fans and alumni — all of the events and dedication put into it can’t be found anywhere else. “OSU is a relatively young school compared with a lot of institutions,” Carter said. “We don’t have a lot of traditions we can point to and say, ‘Yes, this is something that is specific to Oklahoma State.’ “But that is really something that our students and alumni get to do with Homecoming.”
DID YOU KNOW? Stillwater Regional Airport employees work around the clock to keep runways clear during ice and snow events.
FLY WITH CONFIDENCE.
aaLook
Back Revisiting a century of Homecoming history
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STORY WILL CARR | PHOTOS OSU ARCHIVE
OSU’s first Homecoming was unofficially held as part of the Harvest Carnival in the fall of 1913, but it wasn’t until seven years later that the Former Students Association (now the OSU Alumni Association) hosted its first official Homecoming celebration. On Oct. 30, 1920, 90 Oklahoma A&M alumni returned to Stillwater for the festivities, including the OAMC football game against Texas A&M, plus a dance and a dinner hosted by Alumni Association President Monroe Otey. The following decades saw the addition of many special events that still take place today as alumni celebrate the university they once called home. Some of these traditions include the Harvest Carnival, the Sea of Orange Parade and the house decorations, which led to what is undoubtedly Homecoming’s most famous event, Walkaround.
OSU Homecoming is an award-winning, nationally recognized alumni event. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has recognized OSU’s Homecoming as a Circle of Excellence Award recipient. This is CASE’s highest honor in alumni relations and is given only to programs that serve as models for others. OSU was recognized for the widespread participation and outstanding organization of its student-led Homecoming program. Over the years, tens of thousands of Cowboys and Cowgirls have contributed their talents and their time to support OSU’s most revered tradition. This look back through the first 100 years of Homecoming is dedicated to their efforts and the course they have set for the next 100 years.
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Homecoming Homecoming
Years Years
1913
Oklahoma A&M hosts the first Harvest Carnival, a precursor to official Homecoming events. Each class nominated a Harvest Queen candidate, and the queen’s coronation kicked off the Homecoming festivities that included a parade and night carnival. Campus organizations created moneymaking booths at the carnival that helped fund the college yearbook.
1916
The first class reunion is held on campus.
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1920
The Former Students Association (now the OSU Alumni Association) hosts the first official Homecoming events with 90 attendees.
1920 s
Sororities begin decorating the doors of their houses for Homecoming, which evolved into the tradition of house decorations.
1928
For the first time, more than 1,000 attendees are recorded at the 1928 Homecoming events.
1930
The first Homecoming parade is held. Entries stretch more than a mile long.
1931
The Great Depression threatens to scale back Homecoming decorations and activities, but traditional festivities are held following a large student debate.
1936
A push for a separate Board of Regents to be created for Oklahoma A&M triples Homecoming attendance as alumni turn out to advocate for their alma mater.
1938
Lois Falkenburg is crowned by the O-Club as Oklahoma A&M’s first Homecoming queen.
1946
The first Homecoming Parade following the war had a record number of entries and a record attendance of 20,000.
1958
A caricature of Pistol Pete is introduced as the university’s mascot following the death of Frank Eaton.
1940 1942-44 1956 The Homecoming Parade stretched more than two miles.
Due to World War II, Homecoming events are combined with Mom’s and Dad’s Days on campus.
The first honorees of the new Alumni Hall of Fame — Edward C. Gallagher, George H.C. Green, Thomas M. Lumly, Gerald McCullough and Clarence McElroy — are named at Homecoming.
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1964
President Lyndon Johnson’s daughter, Lynda Bird, rides in the Homecoming Parade. Watch this historic event at okla.st/1964.
1966
1969
For the first time, house decorations are judged by a group put together by the Alumni Association, and the best entries win awards.
As house decorations became more elaborate, the streets around campus would become clogged with cars as returning alumni drove around to see them. This was the first year streets were closed — an experiment so attendees could “walk around,” and a new tradition was born.
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1977
Three members of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity are tragically killed while working on their house decoration. The accident leads to new safety regulations that are still used.
1988
A new student volleyball tournament is introduced, which would ultimately turn into today’s Football Frenzy and Basketball Bonanza events. OSU basketball’s first 7-footer, Bob Kurland, served as Homecoming grand marshal, and the Alumni Association recorded 20,000 attending Walkaround and 26,000 at the parade.
1986
Legendary OSU athlete Allie P. Reynolds serves as the Homecoming Grand Marshal, and fans attend the first game under new permanent lights at Lewis Field.
1990
The Homecoming theme “Cowboy Cheers for 100 Years” honors the university’s centennial year. At the time, OSU’s Homecoming events were considered the second-largest in the nation.
2009
Garth Brooks, Barry Sanders and Robin Ventura are inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame during a special ceremony at halftime during the Homecoming game. The three also served as grand marshals of the Sea of Orange Parade.
1999
To kickoff Homecoming week, a new tradition of dyeing the Edmon Low Library fountain orange is created. It takes only 72 ounces of dye to turn the 5,000-gallon fountain America’s Brightest Orange. The Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awards its highest honor — the Circle of Excellence Award — to the Alumni Association for OSU’s Homecoming celebration. The award is the impetus for the America’s Greatest Homecoming motto.
2010
2015
Four Sea of Orange Parade attendees are tragically killed when a vehicle runs through several barricades into the crowd. A memorial at the corner of Main Street and Hall of Fame Avenue now stands in their honor.
As part of the Campaign for OSU, the Homecoming endowment is created with alumni and students alike beginning to donate to support the future of OSU’s greatest tradition. The fund surpassed $1 million in 2014 and helps offset costs incurred by participating student groups on campus.
2021
Following a one-year postponement, the centennial edition of America’s Greatest Homecoming is hosted by the Alumni Association with Love’s Travel Stops signing on as the new sponsor for OSU’s greatest tradition.
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PHOTOS GARY LAWSON
Thousands of Cowboys filled Library Lawn for the first outdoor Homecoming pep rally in decades.
ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N
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PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
Homecoming sponsor Love’s Travel Stops featured its OSU-branded tanker in the Sea of Orange Parade.
PHOTO GARY LAWSON
PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
Future Cowboys and Cowgirls enjoyed games at the Harvest Carnival, including a cup-stacking competition with Eskimo Joe’s cups.
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Austin Green rides a bucking horse in this year’s Cowboy Stampede Rodeo.
PHOTOS GARY LAWSON PHOTO PROVIDED
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PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
Incredible signs filled Library Lawn, including the Stout Hall entry that won first place in the residential life category.
From left: Homecoming Executives Madelyn Gerken, Natalie Evans, Lauren Monroe, Aubrey Buckmaster, Ariel Scholten, Caroline Raschen, Ryan Shannon, Audrey Ochsner and Kaylee Holt pose in the Edmon Low Library fountain after dyeing it America’s Brightest Orange.
PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
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PHOTO GARY LAWSON
PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
PHOTO BRUCE WATERFIELD
PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
Warren Clay had the crowd on its feet with his OSU cheer during the Homecoming game.
PHOTO CAULEN SPENCER
The Chili Cookoff is always a highlight of Homecoming week with participants competing for the top honor.
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PHOTO BRUCE WATERFIELD
PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
PHOTO GARY LAWSON
From left: Love’s Spencer Haines, Ann Hargis, Burns Hargis, Darren Shrum, President Kayse Shrum, Rob McInturf, Tina Walker and Love’s Shane Wharton prepare to present the final Homecoming awards at halftime.
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PHOTOS OSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
This year’s Football Frenzy winners included RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) in the open bracket and Alpha Chi Omega/ Alpha Gamma Rho in the Greek bracket.
Kappa Kappa Gamma and FarmHouse took first place in this year’s house decoration competition. PHOTO GARY LAWSON
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PHOTO GARY LAWSON
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PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
PHOTO BRUCE WATERFIELD
PHOTO CAULEN SPENCER
Parker Smith and Amarie Griffeth celebrate with Pistol Pete and OSU President Kayse Shrum after being crowned 2021 Homecoming King and Queen.
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PHOTOS GARY LAWSON
Attendees at the tailgate got to play games for prizes throughout the night.
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Queen fit for a
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F
or a full century now, America’s Greatest Homecoming has served as a bridge between generations of Cowboys. A prime example of this connection is Gaytra Harris Coggins and her family of OSU alumni. Coggins, a 1961 family relations and child development graduate and life member of the Alumni Association, now lives in Poteau, Oklahoma, but her OSU story began long before she settled in the eastern part of the state. Coggins was named Homecoming queen in 1959, and her journey through the application process helps tell an even deeper story about her family’s OSU roots. “They asked me why I wanted to be Homecoming queen,” Coggins said. “I told them the story about how my grandfather was a member of the [Oklahoma A&M] football team. I wanted to be out there on that field for my grandfather, and he was there watching at the Homecoming game in 1959.” Coggins’ grandfather, Burt Lyle, was also roommates with an important figure in OSU’s history. “My grandfather had a special friendship with Ed Gallagher (A&M’s famed athletic director and wrestling coach) while they were in school together,” Coggins said. The announcement that Coggins had been named Homecoming queen was a unique experience — members of the OSU marching band spelled her initials on the field during the announcement. She also remembers the reactions that continued after Homecoming week, and how it illustrates the family feeling she experienced across campus. “I remember the day after Homecoming, my sociology professor, Dr. Duncan, walked in and said there was special royalty in the class,” Coggins said. “I loved that a professor would even say something about it. I kept in touch with some of them long after I graduated. They really made me feel at home.” Multiple generations of Coggins’ family continue to attend the university she is so proud to have attended. Her grandson, Nicholas Gootos, a junior studying management information systems with a double minor in information assurance and data science, is the latest addition to a family tradition that now spans five decades. “OSU is a part of our family,” Gootos said. “We wouldn’t be the people we are without Oklahoma State shaping us. I am beyond thankful that I am even a part of this.” That connection can be felt throughout the year, but it strengthens when Homecoming comes around. While Gootos says Coggins is too humble to regularly bring up that she was named Homecoming queen, he knows the honor means a lot to her.
As a former Homecoming queen, Gaytra Coggins participated in the 2017 Sea of Orange Parade.
“She only brings it up when people start to bring up football or OSU,” Gootos said. “She doesn’t like to boast about it too often, but she definitely wears it with a lot of pride.” Coggins participated in the 2017 Sea of Orange Parade as a former Homecoming queen and again this year at the centennial. While riding in the parade was definitely a high point for her, Coggins mentions 2017 as her favorite Homecoming memory because all of her family was in attendance. “My son and his children came up from Grapevine, Texas, and my youngest son brought his two sons,” Coggins said. “We all met up for Homecoming. That really meant a lot to me to have my whole family around.” Both Coggins and Gootos realize how special OSU’s Homecoming is to not only their relatives, but also the entire Cowboy family. Gootos sees how the events throughout the week truly embody the Cowboy spirit that runs deep in Stillwater. “It is the environment and the culture we have at Oklahoma State,” Gootos said. “Everyone buys into the idea of making it America’s Greatest Homecoming. When you have all those facets and parts coming together as one, you know it is going to be the best.” Coggins is proud of the fact her family has attended OSU for many generations. She looks back on the commitment to the university and appreciates the impact it has had on her family throughout the decades. “I almost get teary just thinking about it,” She said. “I can’t believe it. Just to think that everyone in my family has been so loyal to Oklahoma State. It’s a memory I shall always cherish and treasure.” IN HER WORDS Watch Gaytra Harris Coggins tell her OSU story at okla.st/59queen.
STORY WILL CARR | PHOTOS OSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND GAYTRA HARRIS COGGINS
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History was made this year as the executive team was all women for the first time ever.
Hard Work behind the scenes T
housands of alumni and fans flock to Stillwater every year for America’s Greatest Homecoming, but many may not realize the amount of work done behind the scenes to pull off the largest student-run homecoming celebration in the nation. Each year, students work tirelessly to ensure an unforgettable week of events for members of the Cowboy family. Members of the Executive, Steering and Big committees help plan and execute all of the major Homecoming events, including Walkaround, Harvest Carnival, Sea of Orange Parade and more. The Big Committee has approximately 125 students who assist the Steering Committee with each event. The Steering Committee is made up of eight groups who handle many different aspects of Homecoming week. The groups include athletic pride, campus outreach, communications, Harvest Carnival, Sea of Orange Parade, public relations, university spirit and Walkaround.
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After serving on the Steering Committee, students are eligible to run for one of the nine positions on the Executive Committee. Each position oversees a specific aspect of Homecoming and the Steering Committee and is responsible for that element or event. This year’s Executive Committee is led by Executive Director Ariel Scholten, an agricultural communications major from Sebastopol, California. Scholten has a special place in her heart for the Homecoming tradition. “I accidentally did my campus tour on Sunday and Monday of Homecoming week,” Scholten said. “The orange fountain dyeing was my first experience on OSU’s campus. I always think that happened for a reason.” Scholten and the rest of the team are continuing a tradition of leadership that dates back decades on the OSU campus. During Walkaround, attendees can see the hard work the fraternities and sororities put into the house decorations to celebrate the week. However, many opportunities are available for students not affiliated with Greek life.
STORY WILL CARR | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON AND PHIL SHOCKLEY
Tony LoPresto, a 2001 accounting graduate and former member of the Executive Committee, helped shape the impact residential life now has in the planning of OSU’s greatest tradition. “The Alumni Association offers so many different events that week that it’s not just exclusively for Greek life, even though they are a huge part of it,” said LoPresto, who also served as Alumni Association board chair from 2019-2021. “I just always thought it was important to offer opportunities for everyone, no matter what type of student they are on campus.” No year is the same for students serving in Homecoming leadership roles. Scholten has had a couple of unique experiences during her two years on the Executive Committee. The first was handling the planning process leading up to the originally scheduled centennial celebration in 2020 before it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Hearing we were going to postpone it a year was not the experience I was expecting,” Scholten said. “It was so valuable, though. I learned so much last year about what it looks like to know something is out of my control, and that’s OK.” Her other unique experience is leading the first allwoman Executive Committee in Homecoming history. “This is something I am personally really proud of,” Scholten said. “It has been wonderful to be able to bring attention to this fact. We have a female engineer on the team and a female biochemistry major, as well. It really is a very capable team that happens to be all women.” Volunteering time with one of the many Homecoming committees benefits the organizations and attendees as well as the students who can take what they learn to heart and have pride in what they accomplish. “Service has been an important thing to me and my family,” LoPresto said. “I especially enjoy service to organizations I love and care about. Being able to serve the Alumni Association and OSU was an important factor. Plus, it was great to be involved in what I consider our greatest tradition.” Scholten also sees the professional growth she has experienced because of her time being involved with Homecoming. “I have learned things are always more complex than they seem,” Scholten said. “There are always one or two or 200 more variables than I could have ever thought of. I have learned how to sit down and really think through a problem.” Current students who would like to be involved in the 2022 installment of America’s Great Homecoming are encouraged to learn more at ORANGECONNECTION.org/homecoming.
Ariel Scholten served as the executive director of the Homecoming centennial celebration in 2021.
Tony LoPresto served on the Homecoming Executive Team before graduating in 2001. He helped shape the residential life executive position.
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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FORMS PARTNERSHIP WITH LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS
There’s no denying the OSU tradition that Cowboys love the most: Homecoming. The first 100 years have shown us how this tradition can bring the Cowboy family together, through good times and bad. It’s a tradition we all point to with pride — one we all want to endure for another 100 years and beyond. With future generations of Cowboys in mind, the OSU Alumni Association and Love’s Travel Stops have entered into a multiyear agreement to support America’s Greatest Homecoming at OSU. The new partnership officially makes Love’s the presenting sponsor of OSU’s greatest tradition through 2023, including the centennial celebration this year. “We’re honored to have the support of Love’s as the presenting sponsor of one of our signature programs,” said Rob McInturf, OSU Alumni Association president. “Love’s is an Oklahomabased company that shares the values of our Cowboy family nationwide, and we’re excited to share their story alongside our own through this strategic partnership.”
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“Love’s is excited to partner with the OSU Alumni Association to help continue the proud tradition that is America’s Greatest Homecoming,” said Love’s President Shane Wharton, ’90 accounting. “We look forward to continuing to support Oklahoma State as it creates tomorrow’s leaders for our state and the nation.” Love’s has been a fixture in the Sea of Orange Parade for many years with its OSU-themed fuel truck rolling down Main Street. With the new partnership, Love’s is an active participant in all aspects of Homecoming. “OSU’s Homecoming is one of the largest student-supported celebrations in the nation, and through their work, our students develop highly soughtafter leadership skills,” McInturf said. “We’re excited to be able to bring Love’s executives together with our student leaders and facilitate new opportunities for growth among our students and future alumni.”
This fall, Love’s executives personally met with members of the Homecoming Executive Team and Steering Committee. It’s the start of what the Alumni Association hopes will be many more opportunities to connect Cowboys with one of Oklahoma’s greatest success stories. “Hearing about Love’s growth, its journey and subsequent passion for Oklahoma State was very affirming for all of our committee members as we head into Homecoming,” said Ariel Scholten, 2021 Homecoming executive director. “Making time to spend with our students is a fantastic show of support, and it makes us excited for the future of the partnership.”
STORY CHASE CARTER | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON
Ever you'll find us, Loyal and True.
ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N
Francis and Kathleen Rooney
Donors name engineering program Francis and Kathleen Rooney recognized for $3 million gift
W
ith over a century of construction history in Oklahoma, the Rooney family is cementing its connection to Oklahoma State University. Francis and Kathleen Rooney recently finalized a $3 million gift to benefit the construction engineering technology program in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The gift names the program the Francis and Kathleen Rooney Construction Engineering Technology Program and establishes an endowed chair in the name of Rooney's late father, L.F. Rooney, Jr.
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“Our family company is called Manhattan Construction Company, and it was founded in Oklahoma in 1896. Oklahoma is a big part of our history and our success,” Francis Rooney said. Manhattan Construction Co. made its first mark on campus in 1947 when it won its first contract with then-Oklahoma A&M. Over a sixyear period, the company helped build such iconic campus structures as Lewis Field, Edmon Low Library and the Student Union. Over the years, a partnership has formed between the company and the construction engineering technology program at OSU.
STORY CHELSEA DINTERMAN | PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ROONEY FAMILY
“We have a lot of employees from Oklahoma Having a named program is prestigious and will generally and specifically from Oklahoma State,” certainly set OSU apart, Yates said. Rooney said. “They have a very good construction “There are not a lot of named programs in this program — one of the best in the country. We are field, and having a named program really elevates thankful to be in the same state as such a great the level of our program,” she said. “It really means program. We get a lot of interns from OSU, and a lot a lot that Mr. Rooney has enough faith in our of them end up being permanent employees.” program and the product that we are producing to Rooney said those he hires from Oklahoma put his name on it.” State University stand out. As a leader in the construction industry, Rooney “I’ve worked construction in many parts of the said he believes there’s no better place than OSU world and all over the United States,” Rooney said. for someone looking to get their start. “I have never worked anywhere with better, more “I would say if they’re interested in construction honest, hardworking and decent individuals than and construction engineering, there’s no place the kind of people who come from Oklahoma. It's a better in the United States they could go for their great source of strength for our company.” education,” he said. “If they aim high and do well Rooney's gift has been a long time in the in a curriculum like OSU’s, they're going to have making. Plans to name a chair in honor of his opportunities to develop a career with some of father were drawn up in the early ’80s and were far the best companies in the industry, including enough along that an official plaque had been made Manhattan Construction Company.” before they were put on hold indefinitely. “The great oil boom ended, and we had this terrible economic bust in Oklahoma and Texas,” Rooney said. “Everybody was trying to survive, and there was no FRANCIS ROONEY, MANHATTAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY serious thought about trying to fund the chair.” So when the OSU Foundation reached out last year about revisiting the gift, Rooney only had one condition: the gift had to be finalized before President Burns Hargis officially retired. “Burns and I have been friends for many years,” Rooney said. “I’m thankful for the leadership he brought to OSU and all the great things he’s done for OSU.” Established earlier this year, the L.F. Rooney Jr. Endowed Chair in Construction Engineering Technology will benefit faculty within the program. “Having a named chair can help recruit and retain excellent faculty.” said Dr. Heather Yates, professor and program coordinator for the renamed Francis and Kathleen Rooney Construction Engineering Technology Program. Rooney said he hopes his gift will help amplify the program's mission and elevate its prominence within the construction industry. “Specifically, I hope it helps OSU recruit students," he said. "When you have a named program like that, sometimes people say it gives OSU's construction it stability. And anything we can do to help OSU engineering technology develop this program and get more students is program will be named good for us and good for all our competitors in after Francis and Oklahoma.” Kathleen Rooney in recognition of their gift.
“I have never worked anywhere with better, more honest, hardworking and decent individuals than the kind of people who come from Oklahoma.”
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Thank you to everyone who sponsored the Hargis Legacy Celebration during the Centennial Edition of America’s Greatest Homecoming! Thanks to your generosity, $1.2 million has been raised for the Hargis Legacy Fund at Oklahoma State University, which will support leadership initiatives and other priorities at OSU.
To see what people are saying about the legacy created by OSU President Emeritus Burns Hargis and former First Cowgirl Ann Hargis, visit:
OSUgiving.com/Hargis-Celebration
Thank You PATRONS BancFirst
Norm & Suzanne Myers
Bryan Close
Sias & Pippin Family
Devon Energy Corporation
Becky Steen
AJ & Susan Jacques
John & Kathy Yeaman
Thank You ADVOCATES Linda & Calvin Anthony
Nancy Payne Ellis
Kay & Greg Massey
Jessica & Bryan Begley
Kayleen & Larry Ferguson
Janet McGehee
Sheryl & Bruce Benbrook
Michael & Anne Greenwood
Billie & Ross McKnight
Nickie & Doug Burns
Jennifer & Steve Grigsby
Lou & Jim Morris
Cindy & Roger Cagle
Vickie & Joe Hall
OSU Foundation
Jane & Gary Clark
Fayenelle & Jay Helm
Ludmila & Frank Robson
Cheryl & John Clerico
Helen Hodges
Phil & Ruth Terry
Linda Cline & Amy Cline
Don & Cathey Humphreys
Carl & Marilynn Thoma
Lerri & Rick Cooper
Mike & Judy Johnson
Dennis & Marta White
Joe & Monica Eastin
Sharon & Robert Keating
Rae & Jerry Winchester
Thank You SUPPORTERS Pam & Rick Davis
Lippert Bros., Inc.
Joel & Melinda Stinnett
Shannon & Chip Fudge
Beth & Bill Patterson
LaRue & Bill Stoller
Jeanene & Ron Hulsey
Gene Rainbolt
Diane & Steve Tuttle
Tracy & David Kyle
Jennie & Stuart Reeves
Gaute & Lisbeth Vik
2021 Cowboy 100 Honorees
COWBOY OWNED COWBOY LED The Cowboy100 is a celebration to acknowledge the business and leadership achievements of Oklahoma State University graduates. The Cowboy100 highlights the contribution of entrepreneurial graduates from across the university and their positive influence on OSU, our students, and the world.
2022 Cowboy100 Applications Open: April 2022
For more information, visit okla.st/cowboy100.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76.
Medefy Health — Matt Scovil and Nathan Gilchrist Credera Enterprises Company, LLC — Justin Bell T. Scott Construction, LLC — Tim Scott Glenn|Partners — Mrs. Briar Glenn and Mr. Patrick Glenn Evlos Technology — Dr. James Leonard Indigo Technology Group — Tammy Torkelson Homes by Taber — Taber LeBlanc Hood & Associates, CPAs, PC — Paul Anthony Hood Sidwell Strategies — Brady J. Sidwell PLENTY Mercantile and Venue — Brittney Matlock Clubhouse Trailer Company — Jeff Hadley IntelinAir, Inc. — Al Eisaian First United Bank and Trust — Greg Massey Community Escrow & Title Company — John W. Bartley and Kathleen Bays Hartman Wanzor — Nick Wanzor Claims Management Resources — John M. Chip Fudge 46 Lab — Dan Howard Zeeco, Inc. — Darton Zink Payer Compass (Voltaire Health, LLC) — Greg Everett ISN — Joe Eastin and Brian Callahan Southwood Landscape & Garden Center, Inc — Joe Schulte Stillwater Medical — Denise Webber Century Martial Arts — L. Michael Dillard Furniture Showcase — Robyn Davies and Randi Johnson Pie Junkie — Leslie Coale-Mossman Bridgecreek Investment Management — Chuck Fuller Tulsa Pier Drilling — Cara Cowan Watts Tri-8, Inc. — Dan Yost Retirement Investment Advisors, Inc. — Mr. Randy Thurman MWI Animal Health, an AmerisourceBergen Company — Mr. Mark J. Shaw The Beckman Company — Will Beckman, Martin Beckman and Tom Beckman Neely Insurance & Financial Services — Ryan Neely HostBridge Technology — Russ Teubner and Scott Glenn Lambert Construction Company — Mark William Lambert Norconsult Telematics Ltd. — Gaute Vik Johnston Seed Co. — Joey Meibergen Educational Development Corporation — Randall White and Craig White Scott Realty Company — Jeff Scott SNB Bank, NA — L. Clay Stuart Alert Rental Software — Kara Longmire InterWorks — Behfar Jahanshahi Swallowing & Neurological Rehabilitation — Tiffany Turner and Eric Turner Farm Data Services — Clay Burtrum Sweet Turns LLC — Connie Boone and Dr. Bryan Boone Sidwell Insurance Agency — Brenda Sidwell BealsCunningham Strategic Services (BCSS) — Nick Cunningham and Mike Cunningham River Ranch Capital, LLC — James M. Morris II Wedgewood — Gregory Geiser CrossCom National — Dr. Greg Miller Bedlam Law — John A. Alberts OnCue — Jim Griffith Webco Industries — Dave Boyer and Randy Watson Radley + Co Ltd. — Justin Stead Oculoplastic Surgeons of Oklahoma — Dr. Erin Holloman Scott Video Game Technologies (VGT) — James Starr Direct Kicks — Louis Lacarbonara Whisper Intimate Apparel — Melissa Wiles Mount Joy Wire Corporation — Tom R. Duff and Rick Krieger Twin Eagle — Griff Jones, Chuck Watson and Jeremy Davis Performance Product Technologies — Andy Logan Science Museum Oklahoma — Sherry Marshall Red Bluff Resources — Timothy Kirk Haddican Thermal Specialties, LLC — Mitch Myers AcrobatAnt — David Downing Air Hygiene — Quinn Bierman SageRider, Inc. — Stan Wall and Craig Smith Big Elk Energy Systems — Geoff Hager Pipeline Equipment, Inc. — Jack D. Lollis Pinots Palette — Lisa Woodward Riley Sidwell Seed — Brady J. Sidwell Sidwell Farms — Brady J. Sidwell and Bambi Sidwell-Waters Little River Energy — Steve Crowder Schrader + Wellings Real Estate & Auction Company — C. Brent Wellings Sawyer Manufacturing and Fabrication — Dave Hembree and Scott Persson Harrison & Mecklenburg, Inc. — Randy Mecklenburg and Ralph Harrison Lee Capital Builders — K. John Lee
CARING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED
In celebration of the groundbreaking for the new Veterans Hospital in Tulsa, OSU Medicine was proud to stand alongside partners from government, academia and philanthropy. The new hospital will be located on the expanded OSU Medical Center campus in downtown Tulsa. Expanding the OSU Academic Health Care Campus means that veterans in northeast Oklahoma will be provided the best care possible in an exceptional medical facility. OSU Medicine continues to answer the call to provide health care to underserved populations in our state.
VHiT Veteran Hospital in Tulsa
medicine.okstate.edu
The Clerico Family Education Foundation has been providing OSU students meaningful scholarship support for the past 10 years.
Paying it Forward
Clerico Family Education Foundation encourages its graduates to remain involved with younger scholars
I
t has been more than a decade since John Clerico and Diane Deakin set in motion an Oklahoma State University scholarship program mentoring future leaders. Although it is still too soon to see some of the long-term effects of Clerico Scholars, the fatherdaughter team have already seen signs their program is working. Scholars are chosen based on financial need, and the award is renewable for up to four years. Students must maintain good grades and complete a certain number of volunteer hours each semester to remain eligible. “It’s evolved over time, like any time you start a business — you evolve, change and adapt,” said Deakin, president of the Clerico Family Education Foundation. “Our business happens to be the business of giving out college scholarship funds
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— but we wanted to be a little bit more involved and helpful. We wanted to provide value. “What we didn’t want to have happen is that after we invested four to five years of our time and money, the students would still be struggling, unsure as to where they want to take their career paths. So we work closely with them. We have four years to build a relationship. Then, our goal is to expand our mentor pool to include folks who have graduated from the program to come back where possible and pay it forward.” Dr. Faith Millard Wipf was part of the first Clerico Scholar class, graduating from OSU in 2016 with a degree in animal science and in 2019 with her doctorate in veterinary medicine. The Clerico Family Education Foundation Scholarship provided opportunities and allowed Wipf to avoid student loans.
STORY BECCY TANNER | PHOTOS OSU FOUNDATION
“The way they support and believe in me, that’s something that drives and motivates me.”
membership on several boards and a long list of volunteer roles at his alma mater. In 2016, Clerico was inducted into the OSU Alumni Hall of Fame. SERAH REYES, CLERICO SCHOLAR “I’ve received much more from Oklahoma State than I’m ever going to be able to give back,” he said. “My parents did not have money. I was able to It’s an impressive statement considering the get a part time job so I could still pay for food and multitude of ways he and his family have helped random things that I needed, but the scholarship transform the university. allowed me to focus on one thing — school,” said In athletics, they’ve made gifts to support Wipf, who now works for a small veterinary OSU golf and helped fund renovations to practice in Oklahoma City. Gallagher-Iba Arena, Boone Pickens Stadium Wipf still attends the annual dinners Clerico and the men’s and women’s basketball locker and Deakin host, talking with younger students to rooms. They’ve also supported the College of encourage them with their studies Education and Human Sciences, Spears School and networking. of Business, Academic Affairs, the OSU Alumni And that, said Clerico, is the reward. Association, OSU-Tulsa, Edmon Low Library and “The single most rewarding thing is seeing The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts. young people who are not yet particularly In 2012, when Clerico committed a $2.5 comfortable in their own skin — who maybe have million endowment and annual funds to create personal issues of their own — as freshmen,” the Clerico Family Education Foundation, he Clerico said. “But by the time they are seniors and hoped to support up to four students at a time. graduate, they are transformed into bright, wellThe first cohort of scholars included seven spoken young adults who look you in the eye when recipients who were awarded a total of nearly you speak and are just totally transformed. With $60,000. This academic year, the Clerico our students, once they graduate, that is not the end Family Education Foundation Scholarship of our relationship.” awarded 30 scholars more than $250,000. In In some ways, it is just the beginning. total, there have been 79 scholars. As the Clerico Family Education Foundation Current scholar Serah Reyes called meeting has matured and those scholars begin to work in the Clericos life-changing. their chosen fields, Clerico said he is hopeful those “I saw how much they care for us and want us graduates believe “it’s important to come back, to succeed in life. That was really touching to participate with us and share experiences with me,” said Reyes, a global studies senior. “There their successors.” is a support system. The way they support and Clerico said those scholars often share one trait believe in me, that’s something that drives and — they are achievers. It’s a characteristic they also motivates me.” share with Clerico himself. Clerico graduated from OSU in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in general business and has had an accomplished career. He is the chairman and owner of ChartMark Investments Inc., a Tulsabased independent advisory firm that manages equity funds for individuals and small pension funds. He co-founded the firm in 2000 and serves as the registered financial adviser, leading everyday portfolio management and the strategic direction of the firm. His volunteer resume is also extensive, with
The Clericos and their scholars enjoying gameday from the suite level in Boone Pickens Stadium.
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President Emeritus Burns Hargis (center) celebrates Oct. 14 at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Hargis Leadership Institute.
Hargis Leadership Institute Center’s programming aims to encourage students to explore leadership potential
O
SU President Emeritus Burns Hargis is creating a legacy of leadership with the OSU Hargis Leadership Institute. President Hargis, former First Cowgirl Ann Hargis and OSU students launched the new program with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and block party celebration Oct. 14 on the Student Union Plaza. The Hargis Leadership Institute was initially funded by a $2 million endowed Chair for Ethical Leadership donated by OSU alumni Carol and Frank Morsani. Hargis, who will hold the endowed chair, will be a frequent guest speaker, mentor and fundraiser for the institute. “The overarching vision of the Hargis Leadership Institute is to help
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every OSU student find the leader within them,” Burns Hargis said. “This institute will provide an opportunity for all of our students to explore and nourish their leadership potential.” “OSU’s leadership programming concentrates on impacting students for a lifetime to help set them on a path to continually explore, grow and serve,” said Josh Taylor, director of the newly established institute. The institute will support leadership programs across the university. Taylor said this new institute aims to give student organizations new tools for discovering and developing leaders at OSU. The institute will also house three competitive leadership scholarship
programs: the President’s Leadership Council, the McKnight Scholars Leadership program and the Devon Ingenuity Scholars. The President’s Leadership Council is a competitive scholarship and leadership program for freshmen that teaches the importance of leading and serving throughout life. Hargis himself was a member of the first President’s Leadership Council at its inception in 1967. The McKnight Scholars Leadership program provides a four-year, outof-state tuition waiver and offers an opportunity to develop essential leadership skills through exclusive coursework and seminars. The McKnight Scholars Leadership program
STORY JANE BRADEN | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON
was founded by a $10 million endowment from Ross and Billie McKnight. The Devon Ingenuity Leadership Program was funded by a gift from Devon and includes scholarships for sophomores and juniors in STEM fields. The program specifically develops emotional intelligence, team leadership and collaboration, and effective communication skills. “President Emeritus Hargis is beloved by OSU alumni and donors who are eager to support important Hargis initiatives,” said Blaire Atkinson, OSU Foundation president. “Through this fall’s Hargis Legacy Celebration fundraising efforts, we have raised more than $1 million, in addition to the Morsani endowment funding, to set this program up for success. We are grateful for the many donors who stepped up to show gratitude for the transformational impact the Hargises have made at OSU and believe this institute will expand their impact for generations to come.” The institute’s immediate programming will include leadership coaching programs, conferences, retreats and seminars. The institute is designing its academic offerings as it collaborates and partners with academic colleges, businesses and industries. OSU students who want to lead and serve in college and beyond may learn more about the OSU Hargis Leadership Institute at leadership.okstate.edu.
“The overarching vision of the Hargis Leadership Institute is to help every OSU student find the leader within them.” BURNS HARGIS, OSU PRESIDENT EMERITUS
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Masterpiece Moments
Returns this spring! The annual Masterpiece Moments event will return in May with an inspiring, fun-filled night that will showcase local artistic talent and our community’s commitment to the arts.
TO L E A R N M O R E , V I S I T :
OSUgiving.com/MasterpieceMoments Proceeds from the event will benefit the OSU Museum of Art’s exhibitions, educational programming and other OSU arts initiatives.
A PICTURE PERFECT LEARNING OPPORTUNITY The OSU Doel Reed Center in Taos extends the university’s reach to culturally rich northern New Mexico and provides unique opportunities for adult learners through Leisure Learning Courses. The week of classes is designed by expert instructors for inquiring adults, and includes workshops, hands-on activities and visits to local sites. The Doel Reed Center is truly an Enchanted Place to Learn.
SUMMER LEISURE LEARNING COURSES HAVE BEEN SET FOR JULY 25-29, 2022! To learn more about the Doel Reed Center and our upcoming Leisure Learning courses, contact Carol Moder at carol.moder@okstate.edu or visit doelreed.okstate.edu.
2 022
2022
April 5-6 1,890 Minutes
Over 2,000 Cowboys from all across the country participated in Give Orange 2021. Together we can make next year even brighter! Join us for 1,890 minutes of support for OSU.
COWBOY CHRONICLES
Preserving Voices from the Past
Professor’s SoundScriber recordings offer audio treasures
A
udio recordings of Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College events and personalities collected before the 1940s are extremely rare. A faculty member’s purchase in 1947 would provide one of the first opportunities to preserve sounds and voices from the college. Thomas Edison developed the phonograph 70 years earlier, but adaptations for the general public had been slow to develop and recording capabilities at OAMC were extremely limited. Prior to this time, prices for most recording devices were very high, especially during the rationing of key materials during World War II, but in the years immediately following the war, new sound recording equipment would become more readily available and ensure that audio could be preserved locally. Dr. Berlin B. Chapman was the OAMC history faculty member who bought the audio recording device known as the SoundScriber to capture and record presentations, lectures, ceremonies, meetings, interviews and special events on and off campus. SoundScribers, first introduced in 1945, collected sounds from a microphone, converted them electronically and recorded the audio vibrations with a stylus pressing them into grooves on rotating soft green vinyl discs. A second stylus would be placed in these grooves to play the sounds preserved on the rotating discs. Each disc would store about 15 minutes of sound on each side. Initially intended for office dictation with limited playback potential, the grooves in the soft vinyl would develop increased distortion with use and quickly begin to lose their audio qualities.
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STORY DAVID C. PETERS | PHOTOS OSU ARCHIVES AND GARY LAWSON
Left, Frank Eaton was a popular guest in Dr. Berlin Chapman’s history classes. Eaton is describing something on the handle of his revolver to two students with a concerned Chapman behind him. Chapman captured Eaton’s visit on March 27, 1956, with his SoundScriber audio recorder. Above, The College Auditorium, later remodeled as part of the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts, served as the public venue for many dignitaries providing presentations at OAMC. Dr. Chapman preserved audio recordings for some of these appearances between 1947 and 1956.
Chapman first arrived in Stillwater in 1927, the year he completed his master’s degree in history from Harvard. Originally from Webster Springs, West Virginia, he was on the OAMC campus for three years before heading to the University of Wisconsin to earn a doctorate. Returning in 1941, Chapman would remain a History Department faculty member until his mandatory retirement at age 65 in 1966. He was active in the local Payne County Historical Society, serving as its president for 20 years and a member of the Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors for 16 years. Chapman encouraged his students to immerse themselves in local history, collect related records and share these stories through research papers, periodicals, books, presentations and memorial markers.
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The SoundScriber was a portable recording device that was easy to operate with audio conveniently stored on plastic discs. Chapman’s SoundScriber, shown here in the Edmon Low Library’s Angie Debo Room, was donated to the OSU Archives.
For years, Chapman interviewed notable local and state personalities as part of his research efforts, preserving these conversations with handwritten notes. His SoundScriber allowed him to record these exchanges and improve the accuracy of quotes taken from these interactions. Chapman was not a trained oral historian, and his interviewing techniques and documentation lacked the discipline’s standards of today, but his efforts over 70 years ago to engage in this format are laudable. Wanting to document the variety of events occurring in and around the campus, Chapman’s first preserved recording occurred at the annual athletic banquet Sept. 12, 1947, and the next week recorded activities associated with freshman orientation. He would record baccalaureate services from 1948 through 1952 and college commencements from 1948 until 1954. Chapman and his recorder were also present at class reunions held in 1948 and 1952. College audiences would find the SoundScriber set up for celebrations such as the Student Union
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building dedication on Aug. 4, 1948, the groundbreaking for the new Home Economics Building on Feb. 12, 1949, and A&M President Henry Bennett’s 63rd birthday party on Dec. 16, 1949. Chapman also recorded guest speakers in the college Auditorium. On Sept. 21, 1948, Tennessee Judge Camille Kelley shared her experiences and lessons learned from handling almost 50,000 juvenile court cases during her career that started in 1920. She had published the book “Delinquent Angels” the previous year but told audience they were under no obligation to purchase a copy. A few years after her visit to Stillwater, it was revealed that she had served as the judge in adoption cases for many of Georgia Tann’s child abduction operations, in which Tann had kidnapped and sold 5,000 children. Kelley was never charged and died in 1955. After World War II, the college initiated a Great Issues speakers series. The theme for fall 1950 was “Which Way Progress” and featured former Georgia Gov. Ellis Arnall, former head of the Atomic Energy Commission David
Lilienthal, Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Arnall had been elected governor at age 36. He led efforts to ratify a new state constitution, paid off the state’s debt, eliminated the poll tax, which had restricted voting as part of the state’s Jim Crow laws, and lowered the state voting age to 18, 20 years before it became the law nationally. Lilienthal discussed his efforts with atomic and hydroelectric energy production. He previously published a report outlining guidelines for reducing the threat of nuclear weapons in the world and served as director of the Tennessee Valley Authority, which provided electricity to millions of Americans. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buck spoke on U.S. foreign policy in Asia, especially regarding China and the two Koreas. In October 1950, United Nations troops — 90 percent Americans — had pushed the North Korean army back to the border with China, prompting the Chinese army to enter the Korean War.
Pulitzer-Prize winning author Pearl S. Buck was featured in the college’s Great Issues speakers series during the fall of 1950. Her speech on American foreign policy in Asia coincided with the Chinese army entering the Korean War.
In her presentation, Buck articulated the numerous misunderstandings that had occurred between the Chinese communists and the United States in the preceding years and reflected on the challenges that lay ahead in the future. Wright canceled at the last minute. But for the Great Issues presenters who visited the OAMC campus, Chapman and his SoundScriber captured it all in audio. On April 1, 1952, Chapman took his SoundScriber to Guthrie, Oklahoma, for an interview with Roscoe Dunjee, editor of the Black Dispatch. Chapman was interested in Dunjee’s perspectives on the integration of higher education in Oklahoma. They discussed and Chapman recorded Dunjee’s detailed description of the events surrounding the admittance of Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher to the University of Oklahoma Law School. It took three years from when Fisher first applied at OU for the case to work its way through the courts before finally being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in Fisher’s
favor. Dunjee had been personally involved with the case, accompanied Fisher to the OU president’s office in January 1946, raised funds for the case and worked with Thurgood Marshall who had been assigned the case as a lawyer with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Chapman’s interview took place less than three years after Fisher was finally admitted to OU, when the events were still clear to those involved. Chapman taught Oklahoma history classes at OSU and interviewed two former Oklahoma governors. Henry S. Johnston retired to Perry, Oklahoma, and was interviewed in 1953 at the age of 85. Johnston was the second Oklahoma governor to be impeached and was later re-elected in the Oklahoma Senate, serving alongside many of the individuals who had been involved in his removal from office. The year before, Chapman had interviewed William H. “Alfalfa Bill” Murray. Murray, also in his 80s at the time of his recorded interview, rambled on for several hours about a variety of topics. When Chapman would attempt to change the subject, Murray would simply return to where he had left off in his extemporizations.
Some were invited to visit his Oklahoma history class. Frank Eaton joined Chapman’s classes on several occasions, and his presentation was recorded on March 27, 1956. Eaton, then in his 90s, always had an answer for the class’s questions. Eaton’s book, “Veteran of the Old West: Pistol Pete,” had been published four years earlier, and the students seemed very interested in his life experiences. Frank enjoyed the class and the attention and proved to be an entertaining guest. In the 1980s, Chapman donated 372 discs covering 90 presentations and interviews recorded between 1947 and 1956 and his SoundScriber recording device, to the OSU Archives. They contain over 60 hours of audio. In 2013, the discs were sent to Scene Savers, a professional digital conversion firm in Kentucky. Overall, the voices and other sounds captured in the digital files were audible with minimal scratches and disruptions. Some discs were missing, and some had occasional blank sections with no audio, but what has been preserved is an invaluable treasure for generations of future listeners.
SoundScriber discs were stored in envelopes which allowed for information to be preserved regarding the audio recordings. Chapman provided data describing the titles, dates, recording times and descriptions for each disc. The discs were also numbered sequentially to maintain the order of lengthy presentations. The management of the disc collection would have been very challenging without this information.
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NOW OP EN and fillin g up FAST !
THE COWBOY WAY
Ever noticed someone biking on Oklahoma State University’s Stillwater campus with a stethoscope hanging out of their bag? It’s probably Dr. Todd Green, a physician at OSU University Health Services and proud Cowboy alumnus — from further back than you might imagine. Green, who grew up in Stillwater, attended his first OSU class when he was just a kid. “I moved here with my parents in 1966 and went through the college experience with them,” Green said. “I was occasionally taken to their classes when the babysitter didn’t come through or show up.” Green attended OSU — this time for college credits — beginning his sophomore year and married his wife, Deborah (also an OSU alumna) right before their junior year. Green earned a bachelor’s degree in physiology then went on to medical school. After medical school, he completed a residency in internal medicine. Once those were complete, the couple moved back to Stillwater and he went into private practice. After 18 years, though, it was time for something different, he said. That was when Steve Rogers, then-UHS director, contacted Green about a job opening. “Which I was very happy about, and I thought, ‘Boy, that sounds like a great opportunity to do something different and to do it at a place where I really love to be,’” Green said. “So I started here in 2013, and I’ve been here since. It’s been terrific. “One of the things I’ve enjoyed is living not too far from campus. So I generally ride my bike or walk to work. You get to work and you feel like you just did something kind of enjoyable. When you ride home, you feel like it’s a chance to get rid of some of the stress of the day.” Green has also enjoyed the continued connection to OSU that working on campus brings, from cocerts at The McKnight Center to athletic events and everything in between. “I don’t think since we’ve moved back we’ve ever missed a Homecoming parade, and as a kid I never missed the Homecoming parade,” Green said. “We’ve got our place that we always try to park and we get our donuts and that’s something that, you know, the year won’t be right if we don’t go to the Homecoming parade.” The Greens have three daughters, and the oldest has graduated from OSU as well. That makes her a fifth-generation OSU alumna, he said. Green enjoys serving on campus and making connections with his patients. “My wife and I enjoy feeling connected to the students, whether they’re in the band or in a play or on the athletic field,” he said. “Because a lot of them I have seen and taken care of and that’s enjoyable to see them doing those things and knowing a little bit more about the people who are doing them.”
STORY HARRISON HILL | PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY
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CHAPTER LEADER PROFILE
Taryn Couchman-Cates, Southeast Idaho Chapter Taryn Couchman-Cates has remained loyal and true since graduating from OSU in 1999 and continues to spread her orange pride through her leadership of the Southeast Idaho OSU Alumni Chapter. Couchman-Cates grew up in southern California and attended a community college near her hometown, studying fire science. She planned to attend a fire academy to become a firefighter, but moved to Oklahoma when her mentor told her about the top-tier fire protection program at OSU, nicknamed “The West Point of the fire service.” She began her academic career at OSU in the fall of 1996. Cates uses her degree in fire protection and safety engineering technology every day as a fire protection engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy at the Idaho National Laboratory.
Some of her fondest memories at OSU began the day she set foot on campus. Couchman-Cates recalls the culture shock of moving from southern California to Oklahoma, noting the swarm of tornadoes that occurred in 1999 just days before her graduation. Her favorite times at OSU included pulling pranks in her dorm, Wilham Hall, enjoying a meal at Eskimo Joe’s after a big test, and getting free pancakes during finals week. “OSU will always hold a special place in my heart,” Couchman-Cates said. “I’m proud to be a Cowboy and am very loyal and true.” Later, she saw a map from the OSU Alumni Association that highlighted states with chapters hosting watch parties in orange, she realized Idaho remained grayed out. “I was determined to make Idaho orange, so I got the ball rolling,” Couchman-Cates said. “I started the Southeast Idaho OSU Alumni Chapter in 2014, and now, we are on the map!”
Despite a short hiatus in 2018-19 to battle breast cancer, Couchman-Cates has been the Southeast Idaho leader since its inception. As the chapter leader, CouchmanCates helps to organize watch parties during the Cowboy football season and other events throughout the year. Her favorite event is the Idaho Falls Community Adopt-a-Flowerbed service project. Each year, the city provides flowers, and the chapter adopts a flowerbed in a nearby public park or cemetery to plant and maintain throughout the season. “We always request orange flowers,” Couchman-Cates said. “While we are a smaller chapter, this event is the perfect way for us to help keep our community beautiful.” Couchman-Cates credits the chapter’s growth to the local Cowboys in Idaho. “I may be the name listed as the chapter leader, but all of our active members are the true reason for our success.”
Taryn Couchman-Cates with her daughter, Emily, who is a junior at Boise State, at the Boise State game.
IDAHO CHAPTER BY THE NUMBERS 453 alumni and friends 27 members
Taryn CouchmanCates with husband Michael (’90) and son Cameron, at the OSU football game in Boise, Idaho.
11 current OSU students from Idaho 1,135 miles from Stillwater
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STORY AVERY HUDSON | PHOTOS OSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER NEWS
ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N AUSTIN BOAT TRIP A lively group of Cowboys and Cowgirls enjoyed a cruise on Lady Bird Lake the night before cheering on the OSU football team against the Longhorns in Austin.
NEW ENGLAND GET TOGETHER Members of the Cowboy family enjoyed a meal together at Stillwater restaurant in Boston. Sarah Wade, head chef and owner of the eatery, is an OSU alumna.
STORY WILL CARR | PHOTOS OSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
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CHAPTER NEWS
PISTOL PETE’S BIRTHDAY Kelley J. Newkirk Konarik (left) and Michelle Jarrett pose with everyone’s favorite mascot at Pistol Pete’s Birthday at the Oklahoma City Zoo in October.
ATLANTA WATCH PARTY Alumni and a future Cowgirl met at McCray’s Tavern in Atlanta to cheer on their favorite football team against the Longhorns in October.
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The birthday event included a birthday cake, cupcakes and a special gift from Pistol Pete for everyone in attendance.
PHOENIX WATCH PARTY OSU fans have been eager to gather again for this season’s watch parties, including this great group in Phoenix.
SAN DIEGO WATCH PARTY Cowboy football watch parties can be found across the country. Cowboys in San Diego posed for a photo at their party in October.
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CHAPTER NEWS
BOISE STATE TRIP OSU alumni and fans gathered for a tailgate outside the stadium in Boise, Idaho, before the Cowboys took on Boise State.
OSU travelers were all smiles in Boise for the game.
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ALUMNI UPDATE
’60s Digamber Borgaonkar, ’63 Ph.D. botany, recently visited Idaho with his oldest grandson, Nicholas. That means he’s visited all 50 United States. Otherwise, the 2013 OSU Distinguished Alumnus is enjoying retirement with his wife, Manda, and playing golf and bridge. They have two children and five grandchildren. Shelagh Curtin, ’64 zoology, celebrated her 80th birthday by going to Stillwater and visiting the OSU campus. The visit brought back many great memories of her student years. The campus has changed a lot, but she was still able to find her way around. She ate at Eskimo Joe’s before returning to Tulsa. Robertson Work, ’66 English, has recently published his fifth book, “Society, Spirit, Self: Essays on the One Dance,” which includes his essays written from his time at OSU in 1966 to North Carolina today. It is available on Amazon and bookstores.
’70s
Steve Roush, ’71 education, is celebrating the marriage of his youngest granddaughter, Allison, to Morgan Taylor. Patricia A. McElroy, ’73 special education, can’t say enough about her education from OSU in the area of special education. She has spent over 40 years working with exceptional children and adults. The foundation of her work started at OSU with initial training she calls priceless. She still bleeds orange in the middle of LSU purple and gold. Dr. William D. James, ’76 philosophy, elementary education, and his late wife, Sharon K. (Decker) James, ’76 doctoral candidate, have been loyal to OSU for many years. Sharon’s parents, Marjorie Decker and Willis I. Decker, also graduated from OSU, as did Sharon’s brother, Roland Van Decker. The couple’s
grandchildren, Desereé Wright, ’16, animal science, Caleb Wright, ’21, animal science, and Nathan Wright, a junior in animal science, have continued the family’s legacy as OSU Cowboys. Paul Pearce, ’77 business and public administration, has decided that after 44 years away from Stillwater, he and his wife will return. The couple plans to reside in a semi-retirement home close to campus and are excited to return home. Kathleen (Kathy) Prough (Bohnenberger-Johnsen), ’77 physical education, has retired as bank manager at Chase after 35 years, and is now substitute teaching in Deer Creek and Putnam City schools. She remains active with the OKC Arts Council, Mercy Foundation & Gala, Heart Hospital, and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.
’80s
Ed Garrison, ’82 human resources management, retired after a career in human resources and leadership development. He and Nancy (Washburn) Garrison, ’82 marketing, moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to be closer to their children. Dorothy L. Pugh, ’83 photojournalism, recently accepted a new position as a slot editor at the Tulsa World. She’s resuming her 27-year career in newspapers after working for OSU’s Department of Brand Management since 2012. Lorene Roberson, ’84 journalism, recently accepted a new position at the University of Oklahoma as the communications and marketing writer for the Gallogly College of Engineering.
’90s Ernestine (Ernie) Mbroh, ’91, landscape architecture, has joined Mbroh Engineering as its director of transportation. Mbroh previously worked at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation as division manager for the Office of Mobility and Public Transit, where she specialized in the development and implementation of Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) projects and programs for 30 years. She plans to aid in Mbroh Engineering’s expansion into transportation services. Sally Beth Landes, ’92 HEECS/ COMM SRVC, is the proud grandmother of a bass drum player in the Cowboy marching band. Jenny Kucera, ’92 journalism, has joined Arrow Engine Co. as a technical editor, where she develops operations manuals, installation and service manuals, and other industrial publications. Kucera also designs marketing and promotional materials for the company’s engines, compressors and equipment for the oil and gas industry. Dana Lynn Kuehn (Peacher), ’93 political science, was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court on July 26. She previously served as presiding judge of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. Kuehn served as a trial judge in Tulsa County for 11 years. She is the first woman to serve on both of Oklahoma’s high courts.
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Aimee (Heald) Nielson, ’95 agricultural communications, ’97 master’s in agricultural education, is celebrating almost 23 years as an agricultural communications specialist for the University of Kentucky. Her focus areas are the Beef Center of Excellence and the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. She will receive a certificate of distillation, wine and brewing science from Kentucky in December. She has been married to her husband, David, for nearly 18 years and their son, Zachary, is a sophomore in high school. Angela (Atwood) Owen, ’96 HRAD, has become a Sonic Drive-In franchisee.
Amy Crosby (Smith), ’09 psychology, recently changed her career path from early childhood education to insurance, taking a position at State Farm in June.
’10s
Clarissa May (Fulton) Walton, ’13 animal science, ’15 master’s degree in agricultural communications, is now a graphic design consultant for Emergent Method, a Louisiana-based management consulting firm.
Friends Dr. J. Helen (Stillwell) Perkins, ’99 doctorate in curriculum instruction, is a professor of literacy at the University of Memphis and a board member for the International Literacy Association.
’00s
Grant A. Allen, ’09 finance, is now in transportation management at Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s. He focuses on distribution and continuity of supply in the restaurant industry. Kristen Gentry, ’09 art, has been selected as a Pow Pow Pitch semifinalist, a competition for emerging indigenous entrepreneurs. She is one of 156 semifinalists from 1,642 applicants, and she will receive mentorship, training and the chance to be featured in marketing campaigns. Gentry could win $25,000 to further her business. She also started a new job at the First Americans Museum in August.
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Chester (Chet) Millstead celebrated 64 years with his wife, Shirley Perry Millstead, in September 2021. The couple met as students near Theta Pond at Oklahoma A&M in 1956. They currently reside in Kentucky, and their family has grown to 36 members. Judith A. (Faber) Whiteley retired after a career as an office manager and volleyball referee. She met her husband, Charlie, ’69 management, in freshman English class. He’s a mountain climber, retired from Ford Motor Co., and took up search and rescue in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They love flyfishing all over the western United States. They have a daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons who live in Salem, Oregon. Larry D. Greene has retired after 40 years of traveling around the country working in commercial construction management and general construction. He and his wife, Gay, live in San Antonio and are celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary.
In Memory Valree Wynn, the first Black woman to earn a master’s degree in English and the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in English at Oklahoma State University and a professor emerita at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, died Sept. 25. She was 99. A native of Rockwell, Texas, Dr. Wynn, the daughter of a sharecropper, earned her bachelor’s degree at Langston University. In 1965, she became the first Black faculty member at Cameron University. She taught at Cameron for two decades. In 1990, Dr. Wynn was the first African American speaker at a Cameron University commencement. Dr. Wynn served as president of the Board of Regents for Oklahoma Colleges. In 1996, she was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and in 2005 she was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. An oral history interview of Dr. Wynn conducted by Oklahoma State University can be found at okla.st/wynn. Ruth Bruton, ’49 home economics, ’65 master’s, fashion merchandising and interior design, died Sept. 17, 2020, at the age of 93. Her husband, John C. Bruton, preceded her in death. Her first job was to establish the vocational home economics program in Salina, Oklahoma. She also taught at Coweta, Muskogee and Shawnee. Mrs. Bruton had an active life with her family and serving her church and community. She is survived by children Sharron and Garry and four grandchildren.
Charles Clark (Chuck) Russell, ’58 electrical engineering, died in his Stillwater home on Sept. 13 at the age of 100. He graduated high school in 1938 and soon began working in the CCC camps. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Russell went to John Brown University, where he began training as a pilot, a dream he had from his early childhood. He trained as an aviator cadet in Texas at four different locations to complete advanced flying school. He received his silver wings on July 29, 1943. Mr. Russell piloted the B-24 Liberator bomber and the B-24 Tailwind during World War II in missions over Germany and France, flying a total of 33 missions for the U.S. Army Air Force. He was a highly decorated veteran, earning the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the European African-Middle Eastern Theater Medal. Following World War II, Mr. Russell enrolled at Oklahoma A&M College in 1946. He was called back to military duty in 1947 to serve during the Korean War, flying missions as an airborne forward air controller. By 1948, he married Julia Dugan and had a daughter, Carol Sue, in 1951 and a son, Charles David, in 1956. After returning from Germany, he again enrolled in OSU to complete his degree in electrical engineering. He retired from the U.S. Army Air Force in 1968, and he spent two years working with the Apollo space program. He then spent 12 years working for the Maryland Board of Education developing systems for its computers, payroll and accounting. After his wife Julia died, Russell married Eleen (Little) Ezelle and later Lois Jane Best, all of whom preceded him in death. He loved photography, reading, trying new recipes, barbecuing, gardening, playing bridge, writing, drawing, watching baseball, dancing, building porches and shelving, and traveling. He also loved
Charles (Chuck) Edward Cox, ’80 master’s in health and leisure science, died Sept. 1, 2021. He was a member of the alumni group known as the KOK-DADI’s, never missing a reunion in 40 years. As a proud veteran, Mr. Cox served with the 82nd Airborne from 19691971. He retired from the United States Postal Service as a clerk, where he met his wife of 30 years, Danna Cupps. One of their
buffaloes, which his family believes was inspired by his Cherokee Nation heritage. He was a member of American Legion Post 129 and the First Christian Church in Stillwater. He is survived by his daughter, Carol Sue Wanzer and her husband, Christopher; his son, Charles David Russell; stepdaughter, Jan Courtright and her husband, Terry; stepson, Larry Best and his wife, Gwen; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Births
Green Johnson Pam Ernst (DeCamp), ’80 elementary education, became a grandmother for the first time in June. Ronn Cupp, ’70 journalism, and his wife Beth Cupp, ’70 vocational home economics, welcomed their first greatgrandchild, Joshua Owen Kem (Owen), into the world on April 6 to parents Makenna and Josh Kem of Oklahoma City. Shanna Jo Green (Skimbo), ’09 physical education, and husband Dean Green, ’10 Cowboy baseball alumnus welcomed twin boys Garner Ryan and Gordon Reed into the world Jan. 23. Big brother 2-year-old Gibson Royce Green is excited to teach his new brothers all about his favorite mascot, Pistol Pete. Myriah Johnson,’09 agricultural economics, and husband Chris Looney, welcomed their first child, Sheridan Dawn Looney on June 5. Sheridan is a legacy at University of Arkansas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State; however, Myriah is working hard to make sure Sheridan becomes a third-generation Cowboy.
Jones-Ervin Bill Jones, plant & soil science, and Shawntel Ervin, plant & soil science, welcomed their first child, Elliot Quinn Jones, on March 30. The family is happy and healthy and plans on visiting Stillwater soon.
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greatest blessings was their son, Thomas Gid Cox of Tulsa. Tom followed in his father’s footsteps and also attended Oklahoma State University. A graveside service was held Sept. 11, 2021, to honor Mr. Cox’s life. Attendees wore orange to honor a true Cowboy. Sue Taylor, ’84 child development and family relations, died at home in Enid, Oklahoma, on Aug. 18. She was 91. Mrs. Taylor was raised in Stillwater and attended OSU from 1948-1950 before pausing her academic career to raise her family of four. She resumed her education in 1980 and graduated in 1984. Mrs. Taylor was a renowned philanthropist and community leader in Enid, serving as president and development chairperson for Enid YMCA. She was also honored as the YMCA’s Woman of the Year in 1979. She showed the utmost dedication to OSU throughout her life, from serving as the first vice president of the College of Human Environmental Sciences alumni organization to chairing the 1989 Greater University Fund drive to raise money for OSU scholarships. She was named Philanthropist of the Year at the Women for OSU Symposium in 2013. Mrs. Taylor, along with her husband John, were CHES donors and supporters. To honor their commitment and dedication, Taylor’s Restaurant in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration was named after them. Mrs. Taylor is survived by two daughters, Kathryn Upchurch and Susan Mayberry; a son, Tom Taylor; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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Friends and Officials Veta Jo Fenimore, the widow of Bob Fenimore, the only OSU player picked as No. 1 in the NFL draft (in 1947), died in her Stillwater home on Aug. 28 at the age of 95. Following her college graduation from the University of Oklahoma, she married Bob Fenimore, her high school sweetheart, on June 22, 1947. After the 1947 NFL draft, the newlyweds moved to Chicago where Mr. Fenimore played for the Chicago Bears. Unfortunately, after only one year, he suffered a careerending leg injury. The two then moved back to Oklahoma City, where he started his career at Mass Mutual. After he was named district manager at his new career, they found their way to Stillwater. Bob was an OSU alumnus, and Veta Jo soon converted into a Cowboy fan. Bob even purchased a lifetime membership in the OSU Alumni Association for her. They raised their two daughters in Stillwater, and it became their home for the rest of their lives. Mrs. Fenimore attended the First Presbyterian Church in Stillwater and was part of the Browning Society, a literary study group that is one of the oldest study groups in Oklahoma. Besides her two daughters and their husbands, Beth Atess (Dale) and Jo Ellen Jones (Stan Barnett) of Stillwater; she also is survived by three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren and other family members.
Henry Jerrell Chesney, a former CEO for the governing Board of Regents for Oklahoma State University and A&M Colleges, died Oct. 20, 2020. He was 87. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1955 and was a first-team All Oklahoma Collegiate Conference basketball player. He later earned a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. Following his graduation from SWOSU, Mr. Chesney coached high school basketball at Anadarko High School from 1955-1957 and at Shawnee High School from 1957-1967. He also held the titles of athletic director, Shawnee High School assistant principal (1963-1967) and assistant superintendent of Shawnee Schools (19671974). Mr. Chesney also was the assistant business manager at Cameron University (19741975), chief financial officer at Langston University (1975-1975), and chief executive officer of the governing Board of Regents for Oklahoma State University and A&M Colleges for 16 years until his retirement in 1991. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Peggy Joyce Bergman, sons Mitchell Allen Chesney and Mark Owen Chesney; daughter Marquita Chesney Prescott; 12 grandchildren and 21 greatgrandchildren, as well as a host of other family members.
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Weddings Will Carr, ’15 strategic communications, and Macey (Brown) Carr, ’17 early childhood education, ’19 master’s in early childhood education, tied the knot in front of friends and family on July 17, 2021, in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Gayle Elizabeth (Mages) Long, ’18 agricultural sciences and natural resources, married Garrett Edward Long, ’19 aerospace administration and operations, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, on March 13, 2021. Kaylea Michele (Bixler) Feldman, ’20 microbiology/cell and molecular biology, married Nicholas Tyler Feldman, ’19 management information systems, in Tulsa on March 14, 2021.
Carr
Feldman
Long
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PARTING SHOT | 11. 27. 21
Fans storm the field at Boone Pickens Stadium following the Cowboys’ 37-33 Bedlam triumph.
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PHOTO CAULEN SPENCER
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