In Remembrance

VAL MAPLES

Longtime fans and older alumni will remember Val Maples, who is widely considered a pioneer of women’s sports at Cameron. She was instrumental in the development of a number of women's athletics programs, coaching many of them herself.

Maples coached women’s basketball, volleyball and softball at Cameron State Agricultural College and served as Dean of Women from 1957-1967. She dedicated 22 years to promoting women’s sports during her 31-year career at Cameron.

As tribute to her many accomplishments, a bench outside of Aggie Gym was dedicated in her honor in 2007. She was inducted into the CU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.

Maples, 93, died at her home in Lawton on December 9. She was buried in Healdton, her childhood hometown.

Lonnie Nichols was arguably the greatest men’s basketball coach in Cameron history, guiding the Aggies as an assistant coach and then as head coach from 1973-1981.

In his eight years at CU – four as assistant basketball coach and four as head coach, he took trips to the national tournament with the Aggies three times.

Coach Nichols compiled a 122-26 record during his time as head coach (1977-81). He was NAIA Coach of the Year in 1979 when Cameron reached the quarterfinals of the national tournament, then he took the Aggies all the way to an NAIA National Basketball Championship the next year.

After winning the NAIA District 9 and National Championships in 1980, Nichols was presented with the Oklahoma Sports Headliner Award.

After leaving Cameron, he coached at Oklahoma City University, then moved to Texas where he was involved with high school sports in Fort Worth and Garland.

Coach Nichols was inducted into the Cameron University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.

LONNIE NICHOLS

Dr. Marcy Blackburn

Dr. Marcy Blackburn, 68, passed away on December 28, 2020, at her home east of Lawton. A proud Cameron graduate who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education, she was an elementary school teacher before joining the faculty at CU, ultimately serving as acting dean of the Department of Education prior to her retirement.

Blackburn’s former students regarded her as an outstanding instructor and mentor who challenged them to excel. Her legacy continues through the countless educators she prepared for the classroom, many of whom refer to her as their favorite professor. Not only did she encourage her students to explore their creativity, she helped them to understand the importance of giving everything 100 percent.

Dr. Karen McKellips

Dr. Karen McKellips, who impacted Cameron education students throughout her tenure as a faculty member, passed away on September 13, 2020, at her home in Round Rock, Texas, at the age of 80. McKellips’ interest in cultural foundations, Native American educational history and educational biography guided her love of learning, as evidenced by her numerous publications and presentations.

Highly regarded across the country, McKellips served as the national president of the Society of Philosophy and History of Education and its special interest group, the Educational Foundations Society. She was known for her presentations to both entities, bringing a mixture of shock, delight and education to raise awareness about times and places long ago and their relationship to contemporary areas of concern.

Benson Warren

Benson Warren, professor emeritus of art, passed away on January 30 at age 73. Warren played a key role in the development of Cameron's art program from 1974 until his retirement in 2014. Known primarily for his large-scale sculptures, he led the commissioning or acquiring most of the outdoor artwork seen on campus today. His own work can be seen in Lawton, at Cameron, and in the art collections of several other universities across the U.S.

Among his works are two that are on permanent display on the CU campus: the oak "ELUL II," which was created in 1973 and can be seen inside the CU Music Building, and "Cubes," which Benson created in 1976 and is located in the northeast corner of Cameron Park. He also designed and cast the ceremonial mace carried at all major university events.