FALL 2021
PRESIDENT EVANS and the ride to OCU
OK L A HOMA C I T Y UN I V E RS I T Y A LU M N I MAGAZ INE
CONTENTS
Focus Alumni Magazine 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73106 405-208-7000 • okcu.edu/focus STORY IDEAS: focus@okcu.edu ALU M NI NEWS: alumni@okcu.edu Focus is produced semiannually by the Communications & Marketing and Alumni departments for alumni and friends of Oklahoma City University. OCU is an equal-opportunity institution.
University Administration Kenneth Evans, President Helen Gaudin, Interim Provost Jim Abbott, Assistant Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of Athletics Amy Ayres, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kevan Buck, Chief Financial Officer Talia Carroll, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Joey Croslin, Vice President for Human Resources and Chief HR Officer Gerry Hunt (BS ’89, MBA ’05), Chief Information Officer Casey Ross (BSB ’00, JD and MBA ’03), General Counsel Lynann Sterk-Brooks, Vice President of University Advancement Kevin Windholz, Vice President for Enrollment Management
Alumni Relations
Megan Hornbeek Allen (BA ’03), Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Kimberley Worrell (BS ’08), President, Alumni Advisory Board
Editorial Staff Nick Trougakos, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Rod Jones (MBA ’12), Editor of Focus and Associate Director of Communications Kevin Miller, Designer of Focus and Creative Director/Brand Manager
Writers Terry Phelps, Professor of English April Marciszewski, Donor Relations Manager Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director
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The Road that Lies Ahead As Oklahoma City continues its rise, President Evans seeks to keep Oklahoma City University on the same trajectory.
Photographers Ian Weston, Senior Photographer/Videographer Eric Gomez, Photographer/Videographer Assistant
ON THE COVE R & ABOVE
President Kenneth Evans photos by Ian Weston STORY PAGE 7
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Civil Rights Icon Dedication An Important Voice, a major player in OKC's renaissance The Champion of Champions, OCU's Athletic Director retires Honor Roll of Donors
F ROM THE PR E S IDE N T
"The Eternal Challenge" Leonard McMurray, sculptor Photo by Ian Weston
Greetings Alumni & Friends, What a whirlwind it has been! How else could I describe my first four months as Oklahoma City University president? From moving into Wilson House, to settling into my office in the Administration Building, to throwing out the first pitch at an Oklahoma City Dodgers game, to helping our first-year students move into the dorms, to hopping from spot to spot on campus for meet-and-greets, to… you get it – it’s been an eventful first few months on campus! I’ve been so pleased to get to meet an array of OCU stakeholders, especially our proud alumni. We have more than 45,000 alumni around the world, including many
prominent community and business leaders, lawyers, doctors, nurses, civic leaders, performing arts stars, and changemakers across all walks of life. Many of you once called campus home. I want you to know as I begin my time as part of the OCU family that you can always come home to OCU. If you’re still in the Oklahoma City area, I encourage you to return home by dropping by campus to attend a sporting event, to check out the latest exhibit at the art gallery, to pop in and visit a former professor, or to find a way to mentor our current students. If you’ve settled a little further away,
either in the U.S. or one of the far corners of the world, you can return home by connecting with the OCU Alumni Office, seeing if there’s an alumni chapter where you live, or visiting our alumni website and social media channels. We have a diverse community here at OCU, and our alumni are a big part of that. Wherever you are, know that your success is OCU’s success, and vice versa. So, get connected and be engaged, because together we can continue to make OCU great. Welcome home, alumni!
S I N C E R E LY ,
Fall 2021 1
THE BIG PICTURE
Ceiling of the Meinders School of Business, as viewed from the first floor of the atrium. Photo by Ian Weston
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photo by ______
Photo by _______ Fall 2021 3
A LNUI VMENRI S I T Y U P D A T E U
“ To be a giant is Civil Rights Icon Clara Luper is ‘The Mother, The Giant’ A portrait of civil rights icon Clara Luper that was unveiled in spring 2021 will reside permanently in the University Center’s Shdeed Lounge, school leaders announced. The portrait, titled "The Mother, The Giant," was created by Leondre Lattimore (BA Studio Art ’20), a former Clara Luper Scholar at OCU who returned to campus in April for a dedication ceremony in the Bass Music Center atrium. The ceremony included an address from Marilyn Hildreth, Luper’s daughter, who expressed her appreciation for Lattimore’s work and talked about her mother’s efforts to empower youth. Luper, an advisor for the NAACP Youth Council, led a series of “sit-ins” in the late 1950s and 1960s to protest segregation. “I’m here today because a better day is coming in America,” Hildreth said. “A better day is coming because of you, the young people that are coming behind us. We tried the best that we could. We passed the torch to another generation, and you represent that generation. “Another thing she taught is to believe in the sun, when the sun do not shine, and to believe in the rain, when the rain do not fall, and believe in a God, if you’ve never seen him.”
Cosmos Podcast Shines 4
Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
to create such a lasting impact that your legacy will live forever.” L EO N DR E LAT T IM ORE
Oklahoma City University launched a new podcast over the summer. The first episode of the “Cosmos” podcast was released in July. The podcast is hosted by OCU Law School Marketing Director Chris Cox (BBA ’14, MBA ’17) and OCU Senior Director of Marketing & Communications Nick Trougakos. The hosts entertain students, faculty, alumni, university staff and community members for light-hearted conversations about their roles or connections with OCU. “Cosmos” is available on a variety of podcast streaming services and on the university's YouTube channel.
Starkey Dedication and Memorial University leaders and friends gathered in the spring for an interfaith tree and bench dedication ceremony to celebrate the life of beloved Oklahoma City University professor Dr. John Starkey. At the time of his passing in January 2020, Starkey was the Millhouse Professor of Theology at the Wimberly School of Religion. He had earned numerous honors during his career at OCU, including the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2006, the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award in 2014-15, the Excellence in Teaching Award for Full-Time Faculty in 2009, and Distinguished Honors Professor in 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2012. The tree and bench were dedicated the afternoon of May 6, 2021, at Starkey’s favorite spot on campus, on the Quad adjacent to the Bishop Angie W. Smith Chapel and the Gold Star tower. The ceremony included remarks from former OCU President Martha Burger as well as local religious leaders from several denominations. The ceremony concluded with a rendition of the song “We Shall Overcome,” with lyrics adapted by Starkey himself. The song was performed on guitar by OCU alumnus Kevin Wilkinson (MM Conducting ’18).
Interim Provost Oklahoma City University appointed Dr. Helen Gaudin as interim provost, effective July 1, 2021. Gaudin was previously the associate dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences since 2016 and has been a biology professor for OCU since 2005. She earned her Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “I look forward to working with Dr. Gaudin in continuing our tradition of academic excellence,” said President Kenneth Evans, who also started his new role on July 1. “Her track record as associate dean for Arts and Sciences portends that we’ll be in good hands with her leadership campuswide.” Gaudin succeeded Dr. George Sims, who was appointed to the interim position in July 2019. “We are extremely grateful for Dr. Sims’ services these past two years,” former OCU President Martha Burger said. “He went above and beyond our expectations, guiding our academic programs through a pandemic and other challenges faced by higher education overall. His expertise was exactly what we needed and we appreciate his exceptional work.” A search has begun for a permanent provost.
55 Years
THETA PSI CHAPTER OF KAPPA SIGMA AT OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY
EMERALD ANNIVERSARY
SAVE THE DATE APRIL 1 & 2, 2022
WE WILL CELEBRATE TOGETHER IN OKC. DETAILS AT OCUKAPPASIGMA.COM/55TH. Fall 2021 5
U N I V E R S I T Y U P DAT E
Kitchen 1904 Oklahoma City University celebrated a grand opening for its latest dining option, Kitchen 1904, on Sept. 7. The concept replaces a Chick-fil-A location next to Alvin’s Market on the University Center lower level. Kitchen 1904, named for the founding year of what would become OCU, is a
quick and convenient dining option for students looking for customizable meals made to order. The menu includes items such as custom or standard bowls, hot sandwiches, and sweets like milkshakes. Items can be made to meet many dietary or nutritional needs.
Graduates leave their mark in Gold Star The university inaugurated a new tradition for graduates in May with the launch of the Sign the Gold Star event. In conjunction with commencement weekend, graduating students were allowed to climb the Gold Star Building staircase to sign their name on placards installed on the seventh floor of the tower. Placards were also stationed outside the Gold Star for those not able or not wanting to climb the stairs. 6
Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
Those placards were to be installed on the seventh floor as well. The Oklahoma City University Alumni Association had planned to launch the initiative with the class of 2020, but the start was delayed due to the pandemic. In May, the classes of 2020 and 2021 were invited to take part, with hundreds of graduates making the climb up the tower. Megan Hornbeek Allen, executive director of
alumni engagement, said Sign the Gold Star was envisioned as a way to allow graduates to solidify their mark on campus both figuratively and literally. “We hope this will become a cherished tradition for years to come, and we look forward to generations of OCU students leaving their mark on our campus,” Hornbeek Allen said.
The Ride to OCU President Kenneth Evans on cycling, family, and his return to Oklahoma City.
BY NICK TROU GAKOS
PHOTOS BY IA N W E STON
S TA N L E Y D R A P E R D R I V E W R A P S A B O U T 1 3 M I L E S around its namesake lake in southeast Oklahoma City. Just to the south of Tinker Air Force Base, the road typically sees little traffic. It has uphill climbs and downhill glides. As you travel the pavement, you can find yourself fighting into the Oklahoma wind, or feeling the breeze coax you along from behind. It’s a route Oklahoma City University President Kenneth Evans has lapped hundreds of times on his high-performance road bike. Cycling is a passion – perhaps one of the biggest passions after his sons and grandchildren and his art collection – for Evans. He relates the story of taking almost an hour to begin a routine physical at his doctor’s office because they were both engrossed in a conversation about the most-recent stage at the Tour de France. OCU’s newest president – the school’s 19th – picked up the pastime when he himself was 19, and since has completed numerous 100-mile rides in places all over the country. This includes rides in Missouri, where he keeps a home in Columbia, and in Texas, where he served as president of Lamar University in Beaumont for eight years. The majority of his early-morning rides around Lake Stanley Draper came during Evans’ previous stop in the Oklahoma City metro, when he was business dean at the University of Oklahoma for six years. That stint ended in 2013, when he assumed leadership at Lamar. Fast forward to an August morning this year. Recently installed as
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
Above: President Evans speaks at the 2021 Staff Breakfast.
“ We’re not preparing
students to just know how to function in the now. I want them to function in what can be.” PRESIDENT KENNETH EVANS
president at OCU, Evans returned to Lake Stanley Draper for a reunion ride on his favorite route. The president said he sees such rides as an opportunity to clear his head. “It’s as much a therapeutic event as it is a physical event,” he said. The endurance bike ride also has parallels, Evans said, with running a university. “There is an endurance associated with any role in a leadership capacity,” he said. “There is an element where, as you’re working on initiatives, you have to persist. At the same time, when the elements are working against you, you need to know to get off the bike and re-route and come back and try it again.” There are times when there are significant differences, as well. “I’ve bailed on rides when heavy torrential rains have caught me when I didn’t think they were going to happen, or something else has occurred,” he said. “The difference is, in most cases when I ride, I ride alone. There’s no way in the world that you can do what we do here solo. It’s a team effort, it’s a community engagement, or we’re not going to get where we need to go.”
Evans said he’s already seen evidence of that community engagement in his first few months on campus. Upon his arrival at OCU, he immediately noticed the faculty and staff commitment to student success, he said. As students showed up on campus, “I was just really impressed with their energy and how engaging they were, and the kind of questions they were asking. I found them to be really talented and I was excited about the opportunity to work with them.” Addressing an August luncheon at the Oklahoma City Rotary Club, the president explained one of his goals for working with OCU’s student body. “We must be involved in the creation of knowledge,” Evans said. “We’re not preparing students to just know how to function in the now. I want them to function in what can be. To be able to function in what can be means they have to have the ability to challenge what is. “Ask intelligent questions, build frameworks to investigate it, and then eventually make meaningful differences in transforming the industries they’re involved in.”
Above: President Evans at the OKC Dodgers Baseball game. Below: Evans on a 50-mile bike ride across the Louisiana state line.
Cycling photo provided. Fall 2021 9
President Evans gets ready to throw the first pitch at an OKC Dodgers game.
Return to Oklahoma City Evans’s decision to leave Lamar was influenced by the passing of his wife, Nancy, in 2018, after a battle with cancer. The president said it was difficult to be on the campus without his wife, and each day see all the things the couple had accomplished together. “Serving in a university after your wife has passed away is hard,” Evans said during an on-campus candidate forum in March, before he was selected as president. “It reached a point where I needed to be in a different space.” Fortunately, Evans has a support system in place in Oklahoma City, thanks to friendships formed during his time at the University of Oklahoma. That helped play a role in his decision to accept the president’s position at OCU. “I have some very dear friends here, who I thoroughly enjoy, and it was just great to be able to be back among them and to spend time with them,” he said. “And then this is a heck of a lot closer to my two sons than I was in Beaumont.” He now splits the geographical distance between his boys – it’s about seven hours by car to his younger son, Brian, in New Mexico, and about seven hours to his older son, Paul, and grandchildren in
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
St. Louis. Evans has often quipped that thanks to the grandchildren, 9-year-old Thomas and 5-year-old twins Marion and Peter, that Paul is his favorite son. Besides reuniting with old friends and being closer to family, the president said his return to Oklahoma City has also given him the opportunity to revisit some of his favorite spots, including the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, and the Paseo Arts District. “That was a favorite area of Nancy’s and mine when we were at OU,” he said of the Paseo. “She was an artist and we loved to go up and look at the artists’ studios.” Evans said he’s noticed an uptick in restaurants and nightlife in the Paseo, but also in many of Oklahoma City’s entertainment districts since he left in 2013. “The city’s beautiful,” he told the Rotary Club during his speech there. “It’s incredible what’s transformed here. I’m absolutely stunned.” As Oklahoma City continues this stunning rise, the president now aims to ensure Oklahoma City University can rise alongside it.
“ The extent to which we can play
a role in helping the city address the homeless population I think would be something we would aspire to try to accomplish.” PRESIDENT KENNETH EVANS
President Evans at OKC Rotary Club.
President Evans chats with staff before the staff welcome breakfast.
Students show President Evans how to form the OCU star with his hands.
An Instrumental Role Evans uses words like critical, relevant and instrumental when contemplating the university’s role within the city. The president has pointed out on several occasions one of the drawbacks of the city’s continuing growth: A reckoning with the effects of gentrification – namely an increase in housing prices that is exacerbating the rate of homelessness. He envisions the university playing an active role in addressing this issue, and early in his tenure met with leaders from the Homeless Alliance to find common ground. “We’re a part of this community, we own a consequence of what’s been happening;” Evans said. “The extent to which we can play a role in helping the city address the homeless population I think would be something we would aspire to try to accomplish.” The president also hopes to accomplish – or to continue – one of the university’s strong points: Providing a pipeline of talented professionals to support local and regional business, industry, health care and entertainment. “We are very much instrumental in terms of human resources in this community,” he said, noting that OCU’s law grads fill key roles in local and regional law firms, corporations and nonprofit organizations. The Meinders School of Business “plays an instrumental role in feeding talent into the growth of the business community in Oklahoma City,” and the school’s nursing and health professions programs “play a meaningful role in collaboration with those industries in making a difference with their talent.” The president doesn’t forget to mention OCU’s performing arts programs, or its up-and-coming Game Design & Animation program, which is supporting Oklahoma’s growing movie industry. “What we do in entertainment and our performing arts programs is exceptional,” he said. All this points to OCU being critical to Oklahoma City and the community at large, he said. “We have a vital and important influence on how this city has evolved over the course of time,” Evans said. “There’s every reason why the community ought to participate and take advantage of the amazing talent that is represented here on this campus.”
Move-in day photo by Eric Gomez. Rotary Club photo provided. Fall 2021 11
F A C U LT Y
An Important Voice BY TE RRY PHELPS
I N H I S 2 0 1 3 B O O K “Big League City: Oklahoma City’s Rise to the NBA,” Mayor David Holt (JD ’09) chronicles the city’s recent renaissance. One of the key players in that renaissance in recent years is James Cooper, an OCU adjunct instructor and recipient of OCU’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (’15). Cooper is a member of the City Council and, as Holt says, “is an important voice in our city and speaks for groups that have not historically had a seat at the table. He’s the first openly LGBTQ member of the council, the first non-white member of the council outside of Ward 7. He represents some history in that regard and the transition of the city.” A big factor in the renaissance has been the MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) initiatives, which began in 1993, followed by MAPS 2, MAPS 3, and MAPS 4, to improve life in the city. Mayor Holt says, “Cooper’s leadership on MAPS 4 was valuable in the City Council. He really helped us get to a 9-0 unanimous vote.” MAPS 4 was then approved by city voters with 16 projects, including parks, public transportation, recreation, and centers for youth, seniors, mental health and the homeless. Holt spoke to Cooper’s Arts & Human Values class about the Oklahoma City renaissance. In that class, Cooper tries to make a connection between the arts and life. They watch various movies from different time periods, seeing how they reflect life in those times. They read “Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding…Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-Class Metropolis,” and then watch TV episodes of the documentary “Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance” and compare the Italian renaissance to the Oklahoma City renaissance. Cooper also teaches classes in philosophy, film and English. He says, “I hope students leave my classes understanding the stakes of acquiring knowledge and always being ready to revise knowledge – that life itself might very well be about the pursuit of knowledge, the pursuit of open-mindedness. I want students to understand how to communicate their thoughts, to be able to understand what a liberal arts education is. To read, write and think so someone can’t pull the wool over their eyes. To understand that education is lifelong.” Novelist and MFA instructor Lou Berney says, “James was a terrific student. His creative thesis for me was a literary crime novel based on the Oklahoma City steakhouse murders of the 1970s. His fiction is hugely ambitious and also – a rare combination – beautifully executed. And he’s one of those writers (also rare) with a genuinely open mind, a strong desire to learn and get better. Those valuable qualities have also served him exceptionally well in his life of public service.”
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photos by Ian Weston
“ Cooper’s
leadership on MAPS 4 was valuable in the City Council. He really helped us get to a 9-0 unanimous vote.” O KC M AYOR DAV ID HOLT (J D '09 )
Former MFA classmate Mark Stewart, OCU adjunct English instructor, praises Cooper’s involvement in their classes. “In workshops he had so many ideas that elevated everything about wider issues that all tied into what we were talking about,” Stewart said. “It was like he threw a line out and reeled in all these interesting ideas and brought them into the pond with us. James always brings all of himself to whatever happens, and he totally engages in it and adds to the tapestry. Always had perceptive ideas in discussions.” Cooper has championed several causes on the City Council. He authored a resolution for six public safety proposals, which passed unanimously. His experience as a teacher in a low-income middle school inspired him to promote the MAPS 4 youth centers to provide after-school and summer programs in arts, athletics, family, health and education. As a trustee of the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority, he strongly endorsed the upcoming rapid transit system, which will go from downtown to the Northwest Expressway and Meridian Avenue. This NW Bus Rapid Transit (NWBRT) will travel along Classen Boulevard near OCU and provide students easier access to points all across the city. Working with Mayor Holt, Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon, and the Embark public transit authority, Cooper ensured MAPS 4 funds for two additional BRTs, which would prioritize expanding and connecting the upcoming NWBRT to Northeast and South Oklahoma City. Cooper is very visible in mass media. In a 2018 New York Times video on Oklahoma politics, Cooper talks about lack of communication between political parties, and he extols the nonpartisan election of City Council members as the video shows him campaigning for City Council and talking with voters at their homes about their concerns. In the Huffington Post he had an article, “An
Oklahoma Perspective on Tornado Alley,” in which he discusses the “Oklahoma Standard” – resilience in the face of adversity – demonstrated after the 1999 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, as countless people and organizations volunteered, contributed and supported victims, similar to the Murrah Building bombing of 1995. “We help because that’s who Oklahomans are,” Cooper said. “We are a resilient folk. It’s our DNA, from the Native peoples who first settled this land to the Dust Bowl to this very moment. We stare horror in the face, and we persevere because we know that the skies will clear again. That’s what being an Okie is all about.” He has published frequently in the Oklahoma Gazette, including articles about the history of the Oklahoma City LGBT community, about the LGBT Pride Festival, about the Keystone XL fuel pipeline, and about Oklahoma’s Promise, a program for students from families with income under $60,000 to earn college tuition scholarships. When he first ran for City Council, the Oklahoma Gazette published an article about Cooper, in which he says, “I believe that my base is young people, LGBT folks, senior citizens, women, African Americans, young professionals, all types of people. Maybe I’m being just too optimistic, but I think we are all invested in this city’s future, no matter the demographic, and I relate to them all.” Cooper’s perspective about the diversity of his constituency is reflected in comments by Mayor Holt that Cooper “still tries to find common ground rather than have it be an antagonistic fight between different groups. He recognizes that in recent decades Oklahoma City’s political culture has best succeeded when people work together and set aside things that divide them. And even though he's passionate about many things, he still recognizes that the people he represents are not going to see better outcomes unless he is willing to sometimes accept incremental progress.”
Fall 2021 13
STUDE NTS
“ Of all the other
programs I’ve considered, none has offered this much flexibility, and their support for students is unmatched.” RACHAEL BACHHOFER
In a test of mettle, nurses continue to learn BY R O D JONES
D E S P I T E T H E P A N D E M I C , and in a way somewhat fueled by it, two students in the Kramer School of Nursing are forging ahead with their educational plans in a field that is seeing many of its ranks leaving the trade amidst stressful times for the health care industry. Jack Lethermon, a nurse in the Psychiatric Mental Health DNP track, and Rachael Bachhofer, a nurse/professor/student working her way through the DNP completion program, are both working as nurses while expanding their education, albeit on completely different paths. Lethermon works at a post-acute specialty hospital in Tulsa. He carpools with a fellow classmate to OCU on Wednesdays for his inperson classes and does the rest of the coursework from home. Bachhofer is a travelling nurse working in Providence, Rhode Island, with plans to work somewhere in the Pacific Northwest before returning home to Oklahoma to teach in January. Both appreciate the flexibility provided by KSN in these uncertain times while they help in the fight against the pandemic. “The instructors at Kramer (School of Nursing) have been so
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photo by Candice Black
understanding of what we’re going through, and they’re willing to work with us on our deadlines so we can keep doing our jobs while taking classes,” Bachhofer said. “Of all the other programs I’ve considered, none has offered this much flexibility, and their support for students is unmatched.” Lethermon has had a similar experience. “You can tell the staff and professors really care about their students’ success,” he said. “Dr. Crawford (Gina, currently the interim dean at KSN) made me feel comfortable about joining the program and convinced me it would be manageable, so I went for it.” As a veteran of the Army Reserves, Lethermon ultimately would like to work at a Veterans Administration site. He will complete his clinical work at the Muscogee Creek Nation Hospital. Lethermon said he started college late, spending most of his posthigh school days in the oil and gas field. He credits his high school health teacher as an inspiration to get into health care. He has since paid forward that inspiration to serve onto his own children – three are nurses and one is a police officer.
“ It’s hard to watch as families can’t be there in
person. So nurses are called to be more present as a source of comfort. ”
JACK LETHERMON
Bachhofer went to college after high school, graduating with a BSN in 2018, with a minor in child advocacy. She continued her educational pursuits to earn a master’s degree in nursing education last year. If there’s one thing more concerning than the shortage of nurses, industry leaders might say it’s the shortage of nursing educators. Bachhofer has taught at three universities and plans to continue teaching at two of those once she returns to Oklahoma early next year. Meanwhile, she and her fiancé, also a nurse, decided in February that it was time for a change in scenery. They loaded up their 100-square-foot camper and set off on a stint of travel nursing, where they work with an agent to obtain temporary employment in a part of the country of their choosing. As one would expect, the work is hard to do but easy to find. They worked in Texas before heading up to the Northeast. Bachhofer said the experience working at multiple hospitals has provided an education of its own, as they’ve been able to add different techniques and ideas to their repertoire along the way.
The pandemic has caused a seismic shift in many aspects of the job. It has offered an early use of skills that Lethermon hopes to use more of within his chosen profession – to be a bedside beacon of comfort for patients who need it most. “When it first hit we were really busy, but we thought we’d be in and out of it in a few months. As we now know, that’s not the case,” Lethermon noted. “It’s hard to watch as families can’t be there in person. So, nurses are called to be more present as a source of comfort. We’re also called upon to talk to family members via phone about their loved one’s condition. Anything we can do to put the family at ease.” Lethermon said the psychiatric nurse practitioner role puts him in a better situation for a prolonged nursing career. “The great thing about nursing is there are lots of different ways to work to suit your needs and abilities – consulting, home health, hospice care, so many more. I love talking with people and have always wished I could have more time bedside.”
Photo by Josh Robinson
Fall 2021 15
ALUMNI
A Master in Adventures BY AP RIL MARC IS ZE W S K I
“I seemed to always pick a time to go visit a job where there was a coup about to happen or there was a flare-up.” DA LE B ENNETT
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At 75, Dale Bennett still has a bucket list. He and his late wife, Marilynn, traveled “all over Europe, Canada, Mexico, South America, China. Never did make Australia and New Zealand — they’re still on my bucket list.” In January, Bennett embarked on another life goal: earning a master’s degree. He moved back to Oklahoma City from Dallas to attend his alma mater, Oklahoma City University. “The thing that really caught my attention was the new program in fraud and forensic accounting,” he said. “My goal is to finish it in the next two years so I can graduate at the same time my oldest grandson graduates from OSU,” he said. His grandson has already suggested a photo of the pair in graduation robes. In 1968, Bennett completed his bachelor’s in accounting. Back then, tight-knit business classes met in barracks where the Freede Wellness and Activity Center is now. Bennett got married between his junior and senior years and went to work for the prestigious Arthur Andersen accounting firm after graduation. After a couple of years, he realized he was giving advice as a consultant that companies didn’t take to heart, so he went into industry as a controller to “do the things that I thought needed to be done,” he said. When he got bored with that work, he followed the itch to travel, accepting a job as controller that sent him to Iraq, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa in the mid-1970s. “I seemed to always pick a time to go visit a job where there was a coup about to happen or there was a flare-up,” he said. “I was 25 at the time. It was a really interesting and fun experience because I wasn’t old enough to know better.” In Lagos, Nigeria, he’d sit outside the fence of the compound where he was staying, having drinks and watching soldiers go by in almost a formality of passing the leadership torch. He waited two months for the coup to play out before he could return home to his wife and children. “It wasn’t so much the problem of being trapped but the problem of not communicating,” he said. “The only way to place a long-distance call was to go to the telephone company, find the operator, give her a gift, and sit and wait for the call to be connected, which generally took some number of hours.” In Iraq, he recalled seeing an armed person at every major intersection, but feeling safe in the city at latenight restaurants. “We walked all over Baghdad at 1 or 2 in the morning.”
Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photos by Ian Weston
“I think it probably made me more independent and a bit more intellectually curious,” Bennett said. “One of the things I wanted to do was make sure I got all the grandkids to Europe before they started college. I think it’s really good for them to see the world’s a little bit different than Oklahoma City or Dallas.” “Dale has always been very enthusiastic about whatever he’s doing,” said his longtime friend Gary Weed of Oklahoma City. “He was very successful in moving up the corporate ladder. He’s bright, intelligent and honest.” Weed and James Seikel, of Edmond, both met Bennett in junior high. They kept up over the years when Bennett visited family in Oklahoma, they and their wives traveled together extensively over the past 10 to 15 years, and now with Bennett back in town, they meet for lunch several times a week. “Dale is just a really unusual guy,” Seikel said. “What you see is what you get. He’s even-tempered. The Dale you know today is the Dale I knew five years ago and 50 years ago. He’s one of the smarter people that I know, and I know some pretty smart people. He uses 100% of what he’s got. He’s just a remarkable guy. He’s pretty much an expert on everything, as far as I know.” Earlier this fall at lunch, the trio discussed forensic accounting and an ammonia scam from the 1950s, Seikel said. “Dale went home and researched it, and in two days, he knew more than I know about it.” In the late ’70s, when cable TV was beginning to proliferate, Bennett began working in communications, helping build cable TV in Houston, along with three radio stations and a TV station. He went on to work for Telecommunications, Inc., the world’s largest cable TV company at the time, and essentially operated a freestanding business regionally, with his own budget and staff. He was recruited by a hedge fund to take a company through bankruptcy. They turned that into Suddenlink Communications and started buying cable systems all over the country, he said. And for several years, he served as president and CEO of Classic Communications Corp., a cable TV company in Tyler, Texas, serving 350,000 people in 300 communities and nine states. “I enjoyed challenges, so that’s why I moved from market to market or assignment to assignment every two or three years. Once you move to a particular marketplace, that market and that operation usually has problems, and it’s fun to spend a couple of years trying to solve those problems.”
“ ... He’s just a remarkable guy.
He’s pretty much an expert on everything, as far as I know.”
JAM ES SEIK EL
When his wife, Marilynn, was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, Bennett decided to retire and spend time with her. They moved to Lake Texoma in southern Oklahoma, where Marilynn’s sister and brother-in-law had retired, and operated a ranch on about 1,000 acres. Bennett had lived on a ranch in northwestern Oklahoma until he was 10, and even when the family moved to Oklahoma City, his father kept several dozen acres on the edge of town. Bennett didn’t appreciate it at the time, but he remembers rolling out of bed at 5 a.m. on Saturdays as a teenager to feed cattle, fix fences or otherwise handle that week’s chores. As an adult in Texas, he appreciated the outdoors so much, he became a North Texas Master Naturalist, restoring prairies and volunteering in state parks.
Weed thinks the master’s degree at OCU may be a new beginning for Bennett, after his wife died four years ago. “He doesn’t need the feather in his cap,” Weed said. “He’s a curious person, and he enjoys doing the work.” Bennett said he never wants to stop learning. “It’s a little bit difficult to not dominate discussions in class. I think I’ve learned that lesson,” he said. “That, and I’ve learned, unfortunately, that my short-term memory is not nearly what it was 50 years ago. Quizzes are harder. The technology is challenging. Those are the major challenges. But it’s much more fun than it is challenging.”
Fall 2021 17
GIVING
A Lifetime of Service Leads to a Family Legacy BY JA NA STEELM AN
JoAnn and Burrel McNaught at their home in Oklahoma City.
“ I F E E L G R AT E F U L F O R W H AT O C U H A S D O N E F O R U S as individuals and for our families,” Burrel McNaught said. His wife, JoAnn, explains, “We both went to OCU on scholarships, as did our daughter and granddaughter. Without those it would have been very difficult. Impossible.” Originally from El Reno, Oklahoma, Burrel and JoAnn McNaught grew up in the Methodist church. “The church has always been an integral part of our lives,” Burrel said. After attending El Reno Junior College (now Redlands Community College), Burrel was on a path to the ministry and his pastor recommended OCU. While he only attended OCU his sophomore year, 1951-52, he said it was a very special year in his life, “I remember it very well and was very grateful for it.” JoAnn followed Burrel on a similar path just one year later. The couple married in 1953 and JoAnn graduated from OCU with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education the following year. Although a career opportunity at the First United Methodist Church in Edmond called Burrel to Central State University (now University of Central Oklahoma), where he later graduated, he said that OCU “has always been my school.”
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photos provided by the McNaught family
“
We both went to OCU on scholarships, as did our daughter and granddaughter. Without those it would have been very difficult. Impossible.” JOA NN M CNAU GH T
Burrel went on to graduate from Southern Methodist University’s School of Theology and spent 41 years as a Methodist minister in the Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church, including serving as district superintendent for the Clinton District. JoAnn also spent much of her career serving the Oklahoma Conference, starting out as the assistant director of the Annual Conference Council. After going back to school to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, JoAnn became a CPA and returned to work at the conference office. She later became the first woman and the first non-clergy to serve as conference treasurer, retiring in 2006. OCU recognized JoAnn's years of leadership with the Bishop Paul W. Milhouse Award in 2008. During their careers, JoAnn and Burrel each served on the OCU Board of Trustees. Burrel recalls the opportunity to help raise money for the school during an especially challenging financial time. On a visit to Okeene, Oklahoma, he helped connect Owen Wimberly, manager of the Okeene Milling Company, with former OCU President Jerald Walker, which led to a significant gift that established OCU’s Wimberly School of Religion. “We’ve always been advocates of OCU,” Burrel said. One could argue that the McNaughts’ passion for OCU is inherent. Daughter Sally (McNaught) Kilby says she always knew she was going to attend OCU. “Growing up as the daughter of a Methodist minister, I knew that OCU was very important to my parents, and I loved it as well,” Kilby said. In 1985, on the same day Kilby graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, OCU awarded her father with an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity. Kilby’s youngest daughter and Burrel and JoAnn’s granddaughter, Emily (Kilby) Schwartzman, also followed in the family’s footsteps, graduating from OCU in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. “My parents truly established a legacy of leadership for our family,” Kilby said. However, the McNaught tradition at OCU is just getting started. Now retired, Burrel and JoAnn McNaught say they plan to continue giving back with their resources so they can help provide other families with the opportunity to attend OCU. In fact, the couple has designated a portion of their estate to support their alma mater, ensuring the McNaught legacy will continue for years to come.
Above: Sally Kilby (’86) and her parents, JoAnn and Burrel McNaught, attend OCU’s commencement in 2016. Below: Mike and Sally Kilby (’86) celebrate OCU graduation with their daughter, Emily Schwartzman, in 2016.
To learn more about designating a portion of your estate to OCU, visit oculegacy.org or contact Alan Herndon at 405-208-5454 or adherndon@okcu.edu.
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AT H L E T I C S
VERIFIED & RECOGNIZED
The Champion of Champions BY R I C H TO RTO R EL L I
“ Jim Abbott's service to OCU, the Sooner Athletic Conference and to the NAIA
has been absolutely remarkable. His many contributions to collegiate athletics over the last 19 years should be celebrated and archived as a model for small-college administrators.” – JOHN MARTIN, SOONER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photos by Ian Weston
19
years as OCU athletic director
48
national championships
3
Learfield Sports Director's Cups
JIM ABBOTT HAS ANNOUNCED HIS PLANS TO retire as Oklahoma City University athletic director in December, bringing his 19-year career as the leader of one of the nation's top athletic programs to a close. The OCU Stars have flourished during Abbott's tenure, capturing 48 team national championships, including at least one team national championship every year. Abbott has endeavored to provide a championship experience for Oklahoma City student-athletes athletically, academically and socially. Abbott has worked in athletics and higher education administration for the past 30 years, including a previous stint at OCU as assistant athletic director from 1991-94. "Jim Abbott has created a legacy of excellence here at Oklahoma City University, evidenced not only by the banners that hang inside our gymnasium, but by the success our student-athletes experience in the classroom and beyond," said Dr. Kenneth Evans, OCU president. "On the competitive side, he has helped elevate OCU athletics to one of the top NAIA programs in the nation. The campus community will always be appreciative of that, and we all wish him well in his upcoming retirement." In competition, Oklahoma City has achieved sustained success during Abbott's tenure including capturing the Learfield Sports Director's Cup on three occasions. Throughout Abbott's time as athletic director, the Stars have placed in the top 15 of the Directors' Cup rankings every year, a measure of the overall success of the OCU athletic department. "I'm so grateful to Oklahoma City University for the support and opportunities that have been provided me the past 19 years," Abbott said. "I've been blessed to work with outstanding administrators, coaches and remarkable student-athletes that were driven to achieve. I'm awfully proud of what we have accomplished over the years, and I know that the best is yet to come for OCU." Abbott was recognized twice as the NAIA National Athletic Director of the Year (2008-09, 2016-17), three-times as the Under Armour Central Region Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) (2010, '15 and '18) and has been named the Sooner Athletic Conference Athletic Director of the Year on six occasions, most recently in 2018-19. Abbott gained induction into the OCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017-18. In the classroom, OCU student-athletes have thrived during Abbott's tenure achieving an annual cumulative grade-point average above a 3.0 each year. In 2020-21, OCU student-athletes achieved their highest combined GPA of the past 10 years (3.33). OCU student-athletes and coaches have annually demonstrated a commitment to community service. Among these efforts is the department's annual food drive, an ongoing effort that has delivered 128,453 non-perishable food items to the community since 2007. Abbott is a member of the NAIA Membership Committee, Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Executive Council, chairman of the
2
NAIA National Athletic Director of the Year awards
128,453
items collected during annual food drives
NAIA Hall of Fame selection committee, member of the Greater Oklahoma City Sports Consortium, and a board member for Chi Alpha Sigma national student-athlete honor society. Abbott has previously served as president of the NAIA Athletic Directors Association, as a member of the NAIA Athletic Director's Association board of directors, as a member of the NACDA executive committee, and as a member of the NAIA National Administrative Council. Abbott has been a panelist and presenter at numerous NAIA and NACDA conventions. Abbott has overseen the growth of the OCU athletic department through the implementation of several new sports on campus. OCU has added men's and women's cross country and track and field, volleyball, men's and women's rowing, men's and women's wrestling, competitive cheerleading, competitive pom/dance and STUNT under Abbott's guidance, bringing OCU's athletic offerings to 22 varsity intercollegiate programs. Abbott's tenure has also seen new facilities and renovations for OCU baseball, soccer and wrestling, including the Ann Lacy Softball Stadium, the Devon Boathouse, the Knight Strength and Conditioning Facility and the Jim Wade Athletic Office Suite. Abbott spearheads efforts of the Champions Club, OCU's athletic booster club, and the department's largest annual fundraising event, the Sports Spectacular dinner and auction. Abbott earned a master of science degree in sports administration from the University of Oklahoma and bachelor's degrees in business administration and physical education from Huntingdon (Alabama) College. Fall 2021 21
AT H L E T I C S
Basketball & Blessings BY AUBRIE BOW LAN
Growing up in the rural area of Waurika, Oklahoma, Dennis Jeter just wanted to play basketball with the big kids. The 6-mile trek that separated his house from the game never stopped him – he had a horse. Now, Jeter looks back at his time at Oklahoma City University and sees how much his passion for basketball and sheer determination led him to where he is today. “The attitude of bettering yourself, learning, preparing yourself for a better life and teamwork all came from my time at OCU,” he said. These life lessons didn’t come without sacrifice, though. Coach Doyle Parrack, who was the men’s basketball head coach at the time, was a tough leader. “If you even looked like you were going to talk back, he’d tell you to get on the stairs until he told you to stop,” Jeter said. “We learned discipline and respect, but there was so much more we learned on the basketball court that you can’t even describe.” After serving in the U.S. Navy, Jeter came to OCU to begin his Bachelor of Science in Business Management. He had learned the value of tithing and giving back to the community at an early age, and these practices became ingrained into his daily life. When he graduated in 1957, Jeter continued to pursue his love for basketball, officiating college games and leaving behind a legacy. The former Big 8 Conference had two referees from each state, and at 28
years old, he became the youngest official in the conference. Jeter credits Coach Parrack and Coach Abe Lemons with his basketball successes, noting that Lemons told him he would never make it in college officiating, inadvertently inspiring Jeter to prove him wrong. Parrack had been responsible for awarding him with a nearly full-ride scholarship, allowing Jeter to stay closer to home. One year before the beloved coach’s passing, members of the 1957-58 team, led by Jeter, campaigned to name the clock tower on the Meinders School of Business after him. The Doyle Parrack Clock Tower now stands as a reminder of the impact and camaraderie of the coach’s basketball family. Lyndon Lee, a teammate of Jeter’s and second team All-American, nominated Jeter for the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1978. Lee, Jeter, and teammate Larry Bradshaw all named their children after each other. “That’s how close we were and are,” Jeter said. The close friends who once spent every day on the basketball court together now gather twice a year to keep in touch. Jeter also maintains his ties to OCU by treating various teams to dinner when games in the Sooner Athletic Conference bring them to the Dallas area. He said he doesn’t ever want an OCU team “crossing the Red River hungry.” Jeter’s philanthropic interests have always included keeping kids on the straight and narrow and making sure everyone gets
Cheer National Champions BY R I C H TO RTO R EL L I
“This has been a trying year, and these student-athletes haven't let any of the obstacles stop them from reaching their goal.” Oklahoma City University won the 2021 NAIA competitive cheerleading championship in Iowa in March. The Stars boasted the top overall score of 91.53 in the twoday event. Oklahoma City collected its fourth NAIA competitive cheerleading title.
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
Oklahoma City has now won NAIA cheer crowns in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2021. The win gave the university its 70th national championship in all sports. Additionally, OCU continued its run of excellence by taking at least one national title for the 28th consecutive year, dating back to 1993-94.
“ ... I’m constantly reminded
that you don’t know about tomorrow because you have no promise of tomorrow.”
an education, he said. He formed a nonprofit, Christian Scholarships, in 1971 that established a newspaper recycling program for 16 churches. The program handled 1 million pounds of paper and generated $25,000 for the participating churches’ youth programs. Additionally, Jeter provided funds and necessary materials to many students entering their college years, paying forward the kindness and help he received when making his own educational journey. Now owner of Jeter & Son Funeral Home, Jeter reflects on a music appreciation course at OCU as his most influential class because it prepared him to marry a music major. Although his wife and business partner, Cheree, passed away early this year after a long fight with dementia, Jeter said she’s still inspiring him to be a better man. Since the funeral home’s beginning more than 20 years ago, the family has credited God as the real owner of the business. “Being in the funeral business at 88 years old, I’m constantly reminded that you don’t know about tomorrow because you have no promise of tomorrow,” Jeter said. “It’s wonderful to look back and see how the Lord has blessed me, and that makes me all the more thankful.”
"I'm so excited to be bringing the title back to Oklahoma City," OCU cheer coach Alicia Bailey said. "This has been a trying year, and these student-athletes haven't let any of the obstacles stop them from reaching their goal." The Stars captured the national championship with a finals performance that garnered a score of 91.95. OCU held off St. Ambrose (Iowa), who finished with a 91.11 overall score. The Stars posted the best overall score since the NAIA began fully sponsoring its national cheerleading competition in 2017. OCU turned in a score of 92.67 to win the 2014 national title. "There was a lot of pressure on them to hit every skill perfectly, but they handled it great and had an amazing performance," Bailey said. Four teams finished with overall scores of 90 or better. Scores are tabulated by taking both the preliminary round score (25 percent of final total) and the final-round score (75 percent of final total). "It was a great competition," Bailey said. "We are very grateful for
the opportunity to compete and have the championship after it got canceled last year. Despite not having fans in the arena, there was still great energy given from all the teams to each other during performances." OCU finished as national runner-up in 2018 and 2019. The Stars had traveled to Davenport, Iowa, for the 2020 NAIA Championships, but on the day before the scheduled start of the event on March 12, 2020 the NAIA called off its winter championships due to the onset of the pandemic caused by COVID-19. "This team has used the cancellation of last year's championship and all the trials they have been through this year to create a special bond with each other," Bailey said. "They are the definition of a great team and are always there for one another. I believe that has played a big role in their success this year." The Stars own nine National Cheerleaders Association championships in addition to their four NAIA cheer titles. Photo by Chris Maxon Fall 2021 23
BOOKS
“Opal’s Greenwood Oasis” BY NA JA H-AM ATU LLA H H YLTON (ALUMN I NON-D EG REE 20 0 6-0 9)
The year is 1921, and Opal Brown would like to show you around her beautiful neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Filled with busy stores and happy families, Opal also wants you to know that “everyone looks like me.” In both words and illustrations, this carefully researched and historically accurate book allows children to experience the joys and success of Greenwood, one of the most prosperous Black communities of the early 20th century, an area Booker T. Washington dubbed “America’s Black Wall Street.” Soon after the day that was narrated by Opal, Greenwood would be lost in the Tulsa Race Massacre, the worst act of racial violence in American history. In the centennial of that tragic event, children have the opportunity through this book to learn and celebrate all that was built in Greenwood. A U T H O R ’ S P I C K : “I am currently reading ‘Children of Virtue and Vengeance’ by Tomi Adeyemi. It is the sequel to ‘Children of Blood and Bone,’ a beautiful African jujuist coming-of-age story about traditional beliefs and powers that people of fantasy Nigeria thought were extinct but are not. The novels are written for young adults and they feature growth, family, culture, friendship, faith, love and more. Fantasy and science fiction of the Black diaspora are my favorites because of the ways they imagine Black people thriving in their beauty and power beyond the colonizer's gaze.”
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Hylton
“Lying in the Middle: Musical Theater and Belief at the Heart of America” BY M US I C O LO GY PR O F ES S O R JA K E J O HN S O N
The local and regional shows staged throughout America use musical theater’s inherent power of deception to cultivate worldviews opposed to mainstream ideas. Jake Johnson reveals how musical theater between the coasts inhabits the middle spaces between professional and amateur, urban and rural, fact and fiction, fantasy and reality, and truth and falsehood. The homegrown musical provides a space to engage belief and religion — imagining a better world while creating opportunities to expand what is possible in the current one. Whether it is the Oklahoma Senior Follies or a Mormon splinter group’s production of “The Sound of Music,” such productions give people a chance to jolt themselves out of today’s post-truth malaise and move toward a world more in line with their desires for justice, reconciliation and community. Vibrant and strikingly original, “Lying in the Middle” discovers some of the most potent musical theater taking place in the hoping, beating hearts of Americans. A U T H O R ’ S P I C K : “I just finished David Grann's ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ which is a jaw-dropping true crime story about a largely forgotten set of murders in Osage County during the 1920s. On a much lighter note, I've also been enjoying Rita Felski's book ‘Hooked: Art and Attachment.’ It may seem a given, but loving and believing in the art we create and write about can be a challenge for both scholars and artists. Felski's book models a humane and lasting relationship with the work that many of us keep so close to ourselves.”
Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Book descriptions largely provided by the authors and publishers
Johnson
“Walking Through Needles” BY H EATHER LEV Y (MFA C REATIVE W RITI N G ’1 7)
From an early age, Sam Mayfair knew she was different. Like any young girl, she developed infatuations and lust ― but her desires were always tinged with darkness. Then, when Sam was 16, her life was shattered by an abuser close to her. And she made one shocking decision whose ramifications would reverberate throughout her life. Now, 15 years later, Sam learns that her abuser has been murdered. The death of the man who plagued her dreams for years should have put an end to the torture she's endured. But when her stepbrother, Eric, becomes the prime suspect, Sam is flung back into the hell of her rural Oklahoma childhood. As Sam tries to help exonerate Eric, she must hide terrifying truths of their past from investigators. Yet as details of the murder unravel, Sam quickly learns that some people, including herself, will do anything to keep their secrets buried deep. A U T H O R ’ S P I C K : “I’ve read several outstanding books so far this year, but there are some standouts, including P.J. Vernon's twisty gay thriller ‘Bath Haus’ and S.A. Cosby's brutal yet sensitive ‘Razorblade Tears,’ both of which have received rave reviews. I also recently read Laura McHugh's ‘What’s Done in Darkness,’ which made my gothic noir-loving heart sing, and Zakiya Dalila Harris's fantastic, ominous debut ‘The Other Black Girl,’ which I would be shocked if it's not on the big screen soon. And Cynthia Pelayo's ‘Children of Chicago’ is a book I still think about after reading it during the spring. I've never read anything like it — a combination of horror, police procedural, and dark fairy tales wrapped into a ball of insane intensity. Currently, I’m reading a YA book my 15-year-old daughter read and recommended, Holly Jackson’s ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,’ which is proving to be a fun, unpredictable read. Plus, it allows me to have a mini book club with my teen.”
Levy
“The Removed"
Hobson
BY B R A N DO N HO B S O N ( B A EN G L I S H ’ 9 2 )
In the 15 years since their teenage son, Ray-Ray, was killed in a police shooting, the Echota family has been suspended in private grief. The mother, Maria, increasingly struggles to manage the onset of Alzheimer’s in her husband, Ernest. Their adult daughter, Sonja, leads a life of solitude, punctuated only by spells of dizzying romantic obsession. And their son, Edgar, fled home long ago, turning to drugs to mute his feelings of alienation. With the family’s annual bonfire approaching — an occasion marking both the Cherokee National Holiday and Ray-Ray’s death, and a rare moment in which they openly talk about his memory — Maria attempts to call the family together from their physical and emotional distances once more. But as the bonfire draws near, each of them feels a strange blurring of the boundary between normal life and the spirit world. Maria and Ernest take in a foster child who seems to almost miraculously keep Ernest’s mental fog at bay. Sonja becomes dangerously fixated on a man named Vin, despite — or perhaps because of — his ties to tragedy in her lifetime and lifetimes before. And in the wake of a suicide attempt, Edgar finds himself in the mysterious Darkening Land: a place between the living and the dead, where old atrocities echo. Drawing deeply on Cherokee folklore, “The Removed” seamlessly blends the real and spiritual to excavate the deep reverberations of trauma — a meditation on family, grief, home, and the power of stories on both a personal and ancestral level.
Fall 2021 25
ALUMNI
In Memory 26
Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
Nancy C. Gaines Feb. 5, 1942–June 2, 2021 Nancy Ruth (Stogner) Coley Gaines passed away June 2, 2021, in Edmond, Oklahoma. Nancy was born Feb. 5, 1942, in Lawton, Oklahoma, to Paul Mason Stogner and Ruth Maxine (Hamble) Stogner. The family moved from Temple, Oklahoma, to Enid, Oklahoma, in 1948. Nancy was an OCU alumna and taught a course in title examination at the law school. She was a graduate of Enid High School in 1960. Nancy attended Oklahoma State University and was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. In 1962 she transferred to Oklahoma City University, where she attained her Bachelor of Science degree in education. She taught in the business education department at Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City from 1964 to 1968. While teaching, she attended the OCU School of Law at night and attained her juris doctorate in January 1969. Nancy began her legal career in 1973 as a title examiner for the Commissioners of the Land Office (School Land Commission of the State of Oklahoma). She was a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association. On December 16, 1977, Nancy married Paul Gordon Gaines in Oklahoma City. At the time of her death they had been married more than 43 years. In 1977 Nancy was affiliated with American Guaranty Title Company and opened the first lawyer-based real estate closing company in Edmond, Oklahoma, while continuing a private practice. She later created Consolidated Closing & Escrow Services in Edmond, which merged with Capital Abstract & Title Company in 1990.
Nancy enjoyed her involvement with the Edmond Genealogical Society, serving as secretary for many years. She created several books on family histories and genealogies on her own family and her husband.
During her association in the real estate closing business, she often was a speaker at the Edmond Board of Realtors and an instructor in continuing education. She enjoyed helping new real estate agents in legal matters and was always available to give advice or counsel without charge. In 1993, she left the closing company and opened a private practice of law in Edmond. During this time, she assisted Jelsma Abstract Company in Guthrie, Oklahoma, in establishing a real estate closing service. Nancy retired from practice in 2004. Nancy enjoyed her involvement with the Edmond Genealogical Society, serving as secretary for many years. She created several books on family histories and genealogies on her own family and her husband. Shortly after their marriage, they discovered that their families both came from Taylor, Mississippi (south of Oxford). They took several trips in Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and Oklahoma, discovering their families and history. They also enjoyed traveling throughout these states in search of antiques and collectibles. They had an extensive collection of Roseville and Rumrill potteries. Nancy was also a member of the First Christian Church of Edmond (Disciples), having moved her membership from Central Christian Church in Enid, where she participated in several Bible studies and enjoyed her many friends in her Sunday School class. Nancy loved animals and throughout her lifetime she and Paul adopted many dogs and cats from shelters or that appeared on their doorstep.
Fall 2021 27
IN MEMORY
Mary Lee (Haury) Moon June 13, 1931–March 12, 2021 Mary Lee (Haury) Moon, 89, of Oklahoma City, departed this earth March 12, 2021, to be with her husband, and the love of her life, Jack Moon, who preceded her in death by six days. She was an accompanist for many music majors at Oklahoma City University.
Mary was born on June 13, 1931, to Harry Robert and Nelle Wyatt (Holloway) Haury in Sabetha, Kansas. She grew up and attended school in southeast Kansas, graduating from Labette County Community High School in 1949. She then earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Kansas. During her time at the University of Kansas she was involved in numerous performances and tours with the university choral group. Following graduation, she was offered a position touring with the Robert Shaw Chorale, but opted to get married and start a family instead. While raising a family she continued her love of
Charles Cahill
Jerry Monte Black
Feb. 23, 1933–June 19, 2021
June 4, 1942–March 27, 2021
Charles Cahill, 88, passed away June 19, 2021, following injuries sustained in a car accident. His family was at his bedside. Charles was born Feb. 23, 1933, in El Reno, Oklahoma. Charles was a chemistry professor at Oklahoma City University from 1961 to 1971, at times serving as chair of the department. After high school he received a basketball scholarship to Oklahoma Baptist University, where he pursued a major in chemistry. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Oklahoma. He married Dortha in 1953. After leaving OCU in 1971, Charles moved his family to Wilmington, North Carolina, to become the vice chancellor and provost at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. He was an integral part of building the athletic and academic programs. He was an avid fisherman and golfer, and he loved animals.
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music through performances with various church and community choral societies. Later she applied her talent for playing piano to accompany her children during music contests and also as a professional accompanist at OCU and Central State University. She continued to perform with several of those students into their professional careers. She passed on to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren her talents and love for music and was deeply loved by all.
Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
Jerry Monte Black, former religion professor for Oklahoma City University, was born June 4, 1942, in Carmi, Illinois, the son of Ray D. and Cathryn June (Cumiford) Black. He went to be with his Lord at his home on Silver Lake on March 27, 2021. Jerry was raised in Oklahoma City, where he graduated from Putnam City High School in 1960. He went on to graduate from Oklahoma State University, where he was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and a wrestling all-star. During the Vietnam War he served in the U.S. Army. Jerry followed his father into the insurance business, owning a State Farm Insurance agency until his death. Jerry earned a master's degree in divinity and theological studies from Phillip's University. He became a teacher of theology at OCU and used his knowledge working on archaeological digs in Caesarea, Israel.
Erin Robbins Farmer April 21, 1964–May 2, 2021 After a courageous and hard-fought battle with ovarian cancer, Erin Robbins Farmer left this Earth on May 2, 2021. Erin graduated from Oklahoma City University in 1986 with a performing arts degree and later returned to teach. She danced her way into the world on April 21, 1964. When Erin was just 3 years old, she learned to write and let everyone know, “I want to be a dancer.” She began dancing at her mom’s studio, Dance, Etc., then moved to cheerleading and drill team in high school. She graduated from Richardson High School in Texas in 1982 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in performing arts, cum laude, from OCU. Erin was also a member of the Beta Omicron chapter of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority while at OCU. After college, Erin spent the next few years living out her dance dreams by performing on Broadway with Jerome Robbins Broadway, touring with “Singin’ in the Rain” nationally and in Japan, dancing at Summer Stock, Casa Manana, Bass Hall, Disneyland, Walt Disney World and many dance conventions. She also choreographed for other dancers. Erin returned to Oklahoma City in 1995 to teach dance at OCU and then St. Gregory’s University. It was there that she met the love
of her life, Mark Farmer, in a Sunday School class at Crossings Community Church. They were married on June 4, 1999. Mark and Erin moved to Dallas in 2001. In January 2002, they, along with big brother Justin, welcomed the triplets — Richard, Faith and Hannah — into the Farmer family. It was not long after when they made their move to Aledo, Texas. Erin was a stay-athome mom for several years before starting work at Lil’ Cats Preschool at the Church at the Crossing. She taught music and dance to so many children in her community. Erin loved children so much and wanted nothing more than to share the love of Jesus with them. While Erin was proud of her life in dance, she would tell anyone who asked that having a family and leading people to know Jesus were by far her greatest accomplishments. She truly lived out the verse, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” Matthew 5:16.
Our Condolences 1950s Carol M. Hansen (’50) Yale B. Scurlock (’51) Julius P. Gallus (’53) Raymond P. Manning (’58) Russell O. Hayes (’59)
1960s Joe S. Rolston (’62) Michael P. Kirschner (’66) George W. Arrington (’66) Kathryn A. Boyd (’68) H. Doug Kemper (’68)
1970s Claudine S. Loyd (’70) C. Merle Gile (’72) Gaeton A. English (’73) Sarah V. Spencer (’77) Marjorie A. Wilhelm (’78) Jeannette O. Patrie (’79)
1980s Lloyd D. Blaine (’80) Mary W. Warner (’83) Virginia H. Campbell (’85) LaDonna F. Douglas (’87) Roger W. Foster (’89)
1990s Robert M. Dotson (’90) Timothy S. O'Grady (’95) Jack T. Vannatta (’95) Joe L. Taylor (’98) 2000s Shelley L. Ewer (‘06)
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Share Your News Send personal and professional developments, along with large photos, to alumni@okcu.edu.
Read All About It Alumni news available 24/7 at okcu.edu/alumni/news.
1960s
A. Shane Sanders (BSB Accounting ’84), vice president of business transformation for Verizon Communications, was appointed to the Danaher Corporation board of directors and audit committee.
James Clark (JD ’67, MBA ’89) was featured in The Daily Ardmoreite as a distinguished lawyer and author.
Janie Simms Hipp (JD ’84) was confirmed to serve as general counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Norman Transcript featured Enoch Kelly Haney’s (BA Art ’65, HDL ’93) 70-year artistic career.
Sharon Spivack (BA Humanities ’85) was hired as senior director of special education for the Dublin Unified School District in California.
Jane Jayroe Gamble (BM ’69, HDHL ’11) and Eryn LeCroy (BM Vocal Performance ’14) published a column in The Oklahoman about faith in the time of COVID.
Kit Addleman (JD ’86), a partner with the Haynes and Boone law firm in Dallas, will receive a Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas in late October.
1970s
Opening Night Enterprises, a company founded by Charles Jones II (BM ’75, JD ’93), is producing a competitive TV series called “Opening Night America,” which will feature teams staging original musicals with mentorship by Kristin Chenoweth (BM Musical Theatre ’91, MM ’93, HDHL ’13). A feature story in the Tulsa World about the series also mentions Regina Dowling (BM Musical Theater ’91), a partner in Opening Night Enterprises.
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Charles Barham (MBA ’86) shared his U.S. military expertise in a RealClear Defense article titled “Resourcing Irregular and Conventional Warfare Capabilities.”
United Methodist Church pastor Ernest Jr. Jackson (BS competency-based degree program ’88) and Carolyn Jackson (BS competencybased degree program ’81, MBA ’95) were guest speakers at Mount Nebo Baptist Church’s "A Church of Great Expectations" annual program in Hartshorne.
Jay R. Widdig (MBA ’86) was appointed CFO of Perimeter Medical Imaging, a medical technology company.
Clarence Brooks (BPA Dance ’83) was featured in the Palm Beach Arts Paper about his career as a Black dancer.
Robert J. Troester (JD ’87) stepped into the acting U.S. attorney role for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Greg Krause (BS ’78), Northern Oklahoma College women’s basketball coach, won his 600th game last season.
The Tulsa World ran a special tribute to Mary Warner (MBA ’83), former Tulsa school board member who backed desegregation efforts.
Andrew Benton (JD ’79), president emeritus of Pepperdine University, was named to the Christian Chronicle’s Board of Trustees.
Paula Marshall (BS ’83, HDCS ’93), CEO of Bama Companies, and Carol Johnson (MFA Creative Writing ’13), associate professor of English at TCC, were recently named in Tulsa Community College’s 50 Notable Alumni in recognition of the college’s 50th anniversary.
Stephanie Hudson (BSB Accounting ’88, JD ’93), executive director of Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, and OCU Law’s specialized training in Native American law were featured in The Oklahoman.
1 Mark Kelly (BS Business ’77) retired as Oklahoma’s Credit Union president and CEO after 40 years of service. He has been recognized as the state’s most tenured president of a credit union.
1980s
Lisa Reagan Love (BM Voice ’80) released her latest album as a duo with Suzanne Jackson called “Shunia.”
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
Artist David J. Holland (BA Art ’83) has works on display in the new Omni Oklahoma City hotel.
Oklahoma State University posted a story about trustee Lou Kerr (BS ’86, HDHL ’91) and her involvement with their annual Women’s Business Leadership Conference.
Rick Walker (MBA ’89) was appointed to the Oklahoma State Board of Regents for the Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges. Denise Hannah (BS Criminal Justice ’89) was named head coach of the College of Coastal Georgia women’s basketball team.
1990s
David Turpin (MBA ’91) was the featured speaker at the Association for Supply Chain Management’s Dayton chapter professional meeting. PBS presented “Wicked in Concert,” a musical celebration featuring Kristin Chenoweth (BM Musical Theatre ’91, MM ’93, HDHL ’13) and Gabrielle Ruiz (BPA Dance Performance ’07). John Wilcox (MBA ’91), who recently retired after 36 years with the U.S. Department of Defense, was named CEO of Sigma Defense Systems, a defense contractor specializing in airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Raymond “Rusty” Rust III (JD ’91), president and CEO of Commercial Bank of Texas in Nacogdoches, was elected chairman of the Texas Bankers Association. Byron Price (MBA ’91) was appointed to the Novusterra, Inc. board of directors. The rapidly growing company develops and commercializes high value applications from graphene. The Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants named Tony Scott (JD ’91), director of business development for Arledge & Associates, as one of its 2021 Path Finder award recipients. 2
The Path Finder award honors an elite group of Oklahoma CPAs who are successful and wellrespected for business accomplishments, community involvement and mentoring new CPAs. Former OCU President Martha Burger (MBA ’92) was named a recipient of Oil and Gas Investor’s 25 Influential Women in Energy. Lamont Russell (BM Vocal Music Education ’92), choir teacher for Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada, started a unique educational series titled “L.H.S. Conversations With…” featuring virtual class visits with professional composers, conductors, theater and TV producers, and others in the performing arts industry. Russell established the series as a way to provide his students “with as many unique experiences as possible during distance learning.” The Rev. Jennifer Long (BA Mass Communications ’92) was appointed as minister of Kingfisher First UMC. Ron Bussert (JD ’92) was recognized with a distinguished alumni award by the OSU School of Accounting. Deb Papesh (ME Early Childhood Education ’93) received the Dublin City Schools (Ohio) Hall of Fame Class of 2020’s Outstanding Service Award.
Jeff Tebow (MBA ’94) was elected to the executive committee of the American Quarter Horse Association. 2 Rachel E. Beavers (Williams) (BA English ’95) was named Corpus Christi Independent School District’s 2021 Elementary Teacher of the Year. She teaches fifth grade at Windsor Park Elementary School for the Gifted and Talented in Corpus Christi, Texas. Christina Mayer (JD ’95) won the election for a Dunn County Circuit Court judge seat in Wisconsin. Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusuf (BSB Business Administration ’96, MBA International Business & Marketing ’97) was appointed as the Miri Division resident in Malaysia. Dan Palazzo (JD ’96) was promoted to deputy public defender of the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender in charge of the Sussex region. Former OCU basketball player Tandy “Wolf” Wilbur (BS Physical Education ’97) won a Swinomish Tribal Senate seat in Washington. Shana Perry (BS Elementary Education ’97) was named executive director of equity, innovation and achievement for the Oklahoma City Public School District. Chad W. Autry (MBA ’97), professor of supply chain management at the University of Tennessee, will be a speaker at the 2021 Material Handling Industry Annual Conference in October. Joseph Erb (BFA Studio Art ’97) was selected to create a large-scale work of public art for the new First Americans Museum near downtown. Erb’s illustration “Indigenous Brilliance” will grace an interior wall. Kelli O’Hara (BM Vocal Performance ’98, HDHL ’15) headlined a virtual concert as a fundraiser for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. O'Hara kicked off the new Diamond Series this fall at Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York City with concert-length performances. James Posey (MBA Finance ’98) joined the lending team at PlainsCapital Bank’s new Denton, Texas, location. Karen Long (BSB Accounting ’98) was named chief financial officer for Monroe Tractor. Christin Mugg (JD ’98) was elected to the Edmond City Council. Jennifer Grigsby (MBA ’99) was appointed to serve as the state’s secretary of economic administration.
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CLASS NOTES
Administration ’03) and her company, Good Girl Chocolate.
wide executive director of governmental affairs for the University of Oklahoma.
Nicolle Carr (BS Psychology ’01) was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Purcell Board of Education.
Ashleigh Rose (BS Sociology ’07) was promoted to vice president of resource development for the United Way of Central Oklahoma.
Robyn Hilger (BME Instrumental Education ’99) was appointed as executive director of the American Choral Directors Association.
Soprano Sarah Coburn (MM Vocal Performance ’01) made her Nashville Opera debut in April portraying Gilda in John Hoomes’ edgy film-noir staging of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.”
Andrea Bauer (BS Entertainment Business ’07) was awarded as the NextGen Leader of the Year by the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce in Kansas.
Lezel Safi (MBA ’99, JD ’19) joined Bedlam Law in Yukon.
Carlos Moran (JD ’02) was nominated as a judge for Graves County Circuit Court in Kentucky.
Courtney Warmington (JD ’99) was appointed to a nine-year term on the State Regents for Higher Education.
Lakshmi Manchu (BA Theatre ’02) was included in the Family Focus website list of “Star heroines and their education qualifications.”
Lucas Loh (MBA International Business Finance ’99) was named co-president of the Hopson Development Holdings real estate firm in Hong Kong.
Mark Phillips (BM Instrumental Performance ’02) was named the American Library Association’s 2021 recipient of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award.
Courtney Kalbacker (MM Opera Performance ’08), director of music for the stage and a lecturer in vocal studies at Towson University, presented her research on Russian women composers and performers at the 2021 conference of the Institute for Russian Music Studies.
2000s
Kyle Dillingham (BM Instrumental Performance ’02) was featured on the Loveworks Leadership podcast.
She oversees more than 20 state agencies, including the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, Oklahoma Tax Commission, state auditor and inspector, and state treasurer's office. Tricia Everest (HDH ’18) was appointed as the state’s secretary of public safety.
The Oklahoman ran a feature story about Tabatha Carr (BS Biology ’00, MBA Health Care 1
Kara Smith (JD ’02) was named general counsel of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. The Oklahoma Zoological Society hired Mandy Heaps (BA Public Relations ’03) as executive director. K.T. Turner (BA Criminal Justice ’03) was hired as an assistant basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma. Jason Boesch (JD ’03) was announced as Kay Electric Cooperative’s new CEO. Jimmy Lawson (BS Finance ’03, MBA ’06) received an Abolitionist of the Year Award from the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Michelle Millben (BM Music Business Administration ’05) was named one of VIP Alexandria magazine’s 14 Most Inspiring Women. Justin Funk (BS ’07) was inducted into the Northern Oklahoma College Distinguished Hall of Fame. Roy Lightner (BM Musical Theater ’07, MFA Performance Creation ’17) was named associate artistic director of the Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama. Hollye Hunt (JD ’07) was appointed as enterprise-
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
Curtis Smith (BS Chemistry ’08, MBA International Business Finance ’10) was named chief marketing officer of American Outdoor Brands, a provider of products and accessories for outdoor enthusiasts. Steven (JD ’09) and Maghen (JD ’08) Waterkotte were featured in stories about their ongoing sports rivalry after Maghen’s passing. Karol Kowal (MM ’09) was appointed co-principal double bass with the Warsaw Philharmonic in Poland. Ewa Płonka (MM Piano Performance ’09) starred in the title role of Turandot at Austria's St. Margarethen Festival. The DanceTeacher website posted an article by Leia Giddens (BS Dance Management ’09) titled “Dance Teachers Get Imposter Syndrome Too.”
2010s
Lt. Col. Wesley C. Rounsaville (MBA ’10) assumed command of the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron. Daniel Leeman Smith (BFA Acting ’10, MA Nonprofit Leadership ’13) is directing the stage comedy “Repulsing the Monkey” at The White Horse Tavern in New York City. Chaz Wolcott (BPA Dance ’10) joined the faculty at Penn State University’s School of Theatre as a lecturer of dance and musical theatre. Nathan Gardocki (BFA Film Production ’10) and his production company were featured in OKC Friday as “The Girl Who Believes in Miracles” debuted in April.
YOUNG & POWERFUL Several OCU family members were named in OKC Friday’s “50 Most Powerful Young Professionals,” including Nathaniel Harding (MBA ’11), board of trustees member T.W. Shannon, Bailey Perkins (BA Political Science ’12), Philip Busey, Jr. (MLA ’12), Adam Rainbolt (MBA ’12), Mandy Heaps (BA Public Relations ’02), Kimberly Worrell (BS Dance Management ’02), Margaret Creighton (BS Dance Management ’02, MBA ’06), James Cooper (MFA Creative Writing ’15), and OCU Law assistant dean Stephen Butler.
OCU Alumni Advisory Board Vice President Rocky Chavez (BSB Marketing ’10) was approved by the Oklahoma City Council to serve on the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Open Space, a faith group co-founded by Kristia (BA Religion ’11) and Nathan (BSB Economics ’12) Oney, started hosting monthly meetings in Enid. Sasha Hutchings (BPA Dance ’11) played Sephronia in the Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of “Nina Simone: Four Women.” Kaitlyn Allen (JD ’11) was appointed district judge for Oklahoma County. Ashton Gatewood (BA Spanish ’11, BS Cell and Molecular Biology ’11, BSN ’15) was featured in Oklahoma City Indian Clinic’s “Horizons” magazine for her work at the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. Kari Hoffhines (JD ’11) was elected to the executive committee of the Crowe & Dunlevy firm. Sache Primeaux Shaw (BA History/Political Science ’11) is the first Black president of the Young Democrats of Oklahoma. Georgeanne Elisabeth Yehling (BM Vocal Performance ’13) portrayed Olive Ann Beech — the first woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company — in the world premiere of “Staggerwing” at Opera Kansas. Kyle Cabelka (JD ’13) was appointed as the district attorney for Oklahoma District 5. Dr. Vanessa Wright (MS Nursing ’13, PhD Nursing ’17) completed the Watson Caring Science Institute’s postdoctoral program. The WCSI Caring Science Postdoctoral/Senior Scholars is a program for special personal study with Dr. Jean Watson, author of “Caring Science/Sacred Science and Theory of Transpersonal Caring.” Eryn LeCroy (BM Vocal Performance ’14) led a masterclass for the Westrick Music Academy in New Jersey. LeCroy also recently starred in a showtunes
performance titled “A Natural State of Mind: From New York to Arkansas” in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Rev. Trey Witzel (BA Religion/Philosophy ’14) is the new pastor of modern worship and discipleship at McFarlin Memorial UMC in Norman. Cana Mize (JD ’14) became city attorney for Dewey. Chris Cox (BBA Marketing ’14, MBA ’17) was a guest on the This Is Oklahoma podcast to discuss his work with The House OKC. Angelina Stancampiano (BS Biology ’14) was promoted to senior naturalist coordinator for Oklahoma State Parks. In addition to duties at her home park of Sequoyah State Park near Hulbert, she directs the activities at all other nature centers located in the Oklahoma State Park system. Ruy Vaz (BA Philosophy ’15), coach of the Cowley College Tigers men’s soccer team, was named Coach of the Year for the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. Sarah Hinrichsen (BFA Acting ’16) is playing the role of Rachel in a touring production of “Escape to Margaritaville.” The Winnipeg Goldeyes signed right-handed pitcher and former OCU player Skylar Janisse (BA Liberal Studies ’16). Teresa Green (JD ’16) was promoted to deputy general counsel for the Oklahoma Insurance Commission. Former OCU rowing graduate assistant coach Nicholas D'Imperio (MLA Leadership/Management ’16) was hired as an assistant coach of the University of Oklahoma rowing team. Tan Sri Dr. Chai Lim Wee (HDBA ’16) authored a financial forecasting blog for The Business Year. Jessa V (Jessica V. Salerno, BM Music Theater ’17) debuted her recent single “Fantasize” in New York City.
Lauren Urso (BM Music Theater/Vocal Performance ’17) was featured as Judy in Garland Summer Musicals’ production of “9 to 5.” Cody Wilson (BFA Film Production ’17) was an assistant editor on Breakwater Studios’ film “A Concerto is a Conversation,” which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject. Chad Brueckner (JD ’17) was named to serve as trust officer in the Joplin, Missouri, region for Arvest Wealth Management. Soprano Sarah Kuhlmann (BM Vocal Performance ’17, MA Nonprofit Leadership Arts Administration ’18, MM Opera Performance ’21) performed as a soloist with the Oklahoma City Sinfonia. Kuhlmann performed arias from "The Magic Flute," "Gianni Schicchi," and "La Boheme." Tara Roberts (MS Energy Legal Studies ’17) was promoted from vice president of business development for Foothills Exploration to CEO of the company’s recently formed New Energy Ventures division. 1 Laura Jardine (BS Biology ’18) was awarded an $8,500 fellowship from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Jardine has been working at the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality since 2018 and is attending the University of Minnesota this fall to pursue a law degree. Jardine received the Slater Fellow award, which is given to the top scorer whose undergraduate field is in the biological sciences. Michael Susko (MS Energy Management ’18) was appointed to lead brokerage firm efforts for Equus Energy Group. Tanner Grant (BBA ’18) was featured in Family Business Magazine’s “Next Gen to Watch 2021.”
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1 Assistant orchestra director Abby McBroom (BM Instrumental Education ’18, MM Instrumental Performance ’20) was selected as a Superstar Teacher for Putnam City Schools.
3 Allison Burns (MPAS ’19) became a physician assistant for Cherokee Nation Health Services.
2020s
Lindsey Pever (JD ’18), attorney with A New Energy, LLC, was a featured speaker for OU’s webinar on Oklahoma’s role in climate change.
Brent Wilson (MS Energy Management ’20), CEO of Galvanic Energy, was recognized in the Journal Record’s Most Admired CEOs 2021 and was a panelist for the newspaper’s “Oklahoma’s Lithium Future” discussion.
1 Ali Funkhouser (BM Music Theater ’18) joined Dance with Miss Rachel school in New York City as an instructor.
Kelsey Griswold-Paul (BFA Acting ’20), a director of arts for St. Luke's United Methodist Church, spoke with KOCO about their upcoming events and mentioned El Sistema and how she came to OCU.
Ree Morrow (MA Nonprofit Leadership ’18) was featured in the University of Connecticut’s student publication as the winner of the Hinkle Entrepreneurship Competition. 2 Audrey Schultz (BS Dance Management ’19) will become a Radio City Rockette this coming season.
Mackenzie McIntyre (BM, Music Theater ’20) was crowned Miss Oklahoma City 2022. McIntyre will compete next spring in Miss Oklahoma 2022.
Cheyanne Marie (MM Musical Theater ’19) played Sister Mary Hubert, a lead role, in Lyric Theatre’s “Nunsense.”
Ellen Roth (BA Spanish ’20, BBA Finance ’20) was hired as an executive administrator for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Katherine Abel (BFA Acting ’21) starred in the Red Barn Summer Theatre’s production of “Who’s In Bed With The Butler?” and “The Marvelous Wonderettes” in Indiana. Emily Fruendt (BA Theatre and Performance ’21) was hired as resident stage manager for Virginia Children’s Theatre.
Laura Kariuki (BFA Acting ’20) starred in the CW’s “Black Lightning,” a show based on the DC Comics character. The OCU pom/competitive dance alumna was also cast in ABC’s reboot of “The Wonder Years” and in a major role in an upcoming Netflix film, “Along for the Ride.”
Khaki A. Scrivner (JD ’19) joined the Bell Nunnally firm in Dallas as an associate and member of its Corporate and Securities, Mergers and Acquisitions and Real Estate practices. Mathew Campbell (MM Music Composition ’19) collaborated with the Leander High School Band to create “The Wait of the World,” making its world premiere Dec. 16 at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. 2
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Felix Neboh (JD ’20) was honored as part of the Hometown Heroes Living the Dream panel during Odessa’s Black Cultural Council Juneteenth celebration.
Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
Former OCU basketball player Traé Bryant (BA Mass Communications ’20) was named head coach of the Cape Fear Community College (North Carolina) women’s basketball team.
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HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
Honor Roll of Donors
S I N C E T H E F O U N D I N G O F O U R U N I V E R S I T Y I N 1 9 0 4 , this enterprise of United Methodist higher education has been sustained by donors who realize they are investing in the future by supporting our students. Oklahoma City University is privileged to recognize our donors for the 2020–21 year, and we invite you to join us in honoring them for their generous support of the university. These individuals and organizations are as diverse as the student population they support with their contributions, yet they have a common goal of sustaining a mission which has resulted in thousands of exceptionally equipped servant-leaders for our community and our world. Our staff has worked carefully to ensure that this list of donors who have made cash gifts of $1,000 or more between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, is as accurate as possible. If you know of an error or omission or have questions regarding this information, please call the OCU Office of University Advancement at (405) 208-7000. K E Y : s Member in memoriam « Current or former OCU employee Bright Society member
Founders C U M U L AT I V E G I F T S O F $1 MILLION OR MORE Founders are an exceptional group of donors who have earned a place of distinction through their commitment to Oklahoma City University and their remarkable generosity, which continues to advance the university’s mission. Each has made cumulative gifts of $1 million or more.
Ann Simmons Alspaughs Wanda L. Basss Martha Burger« Phil and Cathy Busey Chesapeake Energy Communities Foundation of Oklahoma Delaware Resource Group of Oklahoma, LLC Devon Energy E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation Estate of Jeroldine Zachritz Clark Estate of Jimmie Heatley Close Estate of Marvin and Ena Dawson Estate of Mary Clary Sargent Estate of Vivian Wimberly Jose Freedes Gerald Gamble and Jane Jayroe Gamble Harris Foundation, Inc. Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, Inc. Jeanne Hoffman Smith
Inasmuch Foundation Ronnie and Shahnaaz Irani Clara E. Joness Lou C. Kerr/The Kerr Foundation, Inc. Kerr-McGee Corporation, Inc. Ann Lacy Cathy Leichter Pete Wert and Lynette Lemon Wert Larry and Susan Lemon Martha J. Lemon Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai Tom and Judy Love Paul and Jonalee McLaughlin Charles E. Mehrs Herman and LaDonna Meinders Norick Investments Marjorie J. Noricks Ronald and Margaret Norick Oklahoma City Community Foundation Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co.
Foundation Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation F.M. Petrees Margaret E. Petrees Robert & Ruby Priddy Charitable Trust Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation Sarkeys Foundation Bill and Pam Shdeed Dick Sias The Chickasaw Nation The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, Inc. The Kerr Foundation, Inc. The Meinders Foundation The Robert A. Parman Foundation The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
Fall 2021 35
HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
Annual Giving Annual support provides a vital source of institutional momentum, allowing OCU to enhance learning opportunities, provide financial assistance to students, meet emerging needs, and take advantage of new opportunities. The university is pleased to be able to recognize those who have shown exemplary support through their gifts between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.
K E Y: s Member in memoriam « Current or former OCU employee Bright Society member
19th Hole Crew, LLC 405 Management LLC Jim« and Annetta Abbott Rob and Autumn Abernathy William and Leslie Ackerman David and Kathie Aelvoet Steven C. Agee« Kalani and Alexandra Ah Loy B. Montez Altom American Fidelity Foundation Robert and Nancy Anthony Anonymous Sue Arnold Arvest Foundation LuAnn Atkins William« and Dana Ayers Angela E. Bachman Troy and Marlene Bailey Brian and Julia Bakeman Ballard Miller Foundation BancFirst Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc. John Baransy Terry Baransy Barks Properties LLC
Ron and Debbie Barnes Hamden and Robyn Baskin Stan Basler« Jerry Bass« Louise L. Bass Skipper and Tammy Bates Arnold and Jo Ann Battise Carter and Cara Baumert David and Laura Beal Because We Care Philanthropy Inc. John Bedford« and Jo Rowan« Jim Beers Behenna Law PLLC Scott and Vicki Behenna« Mark« and Teena Belcik Brent Benn Dale Bennett MarEllen Benson Andrew and Deborah Benton Brian Birdwell Kyle« and Krista Blaser Craig Boelte Ann L. Bohanon Jim and Joann Booher Boston Avenue United Methodist Church
Breckenridge Group Architects/ Planners Mark L. Britton« Broadhurst Foundation John and Donna Brogan James and Becky Buchanan Doug and Rhonda Buckles Barbara Bunce Martha Burger« Phil and Cathy Busey Peggy Byas Bybee Foundation Carol Byrd Steven and Dawn Camp Rod and Peggy Campbell Joe and Kristin Carson Joe and Judith Case Holly Caskey Cathy Christensen and Associates Central Presbyterian Church - OKC Benjamin« and Eno Chang Chase and Shyla Chappell Cathy Christensen and Associates Jim Ditmars and Cathy Christensen Donald and Karen Clewell Elizabeth Clinton
First Students Awarded Agee Scholarship BY A PR I L M A R C I S Z EWS K I
I N H O N O R O F D R . S T E V E N C . A G E E T R A N S I T I O N I N G from dean of the Meinders School of Business to dean emeritus, Herman Meinders has issued a $500,000 matching challenge to establish the Steven C. Agee Leadership Scholarship. The first Agee Scholars received $10,000 scholarships this fall. Jessi Cortez, a first-year business administration student from Oklahoma City, was surprised last winter to get to interact with Agee directly as she explored college options. He asked if she wanted to go to OCU, and she told him, “I’d love to if I could pay for it,” she recalled. With this scholarship, “he opened the doors,” Cortez said. Attending OCU “means an easier path to my future career. With the money given to me, I didn’t take out any loans. The amount of money I have to spend every year is doable.” In her first two weeks at OCU, she made “a bunch of friends” on OCU’s STUNT team and in her residence hall. Jessi Cortez
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Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photo provided
Dr. and Rebecca G Clinton Comanche County Memorial Hospital Conklin Family Foundation Thomas Conklin Traci Cook Barbara Cooper Bill and Mary Ann Corum Melissa A. Cory« Joe and Valerie Couch« Duane and Frieda Crabaugh Denney and Susan Crabaugh John and Jane Crain Brian Craven John and Cindy Crittenden Clint and Sarah Croasdale Crossroads District of the Oklahoma Annual Conference UMC Brad and Patricia Curtis Paula J. Dalley« Joe and Vickey Dancy Jim and Mickey Daniels Mark and Jackie Darrah Ken Davidson Jon Davis Kyle Dean« Michael Decker
Jimmie and Krystal Dedmon Delaware Resource Group of Oklahoma, LLC Patricia R. Demps Kenneth and Tiffany Dennis DeWitt, Paruolo and Meek, PLLC Dexter Johnson Educational and Benevolent Trust Robert Doenges Paul and Ann Doolittle Robert Dorman« Dougherty Family Charitable Trust Fund of Triangle Community Foundation Dennis and Nancy Dougherty Terry Drake DRH Health Foundation Duncan Regional Hospital, Inc. Walt and Ann-Clore Duncan Nikki Edwards Carl and Susan Edwards El Dorado Corporation Luke and Autumn Elms Matthew and Jill Epperson ERA Carroll Realty Estate of Allen B. Pease
Estate of Ben and Maxine Wheat Estate of Cheryl K. Burnet Estate of Edna Mae Hughes Estate of Julius Krouch Estate of Norbert E.F. Gordon Russell Evans« Express Employment Professionals F and M Bank - Rose Creek Federal Bar Association, Oklahoma City Chapter Brad and Celine Ferguson Christopher and Jacqueline Fiegel First National Bank of Oklahoma Melinda Fitzgerald Mark Fixley and Robyn Birdwell Paul and Deborah Fleming Timothy Foley Stan and Lisa Fore Foundation Management, Inc. Frank Franzese and Company Frank S. and Julia M. Ladner Family Foundation, Inc. Frank and Susan Franzese Joan Frates Freede Family Foundation Dan Owens and Margaret
Freede Owens Trent Freiberg Toni D. Frioux, DNP, APRN-CNP, FNP-C« Robert and Susan Fry Mark and Beverly Funke Gerald Gamble and Jane Jayroe Gamble Anne Garbarino Garfield County Bar Association Helen M. Gaudin« Gene Nelson Family Designated Endowment Fund General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the UMC George W. and Louise W. Brown Memorial Trust Ann Felton Gilliland Robert Gillilands
“ Without the aid that I'm receiving, it wouldn't be possible for me.”
– ELIJAH GILES
Cortez said she is grateful for large and small scholarships that stacked: “It means a lot on a broke college student’s budget. I just wouldn’t get this quality of education or be at OCU without the donors giving money.” Elijah Giles, a third-year economics transfer student from the Dallas area, is also an Agee Scholarship recipient. He heard about OCU’s strong economics program and appreciated the business school’s accreditation and prestige. He previously played basketball for a private college in Kansas, but looked at other options when the pandemic put a halt to games. His dad wanted him “to make a good decision about the cost of college and what the rewards would be in terms of education. What I’m getting out of (OCU) is a much higher yield.” “I really want to stress that this was a big step for me,” Giles said. “Without the aid that I’m receiving, it wouldn’t be possible for me. I appreciate them considering me for it. I’m really going to work hard to make sure my grades are up to par and above even that.” Early this semester, dozens of additional gifts had already brought the scholarship fund halfway to Meinders’ match. Contributions may be made at okcu.edu/agee-scholarship. Elijah Giles
Photo provided Fall 2021 37
HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
Sarah J. Glick, Esq. Steven and Carol Goetzinger Harry Goldman and Jettie Person Jack Golsen Kevin Gordon and Janice Matthews-Gordon Keith Grant Linda (Hawkins) and Nathan Grantham Paul Graziano Great Plains Coca-Cola Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Lydia Y. Green Bob Greve« Jennifer and Steve Grigsby Barry and Renee Grissom Eric Gronningsater Mo and Jacque Grotjohn Brad Gungoll Julia Carrington Hall Irene K. Ham Homer and Treva Hancock Timothy and Courtney Harlin Jane Harlow Chris Harrison Nick and Susan Harroz James and Jean Hartsuck Larry Reed and Lisa Harvey-Reed« Kim and Suzette Hatfield Hatton Enterprises, LLC Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, Inc. Robert and Sarah Haupt Suzanne Hayden Robert and Deliliah Hayes Healthcare Partners Investments, LLC Erik Heine« John« and Melvena Heisch Larry« and Gay Hellman Debbie Henderson Shirley Hendrick John and Melody Hiebert Jeff and Kari Hill Jeanne Hoffman Smith Gary and Sue Homsey J.R. and Patsy Homsey Elizabeth Horton-Ware« and Eric Ware Kevin and Patty Howard Eric and Kami Huddleston« John & Janet Hudson Human Mode, LLC David Brahm and Karen Hunold IBM International Foundation Inasmuch Foundation Ronnie and Shahnaaz Irani Niles Jackson and Barbara Thornton Joe R. Homsey, Attorney at Law, PC Ann Johnstone Bill Johnstone Brent and Gay Jones Maria Jones«
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Bill and Stacy Junk KandA Creative, Inc. Steven and Carrie Katigan Lois Kaufman Chris Keesee Mark and Gayla Kelly William and Chi Kerber Lou C. Kerr/The Kerr Foundation, Inc. Jim and Pamela Klepper Steve and Suzan Knight Greg Laird Linda Petree Lambert Bill Lance and Sherri Walters Timothy Larason Dan and Phyllis Larson Law Offices of Fangzhong Tian PLLC Bruce Lawson Mary and Bill Layton LegalShield Cathy Leichter Charles and Gayla LeMaire Levy Strange Beffort, LLC Stephanie Liebl Huber David Lim Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai Jenee and Darren Lister Local People LLC Brandon and Joanna Long Dan Burdette and Janis Love Tom and Judy Love Lynne Dinzole Family Fund Aixin James Ma« Christina Mallory Chicoraske« and Timothy Chicoraske Robert and Martha Margo Samuel and Sally Marrs Lawton Marsh Paula Marshall Aimee Martinez« Bill Massad McAfee and Taft, PC McCasland Foundation Glynn and Sandy McCauley Katie McClendon Don and Virginia McCombs« Leroy Ball and Patricia McGarrity Rick McKee Rev Larry Foster Sr. and Rozia McKinney-Foster McLaughlin Family Charitable Fund David and Jean McLaughlin Paul and Jonalee McLaughlin Rob McLaughlin Tim and Liz McLaughlin Burrel and Jo Ann McNaught Justin and Becky Meek Herman and LaDonna Meinders Frank Merrick Joel and Nikki Miliband
Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine
Karen L. Miller and John W. Ballard Bob Mills George Milner Jo Beth Moad« Chad Moore Munley Law PC J. Christopher Munley and Maria Yager Munley Bob and Laurie Munley Kyle and Ashley Murphy Dana L. Murphy Richard and Christina Murray Randy Murray« Jeaneen Naifeh Kelli O’Hara Naughton Dolores Neustadt Larry and Polly Nichols Norick Investments Ronald and Margaret Norick Oklahoma Bar Foundation, Inc. Oklahoma City Community Foundation Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church Oklahoma County Bar Foundation Oklahoma Gas and Electric Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. Foundation Oklahoma Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation Oklahoma’s Credit Union Keith Olmsted Mark Parker« Richard and Gayle Parry Piyush and Lisa Patel Bill and Jeanne Patrigo Paycom Software Inc. Jan and Greg Peery Todd and Margaret Pefferman Peters and Chandler PC James Peterson Ronald and Janet Petty Danny Phan Phillips 66 Joseph Phillips Marsh and Deborah Pitman Plumb-Fast Services LLC Michael and Bertha Potts Ray and Patricia Potts Prairie Wolf Distillery William Pratt« Presbyterian Health Foundation Stephens and Susan Prescott Ed Proctor and Nancy Dumoff Prosperity Bank Tom Quinn and Tommy Thompson Rainbolt Family Foundation David and Kim Rainbolt
Gene Rainbolt Dr. and Mrs. George Randall Steve and Julie Raney George J. Records Betsy Replogle Judy Reyes-Henderson« Mike and Carol Rhodes Shannon L. Rich Douglas and Kelli Riddle Michael Patrick Rooney Casey R. Ross« Donald Rowlett RT Development, LLC John and Ruth Ruhl Ruth Ruhl, P.C. Dave and Kelda Rusher Salisbury Family Trust Wayne Salisburys Ralph and Sandra Sallusti John and Lois Salmeron« Meg Salyer Gary and Carol Sander Shane and Traci Sanders Paul and Kim Sanders Shelley Sanders Hiram and Robbie Sasser Eddie and Rochelle Schafer James Schmaelzle James Schmidt Janet Schmitz Charles and Jane Schneeberger Edie Schneeberger and Gail Garloch Ms. Mary S. Schneeberger Andy Schroeder Stuart and Pamela Schroeder Konya Schuh Nick Schwarz« George and Margaret Selby Select Physical Therapy Barney and Gayle Semtner Bill and Pam Shdeed Dick Sias Sean Siebert George« and Ellen Sims Lee Allan Smith Shelby and Adelaide Smith Darrell and Margaret Smokewood South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church Southern Design and Landscape Inc. Tanya T. Sowders Jay and Holly Sparks Bob« and Pam Spinks Square Deal Investments SSM Health Richard and Kathleen St. Denis Susanna M. Stefanek Irwin and D. Kelley Steinhorn Brandon Brooks and
Lynann Sterk-Brooks« Reverend Craig Stinson and Dr. Krista Stinson Brent and Debi Stockwell Stone Point Capital Wayne Stone Dan and Susan Storm Nancy M. Strecker Douglas and Susan Stussi Victoria K. Swinney« Kevin and Suat Kian Tan Richard and Glenna Tanenbaum Marvona Easley Tavlin and Michael Tavlin James and Tiffany Taylor James Taylor
The Gold Star Society recognizes donors who provide support for OCU through deferred or estate gifts. Such legacy gifts can touch OCU in a variety of ways. Some donors choose to have their gift applied wherever the need is greatest, while others support endowed scholarships, professorships, or chairs. Others direct their support toward a program or project that inspires them.
K E Y: s Member in memoriam « Current or former OCU employee Bright Society member
Anthony and Sarah Taylor TD Ameritrade Clearing Judson« and Helen Temple Emily Tew Texas Instruments Foundation TG Medical USA, Inc. The Chickasaw Nation The Economic Club of Oklahoma The Kerr Foundation, Inc. The Meinders Foundation The Robert A. Parman Foundation The University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc. David and Jessica Thionnet Cullen and Bonnie Thomas Tinker Federal Credit Union
James and Elizabeth Tolbert Joyce Toney Sean and Jill Trauschke Curt and Shonna Trindle George and Shirley Huber-Smith Trotter Linda Tucker Jocelyn B. Tupper Frosty and Gayla Turpen United Protective Services Doug Van Meter Jerry and Melinda Vannatta Adam Varteressian John and Susan Vas John D. and Ginger L. Veal Elisabeth Wahlgren
Wal-Dot Foundation Joseph and Cynthia Walkowski Richard Wansley and Meredith Davison Warhawk Legal Jim Welsh Chuck and Renate Wiggin Ashlie« and Larry Wilhelm Carol and Frank Williams John Michael and Kathy Williams John Williford Paul Woody Kimberley and Erick Worrell Hub Worrell Robert Wyrick Zack« and Brigette Zuhdi
Victor and Karen Kay Albert Betty Alden Judy Altshuler Frank Atwater Terry Baransy Susan Barber« and David Nagle Kay Bass Tom Beadles Terry and Pamela Bergdall Stephen Bird Kay Bradley Robert Bryan Martha Burger« Bob and Chimene Burke M.K. Butler John Carey The Rev. Carl and Donna Cartwright Danny and Carol Cochran George Craig« Allen Sheldon and Lisa Crone-Sheldon Joe and Sherry Crosthwait Mark and Jackie Darrah Michael Decker Catherine Dougherty Patricia J. Downing Terry Drake Larry Eberhardt« Phyllis Edson Orville Edwards Ronald and Pat Eitzen Donald« and Suzanne Emler Randy and Faith Everest Sharon G. Fore Robert and Susan Fry Nick and Sue Gales Larry and Jeannette Haag
Attieson and Sharon Halbrook Richard Hastings Patricia Hatamyar« Robert Henry« and Jan Ralls Henry Alan and Elisha Herndon James and Joan Hirnisey Gary and Sue Homsey Jeremy and Megan Hornbeek Allen« William and Karen Howard Ron Jacob Dixie Jensen Fred and Patricia Johnson Nancy Kenderdine« Jeffery Key Jim and Mary Kutch Ann Lacy Timothy and Linda Larason Janet Leadbetter Ruth G. Leebron Cathy Leichter Dan Burdette and Janis Love Andrea L. MacMullin Donald and Barbara MacPherson Daniel Majors Samuel and Sally Marrs John and Kathryn McInnis Burrel and Jo Ann McNaught Doloris A. McVay Herman and LaDonna Meinders Patrick K. Miles Glenn and Mary Millard Maudie Miller and Mike Hicks Glen and Yvonne Miller Margaret L. Moedt Jim and Debbie Musick« Sharon K. O’Roke
Mark Parker« Brenda Penwell Ray and Patricia Potts Scott Preston and Sheryl Herner Nancy Pryst Dr. and Mrs. George Randall Karen Rice Casey R. Ross« Dennis Rubenstein Michael and Kelcey Schag Charles and Jane Schneeberger Hugh and Shirley Scott Cheryl Seguine Garvin Senn Bill and Pam Shdeed Shelby and Adelaide Smith Wayne Stone Samuel and Deborah Suddarth Marvona Easley Tavlin and Michael Tavlin Kelly Thompson Kevin Tully Clarence and Patricia Tully Alireza Vahabzadeh Robert Van House Jerry and Melinda Vannatta Dr. Jerald C. and Mrs. Virginia K. Walker Richard Wansley and Meredith Davison Gladys B. Whetstine Charles Wisler Lisa Wolfe« and Fred Mischler Debra Worley Hub Worrell Carl and Beverly Ann Young
Fall 2021 39
GIVING
Second Giving Day Expands Access to OCU BY AP RIL M ARCISZEWS K I
One pie-in-the-face competition. More than 100 repeat donors — and more than 450 overall. Countless students supported through scholarships. Oklahoma City University’s second annual Giving Day raised nearly $244,000, paving the way to keep tuition and fees from increasing and making OCU accessible to more students. “The goal is for the university to let our alumni and donors, parents, and other constituents know what our greatest needs are and ask them to give back to us,” said Megan Hornbeek Allen, executive director of alumni engagement at OCU. “We asked people to identify something that resonated with them. Was it your school, a scholarship that you had, or the overarching OCU Fund? What made an impact on you?” For Hornbeek Allen, “it’s about school spirit — being proud to claim your OCU heritage and this long list of amazing alumni that you’re in community with. I want to support that, and I want to support the future generation.” Giving Day allowed Dr. Amy Cataldi, dean of the Petree College of Arts & Sciences, to step back from the day-to-day to see the bigger impact OCU makes every day on students, she said. Donations to Arts and Sciences went directly to student scholarships, Cataldi said. “It’s about easing the financial strains for students to come,” she said. “If you can tell a student that based on your hard work, we would like to acknowledge that and reflect that back in a financial package your family can afford, that helps seal the deal. Every little bit helps. Alumni and faculty have contributed to your success — it keeps the cycle going. It creates the kind of environment where parents want to send their kids.” Cataldi also couldn’t pass up the opportunity to “make this interesting.” “I’m a little mouthy,” she said. “We like a good competition with our friends.” Dean Emeritus Steve Agee of the Meinders School of Business remembers it this way: “I think some of the deans were talking: ‘I can raise more money than you’ — throw down the gauntlet. So she and I decided to have a competition.” The dean of the college that raised the most during Giving Day on April 29 got to throw a pie in the face of the other dean live on social media. Faculty and alumni recorded videos for social media, egging each other on. When the gifts were tallied, Arts and Sciences had
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Arts & Sciences Dean Amy Cataldi won a friendly wager to put a pie in the face of Business Dean Emeritus Steve Agee.
garnered both the most dollars and the most donors. Agee chose chocolate pie. For the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment, Dean John Bedford offered seven vintage videos of Professor and Chair of Dance Jo Rowan dancing ballet professionally for those who gave. It was a hit, especially after Rowan had started offering free online ballet classes to students and alumni during the pandemic, rekindling collegiate memories. Athletics had a focused Giving Day effort for the first time and raised more than $100,000 — above the Giving Day total, said Chris Maxon, associate athletic director for development. “What was most enjoyable was the participation and competition that occurred among the teams,” Maxon said. “From the beginning, coaches and student-athletes were highly involved in connecting with alumni and friends of their programs. It was fun, but best of all, each of the sports felt the impact from their supporters. Giving Day really paved the way for another level of success.” Agee recounted ways donations are already helping in the Meinders School of Business: scholarships, professorships, technology and construction of a new accounting center that will house a community service Voluntary Income Tax Assistance program. Hornbeek Allen noted the focus wasn’t the amount of each donation. Two years in, Giving Day has increased OCU’s alumni giving percentage, which helps improve grant opportunities and university rankings. “I think it’s important for our students, too, to know they’re a part of a culture of generosity and a community that continues to invest in itself,” she said. “We have nearly 46,000 alumni around the globe, and if everyone gave back just a little bit to a school that gave so many of us so much, we would be able to help the future students of this school.” Gifts to OCU may be made by visiting okcu.edu/give or calling 405-208-7000.
Oklahoma City University Alumni Magazine Photo by Maranda Kitchingham
C R E AT I V E O C U
Dressing the Part Meredith England, a senior acting major/costume design minor, is shown here starting the assembly stage on two of her pieces for TheatreOCU’s production of “Enron.” After seeing her work and listening to her process, it’s easy to understand why England has such a passion for the craft. The costume design and construction process utilizes several different kinds of creativity. After reading through the script, England roughly sketches a costume to establish a theme, discusses the idea with other members of production, and returns to the drawing board to develop final concepts (shown on the workbench here). Then the real handiwork begins, imaging how to take an idea from a drawing on a page to building the final pieces. There’s some trial and error during dress rehearsals to make sure costumes are adjusted properly and operate the way they should. England planned to be on site during early dress rehearsals to work with the wardrobe department in case any costume adjustments were necessary. The mannequins in the background show the early phases of two characters: a Tradeboard Member and Raptor. Catch more of England’s creations in this year’s TheatreOCU season. Visit okcu.edu/theatre for show details. “Creative OCU” highlights one branch of the university’s mission – to create – by showcasing creative student work, providing a glimpse into the unique studies and projects undertaken at Oklahoma City University. Photos by Ian Weston
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NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
Paid
PERMIT #2164
2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73106
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
CONNECT WITH OCU’S CONSTELLATION OF STARS O N C E YO U ’V E B EEN PA RT OF T HE O CU COMMUNITY, YO U REALIZE HOW S PEC IAL I T I S . WHE T HE R IT’S BEEN 50 YEA RS OR F IV E MINUT E S S INCE YO U’ V E R ECO NNECT E D, W E INV I TE YO U TO GET IN VOLVED— BOTH IN P E R S O N AND V IRT UAL LY—W IT H YO UR AL MA MAT E R .
Add your organization to our alumni-owned business directory. Keep an eye out for alumni chapter events in your city—or create your own alumni chapter! Help recruit students you know to attend OCU. Volunteer as a mentor, on committees, as a guest speaker, and more. Network! The small class size you enjoyed as a student reactivates as close and powerful professional connections in the wider world.
Get Involved: okcu.edu/get-involved Be a Mentor: okcu.edu/amp
Contact the Alumni Engagement office: 405-208-5463 • alumni@okcu.edu
