FO C U S FALL 2019
ALUMNI MAGAZINE of OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY
ACROSS THE STREET,
D THE GLOB N U O E AR
OKCU.EDU
CATEGORY
CONTENTS
Martha Burger, President George Sims, Interim Provost
ADMINISTRATIVE CABINET Jim Abbott, Assistant Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of Athletics Amy Ayres, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Leslie Berger, BA ’02, Senior Director of University Communications Amy Cataldi, Interim Assistant Provost Joey Croslin, Vice President for Human Resources and Chief HR Officer Gerry Hunt, Chief Information Officer David McConnell, Interim Chief Financial 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 and University Communications
ON TH E COV E R
ALUMNI RELATIONS Megan Hornbeek Allen, Director of Alumni Engagement John Riesenberg, BBA ’11, MS ’14, President, Alumni Board
NEAR & FAR
EDITORIAL STAFF
OCU has established meaningful connections around the world, with many more to come.
Leslie Berger, BA ’02, Senior Director of University Communications Rod Jones, MBA ’12, Editor of FOCUS and Associate Director of Public Relations Kim Mizar, Communications Coordinator Ghost, www.ghost.agency, Layout and Design Brandlink Media, www.brandlinkmedia.com, Cover Illustration
PAG E 7 Above: President Burger and friends of OCU enjoy a meal in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
WRITERS Terry Phelps, Professor of English Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
Cover illustration by Brandlink Media
PHOTOGRAPHERS Josh Robinson, Photographer/Videographer Ethan Cooper, Photographer/Videographer Assistant
FEATURES FOCUS ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73106-1493 • (405) 208-7000 Story Ideas: focus@okcu.edu • Alumni News: alumni@okcu.edu FOCUS is produced semiannually by the Communications and Alumni departments for alumni, parents, and friends of Oklahoma City University. Oklahoma City University pledges to recruit, select, and promote diversity by providing equality of opportunity in higher education for all persons, including faculty and employees, with respect to hiring, continuation, promotion, and tenure, applicants for admission, enrolled students, and graduates, without discrimination or segregation on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, handicap or disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The Chief Human Resources Officer, located in Suite 205 of the Clara E. Jones Administration Building, telephone (405) 208-5075, coordinates the university’s compliance with titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Printed on recycled paper.
DEPARTMENTS
OKC and Well Beyond
7
President’s Message
1 2
STEM to the Rescue
12
University Update
Building a Better Core
14
Alumni
12
Props to Props
16
International
20
Freshman Class Spotlight
18
Athletics
22
Recruiting Students from Abroad
20
Class Notes
27
More Rural Nursing
21
Honor Roll of Donors 32 In Memory
36
Stay Up-To-Date Between Issues: okcu.edu // Read the Archives and Extra: okcu.edu/focus
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Alumni Lead the Way Worldwide GREETINGS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS,
One of the best things I have discovered about Oklahoma City University after a little more than a year in the role of president is our phenomenal network of alumni. Around the Oklahoma City area, our alumni are leading businesses, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities; bringing about revitalization in the urban core; and giving back to the local community to ensure that our future is bright. Across the nation, our alumni have made Oklahoma City University one of the Top 10 most represented colleges on Broadway for the second year in a row. OCU alumni are leading churches, advancing the quality of health care, and working in the public sector to represent others. I have met many OCU alumni dedicated to our mission of scholarship and service around Oklahoma City, in Tulsa, Dallas, Houston, and, New York, and I’m looking forward to catching up with our Los Angeles alumni in just a few weeks. It seems like everywhere that I look, an OCU Star is doing their part to lead and serve in their part of their world. During my first year as president, I was honored to connect with our network of alumni in Southeast Asia. Through our academic partnerships in China, Singapore, and Malaysia, our alumni include some of the top leaders in their industries. We are truly a community of Stars who are making an impact that is both local and global. So whether you connect with us across the street, or around the globe, I invite you to be a part of the expanding Oklahoma City University legacy. Go Stars!
MARTHA A. BURGER
President Burger and hosts in front of Istana Kehakiman, the Federal Court of Malaysia. okcu.edu // 1
UNIVERSITY UPDATE
Jo Rowan, Alumnae Receive Governor’s Awards Dance Chair Jo Rowan and alumna Barbara McAlister (BA Music ’64) received the 2019 Governor’s Arts Awards for their significant contributions to the arts in Oklahoma. The ceremony was held at the state Capitol building April 16. Alumna Juanita Pahdopony (MEd ’90) received a Governor’s Community Service Award. Rowan originated the OCU dance program nearly 40 years ago as the first of its kind in the world, emphasizing tap, jazz and music theater dance. She has since helped launch and shape the careers of thousands of students. With Rowan at the helm, OCU has become widely acclaimed as having one of the premier dance programs in the country. Her students have gone on to become established
Dance Chair Jo Rowan shows her Governor’s Arts Award and certificate at a reception at Wilson House. Photo by Josh Robinson
professionals on Broadway, in Los Angeles, and in prominent performing arts settings nationwide. After retiring from a long and distinguished international opera career, McAlister returned home to Oklahoma where she has invested her time in teaching vocal performance to youth and adults in the northeast area of the state. Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Amber Sharples said Governor’s Arts Awards honorees reflect the qualities that define Oklahomans. “Hard working, selfless, and devoted to causes greater than themselves, honorees deserve our thanks for their efforts in making the arts one of Oklahoma’s most robust assets,” Sharples said.
OCU students attend the Governor’s Arts Awards ceremony in the state Capitol rotunda. Photo by Josh Robinson
Nurse Practitioner Students Across the State The map to the right shows a star in every area of the state where the Kramer School of Nursing has had nurse practitioner students completing clinical courses for the 2018-19 academic year. The students work with preceptors in a clinic related to their specialty track to complete clinical hours required for their degrees.
2 // FOCUS Fall 2019
2018-2019 Nurse Practitioner Preceptor Locations
UNIVERSITY UPDATE
Church Introductions President Martha Burger has been visiting United Methodist churches around the state to share the latest news about OCU. Her visits included Nichols Hills, Wesley OKC, Chapel Hill, St. Stephens in Broken Arrow, and Boston Avenue in Tulsa. She was also the keynote speaker at the Oklahoma United Methodist Women’s 150th Year Celebration Dinner, held on campus during the annual conference in May, and she visited Temple B’nai Israel in Oklahoma City. The Council Oaks District United Methodist Women’s Gathering hosted President Martha Burger. Photo courtesy of the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church
Awards of Excellence Honors Five The Societies of Oklahoma City University presented this year’s Awards of Excellence on April 25 at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. The honorees for the 31st annual ceremony were Kathy Williams with the Dulaney-Browne Library Society Award, Sue Ann Arnall with the Kirkpatrick-Petree Music and Performing Arts Society Award, Stacy McDaniel with the Norick-Hulsey Gallery Society Award, Becky Switzer with the OCU Distinguished Philanthropist Award, and Jane Jayroe Gamble with the Servant Leadership Award. The event included entertainment by OCU’s performing arts students and was emceed by Mignon Merchant Ball (JD ’90), Miss Oklahoma 1986.
Above: From left, the Awards of Excellence honorees are Becky Switzer, Jane Jayroe Gamble, Stacy McDaniel, Sue Ann Arnall, and Kathy Williams. Below, left to right: Dance students Payton Millis and Anthony Giandiletti Jr. perform, and guests enjoy the event.
okcu.edu // 3
UNIVERSITY UPDATE
OCU Continues Strong Rankings Oklahoma City University has continued to garner accolades in national rankings, including: • One of the best schools in the country, according to the annual independent rankings released by the U.S. News & World Report. Thanks to expanded graduate-level programs in nursing and the university’s physician assistant program, OCU stepped up its status this year from a Regional University to the National University category. Along with the overall National University list, OCU was included on the Campus Ethnic Diversity and the A+ schools for B Students lists. OCU’s Meinders School of Business is ranked among the top Undergraduate Business Programs in the country. • The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings for 2020 listings have OCU at number 249 in the country, an improvement of 40 places from a year ago. OCU’s strongest
4 // FOCUS Fall 2019
ratings were in Engagement, which was in the top 86.5 percentile. OCU also ranked among the top in Resources and Environment. • One of Kiplinger’s 400 Best College Values for 2019. OCU was ranked highest among private universities in the state. Kiplinger, a Washington, D.C.-based publisher of business forecasts and personal finance advice, makes the list based on objective measurements of academic quality and affordability. • Playbill’s “Big 10 2019: The 10 Most Represented Colleges on Broadway.” The theater industry publication searched for the colleges of every actor who performed in a Broadway show from July 23, 2018, through May 29, 2019, which runs from the first opening of the 2018–2019 season to the day before the first opening of the 2019–2020 season. Playbill counted 24 actors from OCU.
UNIVERSITY UPDATE
Board Welcomes New Chairman The OCU Board of Trustees has named Paul McLaughlin (BSB Accounting ’76; JD ’81) as its chairman. Chairman Ron Norick retired from the lead position on June 30. “I appreciate Ron Norick’s leadership as chairman,” McLaughlin said. “He has exemplified OCU’s high standards of service and leadership. I have enjoyed my time as a board member and I look forward to the opportunity to serve my university in this new role.”
2019-20 Board Officers Chairman Paul McLaughlin Vice Chairman Gary Homsey Secretary Jane Jayroe Gamble Treasurer Nicholas Harroz, III Paul McLaughlin
McLaughlin works as a private investor in Mission Woods, Kansas. Norick will continue to serve on the board as chairman emeritus. He joined the board in 1982 and took over as chairman in 2010. “Ron Norick has been an outstanding leader for the board and has helped us live out our mission of scholarship and service,” said OCU President Martha Burger. “I am so pleased he will continue to serve actively as an OCU Trustee. Paul McLaughlin’s selection as our chairman is an exceptional choice. We have an excellent set of officers to guide us into the future.” McLaughlin has served as an OCU Trustee since 2015. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Juris Doctor degree from OCU. Norick said McLaughlin has been actively engaged in serving the university through his board service. “He is the right choice to lead us forward,” he said.
Leading the Way President Martha Burger was named one of the “50 Most Powerful Oklahomans” by the OKC Friday newspaper. Others on the list from OCU include alumnus David Holt (JD ’09); business school Executive in Residence Sue Ann Arnall; and trustees Tricia Everest, Meg Salyer, Judy Love, and Ron Norick (BS Business Management ‘64). Other friends of OCU on the list include former President Tom McDaniel, Gene Rainbolt, and Tom Love. Law Dean Jim Roth (JD ’94) and film studies professor James Cooper (MFA Creative Writing ’15) were named to the “Next Generation of Most Powerful Oklahomans” list.
ALL-AMERI C AN POET
Red Earth MFA Director Becomes Laureate Fellow The Academy of American Poets named Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, the poet laureate of Oklahoma and director of OCU’s Red Earth MFA program, an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Mish received a $100,000 award in recognition of her literary merit and in support of civic programs. Mish is using her award to present student poetry workshops in public schools in underserved communities, as well as rural areas across the state that serve the economically underprivileged and/or people of color. She is one of 13 state or local poets laureate nationwide to be honored. This new award, made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and announced by The New York Times, is in keeping with this spring’s national poetry programming theme of Poetry & Democracy offered by the Poetry Coalition, an alliance of more than 20 organizations working Jeanetta Calhoun Mish. together to promote the value poets Photo by John Jernigan bring to culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds. Poets have an important role in culture and in communities all across the country, according to the academy. By supporting poets laureate at the state and local levels, the academy hopes to ensure more people become acquainted with poets and poetry where they live and benefit from innovative and groundbreaking programming close to home, said Michael Jacobs, chairman of the Academy of American Poets. The academy called Mish’s work an example of how poetry can spark conversations and help people learn about one another’s lives and unique experiences. The academy is honored to help underwrite Mish and the other 12 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellows, all of whom are exceptional leaders, said Jennifer Benka, executive director of the academy. Mish was born in Hobart, Oklahoma, and raised in Wewoka. She received a bachelor’s degree and an MFA in English from the University of Texas and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Oklahoma. Mish is the author of “What I Learned at the War” (Lamar University Press, 2015) and “Work Is Love Made Visible: Collected Family Photographs and Poetry” (West End Press/University of New Mexico Press, 2009), winner of the 2010 Oklahoma Book Award for Poetry.
READ A VERSE: poets.org // 5
H
HOMECOMING 2019:
V
HOME
SITY
OKL A
C I T Y UN I
ER
A OM
COMING 2019
It's Time to Come Home Oct. 25- Nov. 2, 2019 • Friday, Oct. 25: Homecoming Eve: All-alumni pre-show cocktail reception and “To Kill a Mockingbird” theatre performance • Monday, Oct. 28: Film Screening: “American Heretics” • Tuesday, Oct. 29: Stars on the Plaza — OCU alumni and students take over the Plaza District • Thursday, Oct. 31: Meinders School of Business Hall of Honor • Friday, Nov. 1: Golden Grads & Lip Sync • Saturday, Nov. 2: Tailgate, reunion tents, basketball game, and more … Find more information or sign up for events at okcu.edu/alumni/homecoming
ll! a c d Goo
OCU ALUMNI DIRECTORY
The OCU Office of Alumni Engagement has partnered with Publishing Concepts, Inc. (PCI) to produce and update our alumni and faculty directory. PCI has been contacting OCU alumni via mail, phone and email to request that you update your information. Up-to-date alumni information is critical to strengthen the OCU alumni network, provide career guidance to OCU students and alumni, and determine our ranking in national and international evaluations. We understand security and privacy are concerns, but please know PCI is a trusted partner of the OCU Alumni Association. Respondents can opt out of the directory entirely or opt out of having their home address listed. Directories will be available for purchase.
L
Visit the Frequently Asked Questions page or call us for more information about the 2020 directory update: okcu.edu/alumnidirectory or 405-208-7000.
6 // FOCUS Fall 2019
President Martha Burger and several OCU leaders connected with alumni and friends of OCU in China and Southeast Asia earlier this year. okcu.edu // 7
ACROSS THE STREET, AROUND THE GLOBE While Anton Classen worked to build Methodist support for a As strong as OCU’s business school ties have been with southeast university in Oklahoma in the early 20th century, he dreamed of a Asia, the university’s performing arts schools also have built place that would nurture students intellectually and spiritually, and significant partnerships. a place that would, in turn, profoundly impact its local community. During the 1990s, Dance and Arts Management Dean John Now, 115 years later, that dream is not only alive and well in Bedford realized the opportunity to connect with alumni in Oklahoma City, it has reached across the globe. Malaysia and Singapore and give students an enhanced learning Oklahoma City University, since its earliest days as Epworth experience. He wanted his students to experience an international University, has been intertwined in the fabric of Oklahoma City, tour and learn how to use their artistic abilities to help others. Eight growing alongside of it, persevering through tough times, and tours in Asia have followed with performances that benefited four bringing about renewal and cultural excellence in the community. nonprofit organizations. Meinders School of Business Dean Steve Agee said the “OCU’s American Spirit Dance Company performances in Asia philanthropic contributions to the local community by OCU faculty, have created an awareness in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, staff, and students have accounted for some of the most significant that Oklahoma City University not only has excellent academic contributions by the university community to the city. The university programs, but also has an open heart for people of other cultures,” is represented on the board of directors for the Greater Oklahoma Bedford explained. “Our international tours always carry the tag City Chamber of Commerce, the Oklahoma City Community ‘Friendship Through Dance.’ It has been said that, ‘It takes a village Foundation, the Oklahoma City to raise a curtain.’ This sentiment is Philharmonic, and numerous others. certainly true with our tours, where “I see a lot of touch points for government, business, community philanthropy,” Agee noted. “Our use leaders, and academics work with us The philanthropic contributions to the of time, talent, and treasure is one of to use our artistic abilities to create a local community by OCU faculty, staff, our gifts.” public good, such as funding for an As the decades have passed and important charitable cause. In the and students have accounted for some technology has accelerated, Oklahoma of the most significant contributions by process, all of us learn or confirm that City University’s impact has become the fundamentals of being human are the university community to the city. ” increasingly global. Back in 1985, that the same everywhere, and that culture global imprint reached new heights and is simply human software for surviving OCU formed a partnership with Tianjin and thriving in our place on Earth, University of Commerce (now the Tianjin University of Finance and wherever that is. When this is understood, profound respect for Economics), becoming the first American university to offer a Master others follows.” of Business Administration program in China. The OCU Symphony Orchestra, including 80 students and Bass “What OCU started in the 1980s in China was remarkable,” Agee School of Music Dean Mark Parker, took its first international said. “We attracted some of the smartest young business leaders at that tour to China in 2004, performing at the annual “Meet in Beijing” time and they have been very successful.” International Arts Festival as well as in Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, The Meinders School of Business more recently offered the and Guangzhou. At the time, it was the most extensive Western Great Wall International MBA at Tianjin University, culminating orchestra tour in China, Parker said. One performance was broadcast the program in 2013. Since that time, the school has developed a to 300 million viewers. partnership with Tianjin University of Finance and Economics’ Pearl In 2016, Oklahoma City University participated in the China River College. Students from Pearl River study at OCU and the Theatre Innovation Summit, which brought together major college sends professors to serve as visiting scholars. Agee said the domestic and foreign theatre groups. That same year, six music Meinders School of Business plans to expand on the partnership in theatre students and several faculty members conducted the first the next few years. summer musical workshop at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music. Agee, President Martha Burger, and several university leaders Students also performed at Pearl River College’s 10th anniversary. visited alumni in China and Southeast Asia earlier this year. Agee Music and theatre students and faculty have made about 20 visits to noted that the OCU Malaysian Alumni Association is the most active China in all with another visit set for this fall to the World Theatre alumni association he has encountered. The group meets weekly and Education Alliance Festival at the Central Academy of Drama. is a highly engaged association. In a separate groundbreaking move, Oklahoma City University’s
8 // FOCUS Fall 2019
ACROSS THE STREET, AROUND THE GLOBE education department partnered with National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences in 2015 to offer the first Montessori program in Asia associated with a university. While numerous certificate programs exist, graduates of the dual OCU and National Taipei University program earn a master’s degree. Students work with faculty in Taiwan in addition to Skyping with OCU Montessori Education Program Director Charlotte WoodWilson. Wood-Wilson also visits their internship sites and hosts them for graduation visits to Oklahoma City. “Our graduates in Taiwan are highly sought after,” she notes. At the Oklahoma City University School of Law, a partnership with Nankai University School of Law in Tianjin has provided a
variety of opportunities and experiences for students and faculty for more than a decade. OCU has offered a summer study abroad program for American Juris Doctor students and a summer Certificate in American Law program for Chinese students. OCU Law also cofounded the International Symposium on SinoAmerican Comparative Law with Nankai University. Additionally, OCU Law hosts visiting scholars from universities throughout China every year. Classen’s dream of a university that could reach beyond its walls to enrich the lives of people in the broader community has made its way around the world and continues to invigorate the students, alumni, faculty, and staff who carry its mission forward.
Alumni in Malaysia Create ‘OCU Lifestyle’ One of OCU’s most enthusiastic alumni chapters is in Malaysia, where the ideals of the university are emphasized even with those who didn’t officially go to school here. The chapter is led by: • (MW) Dr. Marc Wong Yee Thiam – President; managing director for Rousselot Southeast Asia, India, Australia & NZ. • (YDC) The Hon. Michael YEK Diew Ching – Secretary; member of Parliamentarian Federation for World Peace. • (DC) Dato’ Dr Chua – Treasurer; auditor, licensed liquidator and tax consultant; founder and executive chairman of Cheng & Co. Group All three graduated from the Meinders School of Business and have established distinguished careers. They offered some perspective about their enthusiasm for OCU:
How and why did you select OCU for your education? (MW) My Chinese upbringing has a saying — “ride an ox, looking for a horse.” This idiom most often refers to employment, i.e. working in one job while looking out for a better one. In other words, self-improvement. Thanks to my OCU MBA, it opened doors to opportunities that moved me to senior management. (DC) OCU has been one of my biggest inspirations in my journey as a co-founder of Cheng & Co., which expanded from two partners and three employees in 1993 to one of largest homegrown accounting firms in Malaysia today with more than 400 employees.
What were you surprised to learn about studying at OCU? (YDK) The friendliness and the resilience of the people of Oklahoma as well as OCU professors; the international network of OCU alumni.
What’s the best part about being in the OCU group? (MW) Being able to connect and converse with people with various backgrounds. (DC) After more than 25 years, we still keep in touch with our professors and other OCU MBA graduates.
What are some things people from the U.S. are surprised to learn about Malaysian culture? (MW) Being a Muslim majority country, Malaysia also integrates Chinese and Indian cultures in our local food, beliefs, and community to make a homogeneous blend. One other particular surprise introducing people to our local fruit, Durian (Musang King) — King of Fruits, known for its pungent odor and acquired taste. (YDK) The diversity here is similar to America, and even the flags look similar; English is widely spoken. (DC) I personally think it’s the passionate nature of the Malaysian culture and the multi- racial population of the country. Professors and even the current and past OCU president, upon visiting Malaysia, were very surprised with how they were taken care of throughout their visit. Students took turns to take care of each visiting professor during their stay in Kuala Lumpur, right from picking them up from the hotel to the classroom, and accompanying them for all meals.
okcu.edu // 9
ACROSS THE STREET, AROUND THE GLOBE
OCU & Asia Left: Dean John Bedford and Dance Chair Jo Rowan at the National Taiwan College of Physical Education in 2006. Right: OCU MBA students (front row, from left) Alex Pun, Michael Leung, Bruce Poon, Thomas Lai, and Aldous Wan; and (back row) Joel Kwong, Sannio Ng, Caleb Lo, and Simon Wong during a visit from their university in China to the main OCU campus in 1991.
1985 Oklahoma City University partners with the Tianjin University of Commerce (now the Tianjin University of Finance and Economics) in China and becomes the first American university to offer a Master of Business Administration program in China.
1992 OCU’s Mass Communications Department launches a partnership with the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) to offer Singaporean students an OCU education. OCU launches a master’s program in mass communications through a new partnership with MDIS in Singapore.
1994 OCU dancers perform at Taiwan Police Academy, Central Newspaper Agency, University of Chinese Culture, and National Taiwan School of the Arts. OCU Mass Communications adds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications at MDIS in Singapore.
1996 OCU dance students perform at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton benefiting the Malaysia Red Crescent to raise funds for disaster relief. The single dinner performance raises 2 million Malaysian Ringget ($480,000 USD) to be used to provide medicine, shelter, water, blankets, and hygiene supplies to victims of floods, forest fires, and mud slides.
The Lord President of Malaysia hosts OCU’s American Spirit Dance Company at his home in Kuala Lumpur. OCU Dance takes part in a charity performance sponsored by MDIS in Singapore. An audience of approximately 1,200 attends the performance at the Kallang Theatre in support of the Society for Spastic Children.
2001 Dance and Arts Management Dean John Bedford, Dance Chair Jo Rowan, and dance majors Jon Warren and Julia Sanchez Massey provide lecture demonstrations on American musical theater dance at the Meritas Negara Hotel in Singapore as part of a daily open-house high tea to open relationships with people living in the surrounding neighborhoods. The presentations were immensely popular with large audiences attending.
2002 OCU’s MBA program in China was selected as one of the best joint MBA programs in China by the Degree Committee of China’s State Council. American Spirit Lite, the small touring group of the American Spirit Dance Company, and OCU music students Kyle Dillingham and Peter Markes perform in Beijing and Langfang, Hebei Province.
2004
1999
The OCU Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Music Dean Mark Parker, becomes the first university group to perform at the Meet in Beijing International Arts Festival. The orchestra performed in six cities throughout China. At the time, it was the most extensive Western orchestra tour in China.
OCU dance students perform at the Palace of the Golden Horses during a welcome dinner for new OCU President Stephen Jennings, sponsored in part by OCU Alumni Malaysia and the Malaysia-American Society.
Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry declares Friendship Day between Oklahoma and China, citing OCU’s involvement in the “Globalization: Implications for Innovations and Reforms in Investing and Financing Systems in China Conference.”
OCU dancers perform at Kuala Lumpur Hilton Charity Dinner Show to support IJN Foundation and Yayasan Tun Abdul Hamid, raising $500,000 USD to equip a new cardiovascular surgical center and fund law scholarships.
OCU President Tom McDaniel and Tianjin University of Finance and Economics President Zhang Jiaxing take a ceremonial walk on the Great Wall to mark the
10 // FOCUS Fall 2019
ACROSS THE STREET, AROUND THE GLOBE launch of OCU’s Great Wall MBA program in China. The program is a joint venture among OCU, TUFE, and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s China Institute, tying together the university’s business programs in Asia. OCU American Spirit Dance Company performs at the Taiwan Police Academy with 3,000 cadets in attendance and the National Taiwan School of Arts. Dancers visit National Taiwan University of Arts for a “Dance Exchange,” sharing American dance and traditional Taiwan and Chinese dance. Dean John Bedford, Dance Chair Jo Rowan, dancers, and arts management students attend a luncheon sponsored by the Taiwan OCU Alumni Association; Rowan speaks to the group in Mandarin. OCU dancers enjoy a “Dance Exchange” at the University of Chinese Culture. The dance company presents a full-evening performance at Soochow University.
2005 Dean John Bedford, arts management students, faculty, and staff meet in Beijing with the leaders of 17 government agencies and performing arts organizations to learn about their approaches to managing arts and culture and the role the Chinese government wants arts and cultural organizations to play in its international vision.
2012 The OCU MBA in China is rated one of the Top 10 most successful Sino-foreign joint degree programs in China by China’s MBA Education Network.
2015 OCU Piano Chair Sergio Monteiro gives a master class and performance at Tianjin Conservatory of Music. He also performs at Pearl River College and coaches several piano students and faculty.
2016 OCU representatives participate in the China Theatre Innovation Summit. The university also conducts its first summer musical workshop at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music. The OCU-Doers Taiwan Cultural Exchange Program begins. Funded by the Doers Cultural and Education Foundation, the program allows participating OCU students to spend two weeks ]working with Taiwanese college students in helping elementary children in Taiwan. The program has continued every year since. Left: Master’s in Montessori and Early Childhood Education graduates from National Taipei University at OCU’s graduation ceremony this year. Right: President Martha Burger and Business Dean Steve Agee visited alumni and friends of OCU in Asia earlier this year.
2006 OCU American Spirit dancers participate in an exchange with Taipei Physical Education College dancers. The American Spirit Dance Company performs at the Taiwan Police Academy, Theater of Hsinchu County Government Bureau of Cultural Affairs, and the National Taiwan College of Physical Education. OCU Law partners with Nankai University School of Law in Tianjin, China, to start an annual summer study abroad program for American Juris Doctor students.
2007 OCU Law launches an annual four-week summer Certificate in American Law program for Chinese law students and lawyers at OCU Law.
2008 OCU offers a liberal studies degree with a concentration in psychology at MDIS in Singapore.
2017 The first cohort of OCU’s Master’s in Montessori and Early Childhood Education program at National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences in Taiwan attend commencement ceremonies at Oklahoma City University’s Freede Center. The group toured Oklahoma City together, starting a tradition that current classes of graduates still follow. Dean Mark Parker is interviewed at Tianjin Conservatory of Music by the Tianjin Daily Newspaper about the decade-long cooperation between OCU Music and Theatre and the conservatory. OCU Music hosts on-site auditions in nine major cities in China, making it the most extensive Chinese audition tour of any American music school.
2019 President Martha Burger and several university leaders visit alumni in China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. okcu.edu // 11
ALUMNI APPL I E D P H YSI C S
Alumnus Uses STEM Skills in Country Defense
Above: Bohannon at far right, with the OCU Math Club in 1967. Opposite page, at top: George Bohannon, pictured far right, with the OCU Young Democrats club in 1968. Opposite page, at bottom: Bohannon with daughter Esmeralda. Photos courtesy of University Archives and George Bohannon
BY TERRY PHELPS GEORGE BOHANNON (B.A. PHYSICS & MATHEMATICS ‘69)
epitomizes the benefits of Oklahoma City University’s interdisciplinary, applied curriculum, particularly what is now universally labeled as STEM for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. He has contributed greatly to physics-related fields for more than 40 years. He always loved science. In elementary school in Cushing, Oklahoma, the local library had a reading program in which children were recognized for each book they read. Bohannon read more than 100 books, and most of them were about science. At OCU, Bohannon recalls doing well in his beginning physics 12 // FOCUS Fall 2019
class, and “maybe it was going to my head, so I had to be put in my place!” Professor Thomas Boster sent him to the blackboard to work out a physics problem that Bohannon had not seen before. “There I was standing alone in front of the class, and I bombed horribly. After that, I was a lot more humble in that class.” For his differential equations class with Dr. Reino Hakala, Bohannon stayed up all night to solve a difficult problem, taking his elaborate answer to Dr. Hakala the next morning, immediately returning to his dorm room, and sleeping through class time. “I came to realize much later that a more evenly measured approach to work is a more effective approach to life in general.” Bohannon was among the students who started OCU’s chapter of Kappa Sigma in 1967. “We prided ourselves in having the highest
ALUMNI
average GPA of all the fraternity colonies and chapters on campus.” Between his last two years at OCU, Bohannon received a National Science Foundation summer fellowship at the University of North Texas, working on “numerical calculations related to a quantum statistical theory of nuclei.” He also had his first experience with digital computers and writing computer programs. After graduating from OCU, he received a research assistantship at Michigan State University, earning master’s and doctoral degrees in physics in 1974. His Ph.D. thesis was a detailed examination and calculation of contributions to the nuclear force. After graduating from MSU, he accepted a two-year post-doctoral position in the nuclear physics branch of Los Alamos National Laboratory followed by a post-doctoral position at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Thereafter, he returned to Los Alamos to work for three years. He interviewed for several positions, including the Nevada Test Site near Las Vegas, where underground nuclear testing was conducted. Each underground test location included a large tower containing above-ground components of the test equipment. The test manager challenged Bohannon to climb to the top of a tower. Although uncomfortable with heights, Bohannon
accepted the challenge, climbed to the top, and was subsequently offered a job, which he declined. A few days later, he read that an underground test had breached the surface and spewed radioactive dust into the air. He was relieved that he wasn’t working there. In 1982 Bohannon joined engineering firm XonTech, Inc., developing software for evaluating missile defense radar systems for the Air Force. He also worked with NASA’s Orbital Debris Characterization project. NASA was concerned about the growing amount of “space junk,” such as remnants of final stage rocket bodies that had carried satellites into orbit. Occasionally the remaining fuel in a rocket body would explode, scattering thousands of fragments into orbit—a serious threat to active military and commercial satellites, as well as to the Space Shuttle and the impending International Space Station. The U.S. Space Surveillance Network kept track of pieces larger than 10 centimeters in diameter. But smaller pieces were also threatening because of their high orbital speeds and difficulty to detect. XonTech sought methods to determine the numbers and sizes of smaller pieces versus orbital parameters. Bohannon’s job was to develop an algorithm for estimating debris sizes. In the Kwajalein Atoll in the western Pacific, technicians obtained real-life debris radar data by dropping debris pieces from highaltitude balloons and tracking those pieces with radar as they tumbled back to Earth. Bohannon observed several of these drops from a helicopter. “Sitting in the Huey with the side doors wide open at about 3,000 feet altitude was an interesting experience,” he says. In 2006 he joined Technology Service Corporation, another LA engineering company, where he still works, focused on radar system modeling and radar algorithm design. He and his wife, Karina, have four children: Esmeralda, Cheryl,Yovany, and Alan. Reflecting, Bohannon says, “I’ve often thought I would like to create a list of people who were most influential in my life. Dr. Boster and Dr. Hakala would certainly be on that list. The fact that two of the people on my list were at OCU says a lot for the school.” okcu.edu // 13
Allison Barta Bailey outside of Plant, a restaurant in Midtown. Bailey manages the leases of several buildings in Midtown, including this one and the Plaza Court building across the street. Photo by Josh Robinson
ALUMNI AL L IS O N BA RTA BAIL EY
A City on the Rise: Alumna Helps Revitalize OKC I do have a special place in my heart for Midtown because that is where I host the Holiday Pop-Up Shops during the holiday season and I have so many good memories from that.” —ALLISON BARTA BAILEY BSB Economics/Finance ’06
BY ROD JONES
Oklahoma City has been described by many as a place undergoing a renaissance. Regardless of the words used to define it — transformation, up-and-coming, big-league city — there’s little debate that OKC has improved in many ways when it comes to cultural offerings and quality of life. Such improvements are best encapsulated in the reviving districts in and around the core of the city. And on the very front lines of that transformation stands Allison Barta Bailey (BSB Economics/Finance ’06). As a commercial real estate agent for Price Edwards, Bailey represents many of the most historical, interesting, and quickest improving parts of the city’s central districts. She manages leases for properties in downtown, Bricktown, Automobile Alley, Film Row, Midtown, the Arts District, and Oklahoma City University’s district, Uptown 23rd. Bailey describes her job as half communication and half analysis. She works with many independently owned businesses in finding appropriate spaces for their operations, while keeping an eye on the big picture of the districts overall. “It’s important to make sure a business is a good fit for their building and for the rest of the district,” she said. “I specialize in historic and mixed-use projects. One hundred percent of my work is either in or very close to downtown. “I do have a special place in my heart for Midtown because that is where I host the Holiday Pop-Up Shops during the holiday season and I have so many good memories from that.” Each year during the Christmas shopping season, Bailey creates a
winter wonderland on a vacant lot at NW 10th Street and Hudson Avenue. A handful of futuristic-looking bubble buildings spring up to host temporary mom-and-pop stores, with a giant Christmas tree as the centerpiece. Bailey originally came to OCU as a dancer. A project in an economics class sparked an interest in commercial real estate. “My first interaction with commercial real estate was in college, working on an impact study for the independent pharmacy industry in Oklahoma,” she said. “I started to understand the differences between locally owned and corporate retail and became very interested in local retail of all kinds.” After college, she kept up with the industry by writing content for personal websites about retail, then started working directly for retailers as a consultant. Bailey grew up in Mustang, Oklahoma, and Kingwood, Texas. In those days, many parts of Oklahoma City resembled a decaying ghost town, especially in and around downtown. She credits the increasing support of locally owned businesses versus national chains as the prime reason for district revitalizations. “I love local businesses, and the highest concentration of them is in the districts I get to work in every day,” she said. She also likes to watch the progress as historical buildings undergo renovations. As newer layers are peeled away, there are often surprises under the surface. “My husband, Kevin, is a good sport when driving with me because I love detouring to check in on projects, or drive by to see a tenant’s updates. I also love to take city streets instead of the highway because the streets are more entertaining,” she said.
okcu.edu // 15
FACULTY
Full Circle on the Circuit Larry Heyman was an assistant art director for a taping of “Antiques Roadshow” in Tulsa in 2018. Heyman worked for WGBH in Boston 23 years ago and was part of the very first episode. When he heard the show was coming to Tulsa, Heyman said he contacted the show’s art director in hopes of a friendly meeting while the show was in the state. The art director was missing an assistant, so she offered Heyman the role. He said they set up and prepped for shooting on a Friday. During the shooting session the following day, they worked with the principal appraisers for the items that actually made it to camera. His role was taking the artifacts and displaying them for camera using various methods.
16 // FOCUS Fall 2019
Top: School of Theatre professor Larry Heyman in the Fine Arts “Tin Bug” prop storage building. Bottom: The storage building contains an array of telephones from several different eras. Photos by Josh Robinson
FACULTY
Theatre Professor Sets the Scene BY TERRY PHELPS
Larry Heyman, assistant professor in properties design and For “Hope Floats” it took three weeks to modify and set up a fabrication in the OCU School of Theatre, in addition to work in house in a small Texas town with all the knickknacks, taxidermies, props departments in theatres in Chicago, Boston, and elsewhere, and a piano. The props leadman told Heyman to find a piano tuner has worked as a freelance set decorator, set dresser, and greens man because even though lead actor Harry Connick, Jr. didn’t play piano on feature films including “The Crucible,” “To Gillian on Her in the movie, he would likely play during breaks. Sure enough, when 37th Birthday,” “Rushmore,” “Hope Floats,” “Varsity Blues,” “Miss Heyman and others came into the house, Connick said, “What does Congeniality,” “King of the World,” “Home Before Dark,” “The Way everybody want to hear?” He sat down and played requests. She Moves,” and “Pearl Harbor.” For the film “The Crucible,” Heyman was in the greens One of Heyman’s most challenging films was “King of the department that planted gardens on an island. Lead actor Daniel World,” the Muhammad Ali story, shot entirely in Houston, Texas, Day Lewis brought tools and helped build split rail fences, and one in 1997, depicting scenes in multiple cities. Saturday stayed late and chopped wood. After The crew had to redress everything to look the production team left, tourists were allowed like the 1960s, replacing modern fencing in, and one fellow pointed to Lewis and told The show has a reality in with more period-looking fencing, replacing Heyman, “That guy looks like somebody which it exists, and it’s our plastic garbage bins with metal ones, and famous.” Heyman said, “Nah, he’s one of the job to research, manufacture, putting 1960s outfits on mannequins in store LA construction guys, but he gets that all windows. Modern parking meters had to be the time. I’ll tell him you said that and he’ll procure, restore, and curate removed with a custom-made wrench by the get a kick out of it.” The fellow left without the objects that populate city and replaced with trees and potted plants. approaching Lewis, and Heyman told Lewis, In the Astrodome, a façade like a Las Vegas “You owe me a beer.” that reality.” casino was constructed, requiring 4,000 lights. On a boat to the island, Heyman introduced Heyman found a “light bulb guy” and in a dilapidated warehouse, himself to someone he didn’t recognize. It was playwright Arthur bought the lights and rented a five-ton truck to transport them. Miller. Heyman said, “Oh my gosh, you really are Arthur Miller!” Heyman worked with Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (Oscar winning Miller tilted his head as if he had expected that response. After set designer for “La La Land”) on the film “Rushmore,” in which Heyman told him about his MFA in theatre, Miller said, “Well, lead character Max has a French fascination. Sandy told Heyman, you’ve got five minutes to playwright before we get to the island. “Whenever you see an Eiffel Tower postcard, print, sculpture, table Ask me whatever you’re thinking.” Heyman said, “If you had one lamp, whatever — buy it. We’re going to hide them like Easter eggs, message to tell audiences, what would it be?” Miller said, “Oh that’s which the audience may discover, but if not, it’s fine.” So there are easy: There’s no such thing as witches.” 137 Eiffel Towers in the movie, all purchased by Heyman. When Heyman designed “The Crucible” at OCU, he told that For the movie “Hope Floats,” Heyman was the only person story and helped design a set in homage to Arthur Miller and the on the set-dressing crew with a solid background in theatrical original concept of the show. The OCU production was set as a props and materials and processes and building things. For one replica of the Tercentenary Memorial monument to the people who dancehall set, the props leadman wanted a mirrored saddle instead were murdered in 1692. Not witches. of a mirrored ball. Heyman’s experience with mirrored balls in In his recent article in Stage Directions: The Art and Technology of the Goodman Theatre gave him a contact who sold mirror shapes Theatre magazine, “Curators of Everyday Objects: The Work of Prop (oval, diamond, etc.) by the pound. Heyman ordered 25 pounds and Masters,” Heyman says, “the show has a reality in which it exists, and covered the saddle and an armadillo taxidermy and other things for it’s our job to research, manufacture, procure, restore, and curate the the dancehall set. objects that populate that reality.” When lead actress and executive producer Sandra Bullock came Heyman’s wife, Amy, and their three children — Ian, Janie, and in and saw it, she said, “Omigod, I want all of it!” Later she threw a Jack — like to attend his shows, and the kids have often sat in on New Year’s Eve party at her house, which had all of the mirrors. rehearsals and film locations.
okcu.edu // 17
FRESHMEN
The Class of 2023 Total Freshmen
331 Avg. GPA
3.81 Avg. ACT
26
States Represented
35
Countries Represented
7
18 // FOCUS Fall 2019
FRESHMEN
okcu.edu // 19
FRESHMEN
Freshman Scholars Ava Cruchon American Indian Scholar Tulsa Ava is a Mass Communications major with a focus on Broadcast Journalism.
“I am currently learning how to communicate a message through writing and speaking. I will
be able to use these skills to convey a message behind or in front of a camera.�
Benjamin Bowen
Estella Seagraves
Computer Science Fellow Edmond
Frank Brooks Scholar Edmond
Ben is majoring in Computer Science.
Estella is a Cell and Molecular Biology major.
“I enjoy working with computers, and I love creating
“I hope to go to medical school and become an OBGYN,
I discovered that coding can be like a puzzle at times.
specialty once I am able to shadow more physicians. I
things. When I took programming classes in high school,
Computer science unites these three aspects, so I decided to major in Computer Science.”
but I know that I may change my preferred physician
have heard the cell and molecular biology major is very
rigorous, but I am excited to challenge myself and take many science courses, I love the sciences.”
Anette Barrios
Victoria Permann
Clara Luper Scholar Miami, Florida
Meinders Business Leadership Fellow Stephenville, Texas
Anette is a Music Theatre major and a Spanish minor.
Victoria is an Economics major.
“OCU is especially well known for the performing ar ts
“I am planning on going on to a graduate program
to explore stories through words, music and dance
in Economics and then pursuing economic research,
and the music school is truly no exception. We get
with brilliant faculty who take genuine interest in our
growth. The training is really rooted in giving us the tools to make a living at our ar t.”
and pursuing my Masters and potentially Doctorate
focusing on consumer behavior and its impacts on the greater world.”
Hannah Jacobs
Ellie Shumate
Gary Moore Great Plan Scholar Oklahoma City
Randall Great Plan Scholar Edmond
Hannah is an undecided major.
Ellie is a Cell and Molecular Biology major.
“I have not picked a major yet, but I am admitted
“I want to be a physician’s assistant and my major
currently interested in political science, history, and photography.”
science field to help me to be prepared for PA school.”
into the Petree College of Ar ts and Sciences. I am
exposes me to many different aspects of the
INTERNATIONAL
Meet Aaron Wheelbarger: Director of International Admissions at OCU Aaron Wheelbarger has worked in higher education under international services for more than 15 years. Born and raised in Oklahoma City, he says he never expected his career would take him to over 27 countries, talking with school officials and students from all walks of life. Wheelbarger graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Oklahoma, where he started his career in the International Office as an admissions advisor. There he specialized in African and Asian education systems. He has spoken at several state and national conferences over international credential evaluation. Wheelbarger has traveled to 27 countries on five continents. “I have had the privilege to see all types of schools, from remote jungle locations in west Africa, large metropolitan schools in Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi, schools bordering safari wildlife reserves in
east Africa, southeast Asia schools in Malaysia and Indonesia, and transcontinental regions of the Middle East,” he said. “I enjoy seeing how this world is so diverse in culture and amazed that all these cultures can come together in one location in Oklahoma. I know it’s my job to bring international students to OCU, but in that same sentence, it’s also fun to see these places and to interact with international students.”
As director of International Admissions, Wheelbarger is responsible for upholding immigration regulations for the university and student population, engaging and coordinating with applicants throughout the life cycle of the admissions process, international recruitment and assistance with international diplomacy efforts, and international engagement and services.
With his wife at Chichen Itza in Mexico
20 // FOCUS Fall 2019
At the front entrance of Petra in Jordan
At a fortress in Morocco called Oudias Kasbah
PARTNERSHIPS
Satellite Nursing Program Expands Its Reach The Kramer School of Nursing expanded its satellite program at Duncan Regional Hospital to include the Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton, starting with the fall 2019 semester. The program in Comanche County works jointly with the one at Duncan Regional Hospital and includes similar incentives for students, where they may take nursing classes free of tuition if they agree to work at Comanche County Memorial Hospital for at least three years after graduation. Students enter at the junior-level nursing courses. Classes are held three days per week in the Learning Center at Duncan Regional Hospital, and clinical rotations take place two days per week at CCMH. Lois Salmeron, dean of the nursing school, said the expanded program is a significant step for improving nursing education in southwest Oklahoma. “This is a win-win for those who desire to become nurses and are not able to leave the community to do so. It is a win-win for
rural health,” Salmeron said. Up to 20 scholarships for each cohort in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program are available. The Kramer School of Nursing started its joint program with Duncan Regional Hospital in 2016, where qualified students can complete their nursing degrees in two years. The hospital provides tuition expenses for students who agree to work there following graduation. The program is intended to address an ongoing need for baccalaureate-prepared nurses in hospitals that serve rural communities. So far, more than 20 students have graduated from the Duncan program and 17 are working at the hospital. OCU faculty reside in the Duncan area to teach classes and labs. The program also utilizes an innovative Polycom Communications online platform so that students in Duncan can participate and interact with classes in Oklahoma City in real time. The program coordinator is Dr. Cindy Rauh, who holds a doctorate degree in nursing practice and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from OCU.
This is a win-win for those who desire to become nurses and are not able to leave the community to do so. It is a win-win for rural health.”
OCU Kramer School of Nursing students are shown outside their classroom area at Duncan Regional Hospital. Photo by Josh Robinson okcu.edu // 21
ATHLETICS
Oscar Kipkoros: A Long, Long Run to Success BY KIM MIZAR
Oscar Kipkoros was born in Kenya, a country in eastern Africa bordering Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Tanzania. He grew up in a little village called Kibendo. Kipkoros went on to attend Friends College Kaimosi for his associate degree and Kisii University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in information technology and communication. He is the fifth born in a family of eight, the son of Salina Kipkoros and Benjamin Kipkoros Chesang, who passed away in June 2016. Kipkoros’ siblings consist of educators, a journalist, a businesswoman, and members of law enforcement. Kipkoros started running track in elementary school as he lived three miles from school and began running as part of his daily routine. “I competed and was able to beat bigwigs. This became my motivation,” he said. “Cross country is about passion and attitude. There is a lot of discipline involved but you have to trust the process, you have to feel the pain. I like it because it is all about mental understanding and it makes me happy to represent OCU, to win titles and bring in new records and improve my time.” Kipkoros said he didn’t know much about Oklahoma, “but coming here is the best decision I’ve ever made. I came across an article about Oklahoma City University and the training program captivated me and my thirst for knowledge.”
Oscar Kipkoros Photo by Kyle McKinley 22 // FOCUS Fall 2019
Kipkoros is majoring in criminal justice and is passionate about investigating crime. “I come from a country that has been in the center of every al-Shabaab attack, a country that faced heinous political crimes and post-election violence in recent years. I want to know what makes people commit such crimes, I want to know how to combat it,” he said. He plans to continue his education by enrolling in a doctoral program. Kipkoros has grown to love Oklahoma and plans to stay upon graduation. “I love working and competing alongside such diversity. I feel safe here and I love my advisor, professor Beth Green. She has always been there for me when I need advice. Matt Aguero is my super coach, he makes me train hard and reminds me to keep everything at the top, meaning both my academics and my training.” Kipkoros is a well-rounded student with many interests and a passion for giving of his time and talents to those in need. He is the co-founder of Athletics Academy Center, a nonprofit in Kenya to which he recently donated 30 pairs of shoes. He also works with the Grace of God Children’s Foundation helping vulnerable children receive basic needs and education. “I’d love to be an impactful person and help others realize their value and their talents,” he said.
ATHLETICS
OCU Wins Directors’ Cup
Abbott Collects SAC AD of Year
Oklahoma City University took the Directors’ Cup title for the third year in a row with its national finishes across its intercollegiate sports. The Stars dominated in the 2018-19 NAIA Directors’ Cup standings, scoring 921.25 points to finish 115.25 points ahead of second-place finisher William Carey (Mississippi). Oklahoma City collected its 68th national championship in all sports by capturing the NAIA men’s cross country title in November. OCU extended its consecutive years with at least one national championship to 26 dating back to 1993-94. The Stars produced a top-five finish for the sixth consecutive year and the 13th time overall in the Directors’ Cup standings. In 2018-19, Oklahoma City finished as national runner-up in women’s basketball, competitive cheerleading, and softball; third place in men’s golf; fourth in women’s golf, and fifth place in competitive dance, women’s indoor track & field, and men’s outdoor track & field. The Stars assumed an early lead in the standings after winning the men’s cross country crown, but fell to 10th place in the Dec. 20 standings. OCU regained the lead in the March 21 standings. The Stars scored in the maximum 13 sports toward the standings.
Jim Abbott garnered the 2018-19 Sooner Athletic Conference athletic director of the year. Abbott collected the honor for the sixth time after previously becoming SAC athletic director of the year in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2013-14, 201516 and 2016-17. Abbott took the award for the third time in four years and fourth time in six years. The conference nominated Abbott for the NAIA national athletic director of the year, announced on NAIA National Awards Day on Sept. 16. Abbott has been recognized as NAIA athletic director of the year twice in 2008-09 and 2016-17. Besides winning championships, OCU hosted the NAIA women’s golf championships at Lincoln Park Golf Course in Oklahoma City in May. OCU student-athletes achieved in the classroom with a 3.201 combined grade-point average. The focus of Abbott’s tenure has been on providing a championship experience for all student-athletes athletically, academically and socially, and establishing a culture of excellence throughout the department. “Jim has overseen another stellar year for our OCU Stars, part of the culture of success he has fostered during his tenure,” Oklahoma City President Martha Burger wrote in her letter of recommendation. “I appreciate Jim’s candor and am grateful for his leadership and for his creation of a culture of athletic prowess, academic success, and community service.”
Olowora Finishes OCU Career with 12 National Titles Aminat Olowora finished her career as the most decorated OCU student-athlete ever with 12 national championships and 16 all-American nods in cross country and track & field. In 2018-19, Olowora became NAIA women’s track athlete of the year and South Central Region athlete of the year as awarded by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Olowora earned her master’s in business administration this summer. Olowora, a senior from Lagos, Nigeria, punctuated her outstanding career by capturing the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter national championships May 23-25 in the NAIA Championships at Gulf Shores, Alabama. Olowora set a meet record with her time in the 10K. She took most outstanding
performer of the meet after being the NAIA Championships’ most valuable performer last year. In the NAIA indoor championships, Olowora spearheaded the Stars’ distance medley relay team to the national title March 2 in Brookings, South Dakota. Olowora was named the inaugural Sooner Athletic Conference women’s athlete of the year for 2018-19. SAC athletic directors voted on the honor.
Aminat Olowora Photo by Kyle McKinley
ocusports.com // 23
ATHLETICS
Coaching the Stars BY RICH TORTORELLI
Kristen Coventon
Stan Holt
Oklahoma City University will feature four new head coaches in 2019-20: Kristen Coventon (volleyball), Stan Holt (men’s basketball), Karly Judkins (STUNT), and Nicole Tyson (women’s wrestling). Coventon returned to OCU after spending the past five years as Southwestern Christian coach. Coventon had served as an assistant coach with the Stars prior to becoming a head coach. Coventon led the Stars to a win over fourth-ranked Missouri Baptist in her debut as Oklahoma City coach Aug. 15. In five years at Southwestern Christian, Coventon established many program benchmarks, including leading the Eagles to their most wins in a season (23), guiding their first winning season, and mentoring their first NAIA all-American (Cashlyn Munroe) and two National Christian College Athletic Association all-Americans. Coventon led Southwestern Christian to winning marks, including two 20-win seasons, the past three years. She took the program from two wins in Sooner Athletic Conference play her first year to 13 league victories this past year. She led Southwestern Christian to 86 victories in five years. Holt became the 22nd men’s basketball coach in OCU history. Holt joined the Stars after leading Langston to a 107-50 record with three national-tournament appearances over the past five seasons. Holt lifted Langston to national prominence. He directed the Lions to four consecutive 20-win seasons, a No. 4 ranking among the NAIA in January, the 2016 Red River Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 25-7 record, the 2017 NAIA Division I Championship Tournament quarterfinals and the program’s first NAIA Tournament victory, a 78-76 triumph over third-seeded Biola (Calif.) on March 15, 2017. Langston went 3-3 in the NAIA Tournament under Holt, but Langston previously had gone 0-3 in the national tournament. Holt has three times been named HoopDirt.com national coach of the week. Langston produced five 24 // FOCUS Fall 2019
Karly Judkins
Nicole Tyson
all-Americans and 18 all-conference performers under Holt. Judkins, an OCU alumna (BS Human Performance ’17), has spent the past two years as assistant coach for the Stars’ competitive cheerleading and STUNT teams. Over the past two years, Judkins has contributed to Oklahoma City’s two runner-up finishes in the NAIA competitive cheerleading championships and winning the 2019 NAIA Southwest Qualifying Group Championship. Judkins put together a decorated career as an athlete. While competing as a student-athlete at Oklahoma City, she and her teammates won seven national championships – four National Cheerleading Association titles, a National Dance Alliance hip hop title and two NAIA championships. Tyson became the first OCU alumna (BA Photography ’11) to take over the women’s wrestling program. Tyson, née Woody, took four Women’s College Wrestling Association all-American nods and an individual national title from 2007-11. During her coaching career, Tyson has contributed to three national championships and three NWCA National Duals titles while guiding 10 individual national champs and 55 all-Americans. Most recently, she spent the past two seasons at Campbellsville (Ky.). Tyson has made coaching stops at Missouri Baptist as a graduate assistant and King (Tenn.) as a full-time assistant. She helped King win two national titles and two NWCA National Duals championships. Tyson contributed to Campbellsville winning its first WCWA national title as well as taking fourth in the 2019 NAIA Invitational and sixth in the WCWA Championships this past season. During her OCU wrestling career, she was also a threetime WCWA national finalist while winning the 97-pound (44-kilogram) championship in 2011. She posted a 96-32 record with 16 pins and 21 technical falls.
ATHLETICS
Smith Catches NAIA Player of the Year Award OCU’s Jaci Smith snared NAIA softball player of the year as lauded by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Smith, a catcher from Godley, Texas, completed her senior year as first-team NFCA all-American, NFCA catcher of the year, NAIA player of the year, first-team NAIA all-American, first-team allNFCA Region III, Sooner Athletic Conference player of the year, first-team all-SAC, five-time SAC player of the week, and NAIA player of the week for March 18-24. Smith landed four NAIA allAmerican accolades, three NFCA all-American nods, four all-region honors, four all-conference honors, four NAIA Softball World Series all-tournament accolades, eight league player of the week honors, and one NAIA player of the week nod during her career. In 2019, Smith posted one of the most prolific seasons in the NAIA ever. Smith shattered NAIA single-season marks with 119 RBIs and 114 runs scored. Smith’s 222 total bases topped OCU’s single-season record of 215 by Tracey Mosley in 1995. Smith set a World Series single-game record with three doubles vs. Southern Oregon. The Stars took national runner-up in the NAIA Softball World Series for the sixth time and won the SAC Tournament for the 19th time in 2019. OCU has seven 60-win seasons and 10 national championships. Jaci Smith Photo by Josh Robinson
Rowing Record: Stars Improve at IRA Championship
Photo by Rich Tortorelli
Oklahoma City posted its finest finish ever in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships after taking the men’s varsity four third level final this summer at Lake Natoma. OCU finished 13th in the event during the 117th edition of the IRA Championships. OCU worked its way through the repechage to advance to the third final. The Stars’ crew of James Francis, Craig Oldiges, Boris Dimitrijevic,Vladislav Izda and Sarah Tyree recorded their best time of the weekend. In the repechage race, OCU qualified for the third final by taking third place. The Stars clocked a time of 6:43.340. The Stars qualified for the IRA Championships by winning the Thomas A. Curran Cup, the heavyweight four, in the Dad Vail Regatta earlier this year in Philadelphia. OCU established the course record.
ocusports.com // 25
ATHLETICS
Two Stars Chosen in MLB Draft Elliott Cary and Bryce Milligan from Oklahoma City were taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The Milwaukee Brewers picked Milligan in the 19th round with the 583rd overall selection, while the Detroit Tigers selected Cary in the 29th round with the 862nd pick. Oklahoma City has sent 77 players to the professional ranks via the MLB Draft, while 163 OCU alumni overall have turned pro. OCU boasts of the most wins in college baseball since 1991 with a 1,433416-2 mark in that span. The Detroit Tigers previously drafted Cary’s father Chuck Cary in the seventh round in the 1981 draft. Chuck Cary pitched for the Tigers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and the Chicago White Sox from 1985-93.
Castille Makes U.S. Amateur Championship
Photo by Josh Robinson
Peri’Don Castille of OCU competed in the U.S. Amateur Championship on Aug. 12-13 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Castille, a senior from Dallas, posted a 7579–154, missing the cut for match play at the tournament. He came away with five birdies throughout the 36 holes on the par-70, 7,334-yard course. The two-time NAIA all-American qualified for the U.S. Amateur with the top score in an event July 15 at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.
26 // FOCUS Fall 2019
OCU Alum Lands U.S. Mid-Amateur Bid OCU alum Eric Gibbs (BSB Finance ’08; MBA ’10) qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur after shooting a 3-under-par 34-35–69 at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifier on Aug. 12 at Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, Louisiana. Gibbs collected five birdies at the 7,028-yard course, finishing 2-under on the front nine and 1-under on the back nine. The former Star finished tied for second at the qualifier, with the top three moving on to play in the U.S. Mid-Amateur on Sept. 14-19 at the CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, Colorado. He was set to compete in a field of 264 competitors. The winner of the U.S. MidAmateur gets an invitation to the Masters and U.S. Open. Gibbs, from Alma, Arkansas, posted a 76.56 stroke average for the Stars from 2005-09.
Kipkoros, Shaw Take National Crowns OCU’s Oscar Kipkoros captured the 3,000-meter steeplechase championship May 25 in the NAIA men’s outdoor track & field championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Kipkoros landed NAIA men’s scholar athlete of the year as awarded by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Combining his accomplishments in the classroom and in competition during the recently completed academic year, Kipkoros was among the most exceptional among a group of 185 men from NAIA who earned USTFCCCA all-academic honors. Kipkoros, a junior from Iten, Kenya, had a cumulative grade-point average of 3.64 studying criminal justice. He placed fifth in the 5,000 meters at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 23-25 in Gulf Shores. Mark Shaw of OCU reeled in the 10,000-meter individual national title in the NAIA men’s track & field outdoor championships. Shaw, a junior from Ormesby, Middlesbrough, England, secured his second individual national championship at the 2017 NAIA cross country championships.
Alumna Becomes First Girls Wrestling Coach in State OCU all-American Cassidy (Jasperson) McAlpin has been named head girls, wrestling coach at Broken Arrow High School. Broken Arrow Public Schools announced the creation of the first girls’ varsity wrestling program in the state. The school’s first girls wrestling coach is coming off the heels of an award-winning collegiate career as captain of the OCU women’s wrestling program. McAlpin’s accomplishments include becoming a five-time collegiate all-American, winning the bronze medal at the 2017 U.S. Senior Open, and finishing third at the NAIA National Women’s Invitational. She produced a 20-8 record with 10 falls this season and a 75-32 mark with 47 pins during her OCU career. She is a graduate of Clear Springs High School in League City, Texas, where she posted a 42-1 record as a senior and won a state championship. She graduated with her elementary education degree from OCU in May.
CLASS NOTES 1980s Noel White (MBA ’82), CEO of Tyson Foods, was listed in CEOWORLD magazine’s “31 Powerful CEOs On The Fortune 500 With MBA Degrees.” The Crystal Bridge in the Myriad Botanical Gardens hosted an exhibit for David J. Holland’s (BA Art ’83) work “Capturing Clouds” in August. Arrangements of works by alumnus Jeff Luke (Music ’87) are featured on the award-winning debut studio CD by Seraph Brass. 1990s
Kyle Dillingham (BM Instrumental Performance ’02) coordinated a free charitable music concert and festival in the Myriad Botanical Gardens in honor of the homeless. Spawned by a fortuitous Valentine’s Day encounter between Dillingham and Eddie Monarch, a homeless man in Oklahoma City, the festival in June was named the Reddened Monarch Music Festival. The concert also featured fellow alumnus and Horseshoe Road bandmate Peter Markes (BM Instrumental Education ’01). Horseshoe Road made its debut as guest artists on the Grand Ole Opry. They were introduced by Country Music Hall of Fame members the Oak Ridge Boys. Dillingham also performed at the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Women’s Auxiliary annual Celebration of Hope fundraising event in April, and he performed in Thailand, reprising his role in the stage production of “Lilit Phra Lor.” He was selected to participate in the 2018-2019 American Music Abroad tour through Kuwait and the Republic of Kosovo. Markes played three shows at this year’s Festival of the Arts in Oklahoma City.
1970s John K. Williams (JD ’73) joined the law firm of Fellers Snider. The Amarillo Police Department hosted a dedication ceremony for its new Chief Jerry Neal (BA ’73; MS Criminal Justice ’75) Classroom in April. Garvin A. Isaacs, Jr. (JD ’74) was recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a Pinnacle Attorney for his role as owner and sole practitioner at Garvin A. Isaacs, Inc.
The Oklahoman and other regional media outlets
ran feature stories about alumnus Dr. George Selby’s (BS Biology ’74) work to bring a cancer treatment called CAR T to Oklahoma. Selby is the director of the Stem Cell and Cellular Transplant Program at the Stephenson Cancer Center. Robert Ravitz (JD ’76), State Rep. Jon Echols (JD ’05), and OCU trustee Tricia Everest (DHL ‘18) were named to the governor’s Criminal Justice Reentry, Supervision, Treatment and Opportunity Reform (RESTORE) Task Force. Elizabeth A. Hayden (JD ’79) was appointed to serve on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s national review board for the Protection of Children and Young People committee.
Ronnie Irani (MBA ’90) joined the Seven Generations Energy board of directors. Irani also joined the Oklahoma City Community Foundation Board of Trustees. Ramona Tumblin-Rucker (MBA ‘90) was hired as director of Design/Build & Construction Management for M Property Services in Georgia. Ken Jacome (BS Physical Education ’91) became a baseball coach for the Pima College Aztecs in Arizona. Tony A. Scott (JD ’91) received East Central University’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Nellie Norris (BPA Dance ’91) is performing as a Cyndi Lauper impersonator for the Legends in Concert shows at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. Kristin Chenoweth (BM Musical Theatre ’91, MM ’93, DHL ’13) was granted the key to Oklahoma City during her “Love Letter to Oklahoma” performance. Chenoweth received the Philanthropist Award during the GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards in Washington, D.C. She was also included in the Tulsa World’s rundown of some of the funniest entertainers from the state for its National Let’s Laugh Day feature. Tony A. Scott (JD ’91) was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from East Central University in Ada in May. David Briscoe (BM Piano Pedagogy ’93, MM Vocal Performance ’99) coordinated a community choir for a patriotic concert in Duncan.
SUBMIT CLASS NOTES: alumni@okcu.edu // 27
CLASS NOTES appointed interim executive director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.
KOCO-TV ran a story about Shannon Wrights (BS Dance Management ’93) and her studio Aspiring Attitudes, which helps dance students with special needs.
Joe Slack (BFA Studio Art ’01) was the selected artist for a public art project sponsored by OKC Beautiful for Classen Boulevard in honor of the organization’s 50th anniversary.
Julie Wallin Culligan (M.Ed. Professional Counseling ’93) was named the Tennessee-based Tri-Cities Business Journal Healthcare Hero 2019 for “Project Resilience,” an integrative/alternative treatment program for veterans with chronic pain. Culligan is a psychologist with the Veterans Health Administration Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation.
Brian Ruttman (BBA Marketing ’01) was named superintendent of the Moore Norman Technology Center. Courtney Tennent (BS Nursing ’02) joined Variety Care as a pediatric provider.
Life & Style magazine posted a story about Chris Harrison (BA Mass Communications ’93; HDFA ’15) headlined “The Most ~Dramatic~ Transformation Yet! Chris Harrison Has Been Hosting ‘The Bachelor’ for 18 Years.” Buzz Williams (BS Physical Education ’94) was named men’s basketball coach for the Texas A&M Aggies. Susangrace DuBose (BA English Secondary Education ’95) was named the facilitator of the Queen Anne’s County Public Schools’ new Virtual Learning Academy in Maryland. Biju Kurian (MBA ’95), president of the aircraft technician firm Objectstream, Inc., accepted recognition on behalf of his company as a Metro 50 award honoree from the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. It was Objectstream’s seventh Metro 50 award. Import Bank of Thailand appointed Apirat Saengtathongthong (MBA ’96) as director of export promotion and investment promotion. Jason Martinek (Prior Learning & University Studies ’97; MBA ’01) was hired as senior vice president in the commercial loan department at First State Bank. Kelli O’Hara (BM Vocal Performance ’98, Honorary DHL ’15) earned her seventh career Tony Award nomination with a Best Performance by an Actress nomination for her role in “Kiss Me, Kate.” O’Hara appeared on NBC’s “Today” show for an interview and cast performance. She was featured in the New York Times Magazine as part of its “A Star is Made” artist profiles. 28 // FOCUS Fall 2019
Ashlie Wilhelm (BA Asian Studies/Political Science ’02; MLA ’04) accepted the 2019 Beacon Award for Philanthropic Impact in Oklahoma on behalf of her company, Wilspec Technologies.
Nathan Sammons (BS Biology ’99) was awarded Louisiana State University-Alexandria’s Bolton Award for teaching excellence for 2018-19. Sammons is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and was the recipient of LSUA’s Teaching Innovation Award the previous year. Lucas Ignatius Loh Jen Yuh (MBA ’99) was appointed as a non-executive non-independent director and chairman of the executive committee for CapitaLand Group in China. Jodi Shilling (BPA Dance Performance ’99) was interviewed for a book titled “Dance Studio Secrets,” which climbed to No. 1 in Small Business and No. 1 New Release in Dance on Amazon. Ronald C. Griffin (JD ’99) was appointed United States magistrate judge in the Midland/ Odessa division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. 2000s Michelle Haché (MM ’00) was appointed as artistic director of Opera and Musical Theatre at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where she serves as assistant professor of voice in the Department of Music. Kris Woolly Markes (MBAM ’01) was
Manjia “Coco” Zhao (MBMK ’02) was appointed to serve as a member of the board and as secretary of Moregain Pictures. Lyra (Precise) Sprenger (BPA Dance ’03), owner of Skin Confidence Coach, was named one of the Springfield, Missouri-based 417 magazine’s “10 Most Beautiful Women.” This year’s Journal Record Achievers Under 40 list included Tim Gallegly (BSB Finance ’03; JD ’13), Meghan Dunn Gordon (BS Dance Management ’04), Collin Walke (JD ’08), and Erick Worrell (BA Public Relations ’07). Brintha Gardner (MBA ’04) was crowned Mrs. New Jersey International 2019.
CLASS NOTES The University of Richmond Law Review published an article by Michael Conklin (MBA ’04) titled “Can You Truly Be Happy in Law School? An Analysis of Law School Advice.”
Suvir Dhar (JD ’07), a Simmons Hanly Conroy firm shareholder focusing on mesothelioma litigation, was named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty list for 2019.
Sara Edwards (BPA Dance ’04) returned to campus to talk with students about her success as a performer and career as an associate choreographer. Edwards has extensive performance experience and has worked on numerous Broadway productions and national tours with high-profile talent. As an associate choreographer, she prepared Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce, Bernadette Peters, Victor Garber and Donna Murphy for Broadway’s “Hello, Dolly!” She went on to re-stage the production for the national tour. Before that, she was resident director/ choreographer on Broadway’s “After Midnight,” which won the Tony Award for Best Choreography.
Dusty Reasons Thomas (MA Theater ’07) directed the North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre production of “Steel Magnolias.” Keith Hines Jr. (MA Musical Theatre ’07) played Thomas Jefferson in the Muny production of “1776” in St. Louis this summer. Peter L. Scimeca (JD ’07) was named shareholder of the Fellers Snider firm. Joel Linares (JD ’07) was named Moab city manager in Utah. Texas Monthly ran a feature Q&A story with Gabrielle Ruiz (BPA ’07), who said being accepted to OCU “was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Tinasha La Raye (BA Theatre Performance ‘08, MA Liberal Arts ’10) performed a spoken word piece for a Black History Month celebration in California. LaRaye also acted in and co-directed the historical documentary film “Voices of the Golden Ghosts.”
Todd Lamb (JD ’05) replaced Kirk Humphreys on KFOR’s “Flash Point” political discussion show. Vu Van Thang (MBA International Business Finance ’05) was appointed senior director and general manager for Herbalife in Viet Nam and Cambodia. Composer Jay Wadley (Music Composition ’05), co-founder of NYC-based Found Objects Music Productions, is scoring the new Netflix series “Tales of the City.” He also recently scored the indie drama “Adam,” which made its debut at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and the indie comedy “Olympic Dreams,” which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. Jenny Rose (BPA Dance ’05), a former Disney employee, attended the world premiere of “The Lion King” movie at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. Ernie Pruneda (BM Musical Theater ’05) and Gabriella Ottersberg Enriquez (BM Musical Theater ’19) performed in Music Theatre Wichita’s “In the Heights.”
Katie Goffman (Musical Theatre ’09) was featured in the world premiere of “Clueless the Musical.”
Minami Okamura (BA Music ’09) is reprising her role as Esmerelda in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” running in Kyoto through January 2020. She was also cast as Milo Davenport in the Japanese-language version of “An American in Paris” with the Shiki Theatre Company. Rachel Rhodes-Devey (BM Musical Theater ’09) and Amy Button (BM Musical Theater ’15) are featured in the fall production of “Billy Elliot the Musical” at Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut. Peyton Crim (BA Vocal Performance ’09) played one of the actors in “The Play That Goes Wrong” in Tulsa and was featured in a story in the Tulsa World. Dr. Hannah Leffler (BM Instrumental Performance ’09) joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she teaches music theory and music appreciation while being in-residence with her WoodWired Duo. She will continue teaching flute at El Centro College and leading a flute studio for young musicians in the Prosper Independent School District. Matthew Schultz (BA Music Theater Performance ’09) was named president of the Stuhr Museum Foundation in Grand Island, Nebraska. Peyton Crim (BM Vocal Performance ’09) was part of the first national touring company of “The Play That Goes Wrong.” 2010s Allen L. Hutson (JD ’10), attorney for the Crowe & Dunlevy firm, began his second term on the Oklahoma Bar Foundation’s 2019 Board of Trustees. Herbert Sim (BA Liberal Studies ’10) was named chief marketing officer at Cryptology Exchange.
The Oklahoman’s business section ran a Q&A feature on Brice Heinen (BS Kinesiology & Exercise Studies ’10), physical therapist and certified ergonomic assessment specialist, and owner of Heinen Physical Therapy.
SUBMIT CLASS NOTES: alumni@okcu.edu // 29
CLASS NOTES The Oklahoman featured Rayshon Payton (BA Political Science ’10), former OCU golfer and current legislative director for U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, who credits the sport with helping him achieve his goal of becoming a lawyer.
Rebekah Gudim (BPA Dance ’13) was a swing in a production of “42nd Street” in St. Paul, Minnesota. Elliott Mattox (Musical Theatre ’14), returned to Broadway in “Beetlejuice The Musical.”
Nicole Mikala Ferguson (BM Musical Theater ’11) was part of Fiasco Theater’s offBroadway production of “Merrily We Roll Along.”
Clayton Puckett (BBA Economics/Finance ’14) was promoted to assurance senior by the HoganTaylor LLP public accounting firm.
Lewis T. LeNaire (JD ’11) was promoted to shareholder of GableGotwals law firm and. Rave reviews accompanied Robert Watson’s (Vocal Performance ’11) debut as the title character in “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” at Deutsche Oper Berlin. Critic Aka Imamura noted: “tenor Robert Watson in the title role had a handsome stage presence, with muscular and ringing voice … his inexhaustible stamina served him well.” Heather (ME Behavioral Studies ’11) and Philip Busey (MLA ’12) had their home featured in the Historic District Lifestyle magazine. The World Economic Forum selected Nathaniel Harding (MBA ’11), founder and president of Oklahoma City-based Antioch Energy, as a 2019 Young Global Leader. Harding is the third Oklahoman to be selected to the prestigious program. A book written by Erin Floyd (BA Religious Education ’11) titled “A Manger Miracle,” a children’s Christmas activity book, was released by Abingdon Press. Sasha Hutchings (BPA ’11) played a dancer in the season premiere of the FX series “Fosse/ Verdon.” Ashton Gatewood (BA Spanish/BS Cell & Molecular Biology ’11; BS Nursing ’15), a director in the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, was named to the 40 Under 40 in Cancer: Rising Stars and Emerging Leaders list. Gatewood received two Indian Health Services Oklahoma Area Director’s Awards — one for Exceptional Individual Performance, Health Promotion & Wellness and another for Group Excellence in Customer Service, Health Promotion Disease Prevention. Heather Botts (Musical Theatre ’12) was in the Lincoln Center Theater production of “My Fair Lady.”
30 // FOCUS Fall 2019
Isaiah Bailey (BM Vocal Performance ’14) booked his national tour debut in the ensemble of “Beautiful - The Carole King Musical.” The tour kicked off Sept. 20 in Utica, New York, and concludes June 14 in Orlando.
Molly Rushing (Musical Theatre ’12) was a cast member of “Anastasia” on Broadway. Belinda Allyn (BM Music Theater ’12) was in the Paper Mill Playhouse productions of “Benny & Joon” and “Beauty and the Beast” in New Jersey. John Nalley (JD ’12) joined the Colorado Springs office of Cordell & Cordell as a litigation attorney. Rebekah Bruce Parker (MM Vocal Coaching ’12) made her Broadway conducting debut in the orchestra pit of “Mean Girls” on Aug. 7. Raul Eduardo Dominguez (BM Vocal Education/Vocal Performance ’12) was appointed assistant director of the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus and director of the DGMC’s chamber a cappella ensemble, Off Kilter. The Jerusalem Post ran a story about Drew Feldman (BFA Acting ’13) and the video production company he co-founded, Cinemad Productions. In a quote, he called OCU “one of the jewels of the South.” Katie Alsup (BS History/Education ’13) was a finalist for the Oklahoma City Public Schools 2019 Teacher of the Year. Alicia (Newcom) Jin (BPA Dance ’13), formerly a Radio City Rockette, joined the touring production of “Wicked.”
Mary Beth Nelson (BM Vocal Performance ’14) made her Bronx Opera debut as the Secretary in Menotti’s “The Consul.” Steven D. Powell (BS Nursing ’14) was named one of the Top 150 Nurses for this year’s Houston Chronicle Salute to Nurses. Benjamin Rivera (BPA Dance Performance ’14) was cast in the ensemble of the Broadway production of “Moulin Rouge!” OH! Baby restaurant co-owners Sean Spencer (BBA Economics/Finance ’14), Kevin Culbertson (BBA Business Administration ’14; MBA ’17), and Chris Cox (BBA Marketing ’14; MBA ’17) recently opened their space in the Collective Kitchens + Cocktails food hall in Midtown. Eryn LeCroy (BM ’14), featured as Christine Daaé in “The Phantom of the Opera,” worked with a cast in a weeklong industry reading of the new musical “Chéri,” based on the novella by Colette. Keslie Ward (BM Musical Theater ’15) was featured as Agnes in the “Away Games” episode of “Divorce” on HBO, and as vocalist during the show’s closing credits. Jane Keehn Clark (ME Early Childhood Montessori ’15), the New Mexico Highlands campus visit specialist, received the Conference Footprint Award during the 26th annual National Collegiate Information and Visitors Services Association conference in June.
CLASS NOTES A Tulsa World story about the Circle Cinema Film Festival beginning today included a section about filmmaker Josh Downing’s (BFA Film Production ’15) entry “All We Have is Now.” Jaclyn (Wangler) Wicks (BPA Dance ’16) will perform roles in the Hong Kong Disneyland Halloween event this fall. Three alumni singers were featured in Sarasota Opera’s February production of Puccini’s Turandot: studio artist Caitlin Crabill (Opera Performance ’16), soprano, covered the title role; mezzo-soprano apprentice artist Liz Wasson (Vocal Performance ’17) was a member of the chorus; and studio artist Samuel Schlievert (Opera Performance ’17), tenor, sang the role of Pang.
Carolina and at Cape Cod’s The Cape Playhouse, to be followed by a run as Mark in the Oct. 19-Jan. 5 production at Washington, D.C.’s, Signature Theatre. Ali Bradley (BFA Acting ’17) was crowned Miss Greenville County in South Carolina.
Katharin Evans (BS Elementary Education ’17) was named to the first annual 20 Under 2 list of promising new Oklahoma teachers by the Teaching & Leading Initiative of Oklahoma. Evans is a fourth grade teacher for Deer Creek Public Schools. Across the state, principals, veteran teachers, and district leaders submitted their top novice teachers for consideration. Each nomination from principals and colleagues was reviewed and scored by a panel of education professionals.
Cooper Baldwin (BM Composition ’17) won The Capital Hearings’ 2019 Young Composer Competition for his piece, titled “give me your tired, your poor.” It received its world premiere Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C. Rylee Sivertsen (BA Political Science ‘17) won a 2019 Horizon Award from the Oklahoma City Young Professionals group.
Seth Adam Lynn (BA Music ’16) performed as part of The Ruckus Trio on harp in St. Petersburg, Florida. Donalyn Alexander (BSN-DNP ’16) was named dean of the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing in Abilene, Texas. Caitlin Crabill (MM Opera Performance ’16) made her debut as Cio-Cio San in Central City Opera’s production of “Madama Butterfly.” Daxx Jayroe Wieser (BM Musical Theatre ‘16) completed summer runs in the role of Greg in “A Chorus Line” at Hilton Head’s Arts Center of Coastal
Monica Hiller (BS Elementary Education ’18) received a scholarship from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence to attend the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute in June.
Chris Cummings (JD ’17) was hired as chief legal officer for Valir Health, a healthcare organization based in Oklahoma City.
Monica Thompson (BM Music Theatre ’17) won the title of Miss Colorado.
Emma J. Payne (JD ’16), a trial lawyer and former federal judicial clerk, joined the McAfee & Taft firm.
Center of Southern Oklahoma in Ardmore.
Four OCU alumni are currently featured in Casa Mañana’s “The Producers” in Fort Worth, Texas — Phillip Giandiletti (BPA Dance Performance ’17), Alex Sutherland (BFA Acting ’17), Morgan Haney (BM Music Theater ’18), and Kaylene Snarsky (BS Dance Management ’18).
Rachel Caid (M.Ed. in Early Childhood/ Montessori ’18), pictured in the middle, received the Golden Apple award as a first-year teacher at Emerson Public Montessori School in Tulsa. Pictured left is Diane Beckham (M.Ed. Montessori ’04), principal of the school, and OCU professor Charlotte Wood-Wilson (M.Ed. ’88) is on the right. Austin Gipson-Black (BA Political Science/ Religion ’19) earned the Presidential Leadership Award from the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute. He received the award while participating in the Leadership and the American Presidency program, sponsored by the Fund for American Studies and the Ronald Reagan Foundation.
Stephanie Francis (BM Music Education ’18) was accepted into the Peace Corps and departed for Vanuatu in April to begin training as an education volunteer. Ali Funkhouser (BM Music Theater ’18) sang the role of Anna in the Black Box concert production of songs from Disney’s “Frozen” in Massachusetts. Laura Eastes Akers (MA Nonprofit Leadership ’18) was named executive director of the Grace
Annie Oakley, a band featuring Joanna (Jo) Babb (BA Journalism ’19) and Sophia Babb (BA Journalism ’19), performed for the inaugural edition of City Hall Sessions. Mayor David Holt (JD ’09) introduced the series and the band in the performance held in his City Hall office. SUBMIT CLASS NOTES: alumni@okcu.edu // 31
2018–19
Honor Roll of Donors Since the founding of our university in 1904 … … 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 2017-18 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, 2018, and June 30, 2019, 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.
Founders CUMULATIVE GIFTS OF $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 Alspaugh s Wanda L. Bass s Martha Burger « Phil and Cathy Busey Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Inc. The Chickasaw Nation Jeroldine Zachritz Clark s Jimmie Heatley Close s Communities Foundation of Oklahoma Marvin and Ena Dawsons Devon Energy Corporation E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation Jose Freede Gerald Gamble and Jane Jayroe Gamble Harris Foundation, Inc. Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, Inc. Inasmuch Foundation Ronnie and Shahnaaz Irani The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, Inc. Clara E. Jones s Lou C. Kerr/The Kerr Foundation, Inc. Kerr-McGee Corporation, Inc. Ann Lacy Kurt and Cathy Leichter Larry and Susan Lemon Martha J. Lemon
Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai Tom and Judy Love Paul and Jonalee McLaughlin Charles E. Mehr s Herman and LaDonna Meinders Marjorie J. Norick s Ronald J. and Margaret Norick Norick Investments OGE Energy Corp. Foundation, Inc. Oklahoma City Community Foundation Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation F.M. Petree s Margaret E. Petree s Robert & Ruby Priddy Charitable Trust The Robert A. Parman Foundation Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Mary Clary Sargent s Sarkeys Foundation Bill and Pam Shdeed Dick Sias Jeanne Hoffman Smith Pete Wert and Lynette Lemon Wert Vivian Wimberlys
s Member in memoriam
32 // FOCUS Fall 2019
«
OCU employee
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, 2018 and June 30, 2019.
Jim and Annetta Abbott« AbbVie Robert Abernathy Accident Care & Treatment Center, Inc ACE OKC LLC William and Leslie Ackerman Ad Astra Foundation David and Kathie Aelvoet Steven C. Agee« Michael Agusta Kalani and Alexandra Ah Loy Adam Alli American Fidelity Assurance Company American Fidelity Foundation Richard and Mo Anderson Andrew Gin, M.D., PLLC Anonymous Jim Anthon Ed and Betty Apple Sue Ann Arnall Arvest Bank Ascent Resources Management Services, LLC AT&T - Oklahoma City LuAnn Atkins Atrium Finance II, LP Oklahoma City Renaissance Richard and Dana Ayers« Aztec Building Systems, Inc. Angela E. Bachman Henry Backes Glen and Kolee Bailey Brian and Julia Bakeman Ballard Miller Foundation BancFirst Terry Baransy Ed Barth Stan Basler« Jerry Bass« Louise L. Bass David and Laura Beal Paula and Don Beck Jim Beers Scott and Vicki Behenna« Mark and Teena Belcik« Mary Benner« Clay and Louise Bennett Dale Bennett MarEllen Benson
Bethesda Medical Group David Bohnert James and Dianna Bonfiglio Jim and Jo Booher Dennis and Chris Box« Mark L. Britton« Broadhurst Foundation Tom Brown« Mr. and Mrs. Henry Browne Foundation Bob and Karen Browne Kent and Lauri Buchanan« Doug and Rhonda Buckles Bob and Barbara Bunce Martha Burger« Bob and Chimene Burke Cheryl Burns« Bob Burns Phil and Cathy Busey Phillip and Heather Busey Jack Bush Stephen and Gabrielle Butler« Carol Byrd Randy Calvert Cameron University Steven and Dawn Camp Rod and Peggy Campbell Pat Capra Steven and Taolo Cargill Alexis Carter-Black Edward Castro Dr. Amy Cataldi« Cathy M. Christensen, P.C. Challenge Funds Benjamin and Eno Chang« Chappel Wood - Financial Services Cherokee Nation Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Inc. Jim Ditmars and Cathy Christensen Clements Foods Foundation Paul Clements Clyde R. Evans Charitable Trust Jeff Coil Cole Family Charitable Foundation Communities Foundation of Oklahoma Compass Group - Chartwells Conklin Family Foundation Conner & Winters, LLP ConocoPhillips, Matching Gift Program Consulate General of Canada
Barbara Cooper Ray Cornelison Bill and Mary Ann Corum Joe and Valerie Couch« Cox Communications Brian Cox Coyle Law Firm John and Jane Crain Barbara S. Crandall« Brian Craven Cresap Family Foundation Clint and Sarah Croasdale Crossroads District of the OK Annual Conference UMC Joe and Sherry Crosthwait Crowe & Dunlevy Crowe & Dunlevy Foundation, Inc. Brad and Patricia Curtis Susan C. Curtiss Paula J. Dalley« Joe and Vickey Dancy Jim and Mickey Daniels Mark and Jackie Darrah Richard Wansley and Meredith Davison Kyle Dean« Al and Rita Dearmon Michael Decker Karen Delaney Delaware Resource Group of Oklahoma, LLC Patricia R. Demps Dennis Dennis Devon Energy Corporation Dexter Johnson Educational and Benevolent Trust Trenton Dickinson Dobson Technologies Robert Doenges Dollar General Corp David and Venessa Donchin Russell and Sandra Doty Dougherty Family Charitable Trust Fund of Triangle Comm Fdn E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation Echols and Associates Michael and Kristen Eckert Emmanuel and Irene Edem El Dorado Corporation Steve Eldridge
Robert and Nancy Ellis Richard and Carla Ellis Luke and Autumn Elms Enable Midstream Partners Matthew and Jill Epperson Barbara L. Eskridge Estate of Jimmie Heatley Close Estate of Norbert E.F. Gordon Russell Evans« Express Employment Professionals Ronnie Faram Brad and Celine Ferguson Christopher and Jacqueline Fiegel First National Bank of Oklahoma Roberts and Melinda Fitzgerald Paul and Debbie Fleming Charles and Carla Flournoy Paul Floyd Timothy Foley Bert and Peggy Francis Frank S. and Julia M. Ladner Family Foundation, Inc. Freede Family Foundation Jose Freede Angelica Freimann Toni D. Frioux, DNP, APRN-CNP, FNP-C« Robert Fry William Scott Gallagher Gerald Gamble and Jane Jayroe Gamble Garfield County Bar Association Helen M. Gaudin« GE Foundation General Board of Higher Education & Ministry of the UMC George W. and Louise W. Brown Memorial Trust Michael Gibson« Anne Walker and Monty Gibson Jeff Gifford and Kari Cannedy-Gifford Robert Gilliland and Ann Felton Gilliland Mary Gilmore Caffrey
s Member in memoriam « OCU employee
Bright Society members
LEAVE A LEGACY: okcu.edu/give // 33
HONOR ROLL OF DONORS Sarah J. Glick Harry Goldman and Jettie Person Jack Golsen David and April Gonzalez Vicki Gourley Keith Grant Great Plains Coca-Cola Lydia Y. Green Austin Greenhaw Steve and Jennifer Grigsby Barry and Renee Grissom Mo and Jacque Grotjohn Gulfport Energy Brad Gungoll Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C. and Julie Hall Homer and Treva Hancock Hans Herman’s Tailors Carol M. Hansen Timothy and Courtney Harlin David and Aimee Harlow Jane Harlow Harris Foundation, Inc. Tom Harris Nick and Susan Harroz Dawn Hart James and Jean Hartsuck Nicole Harvey Hatton Enterprises, LLC Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, Inc. Robert and Sarah Haupt Jeff and Elizabeth Hay Suzanne Hayden Jake Hazewinkel Health Partners Investments, LLC Danny and Dana Heatly John and Melvena Heisch« Larry and Gay Hellman« Tami Hines Jeanne Hoffman Smith Dan and Sarah Hogan Eric Holey Gary and Sue Homsey J.R. and Patsy Homsey Kevin and Miranda Hoos Elizabeth Horton-Ware« Jeffrey and Jeanine Horton Eric and Kami Huddleston« John and Janet Hudson Hunzicker Brothers W. Thomas and Ann Hunziker IBM International Foundation Inasmuch Foundation Integris Health, Inc. International Bank of Commerce Investor Protection Trust Ronnie and Shahnaaz Irani Niles Jackson and Barbara Thornton Rhett Jackson 34 // FOCUS Fall 2019
Jo-Dex Group, Inc. Joe R. Homsey, Attorney at Law, PC John W. & Cecelia A. Norman Family Foundation Joyce Johnson Bill and Ann Johnstone Laurie L. Jones« Maria Jones« Tom Jones and Leslie Tregillus Jerry Jordan Jordan and Emily Jordanov Joseph H. Phillips, O.D., Inc. Julia D. Chew Insurance Agency, Inc. Bill and Stacy Junk Michael Kaplan Karl F. and June S. Martin Family Foundation Frank and Cathy Keating Mark and Gayla Kelly Michael and Candace Kiehn Kirkpatrick Foundation, Inc. Linda Kissler Steve and Suzan Knight Stanley and Lois Kruschwitz« Greg and Brandy Laird Linda Petree Lambert Timothy and Linda Larason Dan and Phyllis Larson David and Linda Laughrun Mary and Bill Layton Carol Leese LegalShield Kurt and Cathy Leichter Jan Lemons Darren and Jenee Lister Brandon and Joanna Long William Lovallo Greg and Lisa Love Dan Burdette and Janis Love Tom and Judy Love Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc. Claudine Schwetke Loyd Lynne Dinzole Family Fund Aimee Majoue Tim and Christina Mallory Chicoraske« Chetan Mangalwedhe Robert and Marty Margo McAfee & Taft, PC Vicki Kimberling and Sarah McCall McCasland Foundation Marty McCauley« Katie McClendon Don and Virginia McCombs« Dave McConnell« Debra McCormick McCoy Bass Tournament McCoy Dental Lab Greg and Kathy McCracken McDaniel Family Foundation Leroy Ball and Patricia McGarrity
Larry and Rozia Foster Debbie McKinney McLaughlin Family Charitable Fund David and Jean McLaughlin Paul and Jonalee McLaughlin Tim and Liz McLaughlin Burrel and Jo Ann McNaught Justin and Becky Meek Herman and LaDonna Meinders Metro Technology Centers Joel and Nikki Miliband George Milner Robert Brian and Charlotte Mitchell Jo Beth Moad« Nancy W. Moore Angela Morrison J. Christopher Munley and Mr. Robert W. Munley, III Kyle and Ashley Murphy Richard and Christina Murray Randy Murray« Jeaneen Naifeh Bob and Carol Naifeh Kelli O’Hara Naughton Newmark Grubb Levy Strange Beffort David and Betty Nittler Norick Investments Ronald J. and Margaret Norick Keri Norris and Ty Norris Justin North Michael O’Brien Pat and Laura O’Hara OGE Energy Corp. Foundation, Inc. Keith and Dianne Ogle Oklahoma Bar Association Oklahoma Bar Foundation, Inc. Oklahoma Capital Bank Oklahoma City Community Foundation Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau Oklahoma City University School of Law Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church Oklahoma County Bar Foundation Oklahoma Employees Credit Union Oklahoma Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation ONEOK, Inc. Ted and Frances Oney Robert and Meaders Moore Ozarow Reji and Rachel Pappy Bryan Parks Clay and Katelyn Parks Richard and Gayle Parry Bill Paul Greg and Janet Peery Elizabeth Pennell Jerry and Charlette Perryman Sheila Pershica
James Peterson Myla Petree Pfizer Foundation Danny Phan Phillips 66 Phillips Murrah, PC Marshall Picow Pierce, Couch, Hendrickson, Baysinger & Green, L.L.P. Pioneer Trucking, LLC Marsh and Debbie Pitman David Pitzer Pitzer’s Lawn Management, Inc. Paul and Bridget Poputa-Clean Janie Porter Michael and Bertha Potts Ray and Pat Potts Steven Powell Karen Price George Proctor and Nancy Dumoff Prosperity Bank Prudential Foundation Matching Gifts Jeffry and Julie Puryear Quail Creek Bank Tom Quinn and Tommy Thompson Mark Raftery David and Kim Rainbolt Ron Raines and Dona Vaughn Deemah Ramadan Dr. and Mrs. George Randall Steve and Julie Raney Raytheon Company Records-Johnston Family Foundation, Inc. Reggie N. Whitten, P.C. Tammie Reggio« Betsy Replogle Jay and Nicole Rex Robert and Suzanne Reynolds Tim and Toye Reynolds Shannon L. Rich Douglas and Kelli Riddle Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis RKI Energy Resources Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation Pat and Marianne Rooney Vicki Rose Casey R. Ross« Linda Rosser and Ron McDaniel Jim Roth and Phillip Koszarek« Donald Rowlett J Peyton Royal, III RSM US LLP RT Development, LLC Robert and Margaret Rucker Ralph and Sandy Sallusti John and Lois Salmeron« Meg Salyer Gary and Carol Sander Paul and Kim Sanders
HONOR ROLL OF DONORS Shelley Sanders Hiram and Robbie Sasser Eddie and Rochelle Schafer Janet Schmitz Charles and Jane Schneeberger Edith A. Schneeberger Mary Schneeberger Andy and Jennifer Schroeder Schwab Charitable Fund Nick Schwarz« George and Margaret Selby T.W. and Devon Shannon Bill and Pam Shdeed Tony and Phyllis Shelby Sheraton Hotel OKC Dick Sias Simmons Bank Nikki Singer« SMG Robert and Sharon Smith Shelby Smith Smith, Smith & Smith Darrell and Margaret Smokewood FOCUS Listing Bob and Pam Spinks« Richard and Kathleen St. Denis St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Irwin and Kelley Steinhorn Brandon Brooks and Lynann Sterk-Brooks« Reverend Craig Stinson and Dr. Krista Jones James Stough Phyllis Stough Rebecca Stough, M.D. Rhonda Sutton Frances and Peter Swenson Victoria K. Swinney« Barry and Becky Switzer Venus Tahmasebi Richard and Glenna Tanenbaum Tapstone Energy Marvona Easley Tavlin and Michael Tavlin Texas Instruments Foundation TG Medical USA, Inc. The Ann Lacy Foundation The Chickasaw Nation The Economic Club of Oklahoma The Kerr Foundation, Inc. The Magnolia The Meinders Foundation The Otis L. Schoonover Rev. Living Trust The Professional Basketball Club, LLC The Robert A. Parman Foundation The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation The University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc. Cullen and Bonnie Thomas Edith Thompson Rodney and Robin Thornton Tinker Federal Credit Union
James and Elizabeth Tolbert Tom and Judy Love Foundation George and Shirley Huber-Smith Trotter Alan Trumbly Linda Tucker Jocelyn B. Tupper UBS Financial Services Valliance Bank Tyrone and Cristin Van Aswegen Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program Jerry and Melinda Vannatta John and Susan Vas John D. and Ginger L. Veal Gail Vines Vitas Laboratory Alicia Wade Wal-Dot Foundation Lori and Collin Walke Joseph and Cynthia Walkowski Todd Wallace Tom and Mary Walsh Wanda L. Bass Foundation, Inc. Watson Family Foundation WCM Investment Company Wells Fargo Foundation Educational Matching Gift Program Scott Wells Martha E. White Chuck and Renate Wiggin Ashlie and Larry Wilhelm« John Michael and Kathy Williams Drew and Lizette Williamson David Wilson Tom Wolfe Mark and Gale Wood Paul and Linda Woody Anne Workman Hub Worrell Sandy S. Chang, Esq. and Fonda B. Wu Lawrence and Sheryl Young Zack Zuhdi«
s Member in memoriam « OCU employee
Bright Society members
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. Victor and Karen Kay Albert Rhodly and Betty Alden Judy Altshuler Frank Atwater Terry Baransy Susan Barber and David Nagle Kay Bass Tom Beadles Kay Bradley Robert Bryan Martha Burger« Bob and Chimene Burke M.K. Butler John Carey Carl and Donna Cartwright Danny and Carol Cochran Christine Collins 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 Randy and Faith Everest Sharon G. Fore Robert Fry Nick and Sue Gales Larry and Jeannette Haag Attieson Halbrook Allen Harris Richard Hastings Patricia Hatamyar Robert Henry and Jan Ralls Henry Alan and Elisha Herndon James and Joan Hirnisey Gary and Sue Homsey Jeremy Allen 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 Kurt and Cathy Leichter Dan Burdette and Janis Love Claudine Schwetke Loyd Andrea L. MacMullin Donald and Barbara MacPherson Daniel Majors Samuel Marrs Richard and Louise McDivitt 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 Pat Potts 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 Smith Wayne Stone Trey and Deborah Suddarth Marvona Easley Tavlin and Michael Tavlin Nancy Pryst and Kelly Thompson Kevin Tully Clarence and Patricia Tully Alireza Vahabzadeh Robert Van House Jerry and Melinda Vannatta Jim Wade Ginny 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 LEAVE A LEGACY: okcu.edu/give // 35
IN MEMORY Richard F. McDivitt NOV. 24 , 1 924 – SE PT. 1 1 , 2 0 19
Richard “Frank” McDivitt passed away peacefully after being diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 94. Frank was born in Oklahoma City. He was grateful every day for his wife and daughter, who cared for him dearly so he could be happy and content at home for as long as he was. Frank’s service to Oklahoma City University included serving as chairman of its Board of Trustees for 20 years, member of the board of directors of the OCU Law Alumni Association and member of the Law School Advisory Committee. He was honored with the university’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1980 and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1985. In 2001, he received the Justice Marian P. Opala Award for Lifetime Achievement in Law from the OCU School of Law. Frank enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942, serving three years. He graduated from Classen High School in absentia in 1943. Upon discharge in 1945,
he earned his accounting degree from OCU and a law degree from the OCU School of Law. Years earlier, he was an active member and youngest deacon at Crown Heights Christian Church, a 32nd degree Mason, and a Shriner. Frank was a highly respected Special Agent with the IRS and a Tax Attorney in private practice. Before retiring from McDivitt & Casey, Frank had been Richard McDivitt recognized as one of the premier tax attorneys in Oklahoma, working on historic and high-profile cases during his career. He served on many boards in various capacities and was bestowed many high honors, such as the Outstanding Service Award from the Oklahoma County Bar Association. He was also an active member of the Oklahoma City Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and founding member of the OCDLA.
Michael Logan Walker
Toni Hill-Young
Carrie Black
NOV. 6, 1 968 — M A RC H 4 , 2 0 19
J ULY 24, 19 63 — AUG. 20 , 20 19
AUG. 2, 1977 — SEPT. 1 8, 201 9
Michael Logan Walker was born Nov. 6, 1968, in Okinawa, Japan. Michael was the second born of four children to Logan and Yuki Walker. He was raised in Lawton, Oklahoma, and attended Eisenhower High School. He received his bachelor’s degree Michael Logan Walker from Oklahoma City University and his master’s from the University of Central Oklahoma. Friends, family, students, and fellow musicians described him as patient, encouraging, humble, and sincere. Michael married Rachael on May 22, 1999, and they shared three children together: Ashten, Elijah, and Isaiah. Friends and family describe Michael and Rachael as parents that were loving, thoughtful, protective, and nurturing. Michael and Rachael passed away together on March 4, 2019. Michael was 50, and Rachael was 44.
Toni A. Hill-Young was born to Franklin and Annette Marzett Hill in Oklahoma City. Toni worked at Oklahoma City University, starting in October 1990 and serving in many areas. Her last home at the university was with Toni Hill-Young Student Financial Services as a financial aid counselor until June 2013. Her siblings are Viola Dixon, JoAnn Hill, and Franklin “Ty” Hill. She was married to the love of her life, Eric Young, and together they were blessed with two children, Jamelle Young, Jr., and Erica Young. Their other blessings are their 11 grandchildren. She graduated from Langston University with a Bachelor of Science and was a payroll specialist. Toni loved her grandkids, watching the youth in the family play sports, and Sunday dinners with family.
Carrie Black earned her Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 2013 and her Master of Arts in Nonprofit Carrie Black Leadership in 2016 from Oklahoma City University. She worked in the Office of Advancement from 2017 to 2018. Her husband, Chris Black (BME ‘00, MBA ’10), is the director of communications and outreach for the Kramer School of Nursing and has served on the Alumni Board. Surviving are three children— Tessa, Ian, and William—and one grandson, Oliver.
Our Condolences 1940s
1960s
1980s
1990s
Harold R. Wooldridge (’43)
Sharon S. Reed (’61) John T. Powell (’62) John L. Porter (’62) Peter U. Bergsneider (’66)
Charles R. Devenport (’84) Mitchell R. White (’85) Daniel G. Linehan (’86) Tony J. Ellis (’88) Linda S. Brown (’89)
Michael L. Walker (’90) Kellye G. Bates (’91)
1950s Janet C. Nunn (’55) 36 // FOCUS Fall 2019
CELEBRATIONS
BBQ Brings Brightness President Martha Burger hosted a BBQ in June at the Wilson House to show appreciation to members of Bright Society, which serves as a critical network of supporters who are deeply valued by University administration. Three presidential-level priorities are identified each year and donors receive a report on the impact of their investments. President Burger identified scholarships, faculty and staff recruitment and retention, and educational technology as her first and most immediate priorities.
Clockwise from top left: John Veal, left, and Chris Hudson, middle, engage with their fellow attendees. The back patio is set for a party. Jim Booher, President Martha Burger, and Bill Mee pose for a picture. Guests enjoy the gathering. The guest book at the front entrance. Photos by Ethan Cooper
HEART & SOUL: okcu.edu/give // 37
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #2164
2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73106
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
U C O at
ce play, t Scien nd e r a o m s p e a S n g i ideo ise & scipl titive v cademic di s the Exerc e p m o e a utiliz f fer s c of all r am o n s tudents he pr ogr am g o r p lth, t e t we e s n ew ts! Thi nnections b mental hea r o p S ed e and n co a s a d d o s t r e n g t h e t sĘź p hy s i c a l c e s . h y t i s nity t uden Scien n i ve r City U the oppor tu maintain s t e of Ar ts & a m o and olleg Oklah lding, and p r o v e h e Pe t r e e C i m u i b o t m t tea gned ts in t. Desi depar tmen s e r e t in ogy s ych o l and P
s t r o eSp
To learn more, visit
okcu.edu/esports