EXTENDING A LEGACY

WRITTEN BY KANDACE TAYLOR, PHOTO PROVIDED

WHEN LT. COL. OREN PETERS stepped foot on the Central campus this June, the visit was much different from those in the past. Not only was the alumnus and longtime university supporter wearing a face mask, but he also had to stand far apart from the group he set out to visit. For a social 99-year-old, the pandemic has been one of the worst things Peters has experienced. Despite the virus, he has remained healthy, active and as generous as ever.

Peters has shaped his life around giving back. Knowing he wanted to become a soldier when he was just a kid, he eagerly enlisted in the Oklahoma Army National Guard at the age of 18. In less than a year, he was a private first class and a high school junior when his infantry division was activated.

What followed was 511 days in combat during World War II, where he participated in eight major campaigns and four amphibious operations. When Peters returned home at the age of 21, he realized he had missed a lot. He completed high school and soon after married his sweetheart, Lucile.

He was too old to play high school football, so he sought a coaching position at Edmond High School. He ended up coaching football, basketball and track. The students loved Coach Peters and even voted him as class president while he was coaching football. Peters made a point to instill an appreciation of volunteerism in his students. He encouraged them to seek out the variety of opportunities that were available to them.

He recalls telling them, “Volunteer. Find out what’s going on and do it. I volunteered for everything because I wanted to do it all. If you only see but don’t do, nothing gets done. You should ask for the job then do the job. If you volunteer, you get to try it… that’s been my life.”

It was around this time that he decided to pursue a physical education degree at Central State College. One of his most exciting school projects was organizing Edmond’s first junior high basketball team – a concept he pitched to his university professors that was approved for course credit. He graduated from Central in 1950.

Prior to his graduation from Central State, he reenlisted into the Oklahoma National Guard and then served in the 45th Division in the Korean War in 1951. Serving his country is something deeply rooted within him, and he has a volume of colorful stories that could fill several books.

After retiring from the Army, Peters became involved with the Boy Scouts of America as Scoutmaster – a role he proudly served for 21 years. In addition to being registered with the Boy Scouts for a total of 80 years, his community involvement is extensive: he is a distinguished Eagle Scout; serves on the National Boy Scout Community Relations Task Force; is involved with Kiwanis, where he works with 11 classes of third-graders in the Bringing Up Grades program; is a member of Masonic Lodge 37; and, has served the Edmond Chamber of Commerce and numerous other civic and community groups. His tireless dedication to his community earned Peters the Distinguished Alumni Award from the UCO Alumni Association in 2019.

To further his already impactful legacy, Peters created the Lt. Col. Oren Lee Peters Endowed ROTC Scholarship, the only scholarship within the UCO Foundation that awards ROTC students. The first recipients of the scholarship will be awarded in spring 2021. To celebrate the creation of the award, Peters visited the UCO ROTC Broncho Battalion this June – face mask and all. The battalion is extremely grateful to Peters and looks forward to awarding a deserving cadet next spring.