STATE magazine - Fall 2012

We’ve come a long way.

Help the high school student you know see campus through the eyes of a current OSU student.

Register a future Cowboy at admissions.okstate.edu/visit for an official student-led campus tour.

FALL 2012, Vol. 8, No. 1 Statemagazine.org

Welcome to the fall 2012 issue of STATE magazine, your source of information from the OSU Alumni Association, the OSU Foundation and University Marketing. Alumnus Walter Echo-Hawk II exemplifies what it means to be an OSU Cowboy. On Page 64, read about his tireless fight for Native American rights. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions for future stories. Cover photography by Phil Shockley

The Higgs Boson Discovery OSU physicists participate in the discovery of the new subatomic particle.

Homecoming Invitation Come share ‘The Life, The Legend, The Legacy.’

Historic Transformation

A Memory the Rubble 11 Among Alumna’s class ring survives as her home burns.

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Gifts Benefit Business Students

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A Brighter OSU

A timeless Stillwater building will be the home of OSU’s Postal Plaza Gallery.

Emotional Resilience OSU-Tulsa professor wins a grant that could give teenage girls happier lives.

True Lies An OSU donor surprises his wife with a gift to the Edmon Low Library.

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75 Years of Protection and Service 26 The School of Fire Protection and Safety Technology celebrates making a local, national and global impact since 1937.

The Right Leader OSU medicine’s first female dean promotes rural and residency programs.

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Several donors give support to the future home of the Spears School of Business.

“Because of You!” Faculty and staff are key to Branding Success campaign.

Whose App is it Anyway?

The questions he asked when he was a college student propel alumnus to the top of the business world with an innovative website.

Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity Scholarship imparts an invaluable experience for OSU student athlete.

Viva the Vegas Strip Steak Hitting the jackpot with a beef breakthrough.

A Ranching Pioneer

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Beginning with the purchase of 4,000 acres in 1954, an alumnus takes a chance and builds a successful 15,000-acre ranching business.

36 40 42 44

46 50

Coming Home OSU alumni trek to a South Pacific jungle to find an uncle considered lost at sea during World War II.

Fighting for Justice For this lawyer and alumnus, defending Native Americans’ rights is personal.

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China Business

OSU observes the 150th anniversary of the Land-Grant College Act.

Strengthening Donor Relationships OSU and the Foundation are striving together for an A-plus experience for each supporter.

Being Pistol Pete Introducing the students who portray America’s greatest mascot, although you may never see their faces.

For the Future Alumnae empower South African youth with an after-school program.

One Well at a Time Alumni enable African communities to tap a fresh water source.

(South) Westward Expansion Doel Reed Center creates opportunities for OSU in Taos, N.M.

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OSUIT student’s community service earns laurel.

Compassionate Care

70 The Beat Goes On 76

OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology students study at the renowned University of Cambridge.

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Former OSU band members form alumni chapter.

Building with Education’s Toolbox Through hard work and determination, an OSU-OKC alumnus parlays his degree into a leadership position and speaks at commencement.

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Looking Ahead KOSU begins a new chapter with a focus on local issues.

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Remembering Henry Bellmon Alumni share memories of the OSU graduate who became Oklahoma’s first Republican governor 50 years ago.

Dust in the Wind Oklahoma A&M graduate was the watchdog of the Great Plains.

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115 117

124

Departments President’s Letter

Experiencing History in England

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A Newman Civic Fellow

Service at OSU animal hospital cultivates grateful clients and donations.

Fulfilling a Mission

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STATE writer tells of his adventures on a trip with other OSU students.

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Chapters 112

STATEment 7

FM with IQ

115

Campus News

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O-STATE Stories

117

Legacy Link

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Classnotes 119

OSU Medicine

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History 124

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PRESident’s letter

The Oklahoma State University campuses are alive with record numbers of students as we begin the new school year. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we are opening the doors of opportunity to the largest freshman class ever on the Stillwater campus.

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, which established the land-grant university system, this issue of STATE includes a series of essays that discuss OSU’s land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, and is part of OSU’s past, present and future.

Fulfilling our historic land-grant mission is evident throughout this issue. It begins with the cover story on alumnus Walter Echo-Hawk II, who has helped secure some of the most important Native American legal victories in history, including the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978. Echo-Hawk will be teaching a class at OSU this fall.

Our mission extends internationally. Steve Stewart and Richard Greenly founded the Water4 Foundation in an effort to develop a sustainable way to provide clean water to the developing world. Water4 has a 1,000-well project in war-torn Angola.

Alyssa Peterson and Ashley Hesser founded Ubuntu Youth, an after-school program for children in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The program aims to develop future leaders in a country with about half living in poverty and a 25 percent unemployment rate.

This issue also celebrates the business successes of alums Kayvon Olomi, a 2008 finance graduate named to the Forbes Top 30 Under 30, and Roy Fisher, a 1952 livestock operations graduate.

There are many developing success stories among this year’s Oklahoma State students. We look forward to sharing those in the future. And we appreciate your success and your support of OSU. Go Pokes!

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OSU President Burns Hargis

every one.

When every one of us makes an annual gift to OSU, it adds up to achieve an outstanding impact. As individuals, we excel—but as a community, we thrive.

every year.

The kind of loyalty you express by making a gift every year inspires our students, motivates others to support OSU, and speaks volumes about the place OSU has in your heart.

every day.

You don’t need a million dollars to make a difference, because you’re not alone. Together as a community, we make a difference on the OSU campus every single day.

Ready to join in and make a difference together?

Scan this code with your smartphone or visit OSUgiving.com/everyone and make your gift to OSU today!

WE ARE WHERE YOU ARE Chapters and Watch Clubs More than half of all OSU alumni live within 50 miles of an OSU Alumni Chapter or Watch Club, and that population is growing with the addition of 30 new locations in the last year!

Chapters bring OSU to your community and provide opportunities to network with local alumni and friends, raise money for student scholarships and cheer on our Cowboys and Cowgirls. Between our family friendly tailgates, wine tastings and networking dinners, you’re sure to find an event near you to spark your orange spirit!

Find a chapter or watch club in your area to get involved at orangeconnection.org/chapters or on our mobile website. If you would like to request a new location for a chapter or watch club, please complete the form at orangeconnection.org/newlocation.

New Y Boone ork City Chap Pickens te Busines r s Recep tion pter gs Cha o Sprin d ra lo o C Party Watch

Orang e Cou nty Ch Watch apter Party

Scan this QR code to view a mobile list of our chapters and watch clubs!

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 • FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

pter y Cha Countment d n la Cleve olf Tourna Mini G

S TAT E

Dear OSU Alumni and Friends,

As students return to campus to begin the academic year, the 2012 fall semester is shaping up to be about growth and opportunity.

Thanks to you, we welcome the largest freshman class in the history of Oklahoma State University. At the time STATE went to press, about 4,200 future leaders, thinkers and doers were expected to join the OSU family this fall. By entrusting OSU with your children and referring friends, family and neighbors to us, you are a critical part of the process.

We are already accepting applications for the fall 2013 semester. To apply, visit admissions.okstate.edu.

As we begin another academic year, we see significantly better and more opportunities at OSU due to the generosity of more than 78,000 Branding Success donors. Their combined gifts and commitments have nearly exceeded $910 million in support for students, faculty, facilities and programs.

President Burns Hargis created the campaign’s vision because he believes the OSU family has the means and the desire for their university to be a world-class land-grant institution, which will continue to produce gifted leaders, research and a positive impact on the state and world. By uniting donor and university passions and priorities, Branding Success is helping OSU achieve excellence.

Excitement and support for OSU have never been greater, and recent growth at the Alumni Association is proof of that. We’ve nearly doubled the number of chapters and watch clubs across the country in the last year, and we’ve welcomed more than 3,000 new life members since July 1, 2011.

Whether you’re a graduate, staff member or friend, we encourage you to be a member of the Alumni Association. Membership is not just a way to stay connected to OSU, but it also drives all the Alumni Association’s programs engaging future, current and former students alike. Become a member, or renew your membership at orangeconnection.org.

Kirk A. Jewell President OSU Foundation

Larry Shell President OSU Alumni Association

Kyle Wray Vice President for Enrollment Management & Marketing 7

Tomorrow begins today.

We’re defined by what we pass on to the next generation. That’s why ConocoPhillips is working with National Energy Education Development to provide America’s teachers with the training and resources they need to bring energy to life for students.

Through this program, we’re getting our kids interested in math and science and teaching them about the importance of conservation. So we can pass on what matters … to the ones who matter most.

© ConocoPhillips Company. 2009. All rights reserved.

www.conocophillips.com

C a m pus n e w s

During the series, Path participates in the learning, including by delivering a baby from a patient-simulator mannequin, by bending a piece of electrical conduit, by painting a repaired auto, by conducting a photo shoot and by riding a cherry picker to the top of a high-voltage pole.

“I was able to show what a unique institution OSUIT is with its hands-on learning,” Path says. “I wanted a chance to demonstrate that quality on video to prospective students and to any other viewers. I wanted to show this is not your garden-variety two-year college. It is a very special place for job-focused technical learning.”

The video series won the Video Feature category at the 2012 awards ceremony for the Oklahoma College Public Relations Association.

Photo / Gary Lawson

OSU-CHS Most Popular Med School The OSU Center for Health Sciences was named the most popular medical school in the country in a ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

OSU-CHS tied with the University of Kansas Medical Center for the top slot in the 10 Most Popular Medical Schools.

The rankings are based on the percentage of students accepted by the school who decide to attend and enroll in classes — 85.7 percent of those accepted enrolled at OSU-CHS in 2011. The center also experienced an increase in enrollment over the previous year.

“Many of our students choose OSU Center for Health Sciences because of the family atmosphere they experience on campus,” says Dr. Kayse Shrum, OSU-CHS provost and the dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“This high ranking speaks to the quality of our faculty and staff who make OSU-CHS a place that students want to attend.”

A total of 110 ranked medical schools provided acceptance and enrollment data for the 2011-2012 school year, with all of the top 10 schools yielding 74 percent or higher enrollment numbers.

Other schools rounding out the top 10 are the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, University of Washington

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School of Medicine, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, University of Nevada-Reno School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School.

OSUIT President Chronicles 100 Days Photo / Rex Daugherty

OSUIT President Bill Path sits at wheel of a 2012 Camaro convertible and talks to Troy Smith, an instructor in the General Motors Automotive Student Education Program.

The series A New Path is on the OSU Institute of Technology’s website, www. osuit.edu/path.

The 80-video guided tour of the Okmulgee campus is hosted by Bill R. Path and documents his first 100 days as OSUIT president, taking the viewer into technical labs and classrooms.

Arts and Sciences Selects Dean Bret S. Danilowicz was selected dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He assumed the role on Aug. 1.

Danilowicz was dean of the Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology and professor of biology at Georgia Southern University when Forbes ranked it as one of the best colleges in the nation for minority students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Danilowicz created the Center for Sustainability at Georgia Southern, which was nationally ranked as one of the country’s greenest colleges by The Princeton Review. He is the recipient of more than $10 million in grant and contract funding as a principal or co-principal investigator on projects from sources, including the National Science Foundation, European Union and the World Bank Group.

He received his doctorate in zoology with a statistics minor from Duke University and a master’s in education in leadership and management from The Open University in the U.K. In May, he earned an MBA from Georgia Southern University.

U n i v ers i t y Mar k e t i n g Kyle Wray / Vice President of Enrollment Management & Marketing Michael Baker / Editor Mark Pennie, Ross Maute & Paul V. Fleming / Design Phil Shockely & Gary Lawson / Photography Dorothy Pugh / Assistant Editor Matt Elliott / Staff Writer University Marketing Office / 121 Cordell, Stillwater, OK 740788031 / 405.744.6262 / www.okstate.edu, statemagazine.org / editor@ okstate.edu, osu.advertising@okstate.edu

O S U A l u m n i A ssoc i at i o n Ron Ward / Chairman Jennifer Grigsby / Vice Chair Dan Gilliam / Immediate Past Chairman Ronald Bussert / Treasurer Burns Hargis / OSU President, Non-voting Member Larry Shell / President, OSU Alumni Association, Non-voting Member Kirk Jewell / President, OSU Foundation, Non-voting Member Cindy Batt, Larry Briggs, Bill Dragoo, Russell Florence, Kent Gardner, Phil Kennedy, David Kollmann, Jami Longacre, Pam Martin, David Rose, Nichole Trantham & Robert Walker / Board of Directors Photo / European Organization for Nuclear Research

Pattie Haga / Vice President and COO Chase Carter / Director of Communications

OSU Scientists Contribute to Higgs Boson Discovery

Phillip Gahagans, Melissa Mourer & Melisa Parkerson / Communications Committee OSU Alumni Association / 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 / 405.744.5368 / orangeconnection.org / info@orangeconnection.org

Faculty and student researchers from OSU’s physics department participated in the discovery of the new subatomic particle appearing to be the Higgs boson.

On July 4, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, announced the discovery.

The Higgs boson is a long sought after particle believed to give mass to all things.

Predicted by Professor Peter Higgs of the University of Edinburgh in 1964, the particle forms the final remaining ingredient of the Standard Model, the fundamental theory for understanding the basic building blocks and forces of nature.

Since 2006, the Experimental High Energy Physics Group at OSU has been an active member of the ATLAS collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider, the immense partial accelerator in Geneva that produced the new data by colliding protons.

Two OSU faculty members, Alexander Khanov and Flera Rizatdinova, along with postdoctoral student Jie Yu, engineer Steven Welch and four graduate students contributed to the experiment.

“The OSU group members have made substantial contributions to the success of the ATLAS experiment and towards the Higgs boson discovery,” says John Mintmire, head of the OSU physics

department. “They have worked on data acquisition, calibration of data, development of the algorithms aimed at the identification of b-quarks, and on the calibration of the ATLAS detector with top quarks.”

The discovery would be impossible without the work of all 3,500 ATLAS members, and “we are proud that our group has contributed to the success of the experiment,” Rizatdinova says.

Two other faculty members, Satya Nandi and Kaladi Babu, are internationally recognized theorists and have worked on building models involving Higgs bosons for many years. Nandi and Babu played a key role in launching the Experimental High Energy Physics Group at OSU, securing the funds from the Department of Energy EPSCOR program and Oklahoma.

“The combined experimental and theoretical high energy group at OSU is very excited about this crucial discovery,” Rizatdinova says. “We look forward to working together on questions which still have to be answered with the help of ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider.”

O S U F ou n d at i o n David Kyle / Chairman of the Board Kirk A. Jewell / President & Chief Executive Officer Donna Koeppe / Vice President of Administration & Treasurer Brandon Meyer / Vice President & General Counsel Kenneth Sigmon / Vice President of Development Jim Berscheidt / Senior Associate Vice President of Marketing & Communications Gene Batchelder, Jerry Clack, Bryan Close, Kent Dunbar, Ellen Fleming, Michael Greenwood, Jennifer Grigsby, John Groendyke, David Holsted, Rex Horning, Donald Humphreys, Cathy Jameson, Kirk Jewell, Griffin Jones, Steven Jorns, David Kyle, John C. Linehan, Ross McKnight, Bill Patterson, Barry Pollard, Scott Sewell, Larry Shell, Jack Stuteville, Lyndon Taylor, Kim Watson, Dennis White, Jerry Winchester / Trustees Chelsea Burns, Brittanie Douglas, Elizabeth Hahn, Shelly Kelly, Jennifer Kinnard, Chris Lewis, Jacob Longan, Amanda O’Toole Mason & Greg Quinn / Communications OSU Foundation / 400 South Monroe, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, OK 74076-1749 / 800.622.4678 / OSUgiving.com / info@OSUgiving.com

STATE magazine is published three times a year (Spring, Fall, Winter)

by Oklahoma State University, 121 Cordell N, Stillwater, OK 74078. The magazine is produced by University Marketing, the OSU Alumni Association and the OSU Foundation, and is mailed to current members of the OSU Alumni Association. Magazine subscriptions are available only by membership in the OSU Alumni Association. Membership cost is $45. Postage paid at Stillwater, OK, and additional mailing offices.

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with the title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age religion, disability or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. Title IX of the Education Amendments and Oklahoma State University policy prohibit discrimination in the provision or services or beliefs offered by the University based on gender.

Any person (student, faculty of staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based on gender may discuss their concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of the Title IX with the OSU Title IX Coordinator, the Director of Affirmative Action, 408 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, (405) 744-5371 or (405) 744-5576 (fax).

This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the vice president of enrollment management and marketing was printed by Royle Printing Co. at a cost of $1.05 per issue. 31,205/ Aug. ’12/#4318.

Copyright © 2012, STATE magazine. All rights reserved.

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Dear Alumni, Family and Friends, There is only one institution that can claim “America’s Greatest Homecoming Celebration,” and it’s my honor to invite you to return home Oct. 12-20 and celebrate one of OSU’s most enduring traditions.

‘The Life, The Legend, The Legacy’ are six simple words that have a profound meaning to the OSU community. This year’s theme is a tribute to OSU students’ passion in building this strong tradition and to the past, present and future of our Homecoming celebration.

The life of every Cowboy and Cowgirl is most certainly touched by Homecoming. The tradition incorporates not only current students and faculty members, but also alumni and future students. It involves months of hard work and preparation from our student body, administrators, the Homecoming executive team, steering commiwttee and more.

As incoming freshmen, we’re all told of the legend of OSU Homecoming. Its beginnings are rooted in the Harvest Carnival, and its future looks brighter each year with the growth of our one-of-a-kind Walkaround, which attracted more than 80,000 alumni and supporters last year. I’m certain the Class of 1962 has some legendary stories of their own, and we hope to hear many of them when they return for their 50th reunion at Homecoming.

The legacy of OSU Homecoming can only be continued with your attendance and support. Mark your calendars and stay connected to orangeconnection.org/homecoming for all the latest Homecoming updates.

Go Pokes,

Grant Dixon 2012 Executive Director Homecoming Steering Committee OSU Alumni Association PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

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Legacy Link

OSU Homecoming is almost here!

Oh no! All the letters have been changed to numbers. All the words in this puzzle have to do with OSU Homecoming events and traditions. By using the key below, replace the numbers in the crossword with letters and see if you can figure out any of the words to replace more of the numbers.

All the letters you need are in the table to the right.

The key can be found at orangeconnection.org/legacylink.

Register your legacy at orangeconnection.org/legacy.

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 • FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

PREPARE TO I G N I T E YOUR THOUGHTS AND INSPIRE YOUR FUTURE WITH A SPECIAL EVENT THIS FALL. OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESENTS:

1-5:30 P.M. | 11.1.12 | SERETEAN CENTER CONCERT HALL Starting in the 1980s, TEDTalks originated as a conference designed to promote Ideas Worth Spreading and expanded into a worldwide community eager to participate in the phenomenon.

TEDxOStateU includes speakers who are sure to IG N IT E ideas that will stay with you long after the conference.

OSU students, faculty, alumni and others will IG N IT E a discussion you will not want to miss.

VISIT:

T E D X O S TAT E U . C O M FOR MORE INFORMATION & UPDATES.

Historic Transformation A timeless Stillwater building becomes the future home of OSU’s Postal Plaza Gallery.

A building that once served as the hub for Stillwater mail service soon will become the home of OSU’s permanent art collection, providing an important connection between the university and downtown.

Acquiring and renovating the former U.S. Post Office, on Husband Street a few blocks south of Sixth Street, is the first step toward fulfilling OSU President Burns Hargis’ vision of elevating the arts at the university and in Stillwater.

OSU officials unveiled plans for creating the Postal Plaza Gallery in January during a private event at the historic building, constructed as a Works Progress Administration project 80 years ago but decommissioned in the 1970s when a new mail facility opened a few blocks east.

Since the 1930s, the university has been building its permanent art collection, which represents cultures from around the

Downtown Stillwater’s WPA building was the city’s post office from the 1930s until it was decommissioned in the 1970s. world with more than 1,500 pieces. Until now, OSU has lacked a state-of-the-art facility for storing and displaying the collection, limiting its ability to benefit from gifts of art. The Postal Plaza Gallery will provide a secure and environmentally controlled location for the collection, as well as room to grow.

“I’m proud that this project not only benefits the university but also the city, and that an architectural landmark is being restored rather than torn down,” Hargis says.

“I’m proud that this project not only benefits the university but also the city.” ­— OSU President Burns Hargis

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Event attendees view renderings of the future gallery, which will be a part of the OSU Museum of Art.

OSU President Burns Hargis speaks to a crowd during a private event in January at the future home of the Postal Plaza Gallery.

The building’s transformation is part of the president’s plan to expand the OSU Museum of Art from its beginnings in the collection and the Gardiner Gallery to the creation of the Postal Plaza Gallery and, in time, a full-feature museum building on campus.

The Postal Plaza Gallery will give OSU students hands-on experience with curating exhibitions, researching and caring for

the art collection, and developing community programming.

The grand opening is tentatively scheduled for fall 2013.

Chelsea Burns

For additional information about the Postal Plaza Gallery, visit museum.okstate.edu.

Architectural rendering of the Postal Plaza Gallery 17

A. Nike Elite Force Coaches Polo (2280113) Look sharp while keeping cool in this Dri-FIT polo featuring a three button placket, a finished collar, contrasting striping along the side and the OSU brand. Also available in orange and white. Sizes S-XXXL/$65.00 B. Nike Legacy91 Coaches Cap (2280266) Cheer on the Cowboys in this structured six panel cap with a 3D embroidered OSU brand in center front and an adjustable back closure to fit most sizes. Also available in black. Made of 100% polyester. $22.00

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A

B

C. Nike Gridiron Team Issue Tee (2280186) Go for a look that says, “I am a die-hard OSU fan” with this 100% cotton T-shirt featuring elaborately designed screen print graphics. Also available in black.

Sizes S-XXL/$25.00 D. Nike Athletics Legends Tee (2288968) Get geared up in this Nike Dri-FIT technology shirt featuring “Cowboys” in block letters printed above Pistol Pete. Also available in gray. Sizes S-XXL/$28.00 E. OSU Tartan Plaid Umbrella (2288164) Show your OSU pride during the next rain shower with the official OSU tartan plaid umbrella. The large, 40-inch umbrella includes a matching sleeve cover and one button easy open technology. $25.00

E F B D

F. Nike Vault Women’s Deep V Tee (2300334) Turn heads when you look good on game day in this 50% polyester/25% cotton/25% rayon slim fit tee featuring distressed screenprinted graphics. XSXL/$30.00

H

G. Nike Season Logo Tee (2300227) Go for comfort and style in this seasonal tri-blend logo tee featuring flocked “Cowboys” lettering. Made of 50% polyester/25% cotton/25% rayon. Also available in orange and black. Sizes XS-XL/$28.00 H. iFanatic 3D Luxe iPhone 4/4S Case (2273994) Protect your phone and show some OSU spirit with this 3D soft-touch hard case. The one piece, snap-on case features dual-molded rubber interior lining and access to all buttons and connections. $39.99

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I. Nike College Tempo Short (2098759) Feel good and run for miles in these OSU-inspired NikeFIT woven microfiber shorts with contrast curving lines, mesh sides, elastic waistband with drawstring and crepe liner. Also available in black and white. Sizes XS-XL/$34.00

Order online at shopokstate.com or call 1-800-831-4OSU.

/osuunion

* Don’t forget, OSU Alumni Association members receive a 10% discount! You must have your OSU Alumni Association membership number (located on your membership card) at the time you place your order to receive the member discount.

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wine forum of oklahoma

april 12-13, 2013 PLAN NOW TO ATTEND! This fun, educational event provides the students in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration valuable experiential learning while entertaining attendees with two days of educational wine seminars, wine tasting and food and wine pairings.

Ree Drummond The Pioneer Woman Celebrity Chef

Beth Nickel Proprietress, Far Niente Honorary Chair

Tickets available online at wineforumofoklahoma.com beginning October 12

Hotel and Restaurant Administration To become a sponsor: 405.744.7110 | wineforumofoklahoma.com

PHOTO / OSU-Tulsa

Professor Amanda Morris

Emotional Resilience OSU-Tulsa study seeks to identify factors that help teenage girls live happier lives.

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Amanda Morris knows that being a teenage girl isn’t easy.

“Girls reach physical maturity earlier than boys, and they don’t reach emotional maturity until late adolescence,” says the OSU-Tulsa researcher. “Because of this gap, teenage girls are at a high risk of emotional difficulties and are more likely to suffer from depression than teenage boys.”

Teenage girls in economically poor or violent neighborhoods have even greater odds of developing emotional problems, she says.

Morris, a human development and family science professor, is examining the interpersonal relationships between teenage girls, their mothers and their friends. She wants to identify factors that result in a positive self-image and help teenage girls avoid risky behaviors, such as underage drinking, smoking, substance abuse and unprotected sex.

“There isn’t a lot of data available on what factors affect decision-making in adolescent girls, especially those living in highrisk situations,” Morris says. “Our study looks at the protective factors, such as support from peers and parents, that help girls make positive life choices, and how interactions with their mothers and friends impact their behavior.”

The National Institutes of Health awarded Morris a three-year, $490,000 grant to conduct the research with teenage girls living in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Tulsa.

“Dr. Morris’ research seeks to understand some of the fundamental issues that — Howard Barnett, president of OSU-Tulsa affect teenage girls in urban areas across and OSU Center for Health Sciences the country,” says Howard Barnett, president of OSU-Tulsa and OSU Center for Health Sciences. “The recognition from the National Institutes of Health will provide momentum for this Eisenberg, professor of psychology at Arizona State University; study as researchers at OSU continue to address and find soluand Laurence Steinberg, professor of psychology at Temple tions to common problems affecting families everywhere.”

University, are consultants on the project.

Living in poverty and exposure to high levels of violence The study aims to collect data from approximately 80 girls, increases the chance of engaging in criminal activity, dropping 12 to 15 years old. Each girl gets a cellphone, and researchers contact out of high school and early pregnancy. Teenagers in Oklahoma them several times a day for two weeks to check on their emotional have the highest rates of cigarette usage, the seventh-highest states and what activities are occurring at that particular time. birth rate and the 10th-highest rate of alcohol use in the country.

“This method provides us with real-time data about how the Teenage girls are also much more likely to suffer from depression girls are feeling at a given time and provides context for what and face myriad additional challenges as the result of engaging in factors are influencing their behavior,” Morris says. The girls are risky behaviors, Morris says. monitored for four weeks as researchers collect data through the “Our research will gather data on how emotions impact cellphone interviews and two lab visits where participants engage whether or not they engage in risky behavior or suffer from in observational tasks and answer questions. depression,” she says. “Teenage girls are at a much higher risk for A unique aspect of the research project is the inclusion of emotion-related difficulties, partially due to the gap between the mothers and peers in the research analysis. onset of puberty and emotional maturity. Girls start puberty at a “Parents and peers can have protective relationships we want much earlier age than boys.” to explore,” Morris says. When researchers meet with a girl for an The project, Understanding Resilience in Adolescent Girls: in-depth assessment, they also observe social interactions as the girl’s Parent, Peer, and Emotional Dynamics, is a partnership with many mother and a friend participate in various tasks with the teenager. researchers at OSU, on both the Tulsa and Stillwater campuses, in “Our goal is to help girls develop positive mental health and affiliation with the Center for Family Resilience at OSU-Tulsa. avoid engaging in risky behaviors,” Morris says. “The research Michael Criss, associate professor of human development at will help us understand the factors that protect against depression OSU, is serving as a co-investigator on the project. Morris and and empower young women to graduate from high school, make Criss are also working with a group of undergraduate and gradugood decisions and be emotionally resilient.” ate students to collect the data. Karina Shreffler, OSU-Tulsa assoSchool counseling, parent education, peer counseling and ciate professor of human development and family science; Robert prevention programs could benefit from the study.

Larzelere, OSU professor of research methodology; Nancy “This project has the potential to impact millions of families and will contribute to better communities,” Barnett says. “It is another example of how researchers at OSU-Tulsa are creating a brighter future in the day-to-day lives of people across the country.”

“This project has the potential to impact millions of families and will contribute to better communities.”

S e a n K e n n e dy

Professor Amanda Morris’ research assistants at OSU-Tulsa work on the problem of helping teenage girls avoid risky behavior.

PHOTO / osu-tulsa

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A healthier you, a healthier Oklahoma Education isn’t the only important part of college. Health is, too.

That’s why OSU encourages the health of its students by offering exciting ways for students to be physically active, easy-to-find healthy foods in eateries and a tobacco-free campus.

These programs are just a few ways OSU is committed to making healthier students and a healthier Oklahoma.

For more information go to: Dining Services union.okstate.edu/uds/chooseorange.htm Campus Recreation campusrec.okstate.edu Tobacco Stops Here tobaccostopshere.okstate.edu

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True Lies Donor surprises wife with gift to the Edmon Low Library.

A

“During the entire process, she had no idea who was the anonymous donor. In fact, she asked me on several occasions if I had heard anything about the donor’s identity.”

The committee, grateful for the anonymous generosity, spent three years renovating the room by soliciting advice from experts before choosing the best paint, lights, chairs and other amenities. But they still faced frustration and setbacks.

“It’s not like building a house,” Anne Greenwood says.

“We had to schedule work while making sure not to be an inconvenience to the students. That’s tricky on a college campus.”

After three years of complete secrecy, it was time for the benefactor behind the renovation to be revealed.

Michael took his wife’s father, Joe Morris, to the reception as an additional surprise. When they arrived, Anne Greenwood was being

photo / Emily Nielsen

Anne Greenwood, left, speaks with Dean of Libraries Sheila Johnson during the dedication of the Anne Morris Greenwood Reading Room at the Edmon Low Library. sequestered in a conference room with no windows. When the ceremony began, the Greenwoods were placed on opposite sides of a support post and unable to see each other.

“It was a remarkable covert operation to ensure my involvement was unknown until the last second,” Michael Greenwood says. “The library and OSU Foundation staff orchestrated every move so I could be only 8 feet away from Anne, and she would still have no idea I was involved, or even in the room.”

When the reading room’s name was unveiled in her

photos / chris lewis

mong the countless renovations across OSU is the work inside the six-story focal point of the Stillwater campus, the Edmon Low Library.

Many of the library’s projects require donor support.

When Michael Greenwood, a 1977 marketing and economics graduate, learned of the library’s needs, he was drawn to the much-needed renovation of the reading room on the second floor.

As a floor-to-ceiling transformation was planned, Greenwood requested two things: his wife, Anne Greenwood, be appointed to the design renovation committee through her involvement with the Friends of the OSU Library; and to keep the donation anonymous from everyone, especially his wife.

“Anne was on the committee, renovating the very room that was going to be named after her,” Greenwood says.

Left: Students quietly study in the recently renovated Anne Morris Greenwood Reading Room.

Right: Michael Greenwood surprises his wife, Anne, by secretly funding the renovation of a reading room for three years before revealing he was naming it in her honor.

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honor, Anne Greenwood was in tears. She could not believe what her husband had done — and that he had kept the secret so long.

“Maybe one day, I’ll share with you my real name,” Michael Greenwood quipped to his wife.

The Anne Morris Greenwood Reading Room features upgraded lighting, increased electrical capacity, new furniture, paint and carpet. While the reading room is improved, many areas of the library still need funding.

“Although our family name may be above the door, it’s not about us. It’s about serving the needs of the university and its students,” Michael Greenwood says. “We hope this transformation will inspire others to join us in the ongoing restoration of the Edmon Low Library.”

Anne Greenwood adds: “Seeing how much the students are enjoying the use of the renovations, their total respect and excitement, makes it all worthwhile.”

B r i t ta n i e D o u g la s

Being properly prepared to respond to life-threatening

Our mission is to ensure that every firefighter and emer-

situations is crucial for ensuring public and firefighter safety.

gency responder in your community goes home at the

Since 1934, Oklahoma State University’s Fire Protection Publications and the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) have made sure that firefighters

end of their day. Together they keep first responders safe.

That’s just one way OSU is America’s brightest orange.

worldwide get the best available peer-validated fire and emergency training resources. That is why IFSTA/OSU Fire Protection Publications is the world’s largest publisher of firefighter training materials.

Fire Protection Publications is an outreach program of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology

of Protection and Service

Serving others is a quality OSU instills in its graduates,

story By Kristen McConnaughey

but few take it to heart more than alumni of the School of Fire Protection and Safety Technology.

The program is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

It’s the only accredited program of its kind in the nation, and its graduates have been making a local, national and global impact since its inception in 1937.

L

ike many fire protection alumni, Michael Larranaga came to Oklahoma State on the advice of a colleague. He was working and attending a Texas community college when the Corpus Christi fire marshal gave him a strong recommendation for OSU. “I came to OSU, and I loved it almost immediately,” says Larranaga, who now serves as the school’s department head.

“I have had fantastic job opportunities because of attending OSU, and I’m proud to be a School of Fire Protection and Safety Technology graduate.” (continues)

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Alumnus Michael Larranaga is the head of the School of Fire Protection and Safety Technology, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Photo / phil shockley

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After graduating from OSU in 1996 with a bachelor’s in fire protection and safety, Larranaga attended the University of Houston, Clear Lake, where he earned a master’s in environmental science. He went on to earn a doctorate in industrial engineering from Texas Tech University.

“The first high achievement I had was graduating from Oklahoma State University,” Larranaga says. “It was a goal I set for myself, and I’m really proud of that accomplishment.”

Before returning to his alma mater in 2007, Larranaga was an assistant professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health.

“I thought I would become a department head sometime in the future, but I didn’t anticipate I would actually get the job at such a young age,” Larranaga says. “That career move is a tribute to the program itself providing such a good foundation and allowing me to get this job at such a young age and come back to OSU.” Larranaga also directs the Boots & Coots Center for Fire Safety and Pressure Control within the Fire Protection & Safety Technology program. He recently was elected to the board of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene, where he will serve until 2014.

“The appointment is a great honor and another testament to our program and the worldwide recognition it receives,” Larranaga says.

Program History In the early 1930s, there was little organized training given to firefighters and certainly no textbook on the subject. The insurance industry was experiencing large losses from fires, and they were interested in minimizing future losses with better training for firefighters.

Stillwater Fire Chief Ray Pence invited the Oklahoma State Firefighter Association to hold a meeting in Stillwater.

“Ray was really good friends with President (Henry) Bennett, and so with all of those things happening, Oklahoma A&M College essentially became the central hub of fire service training material in the United States,” Larranaga says.

In 1935, the first series of organized fire training manuals in the U.S. were 28

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published in Stillwater. Ten volumes would be published by 1937.

The books, dubbed The Redbooks for their color, were a breakthrough in the training of fire prevention at the time and led to the establishment of the Fire Protection and Safety Technology program in 1937.

of positions including safety, fire protection, industrial hygiene, environmental health and occupational health.

“They can work in safety, which expands all the way from health care to oil companies to even manufacturing computer chips,” Larranaga says. “Their degrees provide them great flexibility.”

Students from around the world attend OSU to be part of the oldest fire and safety program in North America.

“The diversity of our program requires our students to interact with people from different areas and cultures,” Larranaga says.

“This adds a lot of value to our program, and helps our students in their future careers.”

One September Morning

The first series of organized fire training manuals, dubbed The Redbooks for their color, were published in 1935 in Stillwater.

The Redbooks remained the standard in fire protection training for more than 40 years. In 1978, the books were combined into one volume and renamed Essentials of Fire Fighting, now in its fifth edition. To date, more than 2 million firefighters have used the manual for training.

“The science and evolution of firefighting has changed, and the equipment and the technology has changed,” Larranaga says.

“What we publish today is a volume of essential handbooks, which teach the fundamentals firefighters need to know in the field to become a firefighter,” he says. “Today, OSU Fire Protection Publications and the International Fire Service Training Association is the largest publisher of fire service training materials in the world, and all of those organizations are here on the OSU campus.”

Not every student who earns a degree from the school works in a fire department.

Larranaga says graduates work in a variety

Growing up in a small town on Long Island, N.Y., John Norman attended the OSU School of Fire Protection and Safety Technology from 1970 to 1972 after hearing about the program from two OSU alumni he worked with.

“I was very impressed with what they had to say about the school, and their recommendations meant a whole lot to me,” Norman says. “It turned out another fellow from that same fire department followed me to OSU as well.”

After attending OSU, Norman returned to New York and started a job as a fire protection engineer. One of his first projects was at the World Trade Center running part of the high-pressure standpipe riser, devices that help firefighters get water to fires in multi-story buildings.

“OSU was tremendously valuable to me and my career,” Norman says. “You get exposed to all aspects of fire protection, from fire hazards and causes to engineering. It had me well-prepared for things I was going to face in the field.”

In 1979, the New York City Fire Department hired Norman, fulfilling a longtime dream. After serving the department for more than two decades, he would face his biggest challenge the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

“Nobody had ever experienced that kind of impact in this country before,” Norman says. “There wasn’t a class that could prepare you for that.”

After the towers collapsed, Norman was appointed chief of special operations

The things I learned in school prepared me in so many ways.

The foundation came from OSU.” — OSU Alumnus John Norman as well as search and rescue manager at the World Trade Center site. As Norman began looking for others to assist, one of the first people who showed up was Fred Endrikat, a former classmate from OSU and a member of the Philadelphia Fire Department.

“I latched onto Fred as soon as I saw him and said, ‘I need you to help me right now on my end, and tell FEMA you have been redeployed,’ ” Norman says.

“He actually spent the next six months in New York City, working at the World Trade Center site. That network you build comes back to help you later on. You might not know when, but it’s going to be there.”

Norman retired in 2007 and still lives in New York. He visits Stillwater often and has done several programs for the school. He has published several books about the fire industry.

“The things I learned in school prepared me in so many ways,” Norman says. “The foundation came from OSU.”

From Coast to Coast Tonya Hoover heard about OSU’s fire protection program while working as a volunteer firefighter in Pennsylvania.

“I’d never been away from home before,” Hoover says, adding she didn’t know anyone in Oklahoma. “Most of us were from out of state. We went there for one reason and one reason only — the program.”

Hoover graduated from OSU in 1985 and made her way to California, where she worked for local fire departments and the University of California, Berkley. Last November, Hoover was appointed state fire marshal for California.

“I love my job,” Hoover says. “I meet some incredible people who work hard and promote fire safety.

Photo/Fire Protection Publications Archives

The Campus Fire Station in the early 1950s housed Stillwater firefighters and fire protection and safety students. The Stillwater Fire Department occupied the first floor while students, who were also firefighters, were on the second floor.

“I never thought I would have the opportunity to use every thing I was exposed to in my program at Oklahoma State in my career,” Hoover says, “but you realize it when you’re out.”

Hoover says her experience at OSU would probably have been a lot different if it wasn’t for the School of Fire Protection and Safety Technology.

“It was a close-knit group of folks,” Hoover says. “You got the feeling it was a family, and we all stay connected.

“We all wear our orange proudly in California,” Hoover says. “I got the complete package with my education and my life experiences. They gave me the required skill set to sit where I am now, and I really believe I get that from Oklahoma State.”

Continued Momentum As the school celebrates its 75th anniversary, it is working on a possible new graduate program.

“As the fields of fire protection and safety and industrial hygiene advance, we’re required to respond to those needs

to better educate our students,” Larranaga says. “We’ve made the proposal to the dean for a new graduate program, and we hope to have it within two to three years.”

Alumni and students will be celebrating the program’s past success and future promise at a reunion this fall. For many, it will be a chance to return to not only their alma mater, but also the birthplace of the industry they put their lives on the line for every day.

“The School of Fire Protection and Safety has amazing history and lots of tradition,” Larranaga says. “I would highly recommend students choose OSU to pursue a degree in fire protection and safety.”

For more information about the School of Fire Protection and Safety Technology, visit fpst.okstate.edu.

Scan this QR code or go to gopok.es/statef12 to view the video interview with Michael Larranaga.

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OSU Medicine

‘The Right Leader at the Right Time’ Dr. Kayse Shrum is the first female dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

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Photo/OSU Center for Health Sciences

As a teenager growing up in Oklahoma, Kayse Shrum had two interests: softball and science.

The Coweta High School graduate had one plan for college and beyond: earn a softball scholarship, become a science teacher and coach softball.

Though her parents were not college graduates, they knew the value of a college education and encouraged Shrum.

“My dad would always talk about how it was important to give 100 percent to everything I did,” she says. “That is advice I’ve taken with me no matter what I am doing.”

While Shrum was in high school and taking a college course during the summer, an instructor put the idea of a medical career in her head.

“One afternoon, the professor pulled me aside and asked if I had ever considered going to medical school because I had the highest grade in a class with all pre-med majors,” Shrum says. “No one had told me before that I could be a physician. I had never thought about it.”

Now, as OSU Center for Health Sciences provost and dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, Shrum is planting the idea of medical school in the minds of young people across Oklahoma.

“One person, who took a moment to mentor me, put me on the path to a medical career,” Shrum says. “I don’t think he knew what an impact that had on my life.”

Shrum is the first female dean, the first graduate of the

medical school and residency program to be named dean, and the youngest person to be named dean in the 40-year history of the medical school.

“It was a great opportunity for me to give back to the school in a significant way,” Shrum says.

OSU’s Attraction Shrum learned about OSU’s medical school in Tulsa after visiting with her family physician, who graduated from the school. On the advice of her an advisor at Connors State College, Shrum took a tour of the OSU-CHS campus.

“I was 18 when I visited the campus for the first time, and it was somewhat intimidating at first,” she says. “But everyone was so friendly, and the students took the time to talk to me. I was so fascinated after visiting the anatomy lab that I knew OSU is where I wanted to be.”

Shrum graduated with an associates degree from Connors in 1992 before attending OSU-CHS. While at OSU, she became interested in pediatrics. After graduation in 1998, she completed her residency at the OSU Medical Center in Tulsa and eventually set up a practice in Muskogee. Her early desire to be a teacher and her love of the school brought her back to OSU-CHS in 2002, when she joined the pediatric faculty at the university.

“I realized I missed teaching and interacting with the students,” she says. “Being able to teach really adds a whole different component to the profession and gave me the opportunity to do more to

impact the health of Oklahoma by training new physicians.”

As chair of pediatrics at OSU-CHS beginning in 2004, she doubled the number of regular patients in pediatrics, tripled the number of clinical trials in pediatric research, led a curriculum revision, established and personally supported community outreach and service opportunities to benefit children’s health and helped raise funds to support the mission of the medical school.

In January 2011, she was tapped for the role of dean and provost of institution.

“Kayse is the right leader at the right time,” says OSU-Tulsa and Center for Health Sciences President Howard Barnett.

“Her experience, both as a former student of the college and as a current faculty member, offered her a unique perspective that has benefitted the institution and helped us create new programs that benefit the state of Oklahoma.”

Rural Concerns Drawing on her own experiences, Shrum has worked to address Oklahoma’s physician shortage, particularly in rural areas. She has reached out to FFA programs to encourage members to consider medical careers.

“We need people who are comfortable living and working in rural Oklahoma and want to be part of those communities,” Shrum says.

“Connecting with these students early makes it much easier for them to get into medical school later on.”

OSU-CHS has launched an early admissions pilot program

for OSU College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources students to have the final year of the bachelor’s degree count as the first year of medical school.

Shrum has taken a leadership role in creating residency programs in rural Oklahoma for medical school graduates.

“A physician will typically set up their medical practice within 100 miles of where they complete their residency program,” she says. “That’s one of the reasons it’s so critical to establish these programs in rural areas of the state.”

Shrum has also pushed for new equipment to help researchers in biomedical and forensic sciences become more competitive in their fields. She is also pushing for collaborative research efforts with various departments throughout the OSU system.

Her biggest push will continue to be providing the best possible education for the students.

“We have a very special mission at OSU-CHS to serve rural and underserved areas of the state,” Shrum says. “It’s a meaningful experience for our students and the people whose lives they touch every day as they continue their education and begin their careers.”

S e a n K e n n e dy

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OSU Medicine

Establishing

Residencies OSU Center for Health Sciences residency programs offer training opportunities for medical school graduates.

Dr. Amanda Reed has a calling to take care of people.

She dreams of opening a medical clinic and offering essential services to the underserved people in her hometown of Fort Gibson, Okla.

“I want to provide care for people who don’t normally see a physician because they can’t afford health insurance or co-pays,” says Reed.

After graduating from the OSU Center for Health Sciences in May, Reed is making her dreams a reality by completing a residency program in family medicine at Tahlequah City Hospital, about 20 miles northeast of Fort Gibson.

Resident physicians have earned their medical degrees and practice under the supervision of licensed physicians.

With Oklahoma facing a dangerous physician shortage, educators and administrators at OSU-CHS are looking for ways to provide more doctors for the state. In 2012, OSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine welcomed its largest class of first-year medical students, totaling 115. But increasing class sizes isn’t enough to solve the problem.

“There are more students graduating from medical school than there are residency programs for them to continue

their medical training,” says Howard Barnett, president of OSU-Tulsa and OSU-CHS. “Creating new residency spots for our graduating doctors ensures they will be able to smoothly transition to the next phase of their education.”

A residency program’s location is a key component to keeping physicians in Oklahoma.

“Approximately 80 percent of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine students who finish residency programs in Oklahoma establish their medical practices near the area where they complete their training,” says Dr. Kayse Shrum, OSU-CHS provost and dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Data shows that physicians typically stay within 100 miles of the community where they completed their residency program.”

With more than 50 percent of primary-care physicians in Oklahoma older than age 53, increasing the number of young physicians in the state has become critical. On top of that, the state ranks 49th in the country in the number of primary-care doctors per person (81.7 physicians per 100,000 Oklahomans), according to the United Health Foundation.

The OSU Medical Center, the largest osteopathic teaching hospital in the nation, serves as the primary teaching hospital for students at the College of Osteopathic Medicine. The OSU Medical Center also offers medical residency programs for graduates of OSU-CHS. “We have aggressively established residency training partnerships with hospitals and clinics across the region,” Shrum says. “These strategic sites offer our graduates the opportunity to practice medicine in areas that need more physicians.”

Oklahoma residency programs are in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Tahlequah, Durant and Muskogee, and efforts are under way to establish more. Residency programs are also in Joplin, Mo., and Pine Bluff, Ark. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration recently awarded OSU-CHS a $41 million grant to create 72 new residency slots in four years.

These programs will be located in Tahlequah, Tulsa and Joplin.

“All of these sites focus on training residents in rural and underserved practices,” Barnett says.

The Oklahoma Legislature approved $3.08 million in funding for OSU-CHS to create additional residency programs in rural areas. The funding is part of a phased plan that administrators say will bring 160 new physicians a year to the state.

“The funds are used to offset the start-up costs of creating residency program at these rural hospitals,” Barnett says. “After three years, federal funding is available for the rural hospitals that partner with OSU to create these programs.”

Amanda Reed will spend three years finishing her family medicine residency in Tahlequah, then work for the Cherokee Nation for two years as part of her scholarship agreement.

One of the best parts of Reed’s residency is being able to stay close to Fort Gibson, where she plans on opening her own practice, and connecting with her patients.

“I get to have a lot of personal interaction with my patients and with my attending physician,” says Reed. “I feel like what I’m doing at Tahlequah City Hospital really makes a difference for my patients, and I get to be involved more with their care.”

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A Cherished Memory Among the Rubble

Sherri Brasher searched through the remains of her family’s Wetumka, Okla., home to find her damaged OSU class ring.

Photo / Gary Lawson

OSU alumna’s class ring survives as her home burns down.

Every owner of an Official OSU Class Ring will tell you it is special.

To OSU alumna Sherri Brasher, special is an understatement.

Brasher earned a bachelor’s in secondary education in 1991, and like many class ring recipients, she received hers as a Christmas present. Her husband gave it to her in 2006.

“For years I’d been saying I wanted one,” Brasher says. “It was a complete surprise because he never took my hints.

I’ve always been so proud of getting my degree from OSU, and I wanted to wear it proudly.”

For three years, Brasher wore her ring with the OSU facing outward — a tradition among graduates to symbolize the

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accomplishment of attaining their degrees.

But on Nov. 12, 2009, the ring was not on her finger when her home in Wetumka, Okla., caught fire.

“The firefighters stopped the fire, and only a little damage occurred,” Brasher says. “But they told us to gather up whatever we needed because the roof wasn’t stable and we couldn’t sleep there.”

The following morning, Brasher received a life-changing phone call from the fire department.

“The house had burned completely to the ground,” Brasher says. “Apparently there were some embers left over, and they caught fire in the middle of the night.

“The whole house just went up.”

After building up their courage,

Brasher and her family returned to their home of three years. The fire marshal accompanied the family to help them gather up whatever could be recovered from the fire.

“I told him there were a few items I definitely wanted to look for,” Brasher says. “My rings were one of them. I knew exactly where I had placed them, so I went searching for them.”

Brasher knew she had set her rings on the bathroom counter. She saw metal drawer pulls, the only indication she had found what remained of the bathroom.

Then she spotted a lone ring with OSU engraved on it.

“It was just sitting there on the edge of the cabinet,” Brasher says. “If I would have even brushed by, it would have fallen down in the rubble, and I would have never found it.

“It was the only thing I saved from the fire. The ring symbolizes an education nobody can take away from you. I’m very proud of it, and I bleed orange.” — Sherri Brasher

Photo provided

“It was the only thing I saved from the fire.”

Brasher cried a little after realizing her OSU class ring would once again be slipped on her finger.

“My youngest daughter was there and she said, ‘Did you find your wedding ring?’

I said, ‘No, but I found my OSU ring,’” Brasher says. “I earned it and worked so hard for it.”

The ring didn’t melt, but Brasher says you could tell it was damaged. She called Balfour, the ring’s manufacturer.

“I got a phone call from them about two weeks later saying they were going to have to completely remake it,” Brasher says.

Tim Shore, senior regional manager of Balfour, says each solid-gold ring is sold with a lifetime warranty.

“If there is a fire or something that has damaged the ring, we’re going to do everything we can to fix it,” Shore says. “If we can’t fix it, we’re always happy to remake it because we understand this ring is the bond that all Oklahoma State graduates have to the university.”

Shore says this isn’t the first ring damaged in a fire.

“One thing we will never do is repair a ring and send it out if it doesn’t look as good on the day that person bought it,” Shore says. “These rings symbolize a deep bond between an individual and his or her alma mater, and we always want to do what we can to make sure they can wear their rings and that they’re pleased with them.”

Brasher still lives in Wetumka and proudly wears her new class ring — especially on campus. In 2009, she began

working on her master’s in environmental science at OSU. “I went back to do what I always wanted to do,” Brasher says. “I want to try to make sure we can do what’s best for nature, humans and our animals.”

Brasher’s class ring represents more than her connection to the university. It stands for something not even a tragic house fire could take away from her.

“The ring symbolizes an education nobody can take away from you,” Brasher says. “I’m very proud of it, and I bleed orange.”

K r i s t e n M c C o n n au g h e y

Visit orangeconnection.org/ring for more information about ordering an Official OSU Class Ring.

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Gifts Will Benefit Future Business Students Several donors are among generous supporters.

OSU’s Business Building,

located in the center of the Stillwater campus, has been home to thousands of students since it opened in the 1960s. But students can expect a change as the Spears School of Business moves into its new state-of-the-art home.

Former students and supporters of the Spears School have given generously since Dean Larry Crosby announced last fall that a four-level structure east of Hester Street would be built to replace the current building. The effort to raise $60 million in private support is nearing the halfway mark.

The generosity of donors is necessary for Spears School students to remain competitive. There are several opportunities to assist, and every gift makes a difference.

Two longtime OSU supporters making a difference are Chuck and Kim Watson, who have given in numerous ways over the years, including a $2 million donation for the Watson Trading Floor in the Business Building. They endowed the Watson Family Chair for Commodity and Financial Risk Management and master’s in quantitative financial economics, and endowed various other scholarships. They also endowed full scholarships for the Cowboys basketball and wrestling teams.

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Rendering / Perkins+Will

The atrium on the ground level of the future OSU Spears School of Business home is envisioned as a gathering place for students, faculty and staff.

The Watsons’ recent gift of cash, pledges and an estate commitment, when combined with matching gifts, will have a total impact of $36 million. The gift will help build the new home for the Spears School and establish the Watson Graduate School of Management in honor of the OSU alumni, pending approval by the university and the OSU Board of Regents.

Chuck Watson believes the Watson Graduate School of Management, in addition to the new building, will greatly enhance the learning opportunities for business students.

“From the business school, we have graduated some incredibly successful business leaders throughout the globe. We have the graduate programs, the MBA and now doctorate programs, and I feel like there is so much more potential for these graduates to flourish under one roof. That’s

how the really successful schools have their programs designed. Some of the best graduate schools are thought of separately (from undergraduate programs), and their reputations are unique,” Watson says.

“I’d like to bring OSU into that level of recognition around the world. I know we can get there,” he says. “Again, we’re in better shape than people think we are, so it’s not a huge leap of faith to say we can be a top-tier graduate school.”

Others who have that vision are Amy and Malone Mitchell 3rd, who in 2008 wanted to help their alma mater create a world-class entrepreneurship program.

Their $57.2 million gift was split evenly between the Spears School and the athletic department. The Spears School’s share was the largest donation ever to a university entrepreneurship program.

photo / gary lawson

photo / gary lawson

Chuck and Kim Watson

photo / chris lewis

AMY AND Malone Mitchell 3rd photo provided

The Mitchells’ gift allowed Oklahoma State to create the School of Entrepreneurship and the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship. The next step for the award-winning program is creating an innovative learning experience. Thanks to the Mitchells and other donors, that will occur in the new home of the Spears School.

The Mitchells’ recent $7.5 million gift will create the home of the Riata Center and the entrepreneurship school in the new business building.

“The gift by Amy and Malone Mitchell has definitely been a difference maker as evidenced by the School of Entrepreneurship’s prominence in national rankings and the many successes of the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship,” Crosby says. “Their most recent gift will enable the entrepreneurship program to inspire, challenge and transform our students in an environment conducive to learning for many years.”

The Riata Center will be on the building’s ground floor, adjacent to an atrium that will serve as the living room and town center for the entire business school.

The entrepreneurship school’s offices will be on the building’s second or third level.

The Mitchells’ gift is one of many in recent months that not only embraces the effort to raise the funds necessary for the building, but also supports the core values of the Spears School.

Alumni Norman and Suzanne Myers made another significant gift, donating $1 million to name the dean’s suite.

They have given generously in the past to fund the Norman and Suzanne Myers Endowed Chair for Excellence in Business Administration, held by Crosby.

“Oklahoma State and the Spears School of Business will always be special to us. We are convinced that the new business building will be world class, putting OSU in the top tier of business schools in the country,” says Suzanne Myers, whose 1957 business administration degree put her in the last graduating class of Oklahoma A&M College. Norman Myers joined the first graduating class of the newly christened Oklahoma State University with a banking and finance degree in 1958.

He had a successful 30-year career with Browning Ferris Industries Inc.,

Norman and Suzanne Myers

where he held a variety of positions including executive vice president, chief development officer, national sales/marketing director, vice chairman of the board, and chief marketing officer. His appreciation for the importance of leadership within an organization inspired the couple’s decision to name the dean’s suite.

Longtime marketing professor Bob Hamm was held in such high regard when he retired in 2002 that a group of former students helped fund a $250,000 scholarship in his name. But 10 years later, Vaughn Vennerberg and Frank Merrick decided to do more.

The businessmen led an effort to raise another $250,000 to name the Department of Marketing office after Hamm, who taught on the Stillwater campus from 1966 to 1990 and 1996 to 2002.

Some of Hamm’s former pupils noted that the classroom was where he had the greatest impact during his 38-year teaching career. That led to a different goal: $500,000 to name a classroom after Hamm. So far, 51 donors have combined to commit nearly $450,000.

“I think when you really understand and realize the impact he’s had on the hundreds of thousands of students that he’s taught, it was a very easy decision to

Bob Hamm

give money in his name to honor him,” Vennerberg says. “He is such an inspiring individual … to be able to give something to honor him for what he’s done for so many students over so many years was an easy decision for me.

“After all he’s given, it’s time to give back to him.”

The classroom will be a tribute to his outstanding teaching and mentoring for many years after the building is completed.

The Watsons, the Mitchells, the Myerses and Hamm’s former students are just a few of those who can’t wait for the day that future Cowboys and Cowgirls benefit from the new business building.

T e rr y T u s h

Building Business Excellence OSU will recognize donors whose contributions make possible the construction of the future home of the Spears School of Business.

Key naming opportunities Auditorium (300 seats) $5 million Atrium/gathering commons $5 million Lecture hall (150 seats) $2.5 million Executive Board Room $1.5 million Teaching and practice labs $250,000-$750,000 Classrooms $500,000 Departmental offices $100,000-$500,000

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GAME DAY GUIDE

Sept. 1 vs. Savannah State • Chapters Day

Oct. 27 vs. TCU • Connections for Life Day

Learn about alumni chapters located across the country and connect with one in your area. Take advantage of discounted game tickets with your membership! Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

Stop by to see the Alumni Association’s new programs and stay connected.

Sept. 15 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette • Distinguished Alumni Day** Join the Alumni Association as it honors the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients. Kickoff is at 11 a.m.

Sept. 29 vs. Texas • Legacy Day Bring your Legacies and have some fun!

Oct. 20 vs. Iowa State • Homecoming 2012

Nov. 10 vs. West Virginia • Member Benefits Day Learn about how it pays to be a member!

Take advantage of discounted game tickets with your membership!

Nov. 17 vs. Texas Tech • Celebrate Students Day Hear about the many ways the Alumni OSU Alumniand Association Association is working to recognize celebrate the students of today as well as the next generation of Cowboys and Cowgirls!

CO w BOY

Corral

Come back for Homecoming 2012: ‘The Life, The Legend, The Legacy’.

The Cowboy Corral at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center opens three-and-a-half hours prior to kickoff with fun for the whole family! Enjoy hot Hideaway Pizza and mouthwatering hamburgers, hotdogs and BBQ brisket from Freddie Paul’s while viewing other games on our two 15-foot screens.

Pistol Pete, the OSU Spirit Squad and the OSU Cowboy Marching Band join the fun at apep rally 30 minutes before The Walk. Weather permitting, Bullet will also be on hand for photos.

Visit orangeconnection.org/cowboycorral for the latest event and activity details!

Can’t make it to Stillwater?

There are more than 60 watch party locations across the U.S. for our loyal and true fans! Whether you are a resident or a visitor of the area, be sure to visit orangeconnection.org/watchparty to find a location near you. You can also view the watch party list and check in at a location on any mobile device at orangeconnection.mobi.

Not a location near you? Complete the form atorangeconnection.org/ newlocation to find out how to start a watch club in your area.

Card-Carrying Member

Your Alumni Association is your connection to affordable, on-campus parking close to all the action on game day! Reserve your space in the paved Alumni Center parking lot located at the southwest corner of University Avenue and Hester Street. The lot is within easy walking distance of game day favorites such as the Cowboy Corral, the OSU Student Union, Hideaway Pizza, Eskimo Joe’s and The Strip.

Reserved parking (7 games) $350/space members $450/space for nonmembers Per game reserved parking $65/space for members $75/space for nonmembers Game day parking* $20/space *first come, first served Businesses: Five season reserved parking spaces $1,600 for members (a savings of $150) $2,100 for nonmembers (a savings of $150) Three season reserved parking spaces $1,000 for members (a savings of $50) $1,300 for nonmembers (a savings of $50) Tailgating: Tailgaters (minimum of two spaces) $100/space per game.

Parking lot opens six hours prior to kickoff.

Entrance for the lot will be on Hester Street, just south of University Avenue. Exit is located at the west end of the lot onto Ramsey Street.

For more information about parking on game day, visit orangeconnection.org or call 405.744.5368.

**Click Hall will be open from 8 to 10:30 a.m. with coffee and pastries from The Daily Grind, but no official activities including the pep rally and pictures with Bullet are planned.

Be sure to have your OSU Alumni Association membership card with you at each Cowboy Corral! Members will have the opportunity to pick up a variety of member-only giveaways, coupons and discounts plus enter to win sports memorabilia. The ultimate fan who checks in at every game will be eligible for the grand prize giveaway during the Texas Tech pep rally on Nov. 17.

Member-only giveaways include foam pistols, hand fans, pom poms, football stress balls and much more. These items will be given at the information table to members and children while supplies last.

It Pays to be a Member!

Members of the OSU Alumni Association can take advantage of discounted football tickets to two OSU football games this season! Discounted tickets will be available for Alumni Association members for Savannah State vs. OSU on Sept. 1 and for West Virginia vs. OSU on Nov. 10. Tickets will be $35 for the Savannah State game and $50 for the West Virginia game. There is no limit to the number of tickets you can purchase for either game. Look for more information in your email with a link to the discounted Cowboy Football tickets.

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 • FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

A Brighter OSU Faculty and staff are key to OSU and campaign success.

Like many OSU faculty and staff members, Jean Keene is passionate about the university’s land-grant mission.

Along with contributing her professional time and talent, Keene also donates to the Center for Health Sciences as a symbol of her appreciation for the medical school’s work to make the world a better place.

“What we do here helps so many people,” says Keene, who is a program coordinator in CHS academic affairs and also serves in the center’s Faculty Senate office. “We train osteopathic physicians, conduct research and even do forensic work after someone has passed away, which all helps others. What we do here touches people everywhere.”

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She is proud to be a Branding Success donor, which she discussed during the campaign’s faculty and staff luncheon at the CHS campus in Tulsa. She spoke about the value of a donation — not based on its size, but based on the way it reflects the heart of the giver.

“Giving back is not a sacrifice. It’s an opportunity,” Keene says. “It’s an honor to be a part of making life better for people you’ll never even meet, and we make an impact from the local area, where one of our graduates is a family doctor, to the global community that benefits from our research breakthroughs.”

Keene is one of 3,098 faculty and staff members who have combined for 16,276 gifts and commitments to Branding Success. Their contributions total more than $14.4 million, touching every unit across the OSU system.

A crowd of faculty and staff gather on the OSU campus in Stillwater for a luncheon held in their honor.

Melissa Garner and Scott Sawyer, above, show their Cowboy pride with Pistol Pete at the OSU-OKC luncheon for faculty and staff. Diane Tipling, in clown mask, below, won the Stillwater campus’ Brightest Orange Contest, earning two football tickets.

OSU President Burns Hargis also spoke at the CHS luncheon and the other faculty and staff events at the five campuses last spring. He says they had a fitting theme: “Because of you, we have a brighter OSU!” “Oklahoma State University’s success is due to the quality work of the faculty and staff,” Hargis says. “Their dedication and talent propel this institution. That so many of them also give back financially shows that this campaign has the right priorities.”

Along with praise from Hargis and inspirational words from Keene and others, the events celebrated OSU employees with contests and prizes. They were designed to thank the faculty and staff for their contributions as employees and donors throughout the year.

Pistol Pete, above, lunches with faculty and staff at the OSU-Tulsa campus. Below, staff and faculty at the OSU Institute of Technology listen to President Burns Hargis during a luncheon on the Okmulgee campus.

Jean Keene speaks during a luncheon at the OSU Center for Health Sciences campus in Tulsa.

Jac o b L o n g a n

To learn more about the faculty and staff campaign, and to view video features and photo albums, visit OSUgiving.com/ becauseofyou.

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The questions asked by OSU alumnus Kayvon Olomi when he was a college student have catapulted him to the top of the business world. photo / gary lawson

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Whose App is it Anyway?

OSU alumnus Kayvon Olomi’s questions as a college senior have propelled him toward the top of the business world.

When the Apple iPhone debuted during Kayvon Olomi’s senior year at OSU, he had two questions: Who was behind the apps popping up left and right?

Who was developing the applications to expand the phone’s functionality?

The answers to those questions led Olomi to develop his own company, and its success recently landed him on the Forbes Top 30 Under 30 list.

Olomi, a 2008 finance graduate, was born and raised in Tulsa, Okla. He chose to attend OSU after a campus visit during his junior year of high school.

“One of my lifelong best friends took me up there to see it,” Olomi says. “He convinced me to go, and now I bleed orange. I love OSU.” Olomi says he has always been interested in technology and entrepreneurship, which is why he had an idea for an app following Apple’s decision to allow thirdparty app developers for the iPhone.

“I had a concept I wanted to develop,” Olomi says, “but I couldn’t find quality developers, so I created AppTank.”

AppTank matches mobile developers with application projects. Those who have a concept can submit the project to the website, and developers bid on the concepts.

The development of the site began in May 2010, and it was launched in October.

“We were written about in San Francisco’s newspaper, and the story got picked up by a lot of national media outlets,” Olomi says.

Those publications include The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur magazine and Yahoo Finance. Reuters news agency also disseminated the story.

“Everyone wants their concept to be successful, but I never expected AppTank to grow like it has so fast,” Olomi says.

“It’s crazy, one bootstrapped company in Tulsa is being recognized like this.”

Olomi doesn’t have any plans to move his business to the East or West coasts. He says he’s staying in Tulsa.

“I hope it encourages others to stay in Oklahoma and not to move out of the state,” Olomi says. “There are graduates from OSU who have all these concepts, and they don’t think it can be done here, but it can.”

“OSU was a big contributing factor in making me a well-rounded individual. What I learned and who I became at OSU is more than one thing — it was the overall experience.”

—Kayvon Olomi

While others honor Olomi and his company’s success, he recognizes OSU. “OSU was a big contributing factor in making me a well-rounded individual,” Olomi says. “What I learned and who I became at OSU is more than one thing — it was the overall experience.”

Olomi also learned ways to help finance AppTank while at OSU. “I made money in the stock market, and a lot of that knowledge came from my classes at OSU,” Olomi says. “My financial

classes really educated me, and when I got out in the real world, I applied that knowledge and funded AppTank.”

Olomi, 26, says appearing on the Forbes Top 30 Under 30 list was a huge honor because of the others named, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

“I don’t know if I fully believed it,” Olomi says. “I had to read over the list a few times. I was really humbled.”

This year, Olomi also was named to Oklahoma magazine’s 40 Under 40, Tulsa Business Journal’s Tulsa 40 and OSU’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

AppTank was a Webby Award nominee in 2011, along with applications Tumblr and Dropbox, and a 2012 Official Webby Award Honoree.

“The recognition helps you know you are doing something right, and you are on the right track,” Olomi says. “It means a lot to me.”

Olomi continues to bleed orange, and thanks to him, so does his wife, Hillary. The two met at an internship during their junior year. Hillary attended a liberal arts school in Kansas City, and proudly wore the colors of a different Oklahoma university.

“She always told me she would never wear orange and would never come to Stillwater,” Olomi says. “I ended up getting her to transfer to OSU, and she graduated with a degree in political science. Now, I think she is a bigger OSU fan than I am.”

Olomi says he plans to expand AppTank and focus on expanding the entrepreneurial community in Tulsa.

“I’m wanting to create this culture in Tulsa,” Olomi says. “I want people saying, ‘I need to move to Tulsa,’ and, ‘I want to build that business structure in Tulsa.’

That’s what creates jobs.

“I love it here, and I’m happy.”

K r i s t e n M c C o n n au g h e y

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a once-in-a-liftime opportunity scholarship turns ‘year off’ into invaluable experience.

Chris McNeil was preparing for the next chapter in his life. The Lawton, Okla., native was finishing his biology degree last May, just a couple of months after exhausting his NCAA eligibility as a Cowboy wrestler. He planned to spend a year preparing for medical school by saving money, working in campus ministry, studying for the Medical College Admission Test and volunteering in a hospital.

But his short-term plans changed dramatically thanks to a $10,000 scholarship from Trip and Dusti Kuehne, two former OSU athletes McNeil has never met. Now he is pursuing a master’s in entrepreneurship this year before going on to medical school. His accelerated plan of study began with a summer program in South Africa.

“I feel so blessed for this opportunity because it all came about so quickly,” says McNeil, the first recipient of the Trip and Dusti Kuehne Educational Opportunity Fellowship. “I found out about the scholarship just as the semester ended and I had to make a decision pretty quickly. I said yes before I knew if I could apply for any other scholarships or if I would even have the money to pay for a plane ticket. It has all worked out wonderfully.”

McNeil spent six weeks abroad with Entrepreneurship and Empowerment in South Africa, run by the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship within the Spears School of Business. The program features faculty and students collaborating with South African students to advise Cape Town’s small businesses about economic sustainability.

He then devoted another two weeks to job shadowing at medical facilities in South Africa, which has the world’s largest population of HIV and AIDS infections.

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McNeil says he didn’t previously know anything about money beyond what was in his pocket, or much about the rest of the world except what he saw on the news.

“This program has been an amazing experience,” McNeil says. “I learned how creative I could be in solving a problem. I have seen the sun rise on multiple occasions while being in a library or study room on the other side of the world. I have also been in a community of more than 1.2 million people driven by the hope that tomorrow might bring.”

He adds, “It has been an adventure. A trip like this allows you to appreciate every way you can impact the people you meet in the pursuit of ambition.”

That was exactly what the Kuehnes envisioned for their fund. They wanted to help graduating student-athletes pursue advanced degrees, as Trip Kuehne did with a 1997 master’s in business administration.

He was a three-time All-American Cowboy golfer while his wife, the former Dusti Stuart, was a four-year letter winner for the Cowgirl basketball team and a 1996 agricultural economics graduate. They know how much time college athletes devote to sports, so they were looking to reward those who also succeeded academically.

“When you look around boardrooms, they are filled with ex-athletes because someone that is a success on the playing field and in the classroom is a special person,” says Trip Kuehne, whose 4.0 GPA earned him OSU Top Male Student in 1995 and the national Ben Hogan Award for academic and athletic excellence. “They know how to budget time, take care of things and be responsible. If you can do those things, you will be successful in life.”

McNeil learned many lessons on succeeding from some of the best Cowboy

Trip and Dusti Kuehne, two former OSU athletes

wrestlers ever, such as Olympic and world champions John Smith and Kenny Monday, and NCAA champion Zack Esposito.

“Those guys will change your life, the way you look at everything,” McNeil says.

“I am very proud of the time I got to spend on the wrestling team. Anything I do from this point on is not as much of a strain because of what I learned there.”

As a wrestler, McNeil is used to making quick decisions. Marilyn Middlebrook, associate athletics director for academic affairs, saw that when she called him into her office and explained this scholarship. His response included literally running around campus to meet various people for advice and help with arrangements.

“All in one day, we had him enrolled in the entrepreneurship program, in the health field, going to South Africa and purchased a ticket,” Middlebrook says.

“He was absolutely overwhelmed and amazed that someone would give him this opportunity. This will be a life-changing experience for him.”

His opportunity came from the Kuehnes working with the OSU Foundation and OSU’s Office of Athletic Compliance to fulfill their vision within NCAA, Big 12 Conference and university guidelines.

“Trip and Dusti love their alma mater and making an impact on young people’s lives,” says Kirk Jewell, president of the OSU Foundation. “We are grateful they came to us and said, ‘We want to help graduating student-athletes. Can we make this happen?’”

The Kuehnes plan to continue to fund this scholarship through annual gifts until they are able to endow it to provide perpetual support.

“We did this because it’s something we are passionate about,” Dusti Kuehne says.

“We know having an advanced degree opens a whole world of possibilities, and we wanted to give someone the opportunity to reach their dreams.”

The Kuehnes are living their dream due in large part to Trip Kuehne’s decision to remain at OSU for graduate school after completing his psychology degree in 1995.

That year, he helped the Cowboy golfers win the national championship in a playoff against a Tiger Woods-led Stanford squad looking to claim its second straight title.

He returned to the team in 1996 and began acquiring the advanced education he needed to become a successful investor.

He also started dating the woman who became his partner personally and professionally. These proud parents of Will Kuehne, 12, celebrate their 16th anniversary in September. In 2005, they founded Double Eagle Capital Management with Trip Kuehne as senior managing partner and Dusti Kuehne as chief financial officer and chief compliance officer.

Creating this scholarship is just one of the many good decisions they have made together.

“Words can’t express enough how much thanks I have for this gift,” McNeil says. “There isn’t a day that I don’t think about what this has done for me. I know I’m representing my school, Mr. and Mrs. Kuehne and their choice. I am determined to make them proud by using this opportunity to help others.”

JAC O B L O N G AN

PHOTO / CHRIS LEWIS

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V VIVA Hitting the jackpot with a beef carcass breakthrough.

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Vegas Strip Steak STORY BY

KYLEE WILLARD

The cards were dealt

for a steak discovery when a renowned meat scientist and a bigcity culinary mastermind joined forces with OSU’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center to unveil the Vegas Strip Steak.

“The Vegas Strip Steak is the latest and perhaps last steak to be found in the beef carcass,” says Jacob Nelson, an FAPC valueadded meat processing specialist in the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. “I have a feeling this is the last new steak that will have real implications in the industry.”

The players Tony Mata, of Mata & Associates; Rick Gresh, chef at David Burke’s Primehouse at The James Hotel in Chicago; and FAPC’s Nelson worked together to bring the steak to the plate.

(continues)

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N Y M AT A

JA

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B NELS

C K G R ES H

ON

“Given the history of the beef industry, the discovery of a new beef steak that has never before been fabricated and marketed could appear to be an impossibility,” Nelson says. “But the FAPC, together with Dr. Mata and chef Gresh, have made this impossibility a reality.”

Mata’s research in obscure and off-the-path muscles led to the find.

“I failed on three other muscles before I stumbled upon this muscle,” says Mata, who holds a doctorate in agricultural biochemistry and nutrition. “I decided the muscle looked intriguing as compared to the others I had not succeeded with.”

With more than 30 years of beef carcass research and development, the self-proclaimed Meat Geek approached Nelson with the possibility of a new steak. Nelson and the FAPC assisted in the technical areas, facility usage and industry application.

“The staff and facility availability at the FAPC verified this new steak find,” Nelson says. “It is the mission of the center to discover, develop and deliver technical and business support to spur growth of value-added food and agricultural products, and the FAPC did just that in this instance.”

To bring the find to fruition past harvesting, Mata met with Gresh to verify the Vegas Strip Steak’s culinary performance.

“From a culinary standpoint, chef Gresh knows beef,” Mata says. “Chef Gresh was key in validating product performance, establishing target specifications, developing and identifying menu possibilities and confirming profit potential.”

The Deal “Initially, the cut was labeled as undervalued,” Mata says. “This is a complex and challenging muscle.”

In the research and development phase, the Vegas Strip Steak’s tenderness, flavor and appearance

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was compared to the New York Strip, Petite Tender and Flat Iron Steak.

“This muscle produces a steak that is on par with or better than today’s most popular steaks,” Mata says. “Specifically, the tenderness of the Vegas Strip Steak is comparable to the New York Strip Steak.”

The meat scientist worked with the university to find commercialization opportunities.

“In a world full of ideas, validating an idea is a key task,” Nelson says.

Following the discovery of the muscle, the next step was to protect the technology. Steven Price, associate vice president for technology development at OSU’s Technology Development Center, assisted the team in protecting their find.

“What we did to bring this cut to the industry is very similar to what has been exercised with other value cuts by the beef industry in the past with the difference being that previous value-cut models were funded by the beef industry through check-off programs,” Nelson says. “Dr. Price and the Technology Development Center provided initial patent guidance and still assist with the varying aspects of intellectual property.”

Additionally, the Ranchers Club, as part of OSU’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration in the College of Human Sciences, had a hand in preliminary preparation, plating and tasting of the steak.

“The Ranchers Club prepared and hosted small-scale tastings of the steak,” Nelson says. “Chef Pritchett and his culinary staff were very gracious in assisting in this process and did a tremendous job preparing the Vegas Strip Steak.”

What’s in the Cards?

For this cut to succeed from the farm to the table, there needs to be a potential for profit, Mata says.

“If you take the current value of the muscle and follow our harvesting procedure, the price point will be in the range of what the customer will pay for it, and yet this steak fits

Members of the FAPC Industry Advisory Committee enjoy Vegas Strip Steak prepared by Ranchers Club chef Donald Pritchett.

PHO TO / TOD D JOH NSO N

PHOTO / TODD JOHNS ON

high-end, white-tablecloth settings,” Nelson says.

The new steak is aimed at foodservice entities.

“This steak can be fabricated from 4 ounces to 12 ounces,” Nelson says.

“The versatility of this steak allows it to be utilized across a wide range of food-service sectors.”

Even with similarities to the New York Strip, pricing of the Vegas Strip Steak is expected to be competitive with other steaks.

“It does not require aging or marinating to achieve tenderness, and its visual appeal enhances the steak eater’s overall enjoyment,” Mata says. “We are confident that we have

a cut that will deliver on tenderness and flavor.”

With a patent pending, the cut has not been revealed to the public. However, some suppliers are fabricating the cut, and interested parties can be licensed to produce and market the cut.

Gresh is excited about what the Vegas Strip Steak brings to menus.

During the April 2012 taste and unveiling at the Protein Innovation Summit in Chicago, the Vegas Strip Steak hit a jackpot.

“The Vegas Strip Steak was well received by the audience,” Mata says. “They tasted it, loved it and applauded.”

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STORY BY JACOB LONGAN PHOTOS BY GREG QUINN

A Ranching PIONEER Alumnus spends his lifetime building a successful business.

F

isher Ranch horses have carried riders to Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world championships, and satisfied customers include the likes of Ty Murray, a nine-time World Champion cowboy.

But the operation’s success didn’t come overnight.

It took Roy Fisher nearly six decades to pay off the $500,000 loan he took out to begin his ranching career in 1954.

He was a 21-year-old Oklahoma A&M College livestock operations graduate who had just served two years in the U.S. Army.

He needed land for his five quarter-horse

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mares and 200 cows, so he borrowed the money to buy 4,000 acres near Eufaula, Okla., in McIntosh County. His debt was the equivalent of more than $4.25 million in today’s dollars.

“Now that’s ignorance if you look at the economics,” says Fisher, 83. “If I’d known anything about ranching, I doubt I would have ever had the guts to step off into this hole. But I didn’t know a whole lot about it, so I had no alternative after I fell into this hole so far in debt that it was going to take me more than 50 years to get out that I just had to stay with it and dig out.”

Roy Fisher

By collaborating with his alma mater and working nearly every day of the next 62 years, he has built Fisher Ranch into a 15,000-acre operation with 1,500 mother cows and 100 brood mares. He says Stillwater is where his success began because of his education and the people he met.

“Those two things are the basis on which I built my business,” he adds. “I didn’t have any years of technical skill behind me because I didn’t grow up on a ranch. It was Oklahoma State University and the people going to school there that have helped me be where I am.”

OSU Partnership Breeds Success Henryetta

ATION TURNPIKE AN N INDI

One person he met in college was Andy Kincaid, who managed OAMC’s horse barn. Kincaid was working to get the school to switch from draft horses to quarter horses, which is the equine program’s focus today. At the same time, Fisher wanted to start his ranch’s genetic line. He asked Kincaid for help finding a stud from the Oklahoma Star line to pair with his Bert mares.

“Andy helped me find that horse and get ahold of the owner,” Fisher says.

“That man didn’t want to ever sell him, but he was a friend of Andy’s so he leased the horse to me.”

Fisher says his ranch and the OSU quarter horse program grew up together because he and Kincaid collaborated to learn the business, including where to find the right horses and how to trade.

“They bought some horses from us to use in their breeding program later on in years,” Fisher says. “And I bought some from them, come to think of it.”

Fisher maintains the Bert and Oklahoma Star lines today.

Steven Cooper, a College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources equine professor, says that consistency is why Fisher is a major influence on breeding.

“He hasn’t changed his breeding program every time something new has popped up,” Cooper says. “The people buying his horses just want to know if the horse can do the job or not. They buy from the Fisher Ranch because they know it produces good, sound horses. I’ll bet a

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Eufaula

ULA EUFA LAKE

Roy Fisher maintains the Bert and Oklahoma Star quarter horse lines at his ranch along Oklahoma Highway 9 west of Eufaula, Okla.

Stillwater

Oklahoma City

Tulsa

Henryetta

McAlester

Ardmore

(continues)

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lot of them wouldn’t even care if his horses had papers because they have so much trust in that ranch.”

Fisher has spent a lifetime building that trust and is not ready to retire. He attributes his good health to the career he chose in elementary school.

A Family of Cowboys Fisher’s grandfather started ranching after claiming an Oklahoma County homestead during the 1889 land run.

Fisher’s father expanded the operation, but his passion was the automobile industry, where he was an extremely successful Buick and Jeep dealer. He also loved the University of Oklahoma, where he had played football and baseball.

Fisher worked summers at his grandfather’s ranch and his father’s office, discovering he loved horses more than horsepower. It took time for his father to support his career choice, in part because it meant he would attend OAMC.

“After I got up there, my dad fell in love with OSU and all my family since that point in time have attended Oklahoma State University,” says Fisher, who raised five children. “Everyone just fell in love with the family atmosphere of the town and the school, the surroundings and the great friendships there.”

Among his 18 family members who have graduated from OSU since 1975 are the children of his two OU-alumnae sisters.

Perhaps the best example of the family’s switch comes from Fisher’s son, David, a 1975 agricultural economics graduate.

He walked onto the OSU baseball team as a freshman pitcher before earning a scholarship the next three years. David Fisher’s wife, daughter and oldest son are also alumni.

Did his younger son go to OU? “Yes, I forget his name though,” David Fisher jokes.

A Career of Passion, Determination Three years ago, David Fisher retired from his career as a high school teacher and coach to work with his father.

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“This is his passion. My dad has been successful because of that,” he says. “He’s made some mistakes, but there have been a lot of victories because he stayed in there.

That’s a great legacy to be passed on.”

Roy Fisher’s daughter, Ann Robbins, also attended OSU and works at the ranch.

“Dad is quite a businessman to keep it going this long, because a lot of ranches have gone under,” she says. “He knows how to handle money and people. I learn a lot from him that I can carry on in life, through every aspect, really.”

Roy Fisher continues to partner with OSU, including working with the agronomy department to test weed and brush control methods. The university’s expertise and Fisher’s land combine to create an outdoor research laboratory with shared costs.

Robert Kropp, an OSU animal science professor and executive secretary of Oklahoma Beef Inc., has known Fisher more than 40 years. He describes Fisher as a “salt-of-the-earth” man with tremendous work ethic, pride and appreciation for the land.

“We need more people like that today,” Kropp says. “Anything involving OSU

extension in his area, he’s involved. If there is a meeting and Roy isn’t there, you better go check on him. We won’t even start until he and his wife, Glenna, show up.”

Kropp adds, “Roy is always interested in being of service to OSU, especially through the Cattlemen’s Association. If he ever hears you are going to be in his part of the state, he will serve you a big meal and offer to let you stay at the ranch.

“That’s Roy Fisher. He has always been a strong supporter of people in agriculture and the school.”

Above: Roy Fisher and his wife, Glenna, own and operate a 15,000-acre ranch in McIntosh County, Okla.

Left: The Fisher family has established many ties to OSU since Roy Fisher, second from left in the front row, became a Cowboy. Pictured in front of his home are a few of these orange supporters. Front row, from left are Ann Robbins, Roy Fisher, Patti Fisher, Lacey Fisher and Ryan Fisher.

Back row, from left are Jonas Fisher, Byron Fisher and David Fisher.

To watch a video feature on the Fisher Ranch, visit OSUgiving.com/FisherRanch.

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OSU alumni travel into a South Pacific jungle to find an uncle and his B-25 bomber long considered lost at sea during World War II.

By M i c h a e l Ba k e r

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PLA NES PHO TO / Jam es Gibb ard , Tulsa Wor ld

CO UR TE SY PO RTAIT /

O

n the ascent out of the valley, an estimated hour slowly, agonizingly, turned into three. That easily happens in the jungles of the South Pacific.

The trail had vanished. Fallen branches and vegetation covered the jungle floor.

The hikers’ boots sank 6 inches into the muck. Daylight turned dim beneath the overhanging canopy, tree limbs interlocked like a roof above their heads, leaving them sweaty, hot and claustrophobic.

The group’s lead guide — a member of a tribe that had carved out a village in the 2nd Lt. Walter“Dub”Vincent Jr. inhospitable terrain — cut a trail with a large bush knife. Another guide, the son of the tribe’s chief, dug toeholds with a small shovel so the American hikers could gain traction on the steep climbs.

Just when the trek seemed it would never end, OSU alumnus T. Craig Anderson and his team spotted what they had traveled over an ocean and hiked for three days to find: a wrecked World War II B-25 bomber. (continues)

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“That was amazing,”

during a training flight on April 22, 1944, were considered lost at sea.

Anderson’s wife, Kim Vincent Anderson, an OSU alumna, is the niece of 2nd Lt. Walter “Dub” Burt Vincent Jr., who was on the bomber when it crumbled to the jungle floor.

Anderson says. “It just popped out of the jungle at me, and I was practically standing on the wing. It was just an adrenaline rush.”

Until that moment, the plane and the seven Marines aboard when it disappeared

E S P I R ITU SANTO

CRASH SITE

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BIG B AY HWY

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LUGANVILLE

MONGOLIA

CHINA

INDIA

PHILIPPINES

INDIAN OCEAN

PACI F I C OCEAN

VA N U AT U

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

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The search for Dub had driven the Andersons deep into the interior of Espiritu Santo, the largest island in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu.

The bomber’s discovery opened the final chapter of a mystery nearly 70 years old. In May 2012, it closed when Vincent returned home to Tulsa and was laid to rest with full military honors.

“It’s just sheer joy and a peace that it’s all over,” Kim Anderson says. “We did this. We brought him back to his family.”

The Last Flight Marine Bomber Squadron 423, known as the Seahorse Marines, specialized at being an irritant to the Japanese. The squadron would go on strafing and bombing missions to clear the way for ground troops and eliminate dangerous Japanese positions, according to Miles Morgan, editor of the Seahorse Marine Newsletter and son of a Seahorse pilot.

Vincent’s flight on April 22, 1944, was a night training exercise out of the Seahorse base in Luganville, Espiritu Santo. Rain fell heavy and the wind blew hard out of the south as 1st Lt. Laverne Lallathin taxied PBJ-35087 for takeoff into the wind.

Second Lt. Dwight Ekstam, co-pilot; Cpl. John Donovan, radioman; Cpl Wayne Erickson, gunner; Cpl. John Yeager, gunner; and technical Sgt. James Sisney, radio maintenance, joined Lallathin and Vincent on the flight.

That Vincent was with those six men was a bit of a fluke. The crew’s regular bombardier was ill. Vincent had volunteered to fill in because he needed the flight hours.

From what the Andersons could piece together, Vincent was just the sort to volunteer. Born in Bartlesville, Okla., Vincent was 9 when his family moved to Tulsa. He attended and played basketball for Will Rogers High School. After America entered World War II, Vincent enlisted in the Marines.

At 21, Vincent found himself in the South Pacific during a critical time of the war. The Allies were making advances in the South Pacific and in Europe — in a little more than a year, Germany and then Japan would surrender.

SY PHO TO / COU RTE

On April 22, 1944, Allied forces in England had begun Exercise Tiger in preparation for the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France. About 2,000 miles northwest of Luganville, the Allies launched Operation Persecution and Operation Reckless against the Japanese holding the northern coast of New Guinea.

And that night in Luganville, PBJ-35087 took flight in a blinding storm with Vincent and six others aboard.

Author Dan Bookout, a retired chiropractor and licensed pilot who documented several Vanuatu crash sites for a book, says it’s possible a hard tailwind pushed the bomber off course when it turned north.

Bookout, who accompanied the Andersons to Vanuatu, is working on a book about the search for Vincent.

“It was a hell of a storm they took off in,” Bookout says. “Raining and lightning. They probably couldn’t see anything.”

At about 3,100 feet traveling nearly 230 mph with little to no visibility, the mountain cliff must have seemed to appear from nowhere.

“This airplane hit the cliff face at a tremendous speed,” Bookout says.

“That airplane simply disintegrated and burned up.”

There is a report from a few weeks after the crash that the plane had been located, remains buried and “secret and confidential gear” destroyed by a Marine search party led by Maj. John Palmer.

“The plane, freakishly enough, appears to have struck the exact center of this rock wall,” Palmer reported. “It must have been on a westerly course and just failed to clear the top of the mountain.”

But that report was not followed up and may have been misplaced as the Seahorse Marines left the island and fighting intensified in the South Pacific.

“A month after the crash, they were gone from the island,” Craig Anderson says. “I think that was one of the factors

Walter Burt Vincent Jr., back row third from right, with his bombardier class at the Marine Corps Air Station near El Centro, Calif. John Bryce, second from right, was Vincent’s best friend. The two men from Tulsa enlisted at the same time.

that led to all the information on the crash being lost.”

The military designated the crewmen and the plane as lost at sea, which is what the family believed for about six decades.

Finding Vincent Vincent’s family wouldn’t learn much more until 2005. Craig Anderson, an accountant living in Dallas, had begun assembling a packet on Vincent for an upcoming family reunion in Tulsa.

Kim Anderson is from Tulsa. For much of her childhood she had heard stories of her uncle. At first, they called Vincent by the initial letter of his first name, “Double-u,” and then they shortened that to “Dub.” Vincent and his plane being lost at sea was not talked about or questioned. The memories, especially of the day military officials brought news of the crash to the family’s Tulsa home, were too painful.

Craig Anderson joined the Vincent family in 1978 when he married Kim. The

couple had met in 1976 at OSU when Craig was a senior accounting major and Kim was a freshman. Craig graduated in 1977 and went to work for a firm in Oklahoma City, near his hometown of Spencer. Kim left OSU, and the couple later married in Tulsa.

Craig Anderson heard talk of Uncle Dub, but found there were few reminders that he ever existed. Little remained except a wartime letter home, some photographs and a Purple Heart, all stored away in an old box.

“I’d never heard of Seahorse Marines or what kind of plane it was or how many were in the crew,” Anderson says.

Anderson turned to the Internet. A Google search found the website of the Seahorse Marines. He spoke with a few men who served with Vincent and others searching for the flight. He found out more about the circumstances of the crash and was directed to Bookout, a Navy reconnaissance pilot in the 1950s. (continues)

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Y PHO TOs / COU RTES

A propeller blade juts out of the jungle at the site where a B-25 bomber carrying a crew of seven crashed on April 22, 1944, during a World War II training flight.

The team searching for a B-25 bomber that crashed during World War II and members of the tribe that helped guide the group through the dense jungles of Espirito Santo, Vanuatu. From left are Dan Bookout, Ofella Peter, Paul, Madeline, Fanoa, Craig Anderson, Youngfella Peter, lead guide Limpos, Brooke Desrochers and Max Desrochers.

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Bookout had written Search for the Lost Black Sheep, documenting the eight-year search for the remains of 2nd Lt. Wayland Bennett, whose plane also crashed in Vanuatu.

“Looking for an airplane in a jungle is really hard,” Bookout says. “Looking for a specific airplane in a jungle is a nightmare.”

During the search for Bennett, the author estimates, his team must have “stumbled across 40 other airplanes.” They would write down their findings and location, and report it to the military.

Bookout says he first reported the location of Vincent’s plane about 25 years ago.

“We moved on at the time because it was not our airplane of interest,” he says.

Skeptical at first, Anderson agreed to meet Bookout at a Denny’s restaurant in the author’s hometown of Texarkana, Texas. The conversation went on for

hours and Anderson became convinced Vincent’s plane was not at the bottom of the ocean; it was on a mountain surrounded by dense jungle.

Anderson asked Bookout if he wanted to return to Vanuatu and try to find the crash site.

“Get me a ticket and I’m there,” Bookout responded.

The Search In 2007, Bookout traveled to Luganville with the Andersons; the couple’s daughter, Navy Lt. Brooke Desrochers; and her husband, Navy Lt. Max Desrochers.

Anderson promised the military that if his team found the crash site, they would not remove anything. The goal was to show the site was accessible, Anderson says.

“One of our hopes was that we could go to the crash site and get some interest in it,” he says.

The first day of the three-day trek was a slow, rough drive with Craig Anderson and Max Desrochers riding in the back of a pickup truck on a road — two tire-sized ruts — winding northwest into the interior

of the island and past the Jordan River, the longest river in Espiritu Santo.

They stopped at a tribal village, where Kim Anderson and Brooke Desrochers were a bit taken aback by some of the customs they had to observe while in the village. The women were asked to stay in the truck until the men were introduced, and they were not allowed to look directly at the village men.

The team met Chief Robert, who by chance remembered meeting Bookout during one of the author’s previous trips.

The chief’s son Paul agreed to help the searchers. He assembled a team of seven tribal members to lead the hike into the jungle.

“They were barefoot or in flip-flops,” Craig Anderson says. “They also were constantly waiting on us.”

The second day’s hike took the team west, through at least two more rivers.

After nine hours of hiking, the team set up a base camp at another indigenous village to rest before the next day’s hike into the valley and up the side of a mountain.

“I knew when to bow out at base camp,” Kim Anderson says. She knew the

hike would be hard and didn’t want to slow down the others.

Craig Anderson, the Desrocherses, Bookout and five tribal guides headed out the next morning. Bookout fell and cut his leg, and while it wasn’t a bad cut, Bookout urged the family to continue without him while he turned back to base camp.

The hike to the crash site would get tougher.

“It was 60-degree slopes,” Anderson says. “It was more than I had expected, to say the least. Everything was just up and down. … It always reminded you how far out of your comfort zone you were.”

Brooke Desrochers was about 20 yards ahead of her father when she first spotted the crash site and called out.

“I took off almost running,” Anderson says. He saw a rusty propeller sticking out of the side of the hill, and then, “It was just a flurry of activity all of a sudden.”

They recorded serial numbers of airplane parts, took videos and photographs, left a memorial marker for the dead Marines and had a few toasts with the crew’s favorite drink, Scotch whisky, before emptying the bottle onto the ground.

After a difficult return hike down the steep slopes and a return flight to the U.S., Anderson reported the findings to the military’s Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command.

JPAC recovery specialists launched excavation missions in 2009, 2010 and 2011, recovering remains of all seven crew members.

DNA testing at JPAC headquarters in Hawaii verified the identities of the crewmen.

“What has struck me the most is the dedication and the professionalism of the people that do these recoveries,” Anderson says. “It truly is ‘no man left behind.’”

Bookout sees a couple of other heroes.

“I’m talking about Craig and Kim,” he says. “I consider them to be the heroes of the story.”

The Burial On May 5, 2012, four World War II-era fighter planes flew over Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa.

Craig Anderson and his daughter, Brooke Desrochers, wearing her full-dress uniform, walked behind Vincent’s U.S. flagdraped casket being escorted by a Marine (continues)

OSU alumni Craig and Kim Anderson at the memorial service for Walter Burt Vincent Jr. PHOTO / michael baker

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Photo / James Gibbard, Tulsa World

Marines escort Walter Vincent Jr.’s casket to his burial site at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa, Okla.

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honor guard and a bagpiper. The procession moved about a half mile from the chapel through the cemetery to the grave.

Before Dub’s remains were lowered, Marines handed the folded American flag to Vincent’s sister-in-law. Georgia Vincent Kendall, 88, is the only living family member to have met Dub, visiting with him once in Oklahoma City when he was enlisting in the Marines.

About 30 family members and family friends, along with a couple of dozen others — many veterans who just wanted to pay respect to a Marine returning home 68 years after his death — gathered for Vincent’s burial.

Desrochers, who had flown with Vincent’s remains from Hawaii, was honored by the response of veterans and current military members.

“Seventy years later, and they’re taking care of him like he was one of their own,” she says.

“They have each other’s back,” Kim Anderson says about those military members.

“It’s just a brotherhood.”

Some of Vincent’s remains will be interred in October at Arlington National Cemetery in a common casket with those of his fellow Seahorse crewmen.

In Tulsa, Dub’s remains were buried in a plot reserved by his parents in 1945. It took nearly seven decades to get Dub from the isolated mountain in the South Pacific to his final resting place, next to his mother and father and other family members.

“There was a lot of help along the way,” Craig Anderson says.

“We were the only ones crazy enough to go over there once we found out it might be there. … I think this is what Dub’s parents had hoped for. It just took 68 years to get him home.”

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University Architect and Heritage Society member NIGEL JONES has dedicated more than two decades of his life to shaping and building OSU’s future. Jones’ passion led him to make an ultimate gift to the university. In addition to supporting his loved ones, through an estimated $500,000 bequest, his estate will enrich the OSU campus with art.

“IT IS COMFORTING TO SAY THAT MY ESTATE WILL BE DOING SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE THAT I WOULD APPRECIATE.” - NIGEL JONES His gift demonstrates his loyalty to OSU and devotion to his profession, while inspiring others to consider estate gifts as a way to invest in the university’s future.

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To discover how easily you can establish a planned gift, contact the OSU Foundation at 405-385-5148 or email giftplanning@OSUgiving.com or visit OSUgiving.giftlegacy.com.

For this lawyer, defending Native Americans’ legal rights is personal.

Story by Janet Varnum

Photography by Phil Shockley

Walter Echo-Hawk II’s testimony before Congress and the Supreme Court helped secure some of the most important Native American legal victories in history.

✹ Echo-Hawk’s

work on

groundbreaking legisl ation includes the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, the National Museum of American Indians Act of 1989, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments of 1994. ✹ “I think we see justice most of the time,” says the 1970 political science alumnus who holds a l aw degree from the Universit y of New Mexico. “But every now and then we see a miscarriage of justice — a case in which the judicial system faltered. When this happens we have to pause and somberly diagnose the cause because every sector of societ y depends on justice. We must correct injustices because they tend to spread throughout the land and make life intolerable.” (continues)

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Native American attorney and OSU alumnus Walter Echo-Hawk II sits on the porch of his home near Yale, Okla. EchoHawk, who will be teaching at OSU this fall, helped win many important Native American legal victories.

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As a staff attorney for the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund,

Echo-Hawk has devoted his life to protecting and restoring Native Americans’ legal rights.

But the old adage that it’s easier to pass a law than to enforce it is reality, he says.

Not even the American Indian Religious Freedom Act could protect the Native American Church’s religious use of peyote, the oldest continuously practiced religion in North America that also predates modern religions.

“These were national issues and it took many lawyers to bring about change,” Echo-Hawk says. “On the peyote legislation, there were three of us representing our clients at the congressional level at that time.”

Their efforts resulted in the legal right of the Native American Church to religious use of peyote in all states.

“While the peyote religion is little understood by the public, unfamiliar faith is a bona fide religious tradition nevertheless,” Echo-Hawk says. “As such, it is entitled to the same respect and legal protection enjoyed by the better-known religions.”

Another personally satisfying case, Echo-Hawk says, was representing the Pawnee Nation’s repatriation efforts.

For hundreds of years, Native Americans’ graves have been plundered and the human remains and other items treated as museum artifacts or scientific material.

Echo-Hawk was one of four attorneys who negotiated the final details of the National Museum of the American Indian Act of 1989 that created a precedent for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990.

As a result, thousands of Native American remains have been properly buried on their tribal land.

“Many of them were likely my own relatives,” says Echo-Hawk, whose

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Pawnee ancestors lived in present-day Nebraska and Kansas before relocating to a reservation in Oklahoma.

“The American experience is quite personal for me as a Pawnee Indian born in rural Oklahoma on the Pawnee Indian Reservation. The way our government addressed native peoples affects me and my family directly.”

Echo-Hawk lived in Pawnee through second grade until his father, an Air Force officer during the Korean and Vietnam wars, was assigned to Missouri and later Puerto Rico, where Echo-Hawk graduated from the military base’s American high school.

He returned to Stillwater to major in political science at OSU and spent summers with relatives in Pawnee learning more about his tribe’s culture and traditions.

Like many people, Echo-Hawk says the 1960’s Red Movement inspired him with inspirational leaders such as Ponca City’s Clyde Warrior and attending Native American Youth Council summer camps.

“They sent out a wake-up call to Native Americans to stand up for their rights and not live under conditions of injustice,” says Echo-Hawk, who decided at that time to pursue a law degree. (continues)

‘The Courts of the Conqueror’ Walter Echo-Hawk II says peering into the ‘dark side of Indian federal law’ shows future litigators the way to bring about justice.

“Imagine you live in nation where the government owns your property.

It has a powerful agency called the Bureau of Caucasian Affairs to control wards of the state, including you. ✹ The agency supervises your family and decides what is best. It handles your money, enforces morals, personal appearance and manner of dress. It provides stateapproved religion, schooling and food for your community. ✹ This is all done by the superintendent — a government bureaucrat placed in charge of your community with complete control over it. No one can leave without his permission. Like a god, he makes the laws and acts as the police, prosecutor, judge and jury. The courts cannot review his actions, for they are all, by definition, perfectly legal.”

This chilling excerpt from Echo-Hawk’s latest book isn’t a fictional scenario. For generations of Native Americans, it exemplified daily life under the federal government’s principle of legal guardianship. (continues)

Photo / Phil Shockley

Walter Echo-Hawk II

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There he met his wife, Pauline, a member of the Yakama tribe of northeast Oregon, who was a graduate student working on a written translation of her native language.

After graduating, Echo-Hawk began his career with the Native American Rights Fund in Boulder, Colo., where he and Pauline raised their two sons and daughter.

“Thirty years flew by,” he says.

As Echo-Hawk neared retirement in 2009, he reflected on the judicial milestones of the past few decades as well as Supreme Court trends since the 1980s.

Since then, Native Americans have lost more than 80 percent of their cases before the nation’s highest court.

“This is a troubling and frightening trend,” Echo-Hawk says. “These losses have led our federal and tribal leaders and Native American lawyers to ask, ‘Is federal Indian law dead?’”

Echo-Hawk doesn’t think so.

“Most Americans expect justice in our courts and within the independent branches of government,” he says. “Our courts are expected to follow judicial policies and rules such as rules of evidence and procedure.”

There’s no reason to tolerate unjust laws that could be used negatively, says Echo-Hawk, who is optimistic the next generation of Native American advocates can reform and strengthen federal Indian laws.

Modern Native American tribes are poised for success because of gains in tribal sovereignty, economic growth and other nation-building advances.

Echo-Hawk says the renewal of cultural pride in Indian art, history and culture as well as the general public’s interest makes him hopeful that these diverse cultures can co-exist without the continued oppression of Native Americans.

“All these factors make me optimistic.”

“The U.S. did things to the Indians as their ‘guardians’ that it could never do to regular citizens,” he says, such as outlawing religions, taking children out of their homes and prohibiting Native Americans from traveling from their reservations.

Echo-Hawk’s book, In the Courts of the Conqueror: The 10 Worst Indian Law Cases Ever Decided, illuminates what he calls the “dark side” of federal Indian law and its foundation built on racism, legal fiction and colonialism.

“By peering into the dark side of the law, we can see the pathway to correct it,” says Echo-Hawk, whose book includes a blueprint to help future litigators successfully annul outmoded, racist laws.

After 30 years as a staff attorney for the Colorado-based Native American Rights Fund, Echo-Hawk retired in 2009 and moved near Yale, Okla. He dedicates this book to the nonprofit organization and its advocacy for legal rights in all 50 states.

Echo-Hawk teaches Native American law at the University of Tulsa and OSU. He also serves as a tribal judge for the Pawnee and Kickapoo tribes, and he provides counsel on Indian and gaming law to Crowe & Dunlevy law firm in Tulsa.

The first Supreme Court case involving Native American rights, Johnson v. M’Intosh in 1823, set an ominous tone as Chief Justice John Marshall’s opinion for the unanimous court described the American judicial system as “the Courts of the conqueror.”

Echo-Hawk explains the case outcome as the court upholding Europe’s doctrine allowing the “discoverer to appropriate lands occupied by Indians” and ruled that America inherited this “right” when it overthrew the British government.

Echo-Hawk classifies the decision as one of the worst because it amounted to “judicial theft of Indian land” and paved the way for future injustice.

“Yet Johnson does remain a landmark decision in the United States and several other settler states that restrict indigenous land rights,” he says. “It provides the foundation for modern land ownership in those nations.”

Everything about this case was unethical. Native Americans were not represented although the case involved their land. Marshall, a well-known land speculator like many gentry of his era, profited from the court’s decision. And the plaintiffs and defendants agreed to a winner and loser beforehand to establish a precedent benefitting American landowners.

“Today they’d be subject to sanctions for ethical abuse of the legal system and inappropriate behavior,” Echo-Hawk says.

Many cultural biases from earlier times are built into the American system of existing law, Echo-Hawk says, and until society demands change, courts will continue to apply them to contemporary cases.

“The law should not hold us hostage to an unjust past,” he says.

Echo-Hawk is writing a book about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. He hopes it will assist American litigators trying to elevate American laws to international standards that respect indigenous people’s rights.

Racism, legal fiction and colonialism shaped America’s federal Indian laws in order to take Native people’s land, Echo-Hawk says, and their sense of community by annihilating their traditions, religions and customs.

“The government’s conduct is plainly unconstitutional if applied to other citizens,” Echo-Hawk says, and is recognized worldwide as ethnocide or cultural genocide.

In today’s post-colonial era, even in a nation devoted to liberty and justice, existing unjust laws remain a threat.

“The law is critical to our grand experiment in democracy,” he says. “The flaws in Walter Echo-Hawk will teach a course at OSU this fall, “Native American and the law should not be tolerated.

Indigenous Rights,” using his book In the Courts of the Conqueror: The 10 Worst “Reform is needed until American courts Indian Law Cases Ever Decided as the textbook. Echo-Hawk also teaches a law course no longer consider themselves to be ‘the at the University of Tulsa and has presented numerous lectures at universities and other Courts of the conqueror.’” venues across the country.

I n d i a n Ri g h t s L e a d e r T e a c h i n g a t OSU

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Fulfilling a Mission OSU is proud to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act.

Illustration: ben cheney, graphic design senior

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On July 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authored by U.S. Rep. Justin Morrill of Vermont. The legislation, also known as the Land-Grant College Act, opened up access to higher education.

On the act’s sesquicentennial, Oklahoma State University is proud to continue fulfilling its land-grant mission through instruction, research and extension.

In these pages, leaders such as Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and OSU President Burns Hargis, along with students and others, present their ideas as to how OSU’s land-grant mission has helped and will continue to aid people throughout the state, nation and world.

T h e Morr i l l A c t

Donating public

lands, the sale of which is for “the endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such manner as the legislatures of the States may respectively prescribe, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.”

1775

1780

1785

1790 1787

1795

Northwest Ordinance authorizes the sale of public land for support of education, establishing the land-grant principle.

1800

Humble Beginnings David Peters, OSU Library The first students enrolling at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in December 1891 had traveled from Payne County family homesteads that opened for settlement only two years earlier.

The student body consisted of several hundred young people, some with little formal education, and most participating in the precollege preparatory program.

Many had never envisioned a chance for higher education and were the first members of their family to embark on the dream.

Most had worked on family farms or helped their parents maintain small shops and businesses. They had performed these chores while being taught in neighborhood schools and one-room schoolhouses dotting rural America.

These young men and women with calloused hands, tanned arms and strong backs were eager and willing to help establish this college on the prairie. They planted crops and orchards at the college farm. They hoed weeds, herded the livestock and helped with the construction of early buildings. They built wood and brick 1805 planted and 1810 1815 sidewalks, cared for lawns, and painted rooms. All in addition to their class work.

The passing of the Land-Grant College Act made available their educational opportunity. (continues)

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Growing up, my family didn’t have much money, but my mother always told my two brothers and me that we would go to college. With the help of financial aid and a land-grant university that provided plenty of scholarships, my mother now has two children at OSU. My younger brother, Joshua, is a junior at OSU, majoring in creative writing. My older brother, Jesse, is in school to become a licensed practical nurse.

Attending OSU has broadened my horizons both inside and outside the classroom.

I have witnessed OSU’s land-grant mission being carried out beyond Oklahoma. I have been on two agriculture development trips to Sierra Leone where OSU students and faculty worked together to promote instruction, research and outreach.

During my freshman year, I decided I wanted to use my engineering background to help other people and communities obtain clean water. During my junior year, I went on a five-day trip to Monterrey, Mexico, with Clean Water Mission and delivered water filters to communities in need. My senior year, I decided to attend graduate school and received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

During graduate school, I really got involved in the area of international development. I loved the work I did in Sierra Jesi Lay, master’s Leone, and will be returning as part of a student with a 2010 Fulbright Research Grant. I will conduct bachelor’s in rainwater-harvesting water-quality biosystems engineering research at Njala University, which is based on the land-grant system developed The establishment of here in the U.S. land-grant universities, It’s unbelievable to me when I think specifically OSU, has about where I started, where I am now. greatly improved not only my family’s life After I complete my master’s degree, and mine, but also lives of those around I will pursue a water resources engineerthe world. ing career in international development.

My mother, Yong Lay, emigrated from The first-class education and exceptional South Korea to Oklahoma in 1982 when experiences I’ve had at OSU have definitely she was 25 years old. Her family didn’t prepared me. have enough money to send her to school, of giving everyone 1830 a high school 1835 1840 OSU’s values 1845 1850a so she obtained educachance at a higher education and the tion via a Korean radio program. She school’s efforts to teach students to spread listened five days a week for three years knowledge and give back to the commuand spent eight hours on Saturdays at nity are what make me proud to attend a free-help sessions. land-grant university.

On July 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the act, allowing for certain colleges to be funded in part from other federal lands and designed to provide educational opportunities for the “industrial classes.”

Beginning in the 1860s, land-grant colleges sprouted up like young saplings across the U.S. and spread to new states and territories as pioneer settlers and immigrants moved westward.

The country was growing and needed people with useful knowledge and practical skills. Communities needed to build schools, courthouses, hospitals and prisons. Railroads and highways were under construction and required engineers and surveyors.

Oklahoma territorial farmers wanted recommendations and guidance on what to grow, how to grow it and ways to distribute their products to an expanding population.

With its founding in 1890, the landgrant college in Stillwater, Oklahoma Territory, adopted this mission of teaching, research and extension to improve the lives of citizens, provide opportunities for its students and prepare them for service to others locally and around the world.

A Chance to Succeed

1825

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OSU Land-Grant Mission Inspires Leaders Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, 1977 family relations and child development alumna Institutions of higher education such as Oklahoma State University are one of the state’s most valuable assets. Higher education plays an essential role in Oklahoma, helping us create the skilled and educated workforce necessary for the long-term economic success of our state.

The nearly 400 undergraduate and graduate programs offered by OSU provide a wide variety of educational opportunities for students. OSU grads have gone on to become leaders in many areas including aerospace, business, energy, engineering, arts and entertainment, the military as well as politics. Six of the 14 members of my Cabinet are either alumni of OSU or work in some capacity with the university.

We can’t forget the great success in athletics — from our football team to our men’s and women’s basketball teams and our softball and golf teams!

While attending Oklahoma State, I learned a lot in and out of the classroom. The university instilled in me values of leadership, commitment, compassion

1862

Morrill Act is passed and signed.

1855

1860

1865

Source: association of public & land-Grant universities

1870

and the importance of community service.

All of these values and more have helped me achieve success during my time in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, as lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, in the U.S. Congress and now as governor of our great state. Those lessons I passed on to my own children with the hope that knowledge would help them succeed.

The university continues to impart these values to the students filling the classroom today, and by doing so, Oklahoma State is preparing the future leaders of our state and nation to achieve success.

My experience at Oklahoma State was among the most enjoyable periods of my life and left me with wonderful memories that I will cherish for years to come.

A Land-Grant Work Ethic Kyle Wray, vice president for enrollment management and marketing During the evils of a divisive Civil War, U.S. Rep. Justin Morrill crafted a bill that continues to alter the landscape of America.

It was a challenging time for government in the United States, primarily

because the states weren’t united. Morrill’s act, signed by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1862, united Congress and gave birth to land-grant institutions of higher education.

Morrill was not college-educated. He learned about business by managing a general store when such places were the hub of local commerce. He parlayed his knowledge of local people and politics — garnered from selling dry goods, groceries and farm supplies to his Vermont neighbors, as well as delivering the mail — into a seat in Washington.

The bill paved the way for multitudes of people to access higher education in areas that had not been seen as collegeworthy. Many academic areas would ultimately be introduced into college curriculums across the country, including home economics, engineering, industrial education and, of course, agriculture.

Morrill had an appreciation for the land and what it meant to a fledgling nation, less than 100 years removed from English rule. So much so, he was instrumental in efforts to restore a war-ravaged nation’s capital after 1865.

Morrill was interested in the integration of practical education and skills. He was dedicated to the people who practiced those skills on a daily basis.

“Our country depends on them as its right arm to do the handiwork of the nation,” Morrill said.

1890

OSU is founded as a land-grant university.

1875

1880 1887

1885

The Hatch Act is passed, mandating the creation of agricultural experiment stations for scientific research.

1890 1890

1895

The second Morrill Act is passed, providing further endowment for colleges. Part of this funding is for institutions for black students, leading to the creation of 17 historically black land-grant colleges.

1900

In fact, the country had depended on them throughout the industrial revolution and would continue to do so with an ever-increasing need to feed a booming population. This knowledge and skill-set would increase through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Still at times, the public fails to recognize the level of education needed to maximize the value of agriculture. The truth is, without the advances made in soil sciences, crop rotation, nutrition, cultivation and the like, we would all be introduced to hunger in a way that could rapidly solve our nation’s obesity problems.

The fine land-grant colleges and universities in each state and their educational advances have changed the country. As one of them, Oklahoma State University has been investing in its students and alumni since 1890. Its impact has been felt throughout the state, region, nation and yes, the world.

The land-grant mission of research, instruction and extension can be boiled down to one overarching focus: Landgrant universities are primarily concerned with people and the hard work necessary to make them successful. (continues)

“It took many years for the new kind of education to be recognized, but today the institutions giving the practical, vocational training are the leaders of education. The Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges have grown, and today instead of being ‘Cow Colleges’ their graduates are recognized by all the world as the leaders in constructive work, which is so important in peace or war. … The world looks for graduates of practical courses for leadership; the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College is training leaders!” — Oklahoma A&M’s The Black and Orange, April 12, 1918

1905

1910

1915

1908 Benefits of second Morrill Act extended to Puerto Rico.

1914: The Smith-Lever Act is passed, providing

federal support for land-grant institutions to offer educational programs to enhance the application of useful and practical information beyond their campuses through cooperative extension efforts with states and local communities.

73

192

920

OSU’s Land-Grant Mission Moves Forward OSU President Burns Hargis Amid the historic growth and transformation taking place at Oklahoma State University, one thing remains unchanged: Our commitment to our land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach is as strong as ever.

Land-grant universities are one of our nation’s greatest initiatives. Our country has prospered as a result of the vision of President Abraham Lincoln and Rep. Justin Morrill. At that time, all universities were private and only the privileged could attend. Lincoln and Morrill believed everyone should have access to a college education, regardless of their station in life. The Morrill Act created opportunity for all and for higher education institutions to serve their states.

For more than 120 years, Oklahoma State University has done an extraordinary job serving Oklahoma and beyond. In addition to graduating more than 245,000 students, OSU has carried out life-changing research and extended our knowledge through countless outreach efforts. It is impossible to measure the full impact OSU has had on the world, but we know it is significant.

1930

1935

1935

The Bankhead-Jones Act adds to annual appropriations for land-grant institutions.

1940

1945

1950

1945

The Bankhead-Flannagan Act furthers the development of cooperative extension work in agriculture and home economics. protects federal and private endowments from unilateral federal action to divert them from the purposes for which they were granted.

FA L L 2 0 1 2

“For the century ahead, I see the land-grant colleges devoting more of their efforts to developing human attitudes and behavior, greater capacity for leadership, more satisfying cultural and social experiences, more personal participation in politics, and a broader understanding of world peace. … Their purposes will remain the same — to advance knowledge through research, to transmit it through teaching, and to extend it to the whole people.” — OSU President Oliver S. Willham during a 100th anniversary celebration of the Morrill Act, quoted in The Daily O’Collegian on July 6, 1962

“The Morrill Act opened the doors for higher learning to people in all walks of life in America. That’s why land-grant campuses are ‘friendly, democratic’ places. … And today, democracy in education is a fundamental characteristic of the land-grant college.”

— OSU President Oliver S. Willham as quoted in The Daily O’Collegian on July 1, 1955.

1950 The Land-Grant Endowment Funds Bill

74

“It is probable that Mr. Lincoln, even in his wildest dreams, could not have foreseen the great impact of land-grant institutions a century hence … regarded by citizens the world over as a unique, distinctly American contribution to the world’s educational pattern.” — Robert B. Kamm, dean, OSU College of Arts and Sciences, in an essay appearing in Oklahoma State Alumnus Magazine, April 1962

“Well, as a youngster I really never thought I’d go to college, never thought I’d be able to afford it. The land-grant colleges are … colleges for the working people. … Land-grant colleges were originally thought up and organized to be places where you go learn how to do something. They were all mechanical and agricultural colleges where you come out, you know how to do a specific thing, and that is the thing that attracted me, from an early age. And I still think it’s the way things ought to be.” — Harold Field, 1950 bachelor’s and 1952 master’s in electrical engineering.

As quoted in O-STATE Stories Oral History Project.

“While tremendous progress has been made this far, in the 42 years of life of the Oklahoma A. and M. College, there is much yet to be done.

There is still a strong demand for leadership in carrying the message of better agriculture and better living to the farm people of Oklahoma.” — C.P. Blackwell, Oklahoma A&M dean of agriculture, quoted in The Daily O’Collegian on April 9, 1933.

1925

offerings. We will be there to help Oklahomans master new challenges, seek new opportunities and reap success. This mission has never been more important to the economy and future of our state.

Oklahoma State University owes its existence to a unique American dream.

Not only did the land-grant university open the doors of higher education to all, it improved mankind through open access to knowledge and ideas.

We are deeply proud of our land-grant heritage. It made us who we are and will guide Oklahoma State University in its future service and success.

Record-setting fundraising, enrollment and construction all point to a future of even greater opportunity and impact.

Oklahoma State University is committed to becoming one of the top land-grant universities in the country. This means an emphasis on developing future leaders who will make the world a better place.

We want our graduates to make a positive, meaningful and enduring difference in their families, communities, states, the nation and the world.

Throughout its history, OSU has done an outstanding job preparing students in their chosen fields, and that will continue.

We are creating a truly collaborative campus where students from different disciplines expand their expertise and improve their value to society. We also are expanding our students’ horizons through increased international opportunities.

In keeping with our research and outreach mission, OSU will continue to share its innovations, training and

1955

1960 Land-grant status for the

University of Hawaii establishes a precedent. Since there is not adequate federal land to donate for the creation of an endowment, Hawaii is given a $6 million endowment in lieu of land scrip.

1960

1965

1967 The District of Columbia

Post Secondary Education Reorganization Act gives landgrant status to Federal City College, now the University of the District of Columbia, establishing a precedent for federal trust areas to participate in the land-grant system.

Northwest Indian College

Fort Belknap College

Blackfeet Community College Washington State University Oregon State University

Turtle Mountain Community College

Cankdeska Cikana Comm. College

Fort Berthold Comm. College

White Earth Tribal & Community College

Stone Child Salish College Fort Peck Kootenai Univ.

United Tribes Community College of Idaho North Dakota Technical College Little State Univ.

College Big Horn College Montana State Sitting Bull College University Sisseton Wahpeton Community College

Chief Dull Knife College

Si Tanka/Huron Univ.

South Dakota State University Sinte Gleska Univ.

Oglala Lakota College

University of Nevada

University of Missouri

Kansas State University Haskell Indian Nations University Diné College Institute of American Indian Arts

Navajo Technical College

Southwestern Indian Polytech.

Institute

University of Hawaii

HAWAII

University of Arizona

PACIFIC BASIN

GUAM

Tennessee State University University of Arkansas

Langston University

New Mexico State University

Louisiana State University

Texas A&M University Ilisagvik College Prairie View A&M University College of Micronesia

ALASKA

FEDERAL STATES OF MICRONESIA

West Virginia University

University of Delaware

Rutgers University Delaware State University

West Virginia State Univ. Virginia Tech

University of Maryland College Park University of Maryland Eastern Shore

North Carolina A&T State University University of Tennessee North Carolina State University

University of the District of Columbia Virginia State University

Clemson University

Alabama A&M Univ.

University of Georgia

Auburn University

Alcorn State University

University of Rhode Island University of Connecticut

University of Kentucky

Mississippi State University University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Marianas College

University of Guam

Oklahoma State University

University of New Hampshire

Pennsylvania State University Ohio State University

Kentucky State University

Lincoln University

Tohono O’Odham Community College

NORTHERN MARIANAS Northern

Purdue University

University of Illinois

University of Nebraska

Colorado State University

University of California

Iowa State University

Little Priest Tribal College

University of Wyoming

University of Maine

University of Vermont

Bay Mills Community College Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College Saginaw Chippewa College of University of Tribal College Menominee Massachusetts Nation University of Minnesota Cornell University Michigan University of State University Wisconsin

Nebraska Indian Community College

Utah State University D-Q University

Fond du Lac Tribal & Comm.

College

Leech Lake Tribal College

Fort Valley State University

South Carolina State University

Tuskegee University

Florida A&M University

University of Florida

Southern University and A&M College

University of Alaska

Year of enabling legislation 1862 1890 1994

AMERICAN SAMOA American Samoa Community College

PUERTO RICO & U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS University of Puerto Rico

University of the Virgin Islands

America’s Land Grant Academic Institutions Source: National Institute of Food and Agriculture

“We get some ideas and some concepts from land-grant universities such as Oklahoma State to develop our agricultural colleges in Thailand. … So, when we develop some education at Maejo (University), we get some concepts and ideas from the USA and of course, from Oklahoma State University.”

— Thep Phongparnich, 1978 doctorate in agricultural education and former president of Maejo University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. As quoted in O-STATE Stories Oral History Project.

1970

1975

1980

1972 University of Guam, Northern Marianas

College, the Community Colleges of American Samoa and Micronesia, and the College of the Virgin Islands secure land-grant status through the education amendments.

1985

1990

“The big revolution that’s taking place is when people thought about land-grant and its outreach, they thought about agriculture. And that model now is not being diminished in agriculture, but it’s a greater model for the whole university. And whether that’s in engineering or education or human environmental sciences or veterinary medicine, people are more cognizant that we have to be seen as being critical to the future of this state if we expect to continue to get the support of the taxpayers.” — Joseph Alexander, former dean of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine (19852001) and former Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Technology. As quoted in O-STATE Stories Oral History Project.

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

1994

Land-grant status is conferred on 29 Native American colleges as a provision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act. The bill also authorizes a $23 million endowment for them, to be built up over five years. The colleges are to receive interest payments from the endowment each year.

75

OSU, Foundation Partnership Strengthens

Donor Relationships

The goal is an

A-plus

experience for each supporter.

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FA L L 2 0 1 2

David Kyle wants every Branding Success donor to know the impact of their gifts. As chairman of the OSU Foundation’s Board of Trustees, he appreciates how special that can be for those who invest in the university.

“I didn’t realize how much fun I would get out of it when I gave,” says alumnus Terry Shaw, who graduated in 1968 with a biochemistry degree and earned an education doctorate in 1977. “I didn’t realize what the payoff would be for me.

It’s been a real high.”

Shaw is one of more than 77,600 donors who each have a unique story, from the passion that inspired a gift to the desired result.

Terry Shaw, second from the right, meets his scholarship recipients at a lunch in spring. The 2011 recipients, from left, are Rachel Yauk, early childhood education freshman from Buffalo, Okla.; Cody Garrison, child and family services sophomore from Flower Mound, Texas; and Sarah Kirk, master’s student in guidance and counseling from Edmond, Okla.

On the far right is Bill Taggart, former director of agricultural extension and father of Shaw’s late wife Karen Taggart Shaw.

“It is impossible to adequately express how grateful our students, faculty and staff are for the difference donors make.”

—Burns Hargis, OSU president

Jordan Hobbs, left, is the 2012 recipient of the Karen Taggart Shaw Memorial Scholarship. The Edmond native is a child and family services sophomore.

Erica Van Cleave, right, is the 2012 recipient of the Thelia Sewell Shaw Memorial Scholarship. The Kingfisher native is a master’s student in guidance counseling.

He has twice been through the emotional extremes of finding true love and then losing it much too soon. He honored his late wives by endowing the Karen Taggart Shaw Memorial Scholarship and the Thelia Sewell Shaw Memorial Scholarship. In April, the Foundation arranged a lunch for Shaw’s family and the first recipients.

Terry

Karen

Thelia

S h aw

Tag g a r t

Sewell

S h aw

S h aw

“Meeting the students and finding out what their goals are, what they hope to do with their lives, is a real thrill,” Shaw says. “They are just incredible people.”

Shaw’s first wife, Karen, a 1968 family relations and child development alumna, was a home economics teacher who died after a 1973 car accident. He honored her through a College of Human Sciences scholarship for students majoring in early childhood education or child and family science.

His second wife, Thelia, who earned an OSU master’s in guidance counseling in 1970, lost her battle with leukemia in 2005. She had been a school counselor, earning the Oklahoma Counseling Association’s 1995 Counselor of the Year award. Shaw memorialized her with a scholarship for school counseling majors in the College of Education.

“I know the world is still going to be a wonderful place, with young people like these recipients who will go out and do marvelous things,” Shaw says.

OSU and the Foundation are collaborating to enhance their relationships with donors so more people have experiences like Shaw’s, Kyle says. The Foundation’s renewed emphasis on confirming and honoring donor intent includes adding an associate vice president of donor relations and forming a trustee donor relations committee.

“It’s important that donors know how much we appreciate them,” Kyle says.

Kirk Jewell, president of the OSU Foundation, is pleased with the progress under the leadership of Paige EubanksBarrow, who was hired to fill the position at the top of the Foundation’s donor relations department.

“This will be an ongoing process, but there will be clear differences as we continue,” Jewell says. “We are a donorcentric organization, and we want our relationships to reflect that. All of our interactions, beginning with the first expression of appreciation, should be guided by what will mean the most to the donor.”

Eubanks-Barrow adds, “This is really about relationships. When someone makes a gift, it lives forever. They have made an investment, and the more they can see the return on that investment, the happier they are.”

OSU President Burns Hargis says the $1 billion campaign is ahead of its 7-year schedule because of donors such as Shaw. In less than five years, Branding Success has surpassed $900 million in gifts and commitments.

“It is impossible to adequately express how grateful our students, faculty and staff are for the difference donors make,” Hargis says. “They deserve our best effort in showing our appreciation and sharing with them the impact they are having on people and our great university.”

Jac o b L o n g a n

77

Every year since 1958, one or two students have served as the face of OSU at sporting events, groundbreakings, birthday parties and weddings. Yet, we’d probably never recognize them on the street. We rarely see their faces. These are the students who portray America’s greatest mascot: Pistol Pete.

Story by Kristen McConnaughey Photos by Phil Shockley

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Two students are selected each year

to bring Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton to life.

The former U.S. marshal served as a living mascot for Oklahoma A&M from 1923 until his death in 1957.

In 1958, Charlie Lester was the first student to actually wear a head modeled after Eaton. In the 54 years since the first paper mache head was constructed, the image of Frank Eaton has blossomed into one of America’s most recognizable mascots.

Between 10 and 15 students try out for the mascot every summer, each with hopes of leading the Boone Pickens Stadium crowd in OSU cheers and chants during the upcoming football season. A panel of former Pistol Petes judges the annual tryouts.

Rick Wilson, a 1986 management graduate, was the first Pistol Pete named an All-American Mascot.

Except for a few years, Wilson has been judging the tryouts since he graduated.

“We’re looking for someone who has the ability to connect with people,” says Wilson, who served as Pistol Pete from 1984-1986.

“When you’re Pete, it’s important you not only connect with those who are close by, but also that you’re able to connect with the guy who is at the top of the football stadium or basketball arena. That’s a characteristic not everybody has the ability to do.”

Finding the Perfect Petes The selection process includes an interview and the candidate showing how he can act as Pistol Pete with the mascot’s head on. Wilson says the interview is the most important part of the process.

“That’s when we’re going to find out who this student is and why they are here,” Wilson says.

“Your bubble is a little off-center if you’re trying out for Pete in the first place,” he says. “There’s a lot of guys who can put the head on and go out there, but they don’t have the character and maturity to be able to handle the position.”

Wilson was chosen to be Pistol Pete after trying out only once. In his interview, Wilson talked about his farming background.

“I wanted it,” Wilson says. “I had to have it, and I was going to do everything in my power to convince them.”

Wilson’s passion for OSU’s mascot can be traced to an interaction he had as a 5-year-old with Pistol Pete at a wrestling dual.

“I went down to get Pistol Pete’s autograph, and he had gone over to the side to take a break,” Wilson says.

Pistol Pete hopefuls gather at Gallagher-Iba Arena at the base of the statue of the man they hope to portray. Between 10 and 15 people attend tryouts each summer, often preparing months in advance.

“He asked me, ‘Do you want to put the head on?’ and I said, ‘Absolutely,’” Wilson recalls. “He picked the head up and lowered it down to my shoulders, and he held it up so it wouldn’t knock me over. I was on top of the world.”

Wilson says when he became Pete, he wanted to remember that moment every time he had an event.

“Every time I put the head on, I’m going to remember that 5-year-old little boy,” Wilson would tell himself. “Because if I don’t, then I don’t respect it, and it becomes just another thing. Some guys don’t take it to that extreme, but I took it to that extreme because that’s how I saw Pete, and it all came back to that one wrestling dual in Gallagher 43 years ago.”

Not every candidate gets accepted after his firsttryout. Jason Hynson, who served as Pistol Pete in 2002-2003, says it’s common for students to try out multiple times.

The Stillwater native served as the Peter Pioneer mascot during his senior year at Stillwater High School.

He tried out to be Pistol Pete as an OSU freshman, but the committee felt he was too young for the position. Summer scheduling conflicts prevented his selection following his second tryout, but in his case, the third time really was the charm.

“When I walked in to my third tryout, I told them, ‘This is my third year. I want this so much. My schedule is open, and I’m committed to being Pistol Pete.’”

“Your bubble is a little off-center if you’re trying out for Pete in the first place.”

— Rick Wilson,

former Pistol Pete

(continues) 79

Pistol Petes

1958-59

Charles Lester

1959-60

Bill Smith

1960-61

Curtis Manley & Bill Wehner

1961-62

Pete Fay & Dave Davis

1962-63

Ed Dobson

1963-64

Joe Sullivan & Gene Dorris

1964-65

Ed Dobson

1965-66

Phil Glasgow

1966-67

Steve Costello & Mitch Dobson

1967-70

Bill Johnson & Dale Clark

1970-71

Bill Ransdell & Ned Kessler

1971-72

Bill Ransdell & Richard Forshee

1972-73

Gary Bridwell & Mike Martin

1973-74

Joe Elsener & William E. Beckman

1974-75

Tom Bennett

1975-76

Mark Whitlaw

1976-77

Rick Dillard & John Michael Entz

1977-78

Rick Dillard & Wendall Hicks

1978-79

Dwain Gibson

1979-80

Scott Kirley & Kelley Green

1980-81

Kurt Carter & Don Giles

1981-82

Don Giles & Shane LaDuke

1982-83

Shane LaDuke & Rob Reynolds

1983-84

Rob Reynolds & Jesse Lancaster

1984-85

David Treece & Rick Wilson

1985-86

Rick Wilson* & Scott Petty

1986-87

Scott Petty & Scott Noble

1987-88

Lance Millis & Jack Franks

1988-89

Matt Ketchum & John Price

1989-90

John Price & Kent Walstad

1990-91

Billy Sigmon & Chris Moody

1991-92

Billy Sigmon & Trey Stewart

1992-93

Trey Stewart & Brad Chelf

1993-94

Vince Kirkes & Chris Carroll

1994-95

Vince Kirkes & Jeff Walls

1995-96

Ryan Stafford* & Cody Eden*

1996-97

Ryan Stafford* & Matt Ralls*

1997-98

Matt Ralls & Brock Allen

1998-99

Preston Williams* & Rhett Minson*

1999-2000 Rhett Minson & Rob Neville 2000-01

Wes Magill* & Joe Winchester*

2001-02

Tyler Mullman* & Stormy Phillips*

2002-03

Jason Hynson & Steven Sturgeon

2003-04

Josh Pulver*◊ & Jared Wiley*◊

2004-05

Josh Pulver*◊ & Jared Wiley*◊

2005-06

Brett Adkins* & Eric Stroud*

2006-07

Ryan Nickel*◊ & Cale Walker*◊

2007-08

Michael Harris*◊ & Ryan Nickel*◊

2008-09

Matt Barnes* & Rhys Gay*

2009-10

Derick Dillard* & Josh Bailey*

2010-11

Derick Dillard* & Wyatt Swinford*

2011-12

Jordan Northcutt*◊ & Taylor Venus*◊

2012-13

Austin Bowles*◊ & Dillon Craig*◊ * ALL-AMERICAN MASCOT ◊ MOST COLLEGIATE MASCOT

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Hynson’s plea and his audition won over the committee. Ultimately, he says his drive to serve as Pistol Pete kept him on track in college despite changing his major four times.

“I was sort of lost,” Hynson says. “The only thing that felt consistent to me was to be Pistol Pete.

Being Pistol Pete really helped me get my priorities straight and grow up during my college years.”

Walk the Walk; Mime the Talk Following the interview comes another big challenge — putting on Pistol Pete’s head and getting into character.

“Putting the head on and being able to impress four or five older Petes is kind of the icing on the cake,” Wilson says. “Everybody is Pete in their own way.”

Those interested in attending the Pistol Pete tryouts usually start preparing months in advance.

Lance Millis, assistant director of the Student Academic Services in the College of Education, served as Pistol Pete from 1987-1988. Year after year, students come to him for advice on depicting OSU’s mascot.

“Every time I meet with somebody I say, ‘What you want to do is make sure you don’t leave any question in their mind you’re going to look right,’”

“I can’t think of any other mascot that could represent our Cowboys and Cowgirls better or more proudly.”

— Tracey Wittwer,

OSU Spirit coordinator

Pistol Pete is ready to fight as a mascot hopeful keeps the judges smiling during the annual tryouts to be America’s greatest mascot.

“Asking a candidate to mime is more random today, and it really depends on how the interview goes. But it takes some special traits to be able to take that face and show happiness and disappointment.”

Work Ethic

says Millis, a 1988 recreation management and 1999 natural and applied sciences graduate.

“Once you put those 45 pounds on your head, you’re going to look bowlegged anyway,” he says, “but I have to remind some of the guys this is an old Cowboy you’re impersonating; bouncing around isn’t appropriate.”

Clinics are held the week before tryouts to let the students get familiar with the Pistol Pete head.

Millis says pantomime was a fixture of the tryouts for years, and it appears to be making a comeback.

“I thought doing pantomime was a good idea because with Pete you can’t talk, so you have to show the judges and former Petes you can get across a point of story without using words,” Millis says.

“I think more focus is on the interaction with alumni and the necessity of providing a really good face for OSU in everything you do,” he says.

“It’s not that it wasn’t important early on, it’s just become more important.”

Scott Petty, a 1988 public relations graduate, has been involved in judging the tryouts since moving back to Stillwater in 1995. He says three or four guys were asked to mime this year.

“It used to be that everyone did a mime,” says Petty, who served as Pistol Pete from 1985-1987.

The students chosen as Pistol Pete will make close to 600 appearances during their yearlong term.

Pete is required to be at nearly every athletic event.

Sometimes both students are on hand to relieve the other during extended durations in character.

Tracey Wittwer has served as the OSU Spirit coordinator for 13 years. She assists in the interview and selection process for OSU’s mascot and also manages the Petes’ schedules outside athletic events.

“Besides his normal appearances at university events, weddings and birthdays, Pete’s been asked to carry a newborn baby out of the hospital and to visit a seasoned fan in his last days,” Wittwer says.

“As an icon of OSU, every Pistol Pete must not only be mature, responsible and academically sound, but also comfortable in large social settings and good with time management.”

Even after a student serves as Pistol Pete for a year, Wilson says there’s no guarantee he’ll serve again if he applies, and the second interview is by no means easier.

“The second time I tried out was like going to the dentist,” Wilson says. “They did everything they could to get in my head, and I walked out thinking I wasn’t going to get chosen.

“They did it on purpose because they wanted to push me to become better than I already was. Just because you are Pete the first year doesn’t mean you’re going to be Pete the next year.”

The selection process and character requirements for being Pistol Pete might seem a bit extreme, but Wittwer says the process is necessary to ensure the legacy of OSU’s onceliving mascot lives on.

“Pistol Pete is one of the few mascots that represents a real human being,” Wittwer says. “He is a symbol that automatically earns respect and even a little bit of healthy fear and intimidation.

“I can’t think of any other mascot that could represent our Cowboys and Cowgirls better or more proudly.”

Scan this QR code or go to gopok.es/statef12 to view the video interview with Lance Millis.

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Fighting for Futures OSU alumnae empower South Africa’s youth.

F

or alumna Alyssa Peterson, 23, enriching the lives of South African orphans and youth is a lifestyle.

Peterson, a 2011 biological sciences graduate, made her way to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, during summer 2008.

She planned a three-month stay to help a friend start an afterschool program called “Thanda,” which means “love” in Zulu.

As Peterson realized she needed to finish what she had started, those three months turned into a full year.

“It was a pull I can’t explain,” says the Edmond, Okla., native.

“It was just a subconscious thing telling me, ‘You’re not supposed to go right now.’”

During the past four years, Peterson has researched, established and maintained sustainable aid programs in South Africa, first through Thanda and co-founded, with Chi Omega sorority sister Ashley Hesser, Ubuntu Youth. “Ubuntu” means “I am who I am because of who we all are.” Its mission is to produce tangible, positive change to develop Africa’s future leaders.

According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, South Africa has the world’s largest population of current HIV and AIDS infections at 5.6 million. Because of the disease, more than half of the country’s 15-year-olds are not expected to live to 60, and by 2015, 2.2 million children are expected to be orphaned.

“As Americans, we make up less than 4 percent of the world’s population,” Peterson says. “We easily could have been born in another country in a hut with no running water. When you see poverty like that firsthand, you can’t help but feel pushed to do something about it. For me, it has become an obligation.”

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Thanda recently became self-sustaining. It awards $9,000 monthly to support education, meals and activities for orphans and families of those with HIV and AIDS. The organization is working to bring hope to thousands of children as a model for community change.

Peterson and Hesser, 23, founded Ubuntu Youth as an afterschool program for high school students in KwaZulu-Natal. The goal is to increase education among current and future generations. Ubuntu helps local leaders find sustainable routes to a better tomorrow through art, agriculture, technology and sports.

“In a community where teenagers become the parents when their parents pass away from HIV or AIDS, they become responsible for usually six to 10 siblings,” Peterson says. “We want to empower them, help them realize it isn’t the end of the world and show them what they are capable of achieving.”

Ubuntu Youth started when South African student Sbu Goba wanted to help his impoverished community. After receiving an education degree from the University of South Africa, he began mentoring high school students in KwaZulu-Natal, showing them how many opportunities they have by recounting his journey to success.

“Goba’s success helps Ubuntu flourish. The kids look up to him as s shining star,” says Hesser, a 2011 nutritional sciences graduate.

Hesser’s involvement began when she joined Peterson for a summer of preliminary research. Now managing director, she is in charge of the Creative Arts Program, where she shares her love of music. She also plans a nutritious menu for the program.

“When I visited for the first time, it was completely different than I had anticipated,” Hesser says. “They weren’t expecting us to just distribute handouts. They really wanted to work.”

OSU alumnae Alyssa Peterson and Ashley Hesser are helping these children through Ubuntu Youth, an after-school program in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Ubuntu Youth provides daily, immediate support for high school students, teaching them to overcome challenges in a country with a poverty rate of 47.1 percent. South Africa has an unemployment rate of 25 percent, more than three times that of the U.S. Peterson recently received a $10,000 grant to research microfinance in Peru, India and South Africa. While attending OSU, she received the 2010 Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was a 2011 Women for OSU Student Philanthropist of the Year.

Since graduating in December, Peterson and Hesser have returned to Edmond, where they each volunteer 40-60 hours weekly

For more information, visit UbuntuYouth.org.

for Ubuntu Youth planning and outsourcing. This year they are focusing on collaborating with South Africans to create income-generating projects for the economy, with a monthly budgetary goal of $5,000. They rely heavily on agriculture, where they are searching for good connections to broaden their network stateside.

“Thanks to the local chief, tribal council, schools and community, this project stands a chance,” Peterson says. “They want this project here and our help. They are showing us this by their actions.”

Commitment from South Africans has been crucial. The KwaZulu-Natal community is donating two abandoned structures for the organization’s use. They also intend to build a new facility out of shipping containers, allowing them to use resources available while encouraging the community’s involvement.

“They don’t need ideas. They need resources,” Hesser says.

“These people really do crave change.”

Peterson sees the community’s needs as so pressing that she is delaying her enrollment in medical school.

She believes everyone can bring something to the table, whether it is a CEO’s financial support or a college student’s simple concept.

“Most people say to themselves, ‘What can I possibly do to help?’” Peterson says. “We want people to see this more as an investment, realizing the real change they are able to make this very moment.”

B r i t ta n i e D o u g l a s

OSU alumnae Alyssa Peterson, left, and Ashley Hesser founded Ubuntu Youth.

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The Water4 Foundation, founded by two OSU alumni, is working to provide affordable water pumps along with training on maintaining them to African villages where fresh water is scarce.

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One Well at a Time Two OSU alumni empower African communities by giving the means and knowledge to tap a sustainable fresh water source.

By Matt Elliott

Lots of people talk about changing the world. Two lifelong friends, OSU alumni Steve Stewart and Richard Greenly, may just do it.

Stewart was lying in bed one Sunday morning in 2008, recovering from painful back surgery. He was mulling over an invention he was working on for Greenly: a water pump that would cost less than $50, be so easy to operate a child could use it and could be made in Africa.

Stewart had recently quit his job at a granite shop and had just three months’ savings to keep him, his wife and their two children afloat. He had made up his mind he was going to spend the rest of his life doing something worthwhile. (continues) Photo / Water4

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The founders of the Water4 Foundation, OSU alumni Steve Stewart, left, and Richard Greenly, are providing affordable and sustainable ways for African villages to pump fresh water.

Photo / Phil Shockley

In his mind, he saw a prototype of a simple water pump sketched out 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. He’d seen it in a book he bought during a trip to Italy. His breakthrough came suddenly, and he crept out of bed to put it together.

“In a split second, all the 2½ months came together,” Stewart says. “Two hours later, I had a prototype together that hasn’t changed today. I shot water over my back fence onto the street behind my house. Every hair on the back of my neck stood up.

“I knew we had just discovered something that was going to change …” “… the world,” interjects Greenly, seated next to Stewart in the offices of their charity, Water4 Foundation, in Oklahoma City.

‘Country by Country’

Today, Water4 is part of the largest humanitarian well-drilling project in the world, Greenly says. Part of a new wave of charities touting sustainability-focused social entrepreneurship, Water4 has a 1,000-well project in war-torn Angola, a country where poverty, the ravages of a 27-year civil war and waterborne diseases keep life expectancy near 55 years.

The United Nations’ water resources project reports that one in six of the world’s people lack “improved water sources,” or a source likely to provide safe water. Diarrhea is the leading cause of illness and death, the program’s website states, and nearly all of those cases are due to a lack of safe water for hygiene and unsafe drinking water.

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Photo / Water4

In countries such as Angola, sewage in populated areas is frequently dumped untreated into rivers. In rural areas, inhabitants walk several miles for water from sources that are often infested with animal waste or parasites. Persistent illnesses affect everything from farm productivity to education levels.

The cost of waterborne diseases weigh heavily on governments, too, which must spend an estimated 12 percent of their public health budgets on treating the most common types of illnesses, the U.N. reports.

Solving the water crisis in Africa is difficult.

Nongovernmental organizations haul large drilling rigs costing thousands of dollars into rural areas, drill one well and install a pump. The pumps work for a while but are mechanically too complex for the locals to maintain. The cost of such endeavors makes it difficult to help more people.

In the next five years, Water4 intends “to eliminate water problems country by country,” Greenly says.

Water4’s approach means villages gain clean new wells with cheap, easy-to-fix pumps by training locals to manufacture, install and fix them. The finished wells cost about $1,000 — much cheaper than more common methods.

What makes Water4’s approach so promising is that it’s sustainable. Water4’s former trainees are now business people with a trade.

Villagers construct a water pump developed by Water4, the foundation established by two OSU alumni.

Photo / Water4

Personal Journe ys

Greenly, co-owner of Pumps of Oklahoma with his wife, Terri Greenly, came upon the idea after volunteering for mission work in China in 2004. A geologist, he learned one of his engineers was involved and three months later he “woke up sleeping next to a pig in a village,” Greenly says.

His group traveled across southern China and installed solarpowered pumps in small towns that lacked clean drinking water.

The Greenlys’ company, which has been in his wife’s family since 1968, donated the equipment.

Greenly’s work began to gain more notice. He traveled to San Antonio and spoke to President George W. Bush’s council on water in emerging nations. He went to Sierra Leone in West Africa with an Oklahoma City group, 4-H.I.M., to drill wells.

Getting around sometimes via hollowed-out log boats, his group drilled several wells that cleaned up the water resources for entire communities. Deaths from waterborne diseases plummeted, he says.

“We knew we were on to something,” Greenly says.

But solar pumps were too expensive and heavy to have a huge impact. He needed a hand pump. The problem was he didn’t know how to make one that was both cheap and reliable.

That’s when he figured he’d call Steve Stewart, his brilliant buddy from back when the two were students at Heritage Hall in Oklahoma City.

The buddies played tennis at the private school, chased girls and hung out. When it came time for college, Greenly packed off to Golden, Colo., and the Colorado School of Mines to study geology. Stewart went to OSU, where he studied industrial psychology. Things didn’t work out for Greenly in Golden, so Stewart talked him into Oklahoma State.

Both men graduated in 1982. Stewart started a small business and moved to Edmond, Okla. Greenly took a job as a petroleum geologist with an oil company.

Over the years, the two friends stopped keeping track of each other.

Greenly lost his job during the oil bust. Greenly, who’d just gotten married, moved to Yukon, Okla., and began working for his father-in-law at Pumps of Oklahoma. Greenly worked his way up in the company, and with his wife bought the business from his in-laws in 2005.

Stewart’s furniture-manufacturing business closed after 22 years, and he began running a granite shop for Northwest Building Supply. While Greenly was looking for wells to dig after his stay in China, Stewart worked until his back surgery, when an estimated 15-day recovery turned into an 18-month ordeal.

“It was the most brutal thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.

While I was trying to get better, I would do things that stimulated my mind.” (continues)

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“I felt like every security camera was focused on me,” Stewart says. “They must’ve been thinking, ‘What is that guy doing still on that same aisle?’”

“And not ever buying anything,” Greenly says.

“And not buying anything — just trying to see how things slid together,” Stewart says.

He visualized how one would assemble Leonardo’s pump with today’s materials. He worked on it at his house, starting with how oil and windmill pumps work. He noted their chief flaws — they use mechanical pressure that can cause parts to wear out. He produced about a dozen prototypes before the final one that sent a triumphal jet of water over the fence behind his house.

The group’s luck continued. Greenly attended a leadership conference for business people at a yacht club on Lake Michigan.

He met up with a pastor there who later talked to his congregation about Greenly’s work.

A church member gave the pastor a $100,000 check for Greenly, who couldn’t take the money because he hadn’t set up a bona fide charity yet. That led to the birth of Water4. Greenly and his wife started fundraising.

Unable to do much out of the house, he watched the Learning Channel, the History Channel and Discovery. He comes from long line of tinkerers and inventors. His grandfather, an accountant, invented several things including a folding dustpan that his son helped assemble as a young boy to sell during the Depression.

“I must’ve watched the history of concrete 11 times,” Stewart says. “All of a sudden, I was learning things and seeing how technology had progressed.”

One Easter Sunday, he broke down while at the dining table with his wife and kids. He decided he was going to spend the rest of his life “looking for the most significant thing I could get involved with.”

He circled a target date on his calendar 90 days away. He would start looking for the coolest nonprofit he could find.

Friends Reconnect

A couple months later, Stewart was nearing his last day on the job when a water pump went out at his granite shop. He knew Greenly’s company could provide a new one quickly, so he called his old friend about a replacement.

“I called him right back, I said, ‘Stewart! I can’t believe you’re on my voice mail,’” says Greenly, who had been meaning to call his long-lost friend to talk to him about his pump idea. The two set up a lunch, and, through a twist of fate, it ended up being on the exact date Stewart had circled on his calendar.

During lunch, talk ranged from business to Stewart’s back and Greenly’s work in China and Sierra Leone. Greenly told him about the hand-drilling method he was using that made it easier to drill deeper wells in places such as Angola, where there’s a ton of available labor and time, but no equipment or training. Greenly asked Stewart if he’d help him build and develop a hand pump, and Stewart agreed.

“He goes, ‘I’ll start tomorrow,’” Greenly says. “I go, ‘What about your work?’ He goes, ‘This is my last day at work — today.’

I said, ‘What are you going to do?’ He said, ‘Build your hand pump. Didn’t you just ask me to build a hand pump?’ I’m like, ‘Seriously, dude, this doesn’t pay any money. This is for funsies.’”

Stewart knew this was his chance. Greenly’s plan called for a pump that had few parts and no O-rings or leathers — the things most likely to fail in conventional pumps. It had to be durable, light and able to pump water up from 80 feet underground.

“I found out later the reason he called me was that I wouldn’t know that what he was talking about wasn’t possible,” Stewart says. “I had never built a water pump from scratch.”

“Ignorance,” Greenly cackles, “100 percent ignorance made you the most qualified person.”

“I found out later the reason he called me was that I wouldn’t know that what he was talking about wasn’t possible. I had never built a water pump from scratch.”

— Steve Stewart

Living off his savings, Stewart spent the next few months working on the pump design. He read Leonardo da Vinci’s book repeatedly, poring over each illustrated invention with a magnifying glass.

Greenly kept trying to show him how water pumps work, but Stewart refused to listen. He wanted to come up with his own. He recalls hours spent in hardware stores’ PVC pipe section.

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Photo / Water4

Inventing Hope

Their first trip was to Zambia in 2009. Stewart had never been on a trip like that before. They flew in on a single-engine plane over the Congo, landing on a primitive runway that was basically dirt, grass and asphalt in the middle of nowhere.

Later, they improved their drilling process by developing a dry drilling method. Stewart, with no background in anything related to drilling, pieced together a combination of augers and cable tools for a manual way to drill. Since then, they’ve drilled approximately 400 wells in 30 countries.

Changing the World

Greenly and Stewart have set up 26 active drill teams working in their local communities. Employees for Water4, along with volunteers who have been trained at Water4’s headquarters in Oklahoma City, travel carrying 50-pound portions of the pumps and drill kits to the villages that pay for them.

In the villages, the groups train members of the community how to drill their own wells. Water4 partners with nonprofits to find the right people who gather information on villages in need.

Then Water4 volunteers travel in teams to set up a few wells before the villagers operate on their own.

“They’re doing that as a business,” Greenly says. “To drill a water well in Zambia, it’ll cost you $10,000 with a mechanized drill. Ours is $1,000. We make them, and they install them as a business.”

Often, they’ll do multiple wells in one community.

“That’s the major difference,” Stewart says. “Instead of a truck coming in and drilling one well, our guys drill eight wells.”

The foundation’s next step is to ramp up fundraising. It’s preparing for a 7,000-well project in sub-Saharan Africa. The vision includes starting vocational schools and expanding partnerships with organizations such as World Vision International.

With only a few employees in the Oklahoma City office, Water4 has brought clean water to nearly half a million people.

The two OSU alumni set out to change the world, and they may just do it.

For more information on OSU alumni Steve Stewart and Richard Greenly and their efforts with the Water4 Foundation, visit water4.org.

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S t o r y b y J a c o b L o N g a n

Photos by Chris Lewis

The Doel Reed Center for the Arts is named for Doel Reed, who directed OSU’s Department of Art from 1924 until 1959. The world-renowned artist and recognized master of the aquatint retired to the family estate in Taos, N.M., where his daughter, Martha, had lived since 1953. The OSU art alumna earned acclaim in the fashion world through her store, Martha of Taos, which popularized pairing Navajo broomstick skirts with traditional velvet or cotton blouses. She left OSU the land and historic adobe buildings that constitute the center.

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While less than 500 miles separate Stillwater and Taos, N.M., OSU students describe their experience at the Doel Reed Center for the Arts as similar to studying abroad.

“We get to meet a lot of different people that you would never meet if you hadn’t come here,” says Kara Ambler, an interior design major who completed a summer course in Southwest indigenous furniture art. “We’ve seen glass blowers, artists and designers. It’s definitely making us more well-rounded to meet all these people who do different things.

We’re exposed to a lot more than we would be in Oklahoma.”

Edward Walkiewicz, director of the multidisciplinary creative arts center, says students have an “eye-opening experience” because Taos has “a completely different landscape and completely different culture.”

“You are exposed to the native Hispanic culture, the Native American culture, the rich history of the American West and the settling of the American West,” Walkiewicz says. “It’s all around you.”

The Doel Reed Center is named for Doel Reed, who was hired to head and develop OSU’s Department of Art in 1924 and directed it until retiring to the family’s Taos estate in 1959. Thanks to the generosity of his daughter, Martha, the picturesque property and three historic adobe structures now serve as an inspiring setting for teaching, research and outreach related to the Southwest for OSU students, faculty, alumni and friends as well as lifelong learners in north central New Mexico. The center also honors the legacy of the Reeds, whose artistic contributions influenced fashion and fine art around the world.

The four courses offered at the center this summer show that disciplinary diversity: each class was affiliated with a different OSU department. The Department of Art offered “Taos: Artist’s Sketchbook.” Walkiewicz, who is an English professor, taught the first lifelong-learner class, focusing on New Mexico modernist literature. The furniture design course was sponsored by the Department of Design, Housing and Merchandising. The History Department

You are exposed to the native Hispanic culture, the Native American culture , the rich history of the American West and the settling of the American West. It’s all around you.

- Edward walkiewicz, director

TOP: Among the furniture design course’s travels in Taos was a visit to the studio of painter William Acheff. BOTTOM: OSU President Burns Hargis and his wife, Ann, were enrolled in the first lifelong-learner class. offered credit for the study of oral history.

Burns Hargis, president of OSU, says the Doel Reed Center shows the university’s commitment to the arts and other disciplines that can be practiced in Taos.

He is especially pleased with the project’s interdisciplinary nature.

“Bringing various disciplines together actually is a catalyst for creativity,” says Hargis, who joined his wife, Ann, as a participant in the lifelong-learner class.

“It’s very helpful to have people who have great knowledge of artifacts, and people (continues)

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Next summer will see even more progress at the doel reed center because OSU is completing one of the biggest steps forward: renovation of the Center’s three historic adobe buildings.

Renovations continue with repairs to the floor and the removal of walls in the main building to create an open space for small gatherings, seminars, lectures and other activities. who have great knowledge of color, and putting them together. It’s fundamental.”

Clayton Mayfield, a history major, was thrilled with his experience in the oral history class. Within days of his arrival, he was thinking about how he could return Taos.

“I think it’s nice because you get a chance to come to a really nice location, and I feel like the emphasis of what we’re doing is collecting some oral histories from some artists here in Taos,” Mayfield says. “Doel Reed was very much about that. He loved this community. He spent a lot of time here. Though he was an artist, he would be happy that we’re out here trying to preserve some of that culture through this oral history class.”

Abby Roads, an American studies major, was also in the oral history class after previously taking the sketching course in Taos. Like most of the students who visit the Doel Reed Center, she

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Exterior renovations include a new portico off the main structure for additional meeting space that frames the mountain view.

benefitted from a scholarship from one of the center’s donors.

“I think it’s just fabulous that they provide that opportunity to come here,” Roads says. “It would be difficult otherwise.”

Josh Giles, an architecture major in the furniture design course, also accepted a scholarship.

“Honestly, I don’t think I would have come if I hadn’t gotten it,” Giles says. “It really allowed me the opportunity to just be here and made me very thankful that the school is willing to support me coming up here. It is just a wonderful thing.”

OSU’s progress expanding the program was evident this summer.

Including the first cohort of lifelong learners, the center offered twice as many classes as in previous summers, doubling the number of students attending.

Another milestone was the first attendee from another university: a University of Northern Iowa graduate student took the

oral history class because she could not find a similar course anywhere else.

Next summer will see even more progress because OSU is completing one of the biggest steps forward: renovation of the Doel Reed Center’s three historic adobe buildings. Martha Reed’s house will be used for small gatherings, including seminars, talks and alumni events.

Doel Reed’s studio is becoming a combination museum and working studio. Doel and Jane Reed’s home will house faculty, visiting artists and scholars-in-residence.

“We’re going to be developing more and more programs for adults here as well as our students,” Hargis says. “Next summer, we hope to have an even larger program. In time, we’ll expand those into the fall and spring.”

For more information on the Doel Reed Center for the Arts and Reed family, visit OSUgiving. com/DoelReed and DRCA.okstate.edu.

The 50th anniversary of the iconic orange car decal is as much about our members as it is about the sticker. The Alumni Association invites you to celebrate 50 years with 50 decals in 50 states. Take a spirited picture of you and your orange car decal at the beach, on a mountain or in a wheat field, then submit it online at orangeconnection.org/cardecal. The decal doesn’t have to be on your car either; be creative and have fun – we know you live orange everywhere. We’ll select one winner from each state to represent orange spirit through our famous emblem, and we’ll publish them online and some of the best in an upcoming issue of STATE magazine. You could be as famous as our decal.

It’s a debate bigger than when we turned the car decal white. Where do you place the decal on your car? In a corner? In the middle? Vote now in our car decal placement poll and see where other members place their decals at orangeconnection.org/cardecal.

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 • FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

Library at Pembroke College, one of the 31 independent colleges of the University of Cambridge.

OSU

students are going places — literally.

For the past year, two graduate students in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology attended classes, conducted research and experienced day-to-day life in Cambridge, England. It’s one of the most historic towns in the world where anything constructed after the 18th century is considered modern by residents.

The remarkable opportunity for Matthew Grant and Chad O’Connor to study at the University of Cambridge was made possible by OSU benefactor Wayne Allen — former chairman and CEO of Phillips Petroleum Co. — who provided the funding several years ago to establish the W.W. Allen Engineering Scholars Program.

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With a goal of developing some of the nation’s top engineering graduates, Allen Scholars receive generous scholarships throughout their undergraduate study. They engage in national and international travel, leadership and professional development, and have an opportunity to study abroad at one of the world’s foremost universities following graduation.

Grant’s program was in bioscience enterprise with an emphasis on pharmaceuticals, while O’Connor focused on advanced chemical engineering. Both are highly competitive areas of study at Cambridge with a diverse student population representing many countries.

About 300 students applied for the bioscience enterprise program with only 100 interviewed and 25 actually admitted.

Grant’s class included four British and four American students. The U.S. group

represented Harvard, Dartmouth, Brandeis and Oklahoma State.

O’Connor’s program was equally selective, and among his 10 classmates were one other American and students from eight other countries.

“Your instruction is from the people who are key opinion leaders, who are experts in their field,” says Grant. “They are widely recognized by their peers as such, and you are getting firsthand teaching from them.” He adds that it’s not uncommon for the instructors to be Nobel laureates. In fact, one of the senior program advisors for Grant’s pharmaceutical program was the liaison between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.

While both students are affiliated with Cambridge, they actually studied in two of the 31 independent colleges that make up the university. Grant attended Girton College, which was founded in the 19th

PHOTOS / GREG QUINN

century while O’Connor enrolled at Queens’ College founded in 1448. Even by British standards, Queens’ is considered one of the “older” colleges at Cambridge.

“The first term is all classwork,” O’Connor says. “The second term is a mix of classwork and a consultancy project with an actual firm, and the third term is spent doing research in a laboratory while also working on a dissertation project.”

Grant worked with a doctor in Cambridge as part of his internship. In addition to other duties, he helped the physician write a business plan for a medical device she invented. O’Connor worked with Schlumberger — an oilfield services company — on his outside project.

In addition to the obvious benefit gained from studying at an institution like Cambridge, immersing themselves in an international town with a storied past provided an incredible backdrop for both students.

“It’s really cool just to walk around and say, ‘You know, I’m feeling a little hungry today, I’ll pop into this little pub and get something to eat,’ and you sit down and look at the wall and there’s this plaque about how Watson and Crick celebrated the discovery of DNA in this building,” O’Connor says. “Everything has a story like that.”

In addition to providing students with opportunities they might not have otherwise had, the students also say the Allen Scholars program is making OSU better known internationally.

Chad O’Connor, left, and Matthew Grant stand among the historic buildings at Pembroke College, which is the third-oldest college at Cambridge, established in 1347.

“I can’t even begin to communicate how important it is to have donors like Mr. Allen. He’s been exceptionally generous. There’s no arguing of that,” Grant says enthusiastically. “But even above and beyond that is his involvement with the students.”

Allen spends a considerable amount of time getting to know students in the program and sharing his life and business experiences, which both students say is just as valuable as their coursework.

As for their future plans, Grant and his wife — she shared the Cambridge experience too — start a new chapter in

their life this fall as he enters medical school in Houston. “Just four more years and I’m done with school,” he says with a smile.

O’Connor is getting married following his year in Cambridge and plans to eventually work on his doctorate.

Coming home after a year in England may seem strange at first, but both students say friendships they’ve made will allow their international experience to continue long after leaving the country.

And they will never forget walking the narrow streets and realizing, “I’m in Cambridge.”

J I M B E R SCHEI D T

Study abroad provides students an opportunity to visit unique sites. From left: A marker in a Cambridge pub, a historic London restaurant and a copy of a literary masterpiece.

To watch student interviews, read part one and learn more visit OSUgiving.com/england

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OSU business students working on a project for an Oklahoma manufacturer as part of a corporate strategy course began and ended a trip to China in Hong Kong.

PhotoS / Matt Elliott

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China Business STATE writer and MBA graduate Matt Elliott tells of his adventures during a trip to China with other OSU students.

As I packed for a trip to Guangzhou, China, I glanced out my window at the Harbour Grand in Hong Kong.

A highway stretched below, dividing high-rise buildings from the gray bay waters filled with tugboats and other vessels.

Tearing along the highway was a bright red Lamborghini.

We’d seen plenty since our group of OSU MBA students arrived on our study-abroad trip to China.

Another expensive sports car zoomed below. A Porsche 911, followed by a Ferrari, one of the 458 Italias of which a fellow student was so fond, zipped by.

Nearly a dozen supercars roared beneath my window in about five minutes.

Millions of dollars worth of automobiles is no clearer example of how Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, is awash with symbols of Western wealth and excess.

It remains one of the world’s most popular cities for international finance.

English and Chinese are the official languages. Twenty-story-tall ads, climbing the sides of buildings, trumpet Bulgari watches.

Nevertheless, it remains a decidedly Eastern city.

A spoon plunged into a murky bean soup at a corner café is likely to re-emerge with a chicken foot. High-rises cloud out the horizon. A lack of good ground — steep hills surround the city and Kowloon Bay is close by — forces much of Hong Kong to be built on reclaimed land, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Sampans, ancient flat-bottomed Chinese boats, remain visible in Hong Kong’s deep-water harbor. Next to them float hulking metal cargo ships, filled to

the top of their towering bridges with metal containers.

Rust-streaked aging apartment buildings reach up to the subtropical south China sky between sleek modern glass and steel skyscrapers. At night, the towers twinkle, million square-foot monuments to the LED light.

Into the Mainland We were there to work on a project for an Oklahoma manufacturer as part of our corporate strategy course. Although we were headed north to Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Hong Kong was our Far East introduction.

Every sight, smell and sound was new to us.

Hong Kong, with a population of more than 7 million, has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, the U.S. State Department reports. You could read such reports, but just a few days into our visit, it was clear few of us understood China’s vastness and diversity.

We spent two days in Hong Kong — sightseeing, dining with a successful OSU alumnus at the exclusive China Club, shopping and visiting the Hong Kong Museum of Natural History — before we headed north on a train for mainland China. (continues) 97

Guangzhou is in Guangdong province, the first of the special economic zones established in the 1970s. The region has one of the biggest economies in the world and employs millions of workers. It’s home to manufacturers that make components of products, such as Apple’s iPhone, that keep China the world’s export leader.

Rugged green hills crowded the tracks as the train headed north. The train was packed with mostly silent passengers playing games on their phones and reading the news. Many wore Nikes, and a few had on T-shirts with English gibberish, reminding me of Americans who get tattoos of Chinese characters without knowing what they really mean.

We passed suburbs and small neighborhoods dotted with basketball courts. Tiny houses and banana tree orchards clung to the hillsides. When the hills broke, hamlets could be glimpsed. Little farms with rice paddies and lean-to shacks, many with tarps for roofs, were sandwiched close to the tracks, aging apartment buildings with pastel-colored laundry drying from balconies behind them in the distance.

Students spent several days in Guangzhou in Guangdong province, the first of the special economic zones established in the 1970s. The region has one of the largest economies in the world and employs millions.

Center of Economic Revolution Everyone perked up when we entered the city of Shenzhen, ground zero of China’s economic revolution. Factories wreathed in smoke and fog stretched for miles in every direction. Barges crowded wide rivers. For at least a half-hour, all one could see was industrial buildings and power plants.

We pulled into the Guangzhou train station, all concrete and girders, and stepped out on to the gangway. In a city of more than 12 million people, the station was dark and nearly deserted. After a few escalator rides toward the exit, our friends with Sun Yat-sen University flagged us down.

We emerged underneath a concrete overhang where taxis, cars, buses and other vehicles could be seen on a busy street about 100 feet away. There were fewer English signs here than in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, we saw one or two homeless people. In Guangzhou, a dozen were outside the train station, talking,

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Vendors hawk their jewels at the Hong Kong jade market, a major tourist attraction in the city.

Students toured the Chen Clan Academy, a 19 th-century school and place of worship that is now a folk art museum in Guangzhou.

The building is known for its intricate carvings and sculptures.

selling stuff, coughing and resting. A large elderly woman, seated on the lip of a concrete pillar, gasped for breath.

Commuters, many of them smoking and lined up next to their bags at the curb, waited for cabs.

We hopped on a bus provided by the university. A few minutes later we were on our way, and Guangzhou opened up before us.

None of the regular residents had cars 40 years ago, an SYSU economics professor would later say. Today, cars are everywhere — mostly late-model vehicles, many German and American, speeding along clean, wide and tree-lined boulevards bordered by high-rises.

Our hotel sat next to the Pearl River, the nation’s third-longest river. Joggers ran on large concrete walkways lining its banks. Dozens of people practiced tai chi in nearby parks. Fishermen cast lines into the water, where rafts of green plants floated along the currents.

In the hotel lobby, everyone whipped out their phones to Skype and check email when we realized there was free Wi-Fi. A Cultural Education The trip was to work with our Chinese counterparts at SYSU in an international collaboration intended to expose students to the rigors of cross-cultural teamwork while solving real-world business problems.

A great deal of work had to be done for our final project, which was to be presented to an Oklahoma manufacturer by the end of the spring semester. In fact, our graduation depended upon our knocking it out of the park. We spent time on the project, but we still had ample chances to be a tourist. Our first full day was packed with sightseeing.

We headed to Huangcheng square and HaiXinSha Asian Games Park in the center of the city’s business district. It’s a telling monument to China’s economic growth. The huge public area is on the edge of Zhujiang New Town, an area several miles wide, punctuated with sleek skyscrapers our local guides told us were built in the last 15 years.

The surrounding buildings include the Guangdong Museum and the Guangzhou (continues)

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Opera House, which looks like a spaceship landed in the middle of a city park.

Workers in bamboo hats planted colorful flowers in gardens that seemed to be everywhere, earning the city’s nickname as the City of Flowers.

Behind the ever-present smoke and fog we saw one of the most famous feats of Chinese engineering, the Canton Tower (also known as the Guangzhou TV Tower), a steel structure 160 stories tall, shaped like a tube twisted in the middle that glows every color of the rainbow at night.

The highlight of the day was a visit to the Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King. The tomb we visited was built into a large hill. An apartment building construction crew discovered it, previously undisturbed, in 1983.

After entering the museum, with a stern guard in a green uniform at the door, we followed a path outside and descended into the burial chamber. Fifteen servants and concubines were sacrifices buried with the king in several of the rooms.

The king was found 2,000 years after

his death, encased head to toe in a jade suit woven with red and gold thread. The suit is preserved inside the museum, as well as hundreds of artifacts, including bowls, lamps, swords, imperial seals and other items.

Next stop was the Chen Clan Academy, a 19th-century school and place of ancestral worship in one of the older parts of the city. Now a folk art museum, the massive gray-stone building is one of the best-preserved historic structures in the city and is known for its intricate carvings, sculptures and woodwork.

Carvings and sculptures of figures from Chinese calligraphy and mythology cover the eaves. Two dragons on the top are said to protect it from fire.

I roamed its long hallways, shot photos of the carvings and the way the light fell on surfaces. Every now and then, my camera would catch the high-rises that surround the building’s rear.

We had a dinner cruise on a Pearl River steamboat that carried us along the financial center, which was lit up like Las Vegas.

Clockwise from top left are Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou; ruins of a 17th century Jesuit cathedral in the special administrative region of Macao; and the group of OSU students outside the Chen Clan Academy.

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Flashing signs, lights and video boards lined a few river miles. The Guangzhou TV Tower shimmered in the distance, a rainbow finger.

The sky was purple and orange.

Massive new residential high-rises stood dark at 9 p.m., indicating the buildings were empty. China is beset with a housing bubble that analysts expect could burst at any time, potentially sending the country’s hyper-growth economy into free fall.

Real Economics?

The next day, a lecture by a Sun Yat-sen economist on China’s economic boom since 1978 showed a divide between American and Chinese perceptions of economics. Western economists typically talk about economic reforms or policies.

The Chinese professor spoke of the “heroes of the economic revolution,” providing biographical information on statesmen instead of detailing their policies.

After an afternoon working with our Chinese teammates, a student from Yemen took us on a walking tour of Guangzhou

and its international enclaves. In the Middle Eastern section, we had dinner at a packed and noisy Yemeni restaurant. The food was easily the best of the entire trip.

We shook off our post-dinner haze and went to a huge market place full of pirated goods. You could buy a cheap “iPad” made from the wrong material. A corner of the mall had a shop offering everything from a dirt bike to a massive gas-powered generator. There were also fake Nikes, designer bags and other knock-off products, some of which were indistinguishable from the real thing.

Crowded customers haggled with shopkeepers, talked and smoked. Outside, vendors hawked SIM cards for cellphones and laptops. Beggars and prostitutes wandered in and out of the crowds.

A fellow student quipped, “We saw part of the real China tonight.”

Real Estate Lesson We toured the largest real estate developer in China, Vanke Corp., on the morning of our final day in Guangzhou.

We met with one of their executives and discussed the differences between U.S. and China real estate development and barriers to growth. The Chinese government is the biggest obstacle to growth, he said through an interpreter.

Vanke posts more than $1 billion in profit a year, yet it controls only a small percentage of the Chinese housing market. The company leases land from the government — there’s no private land ownership in China — and builds apartment complexes.

We toured Vanke’s research and development complex, a massive facility with freestanding buildings constructed to test new apartments, wind-power technology and other features. One building contained dozens of test apartment styles, while others were hooked up to a machine that simulated earthquakes. We also learned of Vanke’s breakthroughs in manufactured housing and energyefficient buildings.

Trip’s End We were back in Hong Kong several days later, preparing to head home.

After the week in Guangzhou, it was nice to see the sun and Hong Kong’s beautiful beaches.

I had one last bit of tourism to do before I headed back to OSU. I took a high-speed ferry to Macao, sneaked onto a hotel bus and wandered around the city’s historic center.

The second of China’s special administrative regions, Macao is a former Portuguese colony. It is well known for its swank casinos as well as for its unique old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where visitors can walk narrow streets lined with shops, residences and public buildings that mix European and Chinese architecture.

The Portuguese arrived in 1557 and established the oldest permanent European settlement in the region. The settlement fell into decline when China began curtailing foreign influence in its economy.

Today, historic buildings pop in bright shades of yellow, orange and white, and Portuguese street names twist the tongues of Chinese locals. Antique shops selling trinkets and jade were plentiful and mixed with modern businesses, such as a Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop.

From the casino district, it was a 45-minute walk to the ruins of a 17th-century Jesuit cathedral dedicated to St. Paul. In the back of the square, where only the cathedral’s façade still stands, sits a historic 19th-century Buddhist shrine.

The ferry ride back to Hong Kong was an adventure. The seas had picked up, and the cabin, the windows darkened by night, pitched back and forth. I barely managed to ward off seasickness.

I was back on a plane the next day, headed home.

OSU Opportunities in China OSU has a wide range of studyabroad opportunities for students interested in China.

Two Chinese universities have reciprocal-exchange programs with OSU. Students who attend pay tuition as if they were attending in Stillwater, says Vivian Wang, OSU’s manager of international outreach programs.

One of those is in China’s largest city, Shanghai, at one of its oldest and most prestigious schools, Fudan University, established in 1905. The other is Southwest Jiaotong University, a well-known engineering school in the thriving economic center of Chengdu, a city in the province of Sichuan in central China.

Other programs include summer short-term study abroad and internship opportunities, Wang says, some of which have scholarships from Chinese universities. Those are at Fudan University, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Southwest Jiaotong University, China Agricultural University (which also recruits OSU faculty to teach) and China Three Gorges University.

Plus, there are dozens of faculty member-led study abroad courses to China offered by each of OSU’s academic colleges in the months of May or June.

OSU’s International Students and Scholars and Study Abroad offices coordinate those programs. Wang says the office also helps students and alumni looking for internship or teaching opportunities in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xi’an and elsewhere in China, in academic disciplines including engineering, agriculture, business and education.

In order to better prepare students for a global competence, OSU has Chinese language classes, supported

by Southwest Jiaotong University, with about 50 students enrolled in fall 2012, Wang notes.

M at t Ell i o t t

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OSUIT Student Selected Newman Civic Fellow

Mark Miller lauded for his ‘Read to the Dog’ program.

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rowing up in the rural community of Okemah, Okla., yet living in town, Mark Miller wanted to participate in the 4-H Club but didn’t have the land to raise livestock.

He was eager to work with animals, and a teacher piqued his interest in raising and showing dogs. He got his first dog from a Tulsa animal shelter. Miller’s brother soon joined him in the hobby.

Mark Miller learned he enjoyed training dogs to help others. He developed a reading program called “Read to the Dog.” He also led 4-H dog clubs in two counties to help children train dogs for show and service. His other high school community service projects included delivering food to those in need, assisting with county cleanups and developing presentations to help students at 50 Oklahoma high schools understand the consequences of texting and driving.

Miller is in his second year at OSU Institute of Technology as an information technologies major seeking a bachelor’s in technology degree in information assurance and forensics. Despite his busy schedule, he still finds time for community service projects.

Those efforts led Campus Compact to recently name Miller a 2012 Newman Civic Fellow. Miller was among 137 students from 30 states to receive the honor. Campus Compact is a coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents representing about 6 million students.

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photo / rex daugherty

Oakes Elementary fourth-grader Taylor Neely, 10, reads to therapy dog Vader as OSUIT student Mark Miller watches.

Campus Compact is committed to improving community life and teaching civic and social responsibility. The Newman Civic Fellow Awards acknowledge students with the ability and motivation to create lasting change in their communities.

“These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders,” says Campus Compact President Maureen F. Curley. “They serve as national examples of the role that higher education can, and does, play in building a better world.”

When they started their program, Mark Miller says he and his brother, Mitch, thought using therapy dogs would make a good 4-H Club community service project.

“We took a nine-week class in Oklahoma City,” he says. “We learned there were a lot of rules for the handler. Eventually, we and our dogs were fully certified.”

From there, Mark Miller developed the “Read to the Dog” program.

photo / rex daugherty

Mitch, left, and Mark Miller return to their Okemah, Okla., elementary school with therapy dogs Titan and Vader. Titan, with Mitch Miller, is an Australian cattle dog adopted from a Yukon, Okla., no-kill shelter. Vader, with Mark Miller, is an Australian shepherd rescued and given to Miller by a trainer.

“These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. They serve as national examples of the role that higher education can, and does, play in building a better world.”

— Campus Compact President Maureen F. Curley

Mitch Miller was shy about reading aloud in elementary school.

“If a child has trouble with anything they have to do in front of their friends, they are often subjected to a lot of teasing,” Mark Miller says. “Then, they get discouraged, and the problem only gets worse.

“So, I decided to let my brother read out loud to my therapy dog, who is patient and non-judgmental. The dog lies there as long as it takes for a child to read a story.

My brother found he wasn’t nervous when he knew the dog was listening to him.”

Mitch Miller showed such improvement in his reading skills that several teachers at Oakes Elementary School in Okemah asked the brothers to bring their therapy dogs to school to help other children. Mitch Miller is now an A and B student in high school.

Even though Mark Miller is at college, he still makes time to return to Oakes Elementary and use his dog to help students become better readers.

“I work with small groups, basically doing one-on-one, matching each dog

with a child,” Miller says. “My brother and I have to follow the therapy dog rules, so dogs can’t be left alone with a child.

When students see the dog, they forget I am also there listening to them reading.”

The brothers also take their dogs to local nursing homes, where the residents are thrilled to see them.

Mark Miller says he still enjoys training and showing dogs. “This is the kind of hobby you can do forever,” he says.

As a Newman Civic Fellow, Miller joins a network around the country that shares experiences online and encourages others.

Miller hopes others will follow his example by providing a loving, patient canine companion with whom young and old alike can read and learn.

R e x Dau g h e r t y

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Compassionate Care

photo / phil shockley

Dr. Charles MacAllister cultivated grateful clients and donations through compassion.

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A

vis and Phil Scaramucci were heartbroken when their dog, Butterscotch, died in 2008. Still, they were so impressed by the respectful, personal and quality service they received at OSU’s Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital that they give an annual $10,000 donation to the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.

It’s a common theme: Clients appreciate the compassion and service they receive and respond with a donation.

Many credit Dr. Charles MacAllister, who retired on July 1 after 33 years with the veterinary center and the last decade as head of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, with cultivating the atmosphere that has led to so many grateful clients becoming donors.

“Dr. MacAllister served as interim hospital director before I was hired,” Dr. Mark Neer says. “When I took over as

hospital director, it was with a solid foundation on which to build.

“We are fortunate to have such loyal clients with many of them expressing their gratitude through financial donations.

Three years ago, the hospital celebrated a completely renovated small-animal critical care unit thanks to the private donations of more than 75 donors.”

The hospital is often the last resort for people like the Scaramuccis, whose animal had a health issue more serious than their regular veterinarian can handle.

“OSU’s Small Animal Clinic sets the standard for medical care,” says Avis Scaramucci, who with her husband owns Nonna’s Euro-American Ristorante and Bar in Oklahoma City. “Staff members exceed expectations with knowledge and awareness of each animal in their care.

The compassionate care given to the animals has been consistently so.”

The Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences understands how important the hospital is for those families as they deal with difficult times, MacAllister says.

“Sometimes by the time a patient is referred to us, the situation is too far advanced for our clinicians to fix it,” he says. “In those cases, we do our best to make the patient comfortable and give the family and the pet as much quality time together as possible.”

The hospital is the clinical skills training site for fourth-year veterinary students.

It is open to the public, handling an average of 11,250 cases a year. MacAllister is responsible for producing high-quality and effective teaching, research and service programs, as well as promoting outreach and extension activities.

“It has been extremely rewarding to work with and help teach many hundreds of veterinary students,” he says. “When I see a former student many years after they graduate and they tell me they still remember things I taught them, that is very rewarding.”

In 1979, MacAllister joined the veterinary center on a one-year equine section position.

“Late in my fourth year of veterinary school, professor Dr. Steve Swaim told me about the position,” MacAllister says.

“I wanted to pursue an academic career, and the job turned out to be just what I was looking for,” he says. “Faculty and staff were very supportive. The students were eager to learn along with me.

“Dr. Tom Monin took me under his wing and taught me the practical aspects of equine medicine and surgery that he had learned and developed during his long career at OSU.” That one year turned into a career.

MacAllister held the Ricks-Rapp Professorship in Musculoskeletal Research and was director of the Equine Research Park.

His research interests are equine internal medicine, diagnostic endoscopy, gastrointestinal diseases, pharmacology and pain management. He earned his doctorate of veterinary medicine from Auburn University and later became a diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine – Large Animal.

“Dr. MacAllister’s leadership style is to seek input, listen patiently and to act with conviction,” says Regents Service Professor Dr. Michael Lorenz, who works in the small-animal clinic. “He has done an excellent job promoting the development of several clinical specialties in the department and hospital. He developed the Equine Research Park largely on gifts and grants and contracts from companies.”

MacAllister’s door was always open, adds Dr. Melanie Boileau, associate professor in food-animal medicine and surgery.

“The role of the department head is critical for the success of the hospital for many reasons, including supporting and mentoring faculty development, bringing in extramural dollars through faculty research and thinking outside the box to move the department forward,” she says.

The impact MacAllister has had on the veterinary center and its hospital will live on while he spends his newfound free time on projects he has not previously addressed.

“We have been adding onto our home for 30 years,” he says. “An initial priority in retirement will be to finally complete unfinished home projects. Other plans include dealing with the many trees that were downed on our property during a 2011 tornado, spending more time with my family, traveling and volunteering in the Stillwater community.

“This has been a great place to live and raise a family and I look forward to having the time and opportunities to give back.”

D e r i n da B l a k e n e y

OSU’s Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital is open to the public and provides routine and specialized care for small and large animals. It offers 24-hour emergency care and is certified by the American Animal Hospital Association. For more information, visit www.cvhs.okstate.edu or call 405-744-7000.

For more information about making a gift to the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, contact Senior Director of Development Amanda Davis at 405-3855607 or adavis@OSUgiving.com.

In Their Own Words Clients talk about the Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

“We are very amazed and grateful for this hospital and especially for the staff.

We are extremely pleased with the care and compassion each and every veterinarian and student has given our dog.

It is so reassuring when we are in such an emotional state. Thank you for all you do.”

— Connie Green, Norman, Okla.

“I have been coming here for 2½ years — awesome people.”

— Lee Burk, Tulsa, Okla.

“Without question, this was the very best experience I have had with a veterinary staff in the 35 years I’ve been involved with livestock. Great job.”

— Kenny Brdecko, Wheeler, Texas

“I’ve been to several veterinary school hospitals and OSU’s service is by far the best. I drove over 1,000 miles to bring Wiglet (potbellied pig) to your care, which was all very professional.”

— Leslie Maynard, Arizona

“I appreciate the professionalism and the quality of care that was provided for my alpaca. I felt that he was in the best hands possible.”

— Chantae Simpson, Kiowa, Kan.

“My experience at OSU’s large-animal clinic was wonderful. I called the clinic and within an hour received a call back. My horse was seen and the veterinary students and staff were so nice answering my abundant questions thoroughly. I loved the experience of being involved in the evaluation and diagnosis of my horse and listening to the thought process of the students — excellent service.”

— Todd Palmer, Sperry, Okla., and Midland, Texas

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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY HEALTH SCIENCES

PLANS FOR NEW ACADEMIC CENTER For more than 60 years, the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences (CVHS) has improved the lives of animals and people through education, research and communityoffered services. Now the CVHS is ready to increase its impact with a new Academic Center complete with clinical faculty offices and a technologically equipped auditorium.

Private donations are vital for the multi-purpose auditorium to become a reality. The new facility will be equipped with video capture technology, providing a modern atmosphere for learning that connects the classroom with alumni, veterinary medicine professionals, distance learners and guest lecturers.

The university is providing funds for the new offices, which will function as a recruiting and retention tool in addition to facilitating collaboration between faculty, students and business professionals.

Your gifts help to create a facility that will educate future veterinarians, ensuring that the CVHS continues its legacy of nurturing and protecting the fundamental connection between humans and animals.

For more information about how you can enhance the lives of animals and the people who serve them, please contact the OSU Foundation at 800.622.4678, by email at info@OSUgiving.com or visit OSUgiving.com.

It Pays to be a Member...

Even as a Student!

The OSU Alumni Association is proud to offer current students the opportunity to show their lifetime commitment to OSU with our Student Life Membership!

The program gives current students the opportunity to purchase a lifetime membership in the Alumni Association for $600 providing a savings of $400 from the alumni rate.

All students currently enrolled are eligible. Learn more and enroll online at

orangeconnection.org/ studentlife!

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 • FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

Former OSU band members create alumni chapter.

If you’ve ever had anyone tell you, “I played in the band in college,” they probably said it with a smile.

And if you ask for a favorite band memory, they’re likely to give you a wild, rousing story about a trip to a game or a tournament.

It doesn’t matter whether they marched with a band on the field or performed in an ensemble in a concert hall, OSU band members are passionate, loyal and spirited.

And they don’t leave those qualities behind after they’ve picked up their diplomas.

The OSU Band Alumni Chapter is the newest addition to the Alumni Association.

Although the Alumni Band was founded in 1979, it is now an official chapter.

Chapter President Wade Beard says he’s looking forward to working with the OSU Alumni Association to build the chapter.

“We’re ready to reach out to more alumni and have more involvement,” Beard says. “The Alumni Association has

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a very good communication arm, and we’re excited to be able to use that as well.”

The chapter debuted at an event in April.

Members of the chapter dusted off their instruments and performed at the spring football game. Beard says the event was an opportunity to get former band members involved in Band Alumni functions, and it gave participants a chance to interact with current marching band members.

“Besides the fall reunion, we’ll now be getting together in the spring as well,” Beard says. “It’s a good, hardworking group of musicians, so it’s great when we can stay involved.”

Beard is a 2006 marketing graduate who returned to OSU for a second degree and is a hotel and restaurant administration senior. Beard plans to stay involved in the chapter after he steps off campus.

“Once you’re a band member, you’re always a band member,” Beard says. “You just keep on playing.”

The chapter will continue to host the band’s annual fall reunion and perform at a football game, but it will now be on Homecoming. Austin Ambrose, board member and past president, says the chapter moved its fall event to Homecoming to reach out to more band alumni.

“We’re really excited about our new affiliation, and we’re hoping to grow our numbers,” Ambrose says. “Oklahoma State has a great atmosphere, and it’s a lot of fun to be around the current and former band members.”

Ambrose says music has been a passion since he started playing in band in the sixth-grade. After graduating from OSU in 2008, he wasn’t ready to give up that passion.

“I realized I still wanted to be involved, and this is the best way to do it,” Ambrose says. “There are going to be kinks we need to work out, but we’re really excited to grow within the Alumni Association.”

Pam Stubbs, director of chapter relations at the Alumni Association, says she believes

photo / gary lawson

The Alumni Association is updating our records to mark individuals who performed in an OSU band. If you played in any collegiate band at OSU, please update us at orangeconnection.org/band so we can keep you updated on OSU Band Alumni Chapter activities.

moving the fall reunion to Homecoming will contribute to the chapter’s success.

“Everyone puts Homecoming on their calendars, and they make it a point to come back,” Stubbs says. “I think it brings everyone back for the reason we want it to, which is to showcase the spirit of the university and what our students are doing for Homecoming.”

Stubbs says the Alumni Association is using its records to locate more band alumni to help the chapter grow, but the chapter is actually helping the Alumni Association as well.

“We have a lot of ideas and ways they can help us,” Stubbs says. “They are experts in music and band evaluation, and we have a band competition for Homecoming. We are trying to utilize our graduates who are knowledgeable in that area.”

Stubbs says the chapter is reaching out to band alumni and to prospective OSU students.

“They will get to talk about OSU to high school band members,” Stubbs says.

“So it can also be a recruiting opportunity for them.”

The chapter hopes to add watch parties to its list of future events. Stubbs says the Alumni Association has been looking for a way to bring OSU alumni and friends together in the Payne County area during away football games.

“The band is willing to step forward and looking to do something to help publicize their group,” Stubbs says. “It’s still in the works, but we’re looking for a venue and for people who will work with us to be the away game headquarters for watch parties.”

The Band Alumni Chapter sponsors the Cowboy Marching Band through two scholarship endowments. Joseph Missal, director of bands, says the scholarship money helps attract talented students to the OSU band program.

“Higher education is expensive,” Missal says. “OSU is one of the better buys in the nation, but it’s still expensive.

It makes our job easier with the addition

Members of the OSU Band Alumni Chapter perform at the spring football game in April. The event allowed former band members to interact with current band members.

of scholarship money the Band Alumni Chapter contributes.”

Missal says he thinks it’s important for band alumni to support current students because alumni once supported them when they were students.

“Hopefully people who come through our program, whether it be marching band, concert band or jazz band, have good experiences and want to give back to the program,” Missal says. “I think we need to be able to grow with one another and support each other.”

Missal says by incorporating the former Alumni Band Association within the Alumni Association, the group will be able to support current band students even more and serve as a better connection for its alumni.

“I’m happy about it because the alumni band has been kind of stagnant in its current membership,” Missal says. “I think by being part of the whole picture we have a better chance of reuniting people who have participated in the band program.”

K r i s t e n M c C o n n au g h e y

For more information about the OSU Band Alumni Chapter visit orangeconnection.org/band.

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Building Success With Education’s Toolbox Through hard work and determination, alumnus J. Doug Pruitt parlayed his OSU-OKC degree into becoming a CEO of a large construction company.

J. Doug Pruitt

will boast about his wife of 44 years, how proud he is of his two adult children’s accomplishments or how much fun he has with his four grandchildren.

But the level-headed, introspective 67-year-old is much more humble about his story: How a student, who by his own admission preferred work to school, evolved from earning an associate’s degree in engineering to being the CEO of one of Arizona’s largest construction companies.

Pruitt’s story is one of unassuming determination.

The Duncan, Okla., native preferred to work as an employee of a civil engineering firm in his hometown, but quickly realized he needed a better skill set to earn a decent living.

He heard about OSU-Oklahoma City, then called OSU Technical Institute, in 1964, just three years after its inception. Classes were held in an old building near N.W. 10 and Pennsylvania Avenue.

“There were probably only 400 students in the entire school and only 39 in my graduating class,” Pruitt says.

The first college graduate in his family, Pruitt began working in 1966 for Benham Engineering in Oklahoma City as a draftsman and on a surveying crew. He was transferred after a few months to a federal construction project in Arizona, where the contractor on the project was the family-owned company Sundt Construction.

Soon after, he went to work for the third generation of the Sundt family.

“They were incredibly good people — nice, responsible business people who gave a lot to the community,” Pruitt says. “They were good builders with a great reputation. Through all the ups and downs of business, they never wavered from their strong values.”

Pruitt attributes his desire to stay with Sundt to its philosophy of investing in employees. He said employees are expected to be involved in the community and the industry.

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“I wasn’t just sitting in an office or in the field,” Pruitt says. “I became very active and involved in my community and industry.”

Pruitt’s desire to work hard was second nature, but the path to becoming a CEO was not as clear cut.

“When I went to work, I began to see people in the upper end of management and connected the dots,” he says. “I wondered why I couldn’t be the CEO.” On a business trip at age 26, Pruitt spoke with a structural engineer who served as a mentor. When Pruitt stated he would one day like to run Sundt, his mentor laid out a plan that Pruitt calls “excruciatingly painful.”

teamwork, and having to sacrifice to get to a place where a “I was extremely introverted. When a crowd gathered, I would person is now.” go into my shell,” Pruitt says. “I had to address that problem.”

Pruitt spoke in May at OSU-OKC’s 50th anniversary His mentor’s plan included enrolling in Toastmasters and attendcommencement for 922 graduating students. ing training to improve his leadership and public-speaking skills.

“It’s not over,” he told the campus’ largest graduating class.

The plan also included going back to college for a bachelor’s “When a graduate walks across that stage, it’s the start. As you degree and attending the Stanford Executive Management navigate through life, you will have to continue to learn and evolve. program where he met company leaders from across the nation.

That means understanding that you must constantly change.”

Through years of being involved in high-profile construction His advice to young people is to use their education. projects and corporate success, Pruitt says his best day at work was “Someone has helped you obtain this when he became CEO of Sundt in 1998. nice box of tools. Now you have to use Before then, there was a day that them. Don’t think you’re entitled to a changed the direction of the company in job because you have this degree; you’re 1996 when he was chief operating officer. entitled to an opportunity.”

Pruitt explains: “Sundt had this incredNow retired as CEO of Sundt, Pruitt ible growth. We had built a really recogknows the effect the economy can have nizable company, but unfortunately had on people. gotten in serious financial trouble. We were “Companies might lay off the B and C privately held and finances were fairly tight players, but they’ll do everything they can so most of the employees didn’t know how to keep the A players.” much trouble we were in. One day we had That advice resounds whether a person a meeting and I laid it out to the employees, is a nurse, radiologic technician, electrician ‘We’re going to change starting today and or mechanic, according to Pruitt. it’s going to be painful.’”

“If you really want to be the best, Pruitt says he pointed at the line you have to evolve and train and become where the carpet met tile floor and said, the best.”

“There’s the line in the sand. Who is going Pruitt had a lot of help along the to get up, cross over that line and join me way, including OSU, mentors and, most in working to turn this company around?” importantly, the family he is eager to He says about that day: “The company boast about. put the brakes on and changed direction.

Much of his success he attributes to What really changed is everyone really his wife, Rebecca, “jumping in and workrealized that this was their company, they ing with me on the sacrifice for what I owned it, and it was their money.” wanted to achieve.”

After working on changing expectations, — J. Doug Pruitt Pruitt believes he instilled the values Pruitt says employees had a bigger problem. of treating people right and giving back “They had lost their heart. When to the community in his son, Jeffrey things aren’t going well, and there’s this Pruitt, 41, and daughter, Joey Roether, undertone of not doing well, you can’t do 43, and ultimately in his grandchildren, well until you get your people engaged. ages 2, 3, 6 and 8.

They must realize they are part of somePruitt says his two personas — the thing bigger.” quiet, serious one and the “absolute cut-up” on He says he knew if the employees got their weekends — might surprise people. heart back as an organization, they would do better “We play hard as a family. We water ski, snow ski as a company. and are very active. People at work see the serious one, Through voluntary payroll deduction and an the one who comes in at 7 a.m. and leaves at 6 p.m. My kids employer match of contributions, Sundt formed a foundation see someone who plays guitar and drives the boat.” and donated $5 million in 10 years.

Pruitt is a man who knows what he wants, as his lifetime of “Employees decided where the money went. We started off experience proves. He knows a great education is the beginning slowly, then ramped up dramatically,” he says. “Now we do a lot of better possibilities. of community service projects. Because we’re builders, we do a lot of volunteering for Habit for Humanity and other charities. The Evelyn Schaefer Bollenbach giving starts to take on a life of its own. We got our heart back.”

Explaining how his education at OSU Technical Institute affected his career, he says the value of any education is “going through the process, the discipline of it, the collaboration and

“Someone has helped you obtain this nice box of tools. Now you have to use them.

Don’t think you’re entitled to a job because you have this degree; you’re entitled to an opportunity.”

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CHAPTERS

Cowboy Networking Dinners The OSU Alumni Association’s chapters across the U.S. have always been a great resource for meeting OSU alumni and supporters in your area. Now, several chapters have taken an extra step to bring Cowboys together with networking and cultural dinners.

Kathy Wilson, coordinator of alumni relations for north Texas, says several OSU alumni asked why all of their events were held in Dallas or Fort Worth, which brought up the idea of having networking dinners at restaurants in the different north Texas neighborhoods.

“The attendees have enjoyed meeting other OSU alumni in a small, relaxed environment,” Wilson says. “They now plan to come to more OSU Alumni Association events since they enjoyed the dinner gatherings so much.”

There have been 13 networking dinners in north Texas, including in Denton, Hurst, Rockwall, Plano and Addison. Wilson says there were 139 OSU alumni and friends who attended the dinners.

“When alumni move to a new city, whether after graduation, relocating for a new job or after retirement, they are eager to meet people and make new friends,” Wilson says. “They naturally gravitate to people with similar backgrounds and shared experiences. Alumni moving to north Texas realize quickly people who grew up in Oklahoma and attended OSU are among the nicest people in north Texas.”

People attending the dinners have the opportunity to become a member of the OSU Alumni Association, renew their membership and register children or grandchildren for the OSU Legacy Program.

“Alumni have had nothing but good comments about these dinners,” Wilson says. “Single alumni and those seeking employment also find networking with OSU alumni to be a valuable source for friendship and potential job opportunities.”

The New York City OSU Alumni Chapter has been hosting several cultural dinners each year since it re-formed in 2009.

Chapter President Eric Martin says the dinners are a great way to celebrate the members’ diverse backgrounds and experience all the different cultures that make up New York City.

“We encourage our members to suggest restaurants and other experiences to help enrich the lives of all of our chapter members,” Martin says.

Participants have had the opportunity to experience cuisines, including Korean, German, Italian, Indian, Cajun, Japanese, Brazilian and others.

“We live in a city with hundreds of thousands of options, but so often we get stuck in a loop of our normal places to go,” Martin says. “The cultural dinners give us a chance to get out an experience New York and network with OSU alumni who live here.”

Other chapters that have tried networking dinners include Kansas City and Chicago. Pam Stubbs, director of chapter relations, says the networking dinners are great events for the spring because there aren’t watch parties for many sporting events. She says she would like to see other chapters in larger cities start hosting networking dinners within the neighborhoods.

“Alumni who live in Oklahoma usually get the chance to visit Stillwater and stay connected,” Stubbs says. “For larger cities, this is a way of getting into those niche areas and allowing people to meet others in their area.

“When you get home you’re not going to travel another 30 minutes to an hour to go to dinner, but if you can travel five minutes, you’re more likely to come.”

Stubbs says networking dinners are great for all age ranges and spouses.

“People bring their spouses who weren’t alums, but friends of the university,” Stubbs says. “I think that’s great because they had different experiences, but still have some sort of connection to OSU.” If you would like to host a networking dinner in your neighborhood, contact your local chapter representative listed at orangeconnection.org/chapter, or email the Alumni Association at chapters@orangeconnection.org to organize your own.

T y l er C ara v a n

Alumni Association members during the Cowboy Caravan in Tyler, Texas, on May 17, 2012.

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Ne w Yor k C i t y

Cultural networking dinner.

Upcoming Events Join an OSU Alumni Chapter near you to celebrate OSU and connect with Cowboys in your area. For the most current event listing, visit orangeconnection.org/ chapters or scan the QR code.

Aug. 18

Summer Cookout Kansas City Chapter

Aug. 19

Mets vs. Nationals Game Washington, D.C., Chapter

C l e v e l a n d C ou n t y S e n d off

Alumni, family and incoming freshmen students with Pistol Pete during the senior sendoff in Norman, Okla., on June 2, 2012.

Aug. 20 Fall Semester Begins Aug. 23 Concert in the Park Southeast Virginia Chapter Aug. 24 Happy Hour Chesapeake Chapter Aug. 31–Sept. 1 Chapter Leadership Training Sept. 1 Savannah State vs. OSU Sept. 8 C h ero k ee S t r i p C ara v a n

The Spirit Squad and Miss OSU pose with a young Cowgirl at the Cowboy Caravan in Enid, Okla., on May 14, 2012.

Nor t h Te x as

Plano neighborhood networking dinner.

J ac k so n C ou n t y C ara v a n

Scholarship recipients with certificates at the Cowboy Caravan in Altus, Okla., on May 22, 2012.

Tu l sa Le g ac y s t a m pe d e

Mother and daughter with Bullet in Glenpool, Okla., on June 9, 2012.

OSU @ Arizona

Sept. 15 Louisiana-Lafayette vs.

OSU Sept. 29 Texas vs. OSU Sept. 30 JDRF Walk NYC Chapter Oct. 5

Golf Tournament Houston Chapter

Oct. 6

New Member BBQ NYC Chapter

Oct. 6

Golf Tournament North Texas Chapter

Oct. 6

Mini Golf Tournament Cleveland County Chapter

Oct. 7

Pistol Pete’s Birthday Party OKC Metro Chapter

Oct. 13

OSU @ Kansas

Oct. 19-20 Black Alumni Reunion and Scholarship Weekend Oct. 19-20 Band Alumni Weekend Oct. 20

Iowa State vs. OSU (Homecoming)

Oct. 27

TCU vs. OSU

Nov. 1

Lunch with the OSUAA Southeast Virginia Chapter

Nov. 3

OSU @ Kansas State

Nov. 3

Chili Cook-Off NYC Chapter

Nov. 10

West Virginia vs. OSU

Nov. 17

Texas Tech vs. OSU

Nov. 24 OSU @ OU

S E V i r g i n a c h ap t er

Association members celebrate the chapter formation at an event in Yorktown, Va., on April 28, 2012.

Dec. 1

OSU @ Baylor

Dec. 1

Bus trip North Texas Chapter

Dec. 14-15 Commencements

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Veterans Initiatives OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY VALUES THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE COMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO THE ARMED FORCES and aims to serve the more than 640 veterans enrolled at the university. Projects include the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program (VEP), the ROTC Program in Arts and Sciences, and the Veteran’s Lounge and Endowed Scholarship.

VEP is a yearlong academic program split into three sections to offer unique and innovative training for disabled veterans seeking a chance to develop entrepreneurial ideas, leading edge concepts and tools to start their own businesses.

The ROTC Program in Arts and Sciences ranks third in the country for producing the most cadets to reach the rank of general by focusing on academics, physical fitness and training to produce the leadership skills needed to be commissioned as officers.

OSU has this immense enthusiasm to help veterans realize they can achieve their dreams.

The Veteran’s Lounge and Endowed Scholarship combine to ease the transition back to civilian life by creating a gathering place adorned with service memorabilia and memorials in addition to funding perpetual scholarships for veterans perusing higher education.

★ Gifts to any of these programs will enhance the futures

–Jose Perez, 2009 VEP Participant

of veterans and their families.

To find out how you can impact the lives of veterans at OSU, please contact the OSU Foudation at 800.622.4678, by email at info@OSUgiving.com or visit OSUgiving.com.

Public Radio at OSU Looks Ahead

KOSU will focus on local content and building community.

Listen to KOSU anytime, anywhere, through the live audio streams at www.kosu.org.

In central Oklahoma, tune your radio to 91.7 FM or in northeastern Oklahoma to 107.5 FM.

KOSU’s future is both challenging and exciting.

Those conclusions follow months of study as we sought to identify our strengths and weaknesses and gain a better understanding of the definition of our community, what KOSU means to the people we serve and how we might build on that value for the future.

What emerged from this process is a five-year blueprint that will help KOSU do what we do best — connect people with each other and with the world through the vibrant exchange of information, ideas and artistry.

Several factors are affecting the landscape on which KOSU serves the community. New technologies and the future of public funding are creating both opportunities and difficulties for us.

Radio listeners have at their fingertips more options and technology than ever to listen to their favorite programs. Media consumers are increasingly taking advantage of ubiquitous wireless data systems to stream audio on Internet radios in their cars and on mobile phones. You can listen to KOSU, or just about any other NPR member station, anytime and anywhere.

At the same time that technology is changing the way people consume media, funding for public media is in doubt.

The community service grant KOSU receives from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting represents approximately 18 percent of our budget. That percentage is even higher for many smaller stations. As we pursue our future, we must prepare for the possible loss of federal funding by aggressively pursuing new revenue sources, primarily from the communities we serve.

As we cast our eyes toward the future, we asked our listeners to weigh in through faceto-face conversations and online surveys.

What we learned is while listeners value KOSU as a resource for news and culture, they also want more localism.

Listeners want KOSU to be a community convener and a content provider and help them gain a deeper understanding of the issues — such as education, the economy and health care — they say are challenging their communities.

While our news coverage will continue to be distinctly global as an affiliate of NPR, it will also offer “Uniquely Oklahoma” stories as KOSU builds community through content and content through the community.

Part of that strategy will involve opportunities for listeners to “hear it here” as we engage our communities through conversation and culture.

Through an increased commitment to localism, we will retain listeners who have more choices than ever. At the same time, we will become a more relevant conduit for local voices, increasing our value within the communities we serve.

Kelly Bur le y, KOSU E xecutive Director

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THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS UMNI ASSOCIATION THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSH ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION THANK OU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMN OCIATION THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUM EMBERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION THANK YOU LIF MBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATI THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS UMNI ASSOCIATION THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSH ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION THANK OU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMN OCIATION THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUM What an incredible 12 months it's been for the OSU Alumni Association! Since July 1, 2011, EMBERS YOU LIF we've added ALUMNI more than 30 newASSOCIATION chapters and watch clubs acrossTHANK the U.S., awarded more than $190,000 in scholarships to OSU students and set a Homecoming record with more MBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATI than 80,000 attendees at Walkaround.

THANK YOU LIFE All of these achievements haveMEMBERSHIP been made possible by our ALUMNI MEMBERS loyal and true members, and they have broken records UMNI ASSOCIATION THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSH in their own right! Since last July, Cowboys and Cowgirls have become ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION THANK connected for life to Oklahoma State our Life Membership Fire Sale.

OU during LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMN Become a life member today at OCIATION THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUM orangeconnection.org/life.

EMBERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION THANK YOU LIF MBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATI THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS UMNI ASSOCIATION THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSH 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center ALUMNI MEMBERS THANK Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TEL 405.744.5368 • FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org OU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUMNI MEMBERS ALUMN OCIATION THANK YOU LIFE MEMBERSHIP ALUM

THANK YOU! 3,279

S HIP K NI MNI FE ION S HIP K NI MNI FE ION S HIP K NI MNI FE ION S HIP K NI MNI

Listen to audio excerpts of OSU alumni sharing their compelling life stories and college memories or read their interview transcripts at w w w.librar y.okstate.edu/oralhistor y/ostate.

Remembering Henry Bellmon The Republican was first elected governor 50 years ago.

Cowboys like to turn the tide and make a difference.

In November 1962, one Cowboy changed the political tide of Oklahoma. Henry Bellmon, a 1942 agronomy graduate of Oklahoma A&M, was elected governor of Oklahoma, the first Republican to hold the office.

In the Remembering Henry Bellmon oral history project, many stories are shared about this common, yet uncommon, man.

Bellmon hired OSU graduates years before the Hire OSU Grads campaign. Don Ferrell, a 1953 journalism graduate, worked a number of years for Bellmon.

In the Remembering “People had a great confidence in Henry Bellmon oral him, he was an honest person, and history project, the he was elected governor twice over a Oklahoma Oral History period of 25 years and elected twice Research Program has to the United States Senate. And both gathered recollections times it was a history-making thing,” from family, friends Ferrell said in a 2011 interview. and former staffers of Ferrell credited Bellmon with the former governor inventing the new Republican Party who died in Oklahoma: “He made it a broad in 2009. To welcome party. … He certainly made access the the Republican Party in Oklahoma respectable and made people take it oral histoseriously.” ries, go to Henry and Shirley Bellmon treated http://bit.ly/LPOMnK or staff members as family, often hosting use the QR code. parties at their farm in Billings, Okla.

“He cared so much for other people and his staff, particularly,” 1971 OSU business graduate Sharon Sharp said in a 2011 interview. “We were just like his children. … His girls will tell you that we were more of a family to him than they were sometimes.”

During the 1962 campaign for governor, Bellmon applied a then-new strategy and reached out to women.

A group of three or four women, called the Bellmon Belles, often traveled with the campaign party. Shirley Bellmon designed and made matching outfits for the Belles, and they would sing as they handed out campaign materials.

“I still remember women walking the streets, strumming ukuleles, singing, ‘Yes, sir. We’re for Bellmon.

No, sir. Henry Bellmon. Yes, sir. Bellmon all the time.’

Those were the famous Bellmon Belles,” Oklahoma City University President Robert Henry said in a 2011 interview.

“So, as a 9-year-old, I had my first connection with Henry Bellmon,” Henry said. “Little did I know that I would later become his lawyer and one of the five people that he considered his best friends.”

Many interviewed said Bellmon stood up for what he believed in, was curious with a constant desire to learn and believed in hiring the best person for the job regardless of party affiliation. While he wanted to be seen as a common man, he was rather uncommon.

“I don’t know anybody in public life that I’ve got more regard for, for being a modest, honest, nice person to know and to represent you in high office,” Ferrell said.

“We need more Henry Bellmons.”

The Oklahoma Oral History Research Program at the Edmon Low Library chronicles the rich history, heritage and traditions of Oklahoma. Interviews are available at www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory. For more information about the project, or for assistance with searching, contact the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program at 405-744-7685.

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Traditions Society Members

The OSU Alumni Association acknowledges the following members of the Traditions Society whose generous support helps the Alumni Association achieve excellence in programming and fulfill its mission of service to alumni and OSU. Richard & Marcia Adams John & Nancy Allford William & Karen Anderson ConocoPhillips Company Otis & Joyce Courtright Steve & Donna Cropper M. A. & Caryl Custer Frederick & Janet Drummond Tom & Shelly Duff Emrick’s Van & Storage Michael & Verna Gilbert Dan & Nancy Gilliam Ike & Marybeth Glass Steven & Jennifer Grigsby R. Nadine Hackler Jim & Kimberly Hardick Natalie Shirley & Russ Harrison

Richard & Debe Hauschild Rex & Charlotte Horning Steven Jorns David & Brittany Kollmann Sean & Angela Kouplen James & Janis Lovell Paul & Rita Matthews Cooke & Elizabeth Newman Donald & Joyce Nichols Kenneth & Mary Nichols Leonore Schultz Timothy & Shawn Smith Gerald & Mona Snyder Donald & Rhonda Sweeney Bill & Joy Troub Ron & Cindy Ward Jerry & Rae Winchester

Visit orangeconnection.org/traditionsfund to learn how you can help strengthen the Alumni Association with a donation to the Traditions Fund.

201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 TEL 405.744.5368 • FAX 405.744.6722 orangeconnection.org

C l a s s n o t e s

’50s

J. Kay Cheaney, ’73 ind engr & mgmt, celebrated the birth of her third grandchild, Tara Elizabeth McQueen, in May. Three weeks later her first granddaughter, Sierra Bryn McQueen, died of a massive asthma attack at age 5.

Richard Davis, ’50 agron, is keeping busy with his cutting horse hobby, praying for rain on the pastures, serving on five nonprofit corporation boards and church work in Tyler, Texas.

Marlene Wilkinson, ’53 speech, is the national presiding officer of the N a t i o n a l S o c i et y Descendants of Early Quakers, president of the Dutch Colonial Society and governor general of the Order of the First Families of New Hampsire 1622–1680.

’60s Roy Peterson, ’60 sec ed, would definitely choose OSU again. Roy pitched for the 1959 baseball team and is still friends with the other players. He recently married Patricia Peterson, ’59, and they visit Stillwater almost monthly.

Roger Grissette, ’65 mgmt, has been retired for 12 years.

He organizes and l e a d s a d ve n t u r e travel trips for the Sierra Club in the Rockies and Southwest. He feels the best way to persuade people to fight to save wild areas is to let them see the places that need defending. He also loves playing old-time music with a clawhammer banjo or a fiddle.

Marc Cullison, ’69 arch eng, published his first novel, Where’s the Ivy? It is available through Ama zon, Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million.

He has several more books planned and is still teaching math and science at Connors State College.

Timothy Smith, ’69 ag econ, finished a 100-mile Tour for Cancer on June 23, 2012, with his daughter, Amanda Kleese, while wearing his Cowboy orange.

’70s Ronn Cupp, ’70 journ & broad, has been married to Beth Ann Bloyd Cupp, ’70, for 43 years. Ronn retired last year as senior vice president for government affairs for the State Chamber of Oklahoma after 29 1/2 years. Ronn and Beth have two children, Angela Kersh Cupp, a registered nurse at Baptist-Integris Hospital, and Dr. Dustin Cupp, ’03, D.O. ’07. Ronn and Beth have seven grandchildren.

Ronald Lavit, Ph.D. ’70 psych, is a psychologist in private practice in Arizona. On Feb. 4, 2012, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Arizona Chapter. He had previosly been named Psychologist of the Year by the Volunteer Lawyers Association of Maricopa County, Ariz.

Gordon Matzke, M.S. ’71 geog, retired from Oregon State University in 2003 as professor and chair of the geosciences department.

Mary Matzke, ’72 zoo, retired as head adviser in the science college at Oregon State. She was an adviser for 25 years, head adviser for the last 10 years and received the Academic Advising Award in 2011. Gordon and Mary have two children and two grandchildren.

Bonnie Foley Kurtz, ’72 HEECS, and Charlotte Hughart, ’72 FRCD, reconnected through the OSU Fort Worth Women’s Group. For 13 years they have lived near each other and for eight years have lived in Colleyville, Texas. They are thankful to the North Texas OSU Alumni Chapter led by Kathy Wilson for bringing them together. Charlotte is clinical director and clinical professor of law at Texas Wesleyan University. Bonnie owns a fashion consulting business, Closet2Chic.

Donald Pitts, ’75 mech power tech, M.S. ’03 nat & app sci, served from 1975 to 2005 in the U.S. Air Force, Oklahoma Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

Carol Stinnett, ’75 elem ed, retired from teaching after 28 years. She works as an insurance agent with husband, Steve, ’74 sec ed, in their family agency. Steve taught and coached for 20 years before buying Teel Insurance Agency in Grove, Okla. Carol and Steve are the proud grandparents of 2-year-old Channing Faith Stinnett, daughter of Micah and Cassi Peck Stinnett, both OSU graduates.

Sally Bacon, ’76 gen bus, was named executive director of The Woodlands United Methodist Church Foundation Inc. Joe Reavis, ’77 mktg, reports Brady Reavis, ’15, is the third consecutive generation of his family to attend OSU and has chosen the professional pilot option in the aviation progam. His grandfather, Dick Reavis, earned a history degree at Oklahoma A&M in 1947.

Bruce Brasington, ’79 history, professor of history at West Texas A&M University, has been named a Regents Professor by the Texas A&M University System. Brasington is the fifth current honoree at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

’80s Patrick Nault, ’80 petro tech, became president and CEO of East Texas Salt Water Disposal Co. in Kilgore, Texas in February 2011.

Richard Antle, ’81 bus adm, is retiring from education after 32 years of coaching, teaching and school administration. He is moving into a career with FireCo. and looking forward to new challenges and opportunities to reconnect with friends and to spend more time with his grandsons.

Alexander Croci, ’81, fire prot & saf tech, extends his best regards to his OSU friends, classmates and to those he resided with at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house. He also hopes everyone is doing well and keeps in touch.

Gregory Sawyer, ’82 pol sci, graduated Oklahoma Christian University School of Law on May 13, 2012.

Keep Us Posted We want to hear about your promotions, new family members, retirement activities, honors and other news, and help you share your information with the OSU family. Classnotes may be submitted online at orangeconnection.org, on the Alumni Association Facebook page at facebook.com/okstatealumni or on you web-enabled cellphone at orangeconnection.mobi. Classnotes are printed in STATE magazine, OrangeBytes and online as a benefit for Alumni Association members.

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Classnotes

Chapter Leader Profile:

Brian Phillips Tulsa native Brian Phillips almost didn’t become a Cowboy.

Phillips enrolled to study architecture at Tulane University in New Orleans. When he wasn’t offered financial aid, his plans changed.

“A lot of my friends were going to OSU,” Phillips says. “I was attracted to OSU’s architecture program, so I thought, ‘I’ve got to go somewhere this fall, I’ll enroll at OSU.’” Phillips never regretted the decision.

“OSU was a significant part of my life, including long hours of studying in the library,” says Phillips, who now leads the Colorado Springs OSU Alumni Chapter. “I remember enjoying the whole process of building the Homecoming house decoration in front of our fraternity. It was quite a tradition.”

While at OSU, Phillips was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and Christian Greek.

The latter is no longer a campus organization, but it provided Phillips with many memories he relives with each return to Stillwater.

“I met several people through my fraternity who were involved and met on a weekly basis at Bennett Chapel,” Phillips says. “One of my favorite things to do when I go back to Stillwater is to visit Bennett Chapel because it’s virtually unchanged since I was there. Every time I’ve been on campus, I have been able to visit it and remember those years we met there for Bible study every week.”

Phillips also has a special connection to the building across the street from the chapel.

He’s the great-grandson of Frank Phillips, the founder of Phillips Petroleum Co. In 2002, Phillips merged with Conoco Inc. to create ConocoPhillips. That same year, the company gave the lead gift to the OSU Alumni Association to help construct the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center.

“It’s nice to know my family name will forever be associated with the Alumni Center,” Phillips says. “Considering my choice to go to OSU was made many years before the Alumni

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Center was on anyone’s radar, it’s even more fun to think I chose the right state university.”

Phillips says a memory that stands out from his time at OSU was when a professor invited the struggling freshman to his home for calculus tutoring.

“I’m not sure where else you would find that kind of commitment, where a professor would meet with a student in his home,” Phillips says.

“I learned it never hurts to ask or seek help from other people, even though you think it might be a burden. In particular, OSU folks tend to be very friendly and generous with their time.”

Although Phillips originally majored in architecture, he graduated with an accounting degree in 1981. Young Life, an international Christian outreach organization for teens, offered Phillips the position of marketing manager in 2007. He accepted and moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., but he wasn’t ready to give up his connection to OSU. “When I first moved here, I noticed there were a lot of cars with the orange stickers on the back,” Phillips says. “I contacted the Alumni Association to see if there was a local chapter and, when they said, ‘no,’ I asked them if they were interested in having one and if they would see how many alumni are in the area.”

After finding out there were about 600 OSU alumni within a 30-mile radius of Colorado Springs, Phillips started a watch club for the 2008 football season.

“It’s great being able to find other loyal OSU fans in the community and celebrating with them,” Phillips says. “There is a great diversity of OSU alumni who are here, and many you might not get to meet had it not been for the OSU Alumni Chapter.”

The watch club started off with about 15 people, and attendance has grown.

“We had as many as 70 people showing up for the games by the end of the football season,” Phillips says. “We’re looking forward to growing in the coming seasons.”

Phillips says he visits campus about once a year and treats his California native wife to original Hideaway pizza.

“OSU was formative in my life,” Phillips says. “It has a friendly environment and a great education for a state university.”

— K r i s t e n M c C o n n au g h e y

For more information about the Colorado Springs OSU Alumni Chapter, visit orangeconnection.org/ chapters.

Sunday Ubokudom, ’82 micro, published her book, United States Health Care Policymaking: Ideological, Social and Cultural Differences and Major Influences, on April 12, 2012.

Heidi Rogers, ’85 bio sci, M.S. ’86, Ed.D. ’90, received the Bob McNabb Excellence in Leadership Award from the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce in Idaho. The awa rd goes to a Leadership Coeur d’Alene graduate who has shown volunteer­ism, involvement and enthusiasm.

Jean Smith, ’85 pol sci, joined the Nemeroff Law Firm as a pharmaceutical and serious injury paralegal.

Jon Starr, ’86 pol sci, was selected for the teaching faculty of the International Association of Defense Counsel 2012 Trial Academy at Stanford University. He is the head of the District Court Department with McGivern & Gilliard Law Firm, which has offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

’90s Lane McFarland, M.S. ’90, counseling & student personnel, earned a doctorate from the University of Georgia and served as an assistant professor of counseling at East Central University. Lane is a writer, editor and reviewer in Ada, Okla.

Laura (Nichole) Sweetin, ’95 ag com, was promoted to exhibit manager at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas. Nicole has been employed by the Sands Expo for six years.

Howard Mooney, ’97 acct, and his wife, Julie, announced the birth of their first child, Colin Alexander Mooney, born April 10, 2012. He weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces.

Photo / Kayla Hoffsommer

Jennifer Nahrgang, ’97 acctg, MBA ’98, and family recently enjoyed using Old Central as the backdrop for their family picture to commemorate Willard & Sherry’s 40th wedding anniversary. Willard, a former OSU football player, and Sherry live on their family farm in Lone Wolf, Okla., and enjoy taking their grandkids to OSU football games and, this summer, to the Alumni Association’s Grandparent University.

Their daughter, Julie (Nahrgang) Schaufele, ’95 FRCD, and her husband Brad Schaufele, ’97 agric engr, live in Edmond, Okla., with their three children. Julie is a physician at Northwest Family Medicine in Oklahoma City and Brad is an engineer at The Charles Machine Works, Inc. in Perry, Okla. Jennifer Nahrgang is on the business school faculty at Arizona State University.

Tiece Dempsey, ’01 gen bus, received a Juris Doctor degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law in May. She also holds a master’s in health administration from the University of Oklahoma and plans to sit for the Oklahoma Bar in July.

Courtney Fairbanks, ’04 mktg, married Frank Fairbanks, ’05 finance, M.S. ’05 acct, on April 21, 2012, in Dallas. They met more than 10 years ago at OSU in a financial accounting class. They started dating in May 2007. Of their 12-person wedding party, six bridesmaids and four groomsmen attended OSU. After their wedding, they honeymooned in Australia.

Micha Mitchell, ’07 mgmt, snapped this photo of f u tu re Cowboy Garrison H. M i tc h e l l o n A p r i l 22, 2012.

Colbert Starr, ’49, ag ed, died on April 24, 2012. He was 85.

Starr taught vocational agriculture in Stilwell, Okla., for more than 38 years.

More than 100 state farmers went through his program in his years teaching in Stilwell.

Roy Coble, ’11 nat & applied sciences, is an insurance and financial ser vices agent/representative with Farmers Insurance Group. He is the owner of the Coble Insurance Agency in Newkirk, Okla.

Chase Woodley, ’11 Russian lang & lit, is entering the Penn State Dickinson School of Law in State College, Pa., to puruse his Juris Doctor this fall.

In Memory

Jacob Price, ’98 ag econ and prelaw, and wife, Becca, welcomed their son, Benjamin Clay Price, on May 13, 2012, weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces.

Mark McCoy, Ed.D. ’00, occupat & adult ed, an associate professor at the Forensic Science Institute at the University of Central Oklahoma, was selected as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Information Technology.

McCoy traveled to University of Canberra and the University of South Australia in March 2012 to assist with the development of curricula for programs in digital forensics and cybercrime. He will also be a member of an advisory group working with the Australian Federal Police and the Australian National Centre for Forensic Studies to develop strategic relations h i p s b e t we e n i n d u s t r y a n d academia.

Abilene Chamber of Commerce, president of the Abilene United Way and with many other civic organizations throughout his life. He also received many honors and awards in the banking profession

’10s

Lanie James, ’98 journ & broad, announced her daughter, Sloan Bailey Slaughter-James, was born on March 16, 2011.

’00s

Jennifer Johnson, ’07 bio sci, moved to Tulsa in July after living in Dallas for the past five years. This will be the first year she will have her own season football tickets since graduating.

Melissa Mourer, ’04 ag com; Gant Mourer, ’06 an sci, M.S. ’12; and big brother Colton welcomed future Cowgirl Emma Ann into the world on July 7, 2012. She weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 21 inches.

Amanda Crain, ’05 ind eng & mgmt, and Jake Crain, ’05 mech eng, welcomed their first child, J.R., on April 21, 2012.

Kathryn Bolay-Staude, ’07 ag com, and Jay Staude, ’08 mech eng tech, relocated to Yukon, Okla., and started working in downtown Oklahoma City. Jay is a project engineer with Enogex, and Kathryn is a graphic designer with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. They will celebrate their fourth anniversary in October and are excited to finally be working in the same town.

Joe H. Hodges, ’47 social sci, a longtime banker, civic leader and resident of West Texas, died on April 4, 2012, after a brief illness. Hodges was born in Mountain View, Okla., in 1923 and is Stillwater High School. From 1943 to 1946, he served in the U.S. Army in North Africa, Sicily and Italy during World War II. As a journalism major at Oklahoma A&M, Hodges began his career as the sports editor of the Daily O’Collegian, was instrumental in the chartering of Sigma Delta Chi journalism fraternity and was active in student government. After graduation, he worked for a brief time with the Shawnee News Star. During a 50-year banking career, Hodges served as executive vice president of the First National Bank of Odessa, president of Medical Center National Bank in Houston, president and chairman of the board of Abilene National Bank in Abilene and president of Stanton National Bank. He served as president of the

Paul A. Montemurro, a former OSU marching band director, died July 5, 2012, at his home in St. Joseph, Mo. He was 79. Montemurro served as the band’s director from 1972 to 1981, when he became director of bands. In 1979, Montemurro and several former students formed an alumni band.

Montemurro’s students often referred to him as “Prof.” He resigned from OSU in 1985. He was born April 20, 1933, in Chicago. He married Margaret Dickover on March 9, 1985, in Oklahoma. He was an accomplished trumpet, flugelhorn and piccolo trumpet soloist. He had 42 years of experience in band direction, music education and church music work.

Montemurro also was director of bands at Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo., and directed instrumental groups at public schools in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. In 1971, Montemurro was named an Outstanding Educator of America. Three years later, he received a Citation of Excellence from the National Bandmasters of America. He was named the National Association of Jazz Educators Outstanding Jazz Educator in the Oklahoma Unit in 1987. His professional affiliations included Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, National Patrons of Phi Beta Mu, College Band Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference and American Bandmaster’s Association. He was a member of two honorary band societies, Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. He was also a member and served as president of the Oklahoma Unit of the National Association of Jazz Educators.

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Loyalty and Tradition are the Cornerstone of BancFirst service. We are proud to serve the Stillwater Community and welcome back the Alumni of Oklahoma State University.

stillwater

808 South Main 505 East Hall of Fame OSU Student Union (ATM only) 2323 West 6th Street (ATM only) Stillwater Medical Center (ATM only) 405.742.6200

The Wesley Foundation Founded in 1909, The Wesley Foundation has been making disciples, creating leaders and transforming lives through its many exciting ministries on OSU’s campus for more than 100 years.

We invite you to become a part of this vital ministry by joining us in prayer for the students of OSU. To learn more about The Wesley Foundation and our prayer initiative, visit us on the strip or go to www.wesleyosu.com.

H i s t or y

Oklahoma A&M graduate Henry Howard Finnell

By David C. Peters, OSU Library

was the watchdog of the southern Great Plains.

“I’d like to sell you the idea there is nothing irregular or unnatural about the weather. Anything the weather does anywhere is perfectly regular, proper and natural. If we have a hard winter one year, an easy one the next, that’s natural to this part of the country — likewise a cloudburst or a long dry spell.” — H.H. Finnell, during a Kiwanis luncheon in Guymon, Okla., Feb. 3, 1949

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balance in nature has never existed for an extended period of time on the southern Great Plains with its relentless winds, hardy vegetation, sporadic moisture, fertile soils, extreme seasonal changes and many migratory animals.

No one understood this ecological system better than Henry Howard Finnell.

Finnell lived on the arid Great Plains for almost four decades, studied the environment and tried to show others how to modify their farming methods to succeed before, during and after the great dust storms of the 1930s.

Finnell was born Oct. 27, 1894, in rural Mississippi. At age 7, his family moved to Indian Territory and settled near Hartshorne in what would become Pittsburg County with Oklahoma statehood six years later.

After graduating high school in 1913, Finnell enrolled at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College and majored in agronomy. He served as president of the Aggie Society, business manager of the Oklahoma Agriculturist publication, first lieutenant third battalion in the OAMC Cadet Corps and as president of the Pittsburg County Club.

Finnell was also a member of the Farm Survey Team, Journalistic Club, Alpha Zeta, YMCA, IOOF, and the Ancient Independent Order of Fiery Domes. This last group, for those with hair colors from “cinnamon red to brick-yard blonde,” identified “Hooks” Finnell as a founding member.

He also had part-time jobs working in the college cafeteria and as a student assistant in the agronomy department.

Finnell graduated with his bachelor’s on May 25, 1917, a time of great excitement and great anxiety. The United States had entered World War I the month before, and many student soldiers were headed for military service.

Finnell married Margaret Elizabeth Thomas on May 5, 1918. He was hired in November 1917 to serve as the station farmer at the OAMC Experiment Station farm in Stillwater. He was the foreman and agriculturalist until July 1920, when the position was discontinued.

In September 1920, Finnell was appointed the vocational agricultural teacher in Ravia, Okla. The Finnells would live and work there until June 1923. During this time, the couple’s three oldest sons were born.

When the new Panhandle A&M College Experiment Station was established at Goodwell in July 1923, Finnell became its first director. The family relocated to the western Plains and settled in Texas County, Okla.

The Finnells arrived in the panhandle almost a decade after the great sod plow-up had begun. During World War I grain prices had soared, and many farmers began plowing prairie grasses under and seeding the land to winter wheat. When grain prices dropped dramatically after the war ended, farmers plowed additional acres and increased the number of bushels harvested.

Rain was plentiful in the 1920s across the southern Plains and exceeded the regional averages. As long as the rain fell, farm families prospered.

LEFT: A dust storm engulfs Springfield, Colo. Dust storms devastated communities throughout the Great Plains during the 1930s.

The abundance of the 1920s was quickly replaced with the disastrous decade of the 1930s. The rain stopped but the winds did not, and much of the region’s topsoil became airborne.

Prior to the 1930s, most research efforts examining soil erosion in the U.S. focused on limiting topsoil losses caused by water runoff. Finnell would conduct the country’s first research to conserve moisture in arid croplands and limit the impact of wind erosion. Within a few years, he would be the nation’s most qualified expert on windblown soil.

Finnell had begun a series of investigations in 1925 exploring measures for preserving moisture in soils. By establishing terraces at the Goodwell experiment station and utilizing contour tillage, he was able to maintain higher moisture levels than was found in surrounding plots of land. More moisture meant additional vegetation to hold the soil in place.

Developing a flexible crop rotation system was an additional feature of Finnell’s soil management suggestions.

A vehicle is stranded in western Oklahoma.

Dust storms hampered traffic by covering roads with soil and limiting visibility.

He recommended area farmers move away from annual plantings of winter wheat. He suggested grain sorghums and other crops in years when moisture levels were low. Finnell also suspected that farming methods utilized in the eastern and central Plains were not realistic when applied on the western prairie.

The agrarian society living on the western Plains was about to learn this lesson the hard way. The most adversely affected area of the Dust Bowl, which included parts of Colorado, New Mexico, (continues)

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Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, would be centered near Finnell’s home and research plots in Goodwell.

Fourteen dust storms passed through this region in 1932, and there were 72 storms in a single year by the end of 1937.

Visibility could be reduced to zero. The 40 storms that passed through Amarillo, Texas, in 1935 lasted for a total of more than 900 hours. The dust clouds contained tons of fine soil particles and would reach an elevation of 8,000 feet. Static electricity levels increased dramatically, and some “dusters” were accompanied by lightning and thunder.

The federal government started paying attention after a huge storm moved east in May 1934, and soil particles from the western Plains fell from the sky onto the White House.

“This particular dust storm blotted out the sun over the nation’s capital, drove grit between the teeth of New Yorkers, and scattered dust on the decks of ships 200

Dust Storms in Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936

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— — — — —

14 38 22 40 68

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1937 — 72 1938 — 61 1939 — 30 1940 — 17 1941 — 17

miles out to sea,” said Hugh H. Bennett, who was named the U.S. Soil Erosion Service’s first director about a year earlier.

“I suspect that when people along the seaboard of the eastern United States began to taste fresh soil from the Plains 2,000 miles away, many of them realized for the first time that somewhere something had gone wrong with the land,” he said. “Although we were slowly coming to realize that soil erosion was a major national problem, even before that great dust storm, it took that storm to awaken the nation as a whole to some realization of the menace of erosion.”

In August 1934, Finnell took a longterm leave of absence from the Goodwell station when Bennett appointed him to lead the soil conservation efforts at ground zero of the Dust Bowl. Bennett then placed Finnell in charge of Region VI with headquarters in Amarillo, Texas, when the USDA Soil Conservation Service was created in 1935.

Finnell took a group of Goodwell graduates with him to Amarillo. They were straightforward, practical and blunt about what needed to be done to save the soils in the southwestern Plains.

In addition to retaining soil moisture, Finnell advocated manipulating the top surface of the ground with terraces and contours to retain water and limit wind erosion. He also encouraged the use of lister cultivators to create grooves in fields to disrupt the strength of the wind and store water. Finnell supported the local farmers’ development of improved cultivation implements, including grooved discs for one-way plows and chisels to break up the soil.

His 1935 budget was $60,000; by 1942, it reached $11 million. His handful of permanent employees grew to more than 900. Much of the funding went to the recovery of the most marginal lands, totaling nearly 1 million acres. Finnell would oversee 25 Civilian Conservation Camps, groups of men forming a soil-saving army.

H.H. Finnell surveys the site of a future reclamation project near Dalhart, Texas.

The department completed meticulous soil surveys for the 100 counties most affected by wind erosion. They prepared maps based on aerial photographs and soil classifications. Armed with this detailed information, Finnell recommended specific erosion control practices to farmers for all lands under cultivation or pasture.

Finnell also recommended that more than 6 million acres of marginal land in those counties be returned to grass.

Finnell found himself in the midst of a balancing acting between federal authorities that wanted to remove people from the region and local rural communities with many farm families bound and determined to stay.

Finnell and Bennett recommended the creation of rural soil conservation districts under local control to implement the new soil preservation procedures. While successful elsewhere, few of these local districts were established in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, where farmers

viewed their land as more of a commodity than a resource and received economic incentives to grow more wheat.

The process of returning marginal areas to native grasses was not easy. It took almost a decade of study to perfect the propagation of these grasses. Native grasses did not immediately repopulate barren fields. It took decades for buffalo grass, blue grama and other grasses to become established again.

Finnell supported a variety of other activities to limit erosion. He encouraged the ongoing planting of trees on the western Plains. He discouraged burning stubble in the fields, preferring instead to retain it to hold the topsoil and create resistance against the wind. Finnell was instrumental in the development of grain sorghum varieties to plant in rotation with wheat.

At times, Finnell expressed frustration and pessimism about the progress in the war against soil erosion. He believed

the region’s climatic conditions were only 30 percent of the problem; the rest lay with inappropriate cultivation and poor farming methods.

He was also a patient man who knew that it would take time to make effective changes with lasting benefits. Short with a toothbrush mustache and southern drawl, Finnell was not an imposing figure. He had two hobbies: sailing and painting.

But with intelligence and energy he fought to defend and conserve the natural resources of the western prairies. He saw it as a productive region that could remain fertile for future generations with proper agricultural management.

“The job has just been started, however, and the final solution will not be found in the work done by the federal government,” he said. “Our land will be safe and productive only when conservation practice becomes the everyday farming habit of those who farm the Plains.”

Oklahoma A&M graduate Henry Finnell will be featured in the documentary The Dust Bowl by Ken Burns. OSU Special Collections aided filmmakers with some of the research for the film, which is scheduled to premiere in November on PBS.

PHOTO STRIP: The story of the 1930s on the Great Plains is one of devastation, innovation and overcoming. Dust storms forced western Oklahomans to abandon homesteads and farm equipment as travel became near impossible. The destruction gave birth to farming methods espoused by H.H. Finnell, including contour plowing and terracing, to trap water and preserve moisture in the soil.

All photos courtesy of OSU Special Collections 127

Welcome Home

To Stillwater

The Ranch will redefine everything you ever thought you knew about how retirement can be.

Featuring elegantly appointed cottage and apartment homes, superior amenities and numerous social events, The Ranch will encourage an active, fulfilling and independent lifestyle. Our vision celebrates the beauty of Oklahoma ranchland, its people, passion and heritage.

We are currently taking fully refundable deposits for priority reservations through the Pioneer Club. So don’t delay! For more information call 405-743-2990 or 866-463-6726.

“OSU opened up the world to me and introduced me to my wife. We always said we’d come back and in 1990 we retired here. Now with The Ranch in our future plans, we look forward to being a part of this wonderful new community—we get more excited every day.”

Wes Watkins, Pioneer Club Member

www.theranchliving.org Mailing address: 601 S. Washington, #283, Stillwater, OK 74074

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