STATE magazine - Fall 2015

Fall 2015, Vol. 11, No. 1 • statemagazine.okstate.edu

Welcome to the fall 2015 issue of STATE magazine, your source of information from the OSU Alumni Association, the OSU Foundation and University Marketing. On the cover, we celebrate the university’s 125th anniversary with historical memorabilia from OSU’s Edmon Low Library Special Collections Archive and the Gallagher-Iba Arena Heritage Hall. Read more about the founding of the university inside this edition of STATE. (Cover photography by Phil Shockley)

S PE CI A L S E C TIO N

80 Established on Christmas Day in 1890, OSU is celebrating its rise from a patch of prairie to a leading land grant institution for higher education. Discover more information about OSU through a digital online timeline featuring historical photos, videos and other content from many sources, including the archives at the Edmon Low Library. Come to campus and take a walk down memory lane in the hall of traditions highlighted at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center. Today, OSU has more than 36,000 students across its five-campus system with over 25,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, including students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. OSU has graduated more than 255,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.

T HE L A DY BE HIND T HE M A S K

Puppeteer Repairs Pistol Pete

As a milliner, costumer, puppeteer and marionette theater owner, Lillie Solomon has kept busy through the years with a creative mind, channeling her imagination into inventing magical things. When Lillie Solomon’s son Michael learned the Pistol Pete heads needed repair, he knew his mother was just the person for the job.

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22

Building a Brighter Orange

C OW BOY C O LLE C T ION

8 Epworth — The Ranch

Resort-style community provides unique living experience for seniors.

14 Game Day Guide

Get ready for football with Cowboy Corral, ticket offers, discounts, parking and parties.

44 Diving into the Deep, Dark Web

Electrical engineering graduate Chris White invents Memex at DARPA.

48 Cambridge Bound

Engineering students admitted for graduate study abroad.

50 NASA x-Hab Challenge

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Building projects are giving a new look to Oklahoma State University.

Construction continues throughout the campus and university-wide system.

Project encourages students to delve into space exploration.

56 Seeking birds of a feather

Former faculty member creates fellowship.

70 Cranberry research aids diabetes

Professor studies nutrients to improve health.

72 A Taste of Cowboy

African Art Exhibition

Official Chuck Wagon Cook of Oklahoma shares recipes.

98 Made in Oklahoma

Center assists food product development.

108 Women Breaking the Mold

OSUIT offers new opportunities in the workforce.

114 Science Education Inspires Passion

Alumnus contributes to many humanitarian causes.

118 Grandparent University

Summer camp for legacies continues to grow.

D E PA R T ME N T S Letters to the Editor

107

The OSU Museum of Art permanent collection features objects from various regions of Africa. Combined with a private collection, the fall exhibition tackles the question of how time influences African art.

President’s Letter

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OSU Medicine

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57

Snapshot

79

STATEment

10

History

80

Wellness with Ann Hargis

12

O-STATE Stories

POSSE Replay

17

KOSU Uniquely Oklahoma

102

26

Alumni Chapters

120

Legacy Link

29

Class Notes

121

Campus News

30

Passages

125

The Cowboy Way

96

Events

31

Book Corner

126

First Person

46

Essay

128

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TRANSFORMING MEDICAL EDUCATION IN OKLAHOMA Thanks to the A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Foundation’s generous investment in our students, OSU Center for Health Sciences will be able to provide state-of-the-art training for the next generation of Oklahoma physicians and transform medical education in Oklahoma. The Tandy Foundation has donated $8 million to help fund the construction of a new academic building. In honor of the historic gift, the largest ever given to OSU Center for Health Sciences, the facility will be named the A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Medical Academic Building.

ÂŽ

Tulsa, Oklahoma

918-582-1972

www.healthsciences.okstate.edu

UNIVERSIT Y MARKETING Kyle Wray / Vice President of Enrollment Management & Marketing Mark Pennie / Assistant Director Marketing Services Elizabeth Keys / Editor Dave Malec, Paul V. Fleming, Valerie Kisling & Mark Pennie / Design Phil Shockley & Gary Lawson / Photography Faith Kelley, Chad Waters, Wilma Van der Laan, Shelby Holcomb, Karolyn Bolay & Dorothy Pugh / Editorial Brandee Cazzelle, April Cunningham, Pam Longan & Leslie McClurg / Marketing University Marketing Office / 305 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078-1024 / 405-744-6262 / www.okstate.edu / statemagazine.org / editor@okstate.edu, osu.advertising@okstate.edu OSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Phil Kennedy / Chair Kent Gardner / Vice Chair Jennifer Grigsby/ Immediate Past Chair Chris Batchelder / President and CEO Jace Dawson / Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer Pam Davis / Vice President and Chief Programs Officer Pattie Haga / Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Treca Baetz, Chris Batchelder, Gregg Bradshaw, Larry Briggs, Bill Dragoo, Russell Florence, Burns Hargis, Kirk Jewell, Jami Longacre, Tony LoPresto, Mel Martin, Travis Moss, H.J. Reed & Tom Ritchie / Board of Directors Holly Bergbower, Lacy Branson, Chase Carter, Katie Parish / Communications and Marketing

COWBOY GENERATIONS Seven males, six degrees, five graduates, four generations, three civil engineers, two future students, one family.

An OSU FAMILY. My father (pictured in the framed photograph), the late Hugh Smith, earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1949, coming to college on the GI Bill after World War II. I also studied civil engineering, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1975 and a master’s degree in 1977.

My son Kyle Smith (2010 construction management bachelor’s degree) and son-in-law Brian Green (2007 biological science bachelor’s degree), along with grandchildren Hunter Smith and Fisher Green, gathered outside Gallagher-Iba Arena to celebrate my son Jeff Smith’s graduation with a third generation bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in May 2015.

We all work together at Atlas Paving Company, Atlas Asphalt Products and Grace Trucking in Oklahoma City.

Go Pokes!

Bruce Smith ’75, ’77 President, The Atlas Companies Oklahoma City

OSU Alumni Association / 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, Stillwater, OK 74078-7043 / 405-744-5368 / orangeconnection.org / info@orangeconnection.org OSU FOUNDATION Jennifer Grigsby / Chairman of the Board Kirk Jewell / President Donna Koeppe / Vice President of Administration & Treasurer Chris Campbell / Senior Associate Vice President of Information Strategy Shane Crawford / Senior Associate Vice President of Leadership Gifts David Mays / Senior Associate Vice President of Central Development Paula Voyles / Senior Associate Vice President of Constituency Programs Blaire Atkinson / Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Deborah Adams, Mark Allen, Chris Batchelder, Jerry Clack, Bryan Close, Patrick Cobb, Michael Greenwood, Jennifer Grigsby, John Groendyke, Helen Hodges, David Holsted, David Houston, A.J. Jacques, Kirk Jewell, Steven Jorns, David Kyle, John Linehan, Ross McKnight, Bill Patterson, Lyndon Taylor, Phil Terry, Stephen Tuttle, Dennis White, Jay Wiese, Jerry Winchester / Trustees Shelly Cameron, Kasi Kennedy, Jennifer Kinnard, Chris Lewis, Jacob Longan, Amanda O’Toole Mason, Michael Molholt, Matthew J. Morgan, Benton Rudd / Communications OSU Foundation / 400 South Monroe, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, OK 740761749 / 800-622-4678 / OSUgiving.com / info@OSUgiving.com

STATE magazine is published three times a year (Spring, Fall, Winter) by Oklahoma State University, 305 Whitehurst, 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. Postage is paid at Stillwater, OK, and additional mailing offices. Magazine subscriptions are available only by membership in the OSU Alumni Association. Membership cost is $45. Call 405-744-5368 or mail a check to 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, Stillwater OK 74078-7043.

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, genetic information, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This provision includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services. The Director of Equal Opportunity has been designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies. Contact the Director of Equal Opportunity at 408 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078-1035; telephone 405-744-5371; or email eeo@okstate.edu. Any person (student, faculty, or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based on gender may discuss his or her concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with OSU’s Title IX Coordinator at 405-744-9154.

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 $1.08 per issue. 33,497/August 2015/#5860.

Dear Readers, Did you take a great photo on campus? Send your family pictures to STATE SNAPS at editor@okstate.edu.

Explain what’s happening in the photograph and include your full name, graduation year, major and daytime telephone number. We won’t publish your phone number, but we may give you a call to verify the information.

Continue to mail letters to: STATE Magazine, 305 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater OK 74078.

Sincerely, Elizabeth Keys

STATE Editor

COME VISIT

CAMPUS TOURS INFO ADMISSIONS.OKSTATE.EDU

Copyright © 2015, STATE magazine. All rights reserved.

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This is a special year in the history of our beloved university as we recognize the 125th anniversary of the founding of Oklahoma State University on Christmas Day 1890. This issue of STATE magazine kicks off the celebration.

In this edition, drawing from the Edmon Low Library Special Collections, we look at the donation of land by Stillwater residents that determined the original boundaries of the university. The Oklahoma Oral History Project is capturing our past by recording stories from alumni in every Oklahoma county. We also highlight the multimedia, online 125-year timeline that chronicles our illustrious history.

In the present, work continues on several campus facilities, including the addition to the College of Human Sciences building. Great facilities allow faculty and students to do great work. Also profiled is Dr. Arpita Basu, who is researching the benefits of cranberries. Her work is welcomed news to the 29.1 million Americans living with diabetes.

The innovative work of OSU faculty and students, as well as alumni and friends, was featured at TEDxOStateU 2015. We meet OSU engineering graduate Chris White, who opened a window into the Internet’s dark Web to help federal officials fight crime on a global level. His talk and others are available at www.TEDxOStateU.com.

We are proud of the five students from the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology who were admitted to the graduate program at the University of Cambridge. Philip White, Eric Gilbert, Eric Ruhlmann, Kathleen Nelson and Peter Storm are five of only 21 Americans selected by Cambridge. Four of the five are scholars in the prestigious program established by Wayne Allen, alumnus and former chairman and CEO of Phillips Petroleum Company.

For an interesting peek at Pistol Pete, this issue of STATE features Lillie Solomon, a master puppeteer who has been the caretaker of the revered Pete head for more than 35 years.

The Fall semester is upon us, and we look forward to another wonderful year. First Cowgirl Ann and I hope to see you on campus wearing orange!

Go Pokes!

Burns Hargis OSU President

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Which OSU tradition

will you fall in love with?

#4 Move-In Day

#45 Waving Song

#24 Edmon Low Library

#58 Tailgating

#54 Walkaround

#13 SUAB

The new Tradition Keepers Program is already enhancing the OSU experience for our students. Check out a few of the traditions available for them to complete this fall.

ORANGECONNECTION.org/tradition |

FLI/okstatetradition

THE RANCH UNVEILS RESULTS OF ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY Stillwater’s first continuing-care retirement community to bring $9.6 million to the city Stillwater’s 55-acre resort-style senior community, The Ranch, will provide a unique opportunity for residents to age in place while also making a positive economic impact on the surrounding area.

An economic impact study projects The Ranch, slated to open only minutes away from Oklahoma State University, will provide quantifiable economic benefits to Payne County.

The study was commissioned by the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and produced through an application called Applied Economics.

The continuing-care retirement community provides services to senior individuals, from independent living through hospice care.

“The Ranch provides residents a place they can call home for life. The proximity of a dynamic college town with a range of academic, cultural and athletic events will provide fulfilling opportunities to residents,” said John Harned, president and CEO of Epworth Living, a parent company of The Ranch.

The study shows The Ranch’s valuable economic impact to the community, through job creation and projected household spending, bringing nearly $10 million annually to the local economy. Based on the study, sales tax revenue alone will be approximately $3 million. The projected 140 direct and indirect new jobs translate to a total annual payroll of $5 million with potential annual household spending of $4.5 million.

“Many collaborative efforts are behind the

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development of The Ranch, and we are pleased to bring such a high quality continuing-care retirement community to Stillwater,” said Joe Haney, vice president of advancement at The Ranch.

“Not only will these efforts result in a vibrant lifestyle opportunity, but will also have a direct and very positive impact on our local economy.”

Future residents of The Ranch have started selecting floor plans and gathering regularly to socialize while the retirement community’s board of directors moves ahead with development planning.

Ron Beer, chairman of The Ranch board of directors, looks forward to moving with his wife into the future retirement community.

“It’s really comforting for Cara and me to know that we can move into a place like this and be as independent as we want to be,” Beer said.

The Ranch will be comprised of 114 independent living apartments, 23 cottages, 40 assisted living apartments, 20 memory care apartments, and 40 skilled nursing beds for longterm care and short-term rehabilitation.

With much of the residential space filling up, interested future residents are encouraged to contact The Ranch at 405-743-2990.

For additional information, visit TheRanchLiving.org.

WHAT CAN THE RANCH DO FOR OUR ECONOMY?

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Dear OSU Alumni and Friends, We welcome one of the largest freshman classes

To discover how your orange passion can

on campus this fall — thanks to you. By entrust-

unite with university priorities to achieve excel-

ing OSU with your children and referring friends,

lence, visit OSUgiving.com. Check BrandInsight

family and neighbors to us, you are a critical part

on NewsOK.com to learn more about great things

of the admissions team. While this academic year

happening at OSU. A big part of what students can

has begun, we are already taking applications for

accomplish once they get here is because of you.

the 2016 fall semester. Refer prospective students

No matter what your connection is to the Cowboy

to admissions.okstate.edu or, better yet, bring along

family, the OSU Alumni Association has a vari-

future Cowboys and Cowgirls with your family to

ety of opportunities to get involved and show your

Homecoming and campus events — experiencing

pride this semester. You can find engaging events

OSU’s endearing traditions together during our 125th

for alumni, students and fans on our website at

year of service.

orangeconnection.org/events and on the Orange

One of OSU’s greatest traditions is taking care of

Connection app. We look forward to good times

each other. Loyal and true Cowboys are there when

this fall including “America’s Greatest Homecoming

you need them, which is why we often describe the

Celebration” in October!

university’s alumni and friends as the Cowboy family.

The generous contributions of this family are

Membership is at a 10-year high, and the Alumni Association continues to expand our alumni and

crucial to OSU’s success. The university receives about

student programming with the support of dues. We

18 percent of its annual budget from state appropria-

invite you to join more than 30,000 loyal members

tions. Donations increase OSU’s ability to offer a qual-

who exemplify every day what it means to be a

ity education as affordably as possible by reducing the

true Cowboy.

reliance on tuition and fees. Every dollar helps OSU support students, hire and keep great professors, build

Help us recruit the next generation for our Cowboy family!

world-class facilities and establish premier programs.

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Chris Batchelder

Kirk Jewell

Kyle Wray

President & CEO OSU Alumni Association

President OSU Foundation

OSU Vice President for Enrollment Management & Marketing

FALL 2015

Pete says,

“THE WORLD NEEDS MORE OSU COWBOYS.” You can help us find the next generation of Cowboys by identifying potential students. You provide the contact information. We do the rest.

Happy Birthday, Oklahoma State!

Our beloved university turns 125 years old this year. I’m not sure the phrase “You’re not getting older, you’re just getting better” has ever been more true.

In many ways, the aging of our campus can parallel our own maturation process. The minute we are born, we begin learning and understanding the world around us. Through the relationships we develop and the experiences we have, we shape our world-view and begin to understand who we are. Once we know who we are, we begin to understand the role we have in this world.

At Oklahoma State we seek to create the best academic environment possible. And while learning is priority at OSU, we also understand the importance of helping people achieve harmony in a variety of areas — physical, emotional, spiritual, professional and social. And these concepts apply to not only students, but also to our faculty and staff.

We are America’s Brightest ORANGE ® and we have become America’s HEALTHIEST Campus®. We are focused on wellness because we care about ourselves and about each other. We understand people can actually get better with age and we

are providing the tools to make that happen. If we take care of ourselves, the natural extension is to care for others. We’re making our campus “well” and we are extending that concept to impact not only the town of Stillwater, but also the state of Oklahoma.

Healthy dining options, stress and meditation courses, fitness classes, pet therapy, a focus on philanthropy, fiscal responsibility classes, walking trails on campus, the Mother’s garden, student volunteer center, recycling and sustainability programs, bike programs — these are just a few of the ways our campus has grown.

Aging is about being better than you were yesterday, and I’m not sure anyone has done it better than Oklahoma State University. I can’t wait to see where we go next, Cowboys and Cowgirls!

BBQ Chicken Salad Prep Time: Between 10-15 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 15-20 minutes Yield/Serving Size: Four servings Ingredients: 2 boneless thin sliced chicken breasts 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce 1 cup spinach leaves 1 diced tomato ¾ can of drained corn kernels OSU student Anissa Grisham won the University Dining Services “Fresh Mix” Healthy Salad Contest. Her salad is now featured as a Choose Orange item in the grab-and-go coolers across campus.

Let your taste buds enjoy this recipe for just 400 calories per serving. Thanks, Anissa, for doing your part to make OSU America’s HEALTHIEST Campus®.

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¾ can black beans drained ¼ cup red onion ¼ cup natural cheddar cheese ¼ cup of low sodium barbecue sauce of choice ¼ cup low fat vinaigrette dressing

In health,

Ann Hargis

Directions: Season chicken breasts with pepper, and put in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Cook for about three minutes each side or until chicken is cooked all the way through. After cooling chicken, dice it. Put lettuce and spinach leaves in a large bowl. Top the leaves with chicken, tomato, onion, corn, beans and cheese.

Put BBQ sauce and salad dressing on top, and mix salad so all ingredients are evenly distributed. Serve immediately.

CO w BOY

OSU Alumni Association

Corral

#

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速

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Real Pokes pay with Pete.

The Pistol Pete Credit Card.* Apply today.

midfirst.com/pistolpete Member FDIC *Subject to credit approval

BY C L AY B I L L M A N

Oklahoma State’s Devin Hedgepeth recently turned pro. A highly sought-after prospect, the former Cowboy cornerback was targeted by a number of the nation’s top organizations.

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

“Throughout my life, I have had some amazing people help me along the way,” says the humble Hedgepeth. “And I certainly would not be here today if it were not for a large number of people sacrificing for me.”

The December 2014 graduate spent several months in training camp in Fairfax, Virginia, before settling in Houston for the remainder of his rookie year.

His team: ExxonMobil. His position: industrial engineer.

“Devin was being recruited by the very top companies,” says Camille DeYong, associate professor of industrial engineering and management at OSU. “ExxonMobil, Wal-Mart, ConocoPhillips, Chesapeake … the list goes on. I think he probably could’ve gone to work for just about anybody he wanted to. Exxon only hires the top graduates, so he’s a pretty special kid.”

It’s a dream come true for the young man from Derby, Kansas.

“I seek challenges, and ExxonMobil promises to challenge me for my growth,” Hedgepeth says. continues

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The journey is underway, as Hedgepeth is among a select group of new employees learning the ropes.

“We’re starting out in Fairfax to get a feel for what we’re doing before moving down to their new campus in Houston,” Hedgepeth explains. “Right now my title is retail fuels marketing program adviser, and I will be working with a group in global retail fuels marketing. I’ll be working more with retail station locations and more on the marketing side to start off.

From there, they like to move us around every year or two, but eventually I may move into some more engineering roles or logistics.”

“OSU was just a really great opportunity for me,” he explains. “I was coming into a situation where there was a senior leaving, and I would get some good playing time as a true freshman. When I visited campus, it just felt right. And the (IE) degree is one of the best in the nation.

Everything here was perfect for me.”

As a promising freshman in 2010, Hedgepeth saw action in every game, including a start against Troy. By the time the 2011 campaign commenced, the 6-foot, 190-pound corner figured to be a fixture in the defensive backfield along with fellow sophomore Justin Gilbert and junior Brodrick Brown.

“It takes a tremendous work ethic because so much time is demanded from athletes.

And athletes certainly aren’t alone. People in the band, ROTC and students who have outside activities frequently find that the time demands of engineering on top of that is difficult. What it takes is work ethic and time management, and Devin was certainly good at those.”

Pratt, who also served as Hedgepeth’s academic adviser, adds that studentathletes are often equipped with other skills that come in handy in the classroom.

“Some of the athletes that we’ve had have been very successful, and part of it is their ability to take constructive criticism.

“There are more than 450,000 student-athletes, and just about every one of them will go pro in something other than sports.”

— NCAA ad campaign

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Hedgepeth returned an interception 26 yards in the 2011 season opener against Louisiana and picked off another pass versus Tulsa two weeks later in the infamous lightning-delayed game that kicked off after midnight in Chapman Stadium.

At the time, his two interceptions placed him eighth in the national statistics.

Things were looking up for the standout student-athlete.

Academically, Hedgepeth was settling into his chosen major and taking rigorous prerequisite courses for engineering majors. That often meant studying instead of partying, even on Saturday night.

“I would end up playing in the game then go back home, shower up and then do homework,” he recalls. “It seemed like everyone else was out celebrating and having fun. A lot of times I would be in the AC (academic center) studying while some people could just relax.”

Industrial engineering is a challenging major, particularly for student-athletes, says Pratt.

“Any time you have a major sport athlete who is an engineer, it’s an attention-getter on a résumé,” Pratt explains.

As an athlete you get that all the time, and you can’t get defensive and react negatively. You have to take it and say, ‘How can this make me better?’ Athletes are much better at that in a classroom environment than people who haven’t had that athletic background. The others tend to take it personally, where an athlete sees it as part of the process to get better.”

His colleague DeYong agrees.

PHOTOS / GARY LAWSON

Hedgepeth was drawn to the industrial engineering field because of what he calls the “people factor.”

“We’re one of the few engineering disciplines that take into account the people factor. IE’s are known as the engineer type who can get out into the field and communicate with people, whether it is in a manufacturing plant or in front of a board of executives. I knew that I would not be locked into sitting behind a desk all day in front of a computer, and that excited me.”

“Industrial engineers are improvement engineers,” says David Pratt, OSU associate professor and undergraduate program director. “I think what makes a good IE is somebody who looks at the way things are done and believes there is a better way to do it.”

The all-state athlete and class valedictorian chose OSU for its combination of quality football and IE programs.

Hedgepeth says he picked the Pokes over scholarship offers from the likes of Stanford, Kansas State, TCU, Wisconsin and Air Force, as well as a handful of Ivy League schools.

“The really good student-athletes are ready to learn both from their coaches on the field and in the classroom from their professors. Not only can they manage their time and can sit down and focus when they need to, but they are really soaking up what they can learn all the way around.

“You can’t be scared off by calculus or physics or chemistry,” she adds, “but you don’t have to be a genius to major in engineering. You just have to be willing to put the time and the work in.”

“People would always throw it out there — how difficult it would be — but I always felt like I could do it,” Hedgepeth says. “I feel like I’m the type of person who enjoys challenges, and when another challenge comes up, I enjoy trying to figure out how to meet it.”

On the field, Hedgepeth’s significant playing time for a championship-caliber team meant the possibility of playing in the National Football League was within reach if he continued to improve.

“I definitely had dreams of the NFL, probably just like everyone else,” Hedgepeth says. “But I’ve always had the business side of things as my end goal. It’s just always been fun for me to think like that, so even when I was getting a lot of good playing time my freshman year and there was a chance I may get to go to the league, I was still thinking of business opportunities for when I was done playing.

That’s just how my mind works.”

A future in professional football would be in doubt, however, as fate cruelly intervened — not just once, but three times.

The first blow came on the road as No. 7 OSU faced eighth-ranked Texas A&M in the Big 12 opener in 2011. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys clinging to a seven-point lead in College Station, Hedgepeth dove to break up a pass. Picking himself up off the field, he felt his left foot go numb. He limped to the sideline, fearing the worst.

“I knew something was really bad,” Hedgepeth recalls. “In the back of my mind, I knew what was going on but didn’t want to admit it.”

At his Monday press conference, Cowboy head coach Mike Gundy delivered the news to the media that the talented sophomore was lost for the remainder of the season.

Hedgepeth had ruptured his Achilles tendon — the thick cord that attaches the calf muscle to the heel bone. The rehabilitation process is a long one.

“I had surgery the very next day,” he recalls. “I went home and was in bed for a good three to four days to kind of recover and wean myself off the pain medication. From there I was in a hard cast and crutches for about two-and-a-half months.

After that, you transition into a walking boot with crutches for about three weeks, and then you’re just in the walking boot for another month.

“I would say it’s close to six months from the time of the injury to get back to jogging and have it strong enough to feel confident about being able to run.

That was probably the biggest thing with the Achilles. Since a lot of your explosion comes from that tendon, you really have to have 110 percent confidence in it. It’s weird not walking for months and then getting out and trying to do physical activity.”

Near the end of his rehab, misfortune struck a second time.

“It was a freak accident,” Hedgepeth recalls. “I was at home, just getting out of bed … as I stood up, my left foot gave out.”

Hedgepeth had re-ruptured the same Achilles tendon, which had to be surgically repaired once again. Repeat rehab.

“I’d say the low point for me was after that second surgery because I had fought back really hard and felt like I was in a good position to reclaim my spot. I get to a point where I think I’m about to get back on the field, and I go down in the rehab process.”

Coupled with an increasingly challenging curriculum, successive setbacks began to take their toll.

“The end of my sophomore year and the beginning of my junior year, when I had all the engineering sciences (courses), that was when I hit a hard road,” Hedgepeth says. “It was really rough. I struggled a lot, just crutching to class and having to be back in a boot for several months. It was definitely not the most fun time in my life. I never got to the point where I thought that I couldn’t do it, but it just got pretty tough and I had to kind of push my way through.

“Whenever I was playing, the time schedule was difficult, but with rehab, you have that mental aspect because you want to be out on the field. You’re thinking about that and still trying to lift weights and keep your body right, plus you still have to be in class and have your mind right for that. You’re struggling with being sad and some small forms of depression, so that was tough for me. That was definitely the hardest part.”

Cleared to play by the start of the 2012 season, Hedgepeth began his junior year with high hopes. A mere three games in, however, the football gods dealt their final blow. continues

19

“It was at the start of a play. I was in my cornerback stance and began to change direction, swiveling my hips … and it just gave way.”

The pain, Hedgepeth says, was excruciating — unlike his first two injuries.

“This time the tendon came off the bone … I pretty much knew as soon as I went down that I was probably done. That would be my last time playing football.”

“There’s no doubt that the recurrent injury hit Devin hard,” Pratt says, “along with the recognition that he probably wasn’t going to be able to go the pro athlete route. Something he had aspired to do for a long time was no longer viable. I think he had sort of a period of introspection and rethought where life was headed for him. Fortunately, Devin was able to put that energy into engineering.”

“I was always kind of taught to roll with the punches, I guess you could say.

Things will happen, and you can’t really change the past, so you might as well keep on going.

“My parents were definitely sad and heartbroken when they figured out I couldn’t play anymore,” he adds. “I think my dad took it harder than I did. But they are definitely proud and excited for my future. I think they know I’ve got a big opportunity ahead of me.”

It’s an opportunity his former professors hope leads Hedgepeth back to Stillwater someday.

“We’ve actually tried our best around here to convince him to stay for graduate school, because he would be a wonderful professor,” DeYong says. “He’s got that inquisitive nature. He’s smart. So we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

“People would always throw it out there — how difficult it would be — but I always felt like I could do it.” — Devin Hedgepeth

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The six-inch scar on his left heel is a daily reminder of what he’s been through, but Hedgepeth doesn’t want to be defined by his injuries.

“It’s definitely not the way you want to be remembered,” he says, “but it’s not every day that a football player ruptures the same Achilles three times. So I don’t mind talking about it now, especially since I’ve graduated and moved on to bigger and better things.”

This story first published in the Spring 2015 issue of POSSE Magazine. To read other great OSU athletic stories, consider joining the POSSE. Annual donations to OSU athletics of $150 or more qualify for POSSE membership and include an annual subscription to POSSE Magazine.

Visit okstateposse.com for details.

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

Later that year, Hedgepeth was invited to join the OSU student chapter of Alpha Pi Mu, the national IE honor society.

“It’s very prestigious, particularly as a junior,” Pratt explains. “You have to be in the top 20 percent of your class to be invited. Devin had a wonderful set of credentials from an engineering standpoint by the time he graduated.”

Hedgepeth’s professors have always been impressed with his attitude and work ethic.

“I had him in class the fall and the spring when he tore his Achilles the first two times,” DeYong recalls. “He’d say, ‘Well, I’ve got to be out Friday’ … He never told me he was getting his Achilles sewn back together — and he was back in class on Monday! He never made excuses for himself. Never. He just kept smiling and marching on.”

Hedgepeth credits his positive outlook to his parents, Dwain and Lesia Hedgepeth.

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The Pistol Petes usually come as a duo for their beauty routine.

By Holly Bergbower

PHOTO / MICHAEL SOLOMON

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FALL 2015

Master puppeteer repairs Pistol Pete

S

his shoulder and wearing a neck brace for a long time afterward. Lillie relayed this story to the 2010 Pete, Derek Dillard, and as it turns out, the Pete in question was his dad.

“I had chills when he said that was his father,” she says.

Pistol Pete has become one of the most recognizable mascots in college and professional sports. With such an iconic visage, one might think there was trepidation in altering the beloved mascot. Not so with the master puppeteer, merging the complex mind of an engineer with an artist’s touch. continues

Like any good mother, Lillie had no problem telling the various Petes how to behave.

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

ometimes in life two forces of nature collide. This is a story about a mascot, his big head and the little lady who wasn’t afraid to keep him in check — and looking good.

Lillie Solomon is a renaissance woman at 85 years young. As a milliner, costumer, puppeteer and theater owner, she’s kept busy through the years with a creative mind, channeling her imagination into inventing tangible, magical things. Nearly 40 years ago, her talents crossed paths with the Oklahoma State University mascot, leading to a labor of love unlikely to fall into just anyone’s lap.

Pistol Pete, based on the real life cowboy Frank B. Eaton, has been a part of Cowboy lore since 1923 when Eaton served as the marshal of the Armistice Day Parade. Eaton went on to represent the college as a goodwill ambassador until his death in 1958. Following Eaton’s death, a papier-mâché head was made and worn by various “Petes” in representation of the real Eaton as the official OSU mascot.

In the 1970s, Bob Johnson, a Disney Imagineer, created a Pistol Pete head and a spare. One came to the university and the other was used as a prop at various events, including a parade in Ireland.

When Johnson retired, he contacted the university, and the spare head was donated to OSU. Those two heads have been in the Pistol Pete rotation ever since.

In 1977, Michael Solomon was attending OSU and befriended the late Rick Dillard who portrayed Pistol Pete at the time. Dillard mentioned some repairs were needed to the Pistol Pete heads — and Michael knew his mother, Lillie, was just the person for the job. When Lillie wasn’t busy costuming the Tulsa Ballet or making hats, she was building marionettes. She created numerous mascots for corporations including the Ice Man for the Tulsa Oilers, Wally Wordsworth for Bell Telephone’s Literacy Program and Ozzie the Sea Otter for Digital Information Group, a children’s literacy software company. She even designed mascots

Bogey and Eagle for a Tulsa Pro/Am Golf Charity Tournament, who walked among the likes of the late Danny Thomas and Bob Hope. The Solomon garage was reserved as mom’s workstation and it was used extensively.

The first time Michael brought the Pete head home, Lillie immediately went to work lightening it. Her extensive work in theater (including costuming famous ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov) made her keenly aware of how things look from a distance. In order to see Pete’s handsome face from the football field, he needed to be lightened. Without a workspace big enough for the heads, Lillie set them up on tables in the backyard next to the family pool. On that very first visit, Pete (or his head at least) nearly went for a swim.

“Those heads are so heavy, that if they get away from you — you’re in trouble.

His head nearly ended up in the bottom of my swimming pool,” Lillie says.

Pete did not go for a swim that day, but he did get a complete overhaul. From repairing chinks in fiberglass to painting the face to reducing his weight, Pete came away looking refreshed and feeling lighter. Clearly pleased with the results, the Pistol Petes continued to make pilgrimages back to Lillie for renewal. As time passed, son Michael became more involved in the repairs and the project became a family affair.

Pete was such a constant presence at the Solomon home that daughter Annette Solomon Shamas jokes, “Pete’s like my other brother. He’s the third child in our family, and we’re totally okay with that!”

Lillie says, “I always tell people I’m Pistol Pete’s mother. I’m just glad I didn’t have to give birth to him.”

Like any good mother, Lillie had no problem telling the various Petes how to behave.

“I’d tell them, don’t get on a bicycle, don’t get on a horse! Stay on your own two feet and keep your balance! Well, this one kid didn’t listen and lost his balance on a bicycle and fell over. That head is so heavy that it can really tip you over!” she explains.

With the head weighing in at 45 pounds, it did indeed do some damage.

The “bicycling Pete” ended up injuring

Lillie Solomon demonstrates her marionette creation, Repete.

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Lillie Solomon has repaired the Pistol Pete mascot heads for nearly 40 years.

PHOTO / MICHAEL SOLOMON

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

After the Petes complained of neck pain, Lillie created shoulder pads. When they said it was too hot inside the heads, she drilled ventilation holes and installed miniature fans. If Pete was looking ragged, she replaced the hair with human locks bought from a beauty shop. And, if they complained of limited vision, Lillie knew just the fix.

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Pistol Pete’s repairs benefited from Lillie Solomon’s experience building marionettes and managing her own puppet theater, Lilli Putt. In the 1980s, Solomon created Repete, a marionette version of the Pistol Pete mascot.

FALL 2015

“I was always concerned about the children walking up to Pete,” she says. “I thought there’s no way for him to see them, and I don’t want the little ones or Pete to get injured, so I took out my dremel tool and cut a hole in Pete’s chin … it gave him much more range of vision.”

Current Pistol Pete, Taylor Collins, agrees.

“I use that particular vantage point all the time,” he says. “Walking down stairs or seeing small children would be next to impossible without it.”

Through the years, repairs have included redesigns.

“I was scared when I opened up his eyes in 2010. They asked me to make a kinder-looking Pete and I liked that. I never thought Pete should look vicious. Yes, he is strong, and yes, he’s a rough old cowboy, but I always thought there should be a kindness to him,” she says. “Opening up his eyes made him look kinder. I was happy with how they turned out, but it was a little nerve wracking when I was doing it.”

As the years went by, the window of time to perfect Pete narrowed.

“In the early days, they really only used Pete at the football games. As time went on, he became more of a marketing tool for the university so the turnaround got shortened. In reality, they can’t have the Petes gone for more than two weeks at a time,” says Solomon.

And if you have one Pete head, you have to have the other.

“I always like to work on them together because as far as the public is concerned there’s only one Pete. They have to look alike, and it’s just so much easier if you have them side by side when you do repairs,” she says.

After a five-year hiatus, Lillie began repairs on Pete again during the summer and she couldn’t be more thrilled.

“When I see Pete on the field, I feel proud of my work,” she says. “OSU is home to me. That’s why I live here. I’d do anything for the university. After all, I do it for Pete’s sake.”

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

“I always tell people I’m Pistol Pete’s mother. I’m just glad I didn’t have to give birth to him.” — Lillie Solomon

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MASTERS WORLD CHAMPION

ENGINEERING IDEAS

The origin of the Scottish Games predates recorded history. At the 2014 Highland Games Masters World Championship in Inverness, Scotland, Ventress earned her St. Andrew’s ring from Ancient Athletics.

The events can be traced back to the first True Highland Games staged in the modern era in 1822.

Ventress, a senior design engineer, works closely with student interns at the OSU New Product Development Center to provide engineering assistance to small and medium-sized manufacturers across Oklahoma. She was named the 2015 Exceptional Outreach Extension Staff Member in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.

She shoulders the medieval morning star silver weapon, an award recognizing her strength as a top competitor at another festival. Competitions have taken the lass all over the world — but Scotland is hard to beat when it comes to her favorite Highland Games location.

“I love being on campus with the students,” she says. “And, of course, making Oklahoma more economically viable and successful — that’s huge.”

DEVOTED ROTARIAN

“There’s just something about being in the homeland and that environment,” Ventress says.

As the Stillwater Frontier Rotary Club officer for the Youth Exchange Program, Ventress assures foreign exchange students have a welcoming stay in the United States.

She attended her first Highland Games in 1997, earning eight world records over the years in her age group for events ranging from the caber toss to Braemar stone throws.

“Youth Exchange is a great network of very intelligent, vibrant young people,” Ventress says.

Ventress celebrates her Rotary service with her Paul Harris Fellow certificate awarded for her first contributions in 2005.

TRUE TO HER ROOTS Born and raised in Stillwater, Ventress graduated from C.E. Donart High School and OSU. She and her husband, Larry, moved around for many years but ended up back home ten years ago with their two children.

“I’ve been all over the world, and Stillwater is a great place to live,” she says. “It’s home, and we bleed orange.”

SCOTTISH TRADITIONS Descending from Scottish heritage, Ventress is a member of Clan Douglas. The desire to learn more about her family’s history sparked her interest in genealogy.

“It’s something else that I’ve dabbled in,” she says.

“I’ve actually studied Irish and Scottish. It’s interesting — kind of like a big puzzle.”

Ventress celebrates her culture in the OSU orange tartan plaid and wears the sgian-dubh in her kilt hose, a small knife that is part of the traditional Scottish dress. Spiked hammer boots help stabilize balance during the throwing competitions.

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PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

Breaking world records on her way to a third consecutive Masters World Championships at the Scottish Highland Games, Terri Ventress brings a Cowboy spirit to an ancient sport. She is a proud alumna of Oklahoma State University, earning a master’s degree in chemical engineering.

With a huge heart for education, food, language and travel, she follows her grandfather’s advice. At a young age, he told her she should strive to be whatever she wanted. As an engineer, her “can do” attitude encourages the students and clients she works with at OSU’s New Product Development Center. Ventress has carried her grandfather’s advice with her through life and believes it has been very helpful.

“He was always telling me you don’t need anyone to take care of you, you can make your own way,” she says. “I don’t know if that’s the Scottish — there’s definitely a lot to be said for the strong role of women in some of the Celtic cultures.”

I 47Brand Ice Cap $18.95 J 47Brand Tri-State Circle Tee S-XXL | $34 K OSU Debossed Tri-Fold Wallet $39.95 L Home Sweet Home Tin Sign $13.95 M 47Brand Knockaround Flanker Tee S-XXL | $32 N 47Brand Splash Pocket Tee S-XL | $38 O 47Brand Union Baseball Tee S-XXL | $40 P 47Brand Splash Tank S-XL | $30

Legacylink HERE COMES BULLET!

Learn how to draw Pistol Pete’s four-legged friend by following the instructions below.

STEPS: 1. Begin by drawing the forehead

2. The lower neck

3. Upper neck and lower back

4. Beginning of front and rear legs

5. More front and rear legs plus ear

6. Underbelly, 2 legs and hooves

7. Second set of legs

8. Mane and tail

9. Draw a blanket on top with the OSU brand on the side.

Encourage your young Cowboy or Cowgirl to complete the Legacy Link activity page in each issue of STATE magazine. Register your legacy in the OSU Alumni Association Legacy Program to receive all the legacy benefits available with your membership.

Get Involved. Stay Informed. Give Back. Show Your Pride.

ORANGECONNECTION.org/legacy | FLI/okstatealumni

Oklahoma native returns to administer OSU research programs Kenneth Sewell returned to his native Oklahoma this summer to serve Oklahoma State University as chief administrator of research programs.

As OSU’s vice president for research, Sewell oversees more than $134 million in annual scientific expenditures across five campuses and manages an office that coordinates planning, policies, and public and private financial support for university research programs.

Sewell, who grew up in Coweta, Oklahoma, came to OSU from the University of New Orleans, where he was vice president for research and economic development and executive director of the Graduate School.

Previously, Sewell served as director of the nationally accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of North Texas where he also served as associate vice president for research and interim vice president for research.

Sewell earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Kansas State University and master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Kansas. He has spent a majority of his career as a clinical psychologist, a teacher and researcher in behavioral sciences.

Sewell took over June 28 from Interim Vice President for Research Sheryl Tucker, who returned to her position as associate provost for graduate education and dean of the OSU Graduate College full time. Tucker was appointed interim vice president in 2013.

Sewell oversees a research program that is in the top 20 percent of research institutions as ranked by the National Science Foundation.

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Turning waste into a useful resource

BY SEAN HUBBARD

I

t has forever been called wastewater.

It gets flushed down the toilet, used to clean dishes and rinsed down the shower drain before being treated and discharged into a passing river.

Oklahoma State University is doing its part in turning the wastewater into a water resource at the South Central Research Station in Chickasha with a new state-of-the-art irrigation system.

“Our recent drought reminds us that we need to continue looking for new ways of obtaining water for crop irrigation. Municipal wastewater often is high quality water and in a steady and reliable supply,” says Tom Coon, dean, director and vice president of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. “Our new facility at Chickasha will help us to develop protocols and guidance for farmers and for water facility managers as they consider treated wastewater as a new source of water for irrigating crops.”

The variable rate system will allow for expanded research in three major areas.

First, soil quality can be investigated more closely. Secondly, researchers will be able to determine when and how much water needs to be applied to certain crops. And, finally, drought resilience and nutrient absorption of the actual crop will be a focus area.

“This facility is really going to help us identify and develop the guidelines for safe and efficient use of this effluent water,” says Garey Fox, Oklahoma Water Resources Center director. “Sound research, like this, is needed for sound policy. Research conducted at the facility will be aimed primarily at improving our understanding of the use of wastewater for agricultural purposes and its impact on soils, water and crops.”

The idea for this irrigation system and collaboration between the city of Chickasha and OSU has been a long time coming. Nearly a decade has passed since a lease agreement was signed between the two to make use of the municipal wastewater.

“The city of Chickasha understands the importance of water resources in a part of the country that has experienced drought. We also understand the importance of establishing partnerships with organizations like the OSU South Central Research Station who can use their expertise to help us find ways to maximize this precious resource,” says Alan Guard, city of Chickasha city manager. “The water reuse project is such a collaborative project.”

PHOTO / TODD JOHNSON

BY JEFF JOINER

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to help make the outstanding research programs at OSU become yet another reason why students, faculty and staff want to proudly wear America’s Brightest Orange,®” Sewell says.

DASNR Dean, Director and Vice President Tom Coon recognized a water reuse project at a groundbreaking ceremony in Chickasha.

A Stately Affair in Tulsa

BY SEAN KENNEDY

A

Stately Affair, OSU’s biennial, blacktie gala at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, raised more than $600,000 for scholarships at OSU-Tulsa and OSU Center for Health Sciences.

“With more of the financial burden of paying for college being placed on students and their families, the need for scholarships continues to rise to keep higher education affordable,” says OSU-Tulsa President Howard Barnett.

“Our donors have come through in a big way to support our students and help them earn a degree from a comprehensive research university in Tulsa.”

The May event was co-chaired by OSU alumni Jack Allen, chairman of HUB International CFR, and Dave Kollmann, division president for Flintco, along with honorary chair Governor Mary Fallin.

In addition to raising scholarship funds, A Stately Affair in Tulsa recognized the 2015 Icons for OSU in Tulsa. These four individuals have made significant contributions to OSU, the city of Tulsa, the state of Oklahoma and humankind.

Honorees and guests gather at A Stately Affair including, from left, OSU-Tulsa President Howard Barnett; OSU President Burns Hargis; Bryan Close; Peggy Helmerich; Gayle Jones; Allyson Cain; Bishop Edward Slattery; Dr. George Erbacher; and OSU/A&M Regent Dr. Trudy Milner. physicians in Oklahoma increased from 300 to 1,200, with more than half serving in rural communities.

A champion of the underserved, Slattery has helped thousands of Oklahomans receive food, shelter and health care as the result of his leadership of Catholic Charities of Tulsa. Slattery was ordained a priest on April 26, 1966, for the Archdiocese of Chicago and served as associate pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Parish from 1966 to 1971.

He began his service with the Catholic Church Extension Society in 1971,

“The Icons’ accomplishments have made it possible for our students to pursue their educational goals and have created a brighter, healthier future for our state.” — Dr. Kayse Shrum, OSU Center for Health Sciences President The 2015 Icons for OSU in Tulsa are Bob Jones, former executive director of the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association; Bishop Edward Slattery of the Catholic Archdiocese of Tulsa; Bryan Close, president of CloseBend Inc.; and Peggy Helmerich, community volunteer.

The legacy of Jones continues to impact students at OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and Oklahoma physicians nearly 15 years after his passing. The former OOA executive director played a major role in the establishment of the Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, the nation’s first freestanding state-supported college of osteopathic medicine, and was instrumental in the college becoming part of OSU in 1988. During his tenure at the OOA, the number of osteopathic

working as vice president through 1976 and president until 1994. While working at Extension, Slattery was appointed associate pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish and later served as pastor. On January 6, 1994, Pope John Paul II ordained Slattery as the third bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa.

Close has long been a champion of OSU and the university’s efforts in Tulsa.

A graduate of Tulsa’s Edison High School, Close earned his bachelor’s degree from OSU in 1966. In 1974, his father founded the welding fitting company, CloseBend Inc., and hired Close to oversee accounting. He eventually joined the company full time and has remained with the family business for more than 40 years. Close is a well-known community volunteer, currently serving on many local advisory

boards, the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees and the OSU College of Human Sciences Partners Association, and is a member of the OSU President’s Fellows. He was also co-chair for the wildly successful 2013 A Stately Affair in Tulsa and was inducted into the OSU Hall of Fame.

Helmerich has devoted countless hours to improving health care, education, arts, libraries and other charitable endeavors. She earned degrees from Gulf Park College and Northwestern University before becoming an actress, co-starring in eight movies for UniversalInternational. After only three years, Helmerich retired from show business and relocated with her husband, Walter H. Helmerich III, to his hometown of Tulsa. While raising five sons, Helmerich developed a passion for charity work.

She served on the Tulsa City-County Library Commission and was a member of the Tulsa Library Trust. The Peggy V. Helmerich Library in south Tulsa was named in her honor, and the Helmerich Research Center at OSU-Tulsa was named after Peggy and Walt. She continues to volunteer with numerous community organizations, including the Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Symphony, Tulsa Garden Center and Friends of the OSU Library.

For more information about the event, visit www.astatelyaffair.com. To find out how to contribute to scholarships for OSU-Tulsa and OSU Center for Health Sciences students, contact the OSU Foundation in Tulsa at 918-594-8500.

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First tournament continues fundraising success

By Chad Waters

Longest Day of Golf OSU leads the Big 12 in Coaches vs. Cancer campaign contributions In the inaugural year of Oklahoma State’s Coaches vs. Cancer Longest Day of Golf, the event surpassed expectations, raising more than $60,000 for the American Cancer Society. Several OSU coaches, former student-athletes turned pro, along with state and national broadcasters came to play in the tournament at the Stillwater Golf and Country Club.

The field was limited to 20 five-player teams with each team having one celebrity.

Before the event, teams had the option to bid on celebrities in an auction. Children affected by cancer and their families attended to watch the event and meet the celebrities. Many of the day’s volunteers were also cancer survivors or volunteered in honor or memory of someone who has battled with cancer.

“I always love to see how optimistic and how hopeful and how resilient kids are when going through cancer treatment,” says Stephanie Madsen, development manager for the American Cancer Society.

“They are just the strongest little warriors, but for them to see these local celebrities and these heroes and these people that they admire and are interacting with the kids is amazing.”

Coaches vs. Cancer is a national collaboration of the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches. The Coaches vs. Cancer program offers critical mission outreach, while raising funds to help the American Cancer Society end the fight against cancer.

OSU’s multi-sport Coaches vs. Cancer program is one of the most successful in the nation.

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“It’s always been a part of being at Oklahoma State. President Hargis is so much about making sure that people give back, and that we reach out,” says OSU Coaches vs. Cancer spokesman Dave Hunziker. “Our coaches set that thought process in our kids’ heads. The coaches go on hospital visits and take their teams, and the athletes are so good, and it’s important to them. They have a good time with the kids.”

Since the program started in 1993, the OSU Coaches vs. Cancer campaign has raised close to $1 million in the fight against cancer. Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference in dollars raised and consistently ranks among the top 10 nationally.

“I’ve heard about Coaches vs. Cancer since I was playing basketball here at Oklahoma State, so to be a part of this event knowing that it’s producing the opportunity to advance in finding a cure for cancer, it’s a great opportunity,” says artist Desmond Mason, former NBA team player.

The Longest Day of Golf was dedicated to the memory of Matt Allen, an OSU graduate who died of brain cancer at the age of 46 in 2013. His wife, Kelly, his son, Chris and his daughter, Taylor, joined the participants in celebrating Matt’s passion for OSU’s Coaches vs. Cancer program and his dream of having the golf tournament to raise funding and cancer awareness.

The Longest Day of Golf was Matt’s idea and even from the last week of his life he was texting the chair for OSU Coaches vs. Cancer, Kendria Cost, from his hospital bed asking what he could do to help.

“There’s part of me that keeps thinking I don’t know if I should be sad that (Matt’s)

Pistol Pete greets the Allen family, from left, Chris, Kelly and Taylor.

not here for this, but I can’t be,” says Kelly Allen. “I’ve been smiling all day. My face hurts I’ve been smiling so much. There are no words to explain just how proud we are of this day and all the work that everyone’s put into it.”

There are a lot of worthy causes, but cancer affects many people. Nearly everyone knows someone who’s been affected.

OSU’s public-address announcer Larry Reece is someone the OSU family is quite familiar with who has been affected by cancer. For many years, Reece would introduce kids with cancer during the Coaches vs. Cancer functions, and now he’s a part of that group and a part of the cancersurviving family. The outpouring support that he and his family have received from Coaches vs. Cancer and the OSU family has given him much optimism for conquering the disease.

“I think that it is an outstanding program, and I think that we need to do more of that,” Reece says. “Not just OSU athletics but all of us, as individuals, need to do more to help people who are struggling with this illness. We can all try to brighten someone’s day. I’m very proud of our coaches and our student-athletes for what they do. It’s just remarkable.”

To make a donation to Coaches vs.

Cancer visit www.osucvc.com.

At the Longest Day of Golf, OSU Football Coach Mike Gundy meets BW White, who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“The coaches go on hospital visits and take their teams … it’s important to them. They have a good time with the kids.”

— Dave Hunziker, OSU Coaches vs. Cancer spokesman

PHOTOS / BRUCE WATERFIELD

LEFT: Brooklyn Nets basketball player, Markel Brown, returns to his alma mater to support Coaches vs. Cancer. CENTER: Former OSU football player and retired Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Charlie Johnson embraces Larry Reece.

RIGHT: American Cancer Society partner Stephanie Madsen thanks Dave Hunziker for a successful fundraising event.

33

By Jacob Longan

OSU recognizes million-dollar donors as inaugural members of Proud & Immortal Society

O

in many who have come forward and given so generously to transklahoma State University celebrated a historic event form the future of our school. I am proud to be a part of it, and in the Student Union this spring by recognizing 282 to recognize those who have partnered with me to make OSU the donors at the inaugural Proud & Immortal Society state’s premier institution academically and athletically.” induction ceremony.

“When we were considering the The honored individuals, compaappropriate way to recognize such nies and foundations have each given a distinguished group, we quickly $1 million or more cumulatively to thought of the opening line of our OSU. Their names are displayed on alma mater, ‘Proud and Immortal,’ a new donor wall in the lobby of as the obvious description for these the Student Union Theater on the inductees,” said Kirk Jewell, president second floor. inductees have combined of the OSU Foundation. “These indi“Many of these honorees reached viduals and organizations have helped the $1 million cumulative milestone to give more than shape OSU’s destiny and transformed years ago but have continued to be this institution. It is an honor to be valued supporters through the years,” able to recognize and thank them for said OSU President Burns Hargis, their remarkable generosity.” who joined his wife, Ann, among the Dave Hunziker, play-by-play inductees. “They have truly set the announcer for the Cowboys, served bar for everyone connected to the as the master of ceremonies at the university and challenged our leadcelebratory dinner attended by 80 ership to work harder and dream donors and their families. It included performances by the OSU bigger. Their legacy will benefit future generations and inspire Big Band, the Carlton 5 jazz group, and senior Kash Clemishire today’s students.” acting as Sally Bowles from the OSU Theatre department’s perforT. Boone Pickens was officially recognized as the first mance of “Cabaret.” member of this distinguished group. He has exceeded $500 The donor wall permanently displays the names of all members million in gifts and commitments to his alma mater. and will be updated every year to reflect new inductees.

“There’s real leadership on display at Oklahoma State,” Pickens said. “It’s evident in Burns Hargis, and it’s also evident

282

$1.46B

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FALL 2015

PHOTO / CHRIS LEWIS

“Their legacy will benefit future generations and inspire today’s students.”

PHOTO / CHRIS LEWIS

— President Burns Hargis

The inaugural class of Proud & Immortal Society members has combined for more than $1.46 billion in support for OSU, including the following: • Increasing the quality and accessibility

of higher education for all students by giving more than for

“I am proud to be a part of it, and to recognize those who have partnered with me to make OSU the state’s premier institution academically and athletically.”

— T. Boone Pickens

$77 million

863 scholarship funds.

• Enhancing teaching, research and

professional development for professors, administrators and staff by contributing more than •

$103 million to 205 faculty funds.

Supporting the construction, renovation and maintenance of state-of-the-art spaces for teaching and research by giving more than

$35 million to 53 facility funds.

35

RUNNING to REMEMBER THE TEN

Kendall Durfey Television/Radio Engineer

Bjorn Fahlstrom

Nate Fleming

Will Hancock

Daniel Lawson

Corporate Aviation Pilot

Scholar/Athlete

Media Relations Coordinator

Scholar/Athlete

Brian Luinstra

Denver Mills

Pat Noyes

Bill Teegins

Jared Weiberg

Athletic Trainer

CPA and Pilot

Director of Basketball Operations

Voice of the Cowboys

Student Assistant BY

E

very year, OSU solemnly pauses on the anniversary of the tragic events of January 27, 2001. Ten members of the Cowboy basketball family perished when their plane crashed while returning from a game at the University of Colorado.

For the past nine years, the university’s official memorials have been complemented by the Remember the Ten Run, which celebrates the lives of “The Ten” while supporting counseling services and scholarships.

Alumnus Kerry Don Alexander founded this event after reading “Riding With the Blue Moth” by Bill Hancock.

Hancock’s son, Will, was on the flight as the basketball team’s media relations coordinator. One of Hancock’s methods for dealing with the grief was to literally keep moving forward, riding his bike from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic.

Alexander says, “I originally thought about creating a cycling race, but a run

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JACO B LO N G A N

between the competitive 10-kilometer works a lot better. You can get more and five-kilometer races as well as the people involved and have a large group of one-mile fun run. About 175 volunteers people together at the start. We’ve been ensure the event runs smoothly while able to put on a quality event that people enjoy and see as a good way to remember.” keeping expenses to a minimum. That enhances its efficiency as a fundraiser Alexander and other members of supported by registration fees, sponsorthe Remember the Ten Run Organizing ships and donations.

Committee praise OSU’s dedication to Through the OSU Foundation, the honoring The Ten on the anniversary of event provides $20,000 annually to the crash.

University Counseling Services. OSU’s “They invite the families to come visit Director of University Counseling Services the memorial in Gallagher-Iba Arena, Suzanne Burks is a member of the orgaalong with tolling the library bells and pausing at a basketball game for a moment nizing committee. She highlights many ways these funds help her department, of silence,” Alexander says. “We didn’t want to take anything away from that. We which often assists students experiencing grief for the first time. were looking for a way to complement it “This money provides important trainby inviting the larger OSU family to come ing for our counseling staff,” Burks says. together and celebrate the lives of those “It helps pay for grief counseling so that we lost that day.” we can keep that free for everyone who The first Run was April 21, 2007, and needs it. It also covers grief materials that it has returned on the third Saturday of increase our presence around the OSU April each year. About 2,000 participate

Along with volunteers and participants important that the event is always quallike Shirley, the committee is grateful for ity so that it continues to bring people others who make the event a success. That together year after year. includes the Stillwater and OSU Police “There are quite a few good runners Departments, OSU President’s Office, in this state, and they like to come here to OSU Athletics, the OSU Foundation and compete,” McCabe says. “We offer prize Westwood Neighborhood Association. money, which attracts some of the better “Just before the race, it feels like there runners. We put on a good event, and in is only one heartbeat,” Alexander says. doing so we keep telling the story of these members of the OSU family who died. We “Counting everyone, it is well over 3,000 people involved. That’s a huge crowd and build that remembrance, which is what such a special moment. I hope everyone we’re all about.” in the OSU family comes and experiences They also remember others, such as this at least once.”

E.R. “Tracy” Shirley III. He was race Pogue adds, “It’s a festive atmosphere. director from 2007-2011 and competed It’s cool to see the families create special for the first time in 2012. The following shirts for their loved one and see so month, he died in a plane crash. many people come out and run together The committee honors him by presenting the Tracy Shirley Volunteer of the Year in memory.”

Those interested in supporting award to a deserving person or group after Remember the Ten can participate, voluneach event. teer or donate. More information is avail“Tracy did so much to make this run able at remembertheten.com. a success,” Alexander says. “We think it’s very special to keep his memory alive through this award.”

PHOTO / 241PHOTOGRAPHY

community. We share those as part of new-student orientation.”

Will Hancock’s wife, Karen, was head coach of the Cowgirl soccer program from its founding in 1996 until 2007, when she transitioned into her current role as an assistant coach.

She became a grieving widow 10 weeks after her daughter’s birth. Karen Hancock, who had never seen a counselor before, says therapy “might have saved my life.”

“I was an independent, strong-willed, stubborn person who was used to doing everything myself – the type of person who thought needing help was a sign of weakness,” she says. “That’s poppycock, of course. Accepting help is really a learned skill, and it’s wonderful to give back to the staff and students in that field.”

Burks says there is no question resources provided by Remember the Ten have helped her department respond to other tragedies. The most obvious was November 17, 2011, when a plane crash killed four members of the Cowgirl basketball family: Coach Kurt Budke, assistant Miranda Serna, and pilots Olin and Paula Branstetter.

For the past four years, the run has also funded $1,000 scholarships. The 10 annual recipients are chosen among graduate students in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, community counseling, and marriage and family therapy.

“We rely on the number 10 a lot in all we do,” says Jason Pogue, event co-chair and OSU senior financial manager and human resource manager. “So as we build our scholarship endowment, we plan to stick with 10 scholarships, but we will begin increasing the value of each award.”

Sean McCabe is the race director and OSU’s director of operations for cross country and track and field. He says it is

“JUST BEFORE THE RACE, IT FEELS LIKE THERE IS ONLY ONE HEARTBEAT.” — Kerry Don Alexander, Alumnus & Event Founder

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Billie McKnight, center, is surrounded by her family including, from left, her husband Ross, son Trent, daughter Meggan, and son-in-law Blake Panzino.

PHOTO / CHRIS LEWIS

Billie McKnight 2015 PHIL ANTHROPI ST

of the

YE AR

BY JACOB LONGAN

B

illie Gaskins McKnight gives back because she can’t imagine not doing what she can to help others. That philanthropic mindset has greatly benefited so many others throughout her life.

McKnight grew up in Davis, Oklahoma, and joined both of her parents in choosing OSU. That is where she met her future husband, Ross, during her freshman year of 1969. In 1973, she earned a business administration degree before they married and moved to Throckmorton, Texas. There they have built extremely successful careers in ranching, oil and

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gas, and banking. They also raised two children, Trent and Meggan, who are third-generation OSU alumni.

McKnight has dedicated countless hours to helping her neighbors in Throckmorton, which has a population of less than 850. She served in leadership roles on the school board and the Band Boosters and Parents’ Club. She founded Community Closet to provide clothing to those in need and organized a Christmas Angels program through several churches to purchase gifts for community children.

She is a founding member of the Annie Oakley Society, an Annie’s Legacy member and on the Annie Oakley Society

Leadership Team of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

She and her husband co-chaired the transformational Branding Success campaign at OSU, which surpassed $1.2 billion for students, faculty, facilities and programs. They also established the McKnight Leader Scholars Program in 2010. It provides scholarships and unique leadership-development opportunities for 50 out-of-state students each year.

Their son, Trent, lives in Throckmorton. Their daughter, Meggan, lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband, Blake Panzino, and sons, Mac, 3, and Pierce, 1.

Update

PHOTO / CHRIS LEWIS

A record crowd of 413 packed the Student Union Ballroom for the seventh annual Women for OSU Symposium on April 16. Jennifer Zeppelin of Tulsa’s KTUL-TV served as master of ceremonies. First Cowgirl Ann Hargis provided an OSU update. Becky Steen, chair of Women for OSU, spoke about the group’s progress. Council Member Roxanne Pollard introduced Billie McKnight as Philanthropist of the Year. Council Members Sharon Trojan and Connie Mitchell recognized the seven students who received a combined $31,250 in Women for OSU scholarships.

2016 SYMPOSIUM Laura Bush fe atu ri n g

Thursday, April 14, 2016 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

NEW LOCATION: Wes Watkins Center OSU Campus, Stillwater, Oklahoma

PHOTO / BENTON RUDD

The scholarship recipients, from left, are multimedia journalism sophomore Julia Benbrook from Woodward, Oklahoma; nurse science sophomore Mayra Castanon from Oklahoma City; entrepreneurship and marketing junior Kourtney Brooks from Tuttle, Oklahoma; crime victim/survivor services sophomore Roxanne Cobb from Conway, Arkansas; accounting junior Allison Meinders from Woodward, Oklahoma; enterprise development sophomore Amanda Sandoval from Oklahoma City; and human development and family science senior Macy Hula from Enid, Oklahoma. For more information on the students’ academic and philanthropic achievements as well as a video feature about the group, please visit OSUgiving.com/symposium2015.

Women for OSU Partners The Partners program provides women a great opportunity to support scholarships and programs while connecting with other women passionate about OSU. Partners make a $1,000 minimum annual contribution to the Women for OSU Scholarship or Program Fund.

Women for OSU Partners receive the following benefits: • Invitation to the annual Symposium, including an invitation to the VIP sponsor reception • Invitations to regional Women for OSU events • Women for OSU welcome gift for new members • Recognition online and in Symposium publications, Women for OSU newsletters, and potentially other media including STATE magazine

Marlee Matlin delivered the keynote speech, discussing her Academy Awardwinning acting career and advocacy for the hearing impaired. She reminded attendees to focus on abilities rather than disabilities and taught the group American Sign Language for “courage plus dreams equals success.”

• Joint membership in the OSU Foundation’s Loyal & True donor recognition giving society For more information, contact the OSU Foundation’s Mandy Heaps at mheaps@OSUgiving.com or 405-385-0721.

Fo r m o re i nfo rm ati o n a b o u t Wo m e n fo r O S U, vi s i t O S Ug ivi ng .c o m/Wo m e n.

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Biennial event uncorks an educational weekend “Beyond Borders,” the 2015 Wine Forum of Oklahoma, brought wine experts and enthusiasts from around the world to campus for an educational weekend full of food and fun in April.

The fourth biennial event, hosted by the College of Human Sciences’ School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, featured informative seminars, wine and beer tastings, vintner dinners and cooking demonstrations.

The Wine Forum of Oklahoma, which raises money for scholarships, is one of the few wine education events in the nation to be operated by students.

An executive team of 13 students spent two years planning and leading six committees — ambassador, vintner, hospitality, marketing, culinary and events, which were filled with 30 or more students each.

Steve Ruby, an HRAD clinical assistant professor and Lyn Putnam, HRAD marketing manager, worked closely with the students during the planning and implementation stages.

In preparation for the event and during the forum, students teamed up with vintners and chefs to see what it really takes to host a grand gala.

Filled to the brim with some of the finest cuisine from 17 chefs and restaurants, and beverages from more than 34 vintners and brewmasters, the Wine Forum was an opportunity for experiential learning for students.

“Wine Forum provided me with the privilege to work with industry leaders from all over and ultimately gave me hands-on experience that I will use forever,” says Shelby Stansberry, a senior

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HRAD student who served as the event committee co-chair.

From 2011 to 2013, student participation for the event increased by 300 percent, and since the 2013 Wine Forum, enrollment in Wine Forum, a required class for student participants, has doubled.

“It is a great experience!” says Shannan Spickler, a recent HRAD graduate who served as the culinary committee chair. “I had the privilege to work with top chefs throughout Oklahoma. Our Celebrity Chef for this event was Chef Kurt Fleischfresser, owner of Oklahoma City’s Coach House and director of operations for Vast. Working with him and all of the chefs for the ‘Grand Tasting’ was a true privilege and honor for me.”

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The event began Friday evening with a private gala for 400 event patrons, sponsors, vintners and students. The dinner featured a four-course menu created

by Fleischfresser and prepared by various other chefs. To create a personalized experience, each table was assigned one or two vintners who served their own wine to complement the meal. This year’s honorary chairs were Bill and Larue Allee Stoller, owners of the Stoller Family Estate in Oregon with 200 acres dedicated to grapes used for making pinot noir and chardonnay.

Thirteen sold-out seminars were scheduled Saturday in the Student Union.

Among the long list of renowned professionals, guest speaker Doug Frost led a discussion titled “Grenache With Doug

Frost.” He is one of four people around the world who is certified as a Master Sommelier and Master of Wine.

Other presentations included topics such as “Wine 101,” Oklahoma craft brewing, champagnes and chardonnay.

There were several new additions such as four luncheons, ranging from wine and cheese to beer and burgers, along with the elegant repasts in Taylor’s Dining Room and The Ranchers Club.

More than 1,000 guests filled the 15,000-square-foot tent for the “Grand Tasting” Saturday evening. Guests were able to taste wines strategically paired with fine foods.

The 2015 event also had a strong focus on sustainability efforts. Students monitored the waste during event setup, execution and clean up, and ensured that it was separated during the event.

Over two truckloads of materials were gathered.

“We not only recognized the importance of being green, but we felt that implementing sustainability B efforts went hand in hand with the initiatives Oklahoma State University is taking as a whole,” says Taylor Levy, an HRAD senior who was the student executive chairman for the event.

As soon as this year’s Wine Forum came to an end, plans for the 2017 event began. An executive committee is in place and has started organizing the next Wine Forum of Oklahoma scheduled April 7-8, 2017.

“The growth of the Wine Forum of Oklahoma in terms of a world-class educational opportunity is phenomenal and has resulted in our students creating a new and exciting window into our university and our great state of Oklahoma,” says Ruby.

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

ABOVE: Carl Thoma discusses wines from his family owned operation, Van Duzer Vineyards. BELOW: Hotel and Restaurant Administration senior Madeline Drummond serves wine.

CIRCLE: The 2015 Wine Forum of Oklahoma honorary chairmen, Bill and LaRue Allee Stoller, greet guests at the “Grand Tasting.”

PHOTO / KIM STUBBS

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Inspiring Ideas TEDxOStateU 2015 speakers share innovations

By Jeff Joiner

“

ver wake up in the middle of the night and have no idea where you are?” That’s how Richard Greenly introduced himself to his Oklahoma State University audience as he described a 2008 trip to Sierra Leone in West Africa during a TEDxOStateU 2015 talk.

“I mean, I was frightened,” he said.

Talk about big ideas changing the world — Greenly discussed a global effort his small Oklahoma organization called Water4 is undertaking to provide safe drinking water to millions of people in the developing world. The TED mantra “Ideas Worth Spreading” accurately describes Greenly’s talk and 16 others presented during the third TEDxOStateU event in April at the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts on the Stillwater campus.

Greenly, a 1982 geology alumnus, said he was scared that night not because he awoke in a tiny African village more than 5,500 miles from his Oklahoma home — but because of the need that took him there. Greenly and a team of volunteers were drilling a water well and things weren’t going as planned. The well they drilled that day wasn’t working.

“Why was I so scared? I came to the conclusion that this was one of the first times in my life that what I was doing really mattered,” explained Greenly. “This wasn’t a blown deadline or a missed sale.

This was life and death.”

TEDxOStateU 2015 touched on life-impacting efforts from around the world and visited the theoretical on Mars and beyond our galaxy. Closer to home, presenters shared ideas changing lives right here in Oklahoma and on the OSU campus.

“Today we will hear ideas that take us to an infant’s mind, the dark web,

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developing countries, hurting communities and many other places,” said OSU President Burns Hargis, who set the stage for the day’s TEDx talks. “I’m a big TED fan and I’m glad we can put an OSU spin on a fantastic idea.”

First launched in 2012 through a partnership with the OSU Foundation, TEDxOStateU shines a light on what drives creative minds to make a difference.

The event features OSU alumni, faculty, students and friends. Freshman Ben Myers, who lives with the birth defect Moebius Syndrome, received a standing ovation following his challenge to set aside fears and prejudices and learn to talk openly about disabilities in his presentation, “The Disability Conversation.”

“People are itching to talk about disabilities but they can’t,” said Myers during his talk. “It’s the disability taboo as I like to call it.”

Student Al Saloha, a Palestinian refugee who grew up in New York, bared the emotional toll of racial and religious intolerance in the reading of his poem, “My Heart Bleeds.”

“TED talks are beautiful because they are so vulnerable,” said Jodi Jinks, an OSU theatre professor and TEDxOStateU 2015 presenter. “These profound and large ideas become humanized through personal stories.”

At TEDx, Jinks described how she and her students teach theatre to men incarcerated in an Oklahoma prison, helping them produce plays behind bars that give voice to their experiences.

Faculty member Bailey Norwood explored his love of teaching in the virtual “classroom” in his talk, “A Class Worthy of Netflix.” Norwood, an agricultural economics professor, produced OSU’s first MOOC, or massive open online course, called “Farm to Fork.”

“I like the way people are passionate (about their TED talks) and have a big vision for things,” said Norwood. “It’s the most inspiring reality check you can encounter online.”

TEDx presenters Christopher White and Toni Brinker Pickens delivered provocative, timely talks on fighting criminal use of the dark Web and improving relations between communities and police departments. An OSU engineering alumnus, White formerly worked for the government developing Internet and data tools such as the web search program Memex that tracks human trafficking.

Pickens, a Dallas philanthropist and activist, described Operation Blue Shield, a program she launched that is opening lines of dialogue and understanding between police and residents.

And as America’s Healthiest Campus®, a forum for ideas at OSU wouldn’t be complete without discussions of health and wellness, including talks by OSU Chief Wellness Officer Suzy Harrington and Chandra Story, an assistant professor and certified health education specialist.

William Paiva, head of OSU’s Center for Health Systems Innovation, talked about using data to improve the health of rural Oklahomans. OSU parasitology professor Susan Little described the importance of human-animal bonds and the role of veterinary medicine in keeping those friendships thriving.

Greenly was not the only TEDxOStateU presenter to act on a global calling. Spears School of Business graduate students Quinn Vandenberg and Jonathon Button have inspired local artisans from Central America to Africa and in the process provided children with school supplies through their business startup, Life Out of the Box. Did Greenly ever get that water pump in Sierra Leone to work? He did, and since then, he and his group are on their way to successfully sinking 7,000 more wells in a partnership with World Vision. In concluding his talk, Greenly issued a challenge to the audience.

“Make sure at the end of the day what you did in your life made a difference,” he said.

To be inspired by these and all TEDxOStateU 2015 presenters, watch videos of this and previous years’ talks at www.TEDxOStateU.com. Learn about the international TED movement and watch more talks at www.TED.com.

Jodi Jinks devises performances with prison populations and university theatre students.

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

Toni Brinker Pickens is the founder of Operation Blue Shield, a public service campaign in Dallas to increase public safety.

William Paiva is the executive director of the Center for Health Systems Innovation.

Quinn Vandenberg and Jonathon Button started Life Out of the Box to help children and artisans around the world.

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

Suzy Harrington, OSU’s chief wellness officer, coordinates health strategies for America’s Healthiest Campus®.

Al Saloha recited his poem “My Heart Bleeds.”

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

Chandra Story’s research focus is the evaluation of health promotion interventions in order to decrease disparities.

PHOTO / KASI KENNEDY

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

OSU alumnus Richard Greenly has a goal for Water4 to eradicate the global water crisis for the bottom billion in the developing world.

Aavron Estep is leading an OSU project to develop technology to create 3D-printed rovers on Mars.

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K e y s

New Internet search engine predicted to revolutionize criminal investigations Want to find out last weekend’s football scores? Yahoo will know. Wondering what’s playing at the movies? Bing can tell us.

Can’t remember the exact address of a new restaurant? Google it.

Internet search engines help in our everyday lives — from shopping to homework — but most of us are merely scratching the surface of the World Wide Web. “The Internet is much, much bigger than people think,” says OSU alumnus Chris White. “By some estimates, Google, Microsoft Bing, and Yahoo only give us access to around 5 percent of the content on the Web.” White served as a program manager at the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — DARPA — the group credited with bringing the Internet to the world. A DARPA team led by White just released Memex, which is a search engine designed to explore the unchartered terrains of the Internet, including the databases of information not indexed by Google and the darker part of the Web where criminals lurk.

“We’re envisioning a new paradigm that would tailor content, search results, and interface tools to individual users and specific

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subject areas, and not the other way around,” White says. “By inventing better methods for interacting with and sharing information, we want to improve searches for everybody and individualize access to information.”

Memex is an advanced domain indexing and Web search program that can analyze data to present results that are often left out by the industry’s top giants. As a data-mining tool, Memex ventures into a digital back alley to the Dark Web, tracking down illegal activities and not only indexing content but also analyzing it to uncover hidden relationships and visualize patterns that could be useful to law enforcement.

“The kinds of groups that do human trafficking are often using the proceeds of that to fund other things that are counter to our national security interests,” White told the CBS News magazine 60 Minutes. “We also find that people that are willing to traffic in women are willing to move drugs and guns and other contraband.”

Manhattan’s district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., confirmed the advantages of Memex on 60 Minutes calling it “Google on steroids” and “an extremely important addition to our investigative tool box” which will revolutionize law enforcement investigations. Although sometimes it takes years before innovations are widely used, Memex is working now in the hunt for human traffickers.

“The Internet is much, much bigger t h a n p eop l e t hink .

By some estimates, Google, Microsof t Bing, and Yahoo only give us access to around 5 percent of the content on the Web.” — Chris White PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

White’s work at DARPA began in 2011 after he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from OSU and master’s and doctoral degrees at John Hopkins University. White created DARPA’s big data program XDATA, now part of President Barack Obama’s Big Data Initiative. He also served DARPA as its country lead for Afghanistan and in-theater member of the Senior Executive Service supporting the commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force. For his team efforts, White earned the Joint Meritorious Unit Award for support in a combat environment.

“Data analysis is an important part of a variety of defense operations to prevent technological surprises,” he says. “We want to take away the ability to commit crimes — take the bad actors out of the shadows and make the world a better place.”

At OSU, he worked with Keith Teague, a professor in the OSU School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

“The Web has brought the world much closer together and enhanced the lives of many people, but it also has potential for a great deal of harm,” Teague says. “Memex is one way this latter aspect is being addressed. It’s a huge challenge with Memex being one very innovative tool. Electrical engineers and computer engineers are key players in areas such as this.”

White was drawn to OSU for the opportunity to do research as an undergraduate student.

“OSU gave me the opportunity to write research papers, publish and attend international conferences ... a major differentiator when I applied to graduate school,” White says. “The benefit of attending a public university like OSU is there’s lots of school spirit – major athletic programs to get behind with diversity in activities and what people study.”

Teague agrees.

“There are wonderful opportunities for creative men and women to make contributions that improve the way we live, and have fun doing it!” he says.

“Although engineers are often great theoreticians, they are specifically taught how to apply this knowledge to solve tough practical problems. Engineers have a broad education that provides the technical foundation and tools they need as well as the skills to apply that knowledge,” Teague says. “We want to prepare students for whatever the world holds for them, and hopefully other students with ambitions and abilities like Chris’s will take a look at what he’s done and realize OSU is a great place to start.”

Learn more about Memex from White’s “Inspire Ideas” talk at www.TEDxOStateU.com.

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Oklahoma State University Assistant Professor of English Aimee Parkison spins poetic webs of fiction into literature. The OSU alumna earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from Cornell University. At OSU, she teaches creative writing and serves as a faculty adviser to Frontier Mosaic, a student-run literary magazine. In 2013, she was awarded a William Randolph Hearst Creative Artist Fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society. Her first book of short stories, Woman with Dark Horses, won the Starcherone Prize. In 2004, her short story, Warnings, captured the Kurt Vonnegut Fiction Prize from the North American Review. Using the literal and metaphorical idea of the Dark Web that OSU alumnus Chris White infiltrated to target human trafficking and other criminal activity, Parkison connects her most recent novel, The Petals of Your Eyes, with DARPA’s Memex, an Internet search engine.

DARK WEB J

stories

oseph Campbell’s theory of narrative focuses on the hero’s journey, as described in The Internet, like the monomyth, The Hero with A Thousand Faces and in The Power of Myth. Campbell theorizes attempts to tell a story about the culture that all great narratives have mythic elements and that all mythic stories are variait represents. If Campbell is the Google tions of a single great story, a monomyth, that reveals certain reoccurring patterns of narrative, everything left out of the in all great narrative literature or even in contemporary news stories that define key primary database takes on new meaning, cultural truths in the media. Campbell’s ideas about the psychic unity of mankind and and one has to wonder about the motives its poetic expression through myth and contemporary metaphors have been influential behind exclusion. to many great writers, thinkers and narrative artists.

With this theory in mind, it is interestIn a sense, Campbell sought to create a narrative database. In much the same way, ing and complicated to examine the key today’s Internet search engines attempt to figures of myth and the Internet in light of create a database of content on the inforwomen and violence. For instance, perhaps the best-known major mythic female figure mation highway. However, not all dataassociated with the mastery of the art of violence is Athena. What does it say about bases are created equal. In fact, the most Athena that she is female and a warrior, and that in order to be depicted as a fierce popular search engines are as un-inclusive woman, she is also characterized as a woman born of man (literally born not from her as Campbell’s monomyth in that they mother’s body but from her father’s head) and that she is often characterized as being uncover only a fraction of the actual more sympathetic to men, and less than sympathetic to the plight of women? Perhaps available content. Much is hidden in a Athena’s bizarre and masculine backstory suggests that stories of women are not seen as dark zone, the Dark Web, which conceals heroic but controversial in their connection to men and violence. Aspects of the female images and data that most people would journey are lost in a realm cast in shadow, a narrative underworld that parallels the not want to see or do not know exists. digital underworld.

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In writing about women and violence, As long as we have the Internet, the Dark Web will always be with us, the underI found the subject matter for my novel world to the story of our lives. It thrives under the surface, hidden from popular search The Petals of Your Eyes (Starcherone engines like Bing, Yahoo and Google. Telling tales of degradation, it lurks behind the Books 2014). Where young people who contemporary monomyth of American culture to shelter a delicate ecosystem of sexual have been trafficked are trapped in a slave violence while concealing a side of society most people will never see. trade, performing in a remote theater, the captive survive by making ritualized sense of their own suffering. No One’s In hopes of using the Dark Web against the criminals and locating the victims Daughter willingly constructs a world of human trafficking, the Pentagon has developed a new search engine. The Defense built on reverse personification of the self.

Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been working on Memex, which She realizes that personification is how can gather information from the 90 to 95 percent of the Internet that Google cannot artists humanize the nonhuman, even as reach. Memex, which gets its name from a combination of “memory” and “index,” was the anti-artists capture, maim, and exploit invented by Chris White, who holds a degree in electrical engineering from OSU. by attempting to dehumanize through In attempting to understand the Dark Web in hopes of defeating the criminal undersexual abuse. Revealing the roots of world, society must learn to see violence in a new light. Those who feel empathy for the violence in the background and psycholvictim do not deny the humanity of the victim, and therefore must admit that anyone ogy of the characters, the novel shows could become the victim. the link between past trauma and current To be a good artist or a good investigaviolent acts, revealing almost unimagitor requires one to be an empathizer. One nable horror that transforms the narrative has to be open to imagining the experibefore the reader’s eyes. ences of others in a narrative way. That’s The Petals of Your Eyes shows the what it means to “create” a character, a dehumanizing effect of kidnapping upon mood, a voice, or a story that sings lyrivictims while also emphasizing how diffically and universally with deeply felt cult it is to find someone who has been emotion that moves from the page to the lost to trafficking. The criminal underreader’s heart and mind. world forces victims to become actors in a However, those who objectify others, theater of despair. This theater has a way feeling power or privilege over the victim, of stealing identities from victims even live in a sort of false psychological selfas it attempts to disguise the identity of protection. This allows for pornographic criminals. It is, therefore, a metaphor for empathy with the attacker, which perpetuthe Dark Web of the Internet. ates the audience of the Dark Web by When people ask me why I write about such disturbing subject matter, one answer dehumanizing victims. is that the very technology that allows for our contemporary digital age also harbors For these reasons, perhaps now more the Dark Web. I believe our society needs artists and writers willing to create intelligent than ever, society needs technology that stories about violence. These violent stories should be meant for a literary audience and allows law enforcement to turn the Dark should not cater to the illiterate world of pornography. These stories, which once might Web against the criminals who use it, not have been called horror stories or even New Gothic narratives, should be renamed in only to save the victims of violence but our digital age. They should be called Dark Web stories. Dark Web stories should reveal also to save society from that violence horror in new ways to expose a necessary truth to unlock meaning in what might appear by no longer allowing criminals to hide to be the senselessness of violence in our lives. their actions in pornographic depictions of violence that go undiscovered and therefore unchallenged. Furthermore, Contemporary myths of women and violence often focus on victims of rape, incest society also needs artists and writers willand abuse. While violence holds a place in the world of women because of the potening to create intelligent narratives about tial threat of victimhood, many of today’s images of women and violence are relegated violence. These stories should be called to the world of pornography. While the implied masculine domination of the female is Dark Web stories. They should expose all clear in these images, the real story behind these images is often hidden. In the world that is hidden in the mainstream monoof human trafficking, kidnapping and sexual slavery objectify victims by denying their myth in order to reveal a necessary truth, humanity while catering to a select audience who would pay for acts of violence to unlocking meaning in what might appear be committed upon humans who are viewed as objects. Most mainstream pornograto be the senselessness of violence in phy produces cheap imitations of the real violence of the Dark Web, which remains our lives. concealed in a virtual underworld notorious for courting criminals who would participate in violence against women and children. These illegal websites are often hidden from the general public in a virtual playground for human traffickers.

* * *

Society needs

technology that allows law enforcement to turn the Dark Web against the criminals who use it.

* * *

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Scholarship Program Builds Foundation OSU sends five engineering students to the University of Cambridge

BY C H E L S E A R O B I N S O N

F

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PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

ive recent graduates from the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology made history by being admitted into one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The University of Cambridge has one of the lowest acceptance rates in higher education and selects only a limited number of engineering graduate students for its master’s in philosophy degree each year. In 2015, nearly 20 percent of those students came from OSU. The students admitted are Eric Gilbert, industrial engineering and management graduate from Edmond, Oklahoma; Kathleen Nelson, mechanical engineering graduate from Oklahoma City; Eric Ruhlmann, mechanical engineering graduate from Oklahoma City; Peter Storm, biosystems engineering graduate from Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Philip White, mechanical engineering graduate from Edmond, Oklahoma.

Four of the five students – Gilbert, Ruhlmann, Storm and White – are members of the college’s most elite scholarship program — the W.W. Allen Scholars Program. Since 2002, the program has recruited top engineering students from the region to receive full funding for their undergraduate education at OSU and one year at Cambridge following completion of their four-year degree.

“Since Cambridge is one of the top universities in the world, their acceptance is a wonderful achievement for the students as well as OSU,” said Wayne Allen, former chairman and CEO of Phillips Petroleum Company and founder of the W.W. Allen Scholars Program. “We

The College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at OSU has five students admitted to the graduate program at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom including, from left, Philip White, Eric Gilbert, Eric Ruhlmann, Kathleen Nelson and Peter Storm. have a world-class engineering program with the Allen Scholars, and it attracts the best of the best.”

Historically, the program has sent one to two students in a year, but this year’s numbers demonstrate the longterm success of the program. Students who participate receive professional development training, build leadership skills and experience cultural activities as part of the all-encompassing program curriculum. These unique opportunities, combined with the mentorship of Allen, give students an in-depth look at industry and prepare them to be the candidates of choice post-graduation.

CEAT Scholarship Coordinator Amanda Williams says the students get to bond with Allen during meetings throughout their time at OSU, and they truly appreciate his guidance. Through her interactions with the students, she has seen them connect with him and develop the same aspirations he had as a student.

They apply those mentorship skills to the underclassmen around them by encouraging other students to care about the college and about their careers.

When asked about their time at OSU and how it will affect their futures, the students point out that they would not be where they were without the support and

generosity of those who built and implemented the program. The students going to Cambridge look forward to a time when they can give back.

“I want to thank Oklahoma State, CEAT and Mr. Wayne Allen for creating the environment that has allowed me to pursue my academic and professional goals,” White said. “I cannot explain the gratitude I have for those who made the last four years of my life so enriching.”

Not all of the students admitted to Cambridge were part of the Allen Scholars Program as undergraduates, but the experience is just as exciting and significant. Nelson was a member of the CEAT Scholars Program, another prominent group of high-achieving CEAT students, and the only female accepted into the university from OSU.

From serving as a Society of Women Engineers officer to co-founding the mentoring organization Women Inspiring Successful Engineers, Nelson spent her time on campus encouraging and empowering the next generation of females in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Her work ethic and academic success earned Nelson the Lew Wentz Research Award for Undergraduate Research and landed her a spot in the engineering graduate program with four of her peers.

The CEAT Scholars program offers competitive funding for undergraduate studies as well as professional development, leadership and cultural experiences, but it does not include funding for a graduate degree.

The financial situation has left Nelson still determining if she will be able to attend.

“If I am able to attend Cambridge, it will be one of the most incredible experiences of my life,” Nelson said. “Simply attending school in a place enriched with so much history and academic prestige will open up opportunities I cannot yet imagine.”

Regardless of total attendance in the fall, this elite group’s accomplishments provide an inspiring model for up and coming CEAT students. The bar is set high and students moving through the program after these five are just as determined and eager to achieve even greater feats. Thanks to loyal supporters and generous contributors such as Allen, CEAT students will continue to have the education and skills needed to carry on this legacy of excellence.

The University of Cambridge is a collegiate public research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the Englishspeaking world and the world’s fourtholdest surviving university.

Eric Gilbert Edmond, Oklahoma OSU Bachelor’s of Science Industrial Engineering University of Cambridge Master’s in Philosophy Industrial Systems – Manufacturing and Management

Kathleen Nelson Oklahoma City OSU Bachelor’s of Science Mechanical Engineering University of Cambridge Master’s in Philosophy Sustainable Development

Eric Ruhlmann Oklahoma City OSU Bachelor’s of Science Mechanical Engineering University of Cambridge Master’s in Philosophy Technology Policy

Peter Storm Stillwater, Oklahoma OSU Bachelor’s of Science Biosystems Engineering University of Cambridge Master’s in Philosophy Sustainable Development

Philip White Edmond, Oklahoma OSU Bachelor’s of Science Mechanical Engineering University of Cambridge Master’s in Philosophy Technology Policy

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The OASIS Interplanetary Transit Module will have to journey between 200 and 300 days to reach Mars.

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The Ray and Linda Booker Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Jamey Jacob, leads the X-Hab initiative at OSU.

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Kelsey Khoo and Michael Baier work in the reconfigurable habitat.

OASIS was constructed in the Space Habitat and Architectural Research Center at OSU Richmond Hills Research Complex.

Sending humans to Mars is a theme in science fiction, but Oklahoma State University students and faculty are helping NASA turn the page to living on the fabled planet through the eXploration Habitat Academic Innovation Challenge. Sponsored by NASA and the National Space Grant Foundation, the X-Hab project encourages student contributions to the advancement of science and technology by delving into space exploration.

After initial proposals from universities around the nation, OSU was selected as one of five universities for the 2015 project. In 2016, Oklahoma State is joining eight universities in the challenge. OSU is the only university in the nation that has been selected to participate with NASA in the X-Hab project for six consecutive years since its inception in 2011.

Project teams meet a series of milestones to design, manufacture, assemble and test their systems and concepts in cooperation with members of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. NASA gains fresh design concepts while helping shape the next generation of engineers who will likely be the ones building the systems required for the long journey to Mars and any eventual human presence on the planet.

“These strategic collaborations lower the barrier for university students to assist NASA in bridging gaps and increasing

our knowledge in architectural design trades, capabilities and technology risk reduction related to exploration activities that will eventually take humans farther into space than ever before,” says Jason Crusan, director of NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems division.

OSU’s involvement with the challenges began when the university had just introduced a spacecraft design class in response to students’ increasing interest in spaceflight and to elevate the aerospace engineering program with hands-on experiences.

“My whole reasoning behind becoming an engineer is because I was fascinated with space, and at a young age, I wanted to be an astronaut,” says Geoff Kibble, a recent mechanical and aerospace engineering graduate. “What I came to realize is that it’s the astronauts who have this crazy ability to go into space continues

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thanks to the scientists and engineers who design and build the equipment that allows them to do the things they do. It’s been a way for me to be a part of what’s happening with space, what’s happening with exploration.”

An evolving project, the 2015 challenge focused on the task of sending people on deep space missions, especially to Mars. OSU proposed developing a deployable greenhouse for food production on long missions.

Led by faculty members such as Jamey Jacob, Steven O’Hara, Paul Weckler and Ning Wang, OSU gathered an interdisciplinary team of 35 students from departments such as biosystems and agriculture engineering, architectural engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and electrical and computer engineering to tackle the challenge. Students designed and built a totally autonomous, deployable greenhouse, which they named the Organic and Agricultural Sustainment Inflatable System. OASIS was constructed in the Space Habitat and Architectural Research Center at OSU’s Richmond Hills Research Complex.

The OASIS model has a central solid structure and four Greenwings, which are inflatable greenhouses. The units are selfsustainable for a manned mission to Mars and a nearly two-year stay on the planet. The Martian greenhouse relies on aeroponics, a method of growing plants in an air or mist environment without using soil. The team decided this technique would be the most efficient and beneficial for such a mission.

“We selected aeroponics because studies show that aeroponic systems result in higher biomass, plant and edible yield, as well as faster growth,” says Jonathan Overton, a recent OSU biosystems engineering graduate who served as the environmental team leader for the 2015 X-Hab challenge. “They also use less water, a major design consideration in space. Basically, an aeroponic

system pressurizes a nutrient solution to spray a mist onto the roots of the plants. The mist provides all the plant nutrients necessary for growth.”

Providing variety, nutrition and convenience for the astronauts was a major challenge but, through their studies, students have figured out some changes that need to be made here on Earth.

“The issues presented in growing food with as little water, space and nutrients as possible is highly applicable to global agriculture,” Overton says. “Many technologies we use every day have come as a byproduct of developments by NASA for space travel. I believe that developments in space agriculture could revolutionize the way we grow our food on Earth.”

The ideas shared continue to support NASA’s research efforts to enable sustained and affordable human space exploration while developing a highly skilled scientific, engineering and technical workforce for the future. Outreach efforts at OSU included inviting high school students to the Richmond Hill Research Facility to experience the full scale test greenhouse and its many wonders.

More than 200 OSU undergraduate students have participated in the project, including students from engineering, architecture and human sciences. The student teams annually visit a NASA center, such as Johnson or Marshal Space Flight Center, to meet with NASA engineers in person and tour current concepts under evaluation.

“Our lab is a good recruiting tool,” says Jacob. “It’s a whole Mars mission simulation, so you have the capability to go and essentially play astronaut, and see what it takes to go through the process of traveling in deep space and living on Mars.”

Brandon Wooster and Shane Spear evaluate the fully functioning aeroponics system integration in OASIS.

PHOTOS / PHIL SHOCKLEY

Kelsey Khoo, X-Hab team leader, inspects the interior lighting control unit in OASIS.

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Seeking Fellow Birds of a Feather

BY Donald Stotts

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Graduate fellowship promotes the study of avian conservation and ecology

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enowned ornithologist Fritz Knopf’s interest in avian conservation and ecology was stirred, in large part, by his undergraduate mentor — James Barrow of Hiram College in Ohio — who aroused in Knopf an unrelenting curiosity about birds and their behaviors.

A faculty member with Oklahoma State University’s Ecology, Fisheries and Wildlife Department from 1975 to 1980, Knopf is quick to point out he has always been one to ask “why not” as much as “why?”

“In an era where western bird conservation problems have largely been blamed on overgrazing, I looked for compatibility,” he says. “When science tended to focus on areas that flaunted high avian species assemblages relative to conservation practices, I looked at areas such as grasslands where avian species were declining.”

And now Knopf is taking his own brand of unique ornithological mentorship to a new level with the creation of the OSU Fritz Knopf Fellowship program, administered through the university’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“It would be a boring, less colorful, quieter world without birds,” Knopf says, before slipping into science speak. “Birds from the Arctic down to local Neotropical migrants move through Oklahoma in a seasonal dynamic, with many species dependent upon the area for over-winter survival.”

Knopf adds Oklahoma, in part thanks to its importance to North American avian species, has been blessed with an exemplary ornithological professional history and he wants to ensure a continuation of much-needed development and dissemination of basic and applied research relative to the field.

The Fritz Knopf Fellowship program is a competitive doctoral fellowship with

a focus in avian conservation and ecology. The fellowship provides four years of support for the graduate education of an individual, including payment of tuition, accident and sickness coverage, a monthly stipend and a professional development allowance for activities such as books, equipment, field trips, professional visits and conferences.

“Fellows will be selected based on their academic merit, potential for leadership in the career field and commitment to wildlife research in this specialized area,” says Keith Owens, associate vice president overseeing the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station system, one of two state agencies that are part of DASNR. Owens classifies the fellowship as a “difference-maker,” adding that individuals awarded the fellowship will be in a position to make meaningful contributions, not only to researchers in the discipline but also to landowners, wildlife habitat specialists, community development planners and others.

OSU’s Knopf fellowship-holder is expected to participate in obtaining grant funding to enhance avian conservation and ecology efforts; provide informative, research-based presentations at regional and national meetings; be a member of professional organization committees that promote and enhance avian conservation and ecology projects; and serve as a senior or junior author for both peer-reviewed and popular press articles.

DASNR Vice President, Dean and Director Tom Coon believes the fellowship is very much in keeping with OSU’s land grant mission to develop and make available timely and relevant research-based information that provides practical solutions to concerns and issues of importance to Oklahoma and beyond.

“If you look at Dr. Knopf’s approach throughout his career, he often focused on areas that were exhibiting significant challenges and worked to identify causes and solutions,” he says.

Coon adds the shared “core values” of the land grant ethic and Knopf’s scientific approach make the fellowship a natural fit with the objectives of DASNR’s state agencies — the Experiment Station and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service,

both of which have strong environmental stewardship components.

“Our successes are always the successes of others,” Coon says. “Our purpose is to add value to people’s lives, be it at the local, state, national or international levels. The fellowship will strengthen our ability to enhance avian conservation and ecology throughout the region.”

In addition, the affiliation the state agencies have with the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources — which together comprise DASNR — plays an important role in ensuring CASNR students are exposed to the most up-to-date research-based information and scientific advances.

“The work of the OSU Fritz Knopf Fellowship holder will provide benefits throughout the division and, by association, to our many cooperating partners working in the land-use and wildlife conservation fields,” Coon says.

OSU is one of three national universities selected by Knopf for the fellowship program, along with the University of Colorado-Denver and Utah State University. Each will have its own fellow.

“My intent is to support future research into large-scale topics in basic avian ecology, especially relative to predicting how avian populations will

adapt to coming changes in future landscapes due to human activities and changing climatic conditions,” he says.

Knopf’s wish is to encourage a new generation of scientists beyond his own doctoral students, many of whom have gone on to greatly further the field in their own right.

Additional information about support for the OSU Fritz Knopf Fellowship program is available by contacting Heidi Griswold of the OSU Foundation at hgriswold@OSUgiving.com via email.

Knopf received his bachelor’s degree at Hiram College in 1967. He then earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in wildlife science at Utah State University in 1973 and 1975, respectively.

After serving as an OSU faculty member, Knopf joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Denver Research Center.

He remained with the agency but moved to the Fort Collins, Colorado, office in 1982. In 1993, the USFWS was moved into the National Biological Survey, and then moved again in 1996 into the U.S. Geological Survey. Knopf assumed new leadership roles with each transition.

After a long and varied career in largescale avian research, Knopf retired as a senior scientist from the USGS Biological Resources Division in 2006.

“Wind muffles sounds on the prairie; but when winds still, birds provide the sounds of the prairie.

The consonance of bird songs speak to the health of the grasslands that once stretched, unbroken, to every horizon.” — FRITZ L. KNOPF

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OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine is addressing Oklahoma’s prescription drug abuse epidemic by teaching future physicians to integrate addiction medicine within primary patient care.

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he tragic death of Reggie Whitten’s son may ultimately play a part in saving the lives of many Oklahomans.

Thirteen years ago, the Oklahoma City attorney and philanthropist’s 25-year-old son, Brandon, died after crashing his motorcycle while driving under the influence of prescription drugs and alcohol.

Though grief-stricken, Whitten did not give up but he began to educate himself and others. In his son’s honor, he formed Fighting Addiction Through Education, or FATE, as a way to raise awareness and increase education about the serious epidemic, particularly in Oklahoma.

“I learned that addiction is a disease of the brain. Brandon had that disease. He was like a car without the brakes,” he says. “I found out that my family doctor didn’t know anything about addiction and that lack of knowledge about addiction was the norm.”

A longtime supporter of Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences whose daughter graduated from OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2014, Whitten was invited to bring his poignant story to the medical school to launch a new course on addiction medicine. continues

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“The data shows that Oklahoma has the biggest prescription drug problem in the country. I found out that my family doctor didn’t know anything about addiction and that lack of knowledge about addiction was the norm.” — REGGIE WHITTEN

“The data shows that Oklahoma has the biggest prescription drug problem in the country,” he says. “When I was a young man in the 1970s, the No. 1 killer of young people was car accidents. Today in Oklahoma, deaths from prescription drug overdoses far exceed those from automobile accidents.”

The addiction medicine course was part of a change to OSU-COM’s curriculum designed to better prepare students to become effective physicians and to target Oklahoma’s primary health problems.

In March, OSU-COM introduced the new Addiction Medicine Focus Course, an intensive educational experience for second-year medical students aimed at building a foundation in addiction treatment for primary care physicians. The course also provided an opportunity to educate residents and faculty about the warning signs to help diagnose patients suffering from addiction.

OSU-CHS plans to incorporate addiction education throughout the curriculum in every year of medical school so that future primary care physicians will be equipped to deal with the substance abuse epidemic.

OSU-COM is among the first nationwide to create an addiction medicine course and explore additional opportunities to integrate evidence-based addiction education throughout its curriculum, says Dr. Richard Wansley, OSU-CHS associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral science and coordinator of the addiction medicine course.

“Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of substance abuse and addiction to prescription drugs in the nation,” Wansley says.

“Our mission to serve the health needs of our state’s residents demanded that we address this topic in the teaching program for our medical students.”

Because of Oklahoma’s well-documented problem — with one of the nation’s highest rates of non-medical use of prescription painkillers, which account for 80 percent of overdose deaths – the challenge for physicians is especially daunting.

“Becoming exposed to addiction medicine early in medical school opens our eyes to a topic that is not normally discussed out in the open,” says Rachelle David, a second-year medical

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student. “Hearing from a variety of standpoints – physicians, lawyers, law enforcement and community leaders – allows us to see the bigger picture and will help us when we practice medicine.”

OSU-COM has embraced the idea that primary care physicians can be the first line of defense.

“Primary care physicians are well-positioned to recognize the risks and early signs of addiction in their patients,” says Dr. Kayse Shrum, president of OSU Center for Health Sciences. “By integrating addiction medicine throughout our curriculum, our students will be prepared to prevent, recognize and treat patients who are dealing with substance abuse and addiction.”

Second-year medical student Paul Atakpo said he found the discussion on physicians who struggled with addiction particularly eye-opening.

“I think we have a preconceived idea of what a person who struggles with addiction looks like and I learned that addiction is no respecter of race, gender or status,” he says. “Addiction is a problem that we are going to encounter as future physicians. I found it valuable that we received some exposure to the issue early in our program.”

Substance abuse disorders are increasingly being viewed as a medical problem and medical schools across the nation have begun to adjust the curriculum accordingly.

“Ten to 20 percent of the population is genetically predisposed to addiction. It is a disease with a stigma attached,” Whitten says.

“Is there a stigma to being a diabetic or having heart disease? I don’t think so.”

He says he is heartened to see OSU-COM lead the way in addressing addiction at the primary care level.

“It’s absolutely imperative that our physicians are educated about this alarming new and growing trend,” Whitten says. “I have no doubt that this course will save lives here in Oklahoma.”

THE FUTURE HOME OF THE WESLEY FOUNDATION at OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

The Mission of the Wesley Foundation at Oklahoma State University is MAKING DISCIPLES for Jesus Christ, CREATING LEADERS to serve toward the Kingdom of God and TRANSFORMING LIVES for the transformation of the world.

A BRIGHTER OR ANGE LIBRARY STUDY SUITES NAMED IN HONOR OF DONOR

By Melinda McAfee and Jacob Longan

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Carson not only survived but continued to serve through the Air Force Reserve from 1946 until 1987 including volunteering as an Air Force Academy liaison officer and rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He also volunteered with many organizations, including the Spears School of Business Associates, American Legion, Freemasonry, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the First Christian Church.

He filled his life with service and achievements, both personally and professionally. His three children — Rita Fowlkes, Jim and Drew — joke that his greatest accomplishment was talking their mother, Edna Mae, into marrying him.

The marriage lasted 50 years until she passed away in 2006.

Professionally, Carson has succeeded in a number of areas. He became director

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

f you are from the Oklahoma community of Stilwell or Adair County, you know the names of Tom J. Carson and his sons, Jim and Drew. Yet, many are not aware that of Tom’s numerous achievements over 93 years, he Tom Carson has no problem deciding which is most important. His most memorable lifetime distinction came 40 years before he was inducted into the Spears School of Business Hall of Fame in 1982. In fact, it was just after completing his Oklahoma A&M accounting degree in 1942.

“I was very glad that I had the opportunity to take ROTC and that my class had early graduation to allow us to enter World War II,” Tom Carson says. “We fought to liberate the world from tyranny. Everything I did after that pales in comparison.”

Carson served in the Army Air Corps from June 2, 1942, until March 10, 1946.

He was stationed in the Pacific, which was quite a change for the Stilwell native. He credits his Oklahoma A&M ROTC training with helping him survive while so many of his friends died.

“In ROTC, we had a sergeant who was just brutal to us,” Carson says. “One day, I walked into the bathroom while he was shaving. It was just the two of us, so I asked him, ‘Why are you so tough on us?’

He said, ‘We’re going to war. I want to have the best ROTC class there.’”

of Stilwell’s Bank of Commerce in 1945, where he is now emeritus chairman of the board. He established Carson Loan and Investment Co. Inc., in 1946, running it until his retirement in 2011.

He owned Tom J. Carson Insurance Agency and was a partner in Stilwell Mercantile Co., Parrott’s Jewelry, Garrett Carson Chevrolet, Spicer Chevrolet and Oldsmobile, Northside Auto and Home Supply Company. He was a director of Stilwell Foods Inc., Rio Grande Foods Inc. and Peoples Bank, Westville, along with co-founding Green Country Angus and East Oklahoma Cattle Co. His sons, who are both two-time OSU alumni, manage the family banking, insurance and ranching businesses. They are also trustees of the Tom J. and Edna Mae Carson Foundation, which has supported local and regional charities for years.

The three rooms in the Tom J. Carson Foundation Study Suite are utilized in the evening by the Writing Center Outpost. This partnership between the library and English department provides writing tutors four nights per week.

Many building projects are giving a new look to Oklahoma State University. Summer construction sites included the new Spears School of Business, University Commons, Atherton Hotel, Student Union parking garage, Veterinary Hospital Academic Center and Human Sciences addition. The building boom includes six new group study rooms in the Edmon Low Library. Down the street, the new Gaylord Center for Excellence in Equine Health provides premier facilities for the OSU Veterinary Hospital. In Oklahoma City, plans for an Allied Health Building include a partnership with Variety Care to provide a health clinic for staff and students on site. Construction continues in the heart of the Stillwater campus with the Human Sciences Building adding a third wing adapted for 21st-century learning. The university has also announced plans for a new $60 million Performing Arts Center. Many improvements are funded by donors including long-time contributor Tom J. Carson.

SPACES EVOLVING IN EDMON LOW LIBRARY

By Bonnie Cain-Wood The Carsons are key supporters for a variety of areas at OSU. Much of their giving was without fanfare, including establishing multiple endowed faculty positions in the Spears School of Business. The more recent gifts have included the Tom Carson Study Suite in the Edmon Low Library and a scholarship for students who work at the library — all contributions grown from a humble beginning.

When Tom Carson was 5, he walked across the street from his house and started attending elementary school.

“I’m sure my grandmother was glad to get him out of the house. So he started a year early, and I think he skipped one grade, so he was two years early,” Jim Carson says.

“I think he was looking to be challenged.”

And that, at the age of 5, was just the beginning of his early journeys painted with the brush stroke of Cherokee heritage in small-town Oklahoma. His mother was born in 1900. By the time she passed away at 98, she was one of the oldest surviving members of the Dawes Commission Rolls.

“The thing to remember about my father and his accomplishments is his basic belief that what matters is not where you finish but how far you came from where you started,” Jim Carson says. “That’s the story.”

Support from the Carsons and countless others helps OSU serve as a great starting place for anyone with the ambition to get across the street (or the country) to make a life, a family, a contribution.

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f it has been more than a year since you set foot in OSU’s Edmon Low Library, you will be surprised at the changes.

Wait another six months, and it will be different again.

The iconic library building is changing rapidly thanks in large part to space made available by moving older and duplicated books to the new Library Auxiliary Building.

The library administration commissioned a comprehensive space utilization plan to make the most of reclaimed areas.

Sheila Johnson, who has served as dean of libraries since 2004, is the driving force behind the ongoing improvements.

“We are creating a building where we can deliver top-notch services for our students today, while constructing a flexible layout that can be reconfigured quickly as the needs of our students evolve,” Johnson says.

The latest change is the addition of six new group study rooms and additional “Study Bar” seats on the first floor.

“The study rooms are one of our most popular services at this time,” Johnson says. “It’s common for every room to be booked throughout the day.”

The Edmon Low Library currently has 12 group study rooms ranging in size to accommodate groups from two to 14.

Students make reservations online and check out the keys using their OSU identification cards.

Nine of the existing 12 rooms are supported by private endowments and

bear the name of the benefactors. These endowments ensure the rooms remain updated with attractive and practical furnishings as well as the latest equipment and technology students need in an effective meeting space.

“The rooms have changed a lot since we opened our first two in 1990,” Johnson explains. “Twenty-five years ago, we were happy to provide chalkboards. Today’s rooms offer smartboards and Wi-Fi. Our endowments ensure that as the technology continues to change, we’ll have funds to continue offering our students the best.”

Naming opportunities exist for new library group study rooms. To learn more about supporting group rooms or other projects related to the evolving spaces in the Edmon Low Library, contact the OSU Foundation at 800-622-4678, or visit osugiving.com.

NAMED GROUP STUDY ROOMS IN THE EDMON LOW LIBRARY

Jessie Thatcher Bost Group Study Room Tom J. Carson Foundation Study Suite H. Louise and H.E. “Ed” Cobb Group Study Room Joe J. Hamilton Group Study Room Weslie & Laveta Hendren Group Study Room Dean & Carol Stringer Group Study Room Tompkin McCollum Group Study Room

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GAYLORD CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN EQUINE HEALTH OPENS AT VETERINARY MEDICAL HOSPITAL Multipurpose facilit y enhances care of hor ses from bir th to retirement

By Derinda Blakeney

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sport horse diagnostic area temperaturecontrolled separately from the rest of the hospital. In addition, specialty equipment for rehabilitation and regenerative medicine is now centrally located adjacent to the exam area.

Six equine stalls were remodeled, forming three enlarged stalls for mare and foal hospitalization. Swinging stall partitions with half-Dutch doors accommodate mares while allowing management of critically ill foals in the adjacent partitioned stall region with separate access for veterinary medical staff. The stall partitions can also be positioned to provide full 12-feetby-24-feet enlarged stalls for hospitalization of larger breed horses such as Drafts and warmbloods.

Critically ill horses with infectious diseases need to be isolated from other

patients. The isolation facility HVAC system was replaced with a system that manages this airspace with negative pressure and specialized filters to safely isolate horses with airborne infectious conditions.

The isolation facility was also equipped with a hoist system to manage horses with infectious neurologic conditions that require assistance standing or need full sling support.

The Veterinary Medical Hospital is home to many board certified diplomates providing equine specialty care and diagnostic services in internal medicine, surgery, anesthesia, diagnostic imaging, and most recently, sports medicine and rehabilitation. “These new facilities will greatly enhance our ability to provide state-ofthe-art health care for horses of all ages and disciplines,� says Dr. Todd Holbrook,

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

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he Gaylord Center for Excellence in Equine Health was made possible by a $1 million gift from the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation. The gift created new versatile space by renovating three main areas within the Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences equine hospital and providing funding for state-of-the-art equipment for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

The newly renovated space improves service efficiency by creating an outpatient service area for equine athletes. A separate overhead door entrance allows sport horses to enter the Gaylord Equine Performance Suite directly from the lameness examination area. Specialized heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems were installed making the

A Clydesdale mare and her colt are treated inside the Gaylord Equine Neonatal Care Wing.

The stall is designed to accommodate larger-sized horses, along with providing space for both a mare and her foal.

equine section chief. “I am very excited about the future of equine health care at OSU and confident opportunities will arise to fulfill our vision to become the region’s premier equine health care referral center.”

The OSU equine team members are ready to serve the needs of all horses and their owners, whether it’s a neonatal foal, a competitive equine athlete or the beloved family horse. The team includes: • Todd Holbrook, DVM, DACVIM, DACVSMR, Professor and June Jacobs Endowed Chair in Equine Medicine, is the equine section chief. In addition to his expertise in equine internal medicine and sports medicine, he has a special interest in endurance horses. For more than a decade, he represented the United States Equestrian Federation as a veterinarian for the U.S. Endurance Team internationally. In his spare time, he enjoys raising and showing reining horses with his family.

• Dan Burba, DVM, DACVS, is a professor of equine surgery. He has a special interest in cribbing and upper airway function in horses. His research interests focus on orthopedics and laser surgery.

He also has extensive experience in equine rescue efforts, having served a pivotal role during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

• Lyndi Gilliam, DVM, DACVIM, Ph.D., is an associate professor of equine medicine. She has extensive equine internal medicine experience. Her special interests include neonatology, cardiology and client communication.

She has spent decades researching the effects of venomous snakebites on cardiac function in the horse.

Lyndi Gilliam

Mike Schoonover

Michael Davis

• Mike Schoonover, DVM, DAVS, DACVSMR, is an assistant professor of equine surgery. He was recruited from a regional equine referral practice where he specialized in the treatment of western performance horses. His clinical and research interests include diagnosis and treatment of navicular syndrome. He is the most recent OSU faculty member to become board certified in sports medicine and rehabilitation.

Thanks to the generosity of donors such as the Gaylord Foundation; Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic; Mary Kay (BS ’69) and Dr. Dick Shepherd (BS ’69, DVM ’71); and the family of John S. Gammill, the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences has state-ofthe-art, renovated facilities to improve the health care of horses.

If you love horses and want to contribute to the Gaylord Center of Excellence in Equine Health, contact the Advancement Office, OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, 308 McElroy Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078, or call 405-744-5630.

• Michael Davis, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, DACVSMR, Professor and Oxley Chair in Equine Sports Medicine, is the director of the Comparative Exercise Physiology Lab. He has supported many collaborative investigations impacting the health of equine athletes and has an international reputation in the field of exercise physiology research. He also oversees the equine treadmill facility used for both clinical and research purposes in horses.

• Kate Sippel, DVM, DACVR, is an assistant professor of diagnostic imaging. She has a special interest in equine diagnostic imaging. Her research interests focus on conditions affecting the cervical facet joints of the horse. In her spare time, she competes in jumper events.

Inside the Gaylord Equine Performance Suite, Dr. Daniel Burba, equine surgeon, and Megan Thomas, fourth year veterinary student, perform low level laser therapy on a 9-year-old gelding calf-roping horse suffering from myositis or inflammation of the muscle.

Kate Sippel

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

Dan Burba

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

Todd Holbrook

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ALLIED HEALTH BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT OSU-OKC CAMPUS

New facilit y opens in 2016 with full-ser vice medical clinic

By Kandace Taylor

W OSU-OKC AND VARIETY CARE PARTNERSHIP Variety Care is a nonprofit community health center with locations across Oklahoma. The centers provide primary medical, dental, vision and behavioral health care with multiple services at some sites. One way Variety Care focuses on increasing access to health care is by accepting Medicaid, Medicare and most private insurance. In addition, uninsured patients are offered affordable cash payment options along a sliding-fee scale based on income and family size.

“With this project, Variety Care will now have embedded clinics in an Oklahoma City elementary school, an Oklahoma City high school and a local university campus,” says Lou Carmichael, Variety Care CEO. “OSU-OKC is a great community resource, and the campus lies directly in our service area. The new Allied Health Building is also exciting for the health care industry because everyone in health care needs more and better-trained professionals at all levels.”

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hen Chancy Chaney was growing up, he admired the passion his mother and grandmother had for their roles as nurses. It wasn’t until Chaney became ill that he realized how much of an impact a nurse can have on a patient’s life. He decided then that he wanted to follow a familiar path and enter into the field of nursing.

Soon after, Chaney enrolled in classes at Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma City and was accepted into the competitive Nurse Science program, taking the first steps toward his profession.

Next fall, Chaney will have the opportunity to experience invaluable training in the university’s new, state-of-the-art Allied Health Building.

To accommodate thriving OSU-OKC health programs, the university is constructing a 45,000-square-foot building that will house all of the Health Sciences Division programs, including an innovative simulation center and a full-service Variety

Care primary-care clinic. The building will offer Chaney and his peers instrumental resources and hands-on experiences that will prepare them for careers in a critical, expanding field.

Between the alliance with Variety Care and the advanced simulation center, Chaney is confident the clinic will offer OSU-OKC Health Sciences students a well-rounded academic experience.

“The partnership can only benefit the nursing program,” Chaney says. “I am so excited to have a new simulation lab as well as be on the forefront of this new development. It is going to be such an integral part of preparing future nurses for their sought-after career.”

Construction of the building is scheduled to be completed in time for the fall 2016 semester. The facility’s Variety Care clinic will be open to students, faculty, staff and the community, which is important to OSU-OKC President Natalie Shirley.

PHOTO / MICHELLE TALAMANTES

OSU-OKC student Chancy Chaney looks forward to the resources he and other health sciences students will experience at the university’s new Allied Health Building under construction.

“Our university, like most, has students, faculty and staff who inevitably need primary care during the year,” says Shirley. “In addition, our neighbors need access to care as well. Variety Care is a great partner for us because they will be able to offer primary care, dental and behavioral services.”

Variety Care is equally excited about the partnership with the university. Dr. Steve Ramirez, Variety Care’s chief medical officer, believes the clinic’s PatientCentered Medical Home approach to health care will provide advantages for OSU-OKC students. The approach calls for the primary care physician to ensure patients receive the necessary care when and where they need it in a manner they understand.

“The partnership of OSU-OKC and Variety Care represents the ability to not just create these clinical environments and experiences for our patients, but to train those individuals who will

ultimately go into the workforce promoting this philosophy and expecting delivery of care to others to be based on it as well,” Ramirez said.

From a student’s perspective, Chaney also sees the building as an opportunity to work closely alongside the unique OSU-OKC health programs that include Cardiovascular Ultrasound, Dietetic Technology and Health Care Administration.

“I have been blessed to have two amazing nurses in my life — my grandma and my mom,” Chaney says. “I have seen firsthand the joy and impact that they have had on so many. I have had an amazing experience thus far in the nursing program. It is a difficult and rigorous program, but the professors do an amazing job of pushing us to our limits so that we may, one day, become excellent nurses.”

The OSU-OKC Allied Health Building will house a full-service Variety Care clinic, which focuses on increasing access to health care by accepting Medicaid, Medicare and most private insurance.

FUTURE SIMULATION AT OSU-OKC OSU-OKC’s new Allied Health Building will feature an advanced Simulation Center that will allow for interprofessional, experiential learning as students and professionals simulate real-life patient scenarios utilizing mid- and high-fidelity simulators.

• 7,579 square feet • Five simulation suites — Labor and Delivery; ER/ICU; and three medical/ surgical suites • Two standardized patient rooms • Three debriefing rooms • Ten-bed skills practice lab for nursing • Additional skills lab for cardiovascular ultrasound • Virtual IV and phlebotomy-skills lab • Multidimensional, flexible and adaptable space allowing for creative instructional deliveries • Space to facilitate the educational needs of the community for conferences and continuing medical education • Onsite community clinic that provides clinical-learning and service-learning opportunities The simulation center will have the latest simulation equipment, ranging from task trainers to high-fidelity simulators, with a medication-dispensing system and an electronic health-charting record, which is easily accessible utilizing a workstation on wheels. Each patient room will reflect a simulated hospital environment using state-of-the-art equipment with digital video recording availability. A control room with one-way glass will allow for simulation facilitators to operate, record and view simulations without students having direct visual contact.

PHOTO / DEWBERRY ARCHITECTURE

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toward the

FUTURE

NEW HUMAN SCIENCES WING TR ANSFORMING ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES

By Amanda O’Toole Mason

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FA L L 2 0 1 5

PHOTO / KASI KENNEDY

he new wing for the College of Human Sciences took shape over the summer with steel beams rising up from the earth revealing the skeleton of the 76,700-squarefoot addition. As temperatures rose, so did stairs and support girders.

As part of a construction tradition, the final beam lowered into place was bright orange and filled with signatures, including OSU President Burns Hargis and children from the Human Sciences Child Development Lab. The expansion is expected to open within a year’s time and will transform one of the oldest academic units at Oklahoma State University. The enhanced facility will showcase departments and programs with new labs, kitchens, dining spaces and galleries that feature student, industry and faculty projects.

“It’s easy to see the physical progress of the building, but it is even more exciting to see the strides we’ve made with our friends, alumni and corporate partners to fund this project,” says Dean Stephan Wilson. “You can begin to see the synergy the new wing will add to all of our programs when you have partners like SONIC, the Hal Smith Restaurant Group, the Cleo L. Craig Foundation and the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation, and so many more committed to our vision.”

In the spring, the Hal Smith Restaurant Group was recognized at a Chef Series event for its pledge to name a demonstration classroom. HSRG’s chief operations officer, Hank Kraft, sees this as a partnership with OSU that allows both entities to promote what they stand for.

“We have recruited from OSU for the past 15 years and employ more than 20 alumni from the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration,” Kraft says. “We were given the opportunity to invest in the future growth of the program and its students, who are the future of our company as well.”

To date, more than 31 individuals, groups and corporations have committed at least $25,000 each to the project with six pledging $1 million or more.

Jack Betts represents a group of about 30 alumni and friends who make up the Human Sciences Partners Group, which advocates the success of the college through a variety of activities, including networking and mentoring students. The group has pledged $100,000 to name a conference room inside the Partner’s Suite, a dynamic space that will allow engagement of students and faculty partnering with groups such as industry professionals, United Way agencies, Cooperative Extension, faith communities, etc. continues

The School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration is one of the oldest hospitality programs in the country, and to maintain a position of prominence among the elite programs, we need the facilities that our expansion is providing.

I am grateful that President Hargis and the University leadership have recognized the importance of our program. My hope is that through these new facilities, we can attract more interest in the program among the OSU student body and attract interest in our program from the hospitality industry worldwide.”

— Steve Jorns Longtime supporter and 1971 graduate of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration

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With all the new growth the College is experiencing, the new wing is not a luxury, it’s essential,” says Betts, who points out that the original building held about 600 students and now there are over 2,000. “The College is an outstanding college and has some of the best students in their field. The College has growing pains, and it is unacceptable to me to do nothing about it. If we were to do nothing, we would be depriving students the quality education they deserve.”

Longtime donor and 1966 School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration graduate Bryan Close agrees.

“The College of Human Sciences offers students hands-on learning that sets them apart from their peers. It’s what makes the programs like Hotel and Restaurant Administration exceptional and the education they receive from OSU unique,” he says. “I love seeing the students and the College succeed.”

Donor support will also impact the exterior of the College of Human Sciences, including a new outdoor entry, which will be known as the SONIC Drive-in Plaza, and the Return to Nature

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playground for the Child Development Lab, made possible by the Cleo L. Craig Foundation.

The entire College of Human Sciences project is expected to cost around $25 million and will bring new opportunities for its students.

A large-capacity exhibit hall and a modern gallery will provide muchneeded space for apparel design productions, seminars and student and faculty displays, poster presentations and various exhibits. The public-private office suite and virtual reality laboratories will be used to facilitate industry collaborations and community engagement. New dining spaces and large open areas will allow students to gather and collaborate. The enhanced Human Sciences building will expand opportunities for the campus and greater communities to experience a variety of services and programs.

Taylor’s Dining Room, the hospitality program’s fine-dining lab, will be relocated and given a prominent spot adjacent to the Great Hall, increasing its visibility and accessibility. Next door, the Center for Beverage Education will provide students and faculty with a new

The wing’s northern terrace would offer students working in the adjacent Taylor’s Dining Room experiential learning opportunities in an outdoor dining lab setting. This covered space will provide a wonderful seasonal dining option on campus with convenient access along Monroe Street that will engage the public and invite visitors to experience the facility.

H ERE’ S H OW TH E B U I LDI N G WI LL I M PAC T E ACH DEPARTM ENT: School of Hotel & Restaurant Administration Relocating the hospitality program and its kitchen and dining labs to premier spaces in the new wing will provide students with a physical setting that represents the high caliber of the academic program. To be “cutting edge” in the hospitality industry, students need to experience what types of equipment, procedures and practices are required in their learning environment.

Human Development & Family Science Integrated lab environments in the renovated space will improve research experiences for graduate students.

The building project will also increase the capabilities of the department’s child development laboratory and its counseling and family service-based programs, enhancing its offerings in marriage and family therapy and early childhood education, impacting families and young children.

COURTESY OF DLR GROUP / LWPB ARCHITECTURE

Design, Housing & Merchandising avenue for beverage and food experimentation, discovery and research and create a private meeting place for up to 20 guests.

The exhibit hall will be located to the south of the Great Hall and in close proximity to many of the new laboratories. It will facilitate some of the College’s largest classes and provide muchneeded space for seminars, workshops and other activities.

Students are at the center of this transformation, and every detail is planned to ensure OSU is able to provide them the best education possible. Each new space will enable programs to better serve students and push the boundaries of cross-discipline educational discovery in the College of Human Sciences.

To become involved with the College of Human Sciences building expansion, contact:

STEPHANIE VOGEL, Ed.D., CFRE

svogel@OSUgiving.com | 405-385-5615

New lab spaces will enable teaching and learning of leading trends and issues in merchandising, apparel and interior design. Display spaces prominently featured in the existing and new wing of the building will feature student work to the campus and the broader public.

Nutritional Sciences Nutritional Sciences has some of the most sought-after graduates, faculty and state-of-the-art equipment. However, to keep the department’s research capabilities among the top in the country, state-of-the-art space to support its research activities is required. For example, renovated lab space would allow researchers in the cell culture laboratory to create cell samples and test them in one location rather than transporting the delicate, temperature-sensitive cells from one laboratory to another, which can result in contamination and cell destruction.

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Cranberries Assist in Diabetes Prevention Researcher demonstrates cranberries stabilize blood glucose levels to reduce risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes

By Faith Kelley

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

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T

hey say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but studies suggest that cranberries could be even more beneficial for the human body.

Arpita Basu, associate professor of nutritional sciences at Oklahoma State University, has found that adults could lower their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by adding a regular serving of cranberries to their daily diets.

Originally from India, Basu traveled across the world to OSU. She was interested in performing clinical and translational nutrition research but had very few opportunities in that field back home.

“I’ve always been interested in the medicinal effects of foods, and that could be related to my traditional background in India — there are a lot of Asian countries where foods and beverages play a big role in corrective health — so that’s kind of where my interests were, and I really wanted to look at the different effects,” Basu says.

Before arriving at OSU, Basu received a doctorate degree from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, and she completed her post-doctoral studies at the University of California– Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California, which allowed her many opportunities for clinical nutrition research.

“I got introduced to some of these ideas because UC Davis has been one of the leading institutions in medicinal food research and what we call functional food research,” she says. “I got quite a bit of experience working with lycopene, which is the active compound in tomatoes. Also Vitamin E, which has different health effects, and mainly my focus has been on diabetes and cardiovascular health.”

She came to OSU in 2006 after being attracted to the Department of Nutritional Sciences.

“It has been very active in conducting research in functional foods and looking at the health effects, or rather the medicinal effects of different foods, beverages, extracts and supplements, which has been one of the signature areas of our department,” Basu says. “That definitely falls in line with what I’ve always been interested in, so luckily I came here and continued with my area of research.”

She began her research eight years ago when very few studies had been conducted with cranberries. The rise and fall of blood glucose has been associated with diabetes complications and damage to blood vessels, and Basu’s goal was to find out if adding cranberries to adult diets would have a positive effect on health.

“We typically consume a lot of high-fat foods,” Basu says. “Our main objective was to find out if it has an effect on our blood glucose and lipids when we have those foods with cranberries.”

Her first study was performed over eight weeks for participants with metabolic syndrome, which is considered prediabetic state. Each participant was given a regular serving of Ocean Spray cranberry juice, and the results showed there were multiple benefits, such as increasing plasma antioxidant capacity and decreasing damage to blood lipids.

“Cranberries themselves are known to be high in antioxidants and have different categories of polyphenols and other phytochemicals, which have been shown to be beneficial in diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” Basu says.

The research on cranberries and their health effects began with animal studies, but cranberries have shown more drastic positive results on human rather than animal models. After completing the first study and publishing her findings, Basu and her colleagues completed a shorter, postprandial study after participants had eaten a high-fat meal.

The second study consisted of participants consuming half a cup of dried cranberries. There were visible differences in blood glucose levels after doing the tests.

“To me, that means if people with diabetes — even if they don’t change their whole diet, which is often a challenge to change everything that each one of us is habituated to consuming on a regular basis — add half a cup of cranberries to their meals, they could actually have some

beneficial effects in their blood glucose levels,” Basu says.

For those who don’t enjoy the flavor of cranberries, there may be other ways to get your daily dose of antioxidants.

There are a handful of studies that have shown concentrated cranberry extracts, in capsulated form, could have benefits for people with Type 2 Diabetes. However, it’s always necessary to consider risks that could accompany ingesting something in a pill form.

“When we think about foods, regular and low-calorie cranberry juice, dried cranberries and cranberry sauce, those are natural and we are not typically concerned with developing adverse health effects or safety issues,” Basu says. “But when you start extracting these components from the berries and start putting them in capsules, then it kind of tends to act more like a drug than as a food or beverage.”

Although Basu has her concerns about large-scale supplements, she would like to continue in the area of dietary supplements research after seeing positive effects from juice and dried cranberries in people with metabolic syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes.

“I’d like to see some studies with cranberry extracts in more of a placebo controlled trial,” Basu says. “Or maybe even something like freeze-dried cranberries, which are a much more concentrated source of the antioxidants, dietary bioactive compounds and nutrients present in cranberries.”

The next step in Basu’s research is to inform the affected public about the benefits of cranberries and how easily they can be incorporated into the daily diet. Many are aware of the research confirming cranberry intake can help prevent and treat urinary tract infections. However, the public may not be aware of Basu’s research from the past several years showing the positive effects for diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

“I think there is a lot of emerging and promising research in the area of cranberries,” Basu says. “I think people are becoming aware of it, and you know you see benefits there.”

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Chuck wagon cooking preserves simple life of first meals on wheels

By F A I T H K E L L E Y

PHOTO / SHANNON ROLLINS

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FALL 2015

“The only difference between good food and great food is who you share it with.”

– KENT ROLLINS, OFFICIAL CHUCK WAGON COOK OF OKLAHOMA

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n Oklahoma State University alumnus embodies the Cowboy spirit, as he embarks on another journey filled with great food and charming stories from the ranch in his recently released cookbook.

Kent Rollins, the official chuck wagon cook of Oklahoma, has written A Taste of Cowboy: Ranch Recipes and Tales from the Trail, a cookbook full of ironclad flavorful recipes, cooking tips and stories about life. He says the only difference between good food and great food is who you share it with.

Originally from Hollis, Oklahoma, Rollins grew up near the Red River. There, he worked with some of the best old-timers in history, quickly earning the title of a cowboy. His mother always provided delicious home-cooked meals, and his fellow cowboys on the ranch would joke about how much time Rollins spent in the kitchen with her. Fortunately, it was there he learned the skills and recipes he would master and eventually share through his life.

PHOTO / SHANNON ROLLINS

When Rollins isn’t working as a “cookie,” a western lingo title for the cowboy preparing all the meals, he joins them in working hard to take care of the animals on the range.

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Along with running Red River Ranch Chuck Wagon Catering with his wife, Shannon, Rollins spends his time traveling across the country catering meals for working cowboys, a business that is fading but still relevant. All of the cooking is done on a restored 1876 Studebaker chuck wagon, his own portable kitchen for the past 20-plus years. He has demonstrated his skills on several television programs broadcast on the Food Network and NBC’s Food Fighters. Rollins shares his love of time spent cooking on the range through stories and recipes in his new cookbook.

“All the recipes in the book have been cowboy-approved and beagle-dog tested many times,” he says.

When Rollins isn’t cooking or traveling across the country catering events, he spends his free time writing poetry and storytelling. He wrote his first poem, Horseshoes in Heaven, as a dedication to his late father who spent most of his life working on the prairie. Rollins says that writing down what he felt about his dad was a great way to deal with what was happening. As far as the

stories go, some are true accounts of what has happened over the course of his life, while others are stories passed down through generations. Horseshoes in Heaven, along with many other poems and tales, can be found in A Taste of Cowboy: Ranch Recipes and Tales from the Trail.

Rollins’ goal is to make others happy when they read his writing.

“We love to make people laugh because if you can’t laugh at life as you go through it, you won’t make it,” Rollins says.

It was veterinary medicine, not writing, that brought Rollins to OSU in 1977. He spent the next three years nurturing a talent he developed in his youth, helping his father take care of cattle and horses. More than anything, he says he loved the available resources and hands-on learning the school had to offer. Rollins says OSU felt like home right away, and it’s a place he’s missed.

“The atmosphere at Oklahoma State when I was there was not like a great big college,” Rollins says. “It was like you knew everybody even though there were gobs of people around.

The professors and the people in your classes were just good Oklahoma people. And it showed through every day.”

While Rollins loved his time at OSU, he ultimately decided to pursue a career doing what he does best — cooking for cowboys.

Cooking out on the cattle trail for several days at a time can prove to be difficult when you live in Oklahoma. From extreme heat to thunderstorms, tornados and snowstorms, Rollins says he has cooked in every condition but an earthquake. However, with the amount of earthquakes Oklahoma has experienced lately, he imagines he has likely cooked during one without noticing.

When Rollins was interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning last April, producers asked what set him apart from other cooks.

Rollins responded saying he has to improvise more than anyone else when working in Mother Nature’s kitchen.

“Mother Nature throws something at you whenever she wants,” he says. “I don’t care what the forecast says, she’ll change her mind whenever she sees fit. It’s one of those deals that you just have to persevere more than anything, but you get by no matter what happens because there’s somebody depending on me, whether we’re catering a meal for 400 or feeding 15 cowboys.” continues

“We’ve always been Pokes fans, always will be. You know, whether it’s on horseback on the prairie, in the classroom or on the field — it’s always good to be a cowboy.” — KENT ROLLINS

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Directions:

5 (8-ounce) sirloin steaks

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F with a rack in the middle.

Butter and flour a Bundt pan.

Vegetable oil for frying 1 cup milk

2. If using frozen blueberries, toss them in a small bowl with ½ cup of the flour and set aside. If the blueberries are fresh, skip this step.

1 (14.5-ounce) can beef broth

1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup concentrate

1 large yellow onion, sliced Salt and black pepper

3. In a medium bowl, combine the 3 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

BLUEBERRY LEMON MORNING CAKE

Blueberries are one of my favorites in the morning, and this is a tasty way to use them in a breakfast or brunch treat. But we never did have “brunch” where I came from — that’s just something sleepy folks call breakfast. This is a moist cake with a citrus twist and jam-packed with blueberries.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes Makes 1 Bundt cake (12 to 16 servings) Ingredients: 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus ½ cup if using frozen berries 1 teaspoon baking powder

4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together for about 1 minute, or until fluffy.

5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the yogurt, extract, and lemon zest.

6. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture until combined. If using frozen berries, sift the flour out.

Fold the sifted frozen berries or the fresh berries into the batter. Scrape the batter into the Bundt pan.

7. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

8. Remove from the oven and let cool. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen. Place a plate on the bottom and flip the cake over onto the plate to remove. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature.

Directions: WAGON-WHEEL STEAK

Some cuts of meat are so tough I couldn’t tenderize them even by running them over with the wagon. But the tougher cuts are always a little cheaper, and that’s how this recipe came to be. I sear the steaks first to hold in their flavors. Then I let the oven do the hard work of tenderizing the rascals.

Cooking the steaks slowly in a rich sauce of beef broth, cream of mushroom soup, and onion helps tenderize and flavor the meat even more. Now you have a dish that didn’t break the bank to make.

Prep time: 15 minutes Total time: 1 hour and 20 minutes Makes 5 servings Ingredients: 2¾ cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons seasoned salt

2 sticks butter, softened

1½ teaspoons smoked paprika

2 cups sugar 3 large eggs 1 cup lemon yogurt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Zest of 1 lemon Powdered sugar for sprinkling

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1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly butter an 11x13-inch casserole dish or 12-inch cast iron skillet.

2. In a medium bowl, combine one and 3/4 cups of the flour, the black pepper, seasoned salt, smoked paprika and garlic salt.

3. Dip each steak in the flour mixture until each side is generously coated.

4. Pour a thin layer of oil into a large skillet. Heat on high heat until very hot. Add the steaks to the skillet and sear for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.

5. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, soup concentrate and beef broth. Sift in the remaining 1 cup flour and mix well.

6. Pour half of the milk mixture into the casserole dish.

Place the steaks in the dish in a single layer. Top with the sliced onion. Pour the remaining milk mixture over the top. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Cover with tin foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 minutes, or until the meat (Recipes from Kent and Shannon Keller Rollins’ has cooked through and is A Taste of Cowboy: Ranch Recipes and Tales from tender. Serve hot.

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic salt

the Trail, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.)

Although Oklahoma weather sometimes makes for a strenuous job, Rollins says it’s worth it for what he gets to see every day.

“I have the best view out my kitchen window,” Rollins says.

“The good Lord has painted a picture out there. Every day I get to see this, and it’s better than some people can ever imagine.

Whether it be a sunrise, rainbow, whatever it is, it’s better than any view in the world.”

Rollins and his wife also teach a cooking school a few times a year to guests from all over the world. The guests are taken to a typical ranch setting where they spend the next few days sleeping on cots inside teepees. They learn to cook with and care for castiron and Dutch ovens, an art that is further explained in Rollins’ cookbook. However, Rollins says they also teach about life. He wants the people attending cooking class to understand that life doesn’t have to revolve around cellphones, and it’s OK to go a few days without reception.

“Some of the best things in the world are right outside that teepee in the morning,” Rollins says. “If you’ll look up at the sky, you’ll see the stars shining so bright.

We’ve had people say they’ve never seen the sun fully go down; it has always gone behind a building. It’s a great thing for people.”

With running Red River Ranch Chuck Wagon Catering and cooking

school, touring for his cookbook and spending weeks at a time cooking on ranges, Rollins says what’s next for him is a vacation.

His past year has been incredibly busy, but he says he enjoys staying busy as long as Shannon is by his side.

“Every day is a holiday, and every meal’s a banquet with us,” Rollins says.

He and Shannon will be making a trip to Stillwater on November 11, 2015, to teach a cooking class at OSU’s Seretean Wellness Center. If time allows, they hope to bring their chuck wagon to tailgate at a game and share food with fans this football season. Rollins hasn’t attended a Cowboys game since he was student at OSU in 1979.

“It would be a great thing for us to be there with our wagon,” Rollins says. “We’ve always been Pokes fans, always will be. You know, whether it’s on horseback on the prairie, in the classroom or on the field — it’s always good to be a cowboy.”

Rollins and his wife, Shannon, spend 365 days a year together traveling and cooking for cowboys on the ranch, catering events and teaching at cooking schools to guests from around the world, including a stop in November at OSU. For more information, visit their website kentrollins.com.

Rollins uses Dutch ovens to prepare a majority of the meals cooked from his restored 1876 Studebaker chuck wagon.

“All the recipes … have been cowboyapproved and beagle-dog tested many times.” — KENT ROLLINS

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Oklahoma State University is seeking comments from the public about the

The public may also submit comments on the

University in preparation for its periodic evaluation

Commission’s website at http:// hlcommission.

by its regional accrediting agency. The University

org/HLC-Institutions/third-party-comment.html.

will host a visit October 19–20, 2015, with a team representing the Higher Learning Commission.

OSU has been accredited by the Commission since 1916. The team will review the institution’s

Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution or its academic programs. Comments must be in writing.

ongoing ability to meet the Commission’s Criteria

All comments must be received by September

for Accreditation.

18, 2015.

The public is invited to submit comments regarding the University to: Public Comment on Oklahoma State University The Higher Learning Commission 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500 Chicago, IL 60604-1411

Recognizing OSU’s 100th consecutive year of accreditation

PHOTOS / JORDAN RICHARDS

TIMELESS REMINDERS As campus paths intersect on the southeast corner of historic Old Central, an Oklahoma Centennial Clock stands guard keeping the time between the past and present. A state initiative placed clocks across Oklahoma to commemorate its 100th anniversary in 2007. More than 100 modern day replicas of period clocks that once graced Main Streets throughout the nation were installed throughout the state.

OSU’s Centennial Clock is customized in black with orange stripe accents.

Although the clock is a symbol of life in the early 1900s, the timepiece is equipped with modern features including Daylight Savings and power failure correction abilities as well as nighttime illumination. The Verdin Co., six-generation clockmakers in Cincinnati, Ohio, created the Centennial Clock with contemporary materials and state-of-theart controls to stand the test of time. Rising more than 20 feet tall, four working clocks point in each direction and can be viewed from any side.

Another Centennial Clock is located at the Payne County Courthouse. Designed to look like clocks from another era, they are so convincing in their stature, most cannot imagine anything else in their place — reminders of the past marking the time for the future.

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

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Finding a Prairie Home

BY DAV I D C. PE T E R S

Oklahoma State University lands in Payne County in 1890

For hundreds of years, the rolling hills of tallgrass prairie served as a boundary between the Osage on the east and the Kiowa on the west. Big Bluestem growing up to ten feet tall shared this nurturing plains environment with Little Bluestem, Switchgrass and Indian Grass.

Native flowers added the colors of the rainbows seen after morning and evening showers. Winds and breezes created undulating waves on a sea of vegetation which enormous herds of bison meandered through during seasonal migrations.

Periodic wildfires promoted the dominance of this grassland environment and limited the habitat of trees to the protected banks of streams and rivers.

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PHOTO / OKLAHOMA STATE SENATE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION FUND

Wayne Cooper depicted roaming buffalo in his painting of the tallgrass prairie.

E.N. Darling surveyed the Stillwater area in 1872.

PHOTO / TODD JOHNSON

T

he arrival of the Spanish, and later the French, established the first early forms of western governance and law but brought little change to this region located far from colonial headquarters. However, the arrival of the horse did alter the range and migration of First Nation populations on the plains of the Louisiana Colony area. As the nomadic tribes became more mobile with the ability to cover greater distances, the territory available to them was shrinking.

The United States purchase of the Louisiana Colony in 1803 remains the largest transfer of territory in the nation’s history. This purchase transferred 828,000 square miles at roughly 4 cents an acre from the French to the control of the young nation still building its new capitol known as the city of Washington located in the District of Columbia.

With the creation of the state of Louisiana in 1812, the remaining area to the north was renamed the Missouri Territory.

In 1819, the southern portion of the Missouri Territory was designated as the Arkansas Territory. The Arkansas territorial borders were reduced twice between 1824 and 1828. When Arkansas achieved statehood in 1836, the area north and west of Arkansas was designated as the “Unorganized Territory,” but also referred to as “Indian Country.” With the creation of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs office as part of the War Department in 1832 and the passage of the Indian Intercourse Act of 1834, the forced removal of eastern Native American groups to their new homes on the plains had begun.

The area in the northcentral Indian Territory south of the Cherokee Outlet was initially designated for the Creeks and Seminoles before being subdivided with the northeastern portion granted to the Creeks. Later subdivisions continued to reduce Native American allocations, and eventually a section of “Unassigned Lands” was created in the center of the Indian Territory. In 1866, the Choctaw and Chickasaw had agreed to have their treaty boundaries and territory surveyed in preparation for allotments. On July 25, 1870, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior through the General Land Office awarded a contract to Ehud Noble Darling to subdivide Choctaw and Chickasaw lands according to the standards established in the United States Public Land Survey System. An official Manual of Surveying Instructions had been written in 1851, with revisions in 1855 and 1864 that provided the standards and guidelines for these surveys. continues

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Surveying begins E. N. Darling was born on December 7, 1832, in West Berkshire, Vermont, the eldest of Hiram and Sarah Noble Darling’s ten children. As a young man, he moved to the Minnesota Territory frontier and started his career as a land surveyor.

He referred to himself as a “Surveyor & Astronomer,” but generally had others assist him with astronomical observations.

In 1856, he secured a contract with the General Land Office to divide townships west of Minneapolis into 40-acre plots in preparation for sale.

The Civil War brought a temporary end to most of the federal land surveys and Darling joined the 8th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry in August of 1862 at St. Paul. He was promoted to corporal in May of 1863 and appointed in September of 1864 to the 18th Regiment of the U.S. Colored Infantry as a first lieutenant in Company H. Darling completed his military service in February 1866 and headed west to resume surveying.

The Homestead Act of 1862, passed during the war, provided a mechanism to distribute public lands to American citizens and newly arriving immigrants, but surveys had to be completed before these properties would be opened for settlement.

By the summer of 1868, Darling was establishing the boundary between what would become the states of Colorado and New Mexico. This border is known as “Darling’s Line.”

Darling and his partner, Theodore H. Barrett, arrived at Fort Arbuckle in the Indian Territory during the summer of 1870 and used the fort as a base for their activities. There had been survey activity in the territory earlier to confirm treaty

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boundaries, but nothing had been done to establish the public land survey system of townships. This system was known as the Land Ordinance of 1785 and was referred to as the Rectangular System. Townships were comprised of 36 square mile sections with each section containing 640 acres of land.

Sections were further divided into four quarter-sections, each with 160 acres.

Before individual Native American allotments could be determined in the Indian Territories, their lands needed to be surveyed to mark boundaries so that ownership locations could be recognized.

This would also be true for homesteads settled during later land runs, allotments, lottery and bids placed to confirm individual land possession.

Darling and Barrett established the Initial Point for the survey about one mile southeast of Fort Arbuckle between two small streams near the center of the Chickasaw lands. A monument was placed at this location with a marked stone. From this point, the Indian Base Line (latitude 34 degrees, 30 minutes north of the equator) extended out to the east and west with a perpendicular line known as the Indian Meridian (longitude 97 degrees, 14 minutes, 30 seconds west of Greenwich, England) stretching to the north and south. These two lines would form the foundation of a grid system that eventually would cover the territory, and the coordinates associated with these lines would define land ownership boundaries for all territorial citizens.

Darling surveyed the lands on the east side of the Indian Meridian, and Barrett was assigned the area to the west. The southern boundary was the Red River and, to the north, they reached the south fork of the Canadian River.

Chains measure land On December 3, 1870, Darling and Barrett were granted the contracts to survey the former Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole lands north of the Canadian River to the Kansas state line between the 96th and 98th meridians of longitude west of Greenwich. They would accomplish this survey by extending the Indian Meridian created at the Initial Point near Fort Arbuckle north to the border with Kansas.

The law establishing the public land surveys required a mathematical impossibility. The townships were to be based off the meridians and be six miles square.

Since the meridians decrease in distance as they approach the Earth’s north and south poles, it is impossible to maintain equivalent rectangular townships with individual sections of 640 acres on a round planet. The Manual of Instructions allows that sections are “as nearly as may be.”

Darling documented these slight distance discrepancies in his field notes and on individual township maps. Streams, wooded areas and geologic formations were also noted on the maps.

The public land surveys were laborintensive activities. Darling and Barrett hired a number of assistants to work with them to physically layout the grid system.

First, each township of six by six miles was laid out and boundaries marked.

Then, each of the individual square mile sections were surveyed starting along the southern and eastern boundaries and moving to the north and west. The procedure was prescribed both in the law and surveying manual, any deficiencies in measurements would be reflected on the north and west sides of the township. All of these measurements were noted in triplicate. Correction lines were drawn every four to five townships or about every 24 to 30 miles.

The direction of a survey line was established using a compass, and crews used chains, which measured 66 feet to establish the line. Each chain consisted of 100 links, with each link being 7.92

inches in length. Eighty chains equaled one mile. After five chain lengths had been measured, a tally pin was used to mark that location. Eleven tally pins were used and the person installing the tally pins would provide a count as they were placed in the ground. After setting ten tally pins, the first or forward chainman yelled, “tally” to the crew following them. The second individual or the hind chainman would keep a separate record as they were removed, and then both individuals would confirm the count before continuing down the line. They would alternate forward and hind positions after each tally. This procedure helped insure the accuracy of these measurements.

There were many challenges, but perhaps the most difficult involved measurements over uneven ground or around impassable obstacles. On uneven ground, the chains were kept as horizontal as physically possible. When unable to measure through or over an obstacle, a parallel line was created near the impediment with measurements back to the opposite side of the obstacle to continue the line.

Township and section corners could be marked using trees, stones or wooden posts. These would be given chops or notches. Single stones could be used for section corners, but small monuments of stones were to be used at township corners. Stones for sections and quarter sections were to be at least 14 inches by

12 inches and three inches thick. They were inserted into the ground up to eight inches and placed directionally either north/south or east/west. All stones were marked with a pick or chisel to create the notches on one edge providing location information regarding the township, section or quarter section. The stones with descriptions and measurements were described in the field notes. Distances to nearby fixed objects would also be noted.

In early February of 1872, Darling and his crew were locating, notching and setting stones in township 19 North and Range 2 East. Seventeen years later this land would be the northern border of the area known as the “Unassigned Lands.”

Land Run of 1889 At the first of March in 1889, the Muscogee, Creek and Seminole Nations ceded over five million acres to the United States. Three weeks later, President Benjamin Harrison, who had just taken office on March 4, declared that the property in these “Unassigned Lands” would be opened for settlement by land claim occurring at noon on April 22, 1889.

Land offices were opened in Kingfisher and Guthrie. At 12 p.m., thousands lined the borders, and with a gunshot, they swarmed into the territory to capture quarter sections of land or select town lots in communities established by that continues

The 1890 Oklahoma Council functioned as a territory legislative organization.

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evening. Close to Stillwater Creek, 300 hearty settlers claimed a town site of 240 acres. Their new community was located about one mile northwest of the site William L. Couch had attempted to settle with other boomers five years earlier. On May 28, 1889, the post office was established, and the small town became officially known as Stillwater.

Wood-framed buildings slowly began to replace the tents and other temporary structures established during the spring of 1889. Without an adequate local supply of lumber, all building materials needed to be hauled in on wagons, and it took months to construct more permanent facilities.

Other small towns also sprang up in the northeast corner of the Unassigned Lands. Within the year, Payne County was designated as one of the first six counties in the new Oklahoma Territory created on May 2, 1890. The territory included the Christopher Nick painted a historiPanhandle and all lands east of the Indian cal portrait of Populist George W. Territory. The first six counties settled in Gardenhire, a territory representative the 1889 land run dominated political activ- from Stillwater, who served as president ity in the Oklahoma Council organized to of the Oklahoma Council. bring administrative structure to the citizens of the new territory. would be established under the conditions described in the Land Grant (Morrill) Act Town dreams of 1862. A college and experiment station Payne County leaders had first dreamed would receive both federal and territorial support, provide reliable recommendaof bringing the territorial capitol to their tions to the local agricultural community county, but had also considered competing for the other public institutions that needed regarding potential crops and livestock for successful production, and enhance local to be established such as hospitals, prisons and colleges. The Payne County representa- educational opportunities.

Gardenhire carried this more realistive on the Oklahoma Council was Populist tic request to the council and supported George W. Gardenhire. Gardenhire held Guthrie’s claim to remain the territorial the swing vote in the body composed of capitol in exchange for Logan County’s thirteen members with the remaining support of Payne County for the land councilmen filled by six Republicans and grant college. Bills supporting and developsix Democrats. Local Stillwater leaders ing territorial infrastructure were pushed met with Gardenhire on several occasions through the legislature during the fall before selecting the territorial capitol as of 1890. Territorial Governor George their objective.

Washington Steele signed the legislation to However, the morning after this decitake effect on December 25, 1890. Colleges sion was reached, one local citizen, Hays were established in Cleveland, Oklahoma Hamilton, called the group together one and Payne counties. The land grant college more time and suggested that the success was designated for Payne County to be of their initial objective was improbable administered by a board of regents with due to Stillwater’s limited size and the funding to come from both the federal fact that the nearest rail line was 25 miles away. Hamilton suggested instead that they and territorial governments. The county was to provide a site of at least 80 acres consider vying for the land grant college and provide $10,000 in bonds to support and agricultural experiment station, which

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construction of a building on campus.

Stillwater was not the only community in the county to express an interest in attracting the college. The towns of Cimarron City, Clayton, Ingalls, Payne Center and Perkins began looking for potential sites in, or near, their communities. The Stillwater search committee consisted of John R. Clark, George Gardenhire, James L. Mathews and Frank J. Wikoff. They visited a number of tracts near the Stillwater town site before examining in more detail a site about a half mile northwest of the community.

Landowners at this site were contacted a second time and included Alfred N. Jarrell with his wife Elizabeth, and Frank E. Duck. The Jarrells and Duck each agreed to make 40 acres available. Duck would commit the 40 acres in the northwest corner of his homestead and the Jarrells agreed to make the 40 acres in the northeast corner of their property, which was adjacent to Duck’s land, available to the local search committee. Stillwater had its 80 acres site for the college. Charles A. and Martha Vreeland, who lived north of the Duck homestead, were also willing to part with the 40 acres in the southwest corner of their farm. Oscar M. and Sarah Morse who lived north of Jarrells offered to provide the southern 80 acres of their homestead and the college site quickly grew to 200 acres.

These homesteaders had arrived two years earlier with the land run of 1889.

Duck was originally from Iowa, 25 years old, single and hoping to get a college education. He also knew that if this proposed campus site was accepted then his remaining property consisting of 120 acres would be located between the town and campus, dramatically increasing its value. Alfred Jarrell was 56 years old and from Virginia, and his wife Elizabeth, 39, was born in Massachusetts. He was a veteran of the Civil War, and they had several college age children. His remaining property would also most likely increase in value. Charles Vreeland, 35, was born in Minnesota, and his wife Martha, 28, had emigrated from England. Oscar Morse, 42, was from Michigan and his wife Sarah, 34, was born in New York. Both couples were offered cash payments if the Stillwater site was selected.

RIGHT: Frank E. Duck

donated part of his homestead for the college site and was a member of the first graduating class.

LEFT: Alfred E. Jarrell

donated part of his homestead for the college site and his son was a member of the first graduating class.

Site selection The $10,000 bond issued failed when brought forward to Payne County voters but, on May 5, 1891, Stillwater citizens supported a local bond issue for this amount in spite of limited property values which were unable to support the issuing of this value of bonds and an inadequate resident voting population within the town.

These challenges were resolved several months later with some creative accounting and innovative census tabulations.

Governor Steele appointed a threemember site selection commission on June 1, 1891. William H. Campbell of Orlando, William H. Merten of Guthrie, and James

M. Stovall of Norman were chosen to tour Payne County and select the location of the land grant college and agricultural experiment station. George Gardenhire personally led the tour of the proposed county sites during the commissioner’s visit on June 22, 1891. By this time the other interested communities had withdrawn or were unable to meet the minimum requirements.

Their trip began with the Stillwater site before a brief visit to the site proposed by the Perkins community. Perkins was willing to provide 80 acres in the fertile Cimarron Valley, but the sandy loam soil might have worked to their disadvantage.

The commissioners returned to Stillwater for lodging that night, but didn’t retire until much later after an extended evening of entertainment and merriment sponsored by the Stillwater leaders.

On July 11, 1891, their final report was presented to the territorial governor. The commissioners wrote: “We were of the opinion, that the … site should embrace upland and bottom land, and selected a body of land containing two hundred acres that contained the various qualities of soil as we thought would be most suitable for the purposes for which the college is to be established and asked the citizens of the town of Stillwater and vicinity to make a formal tender of deeds conveying the same to the Territory.”

The commissioners seemed most concerned with providing a suitable environment for establishing the agricultural experiment station and wanted the station staff to confront the variety of soil conditions faced by farmers throughout the territory. The college campus and future facilities seemed to be less important considerations. continues

Stillwater citizens and the city government made major efforts to market $10,000 in bonds for the construction of the College Building or Central Building, which began in 1893. The bonds were not only the first issued by Stillwater but also the first by any municipality in Oklahoma successfully paid at maturity without refinancing. Today, the building is known as Old Central.

PHOTOS / OSU LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

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LEFT: Robert J. Barker was intro-

duced as the first president of the college in a parade through town.

RIGHT: James Neal directed the

agricultural experiment station.

Faculty sought Stillwater would become the home of the land grant agricultural and mechanical college with experiment station. A board of regents was named during the summer of 1891, and they began the process of establishing the college and station. One of their first decisions was to hire Dr. James C. Neal as the agricultural experiment station director. Neal moved his family to Stillwater in August and he began making the necessary preparations to develop a research station on the prairie.

Additional hires for both the experiment station and college faculty soon followed. Robert J. Barker served as the first president. With only limited resources available for hiring personnel initially, the Stillwater community was able to provide enough lodging to meet their needs. Many hired for the new staff positions were single, or they waited to bring their families until better accommodations could be arranged.

Four deeds were issued on Wednesday, November 25, 1891, the day before Thanksgiving, transferring property in Payne County to the Oklahoma

Agricultural and Mechanical College Board of Regents. The property was less than one half mile northwest of Stillwater.

The college campus and research station would have 200 acres of land, most of it to be used by the station. Frank Duck provided 40 acres and received $50.

Alfred and Elizabeth Jarrell were also paid $50 for their 40 acres. Charles and Martha Vreeland received $200 for the 40 acres they provided, and Oscar and Sarah Morse made available 80 acres for which they were given $1200. It was felt that the remaining Duck and Jarrell properties would benefit most being located between the town and college. The Vreeland and Morse properties would benefit less because of their distance from Stillwater and they were compensated at a higher rate for their acreages.

Plowing the plains Less than one week later on Tuesday, December 1, 1891, James Neal led a small crew of community volunteers to the new site northwest of town. Most of the land was still virgin prairie. During the two years since settlement, the former

landowners had plowed only 40 acres in scattered fields. With Neal were Henry Keller and his sons Owen and Burt, James H. Swope, and Henry and Jesse Osborne.

The team started by locating the section stone placed by Darling’s crew marking the corner of the southern boundary (present day intersection of Sixth Avenue and Washington Street) between sections 14 and 15 in Township 19N-2E. They then measured to the north 20 chains, 440 yards or a quarter mile, to locate the southern boundary (present day University Avenue) of the college and station. From here, they measured 20 chains east (present day Knoblock Street) and west (present day Stout Lane) from this point (present day intersection of University Avenue and Washington Street).

At the east end, they turned north for a half mile, or 40 chains, through Duck’s property and half way into Vreeland’s homestead. This point would be the northeast corner of the site (present day intersection of Knoblock Street and Hall of Fame Avenue). The crew then traveled three quarters of a mile west, or 60 chains, through Vreeland’s and splitting the Morse property in half. This

The tallgrass prairie lands were plowed to start the agricultural experiment station.

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PHOTOS / OSU LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

RIGHT: In 1891, the

first students enrolled at the college.

LEFT: James Homer

Adams was the first student to enroll at the college; however, his brother, Arthur, received the first diploma because they were distributed alphabetically. was the northwest corner of the campus and station (approximately the corner of Hall of Fame Avenue and Walnut Street).

They then went south for a quarter of a mile, back east for a quarter mile, and then south a quarter mile to connect at the southwest corner (present day intersection of University Avenue and Stout Lane). After checking to make sure everything lined up correctly, they marked the corners of the tract and identified the connecting borders by burning off the tallgrass prairie to mark the extent of the property.

Experiment station employees using horses and mules to pull a plow began turning the prairie sod the next day. It would take several months to complete the job of plowing the entire 200 acres.

Classes begin Student registration was held on December 13, 1891, for classes to begin the next day. Over half the students would be in the preparatory program. Many did not have high school diplomas, and this program would allow them into the college curriculum only if they could complete it successfully. Most students lived with their parents in Stillwater and surrounding communities.

The registration and first courses were conducted at various locations in Stillwater. It would be months before construction would take place on campus and almost three years before the first permanent building would be dedicated.

The college and experiment station had a home on the prairie, only recently altered

PHOTOS / OSU LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

by the plow. Few had any inkling of what potential would grow from the seeds that were being planted.

The lives associated with establishing the new college on the Oklahoma plains would change as well. Ehud N. Darling had married in 1873 and lived in Washington, D.C. until his death on June 20, 1912, while visiting his sister in New York. Darling, a widower, had been in poor health for some time and was living on his government pension. When he died, his few possessions included only several pieces of furniture and his compass. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. A sign 10 miles west of Stillwater on Highway 51 is dedicated to Darling’s survey and the location of the Indian Meridian The Jarrell’s son, Alfred E., would join Frank Duck as members of the first graduating class of the college. The rest of the Jarrell family soon moved to Sulphur, Oklahoma. The Vreelands moved to Pawnee County before 1900, and the Morse family returned to Michigan within a decade after homesteading. The remaining Vreeland and Morse property would eventually be incorporated into the college campus. Frank Duck would remain in the area the longest before eventually settling in California during the Great Depression.

Duck Street near the campus is named in honor of the Duck family Dr. Neal would die in the winter of 1895 after suffering a stroke while walking from his experiment station office in the new college building to the family home nearby on campus. His daughter, Katie, who was scheduled to graduate with

The first graduating class included from left, standing, James Homer Adams, Arthur W. Adams, Ervin G. Lewis and Oscar M. Morse, and seated, Alfred E. Jarrell Jr., and Frank E. Duck.

Jarrell and Duck in the spring of 1896, left Stillwater with her mother and sister one semester shy of completing her degree.

The Osage would establish a new home on their traditional lands in northeast Oklahoma, and the Kiowa would eventually be settled in the southwest corner of the state, with both groups losing much of their aboriginal territory. The tallgrass prairie with herds of bison would survive but within a much smaller area. And the land grant college and experiment station in Stillwater would expand its influence across the state, nation and world as few would have imagined when it was established 125 years ago.

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OSU Marks 125 Years With Historical Timeline — Online

BY J I M M I T C H E L L

Digital record features searchable articles and stories

O

klahoma State University is celebrating its rise from a patch of prairie to a leading land grant institution for higher education with a historical timeline marking its 125th anniversary. The online feature offers historical photos, videos and other content from many sources including the archives at the Edmon Low Library.

“We’re excited to utilize the new timeline to share photographs from our institution’s early days and give everyone a better glimpse at the past, and hopefully, a better appreciation for how far we’ve come,” says David Peters, head of Special Collections and University Archives. “Because many of the short factoids on the timeline are linked to more information, this is also a great opportunity to connect individuals with resources available through the Edmon

Low Library and other university contacts.”

Featuring photos from the earliest years of Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College to the present, chances are you’ll see a photo or graphic that piques your interest enough to click on it and find out more. For instance, there’s that photo from an 1889 track team tryout that shows a student pole vaulter in midair preparing to clear the cross bar. However, unlike today’s athletes, he’s not headed for a fall onto a cushioned mat. Instead, there’s only some dirt that’s been shoveled a bit! If that’s not tough enough for you, check out the photos of the annual class fight and Theta Pond tug of war.

“Some of the materials we found for the timeline prompted more questions than answers, so it’s still very much a ‘work in progress,’” says Gary Shutt,

director of OSU Communications. “We invite anyone with a photo, more information or simply some feedback to contact us, and we’ll adjust or add to the timeline as needed. For timeline inquiries or additions, please email contactus@okstate.edu or call 405-744-6260.”

The project also confirmed several absolute certainties about campus history, such as the undeniable popularity of Dr. Lowery Lamon Lewis. The hard-working doctor of veterinary medicine joined the faculty in 1896 with hopes of establishing a veterinary school at OAMC. Although he died in 1922 without fulfilling that goal, one of his students initiated what is now a premier veterinary program at OSU. Lewis was not only a revered teacher in biology and animal sciences. He was also a volunteer coach for football, track and

W.D. Bentley coordinated agricultural extension efforts with various railroad lines, outfitting several train cars with exhibits taken on extended tours of the state.

PHOTOS / EDMON LOW LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

After the college moved into its first permanent building in 1894, the faculty and administration gathered for a first photo in the Central Building (Old Central) in 1895, including Alexander C. Magruder, fourth from right.

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Despite rough conditions, students competed in track, the first organized sport on campus in the early 1890s.

In 1902, Dr. Lowery Lamon Lewis led the track team to its first championship trophy.

would become some of the first 4-H clubs baseball. He even served as an interim in the state. president. In 1910, admiring students The first female graduate, Jessie O. dedicated the first college yearbook to Thatcher, would make any alumni proud.

Lewis and named the football stadium At her 1897 graduation, she pointed to Lewis Field in his honor.

Early agricultural experts included A.C. educational improvements for women and insisted she was pleased for the opporMagruder, who printed the first bulletin tunity to work for her education saying, for farmers featuring the latest from the agricultural experiment station on campus. “I consider my education well earned. I think I was, and am, happier than if I had He was among those who pioneered the sailed through ‘on flowery beds of ease.’ I helping hand that modern extension efforts regarded all work honorable if honorably are known for, and his original soil plots are now the oldest wheat research test plots done. A thing worth doing is worth doing well. I was honored and respected by all. I west of the Mississippi River. was never excluded from the best company W.D. Bentley, known as the state’s because I had to work.”

“Father of Extension,” was a no-nonsense OSU’s 125th anniversary is the perfect guy who cut through the politics of the day time to learn about its proud history. Find and used trains as traveling exhibits from out more online by exploring the historithe university to help farmers and rural cal records at timeline.okstate.edu.

Oklahomans. He also established what

As early as 1896, Dr. Lowery Lamon Lewis taught biology where these students are learning about dissection. Lewis wanted to open a veterinary medicine school, and 20 years after his death, a former student, Clarence McElroy, turned his dream into a reality.

Another early tradition was the tug of war across the horse pond, which pitted two adversarial class teams against each other. Faculty referees assisted and the contest was considered a failure unless someone got wet. The area is known as Theta Pond today.

Other activities, sometimes not very organized, included the annual class fight. Starting in 1913, freshmen began placing their class colors in a tree outside Old Central so they could dare anyone to remove them. The result was the annual “class fight,” which took place at the old cottonwood tree every year until 1919, with the exception of 1918.

The class of 1897 won distinction for not only being the smallest class ever to graduate from the college, but also because Jessie O. Thatcher became the first woman to graduate from the institution. Her fellow graduates included George W. Bowers, left, and Andrew N. Caudell.

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OSU Alumni Association celebrates ten years in building

BY H O L LY B E R G B O W E R

“Our passion for this project was really about lifting up the history and heritage of Oklahoma State University and providing a home on campus for alumni that says you’re important.”

— J E R RY G I LL , R E T I R E D PR E S I D E N T A N D CEO O F T H E O S U A LU M N I A S S O CI AT I O N continues PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

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W

hen Jerry Gill became executive director of the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association in 1984, he went to work going through his predecessor’s old folders. In a file titled “Long Range Planning,” there sat a single sheet of paper dated 1980 with what could only be described as a wish list. Among the list of items were two words: Alumni Center.

For most of its early years, the OSU Alumni Association was housed in a small room of Old Central. In 1954, the association moved into the Student Union and was headquartered in a suite of offices.

The space was not one where alumni would wish to wander in and settle into unless they had immediate business at hand. Truth be told, there was barely enough room to house the association’s employees, let alone play host to visitors.

While Gill had kept the idea of an alumni center on the backburner, it moved closer to reality during a 1990 dinner.

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“We were eating dinner with a gentleman named Bob Sherrer and described the concept of the building. He said to us, ‘Well, my wife and I would be willing to give $1 million to the cause,’” says the immediate past OSU Alumni Association President, Larry Shell.

At the next board meeting, Mel Jones pledged another $500,000. Alumni Association leadership could now envision the very real possibility of what a separate building could mean to alumni, the university and the community of Stillwater.

Stand-alone alumni centers were becoming a trend throughout the country by the 1990s, but no one really knew just how much they’d be utilized. The Board of Regents and then OSU President, Senator Jim Halligan, had to be convinced of the need and more major donors had to be developed. The criteria for what the building wished to offer was long: accessibility to alumni, students and faculty; visibility; proximity to historical areas, the core of campus and athletic facilities; healthy

traffic flow; nearby parking; and facilities large enough for banquets or large meetings.

In order to accomplish goal number one — establishing a need and desire for a building — an alumni center committee was formed. A thorough strategic plan with both short and long term goals was created. One initiative was to gather alumni input. Travel began in earnest to visit with alumni across the state of Oklahoma as well as surrounding states, trying to determine whether or not alumni leaders saw the same need for a center.

The question was, if they did in fact see the need, would they be prepared to support the endeavor financially? When the feasibility report came back with a resounding yes, the work was truly underway.

Jerry Gill, past president and CEO of the OSU Alumni Association, and other officials gather for a groundbreaking ceremony in the field next to Old Central where the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center sits today.

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

As the OSU Foundation’s “Bringing Dreams to Life” campaign ended, the Alumni Center’s quiet phase of fundraising began.

“It was our goal to raise 60 percent of the money needed for the building before breaking ground,” Gill says. “The Board of Regents, the Foundation and University cleared us for fundraising with a two to three year window maximum to get the money in place.”

At that time, they believed the Alumni Center building goal was $8 million. By the time the building began construction, the cost was closer to $15 million.

Three different locations were scouted and considered — Hester Street next to Old Central, the old Fire Station and Scholars Inn apartments next to the stadium. Space was an obvious consideration since its footprint was large and each location came with its own challenges.

The building site chosen was on Hester, situated between Old Central and the Student Union.

“It was important for us to be in the historical part of the old quadrangle,” Gill says. “To me, next to Old Central was the logical place. We faced some resistance about blocking Old Central, but what was there was a parking lot that wasn’t adding to the view. I believe we were able to build in such a way that this building added to the area instead of taking away from it.”

ConocoPhillips made a sizeable contribution and financial backing began to take shape. Shell says it became imperative to visit other alumni centers to see where they went right and wrong. Leonard Court, past Alumni Association board chairman, served as campaign director.

His team spent six months going around the country checking out other alumni centers. They considered what would be a good fit and what didn’t reflect the needs of OSU. They also asked questions. What they learned was interesting and for the most part unanimous.

“Every place we visited said make sure you’re located in a high traffic area, keep your offices separate from your public space, be prepared to replace your carpet yearly and you can never, ever build enough women’s restrooms,” says current OSU Alumni Association President and

The fireplace is a gathering spot welcoming OSU alumni back home.

CEO Chris Batchelder, “And they were right about all of those things.”

The next step of the process was putting OSU’s School of Architecture to work.

“We had the third-year students spend an entire semester looking at the footprint of the land, and they gave us some ideas of what size of a facility could fit in our location,” Shell says. “A year later, we used the fifth-year class and they built models for us to look at. While we didn’t use the exact models, it gave us a good idea of what we were going to have to watch out for.”

Page Sutherland Page of Austin, Texas, drew up the plans and Frankfurt Short Bruza Associates of Oklahoma City served as the on-site architects with instructions

to make the Alumni Center feel like home.

They broke ground on October 3, 2003.

Shell served as the point man for the actual construction, which became a full-time job.

“I just assumed that once we approved something that’s what would happen and I found out real quick that that wasn’t the case,” Shell says.

Decisions had to be made on a daily basis down to every last tile.

The ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center opened on August 6, 2005. The architects and staff were able to achieve the homey feel they were seeking by placing a large fireplace in a central location.

Administrators also saw to it that this continues

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“If you think about our mission of connecting people, our mission of engagement, having a place for people to go and having an identity for us — this building fulfills that mission.”

— C H R I S BATC H E L D E R , O S U A LU M N I A S S O C I AT I O N PR E S I D E N T A N D C E O

stand-alone center had something they hadn’t seen anywhere else — a hall of OSU history and tradition.

“We wanted a space that was large enough to display the significant contributions our alumni have made,” Gill says.

“The new space allowed us to display our heritage in a way we hadn’t seen elsewhere.

And, it does say something about the importance of the alumni to the university to have a facility like this.”

Since opening, the center has become a hub for the OSU campus.

“If you think about our mission of connecting people, our mission of engagement, having a place for people to go and having an identity for us — this building fulfills that mission,” Batchelder says.

All potential students begin their campus tour inside the Alumni Center doors. Thousands of alumni pass through the Cowboy Corral during football season.

In 2014, more than 1,100 events were scheduled in the building, drawing all types of groups and conferences. As one of the nicest and largest venues in Stillwater,

facility rentals are a significant source of revenue for the Alumni Association.

“I don’t think the committee that planned this building had any idea it would be as heavily utilized as it is. Part of that is location and part of it is the building’s uniqueness —there’s nothing like it on campus,” Batchelder says. “The service offered is very high end as well.”

The building that is a home-awayfrom-home for alumni has become a comfortable spot for students as well.

“I think it’s critical that our students know us before they leave here,” Batchelder says. “We know if we can make them feel like they’re part of the family before they graduate, they’re going to stay connected to their university. We want as many students as possible coming into our building.”

The ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Celebration is September 12, 2015. For more information visit orangeconnection. org/10year.

The ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center hosts many events including the Cowboy Corral with entertainment and food for the whole family before home football games.

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

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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.

Seeking Cowboys in Every County to Share Their Brightest Orange Memories Williams to visit with legendary Coach and There is something special about Athletic Director Mr. Henry P. Iba. With Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the campus the clothes on his back and a nickel in his we call home. Let’s not forget the color pocket, Williams hitchhiked from Lawton orange we wear with pride or the impact to Stillwater looking for a chance and an OSU has had on so many lives. Over opportunity. the years, the Oklahoma Oral History Mr. Iba would eventually interview Research Program at the OSU Library has Williams along with another young man for chronicled the OSU experience through the position. Dressed in a white T-shirt and the O-STATE Stories Oral History Project. jeans, he patiently waited outside Mr. Iba’s Now, we’re looking for your help in locatoffice while the other candidate, clad in a ing new OSU voices with great stories suit, finished his interview. When it was to tell.

Williams’ turn, Mr. Iba asked, “Cowboys in Every County,” aims “What can you do?” to record an interview with at least one And Williams replied, OSU graduate in every Oklahoma County. Bob Williams, and his 5-year-old son, “I can do anything you’ve got to do. You We are seeking nominations for alumni David, talk to OSU Basketball Coach and just name it.” residing in Oklahoma who have indiAthletic Director Mr. Henry P. Iba at the While both men were hired, after a few vidual stories that reflect the breadth and first annual Oil Bowl game in Lawton. months the other trainer quit, and Williams diversity of the state’s history through assumed his duties, too. He served as the OSU’s legacy. trainer for football in the afternoon and basketball at night while College memories come in all shapes and sizes, from a variety attending college classes in between. of ages, backgrounds and professional fields. Maybe you found Williams’ passion for OSU has not waivered over the years. He your true calling at OSU, developed long-lasting friendships, said during a 2007 interview with the OOHRP: participated in amazing adventures, or were searching for some“…I can’t tell you what Oklahoma A&M meant to me. Words one to take a chance on you, such as the case of Bob “Pee Wee” cannot describe it. The camaraderie of everybody up here, from Williams. the faculty on, there’s no price — it can’t be bought. And they still Williams had a dream of working in athletics. While attending have my loyalty.” school in Lawton in the 1940s, he met Oklahoma A&M football coach Jim Lookabaugh. When Williams inquired about potential J U L I A N A N Y KO L A I S Z Y N job openings for athletic trainers in Stillwater, Lookabaugh told

Do you know someone loyal and true, like Bob “Pee Wee” Williams? Nominate them for the Cowboys in Every County.

Nominations will be accepted on a rolling basis through early 2016. The nomination form and more information about the project can be found by visiting http://cowboys.library.okstate.edu.

O-State Stories is part of the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program at the Edmon Low Library, chronicling the rich history, heritage and traditions of Oklahoma State University. Interviews are available online. Read or listen to more recollections by visiting www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/ostate/. For more information, call 405-744-7685.

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A Century of Quality Food

Products

BY M A N DY G R O S S

University Dining Services features peanut butter cookies baked from Snider Farms’ preservative-free products produced in Hollis in the southwest corner of Oklahoma.

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John’s Farm boasts a field of green as wheat grows in healthy red dirt on the organic certified operation.

Oklahoma is known for the wind sweeping down the plains and the waving wheat smelling sweet. Have you ever wondered how that waving wheat or other agricultural commodities are turned into Made in Oklahoma food products?

O

klahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center is adding value to the state by helping to further process the state’s agricultural commodities and assist Oklahoma food businesses in providing quality products.

“Our work with Made in Oklahoma companies is a good example of how FAPC is meeting the land grant mission and bringing together the expertise of various team members to take companies and agricultural producers from ideas to successful enterprises,” says Chuck Willoughby, FAPC business and marketing relations manager.

ADDING VALUE TO OKLAHOMA’S HERITAGE Agricultural and food production have played an important part of Oklahoma’s heritage even before the Land Run of 1889.

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

The state’s agricultural and food industries evoke thoughts of wheat and cattle. While this is a rich part of Oklahoma’s heritage and a significant portion of the state’s economy, these commodities were sent out-of-state for further processing into the bakery, meat and other products before reaching the consumer’s table.

“FAPC was developed for this reason, to help create successful value-added enterprises in Oklahoma and to bring the products, the jobs and the dollars back home,” Willoughby says.

The one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art center, which is a part of OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, provides assistance to Made in Oklahoma companies, including companies who have been around for more than 100 years, such as John’s Farm, Shawnee Milling Co. and Griffin Food Co. continues

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SHAWNEE MILLING CO.

John’s Farm of Fairview, Oklahoma, represents four generations of farming history by taking pride in organic farming techniques. Owners John and Kris Gosney are both descendants of Oklahoma farming pioneers and maintain family Oklahoma Centennial Farms.

“Rewarding family relationships and successful family business are the passions that motivate each of us to work diligently to ensure the grain raised and the cattle grown exemplify the purest nature has to offer,” Kris Gosney says. “Each member of our family contributes to the farm in a unique manner from tillage to sales.”

The goal of John’s Farm is to develop a healthy soil and grow healthy plants and animals so consumers can have healthy choices.

“Farming techniques and animalraising practices are measured by crop and livestock environmentally friendly practices and procedures, sustainable systems, and organic standards,” John Gosney says. “We believe that this is the way God intended us to farm.”

Using organic methods since 1996, John’s Farm is certified organic by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, and became the first farm and ranch in Oklahoma to become certified through this organic certification program in February 2003.

The company produces Cattle Tracks Beef, Gloss Mountain Beef Jerky, and Fairview’s Best Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Wheat Berries, Whole Wheat and Multigrain Pancake and Waffle Mix, Organic Field Peas, Chili Mix and All-Purpose Seasoning, and Organic Pooch Pleasers.

The Gosneys are first to admit that running a family business is rewarding but also challenging in the same respect. That is why they sought assistance from FAPC. Kris attended FAPC’s Basic Training for food entrepreneurs in February 2000, and FAPC has worked closely with the Gosneys since that time on marketing and developing packaged organic products; understanding and developing their pricing system; evaluating the quality of their products; providing nutrition facts; performing label review to evaluate compliance and providing sensory analysis assistance.

In 1906, J. Lloyd Ford started Shawnee Milling Co. with his family and set standards of excellence that are upheld today by the third and fourth generation of the Ford family, who run the mill.

Despite significant growth over the years, the company has never lost track of its roots. The core values of Shawnee Milling Co. focus on a tradition of family values; an insistence on quality products; a record of dependable personal service; an offering of consistent value; and a family of friendly, knowledgeable and dedicated employees.

These values have guided the company’s evolution into a large and sophisticated milling and mixing operation, determined to meet the demanding requirements of an equally sophisticated customer base.

“The foundation of the quality of our products is rooted in the grain we buy and the connection we have with farmers around the state,” says Joe Ford, senior vice president of operations for Shawnee Milling Co. “This relationship allows us to directly source wheat from farmers. That separates us from many in the industry.”

The Food Division of Shawnee Milling creates a variety of flour, cornmeal and baking mix products to meet the baking needs of its customers. The products serve a variety of markets including retail and food service.

FAPC has kept close contacts with Shawnee Milling Co. with a recent project of helping to meet the needs of a restaurant.

FAPC teamed up with Shawnee Milling Co. to formulate a mix for premade frozen dough balls for making fresh-baked tortillas for Taco Mayo. This project involved evaluating ingredients and the process for making dough balls, the method for freezing and thawing, cooking conditions and sensory characteristics of the finished tortillas.

“The relationship with FAPC has been strengthened throughout the years,” Ford says. “FAPC provides programs for many Made in Oklahoma companies to assist with changes in the food industry, like food safety. These programs allow companies to stay on the cutting edge with producing safe products.”

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PHOTOS / TODD JOHNSON

JOHN’S FARM

GRIFFIN FOOD CO. Family-owned and operated since its inception, the Muskogee-based Griffin Food Co., a manufacturer and wholesaler of syrups, baking products, jelly, preserves, mustard, peanut butter and other comestibles, was founded by brothers John T. and Charles M. Griffin in 1908.

Today, Griffin Food Co. is still owned and operated by the Griffin family, with John W. Griffin, grandson of the founder, as president. He continues in the tradition of his forefathers as a company dedicated to the quality of their products.

“For more than 100 years, Griffin’s has been synonymous with quality,” he says.

“I’m proud to put my name on the Griffin label, and I’m proud to be a third-generation member of the Griffin team.”

Originally known as the Griffin Grocery Co., the company initially sold only fruits and vegetables. Following the death of Charles M. Griffin in 1915, John T. Griffin began manufacturing coffee. Then, in 1923, John T. Griffin built a three-story administrative facility, warehouse and processing plant in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Seven years later, the company started manufacturing Griffin’s Waffle Syrup, which today is the company’s topselling product.

Griffin is proud to say Griffin’s Waffle Syrup is still made from the original recipe, and because it is the thickest and sweetest syrup on the market, it has been a family favorite for more than 80 years.

Griffin Food Co. has grown from the three-story building operation of the 1920s to servicing 15 states and annual sales of several million dollars.

“The changes continue to keep up with the times, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is the quality of our products,” Griffin says. “Before the Griffin name is placed on anything, we make sure it’s the best.”

Griffin serves on FAPC’s Industry Advisory Committee, a 16-member board consisting of food and agricultural industry leaders from across the state. The committee offers counsel, makes decisions and takes leadership action to ensure FAPC makes sound short- and long-term plans to accomplish its mission and objectives.

Bar-S-Foods grills products to sample at the Made in Oklahoma Day food fair.

PHOTO / MANDY GROSS

THE MADE IN OKLAHOMA STANDARD The tradition of producing quality Made in Oklahoma products is the Oklahoma standard.

FAPC understands the need to promote and educate the public about the state’s quality food products and is teaming up with University Dining Services to offer more Made in Oklahoma products on campus.

“The Farm to University Dining program was designed to bring local, fresh, healthy food to the university,” says Terry Baker, University Dining Services director. “As a part of this initiative, the program features locally produced and processed items from Oklahoma communities. It’s exciting to bring these products to campus dining.”

As a part of the program, Made in Oklahoma companies are featured during the spring and fall to introduce the companies and products to OSU students, faculty and staff. Andrea Graves, FAPC business planning and marketing specialist, helps University Dining Services identify Made in Oklahoma companies for campus distribution.

“When I heard about the University Dining Services program, I was very willing and excited to help,” Graves says. “FAPC works and is in contact with Made in Oklahoma companies on a daily basis and helps local companies enter the market. This is a great opportunity for both OSU and Made in Oklahoma companies.”

FAPC and University Dining Services also partners with the Made in Oklahoma Coalition to provide a Made in Oklahoma Day on campus that is celebrated every year during Made in Oklahoma Month in April. Baker says it’s important to make students aware that Oklahoma has a creative industry and rich heritage for entrepreneurship.

Oklahoma companies, representing the Made in Oklahoma Coalition, distribute complimentary samples of products, including meat, desserts, beverages and condiments.

Participants during the 2015 Made in Oklahoma Day included Ralph’s Packing, Bar-S Foods, Andrews Honey, Chef’s Requested, Blackjack Beef Jerky, National Steak and Poultry, Ozarka, Griffin Food Co., Schwab’s Finest, Kratos, Suan’s Foods, Head Country and KiZE Concepts.

Reggie Carmon, University Dining Services graduate research associate and one of the organizers of the event, says it is always well received by OSU students, faculty and staff.

“University Dining Services is currently working with more than 40 Oklahoma companies,” Carmon says. “They will continue to introduce and offer various Made in Oklahoma products on campus to increase awareness of local food products. When you buy local products, you are putting money back into the state — keeping jobs and money in Oklahoma.”

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John Cooper, left, and Brad Piccolo entertain radio listeners.

Keep Spreadin’ the Dirt KOSU Red Dirt Radio Hour broadcasts Sunday nights from Stillwater studio

By Karolyn Bolay

A

n eclectic mix of rhythms and sounds fill the radio studio at KOSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma, as John Cooper and Brad Piccolo select songs for their Red Dirt Radio Hour show. They start with an upbeat, fastpaced tune and quickly switch to a mellow ballad filled with soul. According to these two musicians, Red Dirt music is a mix of blues, jazz, bluegrass, country and much more.

As the radio hosts wade through multiple artists and songs, they pick a theme for the show. Everything from Ladies’ Night to Money to Rock and Roll is thrown around the room as theme ideas. The feel of the radio show is more like listening to the music collection of a friend as Cooper and Piccolo take one shot at the transitions and try to keep the show completely unedited.

“We don’t do much editing,” Cooper says. “We want it to be like a live radio show … relaxed and for people to listen in and have a good time because we are having a good time.”

The Red Dirt movement is a combination of different musical influences that have come through Oklahoma since statehood. In the 1970s, the late Bob Childers and other musicians started gathering in Stillwater at “The Farm,” which provided

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a place for people to play music and learn the talents of songwriting. Cooper and Piccolo were part of this early brotherhood and started their band, The Red Dirt Rangers, because of the influences from the popular hangout, which many musicians called home.

“You know we just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Cooper says. “We are just part of the chain that started with Jimmy LaFave, Bob Childers and the Skinner brothers.”

People have struggled to define the Red Dirt music movement. Many say there is no definite sound that can be attributed to all of the bands in the genre.

“You know we started calling it Red Dirt because when people would ask, ‘What kind of music do you play?’ and we got tired of saying blues, bluegrass, country, rock and roll, swing, jazz,” Cooper says. “It just got too long so we said, we play Red Dirt music.”

And while there has been no true genre label for Red Dirt music, that hasn’t stopped the outpouring of lyrics and musicality. Many musicians in the Red Dirt movement believe it is more about the lyrics for them and for the fans.

“Red Dirt started as a singer/songwriter genre,” Cooper says. “The early guys, like Childers and Skinner, really put a lot of value in the song and what it was about. That has continued on today. It is really about the music.”

Red Dirt music has continued to evolve and means something different to every fan.

“We have been doing the show for 11 years. As the birthplace of Red Dirt, it is really fitting to record here,” Piccolo says. “We are just so proud to be a part of this movement. The future of Red Dirt is very bright.”

RED DIRT RADIO HOUR Airs Sunday night at 9 p.m. CST on: 91.7 FM in Central Oklahoma 107.5 FM in Northeast Oklahoma 101.9 FM in Southeast Oklahoma Streaming live worldwide and podcasting every show at KOSU.org

Trav eli

TRAVELING Cowboys

boys Cow g n

May 4-12: Sultans & Palaces Cruise Treat yourself to a 7-night luxury cruise aboard Riviera! See Istanbul and Athens plus the glorious Greek islands of Mykonos, Santorini and more.

OSU Senior Vice President and General Counsel Gary Clark and his wife, Jane, are your hosts on this exciting getaway to the deep, blue Mediterranean on May 4-12, 2016.

Book your next vacation with OSU, and travel with fellow alumni and friends!

January: Pacific Dreams Cruise | April: Sorrento, Italy | June: Alaska Cruise July: Baltic Marvels Cruise | September: Grand Danube Passage October: Mediterranean Mosaic | October: China & Yangtze River

ORANGECONNECTION.org/travel | FLI/okstatealumni

Exhibition highlights natural flow from ancient cultures to contemporary practices

The 20th century female mask is from the Bamana culture of Mali and is a headdress used in rituals to promote agricultural growth.

Oklahoma State University began collecting art in the 1930s, and although that continued for decades, much of the artwork was scattered and inaccessible until the development of the OSU Museum of Art project in 2010. The subsequent research revealed a broad and varied art collection — and much about the history of OSU including deep ties to the continent of Africa.

Beginning with Ethiopia, OSU has developed connections to many African countries. This is evident in the OSU Museum of Art permanent collection, though the objects come from various sources and regions of Africa. The relationship with Ethiopia initially began in 1950 when Emperor Haile Selassie and OSU President Henry G. Bennett collaborated to develop an agricultural college in Africa based on the land grant model in the United States. The relationship strengthened over the years, and many OSU faculty, students, and staff traveled to Ethiopia, collecting art and souvenirs along the way. These objects eventually made their way into the former OSU Museum of Natural and Cultural History (founded in 1960 and dissolved in 1990) and were transferred into the OSU Museum of Art collection more than two decades later.

In 2011, a gift from Larry and Mattie Harms transformed the OSU Museum of Art’s African holdings into one of the most significant publicly owned collections of African art in the region. Larry, an OSU graduate in animal science, entered the Peace Corps in 1963 (only two years after the organization was founded by President John F. Kennedy) as part of a group continues

(Bamana Chiwara female headdress ∙ 20th century ∙ Wood, metal, beads, shells, rope, raffia ∙ 42 x 11 x 7 ½ inches ∙ 2011.001.015.2)

STORY /

Jordan Hays

PHOTOS /

P h il S h o c k l e y

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tasked with assisting agricultural development in Macenta, Guinea. He soon met his wife, Mattie, also a Peace Corps volunteer at the time. Together they dedicated decades of their life to Africa, spending time mostly in the Sahel (countries bordering the Sahara desert — Senegal, Mali, Niger and Chad) between 1963 and 1992.

Enthralled by the culture around them, they assembled a collection of regional objects, focusing mostly on the Bambara and Dogon people of Mali and extending to regions all across the Sahel.

When they began collecting during the 1970s, a three-minute phone call to the U.S. from Mali, Niger, or Chad cost about $60 from the post office at night.

An unknown Djenne artist created a terracotta earthenware figure of a male in a trance.

(Djenne figure (Male Figure in Trance) ∙ 20th century ∙ Terracotta ∙ 7 ½ x 3 ½ x 4 ¾ inches ∙ 2014.003.017)

Larry Harms introduces Peace Corps volunteers in the 1970s to the first president of Niger Hamani Diori.

“There were no cell phones,” Larry said. “So, to heck with trying to live a U.S. lifestyle. We really wanted to savor the local culture, at least to some degree.”

Thanks to that interest in the art and material culture of the Sahel region, students at OSU now have access to a quality collection that reflects the diverse social and religious traditions of the people who live there.

This fall, visitors to the OSU Museum of Art will have an opportunity to explore these objects alongside many others in Wákàtí: Time Shapes African Art. The exhibition, featuring a range of objects from both the museum’s permanent collection and a private collection, tackles the

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Robert Navin donated a late 20th century Punu sculpture created of wood, fibers and pigment.

The wood and pigment plank mask is from Burkina Faso.

(Punu figure (Female Performer) ∙ Late 20th century ∙ Wood, fibers, pigment ∙

(Bwa, Burkina Faso ∙ Plank mask (Nwantantay) ∙ 1992 ∙ Wood and pigment ∙

24 ½ x 6 x 5 ½ inches ∙ 2013.018.010)

73 x 12 ½ x 9 ½ inches ∙ 2011.001.070)

question of how time influences African art. “Wákàtí,” a West African concept among the Yoruba, refers to time as it unfolds and marks its passage with signs of change. In this exhibition, the works of living artists interact with ancestral images from the Dogon, Ashanti, Yaka and other indigenous traditions.

The museum display eliminates the artificial wall often erected between “traditional” and “contemporary” art in Africa by highlighting the seamless transition of time as a natural flow uniting images from ancient to current practices.

The works in the exhibition demonstrate the notion of “pabambari,” an African esthetic idea for appraising and enjoying the highest form of artistic excellence.

Wákàtí includes objects from the Harms collection, as well as recent gifts

The Teke mask from the Republic of the Congo is used in dance-based rituals.

(Batéké, Republic of the Congo Teke (Tsaye) mask ∙ 20th century ∙ Wood, raffia, feathers, pigment ∙ 24 ½ x 12 ½ x 4 inches ∙ 2011.001.031)

It is through these thoughtful contributions that the OSU Museum of Art achieves its mission to be a teaching museum, providing first-hand opportunities for students to explore art and broaden their understanding of other cultures. Larry Harms said he hopes this will lead to the realization that we can learn from one another.

“It is the shared values that we have that shaped our appreciation of Africa and its people,” Harms said. “We hope learning of another culture helps one understand our own in ways not seen before.”

Wákàtí: Time Shapes African Art is on view September 21, 2015 to January 16, 2016 at the OSU Museum of Art, 720 South Husband Street in downtown Stillwater. An opening reception

“It is the shared values that we have that shaped our appreciation of Africa and its people. We hope learning of another culture helps one understand our own in ways not seen before.” — LARRY HARMS, PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER AND USAID WORKER

The African art collection includes a Bali elephant helmet crest.

(Bali elephant mask ∙ 20th century ∙ Wood ∙ 36 x 12 ½ x 6 ½ inches ∙ 2011.001.042)

from Robert Navin, another strong supporter of the OSU Museum of Art. Navin, also a former Peace Corps volunteer and USAID worker, learned in 2011 that his former colleague Larry Harms had donated objects to OSU, creating the beginnings of an African art collection.

Navin’s collection, including ironwork from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), complemented the Harms’ gift by providing depth and variety to the museum’s existing African collection.

“I was looking for a museum where my objects would make a difference to the students and the community,” Navin said. “I thought that my metal objects would juxtapose well with objects of similar function from the Plains Indians of America.”

is scheduled October 7, 2015. All events and programs are free and open to the public.

With works including painting, sculpture, ceramics, photographs, performance and installation arts, the exhibition is curated by Moyosore Okediji who is on the faculty in the art history department at the University of Texas in Austin.

Two of the contemporary artists — D. Denenge Akpem of Chicago and Akirash of Austin, Texas, will be completing installations especially created for the exhibition with the help of student volunteers.

For more information about the exhibition and other programs at the OSU Museum of Art, visit museum.okstate.edu.

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Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology offers new roles for females

By Sara Plummer

B

eing first has its advantages, but it can also have its challenges.

Hannah Vincent, Stephanie Bond and Anisa Harris are the first females to ever enroll and graduate from the Aggreko SelecTech program, which is only offered at OSU Institute of Technology.

Aggreko is the world leader in providing temporary power generation, temperature control and oil-free compressed air systems in more than 50 locations in the United States, as well as in 30 countries. And, until recently, Aggreko had primarily been a man’s world.

“We’re in an industry designed for men, but it isn’t a hindrance for us,” Vincent says.

“We’re proving that men don’t just fit this shoe. We’re throwing people for a loop.”

Being the only women in the program hasn’t been as tough as they thought while on the OSUIT campus. Their biggest challenges have come when they’ve gone out on their internships to Aggreko’s sites across the country. All Aggreko SelecTech students must complete four on-site internships.

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“On internship, it still surprises people that we can do the work, but by the end I think we’ve changed some minds,” Bond says.

Terryl Lindsey, dean of the School of Diesel and Heavy Equipment, says he’s glad these three are challenging the status quo.

“It’s a nontraditional path for females and that’s unfortunate. As far as our industry goes, we have so many jobs, the male workforce is just not going to be able to fill that void,” Lindsey says.

Now the industry has to adjust, he says.

“The workplace wasn’t designed for women. There were no female locker rooms, no female restrooms, but these girls are changing that,” he says. “I feel those three have more than proven themselves. They definitely raised a few eyebrows.”

All three graduated from OSUIT in August and say they are glad they didn’t go through the Aggreko program alone.

“I can’t imagine being in the program without these two,” Vincent says. “We have three very strong, independent women. I think together we’ve made a bigger impact.

Every time we go out on internship, that’s three shops that are affected, that’s three shops that are changed.”

POWERING HER FUTURE

Before Cole Douglas enrolled in power plant technology at OSUIT, electricity wasn’t something on her mind everyday. continues

PHOTO / RUBRIA IRELAND

OSUIT Aggreko Selectech recent graduates include Hannah Vincent, right, and Anisa Harris.

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“At first I was intimidated.

Now we’re all talking … and I’m more comfortable.

The guys don’t make us feel like ‘You’re girls, you can’t do this.’”

“I really didn’t think about it before.

You flip a light switch and there’s light,” Douglas says, but that’s all changed now.

“There’s so much that goes into making electricity and making that light turn on, it’s crazy.”

Initially Douglas thought she was going to go into the engineering field, but after looking at several programs at OSUIT, she was drawn to power plant technology.

“I didn’t even know what went on in power plants,” she says, but last summer she completed an internship at the OG&E coal plant in Muskogee. “I got to do every job they have there, and I got to do some fun stuff too.”

Being one of the few females in her classes at OSUIT and on the job during her internship wasn’t difficult for Douglas.

“I have an older brother and I would hang out with him and his friends all the time,” she says, and her classmates and coworkers were exactly the same. “It was fun. I liked all the people I worked with.

I’m not treated any differently.”

Terry Hanzel, power plant technology instructor, says when plant managers hire employees, they look at that candidate’s dependability, accountability, reliability and not gender.

“In our industry, the playing field is level for good employees. It promotes and advances employees based on being a productive and valuable person,” Hanzel says.

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PHOTO / SARA PLUMMER

— FERNANDA SOLIS

Cole Douglas is a recent graduate of the OSUIT power plant technology program.

Fernanda Solis studies pipeline integrity at OSUIT.

OSUIT and power plant technology were draws for Douglas for several reasons.

“I like to work with my hands and I knew the programs here at OSUIT were more hands-on,” she says, and the power plant technology program offered her a lot of opportunities. “You can go anywhere in the world. There are jobs everywhere.”

“Starting with my great-great-grandfather, it’s a family business passed down from generation to generation,” Arguello says. “My father and uncle both work in the industry.”

Solis decided to go into pipeline integrity because of her dad.

“I started to grow an interest for it every time he would come home and talk about his day at work. I did not know much about it at first, but I became more interested the more I asked him,” Solis says.

Arguello and Solis are the first female students enrolled in pipeline integrity technology, and both say they were

THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Being in OSUIT’s pipeline integrity technology program is really a family matter for Kalea Arguello and Fernanda Solis.

“If you like to be outdoors you can work out in the field, or there are opportunities in the office setting.”

PASSION INTO A CAREER

Growing up, Amber Powell looked at cars like other kids looked at puzzles and games.

“All three of my uncles, we’ve always worked on cars, fixing them up, playing with them. We think of cars as toys,” Powell says.

She found out about OSUIT through one of her cousins who attended and came home raving about it.

PHOTO / SARA PLUMMER

hesitant at first, but their families were supportive.

“My dad was all for it because he said there was a lot of opportunities for women in this field,” Arguello says.

Joe Bartlett, pipeline integrity technology instructor, says a misconception about the industry is that it involves a significant amount of common labor tasks.

“Pipeline integrity is about keeping the environment, the general public, the pipeline assets and the employees safe.

Pipelines are the safest way to transport gas and hazardous liquid across the country,” Bartlett says. “I have found women to be equally successful in all areas within the pipeline integrity field.”

Being the only women in class hasn’t been as tough as either Arguello or Solis thought.

“At first I was intimidated. Now we’re all talking and communicating, and I’m more comfortable,” Solis says. “The guys don’t make us feel like ‘You’re girls, you can’t do this.’”

Both are now anxious and eager to start their internships to learn more about the industry.

“There’s more women in the industry than what you think. Talking with my dad, he says there are more and more women coming in every month,” Arguello says.

Solis says she would encourage other girls and women to consider pipeline integrity as a possible career choice.

“There are so many options with the program, so many places you can branch out, so many things you can do,” she says.

Amber Powell studies automotive collision repair.

“He was bleeding orange because he liked the program and the school so much.

I decided to check it out,” Powell says and, by January 2014, she was enrolled in the School of Automotive Technologies’ Collision Repair Technology program.

“It’s 98 percent hands-on,” she says.

“It’s a great satisfaction to be able to say ‘I fixed that.’”

Powell is one of only two women in the program right now, but it doesn’t seem to bother her at all.

“My uncles all had boys,” she says, so it was more of an adjustment to her instructors and fellow students. “People have a preconceived notion of what you can and can’t do. It’s an adjustment. They’re bewildered I can do this, but they also think it’s great.”

Stevon Gregory, interim dean of the School of Automotive Technologies, says less than 3 percent of the automotive student body are females and he would like to see those numbers go up.

“They add a different social makeup to the classroom and the industry’s environment that can be good for everyone involved,” Gregory says. “Over the years I’ve had a few women in my classes and they could often out-think and outperform the men in the shop.”

So far, the only women Powell says she has encountered in the collision industry have worked in the office, not the shop where she wants to be.

“It’s really not that hard, you just have to be strong enough to lift some of the parts,” she says. “It’s more of a society continues

“People have a preconceived notion of what you can and can’t do. They’re bewildered I can do this, but they also think it’s great.”

— AMBER POWELL

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“Men and women bring different strengths and the combination of which delivers far better teams and results.”

thing where there are jobs men do and there are jobs women do. Girls like me who have grown up around cars are oblivobliv ious to it.”

Gregory says things are changing in shops and dealerships, but it’s a slow change.

“Some shops are more accepting, but some still are not. Some women find it difficult to maintain the heavy manual labor required, but that is changing as many tasks in the shop today are more computer related and focused on the diagnostics end of the spectrum,” he says. “As time passes I know women will become more accepted. The more women that enter the automotive field will hasten that acceptance.”

Powell says her family is happy that she is pursing a career in something she’s passionate about.

“My uncles, they’re ecstatic, they’re proud,” she says. “They told me they wished they could have done something like this and turned their love of cars into a career and not just a hobby.”

BUILDING FOR TOMORROW

Construction management wasn’t exactly where Ashley Walls thought she would find her career.

Walls initially enrolled in another program at OSUIT, but soon found it just wasn’t the right fit so she took the advice of her boss at Lithko Contracting and looked into construction management.

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“It’s been kind of challenging since I didn’t have any experience, but everyone has been helpful,” she says, and being one of the only women in the program hasn’t been an issue. “I have four brothers so being around a bunch of guys wasn’t a problem for me.”

Before she enrolled in construction management, Walls was working in Lithko’s Catoosa office doing paperwork, but her responsibilities changed during her internship over the summer.

“I was on the job sites dealing with my own crew,” she says and it was a good change. “I don’t like paperwork.”

Steve Olmstead, dean of the School of Construction Technologies, says women seem to be more detail-oriented and have better interpersonal skills, both critical to the construction industry.

“Men and women bring different strengths and the combination of which delivers far better teams and results,” Olmstead says.

Walls says more women should consider a career in the construction industry.

“I’m a woman going into the construction business so I’ll have more opportunities to advance than in other fields,” she says. “I like seeing dirt turn into a building. It’s a misconception that in construction you’ll be a ditch digger.”

But that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone, Walls says.

“There’s a lot of stress. You have to be strong-willed,” she says. “There aren’t too many women in the field.”

PHOTO / SARA PLUMMER

— STEVE OLMSTEAD

Construction management student Ashley Walls is building a future for herself.

Olmstead says that is changing.

“I see more and more women enter the construction industry because of the great paying jobs, ” he says. “ I believe the construction industry is trying to attract a greater diversity of people in the profession.”

Walls says she’s excited about her future in construction management.

“It’s a whole new life I didn’t picture.

Now I have my life planned out with a future for myself,” she says.

G i v e a n d Yo u S h a l l R e c e i v e Many people want to give more to Oklahoma State but their financial needs prevent them from donating income-producing assets. With our gift annuity program, they can make a significant gift and still retain lifetime payments. In some cases, they can even increase their annual cash flow.

How charitable gift annuities work:

Stock or Cash Gift A gift of cash or a marketable security such as shares of stock can establish a charitable gift annuity, and there are tax advantages for both.

Steady Income In return, the OSU Foundation guarantees the donor fixed income for life. The payment amount is based on the donor’s age and the value of the gift.

Tax Benefits to You An income tax deduction for itemizers, partial bypass of capital gains tax, and possible reduction of estate taxes can make a gift annuity a prudent option for many of our older friends. In fact, some of our donors create additional annuities as payment rates increase with age.

Remainder to OSU Perhaps the greatest benefit of a gift annuity is the personal fulfillment you receive by helping Oklahoma State University. Your gift annuity can be designated to support our students, faculty or programs in areas of particular interest to you, or can be directed to meet the greatest priority needs of the university.

Please check with our office for specific rates and state availability.

Consider such an option for your own plans. To learn more about charitable gift annuities or obtain a personalized illustration, please contact our OSU Foundation Office of Gift Planning at 800-622-4678.

J. Paul McIntosh 1942 High School Graduation

“Use your talents, don’t bury them, my mom would tell me. If you don’t use what God has given you, it will be lost.”

— J. Paul McIntosh

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It STEMs from OSU

By Jamie Hadwin

Alumnus considers freedom and education great equalizers

A

s a young child, J. Paul McIntosh never imagined he would have a distinguished career in science education, much less that Oklahoma State University would play a key role in that calling. His life has taken him all over the world, with a stop in Stillwater, Oklahoma, that would spark a lifelong passion.

Comprehending his enthusiasm for science education, however, requires a little understanding of his roots in rural Nebraska.

McIntosh, the middle of five siblings, was raised on a farm near Pilger, Nebraska, during the droughts, grasshoppers and dust storms of the 1930s. His parents had met while his mother was the principal at his father’s high school.

His grandmother encouraged his mother, whose father died when she was 6, to use education as an avenue out of poverty.

His mother earned a degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a master’s degree from Peru State College in Nebraska. Because of his mother’s background and the tough times the nation was facing during the Great Depression, education was very important in the McIntosh household.

“Use your talents, don’t bury them, my mom would tell me,” McIntosh says. “If you don’t use what God has given you, it will be lost. The most important thing that ever happened to me was my ‘choice’ of parents. We had everything but money.

The next most important event of my life was my decision to try to follow Christ’s teachings as the model for my life, and the third most important part of my life was meeting and marrying Eleanor.”

Early on, McIntosh was identified as a high-performing student. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor, postponed his plans of higher education, and he was set on enlisting in the Army as a fighter pilot.

He received Congressional appointments to military academics, but his low vision scores thwarted his acceptance. McIntosh tried to enlist twice, but to no avail.

“It seemed to me, at the time, that my whole future had fallen apart,” he recalled.

Heeding his mother’s advice, McIntosh realized that if he couldn’t go fight in the war, he should at least continue his education. With his interest in agriculture and science, he enrolled in the University of Nebraska’s College of Agriculture as a student and lab assistant until the Army finally accepted him for limited service near the end of World War II. In the Army, McIntosh served with the Special 396th Military Police Battalion, processing former Soviet soldiers who had defected to the German army in an effort to help the Germans defeat Stalin, so that they could reclaim their homes, farms and businesses from collective communism. Not trusting the Soviet defectors, the Nazis imprisoned and killed half of these unfortunate men and sent the rest to the Western Front, McIntosh says. When the Allied forces landed on D-Day, many German defenders were former Soviet soldiers in German uniform.

McIntosh says it weighed heavily on him that the these former Soviet soldiers were sent back to their homeland, where many were executed as traitors for desertion.

“It’s ironic when you think about it,” McIntosh says. “These men, mostly Belarusians and Ukrainians, were trying to take back their country from

Communism and just went about it the wrong way. Coincidentally, years later when the U.S. became involved in fighting Soviet Communism during the Cold War, I would again play a role in that panorama.”

After he was discharged, McIntosh used the G.I. Bill to go back to the University of Nebraska, where he graduated Cum Laude in 1950 with dual degrees in natural science and vocational agriculture education. He became a teacher-trainer for the University of Nebraska Vocational Agricultural Program involving Future Farmers of America.

His plans to continue with his master’s degree were interrupted by his desire to improve farmer livelihood through the use of better methods, including fertilizer. Fertilizer seemed like a radical idea to most farmers recovering from drought, but McIntosh had faith in its science and felt someone should demonstrate the advantages of using fertilizer to farmers.

The local co-op was not interested, so while teaching, he introduced anhydrous ammonia nitrogen to northeast Nebraska farmers in 1952 and quit teaching in 1953 to devote himself full-time to that enterprise. McIntosh says he redesigned the ammonia injection knife which was sold all over America.

A severe drought in 1955 forced McIntosh to go back to teaching to survive economically. A fellow vocational agriculture instructor in Norfolk, Nebraska, told him of a junior high school opening in the area, and he was immediately hired. Although he was assigned to teach social studies, he often found himself discussing science with his students and got into a little bit of hot water for talking continues

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about sending an artificial moon (satellite) into space.

In 1955, Americans were gripped in near panic as the U.S. government began looking for ways to stay ahead of the Soviet Union on the science and technology front as both sides raced to launch a satellite. Oklahoma A&M was chosen as one of a few locations nationwide to begin a National Science Foundation pilot program to train high school and college science and mathematics teachers to expand and intensify focus on those fields. It was the beginnings of the modern science, technology, engineering and math initiatives that work to get students interested in STEM careers.

McIntosh, while not technically a science teacher at the time, felt the need to apply. He was one of 50 science and mathematics teachers who were selected, and he went to Stillwater in the fall of 1956 to begin the intensive yearlong program.

In 1957, Oklahoma A&M became OSU, and he graduated with a master’s degree in natural science, which encompassed the fields of mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics, followed by a summer NSF program at the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies in Tennessee. The success of these pilot programs led to the expansion of NSF programs into hundreds of universities nationwide that educated science and mathematics teachers about how to be more effective instructors.

“There’s not many of our original group left,” McIntosh says. “The program had a profound effect on me though. It encouraged me to keep on teaching and pursuing science, and in fact, became another ‘life-changing’ event in my life.”

McIntosh returned to Norfolk, where he served as an advanced science instructor and guidance director until 1963.

His involvement in the fertilizer industry continued to grow and expanded to include all types of farm fertilizers and chemicals as well as farm management and a daily radio agricultural advice program.

McIntosh had married his wife, Eleanor, just before going overseas in the Army. She was Czechoslovakian and, because of her ties to that part of the world and his involvement with the

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J. Paul McIntosh greets Rod Bates, Rotary district governor for Nebraska and Western Iowa. Bates recently retired from Nebraska Educational Telecommunication, where he was executive director and McIntosh was president and chairman of the board in 2004–2005.

As president of Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, Bill Path presented a commemorative ribbon cutting photo to J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh, who spearheaded construction of the nursing building named in their honor in 2011.

Path is now the president of Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.

Soviet soldiers during World War II, he and Eleanor found themselves traveling to Eastern Europe often from 1965 to 2000.

In addition to these travels and those with his companies, McIntosh also did missionary work in Africa and South America through the Methodist Church, along with enabling and sponsoring families and students from Vietnam, Africa, Albania and Eastern Europe.

Throughout all his business endeavors and world travels, McIntosh never forgot his passion for education. After leaving as an instructor from the Norfolk school systems, he remained committed to education and over the last five decades has served on more than 50 boards and organizations devoted to improving the lives and livelihood of others. He has also given generously to educational programs of the Midwest, including a recent commitment of more than $1 million to establish the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s J. Paul & Eleanor McIntosh College of Nursing at Northeast Community College in Norfolk.

McIntosh, a dedicated entrepreneur, branched into more than 20 diverse areas, including over 2,500 acres of center-pivot irrigated corn, a 5,000 sow farrow-tofinish hog operation, hundreds of housing units and banks. But in 1977, he sold his seven fertilizer locations, when, “I suddenly realized that I didn’t ‘have the business,’ the business had me!”

Since then, McIntosh has indulged his passion for helping others succeed

or reclaim their lives through his work with numerous educational groups, refugees, beginning businesses, Rotary International and mental health rehabilitation. His guiding mantra continues to be “freedom and education are the great equalizers!” He has a trunk full of awards and plaques, including Nebraska Entrepreneur of the Year (1999), Nebraska Philanthropist of the Year (2010), and Nebraskan of the Year (2013).

Paul and Eleanor McIntosh have become well-known for their charitable contributions throughout their nearly 70 years of marriage. OSU Institute of Technology President William “Bill” Path, who was president at Northeast Community College at the time of their nursing college donation, considers them close personal friends who are generous with their time, talents and treasure.

Instead of leaving their money to their five children, Path explains that they have raised their children to be able to stand on their own so they can instead use their resources to provide opportunities for more needy students to advance.

“J. Paul really believes education is the great equalizer,” Path says. “He and Eleanor have set up numerous scholarships over the years for young people. It’s really become their passion in life. They want to leave their money and legacy to others in order to create opportunities to improve society.”

‘‘Education is the lighting of a fire.’’

— William Butler Yeats

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Grandparent University Impacts Current and Future Students Alumni Association sponsors popular intergenerational program

BY KATIE PARISH

When Grandparent University first began at Oklahoma State University in 2003, the Alumni Association was thrilled to have 80 participants in the first class. Year after year, the three-day summer camp for OSU legacies and their grandparents has grown, and the two sessions in 2015 welcomed more than 560 participants.

In total, more than 4,000 people have participated in the intergenerational learning experience at OSU, and every year, the Alumni Association learns about more students whose lives are being changed thanks to GPU. “Grandparent University is a wonderful opportunity for Cowboy legacies to learn in a college environment and get acquainted with OSU,” says Melisa Parkerson, director of student

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programs for the OSU Alumni Association. “It’s also a great time for them to meet other legacies and strengthen the bond with their grandparents.”

COMING OUT OF HIS SHELL

Strengthening bonds helped Zach Burlison, an 8th grader from Bethany, Oklahoma, who attended his first GPU in 2009 and majored in entomology with his grandparent Alan Burlison.

Zach was born prematurely and spent 17 days in a neonatal intensive care unit where he was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss at 4 weeks of age. Zach has worn hearing aids since he was 10 weeks old, and according to his mother, Tammie, Zach always struggled to find the confidence to talk to others.

Grandparent University is open to OSU legacies. The Legacy Program includes any child between the ages of 0-18 years with a parent or grandparent who is an active member of the OSU Alumni Association. Learn more and register your legacy at orangeconnection.org/legacy.

“GPU not only fed his passion for insects, but also provided him a platform where he could gain a new found confidence to talk and visit with others about insects.” Tammie says. “It allowed him to feel confident in large groups to discuss his love of entomology, which led to many future opportunities with the OSU Insect Adventure program.”

Zach thrived in his classes at GPU because of his love for bugs. That’s when GPU entomology instructor Andrine Shufran took a special notice in him.

“Zach was born to be an entomologist. GPU was a great facilitator for him to connect with what he was passionate about,” Shufran says. “He found a place where he blossomed and felt confident. Since that time he’s stayed connected to the program and has been involved in presentations and service days.”

Today, Zach is a straight-A student and a member of the Oklahoma Middle School Honor Society. He loves science, entomology and playing football, and thanks to GPU, he says he can’t wait for the day he can attend OSU and major in entomology.

“My favorite activity at GPU was getting to hold all the bugs.”

Zach says. “I loved the Vinegaroon so much I asked for a pet Vineagroon for my birthday.”

GPU STUDENT TURNED COUNSELOR

Like Zach, former GPU participant Natalie Davis also found her love for OSU at Grandparent University. Davis attended OSU’s first GPU in 2003 and majored in architecture. She went

Natalie Davis and her family register at Grandparent University in 2008. She grew up attending every summer, becoming a GPU counselor in 2015 as an OSU architecture student. on to attend seven straight GPU programs and is now entering her sophomore year at OSU. “GPU is such a good learning experience,” says Sandra Skinner, Natalie’s grandmother. “The classes are so wonderful. I always walk away with knowledge about a new subject.”

Natalie majored in a wide range of subjects during her eight GPU experiences. But it was her very first major that made a lifelong impact on her future. She decided to follow in the footsteps of her parents and study architecture at OSU. “I don’t know that GPU guided her to architecture specifically, but it certainly gave her a lot of options to think about,” says Steven O’Hara, professor of architecture. “We’re thrilled she chose architecture.”

Natalie says she already loved OSU, but “going to Grandparent University just made my choice easier. Those eight years at GPU hold so many fond memories with my grandparents and helped me determine OSU was the right place for me to go to college.”

Twelve years after her first session, Natalie served as a counselor for the architecture major at the 2015 GPU. “I remember Natalie saying after GPU that she didn’t understand why anyone would not choose OSU.” Skinner says. “I knew immediately that GPU was doing what it was intended to do — promote interest in OSU.” For more information about Grandparent University, which is part of the OSU Alumni Association’s Legacy program, visit orangeconnection.org/gpu.

At Grandparent University, Zach Burlison shares his passion for entomology with Insect Adventure Coordinator Andrine Shufran.

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Cowboys for life Being an OSU Cowboy doesn’t last for just four years; it lasts for a lifetime. More than 25,000 alumni have continued to support the university from a distance by participating in chapter events in the past year. From California to New York and nearly every state in between, the Alumni Association has more than 100 chapters including affinity and corporate chapters. More than 80 percent of alumni live within 50 miles of a chapter or a watch club.

It’s never been easier to start an alumni group on your own to connect with Cowboys near you. For more than 80 years, the Alumni Association has been helping graduates and friends form groups across the country. To start a chapter or group, visit orangeconnection.org/newlocation and fill out the new location form to begin the process of locating Cowboys in your area and forming an organized group.

“It’s great for cities to have a chapter in their area because it helps local alumni stay connected to OSU,” says Shane Smith, coordinator of chapters. “Chapters and watch clubs enable you to gather with Cowboys in your area, relive memories of Stillwater, cheer on the Cowboys and stay up to date with the university.”

One of the benefits of forming or participating in a chapter is the more than 650 watch parties hosted across the nation.

Last year, more than 10,500 guests cheered on the Cowboys together at watch parties.

To find a watch party near you, visit orangeconnection.org/ watchparty on your computer, tablet or mobile device and view the schedule of upcoming televised games. Watch parties are open to all OSU alumni and fans.

Tulsa hosts baseball parties The OSU Tulsa Alumni Chapter hosted its annual Bedlam baseball tailgate party before the game at ONEOK Field in May. Two hours prior to the first pitch, the chapter welcomed orange-clad fans to mingle and

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have complimentary tailgate food including burgers, hot dogs and sides. The Alumni Association provided Pistol Pete baseball buttons and stickers to attendees, and Cowboy fans enjoyed watching a 9-6 victory over our in-state rival.

“Bedlam has also been very successful for us, and we hope to host more games in the future,” says Mike Presnal, Tulsa chapter president.

Later in the month, the city of Tulsa hosted the Big 12 baseball tournament for the first time. The Tulsa chapter hosted fans and alumni at the OSU “home base,” Albert G’s BBQ in downtown Tulsa. Fans were able to enjoy 25 percent off appetizers before or after the game when they showed their Orange Connection app on their smart phones.

Cowboy alumni and fans also took “Peteies,” an OSU version of a selfie, with a cut-out of Pistol Pete, and the Alumni Association was on hand with volunteers, stickers, buttons and pompoms.

“The Big 12 tournament was a huge success,” Presnal says.

“We had several hundred people attend, and we hope the city of Tulsa will be able to host again in 2021.”

Alumni meet at networking events The Cowboy family recently came together in Tulsa and Oklahoma City to host a networking night for alumni and friends in each area.

“My real estate agent and insurance agent are both OSU alumni,” says Carly Griffith Hotvedt, Tulsa Chapter social chair.

“I wanted to promote my business to other OSU alumni but I wasn’t sure where to find them.”

More than 80 people attended the Tulsa Chapter’s networking event, which was held at the Mayo Hotel and sponsored by Mid-America Pipeline Construction. The event was attended by new graduates relocating to the area, small business owners, solo entrepreneurs, corporate employees, managers, teachers, attorneys and more.

The OKC Metro Chapter hosted a networking event in late May. Alumni Career Services Director

Lindsay Vallaster helped each chapter organize their event and facilitate interactions. She also brought Career Services promotional items to give away to attendees.

“The networking night was extremely successful,” says Jeanne Lowrey, OKC Metro Chapter secretary. “Attendees kept asking when we were going to do it again.”

Both chapters hope the networking event will help raise awareness of their chapters and get more people involved.

Chapters across the country are taking note of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa chapters’ example and hosting their own events.

For more information on the OKC Metro and Tulsa chapters or to stay up to date about networking events happening in your area, visit orangeconnection.org/events.

Cowboy Caravan travels to eight cities The Cowboy Caravan was bigger than ever this year with eight stops in preparation for the start of the 2015 Cowboy football season. In Houston and the Oklahoma towns of Altus, Enid, McAlester, Ponca City and Woodward, alumni chapters hosted the caravans and held silent auctions to raise money for scholarships for local students to attend OSU. This year’s speakers included OSU coaches and staff, and all attendees had the opportunity to network with local OSU alumni and raise money for local OSU alumni chapters.

On June 9, the Caravan traveled 140 miles to the Woodward event. More than 220 OSU alumni, friends and family came from all over Northwest Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. A group of OSU alumni cook steaks and hot dogs every year, and the auctioneer is also an OSU graduate. Special guests included Cowgirl basketball head coach Jim Littell and football defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Glenn Spencer.

“This was the 21st year that the Northwest Oklahoma Chapter has hosted a caravan and this was one of our larger crowds,” says Scott Grunewald, president of the Northwest Oklahoma Chapter. “It’s the orange social event of the summer for fans and alumni out here, and people are always ready to attend. They ask who’s coming this year and what neat OSU auction items we are going to have.”

The Caravan also traveled to Enid, just 64 miles from Stillwater. With Larry Reece as the emcee, the Enid Chapter had a great turnout. Special guests included Cowboy basketball assistant coach James Dickey, Cowgirl tennis head coach Chris Young and football safeties coach Dan Hammerschmidt.

“The Caravan plays a very important part in keeping alumni engaged and involved with the university and its athletic programs,” says Kaleb Hennigh, president of the Cherokee Strip Chapter. “The local alumni chapters benefit by utilizing these events to assist in fundraising efforts to ensure the next generation of Cowboys have the necessary funding to get to Stillwater and on campus.”

The Tulsa and Oklahoma City Caravans were held at the OSU branch campuses in their respective cities. The events featured inflatables, face painting, games and other activities.

All Caravans featured a new format with a moderated panel of OSU Athletics coaches, who took questions from the moderator as well as fans.

“The Cowboy Caravan is one of my favorite events of the summer,” Grunewald says. “In Northwest Oklahoma, we are all one big OSU family, and everyone seems to know everyone.

We are extremely proud to be able to host a caravan out here.”

Watch highlights from Cowboy Caravan on OSTATE-TV. For more information about the Cowboy Caravan or to find an alumni chapter near you, visit orangeconnection.org.

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CHAPTER LEADER PROFILE:

Upcoming Events

Ray Koons

Join an OSU alumni chapter near you to celebrate OSU and connect with Cowboys. For the most current events listing, visit orangeconnection.org/chapters or scan the QR code.

Cowboys have long sported a brighter shade of orange in the state of Texas. One alumnus is leading the way — Ray Koons, the president of the East Texas OSU Alumni Chapter.

Koons, an OSU legacy, grew up in Tulsa listening to every football game he could. He didn’t care who was playing or what the score was unless the Cowboys were playing.

The influence to attend OSU grew stronger when his older brother left for Stillwater.

Inevitably, Koons made the decision to don the orange and black, something he couldn’t be happier about. Koons pledged Pi Kappa Alpha social fraternity and was active in intramurals.

“One of my favorite parts of college was Walkaround,” Koons says. “I took great pride in watching the house decorations go up every year.”

Koons, his wife, Mary, and his dog, Daisy, travel to Stillwater for every home football game. The sevenhour trip each way became too much to do in one day, so the couple bought a condo in Stillwater. Because of their frequent trips to Oklahoma, Koons and his wife rarely were in East Texas for watch parties so they never got involved in the chapter.

“When away games were too far away, I started going to the watch parties,” Koons says. “Our wonderful chapter leader was looking for someone to take over the leadership so I offered my services.”

Since he took over, the East Texas Chapter has flourished, attracting new members from all over the area.

The chapter hosts watch parties at the Cascades Country Club where they have a projector, food and drinks.

“The projected images of football games are so big that you are tempted to get out of your chair and tackle an opposing player or latch onto a pass from Mason Rudolph,” Koons says.

One of Koons’ favorite parts of the East Texas Chapter is the people who make it up. The alumni in the area are excited about the future of OSU and are willing to put in the time to build their chapter into the organization that promotes both the Alumni Association and the university.

“Our chapter is an exemplary example of the success that results from an OSU education,” Koons says.

He enjoys staying involved with the university, especially meeting and participating in the Chapter Leader Training seminars hosted by the Alumni Association every year. He also enjoys the Leadership Council meetings where he has met several other chapter leaders and board members.

Koons takes his job as chapter president very seriously, attempting to recruit more Cowboys whenever possible. If he and his wife see an OSU sticker on a car, they follow that car until they have the chance to invite them and their families to participate in the chapter.

“My favorite aspect of being chapter president is the time I get to spend with Cowboys and their families,” Koons says. “I am excited to see the East Texas OSU Chapter grow to touch many of the Cowboys alumni scattered around the area.”

EAST TEXAS CHAPTER

BY THE NUMBERS 491 alumni and friends 282 miles from Stillwater

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September 3

OSU vs. Central Michigan Watch Parties

September 12 Alumni Center 10-Year Anniversary Celebration September 12 Central Arkansas vs. OSU Watch Parties September 18 Distinguished Alumni Award Reception — Stillwater September 19 UTSA vs. OSU Watch Parties September 21 Reception with Ann Hargis and Scruff — Cleveland/McClain Counties Chapter September 26 OSU vs. Texas Watch Parties September 26 Bus Trip to Austin — North Texas Chapter September 29 Management Development Seminar — North Texas Chapter October 3

Kansas State vs. OSU Watch Parties

October 10

OSU vs. West Virginia Watch Parties

October 18–24 Homecoming October 23

Golf Tournament Black Alumni Society

October 23

Trailblazer Reception Black Alumni Society

October 24

Band Alumni Reunion Band Alumni Chapter

October 24

Kansas vs. OSU Watch Parties

October 31

Texas Tech vs. OSU Watch Parties

November 7

Distinguished Alumni Reception American Indian Alumni Society

November 7

TCU vs. OSU Watch Parties

November 14

OSU vs. Iowa State Watch Parties

November 21

Baylor vs. OSU Watch Parties

November 28

Bedlam Watch Parties

’40s Merle Allen, ’42 agronomy, is living happily with his wife at Fallows Landing Military Retirement Home. They love to dance and play bridge.

’50s Evan Lucas, ’50 marketing, is retired from State Farm and living in Ruidoso, New Mexico. He recently completed his bucket list by attending the 2015 Kentucky Derby.

Kerry Havner, ’55 civil engineering, ’56 master’s degree in civil engineering, ’59 doctorate degree in civil engineering, is a Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University. He presented a technical seminar on finite-deformation crystal plasticity in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at OSU-Tulsa on April 22.

Barbara Fain Kenney, ’55 household arts, is the president of Kenney Key Company, which she founded with her late husband more than 30 years ago.

William Talley, ’55 business, married Louan Jenkins, on June 1, 1955.

He served in the Air Force for 27 years before retiring in Asheville, North Carolina.

’60s Eldon Greer, ’60 agronomy, has been married to his wife, Judith, for 50 years.

Norman Smola, ’61 forestry, and his wife, Jane, have a Cowboy family.

They have five sons and two grandchildren who have graduated from OSU and currently have four grandchildren attending OSU. Michelle Jenkins, ’65 design, housing and merchandising, is celebrating her 50th class reunion from OSU. Tony Crawford, ’67 education, retired in January 2015 after 31 years

working as a force for growth and research at Kansas State University libraries, serving as the first professional archivist in the university’s special collections department. He was hired by KSU President Duane C. Acker and former Dean of Libraries Brice Hobrock in 1983.

Dale Durham, ’67 finance, was elected president of the Shotgun Club, a division of the Stillwater Rifle and Pistol Club. The Shotgun Club works with the OSU Shooting Sports Team. The two groups are working to build a new shooting range at Lake McMurtry. Dale is married to Nancy Durham, ’69 music education.

’70s Gary Hart, ’70 geology, has three children who attended OSU. He has worked as an independent geologist for 42 years and is now semi-retired. He and his wife play lots of golf and enjoy winters at their condo in Arizona.

JoeAnn Vermillion, ’73 master’s degree in family relations and child development, is living in McAlester after retiring from working in education for 38 years. She was recently chosen as the Oklahoma statewide president of AARP. Jill Rooker, ’76 broadcast journalism, ’81 master’s degree in English, ’84 master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, just completed her 23rd year as a professor of library media education at the University of Central Oklahoma and was recently elected program coordinator. She lives in Stillwater and attends all OSU football, Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball, baseball and wrestling events.

Debbie Glazner, ’78 sociology, celebrated 38 years of marriage to Ralph Glazner, ’76 sociology, ’79 master’s degree in family relations and child development, this summer.

The couple continues to stay busy by enjoying their two grandsons and family. Debbie owns a small trophy business and Ralph works for a family owned bank in their area.

Roger Gaddis, ’79 accounting, was Court Department asked by Governor Mary Fallin to for McGivern and serve a second term Gilliard law firm in as a trustee on the Tulsa. He recently board of the Oklataught a seminar at homa Teacher s the Oklahoma AssoRetirement System, ciation of Defense the state pension Counsel summer system with more meeting in Grapevine, Texas. than $14 billion in assets, which are managed for more Rand Wergin, ’88 marketing and than 157,000 active and retired teach- economics, ’09 doctorate degree in ers in Oklahoma. Gaddis is the co- marketing, is married to Vanessa, founder of Gaddis & Gaddis Wealth ’88 economics. Rand recently earned tenure and a promotion to associate Management. professor of marketing at the University of South Dakota’s Beacom School of Business. Rand served as a lecturer in the Spears School of Business from 2001-2008.

Richard Bengston, ’80 doctorate degree in agricultural engineering, Stacey Copeland, retired after 35 years with the agri’89 secondary educultural engineering department at cation, has four children. She hopes Louisiana State University. they will become Joel Reber, ’81 mechanical engiCowboys someday. neering, was named a division partner of Hydrotex. He will serve agriculture, construction, food processing, manufacturing, oil and gas, and fleet management industries.

’80s

’90s

Debbie Adams, ’83 chemical engineering, was named a 2015 Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Oil and Gas. Wendy Hauser, ’84 animal science, ’88 doctor of veterinary medicine, has been appointed vice president of the board of directors for the American Animal Hospital Association. Hauser will serve as the association’s 20152016 vice president.

Bill Ecker, ’85 history, started a music antiquities business 14 years ago in New York City. He also appraises collectibles in all fields of estates, donations, insurance and divorce purposes.

Whitney Storey, ’85 recreation, married retired Air Force officer, Mark Storey, on May 22. She and her husband are relocating to Udall, Kansas.

Amber Teeman, ’91 secondary education, was diagnosed with breast cancer on September 5, 2012. She is still undergoing chemotherapy treatment for other related problems.

Nimrod Chapel, ’92 economics, was recognized for the “Best of CLE Spotlight” which is an acknowledgment of the legal professionals who have committed outstanding leadership and dedication in upholding the principles of the Missouri State Bar. Chapel works as a trial lawyer at The Chapel Law Group LLC. Tricia Hatley, ’93 civil engineering, has been named a fellow member by the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Trish is a vice president and firm principal of Freese and Nichols Inc.

James Kanady, ’86 marketing, has changed career paths and is now working in the long-term health care field as a restorative nursing assistant.

Mary Bandy, ’96 curriculum and instruction, retired from teaching and is living in Stillwater. She has two sons and five grandchildren. She loves to cheer on the Pokes.

Jon Starr, ’86 political science, works as the head of the District

Andrew Griffith, ’96 construction technology, works as an assistant

123

professor of accounting and was recently awarded tenure at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York.

Keri Foster, ’97 marketing, and her husband, Brent, ’97 mechanical engineering, ’99 master’s degree in mechanical engineering, welcomed a son, James Jay Foster, on May 17, 2015. He joins big sister Alayna.

Trae Gray, ’98 agricultural economics, was awarded the master’s of laws degree in natural resources law from the University of Oklahoma College of Law on May 9, 2015. He was the first LL.M. candidate to complete a thesis for this degree in OU College of Law history.

’00s Kevin White, ’00 environmental science, and his wife, Chelsea, ’09 health education and finance,’12 associate in applied science, welcomed their second son Eli Jack White in March. He joins big brother Wade Greyson White who will be 3 in August.

Ryan Yates, ’00 fin ance, joined Patriot Bank in Tulsa in February 2015.

Yates will serve as a senior vice president in the commercial lending division.

Dr. Lourinda Willey, ’01 occupational safety and health, ’05 master’s degree in fire and emergency management, was inducted into the National Association of Professional Women’s VIP Professional Woman of the Year Circle. She was honored for leadership in safety, environment, health and emergency response.

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Casey Delaney, ’02 agricultural economics, works as the assistant dean for external affairs at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. She oversees alumni, development, communications and career services. She is involved in helping recruit Oklahoma State students to OU Law and loves staying connected to her alma mater. She is married to Scott and they have a 4-year-old daughter, Katherine Elizabeth.

Dustin Conner, ’06 agricultural business, and his wife, Brittany Conner, are new parents. Their daughter, Emerie Katelyn, was born February 25, 2015.

Lindsay Grace, ’06 nutritional sciences, and Spencer Grace, ’05 Wildlife and Fisheries Ecology, welcomed their second child on March 26, 2015, Emma Louis Grace.

’10s Victoria Batten, ’10 doctorate degree, is the associate professor of English and English assessment coordinator at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina.

Haley Honeycutt, ’10 marketing, has joined the staff of RealTime HR as human resource coordinator and is responsible for advising RealTime’s clients on a wide range of human resources matters.

Randy Mueller, ’11 engineering and technology management, is proud to announce the birth of his daughter, Charlotte Grace Mueller, born May 2, 2015.

Cezanne Rowland, ’11 biological sciences, and her husband, Alex, ’11 management, are exci ted to have another legacy to the OSU family with the bir th of their daughter. Harper

Michelle Rowland was born May 18, 2015 and looks great in orange!

Bryan Oglesby, ’12 business administration, has joined Hydrotex as a division partner serving the construction, manufacturing, food processing and fleet and fuel management industries.

Thomas Schneider, ’12 political science, has been accepted and will attend George Washington University Law School in Fall 2015 to pursue a master of laws degree in national security and U.S. foreign relations law. He graduated from Oklahoma City University School of Law on May 17, 2015.

In Memoriam Robert Adams, 91, died March 7, 2015.

He was born October 31, 1923, in Ft. Worth, Texas, and resided in Dallas since 1963. Af ter serving with the U.S. Army in World War II, he came to Stillwater to enroll at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College. His dad, James Homer Adams, was the first student to register at the college when it was founded and the second graduate of OAMC. His uncle, Arthur Adams, received the first OAMC diploma because they were distributed alphabetically. Robert Adams was present at a family reunion when the first diploma awarded by OAMC was returned to the university. As a student on campus in the 1940s, Robert Adams met the love of his life, alumna Pat, his wife of 66 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1947 and a master’s of business administration degree in 1948. He continued his participation in Beta Theta Pi, a fraternal organization, by helping re-establish the chapter on campus. His daughter, Katy Gates, and her husband, John, a former Cowboy football player, are also OSU graduates.

Dean Howard Binkley Jr., 91, died November 26, 2014. He started college at OSU when Pearl Harbor was attacked and he joined the Army Air Corps. When the war ended, he returned to Stillwater and graduated

with a mathematical and electrical engineering degree. At OSU, he met his wife of 66 years, Sammie McAlister. A talented musician, he enjoyed playing classical music. When the Korean War started, he was recalled to active service by the Air Force. His military career ended after 20 years of active duty, retiring as a lieutenant colonel and 19 years of service with the Air Force.

Marcella H. Caldwell, 93, died May 5, 2015. Marcella was born in 1922 in Weatherford, Oklahoma. She graduated from Oklahoma A&M in 1947 with a degree in business. She served with the War Production Board in Washington D.C. during World War II. She was an executive with Rexall Drug Company in Los Angeles and St. Louis for 35 years before retiring in 1982. She was a past member of Advertising Women of St. Louis and Advertising Production Club.

Bibhuti Ranjan DasGupta, 81, died June 1, 2015 at his home. He was born in Kolkata, India on May 3, 1934. He received a bachelor’s degree from Banaras Hindu University in 1957, a master’s degree from Oklahoma State University in 1960 and a doctorate degree from Bryn Mawr in microbiology and biochemistry in 1970. In 1963, he married his wife, Vijoya. He worked at the University of Wisconsin in Madison for 26 years at the Food Research Institute as a researcher and grant writer.

Dale Ross Miller, 88, recently died.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 1951.

Maynard Rolston, 79, died March 11, 2014. Maynard was born September 11, 1934. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Oklahoma State University in 1956 and then served as captain in the U.S. Air Force.

Tom Skinner, 61, died July 12, 2015.

An early influencer of the Red Dirt music scene, he earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from OSU in 1982.

Skinner was raised in Bristow, Oklahoma, and joined the United States Air Force upon graduating high school.

After serving, he came to Stillwater, and along with his brothers and other musicians such as Jimmy LaFave

and Bob Childers, he played several nights a week on The Strip, a street full of entertainment near campus.

Skinner traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to play in Garth Brooks’ band for a short time before returning to Oklahoma. He continued to play music throughout his life, and was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. The idea behind Red Dirt music is the movement is more of a brotherhood rather than a genre.

Skinner’s life was celebrated by that brotherhood at The Colony, a music venue in Tulsa, on July 15, 2015.

Keep Us Posted Alumni Association members may submit information to be published as a classnote online and in STATE magazine based on availability of space. Announcements that are incomplete (such as marriage/union and birth announcements without spouse/partner information) or older than a year may not be considered for publication.

Clearly print your information and mail to Class Notes, 201 ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, Stillwater, OK 74078. Information can also be emailed to info@orangeconnection.org or submitted online at orangeconnection.org/update.

A L U M N U S /A L U M N A

LAST NAME

Passages The OSU Alumni Association has received notice that the following graduates died between March 1 and July 15, 2015. Their graduation year(s) and last place of residence are listed:

FIRST NAME

MIDDLE/MAIDEN

ADDRESS

CIT Y

S TAT E

PREFERRED PHONE

PREFERRED EMAIL

O K L A H O M A S TAT E D E G R E E(S) A N D Y E A R (S)

S P O U S E / PA R T N E R

LAST NAME

Criswell, Mary E., ’36, Stillwater, Oklahoma Frieberg, Myrtice H., ’36, Tulsa, Oklahoma Pierson, Russell L., ’37, Oklahoma City

MIDDLE/MAIDEN

CIT Y

S TAT E

E M P L OY M E N T

P O S I T I O N (n o a b b r e v i a t i o n s p l e a s e)

C O M PA N Y N A M E

Strode, Emmelee H., ’39, Tulsa, Oklahoma

C O M PA N Y A D D R E S S

Wilson, Frances M., ’41, Yukon, Oklahoma

RETIREMENT

Karlovich, Robert W., ’42, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

POSITION

Bartlett, Pat L., ’43, ’46, Tulsa, Oklahoma

FIRST NAME

O K L A H O M A S TAT E D E G R E E(S) A N D Y E A R (S)

Johnston, Mont S., ’38, ’50, ’63, Egg Harbor, Wisconsin

Keith, Letha C., ’42, ’64, Stillwater, Oklahoma

ZIP

ZIP

M O N T H / DAY / Y E A R

C O M PA N Y N A M E

CIT Y

MARRIAGE /UNION

DAT E :

S TAT E

ZIP

M O N T H / DAY / Y E A R

Boggs, Lea, ’43, Indianapolis Frank, Donald M., ’43, Tulsa, Oklahoma Leierer, Everett E., ’43, Dover, Pennsylvania Kincaide, Charlotte A., ’44, ’68, Tulsa, Oklahoma Roark, Trevelyn A., ’44, Memphis, Tennessee

F A M I LY A D D I T I O N

DAT E O F B I R T H :

M O N T H / DAY / Y E A R

LAST NAME

IN MEMORIAM

S O N / DAU G H T E R / G R A N D S O N / G R A N D DAU G H T E R ( p l e a s e c i r c l e)

FIRST NAME

MIDDLE NAME

FIRST NAME

MIDDLE/MAIDEN

( p l e a s e i n c l u d e p u b l i s h e d n o t i c e)

LAST NAME

Whitehead, Myra A., ’44, ’57, Mannford, Oklahoma

M O N T H / DAY / Y E A R

Matthews, Dyton B., ’46, Stillwater, Oklahoma

A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M AT I O N

CIT Y

S TAT E

C L A S S Y E A R (S)

(a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s , h o n o r s , e t c .)

Adams, Bob L., ’47, Dallas Caldwell, Marcella H., ’47, St. Louis, Missouri Hamill, Thomas P., ’47, ’50, Oklahoma City

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Book Corner

Passages (continued from page 125)

Maloy, Dick E., ’51, Edmond, Oklahoma

Bishop, Carl F., ’57, ’58, Thomas, Oklahoma

Wallis, Wesley R., ’51, ’58, Port Townsend, Washington

Bremer, Edna L., ’57, New Braunfels, Texas

Erwin, Jr., Fred F., ’52, ’59, Russell, Kansas

Christensen, James D., ’57, ’58, Thomas, Oklahoma

Garner, Bill J., ’52, ’54, Durant, Oklahoma

Cleveland, George L., ’57, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Hanssen, George L., ’52, Accokeek, Maryland

Dickey, David R., ’57, ’63, Oklahoma City

Ivie, Harold D., ’52, San Mateo, California

Gay, Mary R., ’57, Bethany, Oklahoma

O’Halloran, Norman, ’52, Dacula, Georgia

Geurkink, Jack J., ’57, Duncan, Oklahoma

Sorey, Jr., Thomas L., ’52, ’54, McLean, Virginia

Hallett, Paul C., ’57, ’61, Eden Mills, Vermont

Valentine, Lawrence H., ’52, Idabel, Oklahoma

Holley, Wesley L., ’57, ’60, Florence, Alabama

Bailey, Victor E., ’53, ’57, ’60, Fairview, Oklahoma

Hopper, Carl D., ’57, ’62, Dallas

Cowan, Glen A., ’53, Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Lancaster, Bev N., ’57, Tuscon, Arizona

Davis, Nancy R., ’53, Oklahoma City

Myers, Jr., Orville L., ’57, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Keeter, Bobbie R., ’53, ’58, Muskogee, Oklahoma

Olson, Carroll D., ’57, Belleville, Arkansas

Kimbrough, Barbara B., ’53, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Reed, James A., ’57, ’68, Shreveport, Louisiana

Barnes, Jr., Edward M., ’54, ’62, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Bishop, Donald D., ’58, Sudbury, Massachusetts

Cochran, Corydon E., ’54, ’59, ’69, Edmond, Oklahoma

McFadden, John D., ’58, Ponca City, Oklahoma

Bates, Bill, ’50, Oklahoma City

Frank, Jr., Reginald H., ’54, ‘58 Norman, Oklahoma

Craig, Jeanne, ’59, ’79, Leedey, Oklahoma

Keithline, Jr., Charlie R., ’50, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Heavner, Louis W., ’54, ’58, Navarre, Florida

Grefrath, Edmund F., ’59, Lafayette, Colorado

Lawson, Jim D., ’50, Alamo, California

McCuiston, Thomas H., ’54, Overland Park, Kansas

Jordan, Max G., ’59, Fairview, Oklahoma

Lynch, Ed I., ’50, ’51, Tulsa, Oklahoma

McKenney, Jr., Hubert F., ’54, ’77, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Melton, Neva G., ’59, Arnett, Oklahoma

Pickett, Jr., James E., ’50, Houston, Texas

McWilliams, Jr., Mac E., ’54, ’71, ’72, Hooker, Oklahoma

Sullivan, Janet S., ’59, Wilburton, Oklahoma

Poppino, Allen G., ’50, Oklahoma City

Richardson, Gordon W., ’54, ’60, Huntington Beach, California

Autry, Dick B., ’60, Enid, Oklahoma

Potter, Earl L., ’50, Independence, Missouri

Wyers, Jr., Sam, ’54, Newbury Park, California

Beets, Harvey, ’60, Norman, Oklahoma

Bell, Betty T., ’51, Knoxville, Tennessee

Cooper, James C., ’55, Claremore, Oklahoma

Brown, Billy G., ’60, Nowata, Oklahoma

Dedeaux, Louis F., ’51, ’58, Pensacola, Florida

Webb, Bill G., ’55, Pawnee, Oklahoma

Carlson, Norm M., ’60, Titusville, Florida

Gilmore, Francis R., ’51, ’52, ’67, Clarksburg, West Virginia

Conway, Elizabeth M., ’56, Hennessey, Oklahoma

Cummins, Andy V., ’60, Edmond, Oklahoma

Hodges, Tom T., ’51, ’64, Yukon, Oklahoma

Cowden, Robert H., ’56, Sulphur, Louisiana

Hunter, Robert M., ’60, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Loeffelholz, John R., ’51, Oklahoma City

Donavan, Paul C., ’56, ’59, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Larkin, Linda G., ’60, ’65, Menomonie, Wisconsin

Loyd, Robert J., ’51, ’53, Glenview, Illinois

Schneider, Bill J., ’56, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Lawson, Daniel W., ’60, Yukon, Oklahoma

Mack, Joel C., ’51, ’66, Martinsville, Virginia

Wilmes, Betsy A., ’56, Wilburton, Oklahoma

Logan, Jr., Clarence, ’60, Ponca City, Oklahoma

McCrary, Hazel M., ’47, Stillwater, Oklahoma McMahon, John H., ’47, ’51, Crestview, Florida Price, Florene, ’47, Texas City, Texas Shockley, Dotty S., ’47, Tulsa, Oklahoma Johndrow, Howard L., ’48, Liverpool, New York

Don Banks ’52 & ’58 Donald Banks, born in Sentinel, Oklahoma, graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in agriculture in 1952. Through the OSU ROTC program, he earned a commission as a second lieutenant. After serving three years of active duty as an Army aviator, he returned to OSU and earned a master’s degree in 1958.

He taught agronomy courses at Auburn University for two years before attending the University of Georgia to earn his Ph.D. in plant science.

From 1966 to 1990, Banks worked as a research geneticist with the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA, collaborating with the OSU Agronomy Department in peanut genetics research. Banks also served as an OSU professor. He has been published in more than 100 works regarding peanuts, agronomy and agriculture.

Banks recently published a book of poems titled Scripture Power Poems, a collection of 85 poems in which he expresses himself and hopes to move readers. Select poems touch on his traditional family values from a Christian angle.

Keywords and phrases within Banks’ poems relate to Biblical scripture.

Scripture Power Poems can be found on Amazon.com.

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McFall, Kenneth R., ’48, Edmond, Oklahoma Owen, Joe D., ’48, ’50, Oklahoma City Cox, John R., ’49, Sequim, Washington Harris, Jim H., ’49, ’50, Edmond, Oklahoma Hays, Glenn, ’49, Aurora, Colorado Houston, Winfrey D., ’49, ’50, Stillwater, Oklahoma Sappington, Bob J., ’49, San Marcos, Texas Shultz, Gene E., ’49, Guthrie, Oklahoma Spears, Molly R., ’49, Pawnee, Oklahoma Whitehead, Seba E., ’49, Bristow, Oklahoma

McCoy, Jr., Lewis J., ’60, Houston, Texas

Hauser, Jr., Perry S., ’67, Seneca, Missouri

Dickinson, Mike W., ’78, ’79, Edmond, Oklahoma

Michael, Eugene W., ’60, Hudson, Florida

Jaronek, Jr., Charles A., ’67, ’90, Oklahoma City

Harp, Sam L., ’78, ’82, Perkins, Oklahoma

Von Dran, Ulrich G., ’60, Cave Creek, Arizona

Lamb, Julie A., ’67, Wichita, Kansas

Sorrels, Tom, ’78, ’82, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Baer, Allan R., ’61, ‘74, Trenton, Michigan

Ellis, Sally B., ’68, ’94, Ponca City, Oklahoma

Strickland, Tom, ’78, Wagoner, Oklahoma

Bollinger, Rita B., ’61, Lafayette, California

Fredericksen, Claudia, ’68, Oklahoma City

Conrady, James A., ’79, Wakita, Oklahoma

Davis, Kent R., ’61, Midland, Michigan

Keso, Robert S., 69, Farrell, Pennsylvania

Wiese, Suzanne M., ’79, ’81, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Hensley, Robert J., ’61, ’72, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Marler, Ralph W., ’69, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Corbett, Jr., Jim A., ’81, Oklahoma City

Howard, Asa, ’61, Guymon, Oklahoma

Aguilar, Jr., Cisco, ’70, Topeka, Kansas

Johnston, Martha A., ’81, Ormond Beach, Florida

Satterfield, Gene, ’61, ’84, ’88, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Ferguson, Robert L., ’70, Ponca City, Oklahoma

Williams, Brad K., ’82, ’86, Moscow, Idaho

Shreve, Ed L., ’62, ’64, ’69, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Mocha, Larry L., ’70, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Hall, Mark S., ’84, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Walbridge, Marilyn A., ’62, Midwest City, Oklahoma

Shirazi, Annmarie H., ’70, ’72, ’75, Oklahoma City

Watters, Joseph D., ’84, Valley Head, Alabama

Condreay, Phillip B., ’63, ’66, Chester, Oklahoma

Bellmon, Michael A., ’71, O’Fallon, Illinois

Moore, Michael J., ’85, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Hummer, Donal J., ’63, ’70, Oklahoma City

Cox, Kaye, ’71, Moore, Oklahoma

White, Ronny J., ’85, Kingston, Oklahoma

Still, David L., ’63, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tigue, Charles E., ’71, ’79, Oklahoma City

Meade, Suzi S., ’87, Oklahoma City

Bowling, Janice O., ’64, ’67, Plano, Texas

Donnell, Johnnie R., ’72, Yukon, Oklahoma

Franetovich, Steven L., ’88, Shawnee, Oklahoma

Jansma, Dean D., ’64, Columbus, New Jersey

Ladd, Ernest E., ’72, Norman, Oklahoma

Barber, Phyllis D., ’89, ’91, Guthrie, Oklahoma

Kamp, Henrietta M., ’64, Perry, Oklahoma

Partain, Donald R., ’72, Elk City, Oklahoma

Campbell, John A., ’90, Oklahoma City

Petmecky, Sherill S., ’64, San Antonio, Texas

Utter, Bucky P., ’72, ’74, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Love, Brenda C., ’90, Plano, Texas

Wall, Jerry D., ’64, Rogers, Arkansas

Eagleston, Jim T., ’73, Oklahoma City

Steele, III, Henry F., ‘90, Plato, Missouri

Ward, Jan K., ’64, Tulsa, Oklahoma

McNeill, Don C., ’73, Edmond, Oklahoma

Cook, Kevin R., ’91, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Bone, Connie L., ’65, Yukon, Oklahoma

Orrell, Jackie V., ’73, Fort Cobb, Oklahoma

Eldred, Earnest L., ’91, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Butler, Jr., Lee L., ’65, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Carnell, Jon A., ’74, Enid, Oklahoma

Farley, Jason E., ’94, Claremore, Oklahoma

Cox, Hollis U., ’65, ’67, ‘73 Midwest City, Oklahoma

Sadler, George D., ’75, ’76, Frisco, Colorado

Kline, Scott W., ’95, ’97, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Thompson, Tommie R., ’65, ’68, Waco, Texas

Sanders, Michael E., ’75, ’79, Lancaster, California

Pollman, Sharon A., ’96, Oklahoma City

Brady, Allen A., ’66, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Smittle, Forrest C., ’75, Sand Springs, Oklahoma

Smith, Gregory D., ’99, ’04, Miami, Oklahoma

Halbrook, John T., ’66, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Copeland, Albert R., ’76, Ringling, Oklahoma

Schneberger, Jake C., ’03, Moore, Oklahoma

Millard, Ellen O., ’66, ’96, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Linduff, John R., ’76, ’78, Oklahoma City

Bradley, John W., ’07, Nichols Hills, Oklahoma

Miller, Cecelia T., ’66, ’75, Missoula, Montana

Ames, Jean W., ’77, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Morrison, Mary D., ’66, Edmond, Oklahoma

Box, Thomas M., ’77, ’79, ’91, Joplin, Missouri

Wood, Joe W., ‘66, Oklahoma City

Wilkins, Sue S., ’77, Yukon, Oklahoma

Book Corner

John Otto ’90 John Otto, a Norman veterinarian who graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1990 recently wrote a book, along with his son Payton, titled Marvin’s Shining Star.

The book details the journey of Marvin Perry, an inmate at Lexington, and his rescue dog, Star.

For years, Otto had wanted to create a picture book for children with incarcerated parents, so they can understand their parents are trying to do better as they serve time, as well as to break the cycle of illiteracy. He also wanted to let children know that there’s hope for their parents and the rescue dogs — they should have another chance.

The book was published

by RoadRunner Press and edited by Jeanne Devlin, who is a 1985 OSU graduate. It was illustrated by 1986 OSU graduate Janelda Lane, assistant youth director for Stillwater First United Methodist Church.

Through a recent grant from the Harrison Foundation, Marvin’s Shining Star will be supplied to every school and library in Oklahoma, and Otto is working with school counselors on developing book lesson plans for various grade levels.

A percentage of each book sale is given to prison dog-training programs in Oklahoma and elsewhere.

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Where the College Came From

BY A M M I E B R YA N T

In the days that followed the first land run on April 22, 1889, many towns sprang up from the vast prairie of the Unassigned Lands, but not all of them would survive to see statehood, let alone endure through the 20th century. Located miles from existing railroads, a lifeline for supplies, Stillwater settlers immediately made plans to ensure that their little town nestled between Stillwater and Boomer creeks did not just survive but flourish. The town fathers discussed the option of applying for either the state penitentiary or the land grant college — both would bring much needed government funds to the town.

Several of Stillwater’s early settlers had received an education at land grant colleges. They knew the importance of education for the new territory. On December 25, 1890, the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature established the Oklahoma Territorial Agricultural and Mechanical College in Payne County.

The first students attended class on December 14, 1891, in local churches until the first building could be constructed. Work began on Old Central, then known as the College Building, in July 1893.

After completion of Old Central, James H. Adams of the first class of 1896, praised the building saying, “And what a home! Was ever a college more finely housed, or more splendidly equipped?”

Old Central became an iconic symbol of Oklahoma State University. Through the years, Old Central became the face of the university for students and alumni alike. Alfred E. Jarrell, one of the first graduates in 1896, summed up its importance: “Your college faculty can always point out to each generation of students where the college expects to go! But I want them to preserve Old Central to show each generation of students where the college came from!”

One of the most important places the college came from was the Stillwater citizens’ dedication to supporting the university.

Those settlers worked to gain the college for their community, and through the years, they toiled to keep it. In the early days, before the railroad came to Stillwater, the community was in

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FALL 2015

Townspeople in automobiles, along with horses and buggies, greet passengers at Stillwater’s train station in the early 1900s. danger of losing the college due to its isolation. During Territorial Legislative sessions, discussions were held about removing the college because students had to get off the train in Orlando or Perry and travel a half a day to get to Stillwater. Town leaders worked to get the railroad in Stillwater and ensured the survival of their town and OAMC’s place in the community.

Stillwater has long embraced OSU — not just as a vital cog in its economy but as a part of its culture and history. Evidence of this support in the community is adoption of university traditions. One of the most prominent examples of this whole-hearted support is seen during America’s Greatest Homecoming Celebration. Attend the Homecoming parade this coming October and witness the sea of orange as Stillwater citizens line the streets along with out-oftown alumni wearing their favorite color to cheer on the Cowboys.

To learn more about OSU’s history in Stillwater, stop by the Sheerar Museum, 702 South Duncan Street near downtown Stillwater. Admission is free. The museum is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.