RETIRED ARDMORE PHYSICIAN, FAMILY DONATE $500K TO MEDICAL SCHOOL

Longtime Ardmore residents, the late Dr. James Turrentine and his wife Regina, pledged $500,000 in February to the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine to establish scholarships for Oklahoma students with a preference for those from Ardmore, Stigler and the surrounding counties.

James, who died in August, remained involved in the osteopathic medicine community throughout his career and was the recipient of the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association’s “Outstanding and Distinguished Service Award.” He believed his family’s gift was an investment in Oklahomans.

“We hope it will help to educate Oklahomans close to home, and that they will stay close to home to practice medicine,” he said, at the time of the gift. “Osteopathic medicine has a strong history in rural Oklahoma, and we want it to continue.”

Dr. Johnny Stephens, president of OSU Center for Health Sciences, said the Turrentines’ gift will support OSU-CHS’s focus to serve rural communities in the state.

“All of us at OSU Center for Health Sciences are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Turrentine,” Stephens said. “The impact of their gift will be felt by our students for decades to come and allows us to continue to fulfill our mission of educating physicians for rural and underserved Oklahomans. This legacy the Turrentines have created is truly immeasurable.”

The Turrentines care deeply about the well-being of their community and the state. Regina – a retired teacher who taught in Missouri and Oklahoma – served as a member of the Board of Regents at Murray State College and was the founder and director of the Ardmore Beautification Council. Leadership Oklahoma recognized her with the Community Leadership Excellence Award in 2004. Education is important to the Turrentines and their legacy is an expression of gratitude to a profession that has been good to them.

At the time of his donation, James said the osteopathic profession provided a great life for he and his wife, and one he was proud to be able to give back to. He said he hoped his story would inspire future physicians to give back to their community in meaningful ways.

“Life has been good to us. For some reason, we’ve had a guiding hand that put us in the right direction,” he said in February. “We want to leave a legacy and a better world. This is a way we can continue to educate future osteopathic physicians.”