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Distinguished Honorees
Other distinguished Honorees
Dr. Jack W. Paschall
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DISTINGUISHED FORMER FACULTY
Dr. Jack Paschall was hired at ECU in 1970 and served there until his retirement in 2009. During that 39-year span, Paschall served as audiovisual director, director of educational field experiences, graduate dean and Adolph Linscheid Professor of Education.
Since his retirement, he has continued to teach educational psychology online.
Paschall began his teaching career in the public schools of Lovington, N.M., until going to the University of Oklahoma where he taught as a special instructor and received his doctorate in instructional technology and secondary education in 1970.
He is a native of Red Oak, where he graduated in 1961 and then earned his bachelor’s degree in history education from Southeastern State College (now Southeastern Oklahoma State University) in 1965 and a master’s degree with an emphasis in school counseling in 1967.
Dr. james o. Danley ('51)
DISTINGUISHED FORMER FACULTY (POSTHUMOUS)
Dr. James O. Danley was first employed at ECU in 1956 as an assistant professor of mathematics. He became a full professor and chairman of the department in 1966.
From 1971 until his untimely death in a motorcycle accident in 1980, Danley served as the university’s first dean of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education. In that position, he pioneered the graduate program, talkback television system and developed the public services program.
He attended public school in the Ada area and graduated from Vanoss High School in 1948. Danley earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics education at East Central State College (now ECU) in 1951 and a master’s and doctorate degrees of education from the University of Oklahoma.
bertha frank teague Mid-america classic
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
The Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, held in late December, is one of the most wellattended prep sporting events in the state each year. The prestigious tournament, which began in 1976, draws some of the top girls’ basketball programs in Oklahoma and surrounding states.
It takes a lot of volunteer work from the Ada community and the Mid-America Classic’s corporate sponsor Vision Bank to make it work.
The event is named after Bertha Frank Teague, legendary Byng High School girls’ coach who registered an incredible 1,157-115 record in a glorious span beginning in 1926 and ending in 1969.
She was part of the inaugural induction class of 1999 into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Teague, a driving force in girls’ basketball for nearly three-quarters of a century, passed away on June 13, 1991, at the age of 92.
DISTINGUISHED FAMILY
The history of the Bonar and Martin families at East Central University spans over 80 years and four generations. More than 25 members of the combined families have attended or graduated from ECU, many of whom have gone on to become educators, business owners, and professionals of their respective industries.
From 1918 through 2014 members of these two families have walked the halls of ECU. The earliest scholars of what would become the Bonar and Martin families were Jama Emogene Haynes and Alice Rual Lewis Poindexter.
Jama graduated from East Central State Teachers College in the early 1920s and went on to marry Clyde Leo Bonar.
Joe Haynes Bonar, son of Jama Emogene Haynes, attended East Central in 1946 and married Patricia Mae Phelps, who graduated from East Central in 1949. Joe and Patricia had five children, Susie, Bruce, Melissa, Barry and Margie. Two of the children, Bruce and Susie, graduated from East Central; both met their future spouses while in attendance. Bruce graduated in 1976. Susie and her husband, James Mark Stringfield, both graduated in 1974. Melissa’s husband Pete Cantrell attended East Central in the 1940s and their son-in-law Dillon Byrd graduated in 2008.
Alice Rual Lewis Poindexter attended when the school was named East Central State Normal School. Two of Alice’s six children graduated from East Central.
Martha Lee Poindexter, daughter of W.C. and Alice Rual Lewis Poindexter, graduated in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree and later obtained her master of education, both from ECU. Her brother James Doyle Poindexter graduated in 1958. Martha married her high school sweetheart, Don Martin. After his service in the Air Force, Don obtained his BA from East Central and master of science from the University of Oklahoma. Together, Don and Martha raised their four children, Donna, Sue, Randy and the youngest, Patti - who graduated from East Central.
Bruce Bonar, son of Joe and Patricia, met Patti Martin, daughter of Don and Martha, in 1975 at East Central, where they were both active in the music department. After graduating and getting married, Bruce and Patti had five children—Jessica, Molly, Bradford, Caleb and Daniel—four of whom have graduated from, attended, or are currently attending East Central.
Other East Central attendees across the years have included various aunts, uncles, cousins, and spouses. Many of these are still active in the Ada and ECU communities. Sixty-five years after graduation, Patricia Bonar and Martha Martin are both Golden Tigers, and wear their medallions with pride to each event they attend.
city of ada / ada jobs foundation
DISTINGUISHED PHILANTHROPIST
The City of Ada provides big-city amenities in a hometown atmosphere. The low cost of living, solid housing market and variety of recreation and entertainment options, make the community an ideal place to live, work and play.
Ada is home to 16,810 residents consisting of 6,697 households and 3,803 families.
The Ada Jobs Foundation was established in 1998 as a 501c3 to create and retain jobs for the Ada area. The AJF is primarily funded by the City of Ada through a dedicated quarter-cent tax for economic development, referred to as Proposition 2. Over $5 million of Proposition 2 funds have been reinvested by the AJF into businesses since its inception.
Not only did the money play a major role in creating 1,700 new jobs, it influenced the decisions to retain approximately 700 jobs.
