Alumni Honors

TWO ECU ALUMNI HONORED FOR LIFETIME OF CONTRIBUTIONS

East Central University alumni, the Honorable George Nigh and Dr. Harvey Dean, were two of six honorees at the prestigious 2014 Door-Opener Awards Gala on Sept. 4, 2014 at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City.

The event benefitted the Advanced Science & Technology Education Charter School, and the six were recognized for their lifetime of contributions made toward helping others in society maximize their potential and achieve their dreams.

Nigh, the former governor of Oklahoma, was recognized for his longtime and consistent support of public education in Oklahoma at all levels. He also promoted tourism during his time as a state leader, opened doors for women in state government and supported the developmentally disabled.

His contributions to education began as a high school teacher in McAlester. After a successful government career, Nigh served four terms as a state representative, four as lieutenant governor and two as governor. He was later chosen as president of the University of Central Oklahoma.

As governor, he opened doors for women by appointing the first and second women to the state’s Supreme Court, and as a tourism booster, helped to open the door to Oklahoma by enticing movie producers to film in the state.

Gov. Nigh was also recognized for the work he and his wife, Donna, do in advocating for the rights of the developmentally-disabled to lead full lives filled with dignity and accomplishments.

Nigh was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives while he was a senior at ECU, where he earned his degree in 1950.

Dr. Harvey Dean, born in Ada and currently living in Pittsburg, Kan., was recognized for being a pioneer in educational programs and services used by K-12 students and teachers throughout the United States and many foreign countries.

He co-founded Pitsco, Inc., located in Pittsburg, an innovative provider of hands-on learning tools that promote the ever increasingly popular STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning curriculum.

Dean is an inventor as well. He founded the modular teaching concept that is used in numerous classrooms, both public and private. In addition, he authored Changing Education: A Success Story, a book for teachers and administrators that promotes the Synergistic System to help teachers motivate students.

He is a former Oklahoma public school teacher and received his undergraduate degree from ECU in 1965.

Others honored at the event included Toby Keith and Tricia Covel, of Norman; Dr. Ramona Paul, of Edmond and Natalie Shirley, of Oklahoma City.